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We report the structure and properties of a new Ce-based compound Ce 3 TiAs 5 synthesized under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. It crystallizes in a hexagonal Hf 5 Sn 3 Cu-anti type structure with zig-zag like Ce chains along the c axis. This compound is metallic and undergoes a magnetic phase transition at T N = 13 K. A metamagnetic transition occurs at ∼0.7 T. The Sommerfeld coefficient for the compound is determined to be about 215 mJ/(Ce-mol*K 2 ), demonstrating a heavy Fermion behavior. The resistivity is featured with two humps, which arises from the synergistic effect of crystal electric field and magnetic scattering. The magnetic ordering temperature T N gradually increases in the sequence of Ce 3 TiPn 5 with Pn = Bi, Sb, and As, which implies that the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction should be still predominant in Ce 3 TiAs 5 ., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent disorder of the central nervous system, marked by the degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain. In the pathogenesis of PD, inflammation hypothesis has been concerned. This study aims to investigate clinical indicators of peripheral inflammation in PD patients and to explore the diagnostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in assessing PD risk., Methods: This study included 186 patients with PD and 201 matched healthy controls (HC) with baseline data. Firstly, the differences of hematological indicators between PD group and healthy participants were compared and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were then conducted. Smooth curve fitting was applied to further validate the relationships between NLR, LMR, AFR, and PD. Subsequently, subgroup analysis was conducted in PD group according to different duration of disease and Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage, comparing differences in clinical indicators. Finally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to assess the diagnostic value of NLR, LMR, and AFR in PD., Results: Compared to the HC group, the PD group showed significantly higher levels of hypertension, diabetes, neutrophil count, monocyte count, CRP, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and NLR. Conversely, levels of LMR, AFR, lymphocyte count, HDL, LDL, TG, TC, uric acid, and albumin were significantly lower. The multivariate regression model indicated that NLR (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.39-2.31, p  < 0.001), LMR (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.66-0.85, p  < 0.001), and AFR (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.73-0.85, p  < 0.001) were significant factors associated with PD. Smooth curve fitting revealed that NLR was positively linked to PD risk, whereas AFR and LMR were inversely associated with it. In ROC curve analysis, the AUC of AFR was 0.7290, the sensitivity was 63.98%, and the specificity was 76.00%. The AUC of NLR was 0.6200, the sensitivity was 50.54%, and the specificity was 71.50%. The AUC of LMR was 0.6253, the sensitivity was 48.39%, and the specificity was 73.00%. The AUC of the combination was 0.7498, the sensitivity was 74.19%, and the specificity was 64.00%., Conclusion: Our findings indicate that NLR, LMR, and AFR are significantly associated with Parkinson's disease and may serve as diagnostic markers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Li, Xu, Ren, Xu, Dai, Yang and Jin.)

Cluster headache (CH) is a common primary headache that severely impacts patients' quality of life, characterized by recurrent, severe, unilateral headaches often centered around the eyes, temples, or forehead. Distinguishing CH from other headache disorders is challenging, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Notably, patients with CH often experience high levels of depression and suicidal tendencies, necessitating increased clinical attention. This comprehensive assessment combines various reports and the latest scientific literature to evaluate the current state of CH research. It covers epidemiology, population characteristics, predisposing factors, and treatment strategies. Additionally, we provide strategic insights into the holistic management of CH, which involves continuous, individualized care throughout the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation stages. Recent advances in the field have revealed new insights into the pathophysiology of CH. While these findings are still evolving, they offer a more detailed understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this disorder. This growing body of knowledge, alongside ongoing research efforts, promises to lead to the development of more targeted and effective treatments in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xu, Li, Ren, Xu, Dai, Jin and Yang.)

Studies investigating the relationship between dietary vitamin B1 intake and risk of Hyperuricemia (HU) are scarce, the present study aimed to examine the association of dietary vitamin B1 intake and HU among adults. This cross-sectional study included 5750 adults whose data derived from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from March 2017 to March 2020. The dietary intake of vitamin B1 was assessed using 24-h dietary recall interviews. The characteristics of study participants were grouped into five levels according to the levels of vitamin B1 quintile. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of HU, according to the vitamin B1 intake quintile for male and female separately. The dose-response relationship was determined by the restricted cubic spline (RCS). Smoothed curve fitting was used to assess serum uric acid concentration versus dietary vitamin B1 intake in the study population. The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 18.90% (20.15% and 17.79% for males and females, respectively) in the United States from March 2017 to March 2020. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that in the male population, the HU ratio (OR) of vitamin B1 intake in Q2 to Q5 compared with the lowest quintile (Q1) was 0.75 (95% CI 0.52, 1.09), 0.70 (95% CI 0.48, 1.02), 0.66 (95% CI 0.44, 0.99) and 0.55 (95% CI 0.34, 0.90). The P for trend was 0.028. In women, the ORs for vitamin B1 intake Q2 to Q5 were 0.87 (95% CI 0.64, 1.19), 0.97 (0.68-1.38), 1.05 (0.69-1.60) and 0.75 (0.42-1.34), respectively. The P for trend was 0.876. The RCS curve revealed a linear relationship between vitamin B1 intake and the risk of hyperuricemia in men (P nonlinear = 0.401). Smoothed curve fitting demonstrated a negative association between vitamin B1 intake and serum uric acid concentration in men, whereas there was no significant association between dietary vitamin B1 intake and the risk of hyperuricemia in women. In the US adult population, dietary vitamin B1 intake was negatively associated with hyperuricemia in males., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer (EGC) does not always lead to curative resection. Risk factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM)/local cancer residue after non-curative ESD for EGC have not been fully elucidated. We therefore aimed to clarify them and evaluate whether the "eCura system" is reliable for the risk stratification of LNM after non-curative ESD., Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study at seven institutions in Zhejiang, China, on 128 patients who underwent non-curative ESD for EGC. We divided the patients into two groups according to their therapeutic regimen after non-curative ESD. We analyzed the risk factors for LNM, local cancer residue, cancer recurrence, and cancer-specific mortality. Furthermore, we compared the outcomes in each risk category after applying the "eCura system"., Results: Among 68 patients undergoing additional surgery, LNM was found in three (4.41%) patients, while local cancer residue was found in eight (11.76%) patients. Multivariate analysis showed that upper third location and deep submucosal invasion were independent risk factors of LNM and local cancer residue. Among 60 patients who underwent simple follow-up, local cancer recurrence was found in four (6.67%) patients and cancer-specific mortality was found in one (1.67%) patient. There were no independent risk factors of cancer recurrence and cancer-specific mortality in our study. During the follow-up period, 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 93.8% and 88.9%, respectively. Additionally, LNM and cancer recurrence were significantly associated with the eCura scoring system (p = 0.044 and p = 0.017, respectively), while local cancer residue and cancer-specific mortality were not (p = 0.478 and p = 0.131, respectively)., Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of the risk factors for the prognosis of patients with non-curative ESD to determine subsequent treatment. Through the application of the "eCura system", additional surgery should be performed in patients with intermediate/high risk of LNM., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jin, Zhao, Ding, Yu, Ye, Zhu, Shen, Yang, Jin, Zhang and Lv.)

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a group of heterogeneous cells which are abnormally accumulated during the differentiation of myeloid cells. Immunosuppression is the main functional feature of MDSCs, which inhibit T cell activity in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and promote tumoral immune escape. The main principle for immunotherapy is to modulate, restore, and remodel the plasticity and potential of immune system to have an effective anti-tumor response. In the TME, MDSCs are major obstacles to cancer immunotherapy through reducing the anti-tumor efficacy and making tumor cells more resistant to immunotherapy. Therefore, targeting MDSCs treatment becomes the priority of relevant studies and provides new immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. In this review, we mainly discuss the functions and mechanisms of MDSCs as well as their functional changes in the TME. Further, we review therapeutic effects of immunotherapy against MDSCs and potential breakthroughs regarding immunotherapy targeting MDSCs and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Sui, Dongye, Liu, Xu, Wang, Jin, Yao, Gong, Jiang, Zhang, Liu, Liu, Jiang and Su.)

Background: Xia-Gibbs syndrome (XGS, OMIM: 615829), caused by mutations within the AT-Hook DNA-binding motif-containing protein 1 ( AHDC1 ) gene (OMIM: 615790), located on the short arm of chromosome 1 within the cytogenetic band 1p36.11, contains five noncoding 5 exons, a single 4.9-kb coding exon, and a noncoding 3 exon., Case Summary: In this case report, we diagnosed and treated a 6-mo-old girl with XGS. The primary clinical symptoms included global developmental delay, hypotonia, and mild dysmorphic features. Using high-throughput whole-exosome sequencing to sequence the patient and her parents, and the results showed a novel frameshift mutation of c.1155dupG (p.Arg386Alafs*3) in the AHDC1 gene. The paternal gene was wild type., Conclusion: This report extends the mutation spectrum of the AHDC1 gene to provide the diagnostic basis for genetic counseling in families with XGS., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the researchers said there was no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has a dominant function in energy conversion and storage because it supplies a most effective way for converting electricity into sustainable high-purity hydrogen. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have shown promising performance in the process of electrochemical water oxidation (a half-reaction for water splitting). Nevertheless, HER properties have not been well released due to the structural characteristics of related materials. Herein, a simple and scalable tactics is developed to synthesize chromium-doped CoFe LDH (CoFeCr LDH). Thanks to oxygen vacancy, optimized electronic structure and interconnected array hierarchical structure, our developed ternary CoFeCr-based layered double hydroxide catalysts can provide 10 mA cm -2 current density at -0.201 V vs. RHE with superior long-term stability in alkaline electrolyte. We anticipate that the simple but feasible polymetallic electronic modulation strategy can strengthen the electrocatalytic property of the layered double hydroxides established in the present study, based on a carbon neutral and hydrogen economy.

The water oxidation reaction plays a major role in many alternative-energy systems because it provides the electrons and protons required for the use of renewable electricity. We report the tuning of the iron molybdate (FeMoO 4 ) electron structure via a coupled interface between the catalytic centers and the substrate. Our developed FeMoO 4 catalysts can provide a 50 mA cm -2 current density at 1.506 V vs. RHE with excellent stability in 1.0 M KOH. The improved performance can be ascribed to the synergy of the optimized electronic structures and hierarchical nanostructure.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by destruction of articular cartilage. The inflammatory response is the most important factor affecting the disease process. As interleukin-1β (IL-1β) stimulates several key mediators in the inflammatory response, it plays a major role in the pathogenesis of OA. Maslinic acid (MA) is a natural compound distributed in olive fruit. Previous studies have found that maslinic acid has an inhibitory effect on inflammation, but its specific role in the progression of OA disease has not been studied so far. In this study, we aim to assess the protective effect of MA on OA progression by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our results indicate that, in IL-1β-induced inflammatory response, MA is effective in attenuating some major inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2, and inhibits the expression of IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in a concentration-dependent manner. Also, MA downregulated the expression levels of thrombospondin motif 5 (ADAMTS5) and matrix metalloproteinase 13 in chondrocytes, resulting in reduced degradation of its extracellular matrix. Mechanistically, MA exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect by inactivating the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway. In vivo, the protective effect of MA on OA development can be detected in a surgically induced mouse OA model. In summary, these findings suggest that MA can be used as a safe and effective potential OA therapeutic strategy., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

A crucial issue in cuprates is the extent and mechanism of the coupling of the lattice to the electrons and the superconductivity. Here we report Cu K edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements elucidating the internal quantum tunneling polaron (iqtp) component of the dynamical structure in two heavily overdoped superconducting cuprate compounds, tetragonal YSr 2 Cu 2.75 Mo 0.25 O 7.54 with superconducting critical temperature, T c = 84 K and hole density p = 0.3 to 0.5 per planar Cu, and the tetragonal phase of Sr 2 CuO 3.3 with T c = 95 K and p = 0.6. In YSr 2 Cu 2.75 Mo 0.25 O 7.54 changes in the Cu-apical O two-site distribution reflect a sequential renormalization of the double-well potential of this site beginning at T c , with the energy difference between the two minima increasing by ∼6 meV between T c and 52 K. Sr 2 CuO 3.3 undergoes a radically larger transformation at T c , >1-Å displacements of the apical O atoms. The principal feature of the dynamical structure underlying these transformations is the strongly anharmonic oscillation of the apical O atoms in a double-well potential that results in the observation of two distinct O sites whose Cu-O distances indicate different bonding modes and valence-charge distributions. The coupling of the superconductivity to the iqtp that originates in this nonadiabatic coupling between the electrons and lattice demonstrates an important role for the dynamical structure whereby pairing occurs even in a system where displacements of the atoms that are part of the transition are sufficiently large to alter the Fermi surface. The synchronization and dynamic coherence of the iqtps resulting from the strong interactions within a crystal would be expected to influence this process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

Apocynum venetum is an eco-economic plant that exhibits high stress resistance. In the present paper, we carried out a whole-genome survey of A. venetum in order to provide a foundation for its whole-genome sequencing. High-throughput sequencing technology (Illumina NovaSep) was first used to measure the genome size of A. venetum , and bioinformatics methods were employed for the evaluation of the genome size, heterozygosity ratio, repeated sequences, and GC content in order to provide a foundation for subsequent whole-genome sequencing. The sequencing analysis results indicated that the preliminary estimated genome size of A. venetum was 254.40 Mbp, and its heterozygosity ratio and percentage of repeated sequences were 0.63 and 40.87%, respectively, indicating that it has a complex genome. We used k-mer = 41 to carry out a preliminary assembly and obtained contig N50, which was 3841 bp with a total length of 223949699 bp. We carried out further assembly to obtain scaffold N50, which was 6196 bp with a total length of 227322054 bp. We performed simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular marker prediction based on the A. venetum genome data and identified a total of 101918 SSRs. The differences between the different types of nucleotide repeats were large, with mononucleotide repeats being most numerous and hexanucleotide repeats being least numerous. We recommend the use of the '2+3' (Illumina+PacBio) sequencing combination to supplement the Hi-C technique and resequencing technique in future whole-genome research in A. venetum ., (© 2019 The Author(s).)

The mechanism of superconductivity in cuprates remains one of the big challenges of condensed matter physics. High- T c cuprates crystallize into a layered perovskite structure featuring copper oxygen octahedral coordination. Due to the Jahn Teller effect in combination with the strong static Coulomb interaction, the octahedra in high- T c cuprates are elongated along the c axis, leading to a 3 dx 2 - y 2 orbital at the top of the band structure wherein the doped holes reside. This scenario gives rise to 2D characteristics in high- T c cuprates that favor d -wave pairing symmetry. Here, we report superconductivity in a cuprate Ba 2 CuO 4- y , wherein the local octahedron is in a very exceptional compressed version. The Ba 2 CuO 4- y compound was synthesized at high pressure at high temperatures and shows bulk superconductivity with critical temperature ( T c ) above 70 K at ambient conditions. This superconducting transition temperature is more than 30 K higher than the T c for the isostructural counterparts based on classical La 2 CuO 4 X-ray absorption measurements indicate the heavily doped nature of the Ba 2 CuO 4- y superconductor. In compressed octahedron, the 3 d 3 z 2 - r 2 orbital will be lifted above the 3 dx 2 - y 2 orbital, leading to significant 3D nature in addition to the conventional 3 dx 2 - y 2 orbital. This work sheds important light on advancing our comprehensive understanding of the superconducting mechanism of high T c in cuprate materials., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

We report a new diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor Li 1+y (Cd,Mn)P, wherein carrier is doped via excess Li while spin is doped by isovalence substitution of Mn 2+ into Cd 2+ . The extended Cd 4d-orbitals lead to more itinerant characters of Li 1+y (Cd,Mn)P than that of analogous Li 1+y (Zn,Mn)P. A higher Curie temperature of 45 K than that for Li 1+y (Zn,Mn)P is obtained in Li 1+y (Cd,Mn)P polycrystalline samples by Arrott plot technique. The p-type carriers are determined by Hall effect measurements. The first principle calculations and X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that occupation of excess Li is at Cd sites rather than the interstitial site. Consequently holes are doped by excess Li substitution. More interestingly Li 1+y (Cd,Mn)P shows a very low coercive field (<100 Oe) and giant negative magnetoresistance (~80%) in ferromagnetic state that will benefit potential spintronics applications.

A magnetic order can be completely suppressed at zero temperature (T), by doping carriers or applying pressure, at a quantum critical point, around which physical properties change drastically. However, the situation is unclear for an electronic nematic order that breaks rotation symmetry. Here, we report nuclear magnetic resonance studies on NaFe&#95;{1-x}Co&#95;{x}As where magnetic and nematic transitions are well separated. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum is sensitive to inhomogeneous magnetic fields in the vortex state, which is related to London penetration depth λ&#95;{L} that measures the electron mass m^{*}. We discovered two peaks in the doping dependence of λ&#95;{L}^{2}(T∼0), one at x&#95;{M}=0.027 where the spin-lattice relaxation rate shows quantum critical behavior, and another at x&#95;{c}=0.032 around which the nematic transition temperature extrapolates to zero and the electrical resistivity shows a T-linear variation. Our results indicate that a nematic quantum critical point lies beneath the superconducting dome at x&#95;{c} where m^{*} is enhanced. The impact of the nematic fluctuations on superconductivity is discussed.

Pressure technique is an effective way to modify magnetic properties of diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS). Based on single crystal, in-plane electrical transport properties of a new generation DMS (Ba 0.904 K 0.096 )(Zn 0.805 Mn 0.195 ) 2 As 2 have been measured with hydrostatic pressure up to 1.8 GPa. Magnetic properties of the single crystal sample are effectively tuned by pressure. Upon compression, the in-plane resistivity initially decreases but then increases when pressure is higher than 1.2 GPa. First principle calculations suggest that decrease of the resistivity is due to enhancement of density of state at Femi energy while increase of the resistivity under higher pressure is caused by distorted MnAs 4 tetrahedra. We reveal that the configuration of the MnAs 4 tetrahedra and strength of interlayer As-As bonding are of importance to ferromagnetic coupling of (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn) 2 As 2 .

Double corundum-related polar magnets are promising materials for multiferroic and magnetoelectric applications in spintronics. However, their design and synthesis is a challenge, and magnetoelectric coupling has only been observed in Ni 3 TeO 6 among the known double corundum compounds to date. Here we address the high-pressure synthesis of a new polar and antiferromagnetic corundum derivative Mn 2 MnWO 6 , which adopts the Ni 3 TeO 6 -type structure with low temperature first-order field-induced metamagnetic phase transitions (T N  = 58 K) and high spontaneous polarization (~ 63.3 μC·cm -2 ). The magnetostriction-polarization coupling in Mn 2 MnWO 6 is evidenced by second harmonic generation effect, and corroborated by magnetic-field-dependent pyroresponse behavior, which together with the magnetic-field-dependent polarization and dielectric measurements, qualitatively indicate magnetoelectric coupling. Piezoresponse force microscopy imaging and spectroscopy studies on Mn 2 MnWO 6 show switchable polarization, which motivates further exploration on magnetoelectric effect in single crystal/thin film specimens.

A new miniature panoramic diamond anvil cell (mini-pDAC) as well as a unique gas membrane-driven mechanism is developed and implemented to measure electronic, magnetic, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of materials using the nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (NRIXS) and the synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy (SMS) simultaneously at high pressure (over Mbar) and low temperature (T < 10 K). The gas membrane system allows in situ pressure tuning of the mini-pDAC at low temperature. The mini-pDAC fits into a specially designed compact liquid helium flow cryostat system to achieve low temperatures, where liquid helium flows through the holder of the mini-pDAC to cool the sample more efficiently. The system has achieved sample temperatures as low as 9 K. Using the membrane, sample pressures of up to 1.4 Mbar have been generated from this mini-pDAC. The instrument has been routinely used at 3-ID, Advanced Photon Source, for NRIXS and SMS studies. The same instrument can easily be used for other X-ray techniques, such as X-ray radial diffraction, X-ray Raman scattering, X-ray emission spectroscopy, and X-ray inelastic scattering under high pressure and low temperature. In this paper, technical details of the mini-pDAC, membrane engaging mechanism, and the cryostat system are described, and some experimental results are discussed.

Recently a new diluted magnetic semiconductor, (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn) 2 As 2 (BZA), with high Curie temperature was discovered, showing an independent spin and charge-doping mechanism. This makes BZA a promising material for spintronics devices. We report the successful growth of a BZA single crystal for the first time in this study. An Andreev reflection junction, which can be used to evaluate spin polarization, was fabricated based on the BZA single crystal. A 66% spin polarization of the BZA single crystal was obtained by Andreev reflection spectroscopy analysis.

Recently, theoretical studies show that layered HfTe 5 is at the boundary of weak &strong topological insulator (TI) and might crossover to a Dirac semimetal state by changing lattice parameters. The topological properties of 3D stacked HfTe 5 are expected hence to be sensitive to pressures tuning. Here, we report pressure induced phase evolution in both electronic &crystal structures for HfTe 5 with a culmination of pressure induced superconductivity. Our experiments indicated that the temperature for anomaly resistance peak (Tp) due to Lifshitz transition decreases first before climbs up to a maximum with pressure while the Tp minimum corresponds to the transition from a weak TI to strong TI. The HfTe 5 crystal becomes superconductive above ~5.5 GPa where the Tp reaches maximum. The highest superconducting transition temperature (Tc) around 5 K was achieved at 20 GPa. Crystal structure studies indicate that HfTe 5 transforms from a Cmcm phase across a monoclinic C2/m phase then to a P-1 phase with increasing pressure. Based on transport, structure studies a comprehensive phase diagram of HfTe 5 is constructed as function of pressure. The work provides valuable experimental insights into the evolution on how to proceed from a weak TI precursor across a strong TI to superconductors.

Strong spin orbital interaction (SOI) can induce unique quantum phenomena such as topological insulators, the Rashba effect, or p-wave superconductivity. Combining these three quantum phenomena into a single compound has important scientific implications. Here we report experimental observations of consecutive quantum phase transitions from a Rashba type topological trivial phase to topological insulator state then further proceeding to superconductivity in a SOI compound BiTeI tuned via pressures. The electrical resistivity measurement with V shape change signals the transition from a Rashba type topological trivial to a topological insulator phase at 2 GPa, which is caused by an energy gap close then reopen with band inverse. Superconducting transition appears at 8 GPa with a critical temperature T C of 5.3 K. Structure refinements indicate that the consecutive phase transitions are correlated to the changes in the Bi-Te bond and bond angle as function of pressures. The Hall Effect measurements reveal an intimate relationship between superconductivity and the unusual change in carrier density that points to possible unconventional superconductivity.

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare, life-threatening disease resulting from excessive activation and non-malignant proliferation of macrophages and T lymphocytes. Whether it can be caused by cholecystitis has not yet been reported in the world., Case Report: A 4-year-old girl was admitted to hospital with cholecystitis. The patient was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis after 3days of admission based on the results of laboratory tests showing hypofibrinogenemia, hypertriglyceridemia, thrombocytopenia, anemia and leukopenia., Conclusions: From this case experience, if a timely symptomatic treatment is given, the condition of the patient with secondary HLH can be alleviated. This is the first report of cholecystitis-induced hemophagocytic syndrome in the world also., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The most widespread cooling techniques based on gas compression/expansion encounter environmental problems. Thus, tremendous effort has been dedicated to develop alternative cooling technique and search for solid state materials that show large caloric effects. An application of pressure to a material can cause a change in temperature, which is called the barocaloric effect. Here we report the giant barocaloric effect in a hexagonal Ni2In-type MnCoGe0.99In0.01 compound involving magnetostructural transformation, Tmstr, which is accompanied with a big difference in the internal energy due to a great negative lattice expansion(ΔV/V ~ 3.9%). High resolution neutron diffraction experiments reveal that the hydrostatic pressure can push the Tmstr to a lower temperature at a rate of 7.7 K/kbar, resulting in a giant barocaloric effect. The entropy change under a moderate pressure of 3 kbar reaches 52 J kg(-1) K(-1), which exceeds that of most materials, including the reported giant magnetocaloric effect driven by 5 T magnetic field that is available only by superconducting magnets.

Mn(2+)2 Fe(2+)W(6+)O6 , a new polar magnetic phase, adopts the corundum-derived Ni3TeO6 -type structure with large spontaneous polarization (PS) of 67.8 μC cm(-2), complex antiferromagnetic order below ≈75 K, and field-induced first-order transition to a ferrimagnetic phase below ≈30 K. First-principles calculations predict a ferrimagnetic (udu) ground state, optimal switching path along the c-axis, and transition to a lower energy udu-udd magnetic double cell., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The electronic structure of insulating antiferromagnetic LiMnAs is investigated using soft x-ray spectroscopy and compared to the electronic structure of metallic LiFeAs. Our calculations support the experimentally observed insulating antiferromagnetic order in LiMnAs. The x-ray absorption and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectra in LiFeAs and LiMnAs are adequately explained by the electronic structure alone, although it is possible that LiMnAs has significant electronic correlations driven by Hund's J coupling. Finally, we show evidence of a possible spin trap in Li(Fe0.95Mn0.05)As.

In conventional BCS superconductors, the quantum condensation of superconducting electron pairs is understood as a Fermi surface instability, in which the low-energy electrons are paired by attractive interactions. Whether this explanation is still valid in high-Tc superconductors such as cuprates and iron-based superconductors remains an open question. In particular, a fundamentally different picture of the electron pairs, which are believed to be formed locally by repulsive interactions, may prevail. Here we report a high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study on LiFe(1-x)CoxAs. We reveal a large and robust superconducting gap on a band sinking below the Fermi level on Co substitution. The observed Fermi-surface-free superconducting order is also the largest over the momentum space, which rules out a proximity effect origin and indicates that the order parameter is not tied to the Fermi surface as a result of a surface instability.

The Cu substitution effect on the superconductivity of LiFeAs has been studied in comparison with Co/Ni substitution. It is found that the shrinking rate of the lattice parameter c for Cu substitution is much smaller than that of Co/Ni substitution. This is in conjugation with the observation of ARPES that shows almost the same electron and hole Fermi surfaces (FSs) size for undoped and Cu substituted LiFeAs sample, except for a very small hole band sinking below Fermi level with doping. This indicates that there is little doping effect at Fermi surface by Cu substitution, in sharp contrast to the more effective carrier doping effect by Ni or Co.

Recently, A2B3 type strong spin orbital coupling compounds such as Bi2Te3, Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3 were theoretically predicated to be topological insulators and demonstrated through experimental efforts. The counterpart compound Sb2Se3 on the other hand was found to be topological trivial, but further theoretical studies indicated that the pressure might induce Sb2Se3 into a topological nontrivial state. Here, we report on the discovery of superconductivity in Sb2Se3 single crystal induced via pressure. Our experiments indicated that Sb2Se3 became superconductive at high pressures above 10 GPa proceeded by a pressure induced insulator to metal like transition at ~3 GPa which should be related to the topological quantum transition. The superconducting transition temperature (TC) increased to around 8.0 K with pressure up to 40 GPa while it keeps ambient structure. High pressure Raman revealed that new modes appeared around 10 GPa and 20 GPa, respectively, which correspond to occurrence of superconductivity and to the change of TC slop as the function of high pressure in conjunction with the evolutions of structural parameters at high pressures.

We conducted in situ angle dispersive high pressure x-ray diffraction experiments on Sr3Ir2O7 up to 23.1 GPa at 25 K with neon as the pressure transmitting medium. Pressure induces a highly anisotropic compressional behavior seen where the tetragonal plane is compressed much faster than the perpendicular direction. By analyzing different aspects of the diffraction data, a second-order structural transition is observed at approximately 14 GPa, which is accompanied by the insulating state to nearly metallic state at 13.2 GPa observed previously (Li et al 2013 Phys. Rev. B 87 235127). Our results highlight the coupling between electronic state and lattice structure in Sr3Ir2O7 under pressure.

One of key issues in studying iron based superconductors is to understand how the magnetic phase of the parent compounds evolves. Here we report the systematic investigation of paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic and tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transitions of "122" SrFe2As2 parent compound using combined high resolution synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction techniques in a cryogenically cooled high pressure diamond anvil cell. It is found that although the two transitions are coupled at 205 K at ambient pressure, they are concurrently suppressed to much lower temperatures near a quantum critical pressure of approximately 4.8 GPa where the antiferromagnetic state transforms into bulk superconducting state. Our results indicate that the lattice distortions and magnetism jointly play a critical role in inducing superconductivity in iron based compounds.

The pressure-induced superconductivity and structural evolution of Bi2Se3 single crystals are studied. The emergence of superconductivity at an onset transition temperature (Tc) of about 4.4 K is observed at around 12 GPa. Tc increases rapidly to a maximum of 8.2 K at 17.2 GPa, decreases to around 6.5 K at 23 GPa, and then remains almost constant with further increases in pressure. Variations in Tc with respect to pressure are closely related to the carrier density, which increases by over two orders of magnitude from 2 to 23 GPa. High-pressure synchrotron radiation measurements reveal structural transitions at around 12, 20, and above 29 GPa. A phase diagram of superconductivity versus pressure is also constructed.

A case of acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura following oral polio vaccine (OPV) is reported. An 82-d-old infant developed purpura at the same day after the second dose of oral polio vaccine. Until the time of hospital admission, the male infant had been in good health and had not received any drugs, and the possible causes of this condition were excluded. His platelet count was 13×10(9)/L. Platelet-associated IgG was elevated, but the amount of megakaryocytes in bone marrow aspirates was within the normal range, suggesting immune mechanism-associated thrombocytopenia. The infant recovered with the proper treatment within 30 d. Attention should be paid to OPV-associated thrombocytopenia, though it seems to be less frequent than after natural infections.

The aim of this study was to establish the antioxidant status and oxidative stress in adult patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Eighty-four patients diagnosed with chronic ITP were studied. Fifty-eight age-matched healthy subjects were selected as controls. Serum nitrogen monoxide ( NO), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), superoxide dismutase(SOD), hydrogen peroxide enzyme (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione (GSH) were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). It was found that serum SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, GSH, TAS levels were significantly lower in patients with chronic ITP than controls (all P < 0.05), while serum NO, GSSG, MDA, TOS values were significantly higher (P < 0.05). The number of platelet showed a negative correlation with NO, GSSG, MDA, TOS, respectively,while platelet number showed a positive correlation with SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, GSH, TAS. These findings suggested that oxidants were increased and antioxidants were decreased in patients with chronic ITP, these may be prominent factors in destructing the platelet membrane. The scavenging of oxygen radical provides a theoretical basis for the treatment of ITP patients., (© 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Immunology © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Diluted magnetic semiconductors have received much attention due to their potential applications for spintronics devices. A prototypical system (Ga,Mn)As has been widely studied since the 1990s. The simultaneous spin and charge doping via hetero-valent (Ga(3+),Mn(2+)) substitution, however, resulted in severely limited solubility without availability of bulk specimens. Here we report the synthesis of a new diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ba(1-x)K(x))(Zn(1-y)Mn(y))(2)As(2), which is isostructural to the 122 iron-based superconductors with the tetragonal ThCr(2)Si(2) (122) structure. Holes are doped via (Ba(2+), K(1+)) replacements, while spins via isovalent (Zn(2+),Mn(2+)) substitutions. Bulk samples with x=0.1-0.3 and y=0.05-0.15 exhibit ferromagnetic order with T(C) up to 180 K, which is comparable to the highest T(C) for (Ga,Mn)As and significantly enhanced from T(C) up to 50 K of the '111'-based Li(Zn,Mn)As. Moreover, ferromagnetic (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)(2)As(2) shares the same 122 crystal structure with semiconducting BaZn(2)As(2), antiferromagnetic BaMn(2)As(2) and superconducting (Ba,K)Fe(2)As(2), which makes them promising for the development of multilayer functional devices.

Topological superconductivity is one of most fascinating properties of topological quantum matters that was theoretically proposed and can support Majorana Fermions at the edge state. Superconductivity was previously realized in a Cu-intercalated Bi2Se3 topological compound or a Bi2Te3 topological compound at high pressure. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in the topological compound Sb2Te3 when pressure was applied. The crystal structure analysis results reveal that superconductivity at a low-pressure range occurs at the ambient phase. The Hall coefficient measurements indicate the change of p-type carriers at a low-pressure range within the ambient phase, into n-type at higher pressures, showing intimate relation to superconducting transition temperature. The first principle calculations based on experimental measurements of the crystal lattice show that Sb2Te3 retains its Dirac surface states within the low-pressure ambient phase where superconductivity was observed, which indicates a strong relationship between superconductivity and topology nature.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of stir-fried white pepper in the treatment of infant and children diarrhea. This was a randomized trial conducted in the pediatric emergency department of the hospital affiliated to Jining Medical College. One hundred seventy four patients were selected from outpatients from 2011 to 2012. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment with stir-fried white pepper (n = 88) or montmorillonite powder (n = 86). The proportions of chronic diarrhea patients (n = 52) showing success of treatment were similar for both groups. There were great differences between the two groups in acute diarrhea (n = 62) and persistent diarrhea (n = 60), and the cure rate of stir-fried white pepper was higher than montmorillonite powder in both groups. The prescription of stir-fried white pepper significantly decreased the frequency of diarrhea in infants and children under 2.5 years with diarrhea compared to treatment with montmorillonite powder, especially for the patients with acute diarrhea or persistent diarrhea.

LiFeAs is one of the new class of iron superconductors with a bulk [Formula: see text] in the 15-17 K range. We report on the specific heat characterization of single crystal material prepared by self-flux growth techniques with significantly improved properties, including a much decreased residual gamma, γ(r) (≡C/T as T → 0), in the superconducting state. Thus, in contrast to previous explanations of a finite γ(r) in LiFeAs being due to intrinsic states in the superconducting gap, the present work shows that such a finite residual γ in LiFeAs is instead a function of sample quality. Further, since LiFeAs has been characterized as nodeless with multiple superconducting gaps, we report here on its specific heat properties in zero and applied magnetic fields, to compare to similar results on nodal iron superconductors. For comparison, we also investigate LiFe(0.98)Cu(0.02)As, which has the reduced T(c) of ≈9 K and an H(c2) of 15 T. Interestingly, although presumably both LiFeAs and LiFe(0.98)Cu(0.02)As are nodeless, they clearly show a non-linear dependence of the electronic density of states (is proportional to specific heat γ) at the Fermi energy in the mixed state with the applied field, similar to the Volovik effect for nodal superconductors. However, rather than indicating nodal behavior, the satisfactory comparison with a recent theory for γ(H) for a superconductor with two isotropic gaps in the presence of impurities argues for nodeless behavior. Thus, in terms of specific heat in a magnetic field, LiFeAs can serve as the prototypical multiband, nodeless iron superconductor.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies of the magnetic-insulating ground state of Sr2IrO4 at ambient pressure show a clear deviation from a strong spin-orbit (SO) limit J(eff)=1/2 state, a result of local exchange interactions and a nonzero tetragonal crystal field mixing SO split J(eff)=1/2, 3/2 states. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements in a diamond anvil cell show a magnetic transition at a pressure of ∼17  GPa, where the "weak" ferromagnetic moment is quenched despite transport measurements showing insulating behavior to at least 40 GPa. The magnetic transition has implications for the origin of the insulating gap and the nature of exchange interactions in this SO coupled system. The expectation value of the angular part of the SO interaction, , extrapolates to zero at ∼80-90  GPa where an increased bandwidth strongly mixes J(eff)=1/2, 3/2 states and SO interactions no longer dominate the electronic ground state of Sr2IrO4.

We report a comprehensive high-pressure study on the triple-layer T'-La4Ni3O8 with a suite of experimental probes, including structure determination, magnetic, and transport properties up to 50 GPa. Consistent with a recent ab inito calculation, application of hydrostatic pressure suppresses an insulator-metal spin-state transition at P(c)≈6  GPa. However, a low-spin metallic phase does not emerge after the high-spin state is suppressed to the lowest temperature. For P>20  GPa, the ambient T' structure transforms gradually to a T(†)-type structure, which involves a structural reconstruction from fluorite La-O2-La blocks under low pressures to rock-salt LaO-LaO blocks under high pressures. Absence of the metallic phase under pressure has been discussed in terms of local displacements of O2- ions in the fluorite block under pressure before a global T(†) phase is established.

Introduction: Dysfunctional cellular immunity is considered to be essential to the pathophysiology of Epstein-Barr virus-related idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (EBV-ITP). Cytokines in peripheral blood and the gene expression of transcription factors in T lymphocytes of patients with were investigated to correlate the polarization of T helper cell type 1 (Th1)/T helper cell type 2 (Th2) with the degree of thrombocytopenia., Methods: The expression of type 1 (T-bet) and type 2 (GATA-3) in T lymphocytes was detected by semiquantitative reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and plasma cytokine levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay in 35 patients and 30 control subjects., Results: Th1/Th2 [(interleukin-2 + γ-interferon)/(interleukin-10 + interleukin-13)] cytokine ratios and transcription factor (T-bet/GATA-3) mRNA ratios were significantly decreased in patients with EBV-ITP, and the Th1/Th2 ratio was directly correlated with platelet counts., Conclusion: Our findings clearly show that type 2 polarization of the autoimmune response accounts for the expression of cytokines and transcription factors in EBV-ITP., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

In a prototypical ferromagnet (Ga,Mn)As based on a III-V semiconductor, substitution of divalent Mn atoms into trivalent Ga sites leads to severely limited chemical solubility and metastable specimens available only as thin films. The doping of hole carriers via (Ga,Mn) substitution also prohibits electron doping. To overcome these difficulties, Masek et al. theoretically proposed systems based on a I-II-V semiconductor LiZnAs, where isovalent (Zn,Mn) substitution is decoupled from carrier doping with excess/deficient Li concentrations. Here we show successful synthesis of Li(1+y)(Zn(1-x)Mn(x))As in bulk materials. Ferromagnetism with a critical temperature of up to 50 K is observed in nominally Li-excess (y=0.05-0.2) compounds with Mn concentrations of x=0.02-0.15, which have p-type metallic carriers. This is presumably due to excess Li in substitutional Zn sites. Semiconducting LiZnAs, ferromagnetic Li(Zn,Mn)As, antiferromagnetic LiMnAs, and superconducting LiFeAs systems share square lattice As layers, which may enable development of novel junction devices in the future.

We report a successful observation of pressure-induced superconductivity in a topological compound Bi(2)Te(3) with T(c) of ∼3 K between 3 to 6 GPa. The combined high-pressure structure investigations with synchrotron radiation indicated that the superconductivity occurred at the ambient phase without crystal structure phase transition. The Hall effects measurements indicated the hole-type carrier in the pressure-induced superconducting Bi(2)Te(3) single crystal. Consequently, the first-principles calculations based on the structural data obtained by the Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns at high pressure showed that the electronic structure under pressure remained topologically nontrivial. The results suggested that topological superconductivity can be realized in Bi(2)Te(3) due to the proximity effect between superconducting bulk states and Dirac-type surface states. We also discuss the possibility that the bulk state could be a topological superconductor.

We report the synthesis of (Ca₀.₃₃Na₀.₆₆)Fe₂As₂ showing a superconducting transition with T(c) above 33 K. Both dc magnetic susceptibility or specific heat measurements indicated the bulk superconductivity nature of the sample. We also have successfully grown single crystals of the (Ca₀.₃₃Na₀.₆₆)Fe₂As₂ superconductors. The single crystals exhibit sharp superconducting transitions with T(c) above 33 K. The effects of magnetic field on the superconducting transitions are studied, giving rise to high upper critical fields with H(c₂)(c)≈85 T and H(c₂)(ab)≈172 T, respectively. The anisotropy parameter was calculated to be around 2.

In the title compound, C(17)H(26)O, the cyclo-hexyl ring adopts a chair conformation with the C-atom substituents in equatorial sites. The H atom of the O-H group is disordered over two positions of equal occupancy. In the crystal, O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to [010] chains.

Objective: PPAR-gamma is associated with the differentiation, apoptosis, proliferation and cytokine secretion of immunologic cells. This study investigated peripheral blood lymphoblastic PPAR-gamma mRNA expression and its correlation with plasma IL-13 contents in children with acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)., Methods: Fifty-three children with acute ITP who were in line with the standard test between September 2007 and July 2008 were enrolled. Fifty healthy children during the same period were used as the control group. PPAR-gamma mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes were detected by RT-PCR. Plasma IL-13 contents were detected using ELISA., Results: PPAR-gamma mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes from acute ITP children were significantly higher than that in the control group (0.78 +/- 0.03 vs 0.52 +/- 0.05; P< 0.05). Plasma IL-13 contents in children with acute ITP were also significantly higher than those in the control group (160.21 +/- 34.26 pg/mL vs 121.42 +/- 12.69 pg/mL; P< 0.05). There was a positive correlation between plasma IL-13 level and lymphoblastic PPAR-gamma mRNA expression in children with ITP (r=0.89, P< 0.05)., Conclusions: PPAR-gamma mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes increased and were positively correlated with plasma IL-13 contents in children with acute ITP, suggesting that PPAR-gamma and IL-13 might participate in the pathogenesis of acute ITP.