Search

Herein, we designed and synthesized a novel microRNA (miR)-responsive nanoantenna capable of early diagnosis and smart treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI). The nanoantenna was made of two miniature gold nanorods (AuNRs) (

Diabetes mellitus is a rapidly rising metabolic disorder with important systemic complications. Global figures have demonstrated the prevalence of diabetes mellitus has almost quadrupled from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, with a current prevalence of over 525 million. Of the male sexual dysfunction resulting from diabetes mellitus, significant focus is afforded to erectile dysfunction. Nevertheless, ejaculatory dysfunction constitutes important sexual sequelae in diabetic men, with up to 35%-50% of men with diabetes mellitus suffering from ejaculatory dysfunction. Despite this, aspects of its pathophysiology and treatment are less well understood than erectile dysfunction. The main disorders of ejaculation include premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, anejaculation and retrograde ejaculation. Although ejaculatory dysfunction in diabetes mellitus can have complex multifactorial aetiology, understanding its pathophysiological mechanisms has facilitated the development of therapies in the management of ejaculatory dysfunction. Most of our understanding of its pathophysiology is derived from diabetic animal models; however, observational studies in humans have also provided useful information in elucidating important associative factors potentially contributing to ejaculatory dysfunction in diabetic men. These have provided the potential for more tailored treatment regimens in patients depending on the ejaculatory disorder, other co-existing sequelae of diabetes mellitus, specific metabolic factors as well as the need for fertility treatment. However, evidence for treatment of ejaculatory dysfunction, especially delayed ejaculation and retrograde ejaculation, is based on low-level evidence comprising small sample-size series and retrospective or cross-sectional studies. Whilst promising findings from large randomised controlled trials have provided strong evidence for the licensed treatment of premature ejaculation, similar robust studies are needed to accurately elucidate factors predicting ejaculatory dysfunction in diabetes mellitus, as well as for the development of pharmacotherapies for delayed ejaculation and retrograde ejaculation. Similarly, more contemporary robust data are required for fertility outcomes in these patients, including methods of sperm retrieval and assisted reproductive techniques in retrograde ejaculation.

Erectile dysfunction is associated with diabetes mellitus with an estimated prevalence of 52.5% in the diabetic population. The first-line therapy for erectile dysfunction is phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, but data suggest that diabetic men may be less responsive than non-diabetic men. Thus, other treatments, including intracavernosal injections, intraurethral prostaglandin, vacuum erection devices and penile prosthetic surgery, should be considered in management of diabetic men with erectile dysfunction refractory to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. Furthermore, combination therapy of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and other oral treatments such as arginine or l-carnitine may have synergistic effects resulting in better outcomes. In addition, there are novel therapies such as low-intensity shockwave therapy and stem-cell therapy, which may also be effective in targeted treatment modalities. Furthermore, studies suggest that erectile dysfunction can be improved by targeting concurrent comorbidities or metabolic diseases such as depression, hypertension, hypogonadism, and dyslipidaemia. We present an evidence-based narrative review focusing on the management of erectile dysfunction in diabetic men who have not responded to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors.Both clinicians and patients should be aware of the different management options in diabetic patients who have not responded to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors.

We present an analytical treatment of ultra-short pulses propagating in an optical fiber in the strong nonlinearity regime, in which the interaction between self-phase modulation (SPM) and group-velocity dispersion (GVD) substantially broadens the input spectrum. Supported by excellent agreement with the simulation results, these analytical solutions provide a convenient and reasonable accurate estimation of the peak position of the outermost spectral lobes as well as the full width at half maximum of the broadened spectrum. We show that our unified solutions are valid for either Gaussian pulse or hyperbolic secant pulse propagating inside an optical fiber with positive or negative GVD. Our findings shed light on the optimization of SPM-enabled spectral broadening in various applications.

Infertility affects 15% of couples worldwide and in approximately 50% of cases the cause is secondary to an abnormality of the sperm. However, treatment options for male infertility are limited and empirical use of hormone stimulation has been utilised. We review the contemporary data regarding the application of hormone stimulation to treat male infertility. There is strong evidence supporting the use of hormone stimulation in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism but there is inadequate evidence for all other indications.

Male hypogonadism is associated with reduced quality of life and the development of co-morbidities including obesity, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidaemia. The mainstay of treatment for male hypogonadism is testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). However, TRT has recognised side effects including impaired spermatogenesis and there are concerns regarding its use in men with concurrent cardiovascular disease. Thus, there has been an impetus to develop novel androgen therapies for treating male hypogonadism to mitigate the side effects of TRT. This review will discuss the benefits and adverse effects of TRT, and novel therapies including nasal testosterone, aromatase inhibitors, selective oestrogen receptor modulators, and selective androgen receptor modulators.

Background: MET gene amplification is associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer (GC) and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas (GEJ). Savolitinib is a potent and highly selective oral MET tyrosine-kinase inhibitor. Here we reported the preliminary efficacy and safety from a phase 2 trial of savolitinib monotherapy in patients (pts) with MET-amplified advanced or metastatic GC/GEJ. (NCT04923932). Methods: Eligible pts had 2L+ GEJ or GC, with MET amplification and measurable lesions. Pts received savolitinib at 600 mg QD for body weight (BW) ≥50 kg, while 400 mg QD for BW Results: As of IA, 20 pts were enrolled for QD regimen. Demographics and clinical outcomes are shown in table 1. The mean relative dose intensity of 93.07%. Median duration of exposure was 2.09 months. Confirmed ORR by IRC was 45%, and reached 50% in 16 patients with MET GCN (high) while only 1 PR was observed in 4 patients with MET GCN (low). Duration of response rate at 4-month was 85.7% with median follow up time of 5.5 months. The most common Gr≥3 TRAE (≥5%) were platelet count decreased, hypersensitivity, anemia, neutropenia and hepatic function abnormal. In all pts, only 1 patient discontinued treatment due to grade 4 liver function abnormal (TRAE) and no patient died due to TRAE. Conclusion: Savolitinib monotherapy had manageable safety and showed promising efficacy in pts with MET-amplified GEJ or GC, particularly in pts with MET high GCN. BID regimen is being investigated to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of savolitinib in pts with MET high GCN. Table 1. Pts baseline characteristics and clinical efficacy Baseline Characteristics ITT in IA (n=20) Median age (min, max), yearsSex (male/female), nECOG (0/1/2)Median BMI (min, max), (kg/m2)Primary location of tumor (GC/GEJ)Tumor stage (IV)Prior line of therapy (1/2/≥3)MET GCN (high/low) 57.00 (39.5, 76.8)17/33/15/220.8 (14.9, 25.8)16/4205/10/516/4 Clinical Efficacy By IRC By Investigator Confirmed objective response rateDisease control rate4m-DoR rate,% (95% CI) 45%65%85.7 (33.4, 97.9) 40%55%71.4 (25.8, 92.0) Citation Format: Zhi Peng, Hua Wang, Baorui Liu, Huiting Xu, Zhenyang Liu, Tianshu Liu, Jun Zhang, Yuxian Bai, Ying Yuan, Tao Wu, Feng Ye, Qinghua Pan, Jufeng Wang, Enxiao Li, Diansheng Zhong, Yueyin Pan, Yanru Qin, Yan Yang, Yusheng Wang, Aiping Zhou, Yongshun Chen, Dianbao Zhang, Hongli Liu, Xiujuan Qu, Shubin Wang, Ning Liu, Jinsheng Wu, Wei Li, Kejun Nan, Hongming Pan, Jianming Xu, Chunmei Bai, Heling Liu, Jia Wei, Runzhi Chen, Rongrong Li, Wei Li, Jinghong Zhou, Hongyan Yin, Qian Xu, Songhua Fan, Yongxin Ren, Weiguo Su, Lin Shen. A multicenter Phase II study of savolitinib in patients with MET-amplified gastroesophogeal junction adenocarcinomas or gastric cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr CT152.

Fluorescence and phosphorescence are known as two kinds of fundamental optical signals, which have been used for myriad applications. Of particular note, simultaneous activation of stable fluorescence and long-lived room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emission in aqueous phase remains a big challenge up to present. Herein, we prepare a kind of zinc-doped silica nanospheres (Zn@SiNSs) with fluorescence and RTP properties through a facile hydrothermal synthetic strategy. For the as-prepared Zn@SiNSs, the recombination of electrons and holes in defects and defect-stabilized excitons derived from oxygen vacancy/C=N bonds lead to the production of stable fluorescence and long-lived RTP (emission lasting for ~9 s, quantum yield (QY): ~33.6%, RTP lifetime: ~236 ms). In addition, the internal Si-O bonded networks and hydrophilic surface in Zn@SiNSs can reduce nonradiative decay to form self-protective RTP, and also provide high water solubility, excellent pH- and photo-stability.

There is currently no formal consensus on the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy to stage I lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) patients despite the poor prognosis. The side effects of adjuvant chemotherapy need to be balanced against the risk of tumour recurrence. Prognostic markers are thus needed to identify those at higher risks and recommend individualised treatment regimens. Clinical and sequencing data of stage I patients were retrieved from the Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma project of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and three tissue microarray datasets. In a novel K-resample gene selection algorithm, gene-wise Cox proportional hazard regressions were repeated for 50 iterations with random resamples from the TCGA training dataset. The top 200 genes with the best predictive power for survival were chosen to undergo an L1-penalised Cox regression for further gene selection. A total of 602 samples of LUSC were included, of which 42.2% came from female patients, 45.3% were stage IA cancer. From an initial pool of 11,212 genes in the TCGA training dataset, a final set of 12 genes were selected to construct the multivariate Cox prognostic model. Among the 12 selected genes, 5 genes, STAU1, ADGRF1, ATF7IP2, MALL and KRT23, were adverse prognostic factors for patients, while seven genes, NDUFB1, CNPY2, ZNF394, PIN4, FZD8, NBPF26 and EPYC, were positive prognostic factors. An equation for risk score was thus constructed from the final multivariate Cox model. The model performance was tested in the sequestered TCGA testing dataset and validated in external tissue microarray datasets (GSE4573, GSE31210 and GSE50081), demonstrating its efficacy in stratifying patients into high- and low-risk groups with significant survival difference both in the whole set (including stage IA and IB) and in the stage IA only subgroup of each set. The prognostic power remains significant after adjusting for standard clinical factors. When benchmarked against other prominent gene-signature based prognostic models, the model outperformed the rest in the TCGA testing dataset and in predicting long-term risk at eight years in all three validation datasets. The 12-gene prognostic model may serve as a useful complementary clinical risk-stratification tool for stage I and especially stage IA lung squamous cell carcinoma patients to guide clinical decision making.

The production of bimetallic nanoparticles with ultrasmall sizes is the constant pursuit in chemistry and materials science because of their promising applications in catalysis, electronics and sensing. Here we report ambient-temperature preparation of bimetallic NPs with tunable size and composition using microfluidic-controlled co-reduction of two metal precursors on silicon surface. Instead of free diffusion of metal ions in bulk system, microfluidic flow could well control the local ions concentration, thus leading to homogenous and controllable reduction rate among different nucleation sites. By controlling precursor concentration, flow rate and reaction time, we rationally design a series of bimetallic NPs including Ag-Cu, Ag-Pd, Cu-Pt, Cu-Pd and Pt-Pd NPs with ultrasmall sizes (∼ 3.0 nm), tight size distributions (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 21%), clean surface, and homogenous elemental compositions among particles (standard deviation (SD) of weight ratios < 3.5%). This approach provides a facile, green and scalable method toward the synthesis of diverse bimetallic NPs with excellent activity.

We propose the generation of wavelength-tunable femtosecond pulses with µJ energy based on spectral broadening in hollow-core fibers (HCFs) filled with noble gas. A proper combination of gas type, gas pressure, and the HCF core radius ensures that the broadened spectrum consists of isolated spectral lobes; the selection of the outermost spectral lobes produces nearly transform-limited pulses. We performed a detailed numerical investigation of this method based on an antiresonant HCF with a 20 µm core radius filled with 17.3 bar Xe gas. By using 1.03 µm, 200 fs pulses with up to 20 µJ energy as the excitation pulse, this method can produce 100 fs pulses tuned from 0.74 to 1.25 µm with up to 5 µJ pulse energy. Further energy scaling is limited by the onset of ionization, which reduces the wavelength tuning range and causes a significant spectral blue shift. Increasing the input pulse energy beyond 45 µJ creates a strong spectral lobe peaking in the wavelength range of 0.92–0.95 µm with >10µJ energy. These results represent a two orders of magnitude improvement in the pulse energy compared to current tunable femtosecond sources based on nonlinear wavelength conversion in solid-core optical fibers.

Synthesis of programmable atom-like nanoparticles (PANs) with high valences and high yields remains a grand challenge. Here, a novel synthetic strategy of microfluidic galvanic displacement (μ-GD) coupled with microfluidic DNA nanoassembly is advanced for synthesis of single-stranded DNA encoder (SSE)-encoded PANs for reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing. Notably, PANs with high valences (e.g., n-valence, n = 12) are synthesized with high yields (e.g., >80%) owing to the effective control of interfacial reactions sequentially occurring in the microfluidic system. On the basis of this, we present the first demonstration of a PAN-based automatic analytical platform, in which sensor construction, sample loading and on-line monitoring are carried out in the microfluidic system, thus guaranteeing reliable quantitative measurement. In the proof-of-concept demonstration, accurate determination of tetracycline (TET) in serum and milk samples with a high recovery close to 100% and a low relative standard deviation (RSD) less than 5.0% is achieved by using this integrated analytical platform., A novel synthetic strategy is presented for microfluidic preparation of programmable atom-like nanoparticles with high valences and high yields.

Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies in men worldwide and the life expectancy for men with prostate cancer is improving due to advancements in diagnostics and treatment. Male hypogonadism is associated with obesity, diabetes, and other comorbidities and also has been linked with increasing age; the primary therapy modality for this condition is testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). There are concerns that testosterone therapy may cause prostate cancer disease progression. However, contemporary evidence suggests that testosterone replacement therapy may be safe in specific groups of patients with prostate cancer. This chapter will summarise the contemporary literature regarding TRT use in hypogonadal men with prostate cancer, including limitations and future research goals.

We demonstrate a four-color ultrafast source based on SPM-enabled spectral selection driven by a dual-color fiber laser. The resulting source delivers femtosecond pulses tunable in 800-1650 nm, which exceeds one octave.

We propose and demonstrate that SPM-enabled spectral selection in a Xenon filled hollow-core fiber can produce broadly tunable femtosecond pulses with µJ-level pulse energy— representing one order of magnitude improvement compared with current implementations.

SPM-enabled spectral selection (SESS) constitutes a powerful fiber-optic technique to generate wavelength broadly tunable femtosecond pulses. In the current demonstration, the maximum tuning range is 400 nm and the energy conversion efficiency from the pump source to the outmost spectral lobes is ∼25%. In this submission, we apply the particle swarm optimization method to the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation to identify the optimal parameters that maximize both the tuning range and the conversion efficiency. We show that SESS in an optical fiber with the optimized dispersion can deliver SESS pulses tunable in one octave wavelength range and the conversion efficiency can be as high as 80%. We further show the feasibility of experimental implementation based on specially designed fibers or on-chip waveguides.

BackgroundErlotinib, a small-molecule epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, demonstrated therapeutic efficacy against pancreatic cancer. However, acquired resistance to erlotinib in pancreatic cancer is widely observed, and the exact mechanisms have not been fully explored until now. We examined the role of circular RNA circ_0013587 in the acquired resistance to erlotinib in pancreatic cancer cells and explored the underlying mechanisms.MethodsWe selected erlotinib-resistant pancreatic cancer cells from the AsPC-1 cell line. The expression of circ_0013587 was examined by qRT-PCR assays. The effects of circ_0013587 on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and erlotinib resistance were assessed by cell functional assays. Bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assays identified circ_0013587 and E-cadherin as direct targets of miR-1227. Mouse xenograft models were employed to investigate the function of circ_0013587 in erlotinib resistance of tumors in vivo.ResultsCirc_0013587 expression was significantly reduced in erlotinib-resistant AsPC-1 cells. We found that increasing circ_0013587 levels in erlotinib-resistant AsPC-1 cells re-sensitized them, whereas reducing circ_0013587 levels in erlotinib-sensitive AsPC-1 cells made them resistant. Mechanically, circ_0013587 released E-cadherin from the suppression of miR-1227, leading to E-cadherin up-regulation. Rescue assays highlighted that circ_0013587 reversed erlotinib resistance in pancreatic cancer cells by increasing E-cadherin levels through reducing the expression of miR-1227. Furthermore, circ_0013587 overexpression sensitized erlotinib-resistant AsPC-1 cells to erlotinib in xenograft models.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that down-regulation of circ_0013587 contributes to acquired resistance to erlotinib in pancreatic cancer cells through mediating the miR-1227/E-cadherin pathway and that circ_0013587 is a potential target molecular to overcome erlotinib resistance.

BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by cartilage damage. We aimed to improve the understanding of the protective mechanism of synovial mesenchymal stem cell (SMSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cartilage damage of OA. METHODS SMSCs and SMSC-EVs were isolated from synovial biopsies of patients without OA and then identified. The pathological microenvironment of chondrocytes in OA was simulated by inducing SW1353 cells with interleukin (IL)-1β, followed by SMSC-EV treatment to assess SW1353 cell proliferation, apoptosis and inflammation. Endocytosis of Dil-labeled EVs by SW1353 cells was observed. microRNA (miR)-26a-5p expression in EVs and EV-treated SW1353 cells was assessed. The effect of miR-26a-5p was evaluated after it was down-regulated in SMSCs, followed by extraction of EVs, which acted on SW1353 cells. The target relationship of miR-26a-5p and phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) was predicted and confirmed. The role of PTEN in OA was evaluated after it was overexpressed. Functional assays were implemented in vivo to certify the role of SMSC-EVs in OA. RESULTS SMSC-EVs enhanced IL-1β-induced SW1353 cell proliferation, whereas they inhibited apoptosis and inflammation. EVs were endocytosed by SW1353 cells and delivered miR-26a-5p into SW1353 cells to overexpress miR-26a-5p. Down-regulation of miR-26a-5p in EVs attenuated the protection of EVs against IL-1β-induced cell damage. miR-26a-5p targeted PTEN, for which overexpression spoiled the protection of EVs against IL-1β-induced cell damage. SMSC-EVs carrying miR-26a-5p repaired cartilage damage of OA. CONCLUSIONS SMSC-EVs carried miR-26a-5p into chondrocytes to up-regulate miR-26a-5p and inhibit PTEN, thereby inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation and ameliorating cartilage damage of OA.

Pre-chirp managed amplification (PCMA) allows the generation of optical pulses with a duration well below 100 fs. However, the pulse peak power is limited to 30 times improvement in both pulse energy and peak power compared with current Yb-fiber PCMA systems.

Background Ex vivo and in vivo detection and imaging of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is critically important for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, which still remains challenges up to present. Results We herein demonstrate that ATP could be fluorescently detected and imaged ex vivo and in vivo. In particular, we fabricate a kind of fluorescent ATP probes, which are made of titanium carbide (TC) nanosheets modified with the ROX-tagged ATP-aptamer (TC/Apt). In the constructed TC/Apt, TC shows superior quenching efficiency against ROX (e.g., ~ 97%). While in the presence of ATP, ROX-tagged aptamer is released from TC surface, leading to the recovery of fluorescence of ROX under the 545-nm excitation. Consequently, a wide dynamic range from 1 μM to 1.5 mM ATP and a high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 0.2 μM ATP can be readily achieved by the prepared TC/Apt. We further demonstrate that the as-prepared TC/Apt probe is feasible for accurate discrimination of ATP in different samples including living cells, body fluids (e.g., mouse serum, mouse urine and human serum) and mouse tumor models. Conclusions Fluorescence detection and imaging of ATP could be readily achieved in living cells, body fluids (e.g., urine and serum), as well as mouse tumor model through a new kind of fluorescent ATP nanoprobes, offering new powerful tools for the treatment of diseases related to abnormal fluctuation of ATP concentration.

We apply particle swarm optimization algorithm to optimize SPM-enabled spectral selection (SESS) and demonstrate highly efficient SESS which delivers MW peak-power femtosecond pulses with the wavelength tuning range exceeding one octave.

Similariton exists in an amplified nonlinear Schrӧdinger equation (NLSE) with positive 2nd-order or 4th-order dispersion. We make further generalization and show that similariton can exist for a positive, arbitrary even-order dispersion.

BACKGROUND: For metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients for whom at least 2 lines of previous standard therapies have failed, the prognosis is often unfavorable due to very limited subsequent treatment options. We sought to explore the efficacy of apatinib, an oral small-molecule vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitor, plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) as a third- or subsequent-line treatment for mCRC. METHODS: In this phase-II, single-arm, prospective study, the eligible patients had been histologically confirmed to have adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum for which at least 2 previous regimens of standard therapies had failed. All the patients were treated with a daily dose of 250 mg of apatinib, in combination with capecitabine, Tegafur Gimeracil Oteracil Potassium Capsule (S-1), or 5-FU, until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal. RESULTS: From June 2017 to April 2018, 16 patients were enrolled in this study. Among them, 4 achieved partial response, 7 had stable disease, and 5 had progression disease, resulting in an objective response rate of 25.00% [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.27–52.38%], and a disease control rate of 68.75% (95% CI: 41.34–88.98%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.83 months (95% CI: 2.17–8.90 months), and the median overall survival (OS) was 9.10 months (95% CI: 5.59–15.18 months). The common treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were hand-foot syndrome (56.25%), hypertension (37.50%), proteinuria (37.50%), gingival bleeding (18.75%) and abdominal pain (18.75%). Grade 3 AEs, including hand-foot syndrome (18.75%), hypertension (12.50%), and proteinuria (12.50%), were observed in 7 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The combination regimen of apatinib plus 5-FU had encouraging anti-tumor efficacy, and is a feasible third- or subsequent-line treatment option for mCRC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03210064.

Outcomes in partial sternotomy for aortic root surgery: the new routine procedure?Running Head: Partial sternotomy for aortic root repair

We demonstrate an Yb-fiber based pre-chirp managed amplification system that emits 50-MHz, 47-fs pulses with 101.2-W average power. Using chirped mirrors as a compressor, we achieve 98% throughput efficiency.

OSA continuum 3(7), 1988-1998 (2020). doi:10.1364/OSAC.392981, We incorporate two techniques into pre-chirp managed amplification (PCMA) to achieve high-energy ultrashort pulses with the duration well below 100 fs. Numerical simulations confirmed by our experimental results demonstrate that seeding PCMA with circularly polarized pulses instead of linearly polarized pulses can increase the amplified pulse energy by 1.5 times. We also employ high-dispersion chirped mirrors to compress the amplified pulses with the throughput efficiency as high as 98%. These two techniques allow us to demonstrate an Yb-fiber PCMA system that emits 50-MHz, 47-fs pulses with 101.2-W average power., Published by OSA, Washington, DC

We propose and analyze pre-chirp managed divided pulse amplification based on composite birefringent plates for pulse division and combination. Yb-fiber system using this technique can deliver

We incorporate circularly polarized seeding pulses and high-dispersion mirror compressor into pre-chirp managed amplification and obtain 50-MHz, 47-fs pulses with 101.2-W average power. The efficiency of the pulse compression is >98%.

We incorporate pre-chirp management into SPM enabled spectral selection to improve efficiency and reshape unfavorable input flat-top pulses. This new technique produces megawatt-level femtosecond pulses tunable in the wavelength range of 0.86-1.3 µm.

In this manuscript, we demonstrate that the in situ growth of fluorescent silicon (Si) nanomaterials is stimulated when organosilicane molecules interact with different green teas, producing multifunctional Si nanomaterials with controllable zero- (e.g., nanoparticles), two- (e.g., nanosheets), and three- (e.g., nanospheres) dimensional nanostructures. Such green tea-originated Si nanomaterials (GTSN) exhibit strong fluorescence (quantum yield: ∼19-30%) coupled with ultrahigh photostability, as well as intrinsic anti-cancer activity with high specificity (e.g., the GTSN can accurately kill various cancer cells, rather than normal cells). Taking advantage of these unique merits, we further performed systematic in vitro and in vivo experiments to interrogate the mechanism of the green tea- and GTSN-related cancer prevention. Typically, we found that the GTSN entered the cell nuclei and induced cell apoptosis/death of cancer cells. The prepared GTSN were observed in vivo to accumulate in the tumour tissues after 14-d post-injection, leading to an efficient inhibition of tumour growth. Our results open new avenues for designing novel multifunctional and side-effect-free Si nanomaterials with controllable structures.

As a fundamental security problem, counterfeits pose a tremendous threat to public health and social economy. Herein, we exploit multi-functional nanoinks made of one-dimensional silicon-based nanohybrids for constructing fluorescent and plasmonic security tags. Of particular significance, the presented security solution exhibits triple-layer authentication model, simultaneously featuring the advantages of physical unclonable functions (PUFs), huge-encoding capacity algorithm and artificial intelligence technique. In macroscale, the multi-color fluorescence security signals are used as the first layer, which can be verified through portable smartphone. In the second security layer, the unclonable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) security signals at low-level magnification could be visualized using confocal Raman system. Taking advantages of coarse grained and quaternary encrypting of signals from Raman at each pixel, the encoding capacity reaches 6.43 × 1024082, which is much higher than the value (i.e., 3 × 1015051) ever reported. In the third layer, the aggregated SERS signals at high-level magnification Raman mapping produce unrepeatable patterns with shape-specific information. By further applying specifically artificial intelligence (AI), faint features of different SERS images are extracted and trained, allowing 98–100% of recognition accuracy after 1000 learning cycles. Such triple-layer security solution ensures the PUFs, huge encoding capacity and AI authentication simultaneously, providing newly high-performance platform of unbreakable anti-counterfeiting.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Yet, simultaneous achievement of rapid, sensitive and accurate detection of diverse miRNAs in clinical samples is still challenging due to the low abundance of miRNAs and the complex procedures of RNA extraction and separation. Herein, we develop an innovative three-dimensional (3D) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) holography sensing strategy for rapid, sensitive and multiplexed detection of human breast cancer-associated miRNAs. To establish a proof of concept, nine kinds of human breast cancer-associated miRNAs are isothermally amplified by Exonuclease (Exo) III enzyme, and the products could be spatially separated to corresponding sensing region on silicon SERS substrates. Each region has been modified with corresponding hairpin DNA probes, which are used to identify and quantify the miRNAs. Different DNA probes are labeled with different Raman reporters, which serve as “SERS tags” to incorporate spectroscopic information into computer-generated 3D SERS hologram within ~9 min. We demonstrate that 3D SERS holography chip not only achieves an ultrahigh sensitivity down to ~1 aM but also feature a high correlation with RT-qPCR in the detection of nine miRNAs in 30 clinical serum samples. This work provides a feasible tool to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Post-pulse-compression is demanded to produce energetic few-cycle pulses. We propose pre-chirp-managed adiabatic soliton compression (ASC) in gas-filled pressure-gradient hollow-core fibers to suppress the detrimental pedestals and therefore significantly improve the compressed pulse quality. We show that two-stage ASC can compress 125 μJ, 130 fs pulses at 2 μm to a nearly two-cycle pulse 15 fs in duration. Our analytical analysis suggests that ASC is in favor of compressing pulses centered at a longer wavelength. As an example, a 280 μJ, 220 fs Gaussian pulse at 4 μm is compressed to 60 fs with minimal pedestals. We expect that the resulting high-quality, energetic few-cycle pulses will find important applications in high-field science.

Herein, we present a dual-amplification sensing strategy-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip, which combines rolling circle amplification (RCA) and polyadenine (PolyA) assembly for sensitive and reproducible determination of the activity of M.SssI, a cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) methyltransferase (MTase). Typically, in the presence of M.SssI, RCA process is triggered, resulting in long, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) fragments that are hybridized with thousands of Raman reporters of Cy3. Afterward, the resultant ssDNA fragments are conjugated to SERS-active substrates made of silver core-gold satellite nanocomposites-modified silicon wafer (Ag-Au NPs@Si), with the SERS enhancement factor of ∼5 × 106. The core-satellite nanostructures are assembled relied on the strong affinity of PolyA toward gold/silver surface. Of particular significance, the developed SERS chip displays an ultrahigh sensitivity with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 2.8 × 10-3 U/mL, which is around 2 orders of magnitude higher than most reported methods. In addition, the constructed chip features a broad detection range covering from 0.05 to 50 U/mL. Besides for the ultrahigh sensitivity and broad dynamic range, the chip also features good reproducibility (e.g., the relative standard deviation (RSD) is less than ∼12%). Taking advantages of these merits, the developed chip is feasible for accurate discrimination of M.SssI with various concentrations spiked in human serum samples with good recoveries ranging from 99.6% to 107%.