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Purpose The aim of this study was to establish individualized nomograms to predict survival outcomes in older female patients with stage IV breast cancer who did or did not undergo local surgery, and to determine which patients could benefit from surgery. Methods A total of 3,129 female patients with stage IV breast cancer aged ≥70 years between 2010 and 2015 were included in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier plot and log-rank test. Nomograms and risk stratification models were constructed. Results Patients who underwent surgery had better OS (HR = 0.751, 95% CI [0.668–0.843], P, Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • The effect of surgery in older patients with stage IV breast cancer (BC) is discussed. • The proportion of older patients with stage IV BC who underwent surgery declined. • A specific group of older patients with stage IV BC can benefit from surgery. • Nomograms can be used to predict the prognosis of older patients with stage IV BC.

Solving a quadratic nonlinear system of equations (QNSE) is a fundamental, but important, task in nonlinear science. We propose an efficient quantum algorithm for solving $n$-dimensional QNSE. Our algorithm embeds QNSE into a finite-dimensional system of linear equations using the homotopy perturbation method and a linearization technique; then we solve the linear equations with a quantum linear system solver and obtain a state which is $\epsilon$-close to the normalized exact solution of the QNSE with success probability $\Omega(1)$. The complexity of our algorithm is $O({\rm polylog}(n/\epsilon))$, which provides an exponential improvement over the optimal classical algorithm in dimension $n$, and the dependence on $\epsilon$ is almost optimal. Therefore, our algorithm exponentially accelerates the solution of QNSE and has wide applications in all kinds of nonlinear problems, contributing to the research progress of nonlinear science., Comment: 12 pages

Xiao-Fan Xu,1– 3 Jian-Wei Fan,2 Jia-Qi Xin,4 Nan Wu,4 He Gao,2 Li-Fang Duan,2 Wen-Bin Zou,3 Hong Zhang,2,5 Zhao-Shen Li3 1School of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, People’s Republic of China; 2Basic Medical Academy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany; 5Shaanxi International Cooperation Base, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhao-Shen Li; Hong Zhang, Email zhaoshenli@smmu.edu.cn; zhangh1227@sntcm.edu.cnAim: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a complex and intractable disease mainly manifested as chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Aspirin(acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) has been reported to be used in the treatment of acute pancreatitis (AP), but its effectiveness on CP is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of ASA in CP mice.Methods: A murine model of CP was induced by intraperitoneal injection with 20% L-arginine. After one week of L-arginine administration, mice in the ASA treatment group were administered aspirin (100mg/kg/d) by intragastric gavage. At two, four, and six weeks after the first injection of L-arginine, mice were euthanized and the pancreas was collected for histological and molecular analysis. A second model of CP (caeruelin-induced) was used as a validation experiment to test the effect of ASA.Results: L-arginine-induced CP resulted in over-expression of the inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. COX-2 expression decreased after ASA treatment. Pancreatic-injury inflammatory response (measured by changes in amylase, CK-19, F4/80, CD3, MCP-1, IL-6) and fibrosis degree (measured by expression of COL1A1, MMP-1 and TIMP-1) was reduce in ASA -treated mice model. The therapeutic effect of ASA was also observed in caeruelin-induced CP.Conclusion: ASA has an ameliorating effect in murine models of CP through inhibition of pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis, which may be a promising option for clinical treatment.Keywords: chronic pancreatitis, fibrosis, inflammation, aspirin, COX-2

Neuroinflammation plays a key role in the development of depression-like behaviors.Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress,defined as accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER,is suggested tocollaboratewithinflammation process to drive sustained neuroinflammation. Protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) is ofparticularly attractive target because it plays key rolein the regulation of ER stress-induced neuroinflammation, however, little isknown whether PERKmediatedER stress is implicated in LPS-induced depression-like behaviors.Thus, we aimed to evaluate the induction of PERK pathwayin mice with depression-like behaviors induced by LPS, as well as the alterations in depression-like behaviorsfollowing the blocking of PERK pathway.We found that LPS challenges resulted in enhanced PERK in the hippocampus, with no alteration in the prefrontal cortex. Importantly, we found that PERKinhibitorISRIB reducedthe proinflammatory responsesof microglia in the context of acute LPS-induced brain inflammation, and subsequent the preserved hippocampal neurogenesis, and improvement in depression-like behavioroutcomes following LPS challenges.It was also worth mentioning thatISRIB treatmentreduced the peripheral pro-inflammatory cytokines includingIL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18. Thus, targetingPERK mediated Endoplasmic reticulum stress may be a promising antidepressant and anti-inflammatory candidate drug for the alleviation of neuroinflammationmediated depression, and PERKinhibitorISRIBmay havebenefits for combating major depressive disorder.

Nonlinear interactions are recognized as potential resources for quantum metrology, facilitating parameter estimation precisions that scale as the exponential Heisenberg limit of ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}N}$. We explore such nonlinearity and propose an associated quantum measurement scenario based on the nonlinear interaction of $N$-probe entanglement-generating form. This scenario provides an enhanced precision scaling of ${D}^{\ensuremath{-}N}/(N\ensuremath{-}1)!$ with $Dg2$ a tunable parameter. In addition, it can be readily implemented in a variety of experimental platforms and applied to measurements of a wide range of quantities, including local gravitational acceleration $g$, magnetic field, and its higher-order gradients.

Background Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the breast is a very rare malignant tumor whose clinic pathological features and prognosis are not well defined. The aim of this study was to compare the clinic pathological features and clinical outcome between breast neuroendocrine carcinoma and breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and to know the independent prognostic risk factors of NEC.Method Patients with breast NEC and breast IDC were identified through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2010 to 2015. Then we compared the clinic pathological features and outcome between the two cohorts. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the effects of baseline clinic pathological differences. Potential prognostic factors of breast NEC were identified by the univariate and multivariate Cox analysis.Results In total, we identified 208 patients with breast NEC and 275,878 cases with breast IDC.Compared with IDC, NEC was significantly correlated with higher stage, larger tumor size, more distant transfers and no population of HER2 enriched subtype. There were significant differences on the choice of treatment therapy between NEC and IDC (p=0.000). More patients chose not to undergo surgery (35.1% vs. 9.0%), and fewer patients chose breast conserving surgery than IDC patients (32.2% vs. 51.1%). Compared with IDC patients, NEC patients were more likely to choose chemotherapy (p=0.039) and more conservative in radiotherapy (p=0.000). The 66-month overall survival (OS) rate in NEC and IDC was 44.5% and 80.2% before PSM and was 49.8% and 71.4% after PSM, respectively. The 66-month breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) rate in NEC and IDC was 56.3% and 88.8% before PSM and was 54.1% and 80.5% after PSM, respectively. Finally, we identified independent prognostic factors, age, stage, pathological type, distant metastasis, chemotherapy, and molecular typing. Conclusions Breast NEC has distinct clinic pathological features and a significantly worse clinical outcome than common IDC.

The activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) plays a critical role in the progression of pancreatic fibrosis. Nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) is associated with chronic pancreatitis (CP). Previous evidence indicated that NF‐κB in acinar cells played a double‐edged role upon pancreatic injury, whereas NF‐κB in inflammatory cells promoted the progression of CP. However, the effects of NF‐κB in PSCs have not been studied. In the present study, using two CP models and RNAi strategy of p65 in cultured PSCs, we found that the macrophage infiltration and MCP‐1 expression were increased, and the NF‐κBp65 protein level was elevated. NF‐κBp65 was co‐expressed with PSCs. In vitro, TGF‐β1 induced overexpression of the TGF‐β receptor 1, phosphorylated TGF‐β1–activated kinase 1 (p‐TAK1) and NF‐κB in the PSCs. Moreover, the concentration of MCP‐1 in the supernatant of activated PSCs was elevated. The migration of BMDMs was promoted by the supernatant of activated PSCs. Further knockdown of NF‐κBp65 in PSCs resulted in a decline of BMDM migration, accompanied by a lower production of MCP‐1. These findings indicate that TGF‐β1 can induce the activation of NF‐κB pathway in PSCs by regulating p‐TAK1, and the NF‐κB pathway in PSCs may be a target of chronic inflammation and fibrosis.

With the development of technology, the demand for better image resolution is growing. The common method to achieve higher resolution is to increase the aperture of the lens. However, for satellites, resources are limited and the cost of launching is high, which makes it difficult to implement optical systems with larger apertures. In this paper, methods are analyzed, where by applying the optical synthetic aperture imaging technique for a group of small satellites, similar resolution of a single large aperture system is achieved. Difficulties and suggestions are given and fully discussed.

With the increasing demand of users, the ground network cannot meet the user experiences. Considering the advantages of satellite network, an innovative network is presented, which integrate satellite networks, the Internet and mobile wireless networks into one network. In this paper, the architecture of future space-based network is proposed, which can be divided into physical structure and virtual structure. In addition, in order to form this network, a three-layer and two-domain technical architecture is discussed finally.

Laser communication has the characteristics of wide bandwidth, high data rate, and low power consumption, which is an important way to realize the information exchange of large amount. However, the transmission quality is deeply affected by atmospheric absorption, scattering, turbulence, and background light, which bring certain challenges to its reliability. This paper firstly summarizes the mathematical models of the main factors, and simulates the error rate of the incoherent optical link under the influence of beam wander, beam scintillation, and beam spreading. Finally, the paper further proposes a full-element BER analysis model including the influence of atmospheric turbulence, absorption and scattering, and background light.

Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a crucial role in the progression of pancreatic fibrosis. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is one of the strongest stimulator inducing fibrosis. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins (including ERK, JNK and p38 MAPK) are known to contribute to PSC activation and pancreatic fibrosis. Previous studies have identified PSC activation induced by TGF-β1 is related to MAPK pathway, but the respective role of MAPK family members in PSC activation still unclear, and which family member may be the key mediator in mice PSC activation still controversial. In this study, we investigated the influence of different MAPK family member (JNK, ERK, and p38 MAPK) on mice PSC activation using an in vivo and in vitro model. The results showed p-JNK, p-ERK and p-p38 MAPK were all over-expressed in CP group, and p-JNK, p-ERK, and p-p38 MAPK were co-expressed with activated PSC. In vitro, TGF-β1 induced JNK and ERK over-expression in PSCs. In contrast, p38 MAPK expression in PSC showed only a very weak increase. JNK- and ERK-specific inhibitors inhibited FN and α-SMA mRNA expression in PSCs, and a p38 MAPK inhibitor had no effect on PSC activation. These findings indicate that JNK and ERK were directly involved in the PSCs activation induced by TGF-β1 and the development of pancreatic fibrosis. p38 MAPK participate in the progression of CP, but it does not respond to TGF-β1 directly and may not be regarded as the target of TGF-β1 induced PSC activation.

Ring exchange is an elementary interaction for modelling unconventional topological matter. Here, we report the observation of four-body ring-exchange interactions and the topological properties of anyonic excitations within an ultracold atom system. A minimum toric-code Hamiltonian, in which the ring exchange is the dominant term, was implemented in disconnected four-spin plaquette arrays formed by two orthogonal superlattices. The ring-exchange interactions were resolved from the dynamical evolutions of the spin orders in each plaquette, matching well with the predicted energy gaps between two anyonic excitations of the spin system. A braiding operation was applied to the spins in the plaquettes and an induced phase 1.00(3)π in the four-spin state was observed, confirming 1/2 mutual statistics. This work offers new prospects for the quantum simulation of topological phases by engineering many-body interactions. Ring-exchange interactions are basic elements needed for realizing topological quantum computation. These interactions and anyonic statistics have been engineered using ultracold atoms in an optical lattice.

The concept of complementary Nyquist pulse is introduced in this paper. Making use of a half rate Nyquist pulse and its complementary one, a dual pulse shaping transmission scheme is proposed, which achieves full Nyquist rate transmission with only a half of the sampling rate required by conventional Nyquist pulse shaping. This is essential for realizing high-speed digital communication systems with available and affordable data conversion devices. The condition for cross-symbol interference free transmission with the proposed dual pulse shaping is proved in theory, and two classes of ideal complementary Nyquist pulses are formulated assuming raised-cosine pulse shaping. Simulation results are also presented to demonstrate the improved spectral efficiency with dual pulse shaping and compare other system performance against conventional Nyquist pulse shaping.

© 2019 IEEE A millimeter wave system with commercially available and affordable data conversion devices is presented in this paper for achieving high-speed and low-cost wireless communications. By adopting the proposed dual pulse shaping (DPS) transmission scheme, the system can achieve full Nyquist rate transmission with only half of the sampling rate required by conventional Nyquist pulse shaping. Structures of the DPS transmitter and receiver are described and effective symbol rate equalization techniques suitable for DPS transmission are presented. Simulation results with two sets of practical dual spectral shaping pulses are also provided to compare system performance with the conventional Nyquist pulse shaping system.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis stem-leaf total flavonoid (SSTF) on the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD). The mouse model was established by intravenous injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). SSTF (5 mg/kg) was administered to the mice before or after MPTP injection, and the effects of SSTF on the behavior of the mice and the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra were assessed. In addition, the level of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured. Following injection of MPTP, the number of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra was decreased and the neurons appeared atrophic. In addition, the level of serum MDA in the MPTP mice increased. The mean behavioral scores and the number of dopaminergic neurons in the SSTF treatment groups were significantly higher than in the MPTP group (P

To detect the expression ofsignal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in pancreatic tissue of the mouse model of pancreatitis, and to explore its role in the evolution of acute pancreatitis.Forty-eight healthy male balb/c mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (Compared with control group, serum amylase activity, pancreatic wet weight ratio and lung MPO activity were significantlyincreased (The expression of p-STAT3 in MAP and SAP groups are significantly different from that in control group, which indicates that STAT3 isclosely related in acute pancreatitis. Inhibition of STAT3 activity is a potential target to alleviate acute pancreatitis progression.

To investigate the effects of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Smad in chronic pancreatitis (CP) induced by dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) combined with ethanol, and the effect for prevention and treatment of pancreatic fibrosis by DaChaiHu Decoction (tradeiional Chinese medicine).Ninety-six healthy male Kunming mice were randomly divided into control group (Con group), chronic pancreatitis (CP group) group, Dachai Hu decoction treatment group (DCHD group) (Compared with control group, DBTC combined with ethanol induced CP with increased activity of serum amylase and hyaluronic acid level. While in DCHD group, the activity of amylase and hyaluronic acid level were decreased significantly. Compared with control group, the protein expressions of COLA1, TGF beta R I, p-Smad 2/3 in CP Group were elevated,but the expression of Smad 7 was significantly reduced; In DCHD treatment group,the expression of TGF beta R I, p-Smad 2/3 and COLA1 were reduced, and the protein expression of Smad 7 was increased. In 2w and 4w, the level of MMP-1mRNA continued to decrease, while TIMP-1mRNA expression was increased significantly (DaChaiHu Decoction play a role in the prevention and treatment of chronic pancreatitis and the development of fibrosis, the mechanism may related to inhibit the activation of TGF beta/Smad signaling pathway, and regulate the balance between synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix.

Based on a one-dimensional double-well superlattice with a unit filling of ultracold atoms per site, we propose a scheme to generate scalable entangled states in the superlattice through resonant lattice shakings. Our scheme utilizes periodic lattice modulations to entangle two atoms in each unit cell with respect to their orbital degree of freedom, and the complete atomic system in the superlattice becomes a cluster of bipartite entangled atom pairs. To demonstrate this we perform $ab \ initio$ quantum dynamical simulations using the Multi-Layer Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree Method for Bosons, which accounts for all correlations among the atoms. The proposed clusters of bipartite entanglements manifest as an essential resource for various quantum applications, such as measurement based quantum computation. The lattice shaking scheme to generate this cluster possesses advantages such as a high scalability, fast processing speed, rich controllability on the target entangled states, and accessibility with current experimental techniques., 13 pages, 3 figures

The study has investigated the effect of isoflavone attenuates the caspase-1 and caspase-3 level in cell model of Parkinsonism. The subjects were PC12 cells. They were randomly divided into six groups: control, MPP+(250 μmol/L), isoflavone (10 μM), isoflavone (10 μM) + MPP+(250 μmol/L), Z-YVAD-CHO (10 nM) + MPP+group, and Z-DEVD-CHO (10 nM) + MPP+group. Cell viability was measured by MTT methods; the content of tyrosine hydroxylase was measured by immunocytochemistry method of avidinbiotin peroxidase complex; apoptosis ratio was measured by flow cytometry. The results showed that cell viability in the MPP+group was lower than in all other five groups. There was no difference in cell viability between isoflavone + MPP+and control group. Optical density of TH positive cells in isoflavone group was higher than in control, isoflavone + MPP+, and MPP+only groups. The apoptosis ratio in the isoflavone + MPP+group and control group and the Z-YVAD-CHO + MPP+and Z-DEVD-CHO + MPP+group was similar, which was lower than in the MPP+group. The lowest apoptosis ratio was found in the isoflavone only group.

AIM To explore the role of macrophages in chronic pancreatitis (CP) and the effect of Dachaihu decoction (DCHD) on pancreatic fibrosis in mice. METHODS KunMing mice were randomly divided into a control group, CP group, and DCHD group. In the CP and DCHD groups, mice were intraperitoneally injected with 20% L-arginine (3 g/kg twice 1 d/wk for 6 wk). Mice in the DCHD group were administered DCHD intragastrically at a dose of 14 g/kg/d 1 wk after CP induction. At 2 wk, 4 wk and 6 wk post-modeling, the morphology of the pancreas was observed using hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson staining. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) serum levels were assayed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Double immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe the co-expression of F4/80 and IL-6 in the pancreas. Inflammatory factors including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) and IL-6 were determined using real time-polymerase chain reaction. Western blot analysis was used to detect fibronectin levels in the pancreas. RESULTS Compared with the control group, mice with 20% L-arginine-induced CP had obvious macrophage infiltration and a higher level of fibrosis. IL-6 serum concentrations were significantly increased. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that IL-6 and F4/80 were co-expressed in the pancreas. With the administration of DCHD, the infiltration of macrophages and degree of fibrosis in the pancreas were significantly attenuated; IL-6, MCP-1 and MIP-1α mRNA, and fibronectin levels were reduced. CONCLUSION The dominant role of macrophages in the development of CP was mainly related to IL-6 production. DCHD was effective in ameliorating pancreatic fibrosis by inhibiting macrophage infiltration and inflammatory factor secretion in the pancreas.

Quantum teleportation is central to the practical realization of quantum communication. Although the first proof-of-principle demonstration was reported in 1997 by the Innsbruck and Rome groups, long-distance teleportation has so far only been realized in fibre with lengths of hundreds of metres. An optical free-space link is highly desirable for extending the transfer distance, because of its low atmospheric absorption for certain ranges of wavelength. By following the Rome scheme, which allows a full Bell-state measurement, we report free-space implementation of quantum teleportation over 16km. An active feed-forward technique has been developed to enable real-time information transfer. An average fidelity of 89%, well beyond the classical limit of 2/3, is achieved. Our experiment has realized all of the non-local aspects of the original teleportation scheme and is equivalent to it up to a local unitary operation. Our result confirms the feasibility of space-based experiments, and is an important step towards quantum-communication applications on a global scale. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

AIM: To search for a new chronic pancreatitis model in mice suitable for investigating the pathophysiological processes leading to pancreatic fibrosis. METHODS: The mice were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 50), control group and model group. The mice in model group were given ethanol (10%) in drinking water after injection of dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) (8 mg/kg BW) in tail vein. The mice in control group were injected with only solvent into tail vein (60% ethanol, 20% glycerine and 20% normal saline) and drank common water. At days 1, 7, 14, 28, and 56 after application of DBTC or solvent, 10 mice in one group were killed at each time point respectively. Blood was obtained by inferior vena cava puncture. The activity of amylase, concentration of bilirubin and hyaluronic acid in serum were assayed. The pancreas was taken to observe the pancreatic morphology by HE staining, and to characterize the pancreatic fibrosis by Masson staining. The expression of F4/80, CD3 and fibronectin (FN) were assayed by immuno-histochemistry or Immunofluorescence technique. Collagen type I (COL1A1) in pancreas were detected by Western blot. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) mRNA in the pancreas was assessed by real time PCR. RESULTS: DBTC induced an acute edematous pancreatitis within 1 d. The dilated acini, scattered acinar cell necrosis, and inflammatory cells were found at day 7. Extensive infiltration with inflammatory cells following deposition of connective tissue was observed at day 14. At day 28, level of pancreatic fibrosis was aggravated. The pancreatic tissue was replaced by an extended interstitial fibrosis at the end of 2 mo. There was significant difference in the level of amylase, bilirubin and hyaluronic acid in serum between control group and model group (P < 0.05). The level of COL1A1 and FN in pancreas increased. The expression of MMP-1 mRNA in pancreas decreased, but TIMP-1 mRNA increased at model group. CONCLUSION: DBTC joint Ethanol drinking can induce chronic pancreatitis in accordance with the pathophysiological modification of human. DBTC joint Ethanol-induced pancreatitis in mice is an effective and handy experimental method. The model is suitable to study the mechanism of pancreatic fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis.

To explore the role and mechanism of oxidative inflammatory cascade in pancreatic fibrosis progression of chronic pancreatitis (CP) in mice induced by dibutyltin dichloride (DBTC) plus ethanol.Thirty-six KM mice were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 18): control group and model group (DBTC combined with ethanol). The mice in model group were intravenously injected with DBTC (8 mg/kg) in tail vein and drink 10% ethanol. After modeling 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks, the mice were anesthetized and sacrificed, the pathological changes and the degree of fibrosis in the pancreas were observed by HE and Masson staining, the F4/80 expression level were detected by immunohistochemistry, the content of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde(MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured in the pancreatic homogenates.The fibroblasts and macrophages (f4/80 positive staining) could be seen obviously in pancreas of model group at 2 weeks. At 4 weeks and 8 weeks, macrophages infiltration increased and pancreatic tissue was substituted by the proliferation of fibrosis significantly. At every time-point, in pancreatic homogenates SOD was decreased, MDA and MPO markedly increased. There was significant differences between two groups (P0.05).DBTC injection joint ethanol drinking can successfully establish the model of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic fibrosis in mice. Oxidative inflammatory cascade plays an important role in the progression of pancreatic fibrosis.

Objective: We applied carbon nanoparticle suspensions to the papillary thyroid carcinoma cases with no clinical regional lymph node metastasis (cN0) to show the lymph flow from primary tumors, and evaluated its value in the lymph node biopsy of cN0 papillary thyroid carcinoma and protection of parathyroid. Patients and methods: One hundred and fourteen patients with cN0 papillary thyroid carcinoma were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received carbon nanoparticles injection around the primary tumor, while the control group received no injection. Both groups subsequently received standard lateral thyroid gland resection, isthmus resection, subtotal thyroidectomy, or clearance of lymph nodes (LNs) of the central compartment. Results: A total of 342 LNs of the central compartment were dissected in the experimental group (6.00 ± 0.98 per patient) with 81 LNs confirmed to be positive (0.95 ± 0.77 per patient), whereas 261 LNs of the same area were dissected in the control group (4.58 ± 0.60 per patient) with 27 confirmed to be positive (0.47 ± 0.50 per patient). There is a significant difference between experimental and control groups in the average number of LNs dissected per patient (6.00 ± 0.98 vs. 4.58 ± 0.60, p

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices offer a great promise to generate entangled states for scalable quantum information processing owing to the inherited long coherence time and controllability over a large number of particles. We report on the generation, manipulation and detection of atomic spin entanglement in an optical superlattice. Employing a spin-dependent superlattice, atomic spins in the left or right sites can be individually addressed and coherently manipulated by microwave pulses with near unitary fidelities. Spin entanglement of the two atoms in the double wells of the superlattice is generated via dynamical evolution governed by spin superexchange. By observing collisional atom loss with in-situ absorption imaging we measure spin correlations of atoms inside the double wells and obtain the lower boundary of entanglement fidelity as $0.79\pm0.06$, and the violation of a Bell's inequality with $S=2.21\pm 0.08$. The above results represent an essential step towards scalable quantum computation with ultracold atoms in optical lattices., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures

We report an optical one-way quantum computing experiment with stationary quantum memory involved. First we create a hybrid four-qubit cluster state with two qubits propagating as photons and the other two stationary and stored in a laser-cooled atomic-ensemble quantum memory, and characterize it with entanglement witness and quantum state tomography. Then, by making use of this cluster state and fast operations of electro-optic modulators, we realize memory-assisted feedforward operations and demonstrate deterministic single-qubit rotation as an example., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

Quantum teleportation and quantum memory are two crucial elements for large-scale quantum networks. With the help of prior distributed entanglement as a "quantum channel", quantum teleportation provides an intriguing means to faithfully transfer quantum states among distant locations without actual transmission of the physical carriers. Quantum memory enables controlled storage and retrieval of fast-flying photonic quantum bits with stationary matter systems, which is essential to achieve the scalability required for large-scale quantum networks. Combining these two capabilities, here we realize quantum teleportation between two remote atomic-ensemble quantum memory nodes, each composed of 100 million rubidium atoms and connected by a 150-meter optical fiber. The spinwave state of one atomic ensemble is mapped to a propagating photon, and subjected to Bell-state measurements with another single photon that is entangled with the spinwave state of the other ensemble. Two-photon detection events herald the success of teleportation with an average fidelity of 88(7)%. Besides its fundamental interest as the first teleportation between two remote macroscopic objects, our technique may be useful for quantum information transfer between different nodes in quantum networks and distributed quantum computing., Comment: PNAS published online http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1207329109 . For a popular summary of the work for general audiences, see highlight http://www.pnas.org/content/109/50/20169.full

To compare the clinical effectiveness of percutaneous US- or CT-guided drainage and laparotomy for patients with infective pancreatic necrosis.Data of 90 infective pancreatic necrosis patients admitted from January 2008 to December 2009 were included. They were divided into two groups by the different treatment choices. Twenty-seven patients in the percutaneous group received percutaneous US- or CT-guided drainage as first choice. After that a sump suction apparatus was applied for controlled drainage. If no improvement was achieved after 3 days, they would received operation soon. While patients in the laparotomy group received surgical drainage at the time when the diagnosis of infected pancreatic necrosis was confirmed. Continuous drainage was also applied for these ones.The percutaneous group had a significant low rate of reoperation (7.1% vs. 14.3%, P0.05) and postoperative residual abscesses (7.1% vs. 28.6%, P0.05). Furthermore, 48.1% of patients in percutaneous group successfully avoid laparotomy. In the regard of complications, the percutaneous group presented lower incidence of both single organ dysfunction (7.4% vs. 28.6%, P0.05), intestinal fistula (7.4% vs. 27.0%, P0.05) and long-term complications (3.7% vs. 22.2%, P0.05). In addition, the percutaneous group costed less medical resources as evidenced by shorter ICU duration (21.2 ± 9.7 vs. 28.7 ± 12.1, P0.01), shorter hospital duration (48.2 ± 12.5 vs. 59.6 ± 17.5, P0.05) and less expenditure (191 762 ± 5892 vs. 341 689 ± 10 854, P0.05).Percutaneous drainage can effectively lower the surgical rates and the rates of complications and reoperations in patients with infective pancreatic necrosis. Besides that, it could also reduce the cost of medical resources.

To evaluate the effect of liquid resuscitation on acid-base balance and electrolytes of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).According to the target of liquid resuscitation, 22 patients with SAP involved in this self-controlled prospective study received sufficient liquid resuscitation in acute stage of acute pancreatitis. The results of blood gas analysis, acid-base balance and electrolytes were compared before and after liquid resuscitation. The correlation between the volume of liquid used in resuscitation and the level of blood chlorine was analyzed.The mean resuscitation duration was (15.0±2.4) hours, and the volume of liquid resuscitation was 3 4594 203 ml, with mean volume (3 910± 102) ml in 22 patients; blood sodium (mmol/L) and chlorine (mmol/L) levels were both significantly higher after resuscitation compared with those before resuscitation (Na(+): 145.83±1.85 vs. 139.67±2.25, Cl(-): 117.33±1.64 vs. 101.83±1.77, both P0.05). Blood pH value, hematocrit (Hct), anion gap (AG, mmol/L), blood lactic acid (mmol/L) were slightly lowered after resuscitation (pH value: 7.39±0.02 vs. 7.42±0.02, Hct: 35.63±1.58 vs. 46.85±2.38, AG: 8.02±1.21 vs. 14.47±0.89, blood lactic acid: 1.10±0.18 vs. 1.97±0.15, P0.05 or P0.01). In addition, the level of blood chlorine was significantly correlated with the volume of liquid used in resuscitation (r=0.720 8,P0.01).The target of liquid resuscitation in patients with SAP should be cautiously determined, including control of the volume of liquid for resuscitation, in order to avoid acid-base imbalance or hyperchloraemia. At the same time, the change in internal environment should be monitored.