W-type normal dispersion thulium-doped fiber-based high-energy all-fiber femtosecond laser at 1.7 µm.

We propose a parabolic W-type thulium-doped fiber for the 1.7 µm high-energy femtosecond pulsed laser. Despite its attractive normal dispersion, the fiber offers high gain in 1.

Adropin inhibits the phenotypic modulation and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells during neointimal hyperplasia by activating the AMPK/ACC signaling pathway.

In-stent restenosis (ISR) remains an inevitable problem for some patients receiving drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Intimal hyperplasia is an important biological cause of ISR. It has been previously reported that adropin is a potentially protective factor in cardiovascular disease.

All-fiber short-wavelength tunable mode-locked fiber laser using normal dispersion thulium-doped fiber.

We report an all-fiber high pulse energy ultrafast laser and amplifier operating at the short wavelength side of the thulium (Tm) emission band. An in-house W-type normal dispersion Tm-doped fiber (NDTDF) exhibits a bending-induced distributed short-pass filtering effect that efficiently suppresses the otherwise dominant long wavelength emission. By changing the bending diameter of the fiber, we demonstrated a tunable mode-locked Tm-doped fiber laser with a very wide tunable range of 152 nm spanning from 1740 nm to 1892 nm.

Ultra-low NA step-index large mode area Yb-doped fiber with a germanium doped cladding for high power pulse amplification.

High concentration rare earth doped, large mode area (LMA) step-index fibers, which feature a very high cladding absorption per unit length at the pump wavelength, high efficiency, and excellent beam quality, are ideal for high power pulsed fiber lasers/amplifiers where large effective mode areas and short device lengths are crucial in order to reduce detrimental nonlinear effects associated with high peak power operation. In this Letter, we realize low numerical aperture (NA) high absorption fibers, simply by employing a germanium (Ge)-doped cladding rather than a pure silica cladding to offset the high refractive index associated with using a high concentration of ytterbium (Yb) in the core. This approach allows us to separate the two inter-linked fiber design parameters of pump absorption and NA in a step-index fiber.

Effect of beraprost on pulmonary hypertension due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Beraprost is used to treat peripheral chronic arterial occlusive disease. However, the efficacy and safety of beraprost in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (PH-HFrEF) remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of beraprost on PH-HFrEF.

Inhibition of miR-148b ameliorates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Our work aims to elucidate the effect how microRNA-148b (miR-148b) participated in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury via regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The in vivo myocardial I/R models of SD rats and in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) models of H9C2 cells were established. The heart function and infarction area of rats and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were evaluated.

The effect of remote health intervention based on internet or mobile communication network on hypertension patients: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: To systematically review the impact of remote health interventions based on an internet or mobile communication network on patients with hypertension and to provide a theoretical basis for hypertension patients with the implementation of remote health interventions.

Methods: Data were retrieved from a total of 4 Chinese databases and 3 foreign databases. The Chinese databases included: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Data, Chinese Biomedical Database (SinoMed), and Chongqing Chinese Science and Technology Journey database (VIP).

Regulation of airway inflammation and remodeling in asthmatic mice by TLR3/TRIF signal pathway.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of Toll-like receptors 3 (TLR3)/TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) signal pathway on the airway inflammation and remodeling in asthmatic mice. C57BL/6 and TLR3 mice were randomly divided into three groups (10 mice per group), including Control group (mice inhaled phosphate buffer saline (PBS)), Asthma group (mice inhaled ovalbumin (OVA)) and polyriboinosinic-ribocytidylic acid (poly (I: C)) group (asthmatic mice were injected intraperitoneally with TLR3 agonist poly (I: C)). Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Wright-Giemsa staining, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Immunohistochemistry, Hydroxyproline assay, quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to assess for the indices of airway inflammation and remodeling.

Plasma Corin as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of plasma corin in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Background: In recent years, accumulating evidence has indicated that corin plays a critical role in regulating blood pressure and cardiac function.

Methods: We enrolled 1,148 consecutive CHF patients in a prospective cohort study and explored the association between plasma corin levels and clinical prognosis using multivariate Cox regression analysis.

Adropin is associated with hyperhomocysteine and coronary atherosclerosis.

Homocysteine has been recognized as a risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Adropin is a newly-identified energy homeostasis protein with a potential protective effect against coronary artery disease (CAD). This study attempted to measure the correlation between serum homocysteine and adropin levels in patients with CAD, and to ascertain how the two hormones could affect the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.

Association between serum corin levels and risk of acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Accumulating evidence has indicated that corin plays critical roles in regulating salt-water balance, blood pressure and cardiac function by activating natriuretic peptides. The present case-control study was designed to evaluate the association of serum soluble corin with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: We enrolled 856 consecutive AMI patients and 856 control subjects and explored the possible relation between serum corin levels and AMI risk using logistic regression model.

Vitamin D Supplementation in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: In recent years, there has been growing evidence that vitamin D deficiency is associated with the development and progression of chronic heart failure (CHF).

Hypothesis: Additional supplementation of vitamin D may have protective effects in patients with CHF.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases through June 2015 and included 7 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of vitamin D on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CHF.

[AIDS-related knowledge among adult males in Chongqing City].

Objective: To evaluate AIDS-related knowledge among adult men in Chongqing City, and provide some evidence for AIDS-related health education.

Methods: Using the randomized multistage stratified cluster sampling method, we investigated AIDS-related knowledge among the adult males in Chongqing City.

Results: Of the 1502 adult men, those who knew the three major transmitting routes of AIDS (blood-borne, vertical transmission and sexual contact) constituted 85.

[An assistant artificial hip joint].

The assistant artificial hip joint (AAHJ) is a new impermanent hip support implanted in the body. It is used for treatment of ischemic necrosis of the femoral head at the early stage. It reserves the natural femoral head, increases its containment and decreases its load, thus makes the recovery of the necrosed femoral head.