Self-Powered Ultraviolet Photodetectors Driven by Built-In Electric Field.

Self-powered ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors, which have vast applications in the military and for civilian purposes, have become particularly attractive in recent years due to their advantages of high sensitivity, ultrasmall size, and low power consumption. In particular, self-powered UV photodetectors driven by a built-in electric field cannot only detect UV signals but also be powered by the incident signals instead of external power. In this concept, the key issues and most recent developments on photovoltaic type UV photodetectors driven by p-n homojunction, heterojunction, and Schottky junction are surveyed.

Hydraulic connectivity and evaporation control the water quality and sources of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in Lake Bosten in arid northwest China.

Lake Bosten is the largest oligosaline lake in arid northwestern China, and water from its tributaries and evaporation control the water balance of the lake. In this study, water quality and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption and fluorescence were investigated in different seasons to elucidate how hydraulic connectivity and evaporation may affect the water quality and variability of CDOM in the lake. Mean suspended solids and turbidity were significantly higher in the upstream tributaries than in the lake, the difference being notably more pronounced in the wet than in the dry season.

The role of charge in the toxicity of polymer-coated cerium oxide nanomaterials to Caenorhabditis elegans.

This study examined the impact of surface functionalization and charge on ceria nanomaterial toxicity to Caenorhabditis elegans. The examined endpoints included mortality, reproduction, protein expression, and protein oxidation profiles. Caenorhabditis elegans were exposed to identical 2-5nm ceria nanomaterial cores which were coated with cationic (diethylaminoethyl dextran; DEAE), anionic (carboxymethyl dextran; CM), and non-ionic (dextran; DEX) polymers.

Maternal and neonatal outcomes of pregnancy at 39 weeks and beyond with mild gestational diabetes mellitus.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with mild gestational diabetes mellitus at 39 weeks compared to 40 weeks.

Material And Methods: Clinical data of 372 cases of mild gestational diabetes mellitus form First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were analyzed retrospectively. There were 108 mild GDM patients that delivered at 40-40+6 weeks in our research group, and 264 patients that delivered in 39-39+6 weeks in the control group.

PPARα Agonist Stimulated Angiogenesis by Improving Endothelial Precursor Cell Function Via a NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway.

Background: Impaired wound healing is a common complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of lower extremity amputation. Treatment with fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor α (PPARα) agonist, was associated with a lower risk of amputations, particularly minor amputations without known large-vessel diseases, probably through non-lipid mechanisms. The current study aimed to test our hypothesis that fenofibrate stimulates angiogenesis and restores endothelial precursor cell (EPC) function via inhibiting Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice.

Signal Construction-Based Dispersion Compensation of Lamb Waves Considering Signal Waveform and Amplitude Spectrum Preservation.

The results of Lamb wave identification for the aerospace structures could be easily affected by the nonlinear-dispersion characteristics. In this paper, dispersion compensation of Lamb waves is of particular concern. Compared with the similar research works on the traditional signal domain transform methods, this study is based on signal construction from the viewpoint of nonlinear wavenumber linearization.

Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Peroxide Mediate Wounding-Induced Freezing Tolerance through Modifications in Photosystem and Antioxidant System in Wheat.

Mechanical wounding is a common stress caused by herbivores or manual and natural manipulations, whereas its roles in acclimation response to a wide spectrum of abiotic stresses remain unclear. The present work showed that local mechanical wounding enhanced freezing tolerance in untreated systemic leaves of wheat plants ( L.), and meanwhile the signal molecules hydrogen peroxide (HO) and nitric oxide (NO) were accumulated systemically.

Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Human CB2 Cannabinoid Receptor and Its Associated Proteins.

Studying the assemblies and dynamics of the complex formed by cannabinoid receptors and their associated proteins is important for understanding the molecular basis for the functions of these receptors. In the absence of the crystal structures of these macromolecular complexes, mass spectrometry is a sensitive technique that can be used to study cannabinoid receptors and their associated proteins. In this chapter, three aspects of the work are presented: (1) mass spectrometry analysis of the primary sequence of the human CB2 cannabinoid receptor after affinity chromatography purification of the receptor proteins, (2) functional proteomic analysis of CB2-associated proteins coimmunoprecipitated with CB2, and (3) chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry analysis of CB2-G protein complex.

Sleep disturbances and risk of falls in an old Chinese population-Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study.

Background: To explore the relationship between sleep disturbances and falls in an elderly Chinese population.

Methods: Data from 1726 individuals aged 70-87 years from the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study were used. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep variables.

Plasma bradykinin and early diabetic nephropathy lesions in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To examine the association of bradykinin and related peptides with the development of diabetic nephropathy lesions in 243 participants with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from the Renin-Angiotensin System Study who, at baseline, were normoalbuminuric, normotensive and had normal or increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Design: Plasma concentrations of bradykinin and related peptides were measured at baseline by quantitative mass spectrometry. All participants were randomly assigned at baseline to receive placebo, enalapril or losartan during the 5 years between kidney biopsies.

The KSR2-rs7973260 Polymorphism is Associated with Metabolic Phenotypes, but Not Psychological Phenotypes, in Chinese Elders.

Objective: To examine the associations between genetic variants of KSR2 (kinase suppressor of RAS)-rs7973260, RAPGEF6 (guanine nucleotide exchange factor 6)-rs3756290, LOC105377703-rs4481363, and subjective well-being (SWB) and depressive symptoms (DSs) in Chinese elders, which were recently associated in a genome-wide association study conducted in Caucasians. The pleiotropic effects of KSR2-rs7973260 on metabolic phenotypes were also explored.

Materials And Methods: We used data from 1788 older individuals aged 70-84 years from the aging arm of the Rugao Longevity and Aging Study, a population-based cohort study conducted in the Jiangsu province of China.

Metformin ameliorates insulitis in STZ-induced diabetic mice.

Background & Aims: Metformin is currently the most widely used first-line hypoglycemic agent for diabetes mellitus. Besides glucose-lowering action, there is increasingly interest in the potential anti-inflammatory action of this drug. In the present study, we investigated the actions of metformin on experimental insulitis using STZ-induced diabetic mice.

Acarbose Accelerates Wound Healing via Akt/eNOS Signaling in Mice.

Refractory wound is a dreaded complication of diabetes and is highly correlated with EPC dysfunction caused by hyperglycemia. Acarbose is a widely used oral glucose-lowering drug exclusively for T2DM. Previous studies have suggested the beneficial effect of acarbose on improving endothelial dysfunction in patients with T2DM.

Comparison of Influenza Epidemiological and Virological Characteristics between Outpatients and Inpatients in Zhejiang Province, China, March 2011-June 2015.

Given the rapid rate of global spread and consequently healthcare costs related to influenza, surveillance plays an important role in monitoring the emerging pandemics in China. However, the characteristics of influenza in Southeast of China haven't been fully studied. Our study use the surveillance data collected from 16 sentinel hospitals across Zhejiang Province during March 2011 through June 2015, including the demographic information and respiratory specimens from influenza-like illness (ILI) patients and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) patients.

Sediment biomarker, bacterial community characterization of high arsenic aquifers in Jianghan Plain, China.

Representative biomarkers (e.g., n-alkanes), diversity and microbial community in the aquifers contaminated by high concentration of arsenic (As) in different sediment depth (0-30 m) in Jianghan Plain, Hubei, China, were analyzed to investigate the potential mechanism of As enrichment in groundwater.

Associations of triglyceride levels with longevity and frailty: A Mendelian randomization analysis.

Observational studies suggest associations of triglyceride levels with longevity and frailty. This study aimed to test whether the associations are causal. We used data from the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study, a population-based cohort study performed in Rugao, China.

Drug Brand Response and Its Impact on Compliance and Efficacy in Depression Patients.

Patient's response to drug brand is a comprehensive physiological and psychological effect which might impact the compliance and efficacy of drugs. Whether the therapeutic outcome altered on patients with brand response after they experience drug switch is not clear. 459 outpatients with mild-to-moderate depression were divided into the imported (joint venture) drug group and the domestic drug group according to their current drug application.

A nomogram to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with early gastric cancer.

Background: Lymph node status is crucial to determining treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC). We aim to establish a nomogram to predict the possibility of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in EGC patients.

Methods: Medical records of 952 EGC patients with curative resection, from 2002 to 2014, were retrospectively retrieved.

Molecular Epidemiology of Clostridium difficile Infection in Hospitalized Patients in Eastern China.

Few studies on risk factors for and transmission of infection (CDI) in China have been reported. A cross-sectional study was conducted for 3 years in eastern China. Consecutive stool specimens from hospitalized patients with diarrhea were cultured for isolates from these patients then were analyzed for toxin genes, genotypes, and antimicrobial resistance.

[Evaluation of the forest ecosystem service values in Qinling, China].

Landsat TM images of Mt. Qinling in 1984, 2000, 2005, and 2014 were used to extract land use and land cover type by a supervised classification method in ERDAS software. Equivalent factor of ecosystem service value per unit area was revised regionally in temporal and spatial dimensions, and then was modified pixel by pixel using the vegetation coverage.

Early Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (EDoGDM) study: a protocol for a prospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: A diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in low-risk pregnant women is based on an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between 24 and 28 gestational weeks. However, there is insufficient evidence for why the test is performed in this time period. Moreover, the fetus may be exposed to hyperglycaemia prior to the current testing time frame, making earlier administration potentially advantageous.

Comparative proteomic analyses of the parietal lobe from rhesus monkeys fed a high-fat/sugar diet with and without resveratrol supplementation, relative to a healthy diet: Insights into the roles of unhealthy diets and resveratrol on function.

A diet consisting of a high intake of saturated fat and refined sugars is characteristic of a Western-diet and has been shown to have a substantial negative effect on human health. Expression proteomics were used to investigate changes to the parietal lobe proteome of rhesus monkeys consuming either a high fat and sugar (HFS) diet, a HFS diet supplemented with resveratrol (HFS+RSV), or a healthy control diet for 2 years. Here we discuss the modifications in the levels of 12 specific proteins involved in various cellular systems including metabolism, neurotransmission, structural integrity, and general cellular signaling following a nutritional intervention.

Efficacy of Fu-Yuan Capsule in the Healing of Fractures of the Lower End of the Radius in a Rabbit Model.

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the efficacy of Fu-Yuan Capsule in the healing of fractures of the lower end of the radius in a rabbit model.

Methods: After establishing a rabbit fracture model, all animals were randomly divided into the model group (n = 24), the Fu-Yuan Capsule group (n = 24), and the Shenyang Hongyao group (n = 24). The X-ray was applied to observe the course of fracture healing at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after treatment.