Mode measurement of few-mode fibers by mode-frequency mapping.

Since few-mode fibers (FMFs) have great potential as the new transmission media for optical communications, the ability to distinguish different fiber modes is essential. Most of the traditional schemes do not yield phase information, or are limited by beam size and mechanical requirements. Here, a method is presented to analyze the mode distribution of FMFs.

[Neurotrophin-3 enhances the osteogenesis ability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide].

Objective To investigate the protective effect of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and its ability to promote the differentiation of hBMSCs into osteoblasts in the inflammatory environment. Methods The cell inflammation model was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The hBMSCs without any stimulation was defined as the inflammatory control group; the hBMSCs stimulated by 100 ng/mL human NT-3 recombinant protein as the NT-3 group; the hBMSCs stimulated by 100 mmol/L pyrvinium pamoate (PP) for 12 hours and then stimulated by 100 ng/mL human NT-3 recombinant protein as the Wnt inhibitor group; the normal cultured hBMSCs as the normal control group.

The Significance of Crochetage on the R wave of an Electrocardiogram for the Early Diagnosis of Pediatric Secundum Atrial Septal Defect.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the incidence of crochetage on the R wave in inferior limb leads can be used for the diagnosis of pediatric secundum atrial septal defect (ASD). Two hundred fifty-six children with secundum ASD (case cohort) and 256 age- and gender-matched children without heart disease (control cohort) were included in the study. Statistical analyses were performed to test the relationship between the ASD and the crochetage on the R wave with a single lead and three leads, respectively.

Glutathione -Transferase Pi Prevents Sepsis-Related High Mobility Group Box-1 Protein Translocation and Release.

Glutathione -transferase Pi (GSTP) was originally identified as one of cytosolic phase II detoxification enzymes and also was considered to function its non-catalytic, ligand-binding activity. We have reported that GSTP played an anti-inflammatory role in macrophages, suggesting that GSTP may have a protective role in inflammation. In this study, we deleted the murine gene cluster and found that GSTP significantly decreased the mortality of experimental sepsis and reduced related serum level of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1).

Silencing of CXCL12 performs a protective effect on C5b-9-induced injury in podocytes.

Purpose: Podocytes, terminal differentiation cell in glomerulu, are crucial to kidney-related diseases such as membranous nephropathy (MN). MN is characterized by podocyte injury and glomerular basement membrane thickening. This paper focused to investigate the expression of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12) in MN patients and its possible role in podocyte injury.

Optimizing interfacial transport properties of InO single atomic layers in InO(ZnO) natural superlattices for enhanced high temperature thermoelectrics.

InO(ZnO) natural superlattices (where k is an integer), consisting of relatively earth abundant and non-toxic elements with coarsening-resistant nanostructures, are environmentally friendly materials with the potential for high temperature thermoelectric applications. Herein, we report our investigation of the high temperature thermoelectric properties of the InO(ZnO) superlattice bulk polycrystals that were singly and dually doped with Al and Ce. Transport property measurements revealed that Al and Ce did not only enter the ZnO blocks but also modified the InO single atomic layers.

Clinical significance of circulating tumor cells from lung cancer patients using microfluidic chip.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) exist in the peripheral blood and have an important role in the disease development, tumor metastasis and clinical surveillance, especially in the process of metastasis. However, the technology of detecting CTCs still had a large challenge since they were rare in the peripheral blood. Here, we developed a size-based microfluidic chip, which contained array and filter channel array that could enrich CTCs from blood samples more quickly and conveniently.

IL-1β increases urinary corin in patients with primary proteinuric kidney diseases and in 293 cells.

Corin is a serine protease that is important for the regulation of blood pressure and water balance. Corin was initially discovered in the heart, however, it has also been detected in kidney cells, though its function in the kidneys is unclear. To further investigate the function of corin in the kidney, the present study analyzed the levels of corin in urine and blood samples collected from normal individuals and patients with primary proteinuric diseases.

Intestinal Epithelial Cell-Derived LKB1 Suppresses Colitogenic Microbiota.

Dysregulation of the immune barrier function of the intestinal epithelium can often result in dysbiosis. In this study we report a novel role of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-derived liver kinase B1 (LKB1) in suppressing colitogenic microbiota. IEC-specific deletion of LKB1 (LKB1) resulted in an increased susceptibility to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis and a definitive shift in the composition of the microbial population in the mouse intestine.

Interleukin-6 induces fat loss in cancer cachexia by promoting white adipose tissue lipolysis and browning.

Background: Cancer cachexia is a progressive and multi-factorial metabolic syndrome characterized by loss of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. White adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis and white-to-brown transdifferentiation of WAT (WAT browning) are proposed to contribute to WAT atrophy in cancer cachexia. Chronic inflammation, mediated by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), has been reported to promote cancer cachexia.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with Lung Cancer Surgery.

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the serious complications with high mortality after thoracic surgery. The authors aimed to determine the prevalence of PE events and evaluate additional risk factors for PE in patients with lung cancer surgery. Patients underwent lung cancer resections during January 2012 to July 2015 and had 30-day postoperative follow-up were included.

Facile Strategy to Generate Aligned Polymer Nanofibers: Effects on Cell Adhesion.

Structure of polymer fiber membranes plays a vital role in controlling cell responses as applied to immobilize targets for specific cell interactions. Electrospinning is a simple and powerful method to prepare polymer fiber membranes with scales from nano- to micrometers. In this report, a facile yet versatile strategy has been developed for fabricating polymer nanofiber membranes with well-aligned structures using a glass sheet between the needle and a static drum as the collector.

SRSF1 Prevents DNA Damage and Promotes Tumorigenesis through Regulation of DBF4B Pre-mRNA Splicing.

Dysregulated alternative splicing events have been implicated in many types of cancer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we observe that the splicing factor SRSF1 regulates DBF4B exon6 splicing by specifically binding and promoting its inclusion. Knockdown of the exon6-containing isoform (DBF4B-FL) significantly inhibits the tumorigenic potential of colon cancer cells in vitro and in mice, and SRSF1 inactivation phenocopies DBF4B-FL depletion.

Interface-Induced Enhancement of Ferromagnetism in Insulating LaMnO Ultrathin Films.

Engineering ferromagnetism, by modulating its magnitude or anisotropy, is an important topic in the field of magnetism and spintronics. Among different types of magnetic materials, ferromagnetic insulators, in which magnetic moment unusually coexists with localized electrons, are of particular interest. Here, we report a remarkable interfacial enhancement of the ferromagnetism by adding one unit-cell LaAlO adjacent to an insulating LaMnO ultrathin film.

[Establishment of Automation System for Detection of Alcohol in Blood].

Objectives: To establish an automation system for detection of alcohol content in blood.

Methods: The determination was performed by automated workstation of extraction-headspace gas chromatography （HS-GC）. The blood collection with negative pressure, sealing time of headspace bottle and sample needle were checked and optimized in the abstraction of automation system.

Clinical Study of Intracranial and Extracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients.

Background And Purpose: Nowadays, researchers had begun to focus on the use of antiplatelet and statins in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), but atherosclerosis treatment remains uncertain in these patients. We aimed to investigate the incidence and characteristics of intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis in these patients and analyze its related risk factors.

Methods: Intracranial and extracranial arteries of consecutive patients with sICH were studied retrospectively with computed tomography angiography of head and neck.

Hyperoside attenuates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice possibly via activation of the Nrf2 signalling pathway.

Background: Hyperoside (Hyp) is a flavonoid glycoside compound that has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and antioxidant effects. However, the impact of Hyp on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been previously explored. Thus, we evaluated the role of Hyp in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced acute colitis in mice.

Pressure induced topological phase transition in layered BiS.

A large bulk band gap and tunable Dirac carriers are desired for practical device applications of topological insulators. However, most known topological insulators are narrow gap materials and the manipulation of their Dirac surface states is limited by residual bulk charge carriers originating from intrinsic defects. In this study, via density functional theory based first-principles calculations, we predict that a layered hexagonal structure of BiS is stable, and it becomes a topological insulator under a moderate compressive pressure of about 5.

[Enhancing the ability of autophagy and proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by interleukin-8 through Akt-STAT3 pathway in hypoxic environment].

To study the effects and mechanisms of interleukin-8 (IL-8) on the proliferation and autophagy of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSC) under hypoxic condition. In the hypoxia model, we set the non-stimulated hBMSC as the hypoxia control group; the hBMSC stimulated by 100 μmol/L human IL-8 as the IL-8 group; the hBMSC stimulated by 50 μmol/L MK2206 (Akt protein inhibitor) and 100μmol/L IL-8 as the Akt inhibitor group; and the normal cultured hBMSC as the normal control group. The experiments of EdU cell proliferation and TUNEL apoptosis were respectively used to detect the number of positive cells that were labeled by EdU and apoptosis in each group, and Western blotting and ELISA were used respectively to detect the expression of autophagy protein (LC-3), Akt/STAT3 and other proteins in each group.

Unique distribution of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in East Asian non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: To determine the proportion and clinical features of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in East Asian non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: PD-L1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and tumor proportion score (TPS) with the use of PD-L1 IHC 22C3 antibody (Dako North America) in 108 surgically resected lung squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 221 lung adenocarcinomas (LUADs), and was correlated with clinical variables, histologic subtypes, and common driver mutations.

Results: Positive PD-L1 expression was found in 37 lung SCC (37/108, 34.

CaHDZ27, a Homeodomain-Leucine Zipper I Protein, Positively Regulates the Resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum Infection in Pepper.

Homeodomain-leucine zipper class I (HD-Zip I) transcription factors have been functionally characterized in plant responses to abiotic stresses, but their roles in plant immunity are poorly understood. Here, a HD-Zip I gene, CaHZ27, was isolated from pepper (Capsicum annum) and characterized for its role in pepper immunity. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that CaHDZ27 was transcriptionally induced by Ralstonia solanacearum inoculation and exogenous application of methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or ethephon.

Elaborating the History of Our Cementing Societies: An in-Use Stock Perspective.

Modern cities and societies are built fundamentally based on cement and concrete. The global cement production has risen sharply in the past decades due largely to urbanization and construction. Here we deployed a top-down dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) model to quantify the historical development of cement in-use stocks in residential, nonresidential, and civil engineering sectors of all world countries.

Combined detection of dickkopf-1 subtype classification autoantibodies as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the clinical significance of serum autoantibodies against dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and evaluate their feasibility in the immunodiagnosis and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Experimental Design: Epitope mapping by peptide microarray-based serum screening of NSCLC patients (n=72) and healthy controls (n=16) was performed. Indirect ELISA with peptides was used to measure the serum levels of autoantibodies in 206 NSCLC patients and 99 healthy controls.

Epigallocatechin gallate attenuates overload‑induced cardiac ECM remodeling via restoring T cell homeostasis.

It has previously been demonstrated that Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has regulatory effects on cellular immunity. The present study explored whether EGCG inhibits the overload‑induced cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling through targeting the balance of T cell subpopulations. Sprague‑Dawley rats were subjected to either transverse aortic constriction (TAC) or sham operation.

Ni-Co Binary Hydroxide Nanotubes with Three-Dimensionally Structured Nanoflakes: Synthesis and Application as Cathode Materials for Hybrid Supercapacitors.

Nickel-cobalt binary hydroxide nanotubes were fabricated by a facile synthetic approach by using Cu O nanowires as sacrificial templates. The surface morphology of the binary hydroxide nanotubes can be easily controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of Ni to Co. With increasing Co content, the surfaces of the nanotubes tend to form hierarchical nanoflakes.