Tunable and switchable multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber lasers induced by an optimized hybrid mode-locked composite filtering effect.

A multi-wavelength mode-locked fiber laser can generate different wavelengths from a single laser cavity, offering potential as a dual-frequency comb and serving as an ideal light source for terahertz wave generation. We present an optimized hybrid mode-locked Er-doped fiber laser with flexible outputs: switchable and tunable dual-wavelength mode-locking, along with stable tri-wavelength mode-locking, which is achieved by introducing 0.69 m polarization-maintaining fiber and bent 200 m single-mode fiber to enhance intra-cavity birefringence and nonlinear effect to optimize the hybrid mode-locking effect, that is, build the composite filter effect.

Inhibition of Spinal Interleukin-33 Attenuates Peripheral Inflammation and Hyperalgesia in Experimental Arthritis.

Accumulating evidence indicates that the continuous and intense nociceptive from inflamed tissue may increase the excitability of spinal dorsal horn neurons, which can signal back and modulate peripheral inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated that spinal interleukin (IL)-33 contributes to the hyperexcitability of spinal dorsal horn neurons. This study was undertaken to investigate whether spinal IL-33 can also influence a peripheral inflammatory response in a rat model of arthritis.

Effects of different fertilization rates on growth, yield, quality and partial factor productivity of tomato under non-pressure gravity irrigation.

To select the optimum fertilizer application under specific irrigation levels and to provide a reliable fertigation system for tomato plants, an experiment was conducted by using a microporous membrane for water-fertilizer integration under non-pressure gravity. A compound fertilizer (N:P2O5:K2O, 18:7:20) was adopted for topdressing at four levels, 1290 kg/ha, 1140 kg/ha, 990 kg/ha, and 840 kg/ha, and the locally recommended level of 1875 kg/ha was used as the control to explore the effects of different fertilizer application rates on growth, nutrient distribution, quality, yield, and partial factor of productivity (PFP) in tomato. The new regime of microporous membrane water-fertilizer integration under non-pressure gravity irrigation reduced the fertilizer application rate while promoting plant growth in the early and intermediate stages.

The Prognosis of Type III Biliary Atresia with Hilar Cyst.

Objective: To compare the outcome of biliary atresia (BA) patients with and without hilar cyst on preoperative ultrasound.

Methods: A single center retrospective review of patients of BA with (n = 27) and without hilar cyst (n = 27) over a 5 y period was done. The patients were analyzed using propensity score matching to reduce selection bias.

Postsurgical Management of Dilated Biliary Tract in Children: Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangial Drainage and Subsequent Percutaneous Ultrasound Cholangiography.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) and consequent percutaneous US cholangiography in managing the dilated biliary tracts of children who have undergone hepatobiliary surgery. Sixteen children (11 boys, five girls; age range, 3-144 months) who underwent hepatobiliary surgery from December 2016 to October 2018 and had US evidence of biliary dilatation were included. All patients had undergone US-guided PTCD because of elevated postoperative serum bilirubin levels or bile duct infection.

Identification of cis-regulatory regions responsible for developmental and hormonal regulation of HbHMGS1 in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

Objectives: 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase (HMGS) is an important enzyme in mevalonate (MVA) pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis, which regulates the rubber biosynthetic pathway in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in coordination with HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR). However, little information is available about the regulation of HMGS gene expression. To understand the mechanism controlling the HbHMGS1 gene expression, we characterized the HbHMGS1 promoter sequence in transgenic plants with the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene.

Value of flaccid penile ultrasound in screening for arteriogenic impotence: a preliminary prospective study.

Background: This prospective study is to evaluate the potential value of sonographic measurements in the flaccid penis for the screening of arteriogenic impotence.

Methods: A consecutive series of 260 Chinese males consulting for sexual dysfunction and 54 controls underwent sonographic examination. The sonographic parameters were correlated with the clinical gold standards, including the international index of erectile function (IIEF) and penile erectile hardness grading scale (EHGS).

The value of clinical and ultrasound features for the diagnosis of infantile hepatic hemangioma: Comparison with contrast-enhanced CT/MRI.

Objectives: To investigate the combined use of ultrasound together with clinical features to differentiate infantile hepatic hemangioma (IHH) from other focal liver lesions (FLLs) in children and to compare the efficacy of the combined method to that of CECT/MRI.

Methods: The location, number, size and appearance of the tumors were evaluated in 45 children with IHH. Another 45 children with FLL were randomly selected as a control group.

Effects of PEMFs on Osx, Ocn, TRAP, and CTSK gene expression in postmenopausal osteoporosis model mice.

Ovariectomized mice were used to simulate the symptoms of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, and observe the effects of PEMF treatment on expression of Osx, Ocn, TRAP, and CTSK in ovariectomized mice. Thirty-week-old wild-type C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups (=10, each group): sham operation group, ovariectomy (OVX) group, and PEMF group. Mice in the sham group underwent sham ovariectomy, while mice in the remaining two groups were ovariectomized.

IL-33/ST2 signaling contributes to radicular pain by modulating MAPK and NF-κB activation and inflammatory mediator expression in the spinal cord in rat models of noncompressive lumber disk herniation.

Background: Immune and inflammatory responses occurring in the spinal cord play a pivotal role in the progression of radicular pain caused by intervertebral disk herniation. Interleukin-33 (IL-33) orchestrates inflammatory responses in a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders of the nervous system. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of IL-33 and its receptor ST2 in the dorsal spinal cord and to elucidate whether the inhibition of spinal IL-33 expression significantly attenuates pain-related behaviors in rat models of noncompressive lumbar disc herniation.

Percutaneous US-guided Cholecystocholangiography with Microbubbles for Assessment of Infants with US Findings Equivocal for Biliary Atresia and Gallbladder Longer than 1.5 cm: A Pilot Study.

Purpose To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasonographically (US) guided percutaneous cholecystocholangiography (PCC) for early exclusion of biliary atresia (BA) in infants suspected of having BA with equivocal US findings or indeterminate type of BA and a gallbladder longer than 1.5 cm at US. Materials and Methods This study was approved by the ethics committee; written informed parental consent was obtained.

Liver stiffness measurements with supersonic shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of biliary atresia: a comparative study with grey-scale US.

Objectives: To prospectively assess the diagnostic performance of supersonic shear wave elastography (SSWE) in identifying biliary atresia (BA) among infants with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia by comparing this approach with grey-scale ultrasonography (US).

Methods: Forty infants were analysed as the control group to determine normal liver stiffness values. The use of SSWE values for identifying BA was investigated in 172 infants suspected of having BA, and results were compared with the results obtained by grey-scale US.

Maximum Value Measured by 2-D Shear Wave Elastography Helps in Differentiating Malignancy from Benign Focal Liver Lesions.

The goal of the work described here was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of 2-D shear wave elastography (2-D SWE) in differentiating malignancy from benign focal liver lesions (FLLs). The maxima, minima, means and the standard deviations of 2-D SWE measurements, expressed in kilopascals (Emax, Emin, Emean, ESD), were obtained for 221 patients with 229 FLLs. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 2-D SWE.

Elastography of shear wave speed imaging for the evaluation of liver fibrosis: A meta-analysis.

Aim: A meta-analysis was carried out to assess the accuracies of shear wave speed imaging (SWSI) in predicting significant fibrosis (stages F2-4) and cirrhosis (stage F4).

Methods: A review was performed of relevant studies published until October 2015. A bivariate binomial model was used to combine the sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (AUC), and 95% confidence intervals were derived to indicate the diagnostic accuracy of imaging modalities.

Focal Lesions in Fatty Liver: If Quantitative Analysis Facilitates the Differentiation of Atypical Benign from Malignant Lesions.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of quantitative analysis as an adjunctive diagnostic tool to contrast-enhanced ultrasound (US) for the differentiation of atypical benign focal liver lesions (FLLs) from malignancies in fatty liver. Twenty-seven benign FLLs and fifty-six malignant FLLs that appeared hyper-enhanced during the arterial phase with washout in the portal or late phase in fatty liver were analyzed. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were applied to identify the specific features.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound findings in a case of primary chest chondrosarcoma mimicking a porta hepatis mass.

We report a case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with upper abdominal pain. The physical examination revealed a palpable hard mass with a well-demarcated lower margin. Laboratory tests indicated hepatitis B viral infection.

Assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B using acoustic structure quantification: quantitative morphological ultrasound.

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the usefulness of acoustic structure quantification (ASQ) for noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: Consecutive patients with CHB scheduled for liver biopsy or partial liver resection underwent standardized ASQ examinations. The ASQ parameter, named focal disturbance (FD) ratio, were compared with METAVIR scores.

Usefulness of Sonography in Evaluating Children Suspected of Malrotation: Comparison With an Upper Gastrointestinal Contrast Study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the value of sonography in working up or ruling out malrotation by 3 sonographic features (inversion of the superior mesenteric artery and superior mesenteric vein, the whirlpool sign, and an intraperitoneal transverse duodenum) and comparing it with an upper gastrointestinal (GI) contrast study.

Methods: A total of 70 pediatric patients who underwent detailed abdominal sonography to rule out intestinal malrotation were included. Twenty-three of them also underwent an upper GI contrast study.

Impact factors and the optimal parameter of acoustic structure quantification in the assessment of liver fibrosis.

The aims of the present study are to assess the impact factors on acoustic structure quantification (ASQ) ultrasound and find the optimal parameter for the assessment of liver fibrosis. Twenty healthy volunteers underwent ASQ examinations to evaluate impact factors in ASQ image acquisition and analysis. An additional 113 patients with liver diseases underwent standardized ASQ examinations, and the results were compared with histologic staging of liver fibrosis.

Optimizing the US Diagnosis of Biliary Atresia with a Modified Triangular Cord Thickness and Gallbladder Classification.

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography (US) in the identification and exclusion of biliary atresia with a modified triangular cord thickness metric together with a gallbladder classification scheme, as well as hepatic artery (HA) diameter and liver and spleen size, in a large sample of jaundiced infants. Materials and Methods The ethics committee approved this study, and written informed parental consent was obtained. In 273 infants with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia (total bilirubin level ≥ 31.

Shear wave elastography versus real-time elastography on evaluation thyroid nodules: a preliminary study.

Objective: To comparatively evaluate shear wave elastography (SWE) and real-time elastography (RTE) in distinguishing malignant from benign thyroid nodules.

Methods: 49 patients with 64 focal thyroid nodules were enrolled and underwent SWE and RTE before surgery. SWE elasticity indices (mean, minimum and maximum value of 2-mm region of interest) of nodules were measured.

Preliminary experience of a new perspective view technology for the detection of portal vein thrombus in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and efficiency of a perspective view technology (Fly Thru) for the detection of portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods: Fly Thru was performed in 79 HCC patients. The images were reviewed off-site for evaluation of the imaging quality and diagnosis.

Infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma in comparison with hepatoblastoma in children: clinical and ultrasound features.

Background: Infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma (IHH) and hepatoblastoma (HBL) are respectively the most common benign and malignant liver tumors in children.

Objectives: To study the clinical manifestations and the ultrasound features of the pediatric patients for distinguishing IHH from HBL.

Patients And Methods: Between 2002 and 2012, thirteen children with IHH and 38 children with HBL under the age of 10 years were included.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of histologically proven focal nodular hyperplasia: diagnostic performance compared with contrast-enhanced CT.

Objectives: To investigate and compare contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the characterisation of histologically proven focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT).

Methods: CEUS was performed in 85 patients with 85 histologically proven FNHs. Enhancement, centrifugal filling, spoke-wheel arteries, feeding artery and central scarring were reviewed and correlated with lesion size or liver background.

Objective differential characteristics of cystic biliary atresia and choledochal cysts in neonates and young infants: sonographic findings.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate the objective differential characteristics between cystic biliary atresia and choledochal cysts on sonography among neonates and young infants.

Methods: Twenty-three patients who had sonographic findings of a portal cyst and a final diagnosis were included. Their final diagnoses were cystic biliary atresia in 12 patients and choledochal cysts in 11.