[Three cases of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo in pregnant women].

BPPV is the most common cause of dizziness in adults, and the symptoms, causes, behavior of adult patients are clearly defined. Pregnant woman may also suffer from BPPV. To our knowledge, there are few reports on BPPV in pregnant women.

β-Elemene induces apoptosis of human rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes via reactive oxygen species-dependent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.

Background: β-Elemene is a natural anticancer compound extracted from the Chinese medicinal herb Curcuma Wenyujin. This study was done to determine the effect of β-elemene on the apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) and associated molecular mechanisms.

Methods: RA-FLS were treated for 72h with β-elemene at 10-200μg/ml and cell viability and apoptotic changes were examined.

[Short and long term effect of quick repositioning maneuver for patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo induced in the straight head-hanging test].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, short and long term effect of quick repositioning maneuver along the sagittal plane for patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo who were induced vertigo in the straight head-hanging test.

Methods: The clinical data of 38 patients affected by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo who were induced vertigo in the straight head-hanging test from July 2009 to July 2014 in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of Navy General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. After diagnosis, the patients were underwent quick repositioning maneuver along the sagittal plane.

[To study the correlation between hyoid movement and openness of upper esophageal sphincter].

Objective: To discuss the effect of age on hyoid movement and the openness of UES in swallowing process, and to investigate the correlation between hyoid movement and openness of UES.

Method: The X-ray dynamic swallowing videofluoroscopy was performed on 100 healthy adult volunteers(20-74 years). They were divided into three groups: young (ages 20 to 45), middle-aged (45 to 65) and older (65 and up).

The development of Negative Self-Beliefs Inventory (NSBI): cultural adaptation and psychometric validation.

Social anxiety is an emotional disorder common to various populations around the world. The newly developed Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety Scale (SBSA) aims to assess three kinds of self-beliefs through 15 items that include self-related cognitive factors that evidently result in social anxiety. This study explored the psychometric characteristics of SBSA among 978 Chinese.

Quick repositioning maneuver for horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of quick repositioning maneuver for horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (H-BPPV).

Methods: Clinical data of 67 patients with H-BPPV who underwent quick repositioning maneuver in our hospital from July 2009 to November 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The maneuver involved rotating the patient in the axial plane for 180° from the involved side towards contralateral side as quickly as possible.

High Gain Submicrometer Optical Amplifier at Near-Infrared Communication Band.

Nanoscale near-infrared optical amplification is important but remains a challenge to achieve. Here we report a unique design of silicon and erbium silicate core-shell nanowires for high gain submicrometer optical amplification in the near-infrared communication band. The high refraction index silicon core is used to tightly confine the optical field within the submicron structures, and the single crystalline erbium-ytterbium silicates shell is used as the highly efficient gain medium.

Relationships among Trait Resilience, Virtues, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Post-traumatic Growth.

The present study aims to examine the relationship between trait resilience and virtues in the context of trauma. A total of 537 participants who attended the preliminary investigation and completed the Life Events Checklist were screened. Of these participants, 142 suffered from personal traumatic experiences in the past year; these individuals were qualified and invited to respond to online questionnaires to assess trait resilience, virtues (i.

Association between virtues and posttraumatic growth: preliminary evidence from a Chinese community sample after earthquakes.

Objective. Relationship, vitality, and conscientiousness are three fundamental virtues that have been recently identified as important individual differences to health, well being, and positive development. This cross-sectional study attempted to explore the relationship between the three constructs and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in three directions, including indirect trauma samples without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), direct trauma samples without PTSD, and direct trauma samples with PTSD.

Zerumbone protects INS-1 rat pancreatic beta cells from high glucose-induced apoptosis through generation of reactive oxygen species.

The aim of this study is to explore the effect of zerumbone, a natural sesquiterpene isolated from Zingiber zerumbet Smith, on high glucose-induced cytotoxicity in pancreatic β cells. INS-1 rat pancreatic β cells were treated with 33 mM glucose with or without different concentrations of zerumbone and cell viability and apoptosis were assessed. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in the action of zerumbone was examined.

Influence of IL10 gene polymorphisms on the severity of liver fibrosis and susceptibility to liver cirrhosis in HBV/HCV-infected patients.

Background: Previous studies about the association of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) polymorphisms with the progression of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis susceptibility in chronic hepatitis B/C (CHB/C) disease were inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis was to derive a more precise estimation of the association.

Methods: We searched Medline, PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science electronic databases using the following key words: liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, IL10, and polymorphism.

Formation and identification of unresolved complex mixtures in lacustrine biodegraded oil from Nanxiang Basin, China.

A comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC/TOFMS) method has been developed for the formation and identification of unresolved complex mixtures (UCMs) in lacustrine biodegraded oils that with the same source rock, similar maturity, and increasing degradation rank from Nanxiang Basin, China. Normal alkanes, light hydrocarbons, isoprenoids, steranes, and terpanes are degraded gradually from oil B330 to oil G574. The compounds in biodegraded oil (oil G574) have fewer types, the polarity difference of compounds in different types is minor, and the relative content of individual compounds is similar.

The Hippo effector Yorkie activates transcription by interacting with a histone methyltransferase complex through Ncoa6.

The Hippo signaling pathway regulates tissue growth in Drosophila through the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie (Yki). How Yki activates target gene transcription is poorly understood. Here, we identify Nuclear receptor coactivator 6 (Ncoa6), a subunit of the Trithorax-related (Trr) histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase complex, as a Yki-binding protein.

Robust H∞ filtering for a class of complex networks with stochastic packet dropouts and time delays.

The robust H∞ filtering problem is investigated for a class of complex network systems which has stochastic packet dropouts and time delays, combined with disturbance inputs. The packet dropout phenomenon occurs in a random way and the occurrence probability for each measurement output node is governed by an individual random variable. Besides, the time delay phenomenon is assumed to occur in a nonlinear vector-valued function.

[The role of the hyoid bone during the swallowing process].

The main purpose of this paper was to review the role of the hyoid movement in the swallowing process and the effect of swallowing posture, age, gender, bolus properties on the hyoid movement. The displacement of the hyoid bone was divided into vertical and forward displacement. The vertical displacement of the hyoid bone contributes primarily to epiglottic and laryngeal closure, while the anterior displacement contributes primarily to opening of the UES.

Semiconductor alloy nanoribbon lateral heterostructures for high-performance photodetectors.

High-performance visible-light photodetectors are achieved based on single nanoribbon lateral heterostructures composed of two different semiconductor alloys epitaxially grown in the lateral direction. They reveal superior spectral response range, responsivity, Ion/Ioff ratio, and external quantum efficiency, relative to devices based on single composition structures.

A preliminary investigation on the relationship between virtues and pathological internet use among Chinese adolescents.

Background: Pathological Internet Use (PIU) has become a global issue associated with the increasing number of Internet users. Previous studies concerned both the interpersonal and intrapersonal vulnerable factors and the corresponding models. However, a limited amount of research has explored the relationship between positive factors and PIU.

Growth of alloy MoS(2x)Se2(1-x) nanosheets with fully tunable chemical compositions and optical properties.

Band gap engineering of atomically thin two-dimensional layered materials is critical for their applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and photonics. Here we report, for the first time, a simple one-step chemical vapor deposition approach for the simultaneous growth of alloy MoS2xSe2(1-x) triangular nanosheets with complete composition tunability. Both the Raman and the photoluminescence studies show tunable optical properties consistent with composition of the alloy nanosheets.

[Partial tonsillectomy].

The feasibility of partial tonsillectomy was reviewed. Compared with total tonsillectomy, partial tonsillectomy has the advantages of less postoperative pain, lower postoperative bleeding rate and faster recovery. Partial tonsillectomy has a potential for tonsil regrowth and its efficacy in treating sleep-disordered breathing in children is still controversial.

A scan statistic for binary outcome based on hypergeometric probability model, with an application to detecting spatial clusters of Japanese encephalitis.

As a useful tool for geographical cluster detection of events, the spatial scan statistic is widely applied in many fields and plays an increasingly important role. The classic version of the spatial scan statistic for the binary outcome is developed by Kulldorff, based on the Bernoulli or the Poisson probability model. In this paper, we apply the Hypergeometric probability model to construct the likelihood function under the null hypothesis.

Modulated exciton-plasmon interactions in Au-SiO2-CdTe composite nanoparticles.

Well-defined Au-SiO(2)-CdTe composite nanoparticles were synthesized via a multistep chemical approach in water solution to gain insight into the interaction between metal and semiconductor nanostructures. Photoluminescence measurement reveals that the fluorescence of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in this composite with optimized SiO(2) thickness (4 nm) has over ten times enhancement compared with that of bare CdTe QDs. The considerable fluorescence enhancement of CdTe QDs is attributed to the surface plasmon resonance, which is further confirmed by the lifetime measurement.

Low-threshold nanowire laser based on composition-symmetric semiconductor nanowires.

Low-threshold nanoscale lasers are attractive for their promising applications in highly integrated photonic devices and systems. Here we report the controllable growth of composition-symmetric CdS(x)Se(1-x) nanowires by using a multistep thermal evaporation route with moving sources. Microstructure analyses reveal the obtained wires are high-quality single crystals with the composition gradually changed from the center toward their both ends.

C-H bonds as ubiquitous functionality: preparation of multiple regioisomers of arylated 1,2,4-triazoles via C-H arylation.

We describe a general approach for the synthesis of complex aryl 1,2,4-triazoles. The electronic character of the C-H bonds and the triazole ring allows for the regioselective C-H arylation of 1-alkyl- and 4-alkyltriazoles under catalytic conditions. We have also developed the SEM and THP switch as well as trans-N-alkylation, which enable sequential arylation of the triazole ring to prepare 3,5-diaryltriazoles.

Asymmetric light propagation in composition-graded semiconductor nanowires.

Asymmetric light propagation is crucial to the development of optical-based functional components in nanophotonics. Diverse configurations and structures have been proposed to allow asymmetrical propagation of photonic signal, but on-chip integration is difficult to achieve due to their complex structure and/or relatively large footprint. Here we report the first design and realization of asymmetric light propagation in single semiconductor nanowires with a composition gradient along the length.

Wavelength-converted/selective waveguiding based on composition-graded semiconductor nanowires.

Compact wavelength-sensitive optical components are desirable for optical information processing and communication in photonic integrated system. In this work, optical waveguiding along single composition-graded CdS(x)Se(1-x) nanowires were systematically investigated. Under a focused laser excitation, the excited light can be guided passively along the bandgap-increased direction of the nanowire, keeping the photonic energy of the guided light almost unchanged during the whole propagation.