Prevalence of, risk factors for, and target organ damage from metabolic syndrome among people living with HIV on ART: A cross-sectional analysis in Chongqing, China.

Introduction: The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people living with HIV is significantly higher than in people without HIV. MetS is not only a major driver of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but is also closely related to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for MetS and to further understand the degree of damage to target organs.

Photonic crystals and optical mode engineering for thin film photovoltaics.

In this paper, we present the design, analysis, and experimental results on the integration of 2D photonic crystals in thin film photovoltaic solar cells based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon. We introduce an analytical approach based on time domain coupled mode theory to investigate the impact of the photon lifetime and anisotropy of the optical resonances on the absorption efficiency. Specific design rules are derived from this analysis.

Prostate volume correlates with diabetes in elderly benign prostatic hyperplasia patients.

Background: To evaluate the relationship between prostate volume (PV) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in geriatric benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients.

Methods: One hundred and seventeen geriatric patients with BPH were retrospectively studied between 2008 and 2009. Patients were divided into two groups: BPH and BPH with DM group.

Role of hypoxia in viability and endothelial differentiation potential of UC-MSCs and VEGF interference.

Objective: To investigate the effect of hypoxia on cell viability and the endothelial differentiation potential in human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs), and to assess the in vitro protective role of VEGF under low oxygen tension.

Methods: MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cords and cultured in vitro. The morphological and phenotypic characterizations of human UC-MSCs were analyzed.

Combined front and back diffraction gratings for broad band light trapping in thin film solar cell.

In this paper, we present the integration of combined front and back 1D and 2D diffraction gratings with different periods, within thin film photovoltaic solar cells based on crystalline silicon layers. The grating structures have been designed considering both the need for incident light absorption enhancement and the technological feasibility. Long wavelength absorption is increased thanks to the long period (750 nm) back grating, while the incident light reflection is reduced by using a short period (250 nm) front grating.

Design, fabrication and optical characterization of photonic crystal assisted thin film monocrystalline-silicon solar cells.

In this paper, we present the integration of an absorbing photonic crystal within a monocrystalline silicon thin film photovoltaic stack fabricated without epitaxy. Finite difference time domain optical simulations are performed in order to design one- and two-dimensional photonic crystals to assist crystalline silicon solar cells. The simulations show that the 1D and 2D patterned solar cell stacks would have an increased integrated absorption in the crystalline silicon layer would increase of respectively 38% and 50%, when compared to a similar but unpatterned stack, in the whole wavelength range between 300 nm and 1100 nm.