More light components and less light damage on rats' eyes: evidence for the photobiomodulation and spectral opponency.

The blue-light hazard (BLH) has raised concerns with the increasing applications of white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Many researchers believed that the shorter wavelength or more light components generally resulted in more severe retinal damage. In this study, based on the conventional phosphor-coated white LED, we added azure (484 nm), cyan (511 nm), and red (664 nm) light to fabricate the low-hazard light source.

A Novel Way to Fill Green Gap of GaN-Based LEDs by Pinning Defects in Nanorod Array.

Nanorod array and planar green-emission InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well (MQW) LEDs were fabricated by lithography, nano-imprinting, and top-down etching technology. The defect-pinning effect of the nanostructure was found for the first time. The ratio of the bright regions to the global area in the panchromatic CL images of green MQW samples increased from 30% to about 90% after nano-fabrication.

Enhanced light extraction efficiency of an LED package by a surface-mounted amorphous photonic structure.

In this study, we propose a low-cost, simple and feasible post-processing approach to improve the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of LED packages. Amorphous photonic structures (APSs) with only short-range order are fabricated from anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and transferred to intermediate polymer stamp (IPS) by nanoimprint technology. The IPS with APSs is directly mounted onto the surface of an LED package, where the LEE is achieved as 94.

The association of circulating irisin with metabolic risk factors in Chinese adults: a cross-sectional community-based study.

Background: Irisin is a myokine that leads to increased energy expenditure by stimulating the browning of white adipose tissue. We aimed to investigate the association of serum irisin levels with metabolic parameters in middle aged Chinese population.

Methods: The study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of data from 524 nondiabetic subjects aged 40~65.

Dominant Influence of Interface Roughness Scattering on the Performance of GaN Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers.

Effect of interface roughness of quantum wells, non-intentional doping, and alloy disorder on performance of GaN-based terahertz quantum cascade lasers (QCL) has been investigated by the formalism of nonequilibrium Green's functions. It was found that influence of alloy disorder on optical gain is negligible and non-intentional doping should stay below a reasonable concentration of 10 cm in order to prevent electron-impurities scattering degradation and free carrier absorption. More importantly, interface roughness scattering is found the dominating factor in optical gain degradation.

Clinical efficacy, onset time and safety of bright light therapy in acute bipolar depression as an adjunctive therapy: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Bright light therapy (BLT) is an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder and non- seasonal depression. The efficacy of BLT in treating patients with bipolar disorder is still unknown.

Aims: The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy, onset time and clinical safety of BLT in treating patients with acute bipolar depression as an adjunctive therapy (trial registration at ClinicalTrials.

Predictive factors of depression symptoms among adolescents in the 18-month follow-up after Wenchuan earthquake in China.

Background: It is unclear about the change and risk factors of depression among adolescent survivors after earthquake.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the change of depression, and identify the predictive factors of depression among adolescent survivors after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China.

Methods: The depression among high school students at 6, 12 and 18 months after the Wenchuan earthquake were investigated.

Protective Role of PPARdelta in Lipoapoptosis of Pancreatic β Cells.

Lipoapoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARdelta), a vital regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism, may reduce fatty acid-induced pancreatic β cell lipotoxicity in diabetes. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not fully understood.

Effects on All-cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes by Comparing Insulin With Oral Hypoglycemic Agent Therapy: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Purpose: Retrospective, case-control studies and prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on insulin treatment for diabetic patients yielded contradictory mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the effects of insulin versus oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese Biological Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Technical Periodicals, and Wanfang Data, up to July 10, 2015, for RCTs on insulin and OHAs that assessed all-cause mortality and/or cardiovascular death as primary end points.

Increased acyl ghrelin but decreased total ghrelin and unacyl ghrelin in Chinese Han people with impaired fasting glucose combined with impaired glucose tolerance.

We assessed the plasma acyl ghrelin (AG), unacyl ghrelin (UAG), and total ghrelin (TGhr) levels in Chinese adults with pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (NDDM) after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and abdominal subcutaneous fat area and visceral fat area (VFA) were measured. Fasting AG level was increased in the impaired fasting glucose (IFG) combined with impaired glucose tolerance (IFG+IGT) and NDDM groups. AG, UAG, and TGhr levels were significantly decreased post-OGTT, and the decrements of 30-min AG, UAG, and TGhr post-OGTT were not significantly different among groups.

Weight loss effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 mimetics on obese/overweight adults without diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) benefit weight maintenance for diabetic patients. We performed a systematic review to evaluate its weight loss effect on obese/overweight patients without diabetes in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods: Literature updated to May 5, 2014 from Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and reference lists from relevant articles were identified.

Activation of PPARβ/δ protects pancreatic β cells from palmitate-induced apoptosis by upregulating the expression of GLP-1 receptor.

We previously showed that activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)β/δ can protect pancreatic β cells against lipotoxic apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanism remained unclear. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) has been reported to exhibit a protective effect against lipotoxic apoptosis in pancreatic β cells.

Nanogap based graphene coated AFM tips with high spatial resolution, conductivity and durability.

After one decade of analyzing the intrinsic properties of graphene, interest into the development of graphene-based devices and micro electromechanical systems is increasing. Here, we fabricate graphene-coated atomic force microscope tips by growing the graphene on copper foil and transferring it onto the apex of a commercially available AFM tip. The resulting tip exhibits surprising enhanced resolution in nanoscale electrical measurements.

Associations of the PTEN -9C>G polymorphism with insulin sensitivity and central obesity in Chinese.

Background: Phosphatase and tensin homolog on chromosome 10 gene (PTEN) is known as a tumor-suppressor gene. Previous studies demonstrated that PTEN dysfunction affects the function of insulin. However, investigations of PTEN single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and IR-related disease associations are limited.

Comparison of the hypoglycemic effect of acarbose monotherapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus consuming an Eastern or Western diet: a systematic meta-analysis.

Background: Because of its mechanism of action, the starch content of a diet might alter the hypoglycemic effect of acarbose.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether differences in this hypoglycemic effect existed between individuals consuming Eastern and Western diets with significantly different starch contents, a systematic meta-analysis of studies comparing acarbose with placebo or other hypoglycemic agents in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was performed.

Methods: Records were retrieved from the Cochrane clinical controlled trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Wanfang, Chinese Technical Periodicals, and ongoing trials databases, and full texts and reference lists were screened.

Performance improvement of GaN-based LEDs with step stage InGaN/GaN strain relief layers in GaN-based blue LEDs.

The performance of nitride-based LEDs was improved by inserting dual stage and step stage InGaN/GaN strain relief layer (SRL) between the active layer and n-GaN template. The influences of step stage InGaN/GaN SRL on the structure, electrical and optical characteristics of GaN-based LEDs were investigated. The analysis of strain effect on recombination rate based k·p method indicated 12.

PPARδ Activation Rescues Pancreatic β-Cell Line INS-1E from Palmitate-Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress through Enhanced Fatty Acid Oxidation.

One of the key factors responsible for the development of type 2 diabetes is the loss of functional pancreatic β cells. This occurs due to a chronic exposure to a high fatty acid environment. ER stress is caused by an accumulation of irreversible misfold or unfold protein: these trigger the death of functional pancreatic β cells.

Activation of PPARδ up-regulates the expression of insulin gene transcription factor MafA and ameliorates glucose-induced insulin secretion impaired by palmitate.

PPARδ, a member of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor superfamily, plays a key role in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in cellular lipid and energy metabolism. Therefore, PPARδ may represent a new target for the treatment of obesity, hyperlipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. MafA is a β-cell-specific and glucose-regulated transcriptional activator for insulin gene expression and plays a crucial role in pancreas development, β-cell differentiation as well as maintenance of β-cell function.