Three-dimensional topological magnetic monopoles and their interactions in a ferromagnetic meta-lattice.

Topological magnetic monopoles (TMMs), also known as hedgehogs or Bloch points, are three-dimensional (3D) non-local spin textures that are robust to thermal and quantum fluctuations due to the topology protection. Although TMMs have been observed in skyrmion lattices, spinor Bose-Einstein condensates, chiral magnets, vortex rings and vortex cores, it has been difficult to directly measure the 3D magnetization vector field of TMMs and probe their interactions at the nanoscale. Here we report the creation of 138 stable TMMs at the specific sites of a ferromagnetic meta-lattice at room temperature.

Effects of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Inhibitors on Long-Term Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Sepsis Survivors.

Background Sepsis is known to increase morbidity and duration of hospital stay and is a common cause of mortality worldwide. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASis) are commonly used to treat hypertension but are usually discontinued during hospitalization for sepsis because of concerns about renal hypoperfusion. The aim of our study was to investigate whether RAASis should be continued after discharge in sepsis survivors and to identify the effects on the clinical outcomes.

X-ray linear dichroic ptychography.

Biominerals such as seashells, coral skeletons, bone, and tooth enamel are optically anisotropic crystalline materials with unique nanoscale and microscale organization that translates into exceptional macroscopic mechanical properties, providing inspiration for engineering new and superior biomimetic structures. Using coral skeleton as a model, here, we experimentally demonstrate X-ray linear dichroic ptychography and map the -axis orientations of the aragonite (CaCO) crystals. Linear dichroic phase imaging at the oxygen K-edge energy shows strong polarization-dependent contrast and reveals the presence of both narrow (<35°) and wide (>35°) -axis angular spread in the coral samples.

Potential of Attosecond Coherent Diffractive Imaging.

Attosecond science has been transforming our understanding of electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, and solids. However, to date almost all of the attoscience experiments have been based on spectroscopic measurements because attosecond pulses have intrinsically very broad spectra due to the uncertainty principle and are incompatible with conventional imaging systems. Here we report an important advance towards achieving attosecond coherent diffractive imaging.

Multimodal x-ray and electron microscopy of the Allende meteorite.

Multimodal microscopy that combines complementary nanoscale imaging techniques is critical for extracting comprehensive chemical, structural, and functional information, particularly for heterogeneous samples. X-ray microscopy can achieve high-resolution imaging of bulk materials with chemical, magnetic, electronic, and bond orientation contrast, while electron microscopy provides atomic-scale spatial resolution with quantitative elemental composition. Here, we combine x-ray ptychography and scanning transmission x-ray spectromicroscopy with three-dimensional energy-dispersive spectroscopy and electron tomography to perform structural and chemical mapping of an Allende meteorite particle with 15-nm spatial resolution.

Correlative 3D x-ray fluorescence and ptychographic tomography of frozen-hydrated green algae.

Accurate knowledge of elemental distributions within biological organisms is critical for understanding their cellular roles. The ability to couple this knowledge with overall cellular architecture in three dimensions (3D) deepens our understanding of cellular chemistry. Using a whole, frozen-hydrated cell as an example, we report the development of 3D correlative microscopy through a combination of simultaneous cryogenic x-ray ptychography and x-ray fluorescence microscopy.

In situ coherent diffractive imaging.

Coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) has been widely applied in the physical and biological sciences using synchrotron radiation, X-ray free-electron laser, high harmonic generation, electrons, and optical lasers. One of CDI's important applications is to probe dynamic phenomena with high spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we report the development of a general in situ CDI method for real-time imaging of dynamic processes in solution.

GENFIRE: A generalized Fourier iterative reconstruction algorithm for high-resolution 3D imaging.

Tomography has made a radical impact on diverse fields ranging from the study of 3D atomic arrangements in matter to the study of human health in medicine. Despite its very diverse applications, the core of tomography remains the same, that is, a mathematical method must be implemented to reconstruct the 3D structure of an object from a number of 2D projections. Here, we present the mathematical implementation of a tomographic algorithm, termed GENeralized Fourier Iterative REconstruction (GENFIRE), for high-resolution 3D reconstruction from a limited number of 2D projections.

Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain Among Parturients Who Undergo Cesarean Delivery With Neuraxial Anesthesia: A Nationwide Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

To investigate the risk of chronic low back pain (LBP) in parturients undergoing cesarean delivery (CD) with neuraxial anesthesia (NA). LBP is common during pregnancy and also after delivery, but its etiology is poorly understood. Previous studies that investigated the correlation between epidural labor analgesia and chronic low back pain were inconclusive.

Terminal ileum gangrene secondary to a type IV paraesophageal hernia.

Type IV paraesophageal hernia (PEH) is very rare, and is characterized by the intrathoracic herniation of the abdominal viscera other than the stomach into the chest. We describe a 78-year-old woman who presented at our emergency department because of epigastric pain that she had experienced over the past 24 h. On the day after admission, her pain became severe and was accompanied by right chest pain and dyspnea.

Sensitivity of rabbit ventricular action potential and Ca²⁺ dynamics to small variations in membrane currents and ion diffusion coefficients.

Little is known about how small variations in ionic currents and Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ diffusion coefficients impact action potential and Ca²⁺ dynamics in rabbit ventricular myocytes. We applied sensitivity analysis to quantify the sensitivity of Shannon et al. model (Biophys.

Modifier genes and non-genetic factors reshape anatomical deficits in Zfp423-deficient mice.

Development of neural circuitry depends on the integration of signaling pathways to coordinate specification, proliferation and differentiation of cell types in the right number, in the right place, at the right time. Zinc finger protein 423 (Zfp423), a 30-zinc finger transcription factor, forms alternate complexes with components of several developmental signaling pathways, suggesting it as a point of signal integration during brain development. We previously showed that mice lacking Zfp423 have reduced proliferation of cerebellar precursor cells, resulting in complete loss of vermis and variable hypoplasia of cerebellar hemispheres.

Modifier genes for mouse phosphatidylinositol transfer protein α (vibrator) that bypass juvenile lethality.

Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) mediate lipid signaling and membrane trafficking in eukaryotic cells. Loss-of-function mutations of the gene encoding PITPα in mice result in a range of dosage-sensitive phenotypes, including neurological dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and premature death. We have previously reported genetic suppression of a strong hypomorphic allele, vibrator, by a wild-derived variant of Nxf1, which increases the level of PITPα made from vibrator alleles and suppresses each of the neurological and survival phenotypes.

Hybrid IMRT for treatment of cancers of the lung and esophagus.

Purpose: To report on a hybrid intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT; static plus IMRT beams treated concurrently) technique for lung and esophageal patients to reduce the volume of lung treated to low doses while delivering a conformal dose distribution.

Methods: Treatment plans were analyzed for 18 patients (12 lung and 6 esophageal). Patients were treated with a hybrid technique that concurrently combines static (approximately two-thirds dose) and IMRT (approximately one-third dose) beams.

Food-specific immunoglobulin E among children with atopic dermatitis: a retrospective study.

This retrospective study included 133 children aged between 2 and 16 years with elevated serum food-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), including 59 children clinically diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (AD) and 74 children clinically diagnosed with atopic disease without AD (asthma, allergic rhinitis, or both). Six common serum food-specific IgEs were detected by the Pharmacia ImmunoCAP test, including: egg white, milk, peanut, soybean, shrimp and egg yolk. Serum total IgE was also measured.

Morphine sparing with droperidol in patient-controlled analgesia.

Study Objective: To determine if droperidol has a morphine-sparing effect when coadministered with morphine via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain management.

Design: A randomized, double-blind clinical study.

Setting: Department of Anesthesiology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan.