Search

Periodically tunable nano-gratings have an irreplaceable role in spectral scanning and optical communication, but the performance of gratings manufactured from different materials varies considerably, and the development of superior materials has energized the preparation of high-precision devices. This paper presents a nanoscale preparation process based on Norland Optical Adhesive 73 (NOA73), which enables the rapid preparation of periodically tunable nano-gratings with up to 100% light transmission. The powerful fluidity and shear rate of NOA73 make it uniquely suited to the preparation of precision devices, allowing the production of up to dense grating structures and offering the possibility of making nanoscale gratings. This paper uses multi-angle hierarchical lithography, die stretching, and replication to achieve further improvements in accuracy and successfully prepare gratings with a period of 500 nm. The successful preparation of NOA73 nano-gratings demonstrates the practicality of NOA73 as a material for precision device fabrication.

Prestack depth-migrated seismic data, having more accurate imaging position and amplitude fidelity than prestack time-migrated seismic data, are supposed to produce a higher quality reservoir prediction result by using depth-domain inversion. Some researchers have developed different methods of depth-domain seismic inversion. However, it has not been widely used in the industry probably because of two reasons: (1) it is a complex process to conduct depth-domain seismic inversion due to the nonstationary depth-domain seismic wavelet; and (2) time-domain seismic inversion is considered capable of solving the problem with less cost, both in regard to time and the economy. In this paper, we try to use the seismic waveform indicator inversion method in the depth domain. First, a forward model was built to demonstrate that seismic waveforms both in the time domain and the depth domain are highly correlated with lithologic associations. Second, a quantitative evaluation method of seismic data for reservoir prediction was proposed, which can help geophysicists estimate time-domain and depth-domain inversion effects before inversion. Finally, the seismic waveform indicator inversion method was implemented for presalt thin carbonate reservoir prediction in the Central Block at the eastern margin of the Pre-Caspian Basin. The depth-domain inversion result shows a relatively true structure and higher resolution validated by wells.

Significance: Heart failure, a disease with extremely high incidence, is closely associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. The Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway plays an important role in the occurrence and development of heart failure. Recent advances: Previous studies have shown that TLR4/NF-κB causes heart failure by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation; damaging the endothelia; promoting fibrosis; and inducing myocardial hypertrophy, apoptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy. Critical issues: Understanding the pathogenesis of heart failure is essential for the treatment of this disease. In this review, we outline the mechanisms underlying TLR4/NF-κB pathway-mediated heart failure and discuss drugs that alleviate heart failure by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Future directions: During TLR4/NF-κB overactivation, interventions targeting specific receptor antagonists may effectively alleviate heart failure, thus providing a basis for the development of new anti-heart failure drugs.

Purpose Infection is the most common adverse event of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment and also one of the main causes of death. To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of severe infection during the maintenance phase of ALL treatment, we conducted a retrospective study. Methods We collected clinical data of ALL children, and analyzed the clinical features and risk factors of severe infection by χ2 test and binary Logistic regression. Results A total of 181 children were eligible, and 46 patients (25.4%) suffered from 51 events of severe infection, most of which occurred in the first half year of the maintenance phase (52.9%). The most common infection was pulmonary infection (86.3%) and followed by bloodstream infection (19.6%). The positive rate of pathogen detection was low (17.6%, 44/250), and the most common one was fungal infection. The main symptoms of ALL patients with pulmonary infection were fever, cough and shortness of breath. The main manifestations of CT were ground glass shadow (56.8%), consolidation shadow (27.3%) and streak shadow (25%). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that agranulocytosis, agranulocytosis ≥ 7 days, anemia and low globulin level were independent risk factors for severe infection during the maintenance phase (all P

PurposeDiabetic heart failure (DHF) or cardiomyopathy is a common complication of diabetes; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. In the present study, the authors searched for differentially expressed genes associated with DHF and the molecular types of immune cells based on bioinformatics.MethodsThe RNA expression dataset of DHF was obtained from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. After preprocessing the data, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the DHF group and the non-diabetic heart failure (NHF) group were screened and intersected with immune-related genes (IRGs) in the ImmPort database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID tool. The ssGSEA algorithm was used to evaluate immune infiltration of the heart tissue in each group. In addition, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and miRNA-mRNA network were constructed using the STRING online website and Cytoscape program. Finally, validation analysis was performed using animal models.ResultsEight immune-related core genes were identified. GO and KEGG showed that core genes were mainly enriched in angiogenesis and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Immune infiltration results showed that activated dendritic cells, central memory CD4 T cells, central memory CD8 T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), neutrophils, and regulatory T cells may be involved in DHF. Neutrophils may play a key role in the pathogenesis of HF in diabetes.ConclusionImmune-related core genes and immune infiltrating cells provide a new perspective on the pathogenesis of DHF.

Background Bedside teaching is a primary educational tool to improve the clinical practice of medical students. As a new medical pedagogical approach, team-based learning (TBL) is gradually being integrated into Chinese medical education programmes to promote clinical reasoning, knowledge application, teamwork and collaboration. The aim of this controlled study is to investigate the effects of TBL on pediatric bedside teaching in medical students. Methods Thirty medical students in pediatric clinical practice were randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. Students in the intervention group exposed bedside teaching activity with TBL while students in the control group received traditional bedside teaching. Teaching for the two groups was conducted biweekly, and the same clinical cases were selected for both groups with the same instructors. After six months of clinical practice, the differences of learning outcomes between the two groups were compared through assessments by computer-based case simulations (CCS) and mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX). Student feedback following completion of bedside teaching was collected by questionnaire. Results The CCS scores in the intervention group were significantly higher than that in the control group (p p p Conclusions Application of TBL in bedside teaching not only enhanced clinical practice skills among medical students but also improved their clinical reasoning and counseling skills.

Pre-stack simultaneous inversion is a seismic exploration technology which is widely applied to recognize lithology and detect oil and gas by analyzing the feature of amplitude variation versus offset (AVO). A gas-bearing reservoir can cause an obvious change in P-impedance and density. To effectively discriminate gas-bearing dolomite within Longwangmiao Fm. in Sichuan Basin of China, the pre-stack inversion method is employed by strict quality procedures. These procedures mainly include rock physics analysis, AVO modeling and pre-stack simultaneous inversion. Using the technology, P-impedance, S-impedance and density are obtained simultaneously. The distribution of gas-bearing dolomite is identified by P-impedance versus density cross-plotting from well data. The final prediction result indicates the existence of gas-bearing dolomite in the upper part of Longwangmiao Fm. in the study area, which is consistent with well data. Generally, pre-stack simultaneous inversion represents an effective method to predict gas-bearing dolomite reservoir and should be applicable in other study areas.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are essential for cancer growth, metastasis and recurrence. The regulatory mechanisms of BCSC interactions with the vascular niche within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their self-renewal are currently under extensive investigation. We have demonstrated the existence of an arteriolar niche in the TME of human BC tissues. Intriguingly, BCSCs tend to be enriched within the arteriolar niche in human estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC and bi-directionally interact with arteriolar endothelial cells (ECs). Mechanistically, this interaction is driven by the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)/protein kinase D (PKD-1) signaling pathway, which promotes both arteriolar differentiation of ECs and self-renewal of CSCs likely via differential regulation of CD36 transcription. This study indicates that CSCs may enjoy blood perfusion to maintain their stemness features. Targeting the LPA/PKD-1 -CD36 signaling pathway may have therapeutic potential to curb tumor progression by disrupting the arteriolar niche and effectively eliminating CSCs., Jiang, Guo, Hao et al. investigate the role of the tumour microenvironment in breast cancer stem cell regulation and identify an arteriolar niche in which BCSCs tended to be enriched in human estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Here, BCSCs are found to interact with arteriolar endothelial cells through LPA/PKD-1 signalling-mediated arteriolar differentiation of ECs and self-renewal of BCSCs.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are essential for cancer growth, metastasis and recurrence. The regulatory mechanisms of BCSC interactions with the vascular niche within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their self-renewal are currently under extensive investigation. We have demonstrated the existence of an arteriolar niche in the TME of human BC tissues. Intriguingly, BCSCs tend to be enriched within arteriolar niche in human estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC and bi-directionally interact with arteriolar endothelial cells (ECs). Mechanistically, this interaction is driven by the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)/protein kinase D (PKD-1) signaling pathway, which promotes both arteriolar differentiation of ECs and self-renewal of CSCs. This study indicates that CSCs may enjoy blood perfusion to maintain their stemness features. Targeting the LPA/PKD-1 signaling pathway in combination with inhibition of CD36 function may have therapeutic potential to curb tumor progression by disrupting the arteriolar niche and eliminating CSCs.

The knowledge of clinical characteristics and prognosis of pediatric acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMKL) with or without acquired +21 was limited. We reported 15 AMKL pediatric patients without Down Syndrome (four cases with acquired +21 and 11 cases without acquired +21) with the clinical manifestations, laboratory data, and prognosis. The clinical features and laboratory data between patients with acquired +21 and patients without acquired +21 are similar. As for prognosis, three of the 11 cases without acquired +21 obtained complete remission (CR) after 1st induction. The median follow-up time of the 11 cases was 9 months. Among four cases with acquired +21, one case gave up treatment during 1st induction, one obtained CR after 1st induction and was still alive after 49 months of follow-up. One case obtained CR after 2nd induction and was still alive for 15 months of follow-up after bone marrow transplantation, the other patient was planning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) without CR. The median follow-up time of the four cases was 12 months. None relapsed in our study. In conclusion, acquired trisomy 21 may not be an indicator for poor prognosis. Cytogenetics analysis can help us for diagnosis stratification, prognostic judgment and individualized treatment of AMKL.

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are essential for cancer growth, metastasis and recurrence. However, the regulatory mechanisms of self-renewal and interactions with the vascular niche within tumor microenvironment are currently under investigation. Here, we demonstrate that BCSCs are enriched within arteriolar niche within the tumor microenvironment of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) BC and bi-directionally interact with arteriolar endothelial cells (ECs). Mechanistically, this interaction is driven by the LPA/PKD-1 signaling pathway, which promotes arteriolar differentiation and self-renewal. Furthermore, this pathway directly promotes stemness features. These findings suggest that targeting LPA/PKD-1 signaling may disrupt the arteriolar niche within the tumor microenvironment and concomitantly eradicate BCSCs, thereby attenuating BC progression.

Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph

ObjectivesBefore 2003, most children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) abandoned treatment, with only approximately 30% treated in China. With the development of national insurance for underprivileged patients, we assessed the current frequency and causes of treatment abandonment among patients with ALL who were enrolled in the Chinese Children’s Cancer Group ALL protocol between 2015 and 2016.MethodsDemographic, clinical and laboratory data on patients who abandoned treatment, as well as economic and sociocultural data of their families were collected and analysed. General health-related statistics were retrieved from publicly accessible databanks maintained by the Chinese government.ResultsAt a median follow-up of 119 weeks, 83 (3.1%, 95% CI 2.5% to 3.8%) of the 2641 patients abandoned treatment. Factors independently associated with abandonment included standard/high-risk ALL (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.43 to 4.77), presence of minimal residual disease at the end of remission induction (OR 3.57, 95% CI 1.90 to 6.74) and low-income economic region (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.89 to 7.05). According to the family members, economic constraints (50.6%, p=0.0001) were the main reason for treatment abandonment, followed by the belief of incurability, severe side effects and concern over late complications.ConclusionsThe rate of ALL treatment abandonment has been greatly reduced in China. Standard/high-risk ALL, residence in a low-income region and economic difficulties were associated with treatment abandonment.Clinical trial registration numberChiCTR-IPR-14005706, pre-results.

Yinan Jiang,1 Meiling Zhang,2 Tangxi Guo,1 Chaogang Yang,1 Chunxiao Zhang,1 Jinjin Hao2 1Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; 2Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China Background: MicroRNAs could target multiple genes by regulating the translation or degradation of mRNAs, and are involved in functions such as signal transduction pathways affecting the physiological functions of normal or tumor cells. Methods: In this study, the expressions of miRNA-21-5p in gastric cancer tissues and SGC-7901 cells were analyzed, and the effects of miRNA-21-5p on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis and the expressions of target proteins SMADs in SGC-7901 cells were evaluated. Inflammatory factors interleukin 1β and tumor necrosis factor α in siRNA-transfected SGC-7901 cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: MiRNA-21-5p was consistently upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and SGC-7901 cells compared to normal tissues or cells. The knockdown of miRNA-21-5p with antisense oligonucleotides suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as inflammatory response, and promoted cell apoptosis and SMAD7 expression. Conclusion: These results indicate SMAD7 may mediate the oncogenic properties of miRNA-21-5p in gastric cancer, and miRNA-21-5p would be a promising strategy for the treatment of gastric cancer. Keywords: miRNA-21-5p, gastric cancer, SMAD7, SGC-7901, migration, invasion

This network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to integrate different chemotherapeutic regimens for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients. Overall survival (OS) and complete remission (CR) were considered as main outcome indicators to evaluate the efficacy of NHL chemotherapies. OS and CR data were extracted from included studies and represented by hazard ratio and odds ratio separately. Network structure and forest plots were further included to visually present the relative efficacy among different regimens. A total of 14 qualified publications with 4,167 patients were included. In OS results, no significant difference was observed from the 1-year OS. For 2-year, 3-year and 5-year OS, patients treated by CNOP exhibited the least favorable results. Moreover, significant advantages of R-CHOP treatment over CHOP and VMP were recognized in view of 3-year OS. In respect of CR, R-HDS presented significantly better outcomes than CNOP and VMP, and no significant difference was identified when compared to CHOP in forest plot. ProMACE-CytaBOM and R-HDS possessed the compelling cumulative ranking probability in OS or CR, indicating their competitive performance in NHL treatment while R-CHOP and I-CHOP yielded desirable in terms of long-term survival and short-term survival, respectively. To conclude, ProMACE-CytaBOM, I-CHOP, R-HDS and R-CHOP were recommended to go through further evaluation to confirm their superiority in NHL treatment. CNOP and VMP were discouraged after comprehensively analyzing OS and CR from NMA results.

This study examined the expressions of human serum tissue factor (TF) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) in patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and their clinical significance. The serum TF and TFPI levels were detected by ELISA in 28 allo-HSCT recipients before and after the transplantation and the changes of TF and TFPI levels were dynamically monitored at different phases of the disease. No significant differences in the serum TF and TFPI levels were found in allo-HSCT recipients in the absence of aGVHD or with grade I aGVHD before and after the transplantation. The levels of serum TF and TFPI were substantially increased in the patients with gradeII aGVHD at the peak of aGVHD (P0.05) and they were even higher in the patients with grade III-IV aGVHD (P0.01). When the conditions became stable after treatment with immunosuppressive agents, the serum TFPI level was decreased to the baseline level (P0.05) and the TF level was lowered but still higher than the baseline level (P0.05). It was concluded that the levels of serum TF and TFPI were increased significantly in the patients with grade II-IV aGVHD after allo-HSCT and decreased markedly after the treatment. Monitoring the levels of serum TF and TFPI in the patients with allo-HSCT is important to predict the occurrence, outcome and prognosis of aGVHD.

Because of customer misbehavior's universality and significantly negative impact on fellow customers, employees and service companies, researchers have paid attention to the antecedents of customer misbehavior to discuss how it happens. This paper reviews existing literature of antecedent research on customer misbehavior in terms of customer traits, services cape characteristics and their interaction effects. The main focus of existing research is on the customer traits, especially the psychological characteristics, while services cape characteristics and their interaction effects have been paid less attention. Most research considers the single typology of either customer traits or services cape characteristics, and the whole model has not been examined integrally. Empirical research that explores the occurrence mechanism of customer misbehavior is in a serious lack. Little research is done under the background of Chinese culture. This paper puts forward some suggestions for future research in the end.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between back-office employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Based on the review of existing related theories, this paper puts forward a conceptual model and some hypotheses. The tests of the hypotheses use data from 359 back-office employees, 412 front-line employees and 723 customers across 90 restaurants. Employing statistics techniques of reliability analysis, validity analysis, and structural equation model analysis, empirical results show that back-office employee satisfaction has significant influence on customer satisfaction. Furthermore, back-office employee satisfaction is found to be the key factor to customer satisfaction, affecting customer satisfaction in both direct and indirect ways. The findings provide a deep insight into the academic research and enable practitioners to better understand back-office employees.

This article reviews the relative literatures about the customer psychological contract to develop psychological contract scale. Customer psychological contract has become an important and difficult problem of service enterprises, and it can reflect customers’ value and the deepest level of customers’ needs. Based on the existing related researches, we expatiate the scale of customer psychological contract. And this scale is developed in view of the retailing as the research object. This article uses the widely accepted tool for the development of measurement methods, and develops a reliable and effective scale of customer psychological contract.