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Background: This study aimed to explore the anatomical correlation between the femoral neck shaft angle (NSA) and femoral anteversion angle (AA) in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip based on the Crowe classification and provide a novel method to estimate the femoral AA on anteroposterior pelvic radiographs.Methods: A total of 208 patients with dysplastic hips who underwent total hip arthroplasty at our institution were retrospectively included. Preoperative physiological AA and NSA were determined via 3-dimensional computed tomography. Linear regressions and Pearson's coefficients were calculated to assess the correlation between the femoral NSA and femoral AA.Results: A total of 416 hips were divided into 5 subgroups: 99 normal, 143 type I, 71 type II, 63 type III, and 40 type IV hips following the Crowe classification. Dysplastic femurs had significantly higher AAs than normal hips (25.2° vs 31.4° vs 33.3° vs 35.5° vs 41.7°). Significant positive correlations between the AA and NSA were observed in normal (r = 0.635), type I (r = 0.700), type II (r = 0.612), and type III (r = 0.638) hips (P < .001); however, no meaningful correlation was observed in type IV hips (r = 0.218, P = .176).Conclusion: The NSA and AA correlated positively and significantly in the normal and dysplastic Crowe type I-III hips. The relationship between the NSA and AA indicates torsion of the proximal femur and offers an opportunity for straightforward estimation of AA based on NSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine whether rat offspring born under conditions of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) would develop systemic inflammation and be susceptible to CIH-mediated injury on artery. CIH rat model was established. The expression levels of p38MAPK, NF-κB p65, CRP, TNFα, and IL-8 were measured. The arterial pathology of offspring whose mothers were exposed to CIH during pregnancy was evaluated. The levels of p-P38MAPK and NF-κB p65 were significantly up-regulated following induction of intra-uterine CIH Induction of intra- and extra-uterine CIH had an interaction regarding the expression profiles of these markers (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P = 0.020, respectively). Pathologic analysis of the arteries confirmed that intra-uterine CIH increased the tunica intima thickness (P < 0.01), but had no effect on the tunica media (P = 0.974). Furthermore, induction of intra- and extra-uterine CIH had a synergistic interaction on tunica intima thickness (P = 0.004). Intra-uterine CIH caused tunica intima thickening and development of pre-atherosclerotic lesions in offspring via NF-κB p65 and p-p38 MAPK. Furthermore, the expression of NF-κB p65 and p-p38 MAPK and the extent of pre-atherosclerotic lesions were either exacerbated or alleviated in offspring when re-exposed to CIH later. • CIH caused tunica intima thickening in offspring. • CIH caused development of pre-atherosclerotic lesions. • CIH increases levels of p-p38MAPK and NF-κB p65. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the Zn 2- x SiO 4- x - x CuO (x = 0, 0.04, 0.08, 0.12, 0.16 and 0.20) ceramics were synthesized through solid state reaction. The dependence of microwave dielectric properties on the structure was investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) with Rietveld refinements, Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectra. The melting of CuO can reduce the densification temperature of Zn 2- x SiO 4- x ceramics. In comparison with x = 0, the x = 0.08 ceramics were densified at 1150℃ and the excellent microwave dielectric properties with low dielectric constant (ε r = 6.01), high quality factor (Qf = 105 500 GHz) and τ f = −28 ppm/°C, were obtained. The ε r , Qf and τ f value are dominated by covalency of Si-O bond and secondary phase, crystallinity and lattice energy, respectively. This provides a theoretical basis to further adjust the microwave dielectric property (especially τ f value) from the structural point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative planning is fundamental for total hip arthroplasty. This study investigated the optimal femoral neck level for measuring femoral anteversion to predict postoperative stem anteversion in developmental dysplasia of the hip and determined the predictive role of average anteversion based on the sagittal 3-point fixation.Methods: Sixty-two Crowe type II/III dysplastic hips that underwent total hip arthroplasty were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative anteversion was measured via 2-dimensional computed tomography. Anterior and posterior cortex anteversions were measured at 6 levels of the proximal femur. Femoral anteversion at each level was calculated. Average anterior (lesser trochanter) and posterior cortex anteversions (femoral neck) were calculated based on the sagittal 3-point fixation.Results: From the lesser trochanter to head-neck junction, femoral anteversion decreased gradually from more to less than stem anteversion. For hips with femoral neck height ≥10 mm, femoral anteversion at the 10-mm level above the lesser trochanter proximal base showed no significant difference with stem anteversion, with a good correlation for the single-wedge and an excellent correlation for the double-wedge stem. Average anterior (lesser trochanter proximal base) and posterior cortex anteversions (femoral neck at 10 mm above the lesser trochanter proximal base) showed no significant difference from stem anteversion, with excellent correlations.Conclusion: For Crowe type II/III hips with femoral neck height ≥10 mm, the 10-mm level above the lesser trochanter proximal base is an optimal choice for measuring femoral anteversion to predict postoperative stem anteversion. The average of anterior cortex anteversion at the lesser trochanter and posterior cortex anteversion at the femoral neck has a predictive role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lead-free BiFe 1- x Al x O 3 ceramics with x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.015, and 0.02 were synthesised via the traditional solid-state reaction method. The effects of Al doping on the crystalline structure, dielectric, and ferroelectric properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction results indicated that Al doping increased the secondary phases (Bi 2 Fe 4 O 9 and Bi 25 FeO 39) when the Al content was above 0.015. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the grain size in the BiFe 1- x Al x O 3 ceramics decreased from 1.6 to 0.45 µm with the increase of the Al content. Samples with a small amount of Al doping exhibited improvements in the remnant polarisation and dielectric constant compared with pure BiFeO 3. However, when the Al content increased, the dielectric constant decreased and the polarisation hysteresis loops become unsaturated. With the increase of the Al content, the T C increased and exceeded 500 °C, and the leakage current densities of the BiFe 1- x Al x O 3 ceramics first increased and then decreased. These changes of the electric properties were related to the decrease of the grains size, the generation of secondary phases, and the increase of carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracheobronchial fistula (TBF) is a challenging management condition. Several bronchoscopic procedures have been tried for fistula closure. However, none has been found to be superior to the others. We herein describe a novel technique involving the submucosal injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma (auto-PRP) around the fistula to close the TBF. After auto-PRP treatment, all 3 TBF patients have successfully healed. No treatment-related complications and fistula-related symptoms were detected. Thus, this application of auto-PRP for fistula closure is a feasible and cost-effective strategy and could be recommended as a valuable therapeutic alternative for repairing postoperative TBF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• About one third of high-yield bonds are issued under a foreign governing law. • Foreign-law high-yield bonds outperform their domestic-law counterparts. • Effect of foreign governing laws increases with an increase in downside risk. • English (foreign) governing law provides best protection for investors. We provide novel evidence on importance of governing laws for returns of high-yield corporate bonds. Around 29% of sample bonds are governed by laws which are different from laws of issuers' countries of domicile. The most popular foreign law is English, followed by New York, and German laws. The foreign-law bonds exhibit higher excess returns than their domestic-law counterparts. The effect of foreign law on excess returns increases with an increase in downside risk. This conditional effect is particularly evident for English foreign governing law. The results are robust to controls for endogeneity concerns, alternative proxies, and model specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of molecular weight (MW) and comonomer content (CC) on the catalytic hydrogen-deuterium exchange process (CHDEP) in a series of polyethylenes has been studied using a band filter based SEC-IR method. CHDEP permits deuterium labeling of polyolefins prepared by any synthetic route, a major advantage over the traditional method of polymerizing deuterated monomers. However, incompleteness in deuterium-exchange as well as heterogeneity in deuterium distribution are known challenges to deuterium labeling of heterogeneous polymers by this method. These factors complicate small angle neutron scattering (SANS) studies, in which the average deuterium-exchange level (DL) and deuterium distribution are critical. A band-filter based size exclusion chromatography (SEC)-infrared absorption (IR) technique is presented as a simple but accurate method to quantify the DL as a function of MW. The DL of a series of ethylene-alpha olefin copolymers has been found to increase with MW but does not depend strongly on CC for all the polyethylene samples. This behavior has been further confirmed with independent measurements of average DL as a function of weight-averaged MW of a series of fractions from a deuterated linear low density polyethylene. The SEC results for the fractions are in agreement with deuterium measurements on the fractions using NMR spectroscopy, density and FTIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addition of CaO–B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 (CBS) glass was performed to lower the sintering temperature of lead-free Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Zr 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 3 (BCZT) ceramics. Orthorhombic and tetragonal phases coexisted in CBS-free BCZT ceramics. The BCZT ceramics transformed into a pseudo-cubic phase when sintered at 1300 °C with increasing CBS glass content. Additionally, the secondary phase, Ba 2 TiSi 2 O 8 , was observed when CBS glass was added. The density initially increased, reached a maximum value with 2 wt% CBS glass, and then decreased rapidly with further increase in CBS glass content, which was consistent with the microstructure. The ɛ , T c , P r , and d 33 depend on microstructure, and the results agree with the density. Evident relaxation behavior was observed. Observed results were inferred to be dependent on the microstructure, phase structure, lattice distortion, and secondary phase. The sample with 2 wt% CBS glass showed the excellent performance, which could be a promising substitute to lead-free piezoelectric ceramics for lead-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the gender specific or morphological specific total knee prostheses improve the component fit in the distal femur of the Chinese population. The data showed that the perfect fit rate of the femoral component remarkably increased in both the male and female subjects when using the gender specific (Nexgen-LPS GSF, Zimmer) or morphological specific (Advance Stature Knee, Wright Medical Technology) knee prostheses, compared to their standard counterparts. The highest femoral component perfect fit rate was achieved when both the standard and the corresponding gender or morphological specific knee prostheses were available for selection. Additionally, the percentage of the gender or morphological specific prosthesis selection in the females was significantly higher than the males. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A lead-free Ba(1−x)Ca x Ti(1−y)Zr y O3 (BCZT) single crystal (x=0.08, y=0.26) was grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method in a mixed flux of TiO2 and ZrO2. The composition of as-grown BCZT was analyzed by electron probe micro-analysis. The structure, dielectric properties and phase transition were investigated at different temperatures. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed that the structure of the as-grown BCZT crystal was cubic both at 25°C and 500°C. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant and Raman spectra characterization revealed that there was a phase transition from cubic to tetragonal, which happened between 200K and 250K. With increasing frequency, the Curie temperature shifted towards high temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Alignment parameters in 199 healthy lower extremities of Southern Chinese adults and the parameters'' anatomical influence were studied in a standardized frontal plane for the selection of the proper valgus angle of the distal femoral cut in total knee arthroplasty. The average hip-knee-ankle angle was 179.8° ± 2.4°. The average femoral physiologic valgus angle was 5.1° ± 0.9° (95% confidence interval, 4.9°-5.2°). The hip-knee-ankle angle showed a significantly inverse correlation with the femoral physiologic valgus angle. The results indicate that choosing 5° as the valgus angle for the femoral distal cut in total knee arthroplasty is safe for most of Southern Chinese ethnicity, and it is reasonable to adjust the femoral valgus angle to 7°or 3° in the few patients with severe genu varum or genu valgum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To investigate the different causes of vision loss and school-based treatment regimens at Quanzhou Blind School (QBS), China's largest blind school, in 2008 and 2016. In 2008, 144 students received comprehensive eye examinations along with a complete family and ophthalmic history; in 2016, 125 students were examined. Vision loss was categorized into visual impairment and blindness classifications based on WHO guidelines. The etiologies of impairment and blindness in 2008 were compared to those in 2016 using the Fisher exact test. The prevalence and type of visual aids were also analyzed during this period. The leading cause of visual impairment significantly shifted from corneal scarring in 2008 to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in 2016 (P = 0.020). Congenital cataracts remained the leading cause of blindness in 2008 and 2016. In 2016 there was a significant increase in the use of visual aids, with 63.2% of students using them in 2016 compared to 8.3% in 2008 (P = 0.0001). Between 2008 and 2016, the leading cause of visual impairment shifted from corneal scarring to ROP, while congenital cataracts remained the leading cause of blindness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnO 2 powders with four distinct morphologies of prismoids, hollow rhomboidal tubes, solid rhomboidal rods, and needles have been prepared through morphology-conserved transformation from SnC 2 O 4 precursors. The SnC 2 O 4 precursors were synthesized by a facile oxalate precipitation method. A controllable periodic bond chain (PBC) growth was found to be critical for the formation of these SnC 2 O 4 samples. In the case of forward titration, SnC 2 O 4 prismoids were generated because the formed Sn 3 O(OH) 2 SO 4 was attached on { 1 - 01} polar facets and inhibited the PBC growth along the c axis. By contrast, in the case of reverse titration, SnC 2 O 4 samples preferably formed one-dimensional shapes. Dissolution and ripening were observed during the formation of hollow tubes in the case of low molar ratio of Sn2+ to C 2 O 4 2−. Further, the formation of SnC 2 O 4 needles was ascribed to the selective coordination of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the side surface. The as-prepared SnO 2 powders were used as reinforcement of Ag–SnO 2 electrical contact materials, and a good adhesion was observed at the Ag (111)/SnO 2 (200) interface. Further, the characterization results revealed that the sample reinforced by SnO 2 tubes (with one-dimensional shape and hollow structure) had the lowest degradation rate under cathode arc erosion, which might be attributed to its good resistance to the dual action (heat and force) of cathode arc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sintering shrinkage behavior, viscosity, microstructures, phase composition, dielectric properties and chemical compatibility with Ag of a novel low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) material, (1- x) CaO-B 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -ZrO 2 (CBSZ) + x Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 (x = 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%) glass/ceramics were discussed. The partial dissolution of the Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 ceramic powder in CBSZ glass will form additional liquid phase and make viscosity decrease, which could promote the densification of CBSZ/Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 composite. The introduction of Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 will form heterogeneous nucleus and promote the crystallization of samples. The CBSZ/Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 composite with 10 wt% Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 content sintered at 875 ºC for 30 min has a dielectric constant ε r = 6.05, a dielectric loss tan δ = 1.18 × 10−3 @ 13.76 GHz, flexural strength = 176 MPa, CTE = 7.7258 × 10−6/ºC, and shows good chemical compatibility when co-fired with Ag electrode. These results indicate that CBSZ glass/Ca 0.99 Cu 0.01 SiO 3 ceramic composites have a potential to meet the demand of LTCC applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a two-step method combining the direct foaming process with the control of solid content and heat treatment temperature was employed to prepare ZrP 2 O 7 -CePO 4 composite porous materials with varying porosities. The results indicate that an increase in solid content and heat treatment temperature leads to a reduction in porosity and average pore size while simultaneously improving the mechanical properties. The porosities, compressive strengths, thermal conductivities, ε and Tanδ ranged from 63.2 to 85.3 vol%, 19.43 to 0.99 MPa, 0.089 to 0.088 W/(m·K), 1.64 to 2.72, and 0.88 × 10−3 to 1.99 × 10−3, respectively. Electromagnetic simulations have validated that ZrP 2 O 7 -CePO 4 composite porous ceramics, when used as the core layer material for A-sandwich antenna radomes, exhibit excellent transmittance properties. This suggests the potential application of these materials for supersonic aircraft antenna radomes. • A novel ZrP 2 O 7 -CePO4 porous ceramic were prepared by foaming method combining a two-step method. • Our work greatly improved the compressive strength of high-porosity ZrP 2 O 7 with low thermal conductivity. • The dielectric properties of ZrP 2 O 7 ceramics with high porosity were studied for the first time in this study. • The feasibility of ZrP 2 O 7 -CePO 4 ceramics for supersonic aircraft is verified by electromagnetic simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, MgAl 2 O 4 -based ceramics with high quality factor (Qf) and low dielectric constant (ε r ≤ 10) were obtained by fabricating MgAl 2- x (Zn 0.5 Ti 0.5) x O 4 (x = 0–0.5) ceramics via conventional solid-state reaction method. Excellent microwave dielectric properties were achieved for samples at x = 0.5 and sintered at 1550 °C, i.e., ε r = 9.86, Qf = 263 900 GHz (five times better than that for x = 0 sample) and τ f = −92 ppm/°C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns displayed characteristic peaks of MgAl 2 O 4 with spinel structure. MgTi 2 O 5 and MgTiO 3 were considered as secondary phases. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and relative density analysis indicated that ultra-high Qf values were dominated by dense microstructure, secondary phase and cation vacancies; whereas ε r values were mainly affected by secondary phase and ionic polarizability. MgAl 2- x (Zn 0.5 Ti 0.5) x O 4 ceramics with excellent microwave dielectric properties have potential application in millimeter-wave communication, dielectric filters, dielectric antennas and resonators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the ceramics of Sr(Ta 1/2 Al 1/2) x Ti 1-x O 3 (x = 0 %, 0.5 %, 1 %, 2 %, 3 %, 4 %, and 5 %) were produced through the solid-state reaction and sintered under N 2 atmosphere. The frequency coefficient of permittivity and dielectric loss for the sample with x = 4 % is blow |24%| and |26%|, respectively, within the frequency of 1 kHz to 1 MHz. This demonstrates favorable frequency stability in the dielectric properties. The sample with x = 4 % exhibits remarkable permittivity (ε r ∼ 125,000 @ 1 kHz, ε r ∼ 95,000 @ 1 MHz) and low dielectric loss (tanδ ∼ 0.054 @ 1 kHz, tanδ ∼ 0.044 @ 1 MHz) were achieved at room temperature. Through the analysis of HAADF-STEM, XPS, it is concluded that and dielectric relaxation, the colossal permittivity effect is primarily attributed to defect clusters associated with oxygen vacancies such as Ti3+ − V O • • − Ti3+. The clusters of defect dipoles exert a pinning effect on freedom electrons, constraining their long-range transition and improving the dielectric properties. This study lays the foundation for advancing the electronic components, making a significant milestone in technological advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO-B 2 O 3 -SiO 2 glass-ceramics, with the same Si/B molar ratio (0.7) and different Zn/B molar ratios (1.6–2.1) have been prepared by quenching glass melt and heat treatment between 680 °C and 720 °C. DSC analysis has demonstrated that the crystallization activation energy (E a) of the Zn 2 SiO 4 phase increased with increasing Zn/B ratio, and the glass crystallization process was transformed from a two-dimensional to a one-dimensional growth. DSC curves are consistent with the deformation and viscosity curves and can be attributed to the crystallization behavior of glass. The glass-ceramic with Zn/B = 1.7 sintered at 700 °C for 30 min exhibited the best properties: ε r = 6.35; tanδ = 4.3 × 10−3 (11.39 GHz); CTE = 3.8 × 10−6 /K. • The crystallization mechanism of ZnO-B 2 O 3 -SiO 2 glass and the shrinkage deformation induced by solid-liquid phase changes during the crystallization process were discussed. • The ZnO-B 2 O 3 -SiO 2 glass-ceramic with Zn/B = 1.7 sintered at 700 °C for 30 min exhibited excellent dielectric properties and CTE = 3.8 × 10−6 /K. • Expanded research on ZBS glasses with low-temperature co-firing potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disordered lipid metabolisms have been evidenced in lung cancer as well as its subtypes. Lipidomics with in-depth mining is considered as a critical member of the multiple omics family and a lipid-specific tool to understand disease-associated lipid metabolism and disease-specific dysfunctions of lipid species, discover biomarkers and targets for monitoring therapeutic strategies, and provide insights into lipid profiling and pathophysiological mechanisms in lung cancer. The present review describes the characters and patterns of lipidomic profiles in patients with different lung cancer subtypes, important values of comprehensive lipidomic profiles in understanding of lung cancer heterogeneity, urgent needs of standardized methodologies, potential mechanisms by lipid-associated enzymes and proteins, and the importance of integration between clinical phenomes and lipidomic profiles. The characteristics of lipidomic profiles in different lung cancer subtypes are extremely varied among study designs, objects, methods, and analyses. Preliminary data from recent studies demonstrate the specificity of lipidomic profiles specific for lung cancer stage, severity, subtype, and response to drugs. The heterogeneity of lipidomic profiles and lipid metabolism may be part of systems heterogeneity in lung cancer and be responsible for the development of drug resistance, although there are needs for direct evidence to show the existence of intra- or inter-lung cancer heterogeneity of lipidomic profiles. With an increasing understanding of expression profiles of genes and proteins, lipidomic profiles should be associated with activities of enzymes and proteins involved in the processes of lipid metabolism, which can be profiled with genomics and proteomics, and to provide the opportunity for the integration of lipidomic profiles with gene and protein expression profiles. The concept of clinical trans-omics should be emphasized to integrate data of lipidomics with clinical phenomics to identify disease-specific and phenome-specific biomarkers and targets, although there are still a large number of challenges to be overcome in the integration between clinical phenomes and lipidomic profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work described here was to investigate the value of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the early assessment of the severity of pulmonary edema in rabbits. A rabbit oleic acid (OA)-induced pulmonary edema model was used. Thirty-two New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: a control group and three pulmonary edema groups (mild, moderate and severe). Features of transthoracic B-line artifacts (BLA), blood pH, PaO2 and PaCO2, serum inflammatory factors, lung coefficient (LC), lung wet-to-dry weight ratio (W/D) and lung histopathology were assessed. BLA features and severity of pulmonary edema were semiquantitatively scored. Correlations between the number of BLA and PaO2, PaCO2, serum inflammatory factors, LC and W/D were analyzed. An additional 8 rabbits with severe pulmonary edema were used as the verified group, in which the lung was divided into ex vivo BLA (BLA-ev)-free (BLA-ev-free) and BLA-ev-clustered subregions depending on the features of BLA-ev recorded by ex vivo lung ultrasound. Lung specimens from each subregion were collected for histopathological examination. Relationships between features of BLA-ev and lung histopathological abnormalities were analyzed. With increasing doses of OA, number of BLA, W/D and levels of serum inflammatory factors decreased. Meanwhile, lung pathologic abnormalities were aggravated. In addition, time of appearance of BLA, blood pH and PaO2, and PaCO2 decreased dose dependently on OA (p < 0.05). Number of BLA was linear positively correlated with severity of pulmonary edema (r = 0.953, p < 0.05). Consistently, the features of BLA-ev reflected the severity of lung histopathological abnormalities (r = 0.936, p < 0.05). Thus, POCUS is useful in the early quantitative assessment of the severity of pulmonary edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays pivotal roles in insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. PEPCK, G6pase, PGC-1α, FOXO1, HNF4α are the key enzymes and transcription factors in gluconeogenesis. PGC-1α, FOXO1, HNF4α can regulate G6Pase and PEPCK enzymes gene expression. Highlights • Ficus carica leaf (FCL) extract possesses hypoglycemic effects. • FCL extract inhibited PEPCK and G6Pase expression in diabetic mice and cells. • FCL extract activated AMPK and decreased the expressions of PGC-1α, HNF4α, and FOXO1. • FCL extract inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis via the activation of AMPK. Abstract The aim of this study was to explore the possible mechanisms of Ficus carica leaf (FCL) extract in suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis in diabetic mice. Diabetic mice (streptozotocin-induced) received 1 g/kg of FCL extract twice a day for 6 weeks. Fasting blood glucose levels were measured and a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test was conducted. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) expression was examined. HepG2 hepatocytes were treated with FCL extract and an AMPK inhibitor (compound C) or agonist (AICAR), and PEPCK, G6pase, PGC-1α, AMPK, forkhead transcription factor O1 (FOXO1), and hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) expression was determined. The results showed that FCL extract inhibited the expression of PEPCK and G6Pase in the liver of diabetic mice and HepG2 hepatocytes. FCL extract activated AMPK and decreased PGC-1α, HNF4α, and FOXO1 expression. The AMPK inhibitor attenuated those effects through inhibiting gluconeogenesis, while the AMPK agonist partially enhanced gluconeogenesis. In conclusion, FCL extract inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis via activation of AMPK and down-regulation of gluconeogenic enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is investigated in a random ethylene 1-hexene copolymer (E/H) with a broad comonomer content distribution. SANS measurements were first carried out using the original resin with deuterium added via direct isotope exchange to preserve the original branching distribution. Upon lowering the melt temperature, the upshift of SANS profile observed only below a critical scattering vector is consistent with the signature of nucleation and growth during LLPS in the metastable region. Differences in branching distribution between the original broad resin and a broad multi-components blend of narrow E/H copolymers studied previously, result in slower LLPS dynamics in the former that has a more continuous change of comonomer content between molecules. Time-resolved light scattering and light transmittance measurements in the metastable region of the broad resin, reveal the nucleation and growth stages of LLPS. Dissolution of crystalline melt-memory, associated with an inversion of the crystallization rate with decreasing the temperature of the initial melt, is found to occur mainly within the LLPS induction period and is associated with concentration fluctuations prior to the LLPS nucleation step. The typical sea-island morphology associated with LLPS via nucleation and growth is observed under bright-field optical microscopy after one-day annealing in the metastable region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report our investigations on a pseudo-cubic 0.5BiFeO 3 –0.5BaTiO 3 ceramic (0.5BF–0.5BT) in which ferroelectric relaxor and antiferromagnetic and magnetic relaxor orders coexist. The temperature dependence of ferroelectric hysteresis loops and dielectric data confirms the existence of the ferroelectric relaxor state. The temperature of the maximum dielectric constant (T m ) at 1 MHz and electric freezing temperature (T f ) are 584 K and ~250 K, respectively. The magnetic data imply that a Neel transition occurs below 174 K. Most importantly, a magnetic relaxor order appears below ~6 K. The magnetic states of 0.5BF–0.5BT are rather different from those of BF–BT ceramics with the low BT concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaO–B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 (CBST) glass-ceramics, with different Ta 2 O 5 content, (up to 6 mol%), have been prepared by using glass melt quenching followed by heat treatment between 800 and 880 °C. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) results showed that the stronger the attraction of Ta5+ to the oxygens in the BO 3 3− and SiO 3 2− structures, the more easily the B–O and Si–O bonds will be destroyed. The underlying reason is most probably the high field strength of Ta5+, which results in a weakening of the vibration intensities of the [BO 3 ] and [SiO 4 ] units. Moreover, the Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results showed that the softening point (T g), crystallization starting temperature (T c1), and exothermic crystallization peak temperature (T p1), of the CaSiO 3 phase, shifted to higher values with the addition of Ta 2 O 5. Also, the crystallization activation energy (E a) and the glass stability factor (ΔT) of the CaSiO 3 phase increased, which indicated that the CaSiO 3 phase of the glass became inhibited by the addition of Ta 2 O 5. It was, thus, obvious that there was a need of glass characterization. The results of the crystallization kinetics showed that the critical cooling rate decreased with the addition of Ta 2 O 5 , which indicated that the viscosity of the system had increased. The CBST glass-ceramics, containing 1 mol% Ta 2 O 5, that were sintered at 875 °C for 15 min showed excellent dielectric properties: ε r = 6.22 and tanδ = 1.19 × 10−3 (1 MHz). To sum up, CaO–B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 glass-ceramics are potential low temperature co-fired ceramic substrate materials. • Crystallization mechanism of CaO–B 2 O 3 –SiO 2 –Ta 2 O 5 glass-ceramics is studied by the critical cooling rate kinetic model for the first time. • The CBST glass-ceramics containing 1 mol % Ta 2 O 5 sintered at 875 °C for 15 min had excellent dielectric properties: ε r = 6.22 and tan δ = 1.19 × 10−3 (1 MHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Previously, we have shown that downregulation of POLD4 in lung cancer cells delays progression through the G1-S cell cycle transition and leads to increased genomic instability. To date however, detailed molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated to explain how this occurs. In the present study, we found that reduction in POLD4 by siRNA knockdown promoted downregulation of both p-Akt Ser473 and Skp2 as well as upregulation of p27. Furthermore, these protein expression levels were rescued when siRNA-resistant POLD4 was ectopically expressed in the knockdown cells. These data suggest that the POLD4 downregulation is associated with impaired Akt-Skp2-p27 pathway in lung cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report our studies on the multiferroic orders in 0.5BiFeO 3 –0.5Bi 0·5 K 0·5 TiO 3 (0.5BF–0.5BT) in this paper. The XRD pattern in the powdered form suggests a pseudocubic phase on average, with a lattice parameter of ∼3.9572 Å. However, the bulk sample shows a coexistence of pseudocubic and tetragonal phases. The dielectric anomaly is relaxor-like, with the Burns temperature (T B) of ∼760 K. The remnant polarization (P r , 4.02–4.25 μC/cm2) is nearly unchanged in the temperature range of 298 K and 398 K. In addition, the normalized strain coefficient (d × 33) increases on heating, from 100 pm/V at 298 K up to 240 pm/V at 453 K. On the other side, two anomalies were confirmed in the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibilities. The high-temperature anomaly is related to a transition between the antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic states around ∼143 K. The low-temperature anomaly around ∼5.5 K might hint the onset of the magnetic spin glass state. We believe that some common features should be present in (Bi x A 1-x) (Fe 0·5 B 0.5)O 3 (A cations are not ferroelectric active while B cations are not magnetic active). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Guided bronchoscopy was related to an increased diagnostic yield of SPNs. • VBN could not increase the diagnostic yield of peripheral lesions. • Application of VBN could shorten the bronchoscope arrival time. Abstract Background The rate of detection of pulmonary nodules on computed radiography (CR) is approximately 0.09–0.2%, so rapid identification of the nature of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) with a likelihood of malignancy is a critical challenge in the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Objective We conducted this study to compare the diagnostic yield and safety of endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS), and the combination of EBUS-GS and virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN). Methods This was a prospective, multicenter, multi-arm, randomized controlled trial involving a total of 1010 subjects. All the patients recruited underwent a chest CT scan which found SPNs that needed to be diagnosed. The subjects were randomly divided into one of three groups: a traditional, non-guided, bronchoscopy biopsy group (NGB group), an EBUS-GS guided bronchoscopy biopsy group (EBUS group), and a guided bronchoscopy biopsy group that combined EBUS-GS with VBN (combined group). The primary endpoint was to investigate the differences between the diagnostic yields of the three groups. Results There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield between the EBUS group (72.3%) and the combined group (74.3%), but the diagnostic yield for the NGB group was 41.2%. The time required to reach biopsy position was significantly less in the combined group (7.96 ± 1.18 min in the combined group versus 11.92 ± 5.37 min in the EBUS group, p < 0.05). However, the bronchoscope operation time was the same in the EBUS-GS and combined groups. The diagnostic yield for peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) >20 mm in diameter was significantly higher than for those <20 mm in diameter. Conclusion The results of our study suggest that guided bronchoscopy could increase the diagnostic yield in the context of peripheral lesions. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic yield between the EBUS and combined groups, but use of EBUS-GS with VBN could significantly shorten the bronchoscope arrival time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, solid solutions of (0.88–x)Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 –0.12BaTiO 3 – xBa(Ti 0.5 Ni 0.5 )O 3–δ were designed and prepared. These compositions exhibit ferroelectricity at room temperature, with the tetragonal symmetry. The c/a values are varied from ∼1.0067 (x = 0.1) to ∼1.0208 (x = 0.04). A transition from the high–temperature relaxor state to the low–temperature ferroelectric state is demonstrated by the temperature dependence of dielectric data and Raman spectrum. The direct bandgap decreases from 3.40 eV for x = 0 to 3.16 eV for x = 0.1. The Ba(Ti 0.5 Ni 0.5 )O 3–δ addition leads an additional optical absorption peak in the visible range. The obvious photodielectric effect was discovered. In particular, the relative permittivity of the x = 0.1 composition rises from ∼756 to ∼807 under light illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two solution reactors in series are utilized to synthesize poly(ethylene-cb-propylene) comb block copolymers, P(E-cb-P), where the first reactor prepares vinyl terminated atactic polypropylene (aPP) macromers from propylene using an organometallic catalyst favoring beta methyl elimination and the second reactor copolymerizes aPP macromers with ethylene using a different organometallic catalyst capable of incorporating macromers. The products are P(E-cb-P) comb block polymers with bimodalities in molecular weight, composition, and long chain branching. Low molecular weight (MW) components are linear and of mixed compositions consisting of random copolymers of ethylene and propylene and residual vinyl terminated aPP macromers. High MW components are comb branched with constant composition, and block copolymers. Even though the PE backbone is immiscible with the aPP comb arms, the presence of linear low MW ethylene-propylene random copolymer prevents the high MW comb block components from self-association into segregated domains or micelles when it is blended into high density polyethylene (HDPE) or isotactic polypropylene (iPP). By hindering micelle formation, this bimodal P(E-cb-P) can be intimately entangled with HDPE and with iPP delivering extensional flow hardening when it was added at 5%. Extensional strain hardening is observed at 5% addition of the bimodal P(E-cb-P) comb block copolymer in 50/50 HDPE/iPP blends with exceptionally high strain hardening ratio. It was found that this bimodal P(E-cb-P) comb block copolymer can compatibilize immiscible blends of HDPE and iPP resulting in domain size reductions and diffused interfaces. The enhanced strain hardening observed in blends with the bimodal P(E-cb-P) comb block addition may arise from the increases in the blend interfacial area and the entanglement of the blocks within the homopolymer phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, multicomponent oxide samples of composition x (CeO 2 + Gd 2 O 3 )–(40 − x )Fe 2 O 3 –60P 2 O 5 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 8 mol%) were produced by conventional melting method. The samples were investigated to examine the effect of the CeO 2 and Gd 2 O 3 composition on the structure of the iron phosphate glasses system. The X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the x ⩽ 6 mol% samples show all the samples formed homogeneous glass, but for the x = 8 mol% samples show the presence of randomly distributed crystalline phase embedded in an amorphous matrix. The x (CeO 2 + Gd 2 O 3 )–(40 − x )Fe 2 O 3 –60P 2 O 5 glass containing 8 mol% CeO 2 and Gd 2 O 3 partially crystallized during annealing and Ce/Gd-rich were identified by EDS in the crystalline phase. The structure of the studied samples has been investigated using Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The Raman and FTIR spectra for the samples have analogous spectral features. The Raman and FTIR spectra suggest that the structure is mainly constituted by the pyrophosphate glass based structure, with a part proportion of metaphosphate and orthophosphate structure. Raman and FTIR spectra allowed us to identify the structural units which appear in the structural network of these phosphate glasses and also the network modifier role of cerium and gadolinium ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]