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Summary: There are limited data on the optimal choice of anticoagulation in multiple myeloma (MM) patients receiving immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). We conducted a propensity score‐matched cohort study using the TriNetX database to compare the efficacy and safety of factor Xa inhibitors and warfarin in this patient population. Compared to warfarin, factor Xa inhibitors had a similar risk of deep vein thrombosis (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11 [95% CI: 0.50–2.46]) or pulmonary embolism (HR: 1.08 [95% CI: 0.59–2.00]). There were no differences in the risk of gastrointestinal or intracranial bleeding. Factor Xa inhibitor‐treated patients had lower all‐cause mortality (HR: 0.56 [95% CI: 0.36–0.86]) compared with warfarin. These data suggest that factor Xa inhibitors had similar safety and efficacy compared with warfarin for MM patients on IMiDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), and those with diagnosed CRC have a poorer prognosis compared with individuals with normal glucose levels. The inhibition of sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) channels has been associated with a reduction in tumor proliferation in preclinical studies. We aimed to investigate the impact of sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on the outcome of T2DM patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study comprising adult patients with T2DM and colorectal adenocarcinoma. SGLT2i recipients were matched to non‐SGLT2i recipients in a 1:1 ratio based on age, sex, and cancer stage. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS), and the secondary outcomes were previously reported serious adverse events associated with SGLT2i. Results: We identified 1347 patients with T2DM and colorectal adenocarcinoma, from which 92 patients in the SGLT2i cohort were matched to the non‐SGLT2i cohort. Compared to non‐SGLT2i recipients, SGLT2i recipients had a higher rate of 5‐year OS (86.2% [95% CI: 72.0–93.5] vs 62.3% [95% CI: 50.9–71.8], P = 0.013) and 5‐year PFS (76.6% [95% CI: 60.7–86.7] vs 57.0% [95% CI: 46.2–66.4], P = 0.021). In Cox proportional hazard analyses, SGLT2i were associated with a 50–70% reduction in all‐cause mortality and disease progression. SGLT2i were not associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events. Conclusion: SGLT2i were associated with a higher rate of survival in T2DM patients with colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the relationship between the prevalence of antinuclear antibody (ANA) ‐associated rheumatic diseases (AARD) and the presence of dense fine speckled (DFS) and homogeneous patterns in ANA tests. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled adult patients with either a DFS or homogeneous pattern in their ANA test. A mixed pattern was defined as the presence of more than one pattern reported in the test. The presence of anti‐DFS70 antibodies and other common autoantibodies were detected using EUROLINE ANA Profile 23. A 1:2 propensity score matching was applied to control for demographic and other interfering factors. Results: A total of 59 patients with a DFS pattern were enrolled and compared with a matched homogeneous group. The DFS group had a significantly lower prevalence of AARD (3.4% vs. 16.9%, p =.008) and the subgroup with anti‐DFS70 antibodies showed an even lower prevalence (2% vs. 20%, p =.002). Among the 33 patients with monospecific anti‐DFS70 antibodies, five had a mixed pattern, and all patients with common autoantibodies had an isolated DFS pattern. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that patients with a DFS pattern in their ANA test may have a lower prevalence of AARD compared with those with a homogeneous pattern. However, an isolated DFS pattern in ANA testing does not necessarily indicate the presence of monospecific anti‐DFS70 antibodies or AARD. Confirmatory testing for the monospecific anti‐DFS70 antibody is mandatory to exclude AARD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Certain angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ) activation property, which has been associated with improved programmed cell death ligand 1 blockade and cytotoxic T lymphocyte‐mediated antitumor activity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of PPAR‐γ‐activating ARBs on patient survival in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) across all types of cancers. Results: A total of 167 patients receiving both angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) were included. Compared with non‐PPAR‐γ‐ARB users (n = 102), PPAR‐γ‐ARB users (n = 65) had a longer median overall survival (not reached [IQR, 16.0—not reached] vs. 18.6 [IQR, 6.1–38.6] months) and progression‐free survival (17.3 [IQR, 5.1—not reached] vs. 8.2 [IQR, 2.4–18.6] months). In Cox regression analysis, the use of PPAR‐γ‐activating ARBs had an approximately 50% reduction in all‐cause mortality and disease progression. Patients who received PPAR‐γ‐activating ARBs also had higher clinical benefit rates than non‐PPAR‐γ‐ARB users (82% vs. 61%, p = 0.005). Conclusion: The use of ARBs with PPAR‐γ‐activating property is linked with better survival among patients receiving ICIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of stacking faults (SFs) on electromigration in silver nanowires (AgNWs) in particular, with respect to their effects on necking and void growth, is investigated. The galvanic replacement reaction is used to synthesize the AgNWs in bulk at low cost. By varying the concentration of silver nitrate, AgNWs are obtained with and without SFs. In situ TEM analysis provides strong evidence that the SFs can effectively suppress the migration of surface atoms. Furthermore, an investigation of the void growth process reveals that SF facets parallel to the {111} plane contribute to the anisotropic change in morphology and slow down the rate of void growth by 135 times. Thus, planar defects can be beneficial to extending the lifetimes of devices by causing intrinsic changes to the material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The light rail vehicles (commonly known as tramways or lightly laid railways) offer environmental advantages and have evoked an impressive attraction. The hybrid energy-storage systems efficiently supply energy for the light rail vehicles during the travel. This study implements and analyses an ultracapacitor charger in hybrid energy-storage system for electric-vehicle applications. Moreover, an ultracapacitor charger based on a full-bridge DC–DC converter that utilises a synchronous-rectification technique and high charging-current capability is presented. The proposed converter's current-doubler synchronous rectification reduces the secondary circulating current and recycles the energy of the leakage current to the power-source lead to further increase conversion efficiency. A prototype of this ultracapacitor charger, with an input voltage of 380 V and an output voltage of 14.6 V, has been implemented; the measured efficiency is 92.1% at a full load of 1 kW. In addition, the experimental results show the highest efficiency is 93.4% at an output power of 600 W. Furthermore, an ultracapacitor of 250 F is charged by the presented converter with a charging current of 65 A, and experimental waveforms illustrate that the charging time of the ultracapacitor voltage from 0 to 14.6 V is within 1 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII (MPS7, also called β‐glucuronidase deficiency or Sly syndrome; MIM 253220) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease, caused by mutations in the GUSB gene. β‐glucuronidase (GUSB) is a lysosomal hydrolase involved in the stepwise degradation of glucuronic acid‐containing glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Patients affected with MPS VII are not able to completely degrade glucuronic acid‐containing GAGs, including chondroitin 4‐sulfate, chondroitin 6‐sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate. The accumulation of these GAGs in lysosomes of various tissues leads to cellular and organ dysfunctions. Characteristic features of MPS VII include short stature, macrocephaly, hirsutism, coarse facies, hearing loss, cloudy cornea, short neck, valvular cardiac defects, hepatosplenomegaly, and dysostosis multiplex. Oral manifestations in patients affected with MPS VII have never been reported. Oral manifestations observed in three patients consist of wide root canal spaces, taurodontism, hyperplastic dental follicles, malposition of unerupted permanent molars, and failure of tooth eruption with malformed roots. The unusual skeletal features of the patients include maxillary hypoplasia, hypoplastic midface, long mandibular length, mandibular prognathism, hypoplastic and aplastic mandibular condyles, absence of the dens of the second cervical vertebra, and erosion of the cortex of the lower border of mandibles. Dogs affected with MPS VII had anterior and posterior open bite, maxillary hypoplasia, premolar crowding, and mandibular prognathism. Unlike patients with MPS VII, the dogs had unremarkable mandibular condyles. This is the first report of oral manifestations in patients affected with MPS VII. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To realize a finger positioning device, as called “virtual mouse,” to replace a touchpad, touchscreen, or even real mouse, current positioning technologies cannot achieve a sufficient resolution, a compact volume, and a simple detection algorithm simultaneously. For this problem, using a light‐emitting diode source, two lens arrays, and two light sensors, we design and implement a virtual mouse prototype. The optical architecture is carefully determined for a compact volume, a sufficient resolution, and a high detection accuracy. Corresponding to a compact system volume of 3.1 mm (thickness) × 4.5 mm (length) × 2, a theoretical resolution higher than 25 pixels per inch (ppi) can be obtained over a working area of 10 cm × 10 cm. Experiments are also implemented, in which a mean detection error of 0.24 cm that corresponds to approximately two distinguishable points, and a minimal resolution of 26 ppi over the whole working area are verified. If the system thickness is relaxed to 25 mm, a resolution higher than 200 ppi can be achieved. The proposed virtual mouse, which is simple enough and potential to be extended for three‐dimensional position detection, can be integrated with a flat panel display to achieve a compact display application that can interact with users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new concept for the design of metal-free organic dyes (OD5-OD9) with an extended donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) molecular framework, in which the donor terminal unit is attached by a hole-extending side chain to retard back electron transfer and charge recombination; the π-bridge component contains varied thiophene-based substituents to enhance the light-harvesting ability of the device. The best dye (OD9) has a D-A-π-A configuration with the hexyloxyphenylthiophene (HPT) side chain as a hole-extension component and a benzothiadiazole (BTD) internal acceptor as a π-extension component. The co-sensitization of OD9 with the new porphyrin dye LW24 enhanced the light-harvesting ability to 800 nm; thus, a power conversion efficiency 5.5 % was achieved. Photoinduced absorption (PIA) and transient absorption spectral (TAS) techniques were applied to account for the observed trend of the open-circuit voltage ( VOC) of the devices. This work provides insights into the molecular design, photovoltaic performance, and kinetics of charge recombination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We successfully demonstrate an autostereoscopic display integrating 2D/3D switchable, 3D rotatable, and 2D/3D coexistent functions by using a multi-functional LC lens array. The LC lens has the advantages of low driving voltages (<6Vrms) and an easy-fabricated structure. The 3D crosstalks are 10.8% for landscape mode and 29% for portrait mode. The 2D image quality is no resolution degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we proposed an integral imaging (II) system with a Liquid Crystal (LC) prism array to extend the horizontal viewing angles. The experimental results indicated that the viewing angle is successfully extended by two times without any mechanical movement. We believe that the proposed system is promising for future wide viewing integral imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: GP.Mur (Mi.III) is a glycophorin B-A-B hybrid sialoglycoprotein expressing several potent immunogens, including Mia, Mur, and Hil. GP.Mur is considered one of the most important red blood cell (RBC) phenotypes in blood banking in Southeast Asia. However, there are no antibodies commercially available for the screening of GP.Mur RBCs. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To develop a direct blood polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach for the screening of GP.Mur cells, we first confirmed the genomic sequence differences among four GP.Mur and three Mi(a-) samples by sequencing their GYP.Mur and GYPB genes. With these data, we designed PCR primers that best discriminate GYPB and GYP.Mur. Our primer design also allows the detection of other Hil+ glycophorin variants. We also constructed two plasmids-pGBi2i3 and pMiIIIi2i3-which serve as the negative and positive control DNA, respectively, for the PCR procedure. Additionally, we designed a control PCR to be run side by side with the typing PCR. RESULTS: Because of the high specificity of our primers, we found it unnecessary to extract DNA from blood samples for PCR. We have tested this PCR method on 379 fresh and frozen blood samples. The results were further validated by serology and DNA sequencing and were shown to be completely accurate in our hand. We also found that the rapid genotyping method-high-resolution melting-can be a timesaving alternative for DNA sequencing. CONCLUSION: This direct blood PCR approach for determination of GP.Mur and related Hil+ phenotypes is reliable and economical and is expected to be useful for blood banking in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: Keywords: graphene; graphene/p-Si Schottky junction; photo-electrochemical cell; pyramid Si; water splitting In article number 1901022, Di-Yan Wang, Bing Joe Hwang, Chun-Wei Chen and co-workers demonstrate a novel three-dimensional pyramid-like graphene/p-Si Schottky junction photocathode for H SB 2 sb production. Water splitting, graphene, pyramid Si, graphene/p-Si Schottky junction, photo-electrochemical cell.

This work presents a novel photo‐electrochemical architecture based on the 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junctions. Overcoming the conventional transfer technique by which only planar graphene/Si Schottky junctions are currently available, this work demonstrates the 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photocathode, which greatly enhances light harvesting efficiency and exhibits promising photo‐electrochemical performance for hydrogen generation. The formation of 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junctions exhibits enhanced electrochemical activity and promotes charge separation efficiency compared with the bare pyramid Si surface without graphene. The inherent chemical inertness of graphene significantly improves the operational stability of 3D graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photo‐electrochemical cells. The 3D pyramid‐like graphene/p‐Si Schottky junction photocathode delivers an onset potential of 0.41 V and a saturated photocurrent density of −32.5 mA cm−2 at 0 V (vs RHE) with excellent stability comparable to values reported for textured or nanostructured p‐Si photocathodes coated with ultrathin oxide layers by the conventional atomic layer deposition technique. These results suggest that the formation of graphene/Si Schottky junctions with a 3D architecture is a promising approach to improve the performance and durability of Si‐based photo‐electrochemical systems for water splitting or solar‐to‐fuel conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]