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Background: Vonoprazan, a potassium‐competitive acid blocker, has demonstrated greater potency and a longer duration of acid suppression when compared to the proton pump inhibitors. However, data regarding the comparison between vonoprazan‐based triple therapy with standard treatment for first‐line Helicobacter pylori treatment are limited. This study aimed to compare the efficacy between 7‐day vonoprazan‐based triple therapy with high‐dose amoxicillin (VAC‐7) and 14‐day extended sequential therapy (S‐14). Materials and Methods: This was a single‐center prospective randomized controlled trial following a noninferiority design. Subjects over 20 years old with confirmed H. pylori infection were enrolled prospectively from Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital. They were randomly assigned to the VAC‐7 or S‐14 group. The primary endpoint was the eradication rate in first‐line treatment, evaluated by urea breath test, with noninferiority determined using the Farrington–Manning method. The secondary outcome included adverse effect rates and compliance, assessed through self‐administered questionnaires. Results: Between December 2021 and June 2023, a total of 628 patients were recruited. The eradication rates by per‐protocol analysis and intention‐to‐treat analysis were 88.6%/81.8% for VAC‐7 and 90.3%/81.4% for S‐14, respectively. The VAC‐7 was non‐inferior to S‐14 in terms of ITT analysis. Subjects experienced fewer incidences of nausea, anorexia, dizziness, fatigue, and any severe adverse events in the VAC‐7 group. Compliance was higher in the VAC‐7 group, with 94% taking all the pills correctly. Conclusions: Our findings supported the use of 7‐day vonoprazan triple therapy with high‐dose amoxicillin as the standard first‐line treatment for H. pylori infection. Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05371249 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the university students' attitude and the potential influencing factors to receive the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine in Sichuan Province, China. Design: A cross‐sectional study. Methods: The self‐designed questionnaire was distributed among university students online in June 2021. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Descriptive statistics, Chi‐square, two independent samples t‐tests, one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate linear regression, and content analysis were performed. Results: A total of 397 questionnaires were analysed, involving 316 (79.6%) respondents have received at least one dose of a COVID‐19 vaccine and 81 (20.4%) have not taken the vaccine. The total mean score of university students' vaccination attitude was 25.97 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.720), and the total scoring rate was 74.2%. Main factors influencing students' attitude included education level, major, living style, with chronic disease or not, self‐reported vaccination status, and number of medical units that can provide vaccination within 3 km of residence. Students were more willing to choose Chinese‐manufactured vaccines (66.8%) and participate in collective vaccination programs organized by the school (71.3%). The desired vaccine protection period was 5–10 years (42.1%). The top three reasons for refusing the vaccine or vaccine hesitancy were as follows: concern about the side effects of vaccine (44.8%), lack of information about vaccine (31.0%), and concern about the efficacy of vaccine (29.3%). Conclusion: In general, most of the participants had relatively high level of positive attitude to receive the COVID‐19 vaccine. Nevertheless, more attention should be paid to postgraduate students, non‐medical students, those living alone, those with chronic disease, those have not received the COVID‐19 vaccine, and those living far away from the vaccination medical units. Findings of this study can help educational institutions in developing effective interventions to improve the vaccination rate in the university student population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Vonoprazan as a new acid blocker has more potency and longer lasting acid suppression than proton pump inhibitors. Whether the efficacy of vonoprazan‐based triple therapy is comparable with or even better than that of currently recommended first‐line therapies is still unknown. Our study aims to compare the eradication rate and major adverse effects between 7‐day vonoprazan‐based triple therapy with high‐dose amoxicillin and 14‐day extended sequential therapy. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis from the database of 13C‐urea breath test at Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital. All patients with a definite diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection by rapid urease test, urea breath test, stool antigen test, or pathology report were recruited. Patients receiving first‐line regimens with vonoprazan‐based triple therapy or extended sequential therapy were included. The respective eradication rate determined by 13C‐urea breath test and major adverse effects were demonstrated. Results: Totally, 106 patients were recruited in the vonoprazan‐based triple therapy group and 357 in the extended sequential therapy group. There was no significant difference in eradication rate between vonoprazan‐based triple therapy with high‐dose amoxicillin and extended sequential therapy (83.0 vs 88.8%, P = 0.12). Major adverse effects occurred in 13 of the extended sequential therapy group but none in the other group (0% vs 3.6%, P = 0.046). Conclusions: Seven‐day vonoprazan‐based triple therapy with high‐dose amoxicillin is a potential first‐line anti‐Helicobacter pylori regimen alternative to current standard treatment, with the advantages of simplicity, short treatment duration, low pill burden, and fewer major adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flame‐induced atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (FAPCI) has been used to directly characterize chemical compounds on a glass rod and drug tablet surfaces. In this study, FAPCI was further applied to interface thin layer chromatography (TLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) for mixture analysis. Methods: A micro‐sized oxyacetylene flame was generated using a small concentric tube system. Hot gas flow and primary reactive species from the micro‐flame were directed toward a developed TLC gel plate to thermally desorb and ionize analytes on the gel surface. The resulting analyte ions subsequently entered the MS inlet for detection. Results: A 1–1.5‐mm‐wide light‐brown line was observed on the TLC plate after the desorption FAPCI/MS (DFAPCI/MS) analysis, revealing that the gel surface withstood a high temperature from the impact of the micro‐flame. Volatile and semi‐volatile chemical compounds, including amine and amide standards, drugs, and aromatherapy oils, were successfully desorbed, ionized, and detected using this TLC/DFAPCI/MS. The limit of detection of TLC‐DFAPCI/MS was determined to be 5 ng/spot for dibenzylamine and ethenzamide. Conclusions: TLC/DFAPCI/MS is one of the simplest TLC‐MS interfaces showing the advantages such as low costs and an easy set up. The technique is useful for characterizing thermally stable volatile and semi‐volatile compounds in a mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the evolving finance–inequality nexus during the process of economic transition. We estimate the varying marginal effects of financial depth on income inequality in every state of the transition process. Using China as an example of transition economies, we establish the causal effects of financial depth on urban income inequality and examine the estimation biases when the evolving relationship is not appropriately characterized. Along the transition process of the Chinese economy, we identify a robustly asymmetric and roughly inverted‐L shaped relationship between financial depth and urban inequality. We find that financial depth alone accounts for 11–28% of the overall variations of urban income inequality and the marginal impacts of financial depth change with the degree of credit constraint, the fraction of state ownership, and the level of economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors will investigate the insertion loss (IL) of the broadband 8‐way power combiner used in their millimetre‐wave power amplifier (PA) design. By treating this combiner as impedance transformer under resistor‐capacitor (RC)‐loading condition, both the characteristic impedance and electrical length of the constituting metal lines can be obtained, where the much shorter line length suggests wider bandwidth and lower IL. However, proper loss analysis must take into account the multi‐reflection of voltage wave along these mismatched transmission lines, i.e. the use of the power attenuation expression e−2αL is just not accurate enough. With their derived equations, it shows that the IL of their proposed 8‐way combiner can be as low as 0.92 dB at 94 GHz, which is much smaller than the 1.5 dB for the conventional quarter‐wavelength combiner. Mathematics for the IL of the drain‐bias shunt stub and the output DC‐blocking capacitor has also been derived. As a demonstration, a 77–110 GHz 40 nm‐complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor PA made of cascode transistors is then designed that has more than 18 dB gain, and its OP1 dB is around 13 dBm across the whole frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a new wideband active power splitter design where the gain cells along the input transmission line are arranged in interleaf rather than the conventional parallel style, thus the circuit's high‐frequency performance can be greatly improved. Both theoretical analysis and circuit simulation have been carried out; as a demonstration, parallel and interleaf active power splitters are designed using 0.1 μm GaAs pseudo‐morphic heterostructure field effect transistors (GaAs pHEMT) process and measured on‐wafer. The results clearly indicate the superiority of the interleaf topology. A 40 GHz interleaf active power splitter in 90 nm complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) is then presented where the magnitude and phase imbalance between the two output ports are 0.15 dB and 2.6° at 20 GHz, and 0.16 dB and 14° at 40 GHz. The output‐port isolation is better than 30 dB across the whole frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible, lightweight Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells grown on polymer substrates are a promising technology with fast growing market prospects. However, power conversion efficiencies of solar cells grown at low temperatures (≈450 °C) remain below the efficiencies of cells grown at high temperature on glass substrates. This contribution discusses the impact on cell efficiency of process improvements of low-temperature CIGS deposition on flexible polyimide and glass substrates. Different strategies for incorporation of alkali elements into CIGS are evaluated based on a large number of depositions. Postdeposition treatment with heavy alkali (here RbF) enables a thickness reduction of the CdS buffer layer and increases the open-circuit voltage. Na supply during 3rd stage CIGS deposition positively impacts the cell performance. Coevaporation of heavy alkali (e.g., RbF) during capping layer deposition mitigates the adverse shunting associated with high Cu contents, yielding highest efficiencies with near-stoichiometric absorber compositions. Furthermore, optimization of the deposition sequence results in absorbers with a 1 µm wide notch region with nearly constant bandgap minimum. The improved processes result in a record cell efficiency of 20.8% for CIGS on flexible substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A big challenge for nonlinear optical (NLO) materials is the application in high power lasers, which needs the simultaneous occurrence of large second harmonic generation (SHG) and high laser induced damage threshold (LIDT). Herein we report the preparation of a new Ga2Se3 phase, which shows the SHG intensities of around 2.3 times and the LIDT of around 16.7 times those of AgGaS2 (AGS), respectively. In addition, its IR transparent window ca. 0.59–25 μm is also significantly wider than that of AGS (ca. 0.48–≈11.4 μm). The occurrence of the strong SHG responses and good phase‐matching indicate that the structure of the new Ga2Se3 phase can only be non‐centrosymmetric and have a lower symmetry than the cubic γ‐phase. The observed excellent SHG and phase‐matching properties are consistent with our diffraction experiments and can be well explained by using the orthorhombic models obtained through our high throughput simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX)-induced masticatory muscle hypofunction on the maxillofacial suture bone growth of growing rats.Setting and Sample Population: Department of Orthodontics at Taipei Medical University. Forty-eight male 4-week-old Wistar rats were divided into four groups. The N group received injections of normal saline into each of the masseter and temporalis muscles. The M group received injections of normal saline into each of the temporalis muscle and injections of BTX into each of the masseter muscle. The T group received injections of normal saline into each of the masseter muscle and injections of BTX into each of the temporalis muscle. The MT group received injections of BTX into each of the masseter and temporalis muscles.Material& Methods: Rats were sacrificed after 42 days of growth. Changes in body and muscle weight were measured. Anthropometric measurements of the maxillary arch, sutural bone mineral density and sutural bone deposition distances were recorded. Statistical comparisons were performed using analysis of variance.Results: No significant change in body weight was found across groups. However, significant decreases were observed in muscle weight, anthropometric measurements, sutural bone mineral density and bone apposition distance in the BTX-injected group.Conclusions: Reduced masticatory muscle function in growing rats can affect maxillofacial suture bone growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript presents the design of a W‐band receiver in which an radio frequency‐low noise amplifier (RF‐LNA), a wideband mixer, intermediate frequency (IF) amplification, a local oscillator frequency (LO) tripler and a driving amplifier are all integrated into one single chip of 1050 × 820 μm2. To effectively extend the mixer's IF bandwidth while retaining its conversion gain, impacts of the mixing transistor's drain bias and output loading impedance are explored using a dual‐modulation conversion‐matrix method, which allows both the LO‐induced transconductance modulation and channel‐conductance modulation to be considered simultaneously. It is shown that, by merging the input capacitance of the IF amplifier into a high‐impedance artificial transmission line, an actively biased mixer can have constant conversion gain over broad bandwidth. A 77–110 GHz 65 nm‐complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS) receiver with 33 GHz IF bandwidth is then designed and measured. Its conversion gain and noise figure are 10 and 20 dB, respectively, and the input‐referred P1 dB is −15 dBm; the overall power consumption is 330 mW under 1.3 V drain bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: There remains an unmet need for convenient biomarkers to assess the risks of discontinuing nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Aim: To investigate if hepatitis B core‐related antigen (HBcrAg) is an independent of surface antigen (HBsAg) for risk prediction of NA cessation. Methods: This prospective multicentre study enrolled 135 CHB patients who stopped entecavir or tenofovir after achieving viral remission for a median of 25.2 months. All patients stopped NA with negative HBeAg and undetectable viral DNA, and were then observed for clinical relapse and HBsAg loss. Predictors including HBsAg and HBcrAg levels were explored using Cox proportional hazard model and weighted to develop a risk score. Results: During a median follow‐up of 25.9 months, clinical relapse and HBsAg loss occurred in 66 and eight patients, respectively, with a 5‐year cumulative incidence of 56.1% (95% CI 46.7‐66.0%) and 8.8% (95% CI 4.3‐17.4%), respectively. HBcrAg was an independent relapse predictor, as well as HBsAg, age, ALT and tenofovir use. A score (SCALE‐B) was calculated by the equation of 35*HBsAg (log IU/mL) + 20*HBcrAg (log U/mL) + 2*age (year) + ALT (U/L) + 40 for tenofovir use. The concordance rates for clinical relapse were 0.87, 0.88, 0.87, 0.85 and 0.90 at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, respectively. Moreover, HBsAg loss occurred exclusively in low‐risk patients predicted by the score. Conclusions: Serum HBcrAg and HBsAg levels were independent predictors of off‐NA relapse and can be factored into a risk score to guide treatment cessation in patients with CHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiphase all‐digital crystal‐less clock generator (CLCG) with an interpolating digital controlled oscillator (DCO) that achieves an operating frequency of 500 MHz with 10‐phase outputs is proposed. The CLCG adopts a specific temperature coefficient of a time‐to‐digital convertor (TDC) to create a positive or negative temperature coefficient and compensates for the DCO frequency drift. A time amplifier (TA) can extend the timing resolution of the TDC and reduce the effects of process variations in order to tune the TA gains. The frequency compensator adopts the frequency difference between the ring oscillator and DCO to reduce the frequency drift. The frequency accuracy is 69 ppm/°C from − 20 to 80°C. The root mean square jitter and output phase noise are 3.86 ps and − 100.36 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz, respectively. The core area of the test chip is 350 × 420 μm2 in a 65‐nm CMOS process. At a supply voltage of 0.6 V, the power consumption is 1.8 mW for the 5 Gb/s clocking system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple adduct from tin tetraiodide SnI4 and octasulfur S8, SnI4⋅(S8)2 (1), is obtained employing a facile reaction. The combination of Sn4+ ions with d10 electron configuration, acentric SnI4 tetrahedra, and lone‐pair effects of S8, makes 1 a phase‐matchable infrared NLO crystal with a moderate second‐harmonic generation (SHG) response and a very high laser‐induced damage threshold (LIDT), which is well confirmed by the DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported are the synthesis, crystal structure and electronic structure of K3Bi2Cl5O2(SO4)2, which is a novel pentanary chloride oxide sulfate containing three types of anions, Cl–, O2–, and (SO4)2– by using a solution method. It crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1‾ , and the structure features layers built by (BiO5Cl3)8– anionic units and (SO4)2– tetrahedra with K+ ions insertion between layers as counter ions. The band gap of K3Bi2Cl5O2(SO4)2 was determined to be 3.62(2) eV and its electronic structure was also investigated to compare with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Optimal staging of the invasion depth of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is vital before endoscopic treatment. A new simplified magnified narrow-band imaging (M-NBI) classification system based on vascular architecture has recently been developed by the Japan Esophageal Society; however, its validity remains uncertain. Methods: A total of 11 experienced and 11 inexperienced endoscopists were invited to join an endoscopic training program, which was composed of pretest, educational section, and post-test. The pretest and post-test sections included a set of endoscopic photos from 40 subjects with superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with various invasion depths. Each subject appeared twice in the test, one with white-light imaging (WLI) only and the other with both WLI and M-NBI. The educational section included lectures and video demonstrations. Results: The accuracy of WLI alone and combined with M-NBI at baseline were 0.53, 0.57 and 0.43, 0.41 for the experienced and inexperienced endoscopists, respectively, which then improved to 0.57, 0.63 and 0.49, 0.52 after training. Inter-observer agreement (kvalue) of WLI alone and combined WLI and M-NBI for the experienced and inexperienced endoscopists also improved from 0.61, 0.61, and 0.61, 0.53 to 0.68, 0.71, and 0.71, 0.59, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the educational course but not experience in endoscopy, NBI, or magnification significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy. MNBI had a significant additional benefit to WLI, with an improvement in accuracy from 36% to 56% for the cases with m3/sm1 cancers (P < 0.05). Conclusions: A well-designed training program can improve the diagnostic accuracy in evaluating cancer invasion depth, with substantial agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of trace and rare earth elements in 22 crude oil and five oilfield water samples, collected from Triassic Yanchang Formation and Jurassic Yanan Formation reservoirs in the Jiyuan Area of Ordos Basin, N China, was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) for the first time. The oil samples were analysed to classify the oils into family and to determine the origin and depositional environment of organic matter that yield the oils using trace elements. The REE chondrite‐normalized distribution patterns of the crude oils show light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment and right‐oblique curves. These patterns could be divided into two distinct types that were consistent with that of the upper continental crust (UCC) and lower continental crust (LCC) characterizing by negative Eu anomalies and positive Eu anomalies, respectively. The REE concentrations in coexisting water samples are less than those in crude oils by a factor of ten. Cluster analysis also classified the oil samples from the Ordos Basin into two main groups. Integrated analysis of Co/Ni, V/Ni and V/ (V + Ni) values suggests that the organic matter have more terrigenous source input and the palaeoenvironment was anoxic and slightly oxic conditions. This study differs from previous studies by using trace element analyses of crude oils to constrain oil‐source rock correlation. The results show that most of the crude oils in north Jiyuan area were derived from Chang 7 mudstones while those from Hongde area may be contributed by Chang 7 oil shales. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Flower structures are typical features of wrench fault zones. In conventional studies, two distinct kinds of flower structures have been identified based on differences in their internal structural architecture: (1) negative flower structures characterized by synforms and normal separations and (2) positive flower structures characterized by antiforms and reverse separations. In addition to negative and positive flower structures, in this study, a third kind of flower structure was identified in a divergent‐wrench fault zone, a hybrid characterized by both antiforms and normal separations. Negative flower structures widely occur in divergent‐wrench fault zones, and their presence indicates the combined effects of extensional and strike‐slip motion. In contrast, positive and hybrid flower structures occur only in fault restraining bends and step overs. A hybrid flower structure can be considered as product of a kind of structural deformation typical of divergent‐wrench zones; it is the result of the combined effects of extensional, compressional, and strike‐slip strains under a locally appropriate compressional environment. The strain situation in it represents the transition stage that in between positive and negative flower structures. Kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the hybrid flower structures indicate the salient features of structural deformation in restraining bends and step overs along divergent‐wrench faults, including the coexistence of three kinds of strains (i.e., compression, extension, and strike‐slip) and synchronous presence of compressional (i.e., typical fault‐bend fold) and extensional (normal faults) deformation in the same place. Hybrid flower structures are also favorable for the accumulation of hydrocarbons because of their special structural configuration in divergent‐wrench fault zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanitarian aid has long been considered an important means to reduce hunger and suffering in developing countries. A recent finding by Nunn and Qian (US food aid and civil conflict, American Economic Review 2014; 104: 1630-1666) that such aid from the US increases the incidence and duration of civil conflict in recipient countries, however, questions the effectiveness of this policy and poses a serious policy concern for the US government. We revisit this issue by conducting a successful replication study of the results in their paper. In order to further scrutinize their claims that a heterogeneous effect of food aid on conflict is not present, we employ a semiparametric endogenous estimation procedure. We show that their parametric models cannot be rejected and argue that their findings are robust. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Therapeutic duration of nucleos(t)ide analogues for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is not indefinite in many parts of the world. Viral reactivation is common off therapy, but the risk of subsequent clinical outcome remains unclear and unpredictable. We aimed to quantify the incidence of and explore the predictors for clinical flare following virological relapse in CHB patients who discontinue entecavir therapy. Methods This multicenter cohort study prospectively monitored 133 CHB patients who were HBeAg-negative and viral DNA-undetectable when discontinuing entecavir after at least 3 years on therapy. Following virological relapse (viral DNA >2,000 IU/mL) that occurred in 92 patients, the incidences of subsequent clinical flare and persistent (unremittent for 3 months) or severe hepatitis (with jaundice or coagulopathy) were determined, and risk factors were explored. Patients did not resume antiviral therapy until occurrence of persistent or severe hepatitis. Results The cumulative incidence of clinical hepatitis 2 years after virological relapse was 61.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.9-72.3%) and that of persistent or severe hepatitis was 53.0% (95% CI, 40.9-66.2%). Serum viral load at the virological relapse was associated with both clinical hepatitis (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.31 per log IU/mL; 95% CI, 1.07-1.60) and persistent or severe hepatitis (adjusted HR, 1.63 per log IU/mL; 95% CI, 1.27-2.10), after adjustment for serum aminotransferase and alfa-fetoprotein levels in the multivariate analysis. Viral DNA >100 000 IU/mL predicted a nearly inevitable occurrence of clinical flare ( P < 0.0001). Conclusions A high viral load at the virological relapse predicts subsequent clinical hepatitis in CHB patients who discontinue entecavir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Comparative effectiveness of different nucleos(t)ide analogues for preventing hepatitis B virus reactivation induced by cytotoxic chemotherapy has not been elucidated. The prophylactic drug of choice remains controversial. Aim Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of tenofovir, telbivudine and entecavir with lamivudine in preventing the reactivation of hepatitis B virus caused by chemotherapy. Methods This retrospective cohort study consecutively screened all patients who were positive for hepatitis B virus surface antigen and received chemotherapy for malignant diseases in a teaching hospital in Taiwan. Eligible patients were grouped according to whether they received nucleos(t)ide analogues before (prophylactic group) or during chemotherapy (historical control). Those who received antiviral prophylaxis were further classified by the medications that included lamivudine, telbivudine, entecavir and tenofovir. The incidence of hepatitis, liver decompensation and interruption of chemotherapy were audited. Results A total of 212 consecutive patients were enrolled into analysis. Those who prophylactically used nucleos(t)ide analogues ( n = 177) had significantly lower rates of liver decompensation (0.6% vs 20%, P < 0.01), interruption of chemotherapy (0% vs 40%, P < 0.01) and incidence of hepatitis (4.5% vs 100%, P < 0.01), as compared with their historical control ( n = 35). In the prophylactic group, there was no difference among tenofovir, telbivudine, entecavir and lamivudine users in the incidence of hepatitis, liver decompensation and interruption of chemotherapy. Conclusion Lamivudine, telbivudine, entecavir and tenofovir are all effective as the prophylactic antiviral therapy to prevent reactivation of hepatitis B induced by chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipase from Candida rugosa was immobilized onto polystyrene-divinylbenzene support for converting waste cooking oil to biodiesel using a two-step process. The immobilization improved the thermal stability and stability at acidic pH. The adsorbed lipase was applied to the hydrolysis of waste cooking oil to fatty acids, and the effects of temperature, pH, shaking speed and isooctane/waste cooking oil ratio were evaluated using response surface methodology combined with central composite design. The optimal conditions for the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis were 35.3 °C, pH 5.5, shaking speed of 222 rpm, and isooctane/waste cooking oil ratio of 0.34; the predicted and experimental conversions were 100 and 99.7%, respectively. The conversion of waste cooking oil to fatty acids remained the same after reuse for seven reaction cycles. The hydrolysis of waste cooking oil was also performed in recycled-batch mode with a packed-bed reactor; the maximal conversion of 93% was observed after reaction with 490 mg of immobilized lipase for 2 h. The fatty acids separated were further converted to biodiesel by Amberlyst 15-catalyzed esterification; 99.9% conversion was obtained after 2 h incubation. © 2016 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) as well as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We aimed to investigate whether HPV infection underlies the field cancerization phenomenon over upper aerodigestive tract to develop synchronous multiple cancers.Study Design: A case control study.Methods: The presence and subtype of HPV-DNA sequence in cancers were examined by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing in a prospective cohort with 100 HNSCCs, 50 of which had synchronous ESCCs. The clinicopathologic characteristics were further analyzed according to the presence of HPV.Results: Twelve patients were HPV-positive, of which 11 were positive for HPV-16. The prevalence of HPV infection were not different between the synchronous and HNSCC alone groups (P = 0.357). Testing for HPV in paired HNSCC and ESCC tissues from the same patient revealed that none were concomitantly HPV-positive. Multivariate logistic regression showed drinking alcohol (odds ratio [OR], 18.75; P = 0.030), alcohol flushing (OR, 2.53; P = 0.041), and body mass index (OR, 0.77; P = 0.001) but not HPV infection were independent risk factors for synchronous phenotype. The patients with synchronous ESCCs had significantly poorer survival than those with HNSCC alone (5-year overall survival: 30% vs. 70%; log-rank P < 0.001). However, patients with HPV-positive HNSCC tend to have favorable outcome than those with HPV-negative HNSCC.Conclusions: HPV infection plays little role in field cancerization phenomenon to initiate synchronous SCC. The synchronous HNSCC and ESCC from the same patients had no clonal relationship. Routine endoscopic examination of the esophagus should be recommended for patients with risk factors identified.Levels Of Evidence: NA. Laryngoscope, 126:1097-1102, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-source correlation studies have demonstrated that the crude oils in the Ordos Basin were mainly derived from organic-rich lacustrine mudstones of the Yanchang Formation. The sedimentology, petrology and organic geochemistry of these mudstones have been studied intensively, but their trace and rare earth element (REE) characteristics have received little attention. In this paper, we present trace and rare earth element data of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation mudstones in the southern Ordos Basin to constrain the palaeoenvironment, provenance and depositional setting. Our results show that the REE and trace element concentrations of the Yanchang Formation mudstones are higher than those of the upper continental crust (UCC). The Sr contents and Sr/Ba and Y/Ho ratios of these mudstones indicate the absence of a marine transgression during the sedimentation of the Upper Triassic mudstones. The depositional environment of the Upper Triassic mudstones was slightly oxic as evidenced by the values of Eu/Eu*, Ce/Ce*, Ceanom, δU, U/Th, V/Cr and Ni/Co. The UCC-normalized distribution pattern of REEs, spider diagrams, the ratios of related elements, the bivariate diagrams of Th/Sc-Zr/Sc and La/Th-Hf and the ternary plots of La-Th-Sc and Th-Sc-Zr/10 signify that the provenances of the Chang9-7 mudstones were mainly derived from a continental island arc, whereas the provenances of the Chang6-3 mudstones were mainly derived from a mixture of continental island arc and active continental margin, and the latter contain less recycled materials. Combined with the previous studies of detrital zircon dating and petrography of the Yanchang Formation sandstones in the southern Ordos basin, we propose that the Qinling orogenic belt served as one of the primary source regions occurring between the Chang7 and Chang6 periods, corresponding to the initial uplift of the west Qinling Mountains due to the collision between the Yangtze and North China blocks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aimed to investigate the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection on the prognosis and treatment response of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods We examined the presence and subtypes of HPV in the tumors by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing in 150 ESCC patients. Their clinicopathological characteristics, treatment response and survival were further analyzed according to the presence of HPV infection. Results Of 150 ESCC tumor samples, 27 (18.0%) were HPV-positive, of which 22 (81.5%) had HPV-16 infection. The risk of developing multifocal ESCC was not significantly different in the HPV-positive and HPV-negative groups (29.6% vs 28.5%, P = 0.90). In subgroup analysis, patients with HPV-16-positive advanced ESCC had a significantly better survival than those with HPV-negative ESCC (3-year survival: 55% vs 21%, log-rank P = 0.03). Cox proportional hazards model showed that the presence of HPV-16 was associated with a significant reduction in the mortality rate (hazard ratio 0.41, 95% CI 0.18-0.96). Patients with HPV-16 infection had better response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) than those without HPV-16 infection ( P = 0.026). Conclusions In patients with advanced ESCC, HPV-16-positive patients had a significantly favorable survival, especially those who received CRT. Larger scale studies are needed to determine the causal relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By choosing an appropriate duty cycle and modulation frequency, the pulse-modulated RF discharge can be optimized to provide a high-density atmospheric plasma with a reduced power consumption but without the risk of gas heating in pure helium. In this paper, we presented a fluid model to investigate the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in an atmospheric pulse-modulated RF discharge with He/O2 mixtures. The numerical results show that modulated by a pulse the electrons could not fully interact with the oxygen molecules, then leading to a less consumption of electrons. Thus, the production of ground state atomic oxygen, excited atomic oxygen and single delta oxygen (SDO) are suppressed, however, due to the reduced power dissipation under pulse modulation, the production of ground state atomic oxygen and excited atomic oxygen are still effective. Consequently, the duty cycle and modulation frequency can also be used to manipulate the generation of ROS in an atmospheric RF discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete structures can suffer from water permeating under stresses. This paper investigates the surface water permeability of reinforced concrete elements subjected to uniaxial tension. A testing system was developed to combine a conventional loading machine with a surface permeameter. To eliminate the effect of initial absorption of water, calibration tests were conducted on plain concrete samples with different surface saturated states. The experiment presented is designed to test the surface water permeability of a structural member under uniaxial tension. Specimens were reinforced centrally with different sizes of steel bar and fabricated with normal-strength and high-strength concrete. A uniaxial tensile load was applied from 0.10 to 0.80 of estimated ultimate cracking load in 0.10 increments. At the same time, water permeability was measured at each load step. Test results give the relationship between water permeability of concrete member and tensile load levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Endoscopic therapy combined with vasoconstrictor was generally recommended to treat acute variceal bleeding. However, up to 30% of patients may still encounter treatment failure. Objectives This trial was to evaluate the efficacy of combination with endoscopic variceal ligation ( EVL) and proton pump inhibitor ( PPI) infusion in patients with acute variceal bleeding. Methods Cirrhotic patients presenting with acute esophageal variceal bleeding were rescued by emergency EVL. Soon after arresting of bleeding varices, eligible subjects were randomized to two groups. Vasoconstrictor group received either somatostatin or terlipressin infusion. PPI group received either omeprazole or pantoprazole. End points were initial hemostasis, very early rebleeding rate, and adverse events. Results Sixty patients were enrolled in vasoconstrictor group and 58 patients in PPI group. Both groups were comparable in baseline data. Initial hemostasis was achieved in 98% in vasoconstrictor group and 100% in PPI group ( P = 1.0). Very early rebleeding within 48-120 h occurred in one patient (2%) in vasoconstrictor group and one patient (2%) in the PPI group ( P = 1.0). Treatment failure was 4% in vasoconstrictor group and 2% in PPI group ( P = 0.95). Adverse events occurred in 33 patients (55%) in vasoconstrictor group and three patients (6%) in PPI group ( P < 0.001). Two patients in vasoconstrictor group and one patient in PPI group encountered esophageal ulcer bleeding. Conclusions After successful control of acute variceal bleeding by EVL, adjuvant therapy with PPI infusion was similar to combination with vasoconstrictor infusion in terms of initial hemostasis, very early rebleeding rate, and associated with fewer adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is a developing country with the largest population of any country in the world. The 2010 sixth national census found that China's population was 1,339,724,852, accounting for about 19 percent of the world's total population. However, higher education in the Chinese dental field started late and developed slowly. In order to acquaint more dental educators worldwide about China's current higher dental education system, this article provides a brief introduction to the present education system, degrees conferred, curriculum setting, training mode, teaching materials, courses, and academic journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a medical approach to posing contextualized questions that are based on real-life clinical problems, case-based learning (CBL) is used to stimulate and underpin the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes through clinical cases. Good effects were acquired in the practice of CBL teaching in English applied by the College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong Uni-versity. Responses from both students and teachers reflected that this course approach won their high acceptance and was worthy of use in selected stomatological courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a widely accepted educational method centered on the discussion and learning that emerge from a clinically based problem; however, little has been reported on the details of PBL case-writing in the dental education literature. This article outlines some principles of writing a PBL case as it is practiced at a Chinese dental school and presents, as an example, an actual case based on a clinical problem (ameioblastoma of the jaw) intended to provide a learning focus for predoctoral dental students. A good PBL case should allow for progressive, interdependent actions to be taken in the evaluation and overall management of the patient in context and should trigger inquiry and discussion among students in both the basic sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathophysiology, etc.) and related clinical sciences. The epidemiological, sociological, and ethical considerations related to each problem should also be emphasized as an essential component of effective health care provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ErbB2 (HER2/neu) is overexpressed in about 25-30% of breast malignancies, and up-regulation of ErbB2 in breast cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis. It is known that the carboxyl terminus of heat shock cognate 70 interacting protein (CHIP) efficiently down-regulates ErbB2 in vitro. Human tumourous imaginal disc 1 (Tid1, DnaJa3), a co-chaperone of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), also suppresses ErbB2 expression in breast cancer cell lines. However, the intracellular interactions among Tid1, CHIP, and ErbB2 remain elusive, and the utilization of Tid1 and CHIP as breast cancer biomarkers has never been proposed. Herein, we analysed the expression and correlations among Tid1, CHIP, and ErbB2 in a total of 183 breast cancer histology sections, including 30 fresh tissue specimens, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunoblotting assay. A computerized image analysis system was used for IHC scoring and determining relative immunoblot intensity. The immunohistochemical expression of Tid1 and CHIP were positively correlated with each other but were both inversely correlated to that of ErbB2. Odds ratio analyses showed that lower expression of Tid1 has a relatively higher risk of unfavourable tumour grade, later pathological stage, larger tumour size, and microscopic features of a more malignant histology including lymphovascular invasion, stromal inflammatory response, and tumour necrosis. Expression of CHIP displayed similar characteristics. Furthermore, expression of Tid1 and/or CHIP increases patients' 10-year overall and disease-free survival rate. Empirically, we also demonstrated that Tid1, CHIP, and ErbB2 interacted with each other through immunofluorescence or co-immunoprecipitation analyses. Functionally, Tid1 and CHIP acted synergistically to degrade ErbB2 in vitro. Conversely, Tid1 cannot compensate for the loss of proteolytic function noted in CHIP mutations for degradation of ErbB2. Overall, our data suggest that Tid1 and CHIP play pivotal roles in affecting the levels of ErbB2 protein, and that both are significant prognostic indicators of breast cancer patient survival. Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we report the syntheses and characterizations of a series of novel block polyelectrolytes, poly(styrene- block-sulfonated hydroxystyrene) (PS- b-sPHS), containing pendant sulfonic acid groups attached to the backbone via propyl spacers in the sPHS domain. PS- b-sPHS with various compositions were synthesized via anionic polymerization and the following analogous chemistry to achieve accurate control of molecular weight ( Mw), narrow polydispersity and high degree of sulfonation. Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) were prepared from PS- b-sPHS with sulfonic acids in either potassium salts or tetra-alkylammonium salts via solvent casting and following treatments. Some unique morphologies, such as hallow channels and lamellar arrangement of strings of beads, were observed as a consequence of equilibrium between microphase separation and columbic interactions between polyelectrolytes. The transportation properties were found to closely relate to the morphologies of the PEMs. The combination of microphase separation of block polyelectrolytes and freedom of movement of pendent alkylsulfonic acids was demonstrated to effectively enhance the proton transport and suppress the methanol crossover for the PEMs, leading to the selectivity higher than Nafion 117 by five times at most. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Western countries, the epidemiology of esophageal cancer has changed considerably over the past decades with a rise in the ratio of adenocarcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma. Although the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux is increasing in Asia, the prevalences of Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) have remained low in most Asian countries. The Asian Barrett's Consortium recently conducted a review of published studies on BE from Asia to assess the current status of BE research in Asia, and to recommend potential areas for future BE research in the region. Differences in study design, enrolled population, and endoscopic biopsy protocols used have led to substantial variability in the reported BE prevalence (0.06% to 19.9%) across Asia. In particular, some Japanese studies used diagnostic criteria that differed considerably from what was used in most Asian studies. As in Western countries, increased age, male sex, tobacco smoking, reflux symptoms, and erosive esophagitis have been found to be risk factors for BE in several case-control studies from Asia. The Prague C and M criteria, developed to provide better interobserver reliability in diagnosis and grading of BE, are currently under extensive evaluation in the Asian population. There is a need for standardized protocols for endoscopic and histopathologic diagnosis before initiating collaborative projects to identify etiologic determinants of BE and its ensuing malignant transformation. At present, data regarding the management and long-term outcome of BE are extremely limited in Asia. More studies of BE in this geographic area are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study investigated the risk factors for synchronous esophageal neoplasia in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods. All 315 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed HNSCC received endoscopic esophageal screening with image-enhanced endoscopy. Results. Sixty-nine patients (21.9%) had synchronous esophageal neoplasia, 37 (53.6%) with superficial neoplasia and 21 (30.4%) with multiple esophageal lesions. Univariate analysis revealed age <50 years, drinking alcohol, and location of index HNSCC were significant risk factors for developing synchronous esophageal neoplasia. In multivariate analysis, drinking alcohol (odds ratio [OR], 3.792; p = .0035), index oropharynxgeal cancers (OR, 3.618; p = .0045) and hypopharyngeal cancers (OR, 2.627; p = .0029) were independent risk factors. Drinking alcohol was clearly dose- response related (p = .001). Conclusion. Alcohol consumption and index tumor location are associated with the development of synchronous esophageal neoplasia in patients with HNSCC. Because of the high prevalence, routine endoscopic examination of the esophagus should be recommended, especially in patients with the risk factors identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A higher prevalence of erosive esophagitis is found in obese than in nonobese patients; however, it remains unclear why some obese patients develop this disease, whereas others do not. Accordingly, we elucidated the risk factors associated with erosive esophagitis in severely obese Chinese patients. Between June 2007 and January 2009, a total of 260 Chinese patients with morbid obesity referred for bariatric surgery were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. All patients received preoperative endoscopy for evaluation of the presence and severity of erosive esophagitis. Demographic variables, anthropometric measurements, and metabolic factors were included in a logistic regression model to identify the factors predictive of erosive esophagitis. The prevalence of erosive esophagitis was 32.3%. Multiple logistic regression showed that increased waist circumference (odds ratio (OR) = 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-1.04), increased insulin resistance (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.06-2.31), and presence of reflux symptoms (OR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.22-4.74) were independent risk factors associated with erosive esophagitis. In conclusion, among Chinese patients with morbid obesity, increased waist circumference and insulin resistance were risk factors for erosive esophagitis, which highlights the critical role of visceral adiposity in the pathogenesis of erosive esophagitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]