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As thermal protection substrates for wearable electronics, functional soft composites made of polymer materials embedded with phase change materials and metal layers demonstrate unique capabilities for the thermal protection of human skin. Here, we develop an analytical transient phase change heat transfer model to investigate the thermal performance of a wearable electronic device with a thermal protection substrate. The model is validated by experiments and the finite element analysis (FEA). The effects of the substrate structure size and heat source power input on the temperature management efficiency are investigated systematically and comprehensively. The results show that the objective of thermal management for wearable electronics is achieved by the following thermal protection mechanism. The metal thin film helps to dissipate heat along the in-plane direction by reconfiguring the direction of heat flow, while the phase change material assimilates excessive heat. These results will not only promote the fundamental understanding of the thermal properties of wearable electronics incorporating thermal protection substrates, but also facilitate the rational design of thermal protection substrates for wearable electronics.

Objective: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) expression is elevated in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), however, its clinical significance is not clear. Owing to the strong correlation between AMH and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM), some studies believe that AMH alone can be used to diagnose PCOS. The aim of this study was to explore whether AMH can be used to diagnose PCOS and to differentiate the various PCOS subtypes. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 503 patients with PCOS. Patients were divided into eight subtypes based on the presence/absence of hyperandrogenemia (HA), insulin resistance (IR), or obesity (OB). The expression characteristics of AMH in each subtype were analyzed. Due to the small number of patients with subtypes 7 and 8, only patients with subtypes 1–6 were included in the analysis. Results: AMH showed a good positive correlation with PCOM (P = 0.000) and negative correlations with OB (P = 0.000) and IR (P = 0.003). The free testosterone index showed no correlation with AMH (P = 0.803). The percentages of patients with each subtype (excluding subtypes 7–8) and their respective AMH levels were as follows: Type 1 (HA + NIR + OB) 4.77% and 9.12 ng/mL; Type 2 (HA + IR + NOB) 20.68% and 10.34 ng/mL; Type 3 (HA + NIR + NOB) 23.66% and 9.47 ng/mL; Type 4 (HA + IR + OB) 30.82% and 8.32 ng/mL; Type 5 (NHA + NIR + NOB) 11.73% and 10.0 ng/mL; and Type 6 (NHA + IR + NOB) 6.16% and 9.76 ng/mL. The diagnostic rates of AMH (>8.09 ng/mL) and ultrasound for PCOM were 60.10% and 85.60%, respectively, suggesting that AMH did not completely predict PCOM. Conclusions: High AMH levels can be used to evaluate the incidence trend of PCOS. However, due to clinical heterogeneity, accurately evaluating the severity of PCOS and identifying the subtype of PCOS in Chinese patients are difficult. Individualized treatment should be administered based on accurate clinical subtypes and other clinical characteristics.

Objective: This study aimed at elucidating the therapeutic effectiveness of metformin in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients with normal clinical indices of insulin sensitivity. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. Based on their homeostasis model of assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) results, PCOS patients (n = 113) were allocated to either the IR Group (IR, HOMA-IR >2.69) or the non-IR Group (NIR, HOMA-IR ≤2.69). Metformin was administered to all patients, and their medical history, menstrual status, and endocrine and metabolic characteristics were obtained before and after treatment. The one-way analysis of variance was used to determine the differences between the IR and NIR groups. The paired t-test was used to determine the differences between pre- and posttreatment results. Results: Analyses of baseline characteristics showed that the incidence of IR and glycolipid metabolism is higher within elder PCOS patients. Metformin improved menstrual cycle and ovulation rate in NIR patients, similar to those in IR patients. In the NIR group, metformin decreased luteinizing hormone (LH) levels, free androgen index (FAI) levels, body mass index, and waist circumference, but had no obvious effect on glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles. Whereas in the IR group, metformin not only decreased LH and FAI levels, but also improved glycolipid metabolism. Conclusions: The effect of metformin on PCOS patients with normal insulin sensitivity index suggests that the mechanism of menstrual improvement may not be related to IR. In addition, metformin can improve glycolipid metabolism. Therefore, metformin is suitable for long-term treatment of PCOS and should be more widely used.

Objective To evaluate the association between CD16++ monocytes in peripheral blood and the clinical features and short-term therapeutic effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods This prospective cross-sectional study included women diagnosed with PCOS at a University Hospital in Shanghai, China, between June 4 and November 28, 2016. Patients received Diane-35, metformin, or both combined for 3 months. We collected anthropometric measures and used flow cytometry to detect CD16++ monocytes. Results The final analysis included 70 patients: 18 in the Diane-35 group, 30 in the metformin group, and 22 in the Diane-35 plus metformin group. The control group comprised 60 women without PCOS. The proportion of CD16++ monocytes was significantly higher in patients with PCOS than in those with no PCOS (16.05% vs 10.73%; P=0.001). The proportion differed significantly between patients with and those without hyperandrogenism (13.12% vs 17.30%; P=0.002) and showed moderate accuracy in diagnosing hyperandrogenism before treatment. We noted a decrease in monocytes post-treatment in patients given metformin and Diane-35 plus metformin. Conclusions The proportion of CD16++ monocytes was most significantly associated with hyperandrogenism before treatment. Our findings suggest that the proportion of CD16++ monocytes in peripheral blood might be related to the inflammatory condition of PCOS.

Problem Excess caloric intake and irregular circadian rhythm could severely impair female reproductive, metabolic, and immune function. However, the similarities and differences between their individual and combined effects and mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Due to limitations and confounding factors in clinical research, we used these two kinds of unhealthy factors to intervene the mice singly or in combination to explore their effects on individuals. Method of study We used a high-calorie diet (HCD), constant light exposure (CLE), and a high-calorie diet combined with constant light exposure (HCD + CLE) to build three different mouse models. During the 9 weeks modeling period, the estrous cycles were monitored, and after modeling, the indicators of glycolipid metabolism, inflammation, and reproductive endocrine function were tested. Results We found that both HCD and CLE alone could induce ovulatory disorders, obesity, and chronic low-grade inflammation and inhibit melatonin secretion. The difference was that HCD significantly reduced the serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) levels, inhibited the expression of FSH β and LH β in pituitary, increased cytochrome P450 enzymes and LH receptor expression in ovary, as well causing impaired glucose tolerance and hyperlipidemia, and significantly promoted the secretion of leptin and inhibited the secretion of adiponectin. However, CLE significantly increased blood LH and T, prompted the expression of kisspeptin in hypothalamus and LH β in pituitary, and had no effect on glycolipid metabolic indexes or the secretion of leptin or adiponectin. The phenotype of HCD + CLE model was basically the same as that of HCD model, associated with more severe visceral obesity and chronic inflammation. Conclusions In conclusion, we found that unhealthy lifestyle determines the phenotype of reproductive endocrine, immune, and metabolic disorders. These findings can provide theoretical support for the subsequent study of PCOS-like features.

The concept of mimicking natural materials to design novel lightweight structures with high capacity of energy absorption is of great interest at present. Enormous natural structures exhibit fascinating mechanical performance after hundreds of millions of years of convergent evolution. Odontodactylus scyllarus, known as the peacock mantis shrimp, whose dactyl strike is recognized as one of the rapidest and powerful creatures found in nature, has an enormous potential to act as excellent biomimetic protective system. In this paper, a novel lightweight bio-inspired double-sine corrugated (DSC) sandwich structure has been proposed to enhance the impact resistance. The out-of-plane uniform compression of the bio-inspired bi-directionally sinusoidal corrugated core sandwich panel has been conducted under the quasi-static crushing load. Compared with the regular triangular and sinusoidal corrugated core sandwich panels, the bio-inspired DSC core sandwich panels significantly improve the structural crashworthiness as well as reducing the initial peak force greatly. Finally, the influences of the wave amplitude, wave number and corrugated core layer thickness on the mechanical performance of the bio-inspired DSC core sandwich panel are investigated to seek for the appropriate structural parameters to optimize the energy absorption behavior. Keywords: Bio-inspired, Sandwich structure, Crashworthiness, Energy absorption, FE simulation

EAST upper divertor has been upgraded to ITER-like actively-cooled W/Cu components in May 2014. In the manufacture, assembling and disassembling of this W/Cu divertor, it was found that more than 10 support legs have dropped from the W/Cu-monoblock. In this work, the welding technique and drop reason of the support leg have been summarized and analyzed. To replant the dropped legs, some weld methods, including the middle-temperature brazing, electric resistance welding and 3D printing, have been performed and compared. Finally, the replantation technique based on 3D printing with laser beam has been developed and the nickel leg has successfully been printed on W block without the copper interface. In the development of the replantation technique, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the nickel leg have been researched to modify the printing technique. It is considered that this replantation technique also could be used in the ITER W divertor project.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), as the main indicator of ovarian function, plays an important role in the clinical activities of gynecologic endocrinology. Although anti-Mullerian hormone and antral follicle count are also the indictors evaluating ovarian function, many clinicians are still relentless in their decision to impose the death penalty of ovaries when high FSH levels (especially more than 40 IU/L) are observed. We recently encountered four patients whose FSH levels were inconsistent with actual fertility because all patients had successfully conceived after treatment. In our study, we found the culprit (macro-FSH) of false-positive FSH levels by applying the polyethylene glycol protein precipitation technique. The biological functions of macro-FSH were further evaluated by using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. This study suggests that ovarian reserve function should be comprehensively assessed in clinic, and the causes of serum test indicators inconsistent with clinic should be identified. Key words: Fertility; Macro-Follicle-Stimulating Hormone; Ovarian Function; Polyethylene Glycol Precipitation

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-cutaneous cancer among American men. In 2019, 174,650 new patients will be diagnosed from this disease. Most patients with localized PCa could be treated successfully. However, when PCa develops into castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPCa), the five-year survival rate drops below 30%. Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPCa) is an aggressive subtype of PCa observed in 20%-30% CRPCa patients. Understanding how NEPCa progressed from prostate adenocarcinoma could reveal novel therapeutic targets. Previous studies indicate that activation of Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling promotes the progression to CRPCa with an increased NE differentiation. Additionally, animal studies suggest that Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling is active in NEPCa. Here we explored the mechanisms that promote Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling in NEPCa. Using TRAMP mice, which develop NEPCa after castration, we assessed the expression of Wnt-related genes and found that after androgen deprivation, the expression of Wnt7A is increased in prostate derived from both wild type and TRAMP mice but the expression of DKK1, a Wnt inhibitor, is decreased in wild type prostate but not in TRAMP prostate. The elevated expression of Wnt7a in combination with the lack of induction of Dkk1 in TRAMP tumors provides a mechanism to activate Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling in these tumors. Furthermore, we found the expression of YES-associated Protein (YAP1), a key transcriptional coactivator of Hippo pathway, is lost in NEPCa, in contrast to the elevated expression of YAP1 in high-grade prostate adenocarcinoma. YAP1 knockdown activated Wnt/beta-Catenin activity in PCa PC3 and 22Rv1 cells, indicating that the loss of YAP1 expression provides another mechanism to activate Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling, promoting NEPCa phenotype in PCa cells. Funding: This study is supported by: FWCC/Foundation Legacy Funds, DOD New Investigator Award, The Office of Research SEED awards, NIH R01 AND R03. Citation Format: Siyuan Cheng, Shu Yang, Nestor Prieto-Dominguez, Zachary M. Connelly, Yingli Shi, Xiuping Yu. Loss of YAP1 activates Wnt/beta-Catenin signaling in prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4861.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease and the pathogenesis is not clearly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated via microarray techniques that microRNA (miR)-449b was significantly downregulated both in ectopic and eutopic endometrium in patients with endometriosis. In the present study, the aberrant expression of miR-449b was further confirmed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. It was demonstrated that miR-449b-3p was downregulated in ectopic and eutopic tissues from women with endometriosis, and the same expression pattern was observed in endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) of eutopic endometrium from women with endometriosis and normal endometrium from women without endometriosis. Functional analysis, including an MTT assay, apoptosis conducted by flow cytometry, capillary-like tube formation assay and invasion assay, indicated that the upregulated expression of miR-449b-3p inhibited the proliferation of ESCs and that the supernatants of miR-449b-overexpressing ESCs inhibited the formation of tubular structures in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, whereas it has no effect on ESC apoptosis and invasiveness. These results suggest that the aberrant expression of miR-449b-3p was involved in the development and progression of endometriosis.

Recently, the EAST W/Cu divertor components, including the ITER-like monoblock W/Cu units and flat-type W/Cu units, have been developed by Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (...

Controlling and tuning thermal conductivities of composites, including changing the direction of heat flux and thermal energy distribution, possesses significantly meaningful potential in many applications such as heat cloak, heat invisibility, heat protection and so on. In this paper, a novel design of composite metamaterial with periodic lattice structure, consisting of metal lattice layer (copper) and stretchable polymer matrix (Ecoflex), owns the ability to tune the anisotropic thermal conductivity through external strains. The parameters (such as geometric arrangement of metal lattice, loading strains), which can effectively influence the thermal properties of this metamaterial, have been investigated through finite element method considering large deformation. This new design may be helpful for designing and controlling heat flow and temperature distribution in the applications.

This study was designed to use superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) as evaluating tools to study monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM)-mediated delivery of small molecular agents into the diseased brains. MDM were tested with different-configured SPIONs at selected concentrations for their impacts on carrier cells' physiological and migratory properties, which were found to depend largely on particle size, coating, and treatment concentrations. SHP30, a SPION of 30-nm core size with oleic acids plus amphiphilic polymer coating, was identified to have high cellular uptake efficiency and cause little cytotoxic effects on MDM. At lower incubation dose (25 mu g/mL), few alteration was observed in carrier cells' physiological and in vivo migratory functions, as tested in a lipopolysaccharide-induced acute neuroinflammation mouse model. Nevertheless, significant increase in monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation, and decrease in in vivo carrier MDM inflamed-brain homing ability were found in groups treated with a higher dose of SHP30 at 100 mu g/mL. Overall, our results have identified MDM treatment at 25 mu g/mL SHP30 resulted in little functional changes, provided valuable parameters for using SPIONs as evaluating tools to study MDM-mediated therapeutics carriage and delivery, and supported the concepts of using monocytes-macrophages as cellular vehicles to transport small molecular agents to the brain. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Current application of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) as an indicator of sewage contamination has its limitation and other alternative indicator systems are needed for enhanced monitoring of recreational water quality. To explore the potential use of human enteric viruses (HEV) as a potential indicator, human adenovirus type 7 (HAdV-7) was tested in this study as a model virus. Through spiked HAdV-7 into the sample seawater, different procedures for viral concentration and elution were comparatively analyzed in a side-by-side fashion. Nearly 80% infectious viruses were recovered from the spiked seawater with the use of a magnetic stirring method and 1.0 mM NaOH as elution buffer. A viral plaque assay was established with optimized conditions for the detection and quantification of infectious HAdV and used to determine the stability of HAdV-7 in seawater and a possible correlation for HAdV detection between the viral infectivity assay and PCR. Findings from this study suggest it is possible to concentrate and recover infectious HAdV from environmental waters effectively with optimized laboratory conditions, which warrants the future test and establishment of using HEV as an alternative indicator of water quality.