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Background Patients with rosacea often complained of low-tolerance to skincare. Aim To examine if the preexisted low-tolerance to skincare is associated with rosacea the occurrence of the Chinese population. Methods A retrospective case-control survey of 997 rosacea cases and 1,012 skin-healthy controls was carried out in China. Low-tolerance to skincare was evaluated based on the history of facial skin allergic reactions related to skincare in the past five years before the onset of rosacea. A comparative analysis was performed between the case and control groups by the chi-square test and the logistic regression analysis. Results History of facial skin allergic reaction due to skin care products (OR=5.110, 95%CI=3.893-6.706) and skin care in beauty salons (OR=3.002, 95%CI=1.506-5.981) both presented a positive correlations with the occurrence of rosacea. Facial masks and cosmetics were two of the most common products causing facial allergic reaction. The OR values increased with the increased frequency of allergic reactions related to facial mask and cosmetics. In addition, the history of facial skin allergic reaction had a significantly associated with the severity of self-reported symptoms of rosacea including dryness, burning, stinging and itching. Conclusions The condition of low-tolerance of the facial skin to skincare was closely associated with the occurrence of rosacea.

Acne scarring is one of the most common facial skin disorders. The appropriate treatments for acne scars in patients with rosacea have not been studied. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of non-ablative fractional 1440-nm laser (1440-nm NAFL) therapy for treatment of atrophic acne scars in patients with rosacea. In this prospective, interventional study, 32 patients with rosacea and acne scars underwent three sessions of 1440-nm NAFL therapy. Therapy efficacy, epidermal barrier function, and side effects were evaluated. Thirty patients completed and the median acne scar scores significantly reduced from 45 (30, 50) to 15 (15, 30) after three treatments (P

Ablation effects play an important role in material processing with intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) and IPIB diagnostics such as calorimeters and infrared detection may also be influenced by ablation. In this study, with numerical analysis and thermal imaging method, the ablation plume and its effects on energy deposition of IPIB on solid target was studied. Radiation experiments of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) targets with a thickness of 200 μm were carried out on BIPPAB-450 pulsed ion beam accelerator and the energy deposition of the ion beam was investigated with infrared imaging diagnostics. It is revealed that due to the low thermal conductivity and decomposition temperature of PVC, ablation plume can be formed during the early stage of beam irradiation and the ablation product may shield the energy of the ion beam from depositing in the target when energy density reaches a certain threshold. This effect needs to be taken into consideration in order to avoid its influence on applications and beam diagnostics.

Rosacea is significantly associated with dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the common underlying molecular mechanism connecting these two diseases remains limited. This study aimed to reveal the common molecular regulatory networks and identify the potential therapeutic drugs for rosacea and AD. There were 747 overlapped DEGs (ol-DEGs) that were detected in AD and rosacea, enriched in inflammation-, metabolism-, and apoptosis-related pathways. Using the TF regulatory network analysis, 37 common TFs and target genes were identified as hub genes. They were used to predict the therapeutic drugs for rosacea and AD using the DGIdb/CMap database. Among the 113 predicted drugs, melatonin (MLT) was co-associated with both RORA and IFN-γ in AD and rosacea. Subsequently, network pharmacology analysis identified 19 pharmacological targets of MLT and demonstrated that MLT could help in treating AD/rosacea partly by modulating inflammatory and vascular signaling pathways. Finally, we verified the therapeutic role and mechanism of MLT on rosacea in vivo and in vitro. We found that MLT treatment significantly improved rosacea-like skin lesion by reducing keratinocyte-mediated inflammatory cytokine secretion and repressing the migration of HUVEC cells. In conclusion, this study contributes to common pathologies shared by rosacea and AD and identified MLT as an effective treatment strategy for rosacea and AD via regulating inflammation and angiogenesis.

Rosacea is a common chronic facial inflammatory skin disease. However, treatment for “difficult-to-treat rosacea” cases has not been established. This 48-week, prospective, observational study analyzed patients who underwent three non-insulated fractional microneedle radiofrequency (NFMRF) sessions at 2-month intervals. Therapy efficacy, epidermal barrier function, and side effects were evaluated. 34 subjects completed the trial. NFMRF resulted in CEA score reduction from 2.65 ± 0.59 to 1.56 ± 0.50 (P

Background As circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to significantly involve in the onset and progression of multiple malignant tumors including breast cancer (BC), this study aims at evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic values of circRNAs in this malady. Methods Available databases were thoroughly searched to collect studies on the diagnosis and/or prognosis of BC using circRNA profiling. The updated Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS‐2) tool and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) were used to assess the underlying bias of included studies. Clinical characteristics of the studies were merged by the quantitative‐weighted integral method to obtain the combined effects. Results Sixteen studies were included, comprising 2438 BC cases and 271 noncancerous controls. The expression signature covered 24 circRNAs (down‐regulated: circ‐VRK1, hsa_circ_0068033, hsa_circ_103110, hsa_circ_104689, and hsa_circ_104821; up‐regulated: circAGFG1, hsa_circ_0001785, hsa_circ_0108942, hsa_circ_0001785, hsa_circ_006054, hsa_circ_100219, hsa_circ_406697, circEPSTI1, circANKS1B, circGFRA1, circ_0103552, CDR1‐AS, has_circ_001569, hsa_circ_001783, circFBXL5, circ_0005230, circAGFG1, circ‐UBAP2, and circ_0006528). The sensitivity and specificity of circRNAs in distinguishing BC patients from noncancerous controls were 0.65 and 0.68, and the corresponding area under the curve was 0.66. Survival analysis revealed that patients showing highly expressed oncogenic circRNAs were associated with increased mortality risks of BC in overall survival (univariate analysis: hazard ratio [HR] = 3.30, P = .000; multivariate analysis: HR = 3.07, P = .000), and disease‐free survival (HR = 8.26, P = .000). Stratified analysis based on circRNA expression status and control type also showed robust results. Conclusions Circular RNA profiling presents prominent diagnostic and prognostic values in BC, and can be rated as a promising tool facilitating its early diagnosis and survival., In this work, the diagnostic and prognostic significance of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in breast cancer was evaluated, including 16 studies in total, as well as the comparison between 2438 BC cases and 271 noncancerous controls. The meta‐analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of circRNAs in distinguishing BC patients from noncancerous controls were 0.65 and 0.68 separately, corresponding to an area under the curve of 0.66. According to the survival analysis revealed, it showed that there was a correlation relationship between patients with highly expression of oncogenic circRNAs and the increased mortality risks of BC in prognosis.

Consumers often believe that "natural food" is harmless, however naturally occurring toxins in food represent a health risk to humans. Honey as a natural, nutritious sweetener, is one of the most commonly consumed foods throughout the world. However, food safety concerns for honey arise when honeybees collect nectar from poisonous plants such as Rhododendron sp., Coriaria arborea, and Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. Such honey contains natural plant toxins. Humans may develop intoxication symptoms after consuming toxic honey; in some cases, it can be fatal. As a result, toxic honey poses an often-ignored threat to public health. Typical plant toxins such as grayanotoxins, triptolides, tutin and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, have been identified in toxic honey. Although different toxic honeys elicit similar symptoms, such as vomiting, nausea, and dizziness, the mechanism of toxicity may be different. Thus, it is necessary to determine the exact toxicity mechanism of different toxins to further develop effective antidotes and cures. Another important challenge is preventing toxic honey from entering the food chain. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry has a wide range of applications in the detection of different toxins due to its accuracy and simplicity. More methods, however, are urgently needed to detect multiple plant-derived toxins in honey and its derivatives. Developing uniform international standards for toxin detection during quarantine using advanced techniques is critical for preventing human consumption of toxic honey.

BACKGROUND Cancer/testis antigen (CTA) is a class of antigen molecules expressed only in the germinal epithelium of testis and some tumor tissues. As an important CTA molecule, the expression of F-box protein 39 (FBXO39) in breast cancer (BC) and its clinical significance remain unclear. The objective of this study is to explore the value of FBXO39 in the diagnosis, efficacy monitoring, and prognostic evaluation of BC. METHODS The expression of FBXO39 mRNA in the serum exosomes of patients with BC before and after the initial diagnosis and treatment was detected by qRT-PCR, and the corresponding ROC curve was plotted. The expression of FBXO39 protein in BC cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry, along with the analysis of the correlation between FBXO39 expression and clinical pathological features as well as prognosis of BC cases. RESULTS The serum-derived exosomes were successfully isolated and identified. The positive rate of FBXO39 mRNA in serum exosomes of patients with BC was up to 86%; there was a correlation between the expression level of serum exosomal FBXO39 and clinical staging, HER2, and Ki-67 expression (all with p < 0.05). The sensitivity of serum exosomal FBXO39 in distinguishing BC patients from healthy controls was 88%, with the specificity as 86%, and AUC as 0.9432. The expression change of FBXO39 in serum-sourced exosomes of patients with BC was related to their treatment situation, indicating that the level of FBXO39 decreased significantly after treatment. The expression of FBXO39 in cancer tissue was related to the clinical stage (p = 0.023) and lymphatic metastasis (p = 0.015) of the BC patients. Survival analysis showed that the expression of FBXO39 was negatively correlated with the prognosis of BC patients, with the high expression of FBXO39 indicating poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Serum-derived exosomal FBXO39 could serve as an important indicator of BC diagnosis and efficacy evaluation; FBXO39 could be rated as an important indicator of BC prognosis evaluation.

This study aims to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model to assist radiologists in pneumoconiosis screening and staging using chest radiographs. The model, based on chest radiographs, was developed using a training cohort and validated using an independent test cohort. Every image in the training and test datasets were labeled by experienced radiologists in a double-blinded fashion. The computational model started by segmenting the lung field into six subregions. Then, convolutional neural network classification model was used to predict the opacity level for each subregion respectively. Finally, the diagnosis for each subject (normal, stage I, II, or III pneumoconiosis) was determined by summarizing the subregion-based prediction results. For the independent test cohort, pneumoconiosis screening accuracy was 0.973, with both sensitivity and specificity greater than 0.97. The accuracy for pneumoconiosis staging was 0.927, better than that achieved by two groups of radiologists (0.87 and 0.84, respectively). This study develops a deep learning-based model for screening and staging of pneumoconiosis using man-annotated chest radiographs. The model outperformed two groups of radiologists in the accuracy of pneumoconiosis staging. This pioneer work demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of AI-assisted radiography screening and diagnosis in occupational lung diseases.

As the strong thermal effect in the surface, intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) has been extensively used in material surface modification. The ablation is an important part in the interaction process between IPIB and material. In order to investigate the ablation mechanism, combined with IPIB dynamic energy spectrum and infrared imaging diagnostic results, a two-dimensional axisymmetric heat conduction model considering the effect of ablated material was constructed to describe the ablation process and calculate the lost mass of the targets. The influences of beam parameters and ablated matter on the ablation rate were discussed. The experimental and simulative results of ablation threshold and mass were compared.

// Dongxu Pei 1 , Yongwei Li 1 , Xinwei Liu 1 , Sha Yan 1 , Xiaolan Guo 1 , Xiaona Xu 1 , Xiaoxia Guo 2 1 Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hennan Province Hospital of TCM, Zhengzhou, Henan, China 2 Department of Clinical Laboratory, Anyang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Correspondence to: Yongwei Li, email: liyw99@126.com Keywords: fibulin-3, malignant pleural mesothelioma, diagnosis, prognosis, biomarker Received: September 26, 2016 Accepted: January 08, 2017 Published: January 18, 2017 ABSTRACT Fibulin-3 has emerged as a promising novel biomarker in conforming or monitoring malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). This study sought to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic efficacies of humoral fibulin-3 for MPM. Seven eligible publications comprising 468 MPM cases for diagnosis, and 138 for prognosis were identified. Results manifested that humoral fibulin-3 sustained a pooled sensitivity of 0.62 (95% CI: 0.45–0.77) and specificity of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.73–0.89) in discriminating MPM patients from cancer-free individuals, corresponding to an AUC (area under the curve) of 0.81. For the survival analysis, fibulin-3 expression was not markedly associated with overall survival (OS) time of the MPM patients [HR (hazard ratio): 1.84, 95% CI: 0.75–4.56, P = 0.185]. In the subgroup analyses stratified by test matrix and ethnicity, data revealed that serum-based fibulin-3 examination achieved superior accuracy than plasma-based analysis (sensitivity: 0.77 versus 0.54; specificity: 0.85 versus 0.77; AUC: 0.92 versus 0.69); additionally, testing of fibulin-3 in Europeans retained higher efficacy than those in Americans and Australians. Taken together, fibulin-3 confers a relatively high diagnostic efficacy and is acceptable to be an auxiliary biomarker to aid in MPM identification.

In this paper, we expanded the classic Lotka-Volterra prey-predator model, and mainly focused on the dynamic behavior of pest-natural enemy system with integrated pest managements, and the pest could choose either risky or safe mode to adapt with the varying environment.

Modified Da-chai-hu Decoction (MDD), a traditional Chinese medicinal formulation, which was empirically generated from Da-chai-hu decoction, has been utilized to treat severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) for decades. The aim of the present study was to explore its potential organprotective mechanism in SAP. In the present study, rat SAP model was induced by retrograde injection of 3.5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct, MDD (23.35 g/kg body weight, twelve times the clinical dose) were orally given at 2 h before and 10 h after injection. At 12 h after model induction, blood was taken from vena cava for analysis of amylase, diamine oxidase (DAO), pulmonary surfactant protein-A (SP-A), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Histopathological change of pancre-as, ileum and lung was assayed by H&E staining, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were determinated using colorimetric assay, and the expressions of occludin and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were detected by real-time RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. In addition, the tissue concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that in SAP rats, MDD significantly alleviated histopathological damage, depressed the MPO activity and the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1 of pancreas, ileum and lung, and reduced the serum levels of amylase[(3283.4 ±585.5) U·L-1 vs (5626.4 ±795.1) U·L-1], DAO[(1100.1 ±334.3) U·L-1 vs (1666.4 ±525.3) U·L-1] and CRP[(7.6 ±1.2) μg·mL-1 vs (17.8 ±3.8) μg·mL-1]. However, the serum SP-A concentration[(106.1 ±16.6) pg·mL-1 vs (90.1 ±14.9) pg·mL-1] was elevated when treated SAP rats with MDD. Furthermore, MDD increased the occludin expression and reduced the NF-κB expression in pancreas, ileum and lung of SAP rats. Our findings suggested that MDD administration was an effective therapeutic approach for SAP treatment. It could up-regulate occludin expression to protect intercellular tight junction and down-regulate NF-κB expression to inhibit inflammatory reaction of pancreas, ileum and lung.

As a flash heat source, intense pulse ion beam (IPIB) has extensive applications in material surface modification. The ablation effect during IPIB irradiation on target can impact the results of material modification. Therefore, the understanding of ablation mechanism is of great significance for IPIB application. In this work, to investigate the influence mechanism of surface topography on ablation behavior, pure zinc targets with different surface roughness were bombarded by IPIB with various energy densities at TEMP-4M accelerator. The experiments results showed that the ablation mass increased with the surface roughness increasing. Combining Monte Carlo method and finite element method, a heat conduction model was constructed to describe the ablation process of zinc target with different surface roughness. The simulation results agreed with the experiments, and the mechanism of ablation influenced by the surface topography was proposed.

With high power density in solid targets, intense pulsed ion beam with a pulse length of hundreds of ns and cross-sectional energy density of several J/cm2 may induce surface ablation and this effect can be used for thin-film preparation and nanopowder synthesis. Nevertheless, with ablation by the pulsed ion beam, the energy deposition of ions in targets may be affected and this further toughens the analysis of ablation and related material response in applications and ion beam diagnostics. In this study, the energy deposition of nanosecond pulsed ion beam composed of protons and carbon ions on stainless steel and plastics on BIPPAB-450 pulsed ion beam accelerator was investigated with infrared diagnostics. It is revealed that on plastics, under nanosecond IPIB irradiation with energy density of 1.5 J/cm2, ablation plume can be formed at the beginning stage of beam irradiation and the ablation plume may impose strong stopping to the ions in the pulsed ion beam and thus the energy deposition of the ion beam is shielded from reaching the target with over 80% of the beam energy screened. The influence of this energy shielding effect on applications such as beam measurement and material treatment was discussed reasonably.

The cross-sectional distribution and focusing properties of intense pulsed ion beam by an active magnetically insulated diode for material modification is presented. The ion beam accelerator BIPPAB-450 uses the surface flashover of polymers as the ion source, generates intense pulsed ion beam composed of protons and carbon ions with a pulse length of 120 ns, ion energy up to 450 keV, energy density up to 3 J/cm2. By the strong flash thermal effects on the surface of materials, the ion beam can be used for the surface treatment and ablation related application. The cross-sectional distribution of the ion beam was measured by infrared imaging method. The results on the focusing of the diode reveal the distribution in the plasma generation on the anode surface. Comparative study on beam focusing during transportation was made and it is demonstrated that by using a copper beam limiter, the maximum beam energy density can be increased by a factor of nearly 1.5. The change in the beam phase-space distribution by the limiter is also exhibited and the influence on beam diagnostics and optimization is discussed reasonably.

With strong flash heating effects, intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) may induce ablation on the solid surface and it is the basis of applications such as surface cleaning, nanopowder preparation and thin-film synthesis with IPIB. In this study, the ablation of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) by IPIB was investigated with varied beam energy density on pulsed ion beam accelerator BIPPAB-450 to study the ablation of IPIB under strong ablation. With thermal imaging measurement, it is revealed that when energy reaches a certain threshold, the ablation plume generated on the target surface may impose a shielding effect on the ion beam energy from depositing in the target. It is verified by thermal field simulation that for the low evaporation temperature and high thermal resistance, intense ablation plume may be generated on the surface of plastics under low IPIB energy density or at the early stage of IPIB irradiation. Ablation mass measurement demonstrated that under irradiation of IPIB with a pulse length of 120 ns, ion energy up to 450 keV, energy density up to 3.8 J/cm2, the mass loss of the target increases with the rise of IPIB energy density. Under the irradiation of a series of pulses, the mass loss of PMMA increases proportionally. Unlike ablation on metals by direct beam energy deposition, the ablation of plastics by IPIB endures more stages and the ablation may be more achieved by the heated ablation plasma by beam irradiation.

Author(s): Yan, Sha; Leva, Ernest | Abstract: ABSTRACT: History of present illness: A 2-year-old male was brought to the emergency department by his parents after a brief choking episode at home and the inability to tolerate oral liquids afterwards. The patient’s mother noticed she was missing a button battery on the counter and suspected her child had swallowed it. On exam, patient had no active drooling or vomiting. His airway was patent with no respiratory distress or stridor. No foreign body was visualized in the oropharynx. Abdominal exam was unremarkable. Significant findings: Chest radiograph showed the presence of a round radiopaque foreign body in the mid- chest. It was suspected to be in the esophagus rather than in the trachea due to the en-face positioning of the foreign body. The foreign body demonstrated two concentric ring circles concerning for a “double ring” or “halo" sign, which was suggestive of the presence of a button battery rather than a coin. Discussion: Button battery (BB) ingestion is a potentially very dangerous condition. Over 3,300 exposures are reported annually to the American Poison Control Centers.1 Once a foreign body is ingested, it risks lodging at three anatomically narrow areas of the esophagus: the upper esophageal sphincter or the thoracic inlet (70% of foreign bodies), the aortic notch (20%), and the lower esophageal sphincter (10%).2 If a foreign body becomes lodged in the esophagus, it can cause obstructive-like symptoms such as dysphagia, aspiration, and there is risk of perforation through the esophageal wall.Esophageal foreign bodies can cause dysphagia, aspiration, and perforation; however, BB ingestion causes additional risks of caustic necrosis from the isothermal hydrolysis reaction of the battery against the esophagus lining. Significant caustic burns can occur in as little as two hours after ingestion.1,3 This tissue injury can lead to the development of devastating conditions such as tracheoesophageal fistula, aortoenteric fistula, vocal cord paralysis, and mediastinitis, all of which can be fatal.2 As a result, patients with esophageal BB must undergo emergent direct laryngoscopy and esophagoscopy for removal under direct visualization as soon as possible. 1 This patient underwent esophagoscopy with subsequent removal of a 2 centimeter lithium button battery; direct visualization showed some edema around the mucosa but no signs of stricture or perforation. The patient subsequently tolerated food and was discharged home the next day. Topics: Button battery, esophageal foreign body ingestion.

Author(s): Chang, Michelle; Wei, Grant; Bryczkowski, Christopher; Yan, Sha; Shah, Chirag | Abstract: ABSTRACT: History of present illness: A 57-year-old male presented 24 hours after punching another individual in the mouth and injuring his right hand. He complained of pain and decreased range of motion in his 4th digit. On exam, the patient had a 1 cm laceration to his right 4th metacarpophalangeal joint with soft tissue swelling and limited extension of the digit against resistance. Significant findings: The video shows a water bath ultrasound of the right 4th digit, demonstrating soft tissue swelling with a hypoechoic region along the tendon consistent with edema and tendon disruption (see video and annotated still image). Discussion: Hand extensor tendon injuries can be caused by laceration, trauma, or overuse.1 Extensor tendon injuries are classified into eight zones.2 This patient suffered a Zone V partial tendon injury, commonly termed a “fight bite.” Management of tendon injuries is dependent on: partial vs full, closed vs open, and injury location.3,4 Closed tendon injuries require a volar extension splint with hand surgery follow-up within one week. Open tendon injuries involving g50% tendon width can be repaired in the emergency department, though some will require delayed repair.4 Ruptures involving l50% of tendon width should be placed in a volar extension splint, whereas ruptures involving g50% of tendon width should be sutured.3 Injuries to Zones II-IV and Zone VI may be repaired in the emergency department.4 However, injuries to other zones, the thumb, open fractures, neurovascular compromise, grossly contaminated wounds, or immunocompromised patients should be referred to a hand surgeon.5 “Fight bite” injuries should be treated with antibiotics and hand surgery consult for possible operative intervention.6After a normal X-ray, a bedside water-bath ultrasound was performed, revealing a Zone V extensor tendon rupture. The patient received tetanus prophylaxis, IV antibiotics, was splinted and admitted to the hand surgery service for operative washout of the wound and delayed tendon repair. Topics: Water bath ultrasound, tendon laceration, extensor tendon injury, fight bite, hand injury, orthopedics.

Author(s): Yan, Sha; Azubuine, Uchechi | Abstract: ABSTRACT: History of present illness: A 10-month-old male presented after choking on a carrot. Mom reported coughing with perioral cyanosis. On examination, the child had no retractions, but wheezing was heard in the right lung fields particularly when coughing. Significant findings: Chest radiograph showed increased radiolucency (red arrow) and flattening of the diaphragm on the right side (blue arrow) consistent with hyperinflation of the right lung, as well as left mediastinal shift (green arrow), indicating obstruction. Discussion: Foreign body aspiration is a common condition in pediatrics and can be life- threatening. It happens most commonly in children younger than 2 years due to a natural curiosity for putting objects in their mouth and an immature swallowing mechanism.1 Most foreign bodies are located in the right main bronchus due to its wider diameter and more direct extension of the trachea.2 Witnessed choking has the highest sensitivity and specificity for this pathology (sensitivity 75.4% and specificity 92.1%).3 These children will often present with coughing, wheezing, and/or decreased lung sounds that suggest an aspiration.4Chest radiographs are excellent in detecting radiopaque objects. However, most aspirations are from radiolucent organic matters such as nuts or seeds.3 Radiographs that show focal area of hyperinflation, mediastinal shift, and atelectasis are highly specific for aspiration. Pathological findings on chest radiography showed an 86.1% sensitivity and 63.2% specificity.3 However, it is possible that these finding may not be seen on initial imaging. It is important to keep a high index of suspicion as undiagnosed foreign body aspiration can lead to chronic pulmonary infections, bronchiectasis, pneumothorax, asphyxia, and death.3 This child had both physical and radiographic findings of a foreign body aspiration in addition to a witnessed choking episode. He was taken to the operation room by the pediatric surgery team for bronchoscopy and a piece of carrot was removed from the right mainstem bronchus. Topics: Foreign body aspiration, pediatric foreign body, pediatric pulmonology, respiratory.

Intravenous drug use (IVDU) can lead to numerous complications from skin abscesses to bacteremia to endocarditis. Here, we present a rare case of acute suppurative thyroiditis as a complication of IVDU, in which a 26-year-old female with a past medical history of IVDU presented to the emergency department for evaluation of a large right sided neck mass. On exam, she had signs of sepsis and thyrotoxicosis. Fine needle aspiration confirmed suppurative thyroiditis. Blood cultures and culture from fine needle aspiration grew Staphylococcus aureus. Patient was treated with 2 weeks of intravenous antibiotics with good resolution of her symptoms.

A two-dimensional calorimetric diagnostic technique with infrared imaging method has been developed. The technique, which enables the measuring of two-dimensional energy density distribution of intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) and intense pulsed electron beam (IPEB) with particle energy typically of hundreds of keV, is applicable for the diagnostics of IPIB and IPEB for material treatment purpose such as fast quenching, surface melt coating, etc. Testing of the technique has been carried out with IPIB on pulsed ion beam accelerator BIPPAB-450. The maximum ion energy was 450 keV, the density of the ion current was 150 A/cm2, and the pulse duration (at half height) was 80 ns. The results showed that the technique can achieve surface energy density sensitivity of 0.1 J/cm2 and spatial resolution of 1 mm. Also, the validity and precision of the method was checked by establishing a modeling based on Fourier's Law with Finite Element Method (FEM). The applicability and principles of the technique for IPIB and IPEB was also discussed reasonably.

Nomarski optical microscopic, KOH etching and synchrotron topographic studies are presented of faint needle-like surface morphological features in 4H-SiC homoepitaxial layers. Grazing incidence synchrotron white beam x-ray topographs show V shaped features which transmission topographs reveal to enclose 1/4[0001] Frank-type stacking faults. Some of these V-shaped features have a tail associated with them and are referred to as Y-shaped defects. Geometric analysis of the size and shape of the V-shaped faults indicates that they are fully contained within the epilayer and appear to be nucleated at the substrate/epilayer interface. Detailed analysis shows that the positions of the V-shaped stacking faults match with the positions of c-axis threading dislocations with Burgers vectors of c or c+a in the substrate and thus appear to result from the deflection of these dislocations onto the basal plane during epilayer growth. Similarly, the Y-shaped defects match well with the substrate surface intersections of c-axis threading dislocations with Burgers vectors of c or c+a in the substrate which were deflected onto the basal plane during substrate growth. Based on the observed morphology of these defect configurations we propose a model for their formation mechanism.

For treating severe faecal incontinence, the authors developed an intelligent artificial anal sphincter system (AASS) equipped with a feedback sensor that utilized a transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS). To deliver the correct amount of power (i.e. to match the load demand under variable coupling conditions caused by changes in positioning between the coils due to fitting and changes in posture), a regulating method to stabilize output voltage with a closed loop variable-frequency controller was developed in this paper. The method via which the voltage gain characteristics of a voltage-fed series-tuned TETS were derived is also described. The theoretical analysis was verified by the results of the experiment. A numerical analysis method was used as a control rule with respect to the relationship between operating frequency and output voltage. To validate the feedback control rules, a prototype of the TET charging system was constructed, and its performance was validated with the coupling variation between 0.12-0.42. The results show that the output voltage of the secondary side can be maintained at a constant 7 V across the whole coupling coefficient range, with a switching frequency regulation range of 271.4-320.5 kHz, and the proposed controller has reached a maximal end-to-end power efficiency of 67.5% at 1 W.

Peking University (PKU) and China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE) are jointly proposing to construct a large science facility, temporarily called “Beijing ISOL”. This facility aims at both basic science and application goals, and is based on the double driver system, namely reactor driving and intense deuteron-beam driving. On the basic science side, the radioactive ion beams produced from the isotope separation online (ISOL) device will be used to study the new physics and technologies at the limit of nuclear stability. On the other side regarding to the applications, the facility will be devoted to material research for the nuclear energy system by using typically the intense neutron and ion beams. In the whole process of design, construction and operation, an opening policy will be pursued, and the domestic and international cooperation will be emphasized. Through this project, a joint research and education mode will be established.

This paper puts forward an inverter design method based on TMS320F2812A. For inverter part we adopt double closed loops control method, on the basis of the analysis of the inverter designed the controller parameters, and realized the digital control algorithm through TMS320F2812A. Introduce the design method of the hardware system, and give the flow chart of the software control. Finally simulate the double closed loops algorithm though MATLAB, and test whether the control algorithm is feasible.

This paper presented coal consumption of electricity generation in Qingdao, Shandong Province, under different energy scenarios with LEAP 2010. And, time-serial emission inventory of As was also built based on fuel consumptions. The results show that the coal consumption will increase by 3.5 times ,amounting to 4.92 million tces under BAU scenario. The total emission of As is 2.7 Mtces with an average annual growth rate of 6.6%.

In this paper, we report on the synchrotron white beam topographic (SWBXT) observation of “hopping” Frank-Read sources in 4H-SiC. A detailed mechanism for this process is presented which involves threading edge dislocations experiencing a double deflection process involving overgrowth by a macrostep (MP) followed by impingement of that macrostep against a step moving in the opposite direction. These processes enable the single-ended Frank-Read sources created by the pinning of the deflected basal plane dislocation segments at the less mobile threading edge dislocation segments to “hop” from one slip plane to other parallel slip planes. We also report on the nucleation of 1/3< >{ } prismatic dislocation half-loops at the hollow cores of micropipes and their glide under thermal shear stress.

In recent years, tapered glass capillary ion beam focusing is developing rapidly. It is attractive for simple, compact, low cost and easy use. However, the focusing mechanism for MeV ion beams is still indistinct. We present several experimental results of focusing 2 MeV He+ beam. Ion beams were focused by tapered glass capillaries with various outlet inner diameters from several micron to hundred micron. The current densities, angle divergences and energy spectra of the transmitted ion beams are measured. The results proved that 2 MeV He+ ions can focused and guided by our capillaries. The energy spectra show that a great part of transmitted ions experienced obvious energy loss, which is different from results of others research groups. We discussed the reason and charged it to the larger incident angle. Considered the incident ions with larger incident angle, the charge will distribute in a layer of micro meter depth in the capillary’s inner wall, but not the surface. The energy loss and many other spectra characters can be explained in this way.

We present the enhanced wet etching of GaN epilayer implanted with Au+ ion. Patterned GaN with 2 microm-wide sink-like strips was achieved by using 500 keV Au+ ion implantation and KOH etching. The Dependence of etching depth on etching time for the implantation at different ion fluences was investigated. The experiment showed that the damaged GaN area could be almost etched out at high ion fluence, and the etching depth could exceed the project range of incident 500 keV Au+ ion. The etch pits could be observed at the bottom of the etched area. The -400 nm depth etching could be achieved with high fluence implantation after a long etching time, and the edge of etched area could remain clear until the etching process had passed 40 min. As-deposited SiO2 spheres were used to mask the GaN sample in implantation process to investigate the etching effect. -70 nm wave of the GaN surface was observed. The results of our experiments may suggest an approach to the fabricating of GaN devices.

Water quality criteria for aquatic environments are numerical concentrations or narrative statements to support and protect designated water uses, based on data quantifying the response of aquatic organisms to toxic pollutants in laboratory tests. In general, the main process being used around the world for establishing criteria for the protection of freshwater aquatic environment can be summarized as the following: (a) selecting the most sensitive species and testing toxicity to them and (b) application of evaluation methods to obtain the water quality criteria. The data requirement, tested organisms and three calculation methodologies were discussed in detail. In China, establishing appropriate and effective water quality criteria for protecting aquatic environment is an urgent task and national strategy. The systematic and feasible experience from other countries and international organizations can be a valuable guide for the Chinese Environmental Protection Departments. This review put forward researc...

Synchrotron White Beam X-ray Topography studies are presented of dislocation behavior and interactions in a new generation of seventy-six millimeter diameter, 4H-SiC wafers grown using Physical Vapor Transport under specially designed low stress conditions. Such low stress growth conditions have enabled reductions of dislocation density by two or three orders of magnitude compared to the lowest previously reported levels [1]. In this paper, detailed topography analysis will be presented of the deflection of threading dislocations with Burgers vectors of c and c+a onto the basal plane leading to reductions of the density of such dislocations down to levels of ~187 cm-2. The deflection of the latter type of dislocations produces complex faulted defect configurations and models for their creation are presented and discussed.

Because the shocks induced by intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) irradiation are responsible for long range effect, it is necessary to analyze the behavior of shocks theoretically and experimentally. But it is very difficult to find stress signals due to the 50 ns pulse duration of IPIB. In this paper, a detecting system was designed and manufactured carefully. A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film with 100 μm in thickness was selected as the piezoelectric probe in our detecting system. With this system, shocks, induced by IPIB irradiation, were caught at the backside of Al target successfully. The thicknesses of the Al samples were 1 mm and 2 mm respectively. Samples were irradiated by IPIB with different current density ranging from 250 A/cm 2 to 800 A/cm 2 . Wave profiles were caught and record by oscilloscope of model TDS2024 (200 MHz, 2 Gs) and TDS3052B (500 MHz, 5 Gs). Experimental results have shown in good accordance with our theoretical calculations.

观察砭石、 拔罐、 电针及红外线综合疗法治疗颈型颈椎病的疗效及安全性。 70 例患者随机分为综合组(35 例)和对照组(35 例)。 综合组重用耿氏多功能砭板沿督脉实施推法和刮法, 闪罐留罐法, 并用常规电针疗法及红外线照射治疗; 对照组采用常规电针疗法及红外线照射治疗。 两组均隔日施治1 次, 治疗6 次为1 个疗程。 观察两组治疗后即刻与1 个疗程结束后的临床疗效以及不良反应。 综合组治疗后即刻总有效率为88.6%, 对照组为80.0%, 综合组即刻疗效好于对照组(P

Aspirin is used for the prophylaxis of infarction. A low dose of aspirin is effective for the prophylaxis of myocardial infarction, whereas a higher dose is necessary for that of stroke. Salicylic acid, the in vivo metabolite of aspirin, inhibits the beta-oxidation of short-chain fatty acids. Accordingly, drinking water containing 400, 800, or 1200 mg/l aspirin was given to each of eight rats for 30 days to determine the serum short-chain fatty acid levels. Analysis of variance and a post-hoc Fisher's protected least significant differences test revealed significantly increased levels (P0.05) of monocarboxylic acids, n-hexanoate, n-octanoate, n-decanoate, n-dodecanoate, and dicarboxylic acids, adipate (C6,) and suberate (C8): 78.7 +/- 36.2, 61.1 +/- 30.6, 215 +/- 151, 47.5 +/- 24.0, 3.64 +/- 2.09 and 1.71 +/- 1.45 micromol/l in the 800 mg/l aspirin group compared to 23.8 +/- 12.3, 20.1 +/- 9.0, 24.3 +/- 12.1, 6.3 +/- 5.6, 0.56 +/- 0.50 and 0.44 +/- 0.25 micromol/l in the control group, respectively. These levels were also increased in the 400 or 1200 mg/l aspirin groups but less so. These findings may help us to understand the aspirin toxicity in Reye's syndrome.

BACKGROUND The 31-kilodalton β-galactoside-binding protein galectin-3 has been associated with cellular transformation and metastasis. Because neural tissues contain large amounts of glycoconjugates, and endogenous carbohydrate-binding proteins have been described in the human brain, the authors examined the expression of galectin-3 in human brain tumors and metastases to the central nervous system. METHODS Brain tumors were categorized by the World Health Organization system and galectin-3 expression by immunoperoxidase staining using a quantitative staining score. RESULTS Glioblastomas (Grade 4 astrocytomas) all stained strongly for galectin-3, whereas low grade astrocytomas (Grade 2) did not express the endogenous lectin. Anaplastic astrocytomas (Grade 3) exhibited intermediate expression. The staining score was significantly associated with tumor grade (P < 0.001). Normal brain tissue and benign tumors did not express galectin-3, whereas metastases to the brain were all positive for galectin-3 expression. Metastases expressed significantly more galectin-3 than the primary tumors from which they were derived (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Galectin-3 expression correlates with the malignant potential of tumors in the central nervous system. Cancer 1997; 80:776-87. © 1997 American Cancer Society.

Infrared imaging diagnostic method for two-dimensional calorimetric diagnostics has been developed for intense pulsed electron beam (IPEB). By using a 100-μm-thick tungsten film as the infrared heat sink for IPEB, the emitting uniformity of the electron source can be analyzed to evaluate the efficiency and stability of the diode system. Two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element method heat transfer simulation, combined with Monte Carlo calculation, was performed for error estimation and optimization of the method. The test of the method was finished with IPEB generated by explosive emission electron diode with pulse duration (FWHM) of 80 ns, electron energy up to 450 keV, and a total beam current of over 1 kA. The results showed that it is possible to measure the cross-sectional energy density distribution of IPEB with energy sensitivity of 0.1 J/cm(2) and spatial resolution of 1 mm. The technical details, such as irradiation protection of bremsstrahlung γ photons and the functional extensibility of the method were discussed in this work.

Lithium niobate (LN) is a widely used artificial optic-electronic crystal. A LN surface is an attractive substrate for the fabrication of photonic crystals (PhCs) in order to form useful optical devices. In this work, two-dimensional microhole lattice arrays with specified structure parameters were fabricated on a LN substrate by means of focused ion beam (FIB) etching. The physical and geometrical reasons for the formation of a nonideal hole shape and the depth limitation are analyzed. The authors have mainly discussed the effect of redeposition and presented equations of depth change tendency and change rate. The influence of the aberration in the hole shape on the PhC’s transmission spectrum is also estimated. Insulator enhanced etching is implemented in order to get better quasicolumn holes, and it is partly effective. Their work shows that FIB is a simple way to etch a hole on LN, but it is still necessary to make technical improvements to the process in order to obtain a better hole shape for PhC ap...

A method for designing reflection stripes of an acoustic touch screen, comprising: dividing a reflection stripe of an acoustic touch screen into a plurality of groups according to an integral times wavelength of an acoustic; according to the distance between said reflection bar increasing principle, increasing the distance between said reflection bars from rear to front; and according to a condition of the transmission loss of a glass surface, cutting the border of said reflection bars in one group with different length.