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Chronic vascular complications are the major causes of death and disability of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. von Willebrand factor (vWF) is involved in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Previous studies showed elevated plasma levels of vWF in T2DM patients with CVD, but the association has not been validated. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare plasma levels of vWF in T2DM patients with and without CVD. We performed a meta-analysis based on published case-control studies of vWF in T2DM patients with and without CVD indexed in PubMed and other databases updated to April 2018. After independently assessing methodological quality and extracting data, 9 eligible studies were obtained including 576 cases and 632 controls. The standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using random-effects model. Meta-analysis showed that plasma level of vWF was significantly higher in T2DM patients with CVD than T2DM patients without CVD (SMD = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.32-0.90; P

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sulfonylureas (SUs) have been suggested to have an insulin‐independent blood glucose‐decreasing activity due to an extrapancreatic effect. However, a lack of adequate in vivo evidence makes this statement controversial. Here, we aimed to evaluate whether glimepiride has extrapancreatic blood glucose‐lowering activity in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Sulfonylurea receptor 1 deficient (SUR1 (−/−)) rats were created by means of transcription activator‐like effector nucleases (TALEN)‐mediated gene targeting technology. Type 2 diabetic models were established by feeding a high‐fat diet and administering a low‐dose of streptozotocin. These rats were then randomly divided into four groups: glimepiride, gliclazide, metformin and saline. All rats were treated for 2 weeks. KEY RESULTS: Glimepiride decreased blood glucose levels and increased insulin sensitivity without elevating insulin levels. Gliclazide showed similar effects as glimepiride. Both agents were weaker than metformin. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that glimepiride increased hepatic glycogen synthesis and decreased gluconeogenesis, which were accompanied by the activation of Akt in the liver. Moreover, glimepiride increased both total and membrane glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) levels in muscle and fat, which might be attributed to insulin receptor‐independent IRS1/Akt activation. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Glimepiride possesses an extrapancreatic blood glucose‐lowering effect in vivo, which might be attributed to its direct effect on insulin‐sensitive tissues. Therefore, the combination of glimepiride with multiple insulin injections should not be excluded per se.

The work reports on a concise investigation on the application of the proton implantation and the femtosecond laser ablation for the infrared two-dimensional waveguide formation in the Nd3+-doped phosphate glass. The Nd3+-doped phosphate glass was firstly irradiated by the 400-keVprotons with a fluence of 8.0 × 1016 ions/cm2 and then ablated by the femtosecond laser with 800-nm central wavelength, 1.0-kHz repetition rate and 120-fs pulse duration. The optical microscope image of the end-face was captured by an optical microscope for the implanted and ablated Nd3+-doped phosphate glass. The intervals between two neighbor grooves was 30 μm. The guiding characteristics of the 2D waveguide were measured by the end-face coupling technique. The results suggest that a 2D waveguide operating at 976 nm is fabricated in the Nd3+-doped phosphate glass. The hybrid fabrication technique opens a versatile and flexible way toward 2D photonic devices in the Nd3+-doped phosphate glass.

Ion implantation and precise diamond blade dicing are amazing tools allowing the accurate formation of waveguide structures. In this work, we report on the fabrication and assessment of a ridge waveguide in the high-gain Nd3+-doped laser glass by the 400-keV H+-ion implantation with a fluence of 8.0 × 1016 ions/cm2 and the precise diamond blade dicing at a rotating speed of 2.0 × 104 rpm. The relative atom displacement induced by the proton implantation was simulated by the SRIM 2013. The cross section of the two-dimension structure was captured by a microscope and its lateral dimensions were 3.75 μm × 10 μm. The optical confinement of the ridge waveguide was recorded by the technique of the end-face coupling and its propagation loss was about 3.9 dB/cm at 976 nm. The ridge waveguide supported mono-mode at 976 nm can serve as a photonic device.

An optical waveguide is an important dielectric device that guides the propagation of light waves. Ion implantation is a competitive waveguide preparation technique with advantages including reliance, simpleness and flexibility. In this work, a 400-keV helium ion implantation with a fluence of [Formula: see text] ions/cm2 was carried out to manufacture a planar waveguide on the surface of the fused silica glass. The formation mechanism of the waveguide was analyzed by the nuclear energy deposition based on the SRIM 2013 and the refractive index distribution with the help of the reflectivity calculation method (RCM). The geometry structure and the guiding performance of the waveguide were studied by the metallographic microscope and the end-face coupling system, respectively. The investigation on the fabrication and characteristics of fused silica glass optical waveguides is of great significance for the development of passive devices in the field of optical communications.

The 400 keV proton implantation with a fluence of [Formula: see text] ions/cm2 was applied on the [Formula: see text] co-doped phosphate glass to fabricate a planar waveguide structure. The mode profile at the end face of the waveguide was measured by the end-face coupling technique. The energy loss profile of the energetic protons was calculated by the SRIM 2013. The refractive index distribution was simulated by the reflectivity calculation method. Based on these results, the formation theory of the planar waveguides was discussed through simulating the energy loss distribution and analyzing the reconstructed refractive index profile, which could be used for applications in the future integrated optical systems.

Gain guided and index alternate-guided (GGIA-G) fiber is suggested by our group recently. In order to grasp more laser performance of the GGIA-G fiber, the threshold characteristics of the fiber laser is analyzed in this work. Firstly, the improved rate equations of the forward pumped GGIA-G fiber laser are established and solved. Secondly, the threshold pump power of the GG-IG fiber, GG-IAG fiber and GGIA-G fiber are compared, and the effects of parameters including Nd3+ concentration N, fiber length L, fiber core radius a, refractive index difference Δn and output mirror reflectivity R2 on the threshold pump power Pth are discussed in detail, separately. Finally, the method of designing the fiber parameters for single mode laser operation is given out. When R1s=1.0, R2s =0.8, a=50 μm, N=1.0×1020 cm−3, L2: L=0.2 and Δn=-0.005, the allowed fiber length range for single mode laser operation is about 4.1 cm∼9.0 cm. The related research results will be helpful to the better application of the GGIA-G fiber.

To improve the mechanical properties of tellurite glass fiber, a hybrid-cladding optical fiber with Tm3+/Ho3+ co-doped TeO2-WO3-La2O3 glass core, tellurite glass inner cladding and phosphate glass outer cladding was proposed and fabricated by rod in tube and twice drawing method in this work. The spectroscopic characteristics of the core glass were systematically investigated too, the results showed that the maximum emission cross section was about 7.91 × 10−21 cm2, the longest fluorescence lifetime at 2030 nm was 2.47 ms, the value of σem × τrad was 19.53 × 10−21 cm2ms, and the maximum gain coefficient was about 2.02 cm−1 when 1.2 mol% Tm3+ and 0.6 mol% Ho3+ were co-doped in tellurite glass. The hybrid-cladding tellurite glass fiber fabrication process was presented in detail. A single-mode glass fiber with hybrid-cladding was fabricated and NA1 of the core is 0.116, and NA2 of the inner cladding is 1.249 and is beneficial for pump light collection. The core diameter of which is 6.8 μm, and the fiber loss is 20.16 dB/m. The fabricated hybrid cladding glass fibers can be easily cut without obvious defect.

As a kind of rare earth luminescent material, the development of white light-emitting glass cannot be ignored. Here, we successfully prepared series of Tm3+-Dy3+ co-doped P2O5-SrO-BaO-ZnO glasses. Structural analysis showed that the glass network is mainly composed of orthophosphate, pyrophosphate, and metaphosphate units. In the case of a certain content of Tm3+ or Dy3+, the densities of PSBZ glasses increased with the increasing of Dy3+ or Tm3+ content. From the optical absorption spectra, eight distinctive absorption bands can be found in the wavelength of 300 nm–750 nm. Under the excitation of 354 nm UV light, four main peaks corresponded to the transition of 1D2 → 3F4 and 4F9/2 → 6HJ (J = 15/2, 13/2 and 11/2) were found at 452 nm, 483 nm, 574 nm, and 663 nm, respectively. Besides, the CIE chromaticity coordinates, CCTs, and fluorescence decay curves were recorded to confirm the glass Tm0.4Dy1.0 showed excellent chromaticity coordinates (0.3392, 0.3334), suitable CCT (5188K) and relatively high fluorescence lifetime (434.68 μs) compared to other glasses prepared in this work, indicating that this glass has potential applications in WLED devices.

There are many joint forms of shield tunnel lining segments. The new types of joints mainly include plug-in type and slide-in type where few researches concerning whose mechanical properties. This paper aims to construct a full-size numerical simulation model of the selected slide-in quick coupling joint and accomplish a fine prefabricated model. Given the complexity of the mechanics on the joint, loading and constraints are designed into the simulation model which achieves a successful simulation on various working conditions. The numerical results show that joint deformation can be reduced by optimizing the connectors’ position; A strengthening on the structure of C-type embedded groove can improve the overall bearing capacity of segment joint; Axial force can significantly reduce the deformation of the joint. Therefore, this research will help facilitate the effective design of the new type of shield tunnel joint.

To clarify the relation between the concentration and ~3.4 μm emission of Er3+, a series of TeO2 based glasses with Er3+ concentration from 2.0 to 10.0 mol% were prepared by conventional melting-quenching method. The physical and spectroscopic characteristics of Er3+-doped tellurite glasses were systematically investigated. The Judd-Ofelt theory was used to analyze the absorption spectra. The emission intensity of ~2.7 μm and upconversion at 550 and 670 nm were discussed. The intensity increased when the Er3+ concentration increased to 6 mol%, and then drastically decreased with further increasing Er3+ concentration. The trend of the emission properties in NIR with the Er3+ concentration was also discussed. With increasing Er3+ concentration, the emission cross section at ~3.4 μm increased from 1.37 × 10−21 cm2 to 2.53 × 10−21 cm2. The results indicate that the highly doped Er3+ concentration may be an effective route to achieve efficient ~3.4 μm emission in Er3+ doped tellurite glasses.

The heterogeneous helical cladding (HHC) fiber is a new type of extreme large mode area fiber proposed by our group firstly. In this work, Nd 3 + -doped phosphate glass HHC fibers with different core radius r ( 60 μ m – 175 μ m ) and different helix pitch Λ (5.25 cm and 10.5 cm) were fabricated successfully. Firstly, the fiber preform glass was designed and prepared, and the performance of which was measured. Secondly, the HHC fiber preform was made by rod-in-tube method. Thirdly, the HHC fiber was obtained by the spiral drawing method, then the loss and gain performance of which were measured. Based on the experiment results, the following conclusions can be drawn: the larger the Λ (or r), the lower the loss coefficient L, and when r (or Λ ) is the same, the larger the Λ (or r), the higher the net gain coefficient. This work will facilitate the further exploration and application of the HHC fiber.

To investigate the preparation of radioiodinated Chlorpyrifos and its biodistribution in mice, Chlorpyrifos was labeled with 131I using the Iodogen method. Biodistribution studies were carried out in KM mice. At different times after radiopharmaceutical i.v. administration (185 kBq 131I-Chlorpyrifos/mouse, n=5), the animals were sacrificed. Blood samples and the tissues of interested were collected, weighted and counted. The percentage of injected does per gram (%ID/g) was calculated for each sample. The labeling yield of 131I-Chlorpyrifos was 93.5%, The radiochemical purity (RCP) was 96.9%. Biodistribution in mice demonstrated that 131I-Chlorpyrifos was extensive, and the uptakes mainly occur in lung, stomach, small-intestine, colon, musle, and submaxillay gland, as indicated by their amount of 37.12%ID/g, 6.18%ID/g, 8.12%ID/g, 8.15%ID/g, 7.04%ID/g, and 7.02%ID/g at 10 min, respectively. And it was metabolized in liver and kidney, as indicated by their uptake of 4.34%ID/g and 8.50%ID/g at 5 min, and 0.22%ID/g and 0.69%ID/g at 4 h, respectively. In addition, 131I-Chlorpyrifos was cleared out from blood quickly, and the uptake of 131I-Chlorpyrifos in blood was 37.27%ID/g at 5 min, and decreased to 1.35%ID/g at 4 h post injection. In conclusion, 131I-Chlorpyrifos was stable in vitro and it was absorbed in lung and digestive tract, and it was metabolized mainly in liver and kidney, worthy of further investigation to trace the compound in vivo and in vitro.

The k9 glass emerges as the promising host for the waveguide formation, owing to its unique optical properties. Ion implantation is a powerful technique for the fabrication of optical waveguides. In this work, the 400-keV proton implantation at a dose of [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] was performed on the k9 glass to manufacture optical waveguide. Continuous annealing treatment at intervals of [Formula: see text] was used to enhance the guiding performances of the waveguide. The dark-mode spectrum and the refractive index profile of the waveguide were obtained by a prism coupling system and a reflectivity calculation method, respectively. The near-filed intensity distribution was measured by an end-face coupling equipment. The results suggest that the light field can be confined within the waveguide layer.

In this paper, the fabrication of optical planar waveguide in PTR glass by proton implantation is reported for the first time to our knowledge. The planar waveguide with a width of approximately 3.4 μm was generated under the condition of 400 keV H+ ion implantation with a dose of 8.0 × 1016 ions ‧ cm−2 at room temperature. The formation mechanism of PTR glass waveguide was illustrated with the aid of the SRIM program. The optical characteristics of the PTR waveguide, such as refractive index profile and near-field intensity distribution, were investigated in detail. The fabricated PTR waveguide presents a structure of both index-well and optical barrier according to the reconstructed refractive index profile. The finite-difference beam propagation method was carried out to simulate guiding modal distribution. Besides, in order to study the thermal stability of the H+-implanted PTR waveguide, annealing treatment was conducted at different temperatures.

Food-borne parasitic diseases have become a public health problem for social economy and health care. In this paper, the epidemic situation of major food-borne parasitic diseases in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, such as toxoplasmosis and clonorchiasis, are reviewed, and the countermeasures of prevention and control are put forward.

Ketamine abuse has dramatically increased in recently years. With the widely application of ketamine, its side effects, especially cystitis induced by long-term use, have attracted more and more attention from the public. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential generative mechanism of ketamine-induced cystitis by determining the endogenous metabolites at different time points after ketamine treatment. Body weight, bladder/body coefficient, urinary frequency, urinary potassium, serum IL-6, and TNF-α were determined at different time points after ketamine treatment. H&E staining was used to observe the changes of histopathology. Metabonomics was performed to determine the changes of endogenous metabolites. After 12 weeks of treatment, obvious inflammatory reaction was noticed in the KET group; the body weight and urinary potassium of the KET group were significantly lower than the NS group (P < 0.05) and other factors, such as urinary frequency, bladder/body coefficient, serum TNF-α and IL-6 were higher than the NS group (P < 0.05). A total of 30, 28, and 32 significantly changed metabolites were identified at the 1st week, 4th week and 12th week, respectively. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that different metabolic pathways were affected during the treatment process. Linoleic acid metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism were only affected following long-term administration of ketamine. Those metabolic pathways may have a close relationship with cystitis induced by ketamine.

Parasite-associated colitis is quite rare in clinical practice of Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Here we reported an intestinal giardiasis case that has been diagnosed with UC. Further examination of stool revealed cysts of Giardia. This case completely responded to Albendazole. Giardiasis should be included for the differential diagnosis of UC.