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BACKGROUND Studies are ongoing to determine the optimal adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) for resected pancreatic carcinoma (PC). FOLFIRINOX is a chemotherapy regimen including oxaliplatin, irinotecan, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). S-1 is a fluoropyrimidine derivative widely used as ACT for gastrointestinal malignancy. This single-center retrospective study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) with S-1 as ACT for resected PC. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 71 patients with PC who accepted ACT after R0 resection between February 2016 and January 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Among these patients, 34 received mFOLFIRINOX regimen chemotherapy (mFFX group), while 37 received S-1 monochemotherapy (S-1 group). The mFOLFIRINOX regimen included oxaliplatin 65 mg/m², leucovorin 400 mg/m², irinotecan 150 mg/m², 5-FU 400 mg/m², and continuous 5-FU 2400 mg/m² (for 46 h), in a 2-week schedule. The S-1 monochemotherapy (80-120 mg/day according to body surface area [BSA], in 2 divided doses for 2 week) was administrated every 3 weeks. We followed up these patients and analyzed the relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and chemotherapy-induced adverse events (AEs). RESULTS The mFFX group demonstrated a markedly higher 3-year RFS (P=0.0332) and OS (P=0.0346) than the S-1 group. Patients in the mFFX group experienced significantly more common and severe thrombocytopenia (P=0.0372), fatigue (P=0.0226), nausea/vomiting (P=0.0337), and diarrhea (P=0.0018). No chemotherapy-induced death was documented. CONCLUSIONS This retrospective study indicated that if dose adjustment and adverse events management are properly administrated, mFOLFIRINOX regimen chemotherapy could result in an improved survival compared with S-1 monochemotherapy for resected PC.

Random-distributed gold nanorod arrays (R-GNRAs) deposited on glass substrates have been systematically investigated through Z-scan, second harmonic generation (SHG), and dichromatic pump–probe mea...

Size and operating energy are two key parameters that constrain the integration capability of a nonlinear optical device. Here, we report a 60 nm thin film made of randomly distributed gold nanorod...

BACKGROUND Myelosuppression is one of the most common chemotherapy-induced adverse events and results in a series of clinical symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Shengbai decoction (SD) on chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and survival of gastric cancer (GC) patients after radical resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed data from 115 patients with stage II-III GC who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy after radical resection between May 2015 and June 2017 in our hospital. Among these patients, 57 received Shengbai decoction along with adjuvant chemotherapy (SD group), while 58 received adjuvant chemotherapy alone (control group). Medical records, including adverse events, the treatment completion rate of adjuvant chemotherapy, 3-year overall survival (OS), and 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS), were compared. RESULTS Patient characteristics did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. No adverse events related to Shengbai decoction were reported in the SD group. Patients in the SD group had less neutropenia (P=0.0430), thrombocytopenia (P=0.0323), and anemia (P=0.0497). The SD group had a significantly lower probability of dose reduction (P=0.0448). The completion rate of adjuvant chemotherapy of the SD group was considerably higher than that of the control group (P=0.0398). The SD group had a significantly better 3-year RFS (P=0.0369) and 3-year OS (P=0.0455) than the control group. CONCLUSIONS Shengbai decoction effectively improved postoperative survival of patients with GC by alleviating chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and improving the completion rate of adjuvant chemotherapy.

The competition mechanism of exciton decay channels in the multilayer TMDs remains poorly understood. Here, the exciton dynamics in the stacked WS2 was studied. The exciton decay processes are divided into the fast and slow decay processes, which are dominated by the exciton-exciton annihilation (EEA) and defect-assisted recombination (DAR), respectively. The lifetime of EEA is on the order of hundreds of femtoseconds (400∼1100 fs). It is decreased initially, followed by an increase with adding layer thickness, which can be attributed to the competition between phonon-assisted effect and defect effect. The lifetime of DAR is on the timescale of hundreds of picoseconds (200∼800 ps), which is determined by the defect density especially in a high injected carrier density.

Femtosecond transient reflection spectroscopy was employed to study the carrier dynamics in few-layered MoS2 crystals prepared by either a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique or a mechanical exfoliation method. Three decay processes were observed in samples prepared by both methods. The faster processes were approximately 300–500 fs and could be attributed to defect-assisted scattering. The slower processes varied from 1 to 250 ps and were related to carrier–carrier and carrier–phonon scattering. Comparative studies between the CVD and exfoliated samples with different thicknesses demonstrated that faster decay processes occurred in thinner samples, in which the interface and defects had stronger effects. Wavelength-dependent transient reflection spectra demonstrated that a change in the sign of the signal occurred around the exciton absorption peaks, which could be attributed to competition of the stimulated emission and excited-state absorption processes around the exciton absorption peaks. Our re...

Many features are shared between esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to explore whether known EC susceptibility loci are also important in the development of GC. A total of 21 genetic variants associated with EC in genome-wide association studies were evaluated with association of GC risk in 2631 cases and 4373 controls of Chinese ancestry. Single variant and weighted genetic scores (WGS) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), and overall EC were analyzed with GC risk, respectively. Genetic variants of rs2274223 in PLCE1 at 10q23.33 (per G allele: odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16–1.38, P = 6.51 × 10−8), rs10052657 in PDE4D at 5q11.2 (per C allele: OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01–1.25, P = 3.28 × 10−2) and rs671 in ALDH2 at 12q24.12 (per A-allele: OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75–0.91, P = 1.14 × 10−4) were significantly associated with GC risk. The combined effect of those three variants had stronger influence on GC risk (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.19–1.44, P = 2.34 × 10−8). High WGS of ESCC was also associated with increased risk of GC (P = 5.52 × 10−4 as a continuous variable) (trend test P = 2.71 × 10−4), whereas no statistically significant associations were observed between the WGS of EAC and GC risk (P = 0.66 as a continuous variable) (trend test P = 0.70). ESCC rather than EAC may share genetic susceptibility with GC. Genetic variants at 10q23.33, 5q11.2, and 12q24.12 may be useful as biomarkers to identify individuals with high risk for both ESCC and GC.

The third-order optical nonlinearities and the hot electron relaxation time (τ) of random-distributed gold nanorods arrays on glass (R-GNRA) have been investigated by using Z-scan and optical Kerr effect (OKE) techniques. Large third-order optical susceptibility (χ(3)) with the value of 2.5 × 10-6 esu has been obtained around the plamsonic resonance peak under the excitation power intensity of 0.1 GW/cm2. Further decrease of the excitation power intensity down to 0.3 MW/cm2 will lead to the significant increase of χ(3) up to 6.4 × 10-4 esu. The OKE results show that the relaxation time of R-GNRA around the plasmonic peak is 13.9 ± 0.4 ps, which is more than 4 times longer than those of the individual gold nanostructures distributed in water solutions. The Finite-difference time domain simulations demonstrate that this large enhancement of χ(3) and slow down of τ are caused by the gap-induced large local field enhancement of GNRs dimers in R-GNRA. These significant results offer great opportunities for plasmonic nanostructures in applications of photonic and photocatalytic devices.

We demonstrate broadband photoluminescence (PL) from a Au nanorod–alumina–Al substrate (Au–Al2O3–Al) sandwich structure under a peak excitation power intensity of 1.45–2.61 GW cm−2. The emission wavelength is in the range of 450–1050 nm and the lifetime is on the sub-nanosecond timescale. Comparative studies of the PL from Au–Al2O3–Al with different Au rod lengths and Au–Al2O3 without an Al coupling layer, together with finite difference time domain (FDTD) calculations, show that the PL from Au–Al2O3–Al originates from the surface plasmon enhanced supercontinuum (SC) generation in the Al2O3 membrane. This observation indicates that a SC could be realized in nanoscale plasmonic structures, which has promising applications in the minimization and integration of light sources in photonic devices.

Plasmonic nanostructures with sub-10 nm gaps possess intense electric field enhancements, leading to their high reputation for exploring various functional applications at nanoscale. Till now, although large amounts of efforts have been devoted into investigation of such structures, few works were emphased on the nonlinear optical properties in near-ultraviolet (UV) region. Here, by combining sputtering technique and an optimized anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template growing method, we obtain aluminum (Al) nanorod array film (NRAF) with average rod diameter and gap size of 50 and 7 nm, respectively. The Al-NRAF exhibits large third-order optical nonlinear susceptibility (χ(3)) and high figure of merit (χ(3)/α) over a broad wavelength range from 360 to 900 nm, and reaches their maximums at the shortest measured wavelength. In addition, comparisons with Au-NRAF and Ag-NRAF samples further confirm that Al-NRAF has better nonlinear optical properties in the blue and near-UV wavelength regions. These results indicate that Al nanostructures are promising candidates for nonlinear plasmonic applications at blue and near-UV wavelengths.

BiFeO3, a typical multiferroic compound, owns complicated interactions among its charge, lattice, and spin degrees, while largely remaining a mystery. In this work, the BiFeO3 single crystal has been investigated in pulsed high magnetic fields up to 50 T. The lattice, spin, and charge orderings are found to couple with each other strongly. High magnetic field could drive the spin cycloid phase to a canted antiferromagnetic phase while accompanied by a clear magnetostriction response and weakening of ferroelectric polarization. The critical magnetic field for the magnetic phase transition was shifted to the lower magnetic field region by an external electric field over a broad temperature range, which indicates the complex interaction among magnetization, electrical polarization, and crystal lattice. This work has provided a clear picture to show the synergetic response of multiple ordering parameters during the magnetic phase transition in BiFeO3, which could benefit the design of BiFeO3 based spintronic devices and novel multiferroic materials with strong magnetoelectric coupling.BiFeO3, a typical multiferroic compound, owns complicated interactions among its charge, lattice, and spin degrees, while largely remaining a mystery. In this work, the BiFeO3 single crystal has been investigated in pulsed high magnetic fields up to 50 T. The lattice, spin, and charge orderings are found to couple with each other strongly. High magnetic field could drive the spin cycloid phase to a canted antiferromagnetic phase while accompanied by a clear magnetostriction response and weakening of ferroelectric polarization. The critical magnetic field for the magnetic phase transition was shifted to the lower magnetic field region by an external electric field over a broad temperature range, which indicates the complex interaction among magnetization, electrical polarization, and crystal lattice. This work has provided a clear picture to show the synergetic response of multiple ordering parameters during the magnetic phase transition in BiFeO3, which could benefit the design of BiFeO3 based spintronic ...

A low-cost, broadband white-light source based on Au nanorod-aluminum oxide (Au-AAO) nanostructures was obtained and used for micro-spectroscopy measurement. When an Au-AAO sample was excited by using a continuous-wave or a pulsed laser, smooth and broadband strong photoluminescence from 550 nm to 1560 nm could be achieved. A high-quality transmission spectrum was obtained from few-layer MoS2 flakes using Au-AAO as the illuminating source, demonstrating the suitability of the Au-AAO nanostructure as a light source for spectroscopy. This accomplishment is significant and provides a potential new white-light source for applications in bio-sensing and spectroscopy on the microscale.

A broadband all-optical switch based on the thermal lens effect of InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) has been demonstrated. Using a pump laser at 600 nm, whose photon energy is larger than the bandgap, thermal effects induce a large nonlinear optical refraction that modulates the beam path of a probe light to form an all-optical switch. By adjusting the sizes of the QDs, the position of the bandgap can be tuned over a wide wavelength range. Thus, both the pump and the probe wavelengths can be designed for specific applications. The on/off tests of the all-optical switches demonstrate that they work well with switching rates of hundreds of Hertz. Our result demonstrates that InP/ZnS quantum dots are a good candidate material for the application of all-optical switching.A broadband all-optical switch based on the thermal lens effect of InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) has been demonstrated. Using a pump laser at 600 nm, whose photon energy is larger than the bandgap, thermal effects induce a large nonlinear optical refraction that modulates the beam path of a probe light to form an all-optical switch. By adjusting the sizes of the QDs, the position of the bandgap can be tuned over a wide wavelength range. Thus, both the pump and the probe wavelengths can be designed for specific applications. The on/off tests of the all-optical switches demonstrate that they work well with switching rates of hundreds of Hertz. Our result demonstrates that InP/ZnS quantum dots are a good candidate material for the application of all-optical switching.

Background: First-line triple therapy with levofloxa- cin and amoxicillin plus a proton pump inhibitor has been reported to be effective and well tolerated in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection. Studies have reported that cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 genotypes may affect the clinical efficacy of clarithromycinbased triple therapies, although there is only one report of such an effect with levofloxacin-based triple therapies. Objectives: This study evaluated the clinical efficacy and tolerability of a 1-week course of triple therapy with levofloxacin and amoxicillin plus esomeprazole or rabeprazole as first-line treatment for H pylori infection in Chinese adults. It also investigated whether CYP2C19 genotype status affected rates of H pylori eradication with these regimens. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing upper endoscopy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between May 2008 and January 2009 were evaluated for inclusion. Eligible patients were those who tested positive for H pylori infection on biopsy-based testing (ie, histology and an in-house rapid urease test) or a validated 13 C-urea breath test. Patients were randomized in an open-label fashion to receive levofloxacin 500 mg/d and amoxicillin 1000 mg BID plus either esomeprazole 20 mg BID (group A), esomeprazole 40 mg BID (group B), or rabeprazole 10 mg BID (group C) for 1 week. Patients were asked to record adverse events in a diary. Trained study assistants contacted patients by telephone within the first week after completion of therapy to collect data on drug compliance and adverse events. H pylori status was determined 4 weeks after the end of therapy using a 13 C-urea breath test. Rates of H pylori eradication were calculated in the intent-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) populations. CYP2C19 genotype was determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism method. Results: Of 199 consecutive patients screened for eligibility, 184 H pylori -positive patients were enrolled in the study (61 in group A, 62 in group B, and 61 in group C). The overall sample was balanced in terms of age, sex, endoscopic diagnosis, and history of smoking. Rates of H pylori eradication in the ITT and PP populations were as follows: group A—85.2% (52/61) and 86.7% (52/60), respectively; group B—87.1% (54/62) and 90.0% (54/60); and group C—75.4% (46/61) and 75.4% (46/61). There were no significant differences in eradication rates among groups, nor were there any differences in rates of compliance (98.4%, 96.8%, and 100% in groups A, B, and C, respectively) or adverseevent profiles. Fifteen patients (7.6%) reported adverse events during the study (5 [8.2%] in group A, 6 [9.7%] in group B, and 4 [6.6%] in group C). The adverse events included diarrhea (6 patients), dizziness (5), abdominal pain (2), nausea (1), and skin rash (1). Three patients discontinued treatment because of adverse events ( 1 due to skin rash in group A and 2 due to dizziness in group B). In the 147 patients included in the PP analysis of the effect of CYP2C19 genotype, eradication rates were 88.9% (32/36) in poor metabolizers, 82.0% (50/61) in heterozygous extensive metabolizers, and 82.0% (41/50) in homozygous extensive metabolizers. Eradication rates did not differ significantly among genotype groups. Conclusions: One week of first-line triple therapy with levofloxacin and amoxicillin plus esomeprazole 20 or 40 mg BID or rabeprazole 10 mg BID was associated with H pylori eradication rates of 85.2%, 87.1%, and 75.4%, respectively, with no significant differences between treatment groups. There were no significant differences in eradication of H pylori by CYP2C19 genotype in this small population of Chinese adults.

Surface plasmonic systems provide extremely efficient ways to modulate light-matter interaction in photon emission, light harvesting, energy conversion and transferring, etc. Various surface plasmon enhanced luminescent behaviors have been observed and investigated in these systems. But the origin of an avalanche-like photoluminescence, which was firstly reported in 2007 from Au and subsequently from Ag nanowire arrays/monomers, is still not clear. Here we show, based on systematic investigations including the excitation power/time related photoluminescent measurements as well as calculations, that this avalanche-like photoluminescence is in fact a result of surface plasmon assisted thermal radiation. Nearly all of the related observations could be perfectly interpreted with this concept. Our finding is crucial for understanding the surface plasmon mediated thermal and photoemission behaviors in plasmonic structures, which is of great importance in designing functional plasmonic devices.

Published data has shown inconsistent findings about the association of survivin -31 G/C polymorphism with the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). This meta-analysis quantitatively assesses the results from published studies to provide a more precise estimate of the association between survivin -31 G/C polymorphism as a possible predictor of the risk of CRC. We conducted a literature search in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. Stata 12 software was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on the available data from each article. Six studies including 1840 cases with CRC and 1804 controls were included in this study. Survivin -31 G/C polymorphism was associated with a significantly increased risk of CRC (OR = 1.78; 95% CI, 1.53-2.07; I(2) = 0%). In the race subgroup analysis, both Asians (OR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.44-2.05; I(2) = 0%) and Caucasians (OR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.46-2.55; I(2) = 0%) with survivin -31 G/C polymorphism had increased CRC risk. In the subgroup analysis according to site of CRC, survivin -31 G/C polymorphism was not associated with colon cancer risk (OR = 2.02; 95% CI, 0.79-5.22; I(2) = 82%). However, this polymorphism was significantly associated with rectum cancer risk (OR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.42-2.74; I(2) = 0%). In the subgroup analysis by clinical stage, both early stage (I+II) and advanced stage (III+IV) were associated with survivin -31 G/C polymorphism (OR = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.20-2.16; I(2) = 0% and OR = 2.30; 95% CI, 1.70-3.13; I(2) = 0%, respectively). In the subgroup analysis by smoke status, both smokers and non-smokers with survivin -31 G/C polymorphism showed increased CRC risk (OR = 1.47; 95% CI, 1.01-2.13; I(2) = 60% and OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.28-2.30; I(2) = 0%, respectively). In the subgroup analysis by drink status, both drinkers and non-drinkers with survivin -31 G/C polymorphism showed increased CRC risk (OR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.06-2.37; I(2) = 8% and OR = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.23-2.11; I(2) = 0%, respectively). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that survivin -31 G/C polymorphism may be associated with the risk of CRC.

Au–Ag core–shell nanorods with surface plasmon resonance wavelengths of 760–840 nm were prepared. Wavelength-dependent nonlinear absorption coefficients (β) and nonlinear refractive indices (γ) of the nanorods were measured by using Z-scan techniques. The corresponding one-photon and two-photon figures of merit (W and T) were calculated from β and γ. The results show that the requirements of W > 1 and T < 1 for the application of all-optical switching could be achieved for all the samples over a broad wavelength range. These observations make the Au–Ag core–shell nanorods a good candidate for all-optical switching devices.