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ObjectiveTo observe the distribution characteristics of peripheral blood inflammatory indexes and retinal macular area optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging biomarkers in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) with or without diabetic nephropathy (DN), in order to seek clinical biomarkers that can predict the development of DR and DN.MethodsA total of 169 inpatients with DR who visited the ophthalmology department of the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2020 to June 2022 and had complete clinical data were collected, and the patients with DR were divided into two major groups, DR and DR/DN, according to whether they had DN, and then further divided into four subgroups, Non-proliferative DR(NPDR), proliferative DR(PDR), NPDR/DN and PDR/DN, according to the stage of DR. The distribution characteristics of peripheral blood inflammatory indexes [Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and Platelet to neutrophil ratio(PLR)], renal function indexes [Cystatin-C(CYS-C), Creatinine(Crea), Uric acid(UA)and Urinary albumin to creatinine ratio(UACR)] and OCT imaging indexes [Hyperreflective foci(HRF), Disorgnization of retinal inner layers(DRIL), Outer retinal tubulations(ORTs), Central retinal thickness(CRT), Retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) and Ganglion cell layer(GCL)] were analyzed between the above subgroups.ResultsThere was no difference between DR and DR/DN groups in terms of gender, family history of diabetes, duration of diabetes and Body mass index(BMI) (P>0.05), the mean age of the DR/DN group was significantly lower than that of the DR group (P0.05). (P>0.05), Hemoglobin(HGB) was significantly higher in the DR group than in the DR/DN group (P 0.05). RNFL and GCL thickness were significantly lower in the DR/DN group than in the DR group (P

Since the discovery of graphene in 2004, which proved the existence of 2-D crystals in nature, layered materials also known as van der Waals solids have received extensive reexamination, especially in the single-layer and multilayer forms because of their van der Waals type structure and unique properties that not only benefit many existing electronic components but also enable novel device concepts and design architectures. Numerous research efforts have been invested in these materials, and enormous quantities of results have been generated during the past 14 years. This paper provides an overview of the key physics and technology issues along with the most promising nanoelectronic applications of these materials and also identifies the challenges in this rapidly evolving field.

Copper-based interconnects employed in a wide range of integrated circuit (IC) products are fast approaching a dead-end due to their increasing resistivity and diminishing current carrying capacity with scaling, which severely degrades both performance and reliability. Here we demonstrate chemical vapor deposition-synthesized and intercalation-doped multilayer-graphene-nanoribbons (ML-GNRs) with better performance (more than 20% improvement in estimated delay per unit length), 25%/72% energy efficiency improvement at local/global level, and superior reliability w.r.t. Cu for the first time, for dimensions (down to 20 nm width and thickness of 12 nm) suitable for IC interconnects. This is achieved through a combination of GNR interconnect design optimization, high-quality ML-GNR synthesis with precisely controlled number of layers, and effective FeCl3 intercalation doping. We also demonstrate that our intercalation doping is stable at room temperature and that the doped ML-GNRs exhibit a unique width-dependent doping effect due to increasingly efficient FeCl3 diffusion in scaled ML-GNRs, thereby indicating that our doped ML-GNRs will outperform Cu even for sub-20 nm widths. Finally, reliability assessment conducted under accelerated stress conditions (temperature and current density) established that highly scaled intercalated ML-GNRs can carry over 2 × 108 A/cm2 of current densities, whereas Cu interconnects suffer from immediate breakdown under the same stress conditions and thereby addresses the key criterion of current carrying capacity necessary for an alternative interconnect material. Our comprehensive demonstration of highly reliable intercalation-doped ML-GNRs paves the way for graphene as the next-generation interconnect material for a variety of semiconductor technologies and applications.

Purpose. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone intravitreal implant (DEX) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) with retinal vein occlusion secondary to macular edema (RVO-ME). Materials and Methods. Relevant databases were searched to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating DEX for DME and RVO-ME. The search was conducted until March 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using Rev Man 5.4.1 software after screening the literature by inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracting information, and evaluating the methodological quality of the included studies. Results. The study showed that DEX treatment of RVO-ME was associated with an improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (MD = −9.08, 95% CI: −10.89–7.27, P

Advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) are harmful factors that can damage the inner blood–retinal barrier (iBRB). Rat retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RMECs) were isolated and cultured, and identified by anti-CD31 and von Willebrand factor polyclonal antibodies. Similarly, rat retinal Müller glial cells (RMGCs) were identified by H&E staining and with antibodies of glial fibrillary acidic protein and glutamine synthetase. The transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) value was measured with a Millicell electrical resistance system to observe the leakage of the barrier. Transwell cell plates for co-culturing RMECs with RMGCs were used to construct an iBRB model, which was then tested with the addition of AGEs at final concentrations of 50 and 100 mg/L for 24, 48, and 72 h. AGEs in the in vitro iBRB model constructed by RMEC and RMGC co-culture led to the imbalance of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelial derivative factor (PEDF), and the permeability of the RMEC layer increased because the TEER decreased in a dose- and time-dependent manner. AGEs increased VEGF but lowered PEDF in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The intervention with AGEs led to the change of the transendothelial resistance of the RMEC layer likely caused by the increased ratio of VEGF/PEDF.

The fast growth of information technology has been sustained by continuous scaling down of the silicon-based metal-oxide field-effect transistor. However, such technology faces two major challenges to further scaling. First, [...]

Magnetohydrodynamics are widely used in medicine and biotechnology, such as drug targeting, molecular biology, cell isolation and purification. In this paper, we prove the existence of a global strong solution to the one-dimensional compressible magnetohydrodynamics system with temperature-dependent heat conductivity in unbounded domains and a large initial value by the Lagrangian symmetry transformation, when the viscosity μ is constant and the heat conductivity κ , which depends on the temperature, satisfies κ = κ ¯ θ b (b > 1) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]