A high-sensitivity high-resolution intravascular photoacoustic catheter through mode cleaning in a graded-index fiber.

Intravascular photoacoustic imaging has been developed to evaluate the possibility of plaque rupture in atherosclerosis by high spatial resolution imaging of lipid. However, the detection sensitivity and spatial resolution are compromised by the poor focusing caused by a multimode fiber. In this work, we report an intravascular photoacoustic catheter with mode self-cleaning in a graded-index fiber to improve the beam quality and the sensitivity for lipid detection. Compared with the higher-order modes in a step-index multimode fiber, the lower-order modes generated by the self-cleaning effect in the graded-index fiber greatly enhanced the photoacoustic spatial resolution and detection sensitivity. The dominant ringing artifact caused by laser absorption of the ultrasound transducer was further reduced by using stripe suppression. A lipid plaque mimicking phantom was imaged for evaluation. Lipid particles with a small diameter of 75.7 µm were clearly observed.

Successful treatment of metastatic vulvar malignant melanoma with toripalimab: A rare case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: Vulvar melanoma is a rare and aggressive tumor with a high risk of local recurrence and distant metastasis. The prognosis is poor with a 5-year overall survival rate of only 46.6%. Management of vulvar melanoma remains a clinical challenge. Recent evidences have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective in the treatment of vulvar melanoma. PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSES: A 63-year-old woman with vulvar malignant melanoma suffered inguinal lymph node metastasis after vulvectomy and chemotherapy. She underwent inguinal lymph node dissection and inguinal radiotherapy. The tumor progressed again and she received immunotherapy. INTERVENTIONS: The tumor progressed again, and she was admitted to our hospital and received toripalimab combined with apatinib and abraxane. OUTCOMES: After 6 cycles of immunotherapy, the efficacy achieved partial remission. And with toripalimab as maintenance therapy, the patient achieved durable antitumor efficacy and good safety. LESSONS: In this rare case, the patient with metastatic vulvar malignant melanoma had durable antitumor efficacy and good safety when receiving toripalimab.

Adaptive fixed-time tracking control for a class of nonlinear pure-feedback systems: A relative threshold event-triggered strategy.

In this paper, a fixed-time controller under the mechanism of event-trigger is designed for a class of nonlinear pure-feedback systems with non-differentiable non-affine functions. By properly modeling non-affine terms, the limitation of the partial derivatives of non-affine functions is eliminated. In our design process, we first develop a fixed-time adaptive controller using decoupling method. Then, a relative threshold event-trigger mechanism (ETM) is introduced in Section 3.1. The proposed controller can not only stabilize the system within a fixed-time, but also save communication resources more effectively. Lastly, the feasibility of the proposed control scheme is verified by two simulation examples.

Severe immune-related hyperthermia followed by immune-related pneumonitis with PD-1 inhibitor (sintilimab) in small cell lung cancer: A case report.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have achieved prominent efficacy in the treatment of numerous cancers, which is the most significant breakthrough in cancer therapy in recent years. However, ICIs are associated with a series of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Pneumonitis is an uncommon but potentially fatal irAE. In the case reported here, a patient with advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC) had rapid progression of disease following chemotherapy and received ICIs. The patient experienced severe immune-related hyperthermia followed by immune-related pneumonitis. Fortunately, a good clinical response was achieved after the patient received corticosteroids and tocilizumab.

Visible Light-Driven Micromotor with Incident-Angle-Controlled Motion and Dynamic Collective Behavior.

Light-driven micromotor has become one of the research focuses in the past decade, and its motion behavior is usually controlled by light intensity, polarization, and light wavelength. Herein, the light incident angle is utilized to control the motion behavior of silica/Au/pentacene (SiO2/Au/PEN) spherical Janus micromotor. Under tilted irradiation, a single micromotor shows positive phototactic moving behavior without the addition of external chemical fuels, which relies on the photocatalytic reactions and the self-electrophoresis mechanism. Interestingly, when the incident light is tuned to the vertical angle, the SiO2/Au/PEN micromotor stops moving. Similarly, a number of SiO2/Au/PEN micromotors exhibit the same "on-off" motion change, which is dependent on the light incident angle. More interestingly, the "on-off" motion of the SiO2/Au/PEN microparticles under vertical light irradiation results in the formation of the agglomeration with position and size precisely controlled by light. In addition, the resulting aggregation exhibits light-controlled dynamic migration behavior. The incident angle control thus opens up new opportunities for the motion control of the micromotors for diverse applications.

2D group-VA fluorinated antimonene: synthesis and saturable absorption.

A new derivative of antimonene named fluorinated antimonene was synthesized using the method of ionic liquid-assisted electrochemical exfoliation and synchronous fluorination. Passive Q-switched pulses were produced from a Nd:LuAG laser with fluorinated antimonene, having a pulse width of 326.7 ns and a repetition rate of 733.1 kHz demonstrating its potential application as a saturable absorber. Density functional theory calculations revealed that compared with pure antimonene with an indirect bandgap, fluorinated antimonene exhibits a direct bandgap modulated by the fluorination degree showing that fluorinated antimonene would be applied as optical devices beyond its application as a saturable absorber.

Comparison of apatinib and capecitabine (Xeloda) with capecitabine (Xeloda) in advanced triple-negative breast cancer as third-line therapy: A retrospective study.

The treatment of advanced triple-negative breast cancer, which failed in first-line or second-line therapy, is a significant challenge. We conducted this retrospective study to explore the efficacy and safety of apatinib and capecitabine as the third-line treatment for advanced triple-negative breast cancer.This retrospective study involved 44 advanced triple-negative breast cancer patients who failed in first-line or second-line therapy in Tangshan People's Hospital from January 2016 to February 2017. Twenty-two patients received apatinib and capecitabine, while 22 patients were treated with capecitabine monotherapy as third-line therapy. The progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events were compared between 2 groups.The apatinib and capecitabine group exhibited a higher PFS than capecitabine group (P = .001). Meanwhile, ORR and DCR in apatinib and capecitabine group were better than in capecitabine group (P = .042; .016). The 2 groups showed no significant difference in adverse events except degree I-II bleeding (P = .021). Both the apatinib and capecitabine and the capecitabine regimens revealed good tolerability.The apatinib and capecitabine regimen can achieve a better efficacy and similar serious adverse events compared with capecitabine regimen as the third-line treatment for advanced triple-negative breast cancer.

Obtaining chiral metal-organic frameworks via a prochirality synthetic strategy with achiral ligands step-by-step.

Although some achievements of constructing chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with diverse achiral ligands have been made, there is still a lack of full understanding of the origin and formation mechanism of chirality, as well as the reasonable principles for the design and construction of chiral frameworks. The concept of prochirality in organic molecules and complex systems inspires us to explore the synthetic strategy of chiral MOFs based on achiral sources. Here, an achiral compound [Cu(en)][(VO3)2] (1) was isolated in the CuCl2/NH4VO3/en system, while further chiral frameworks [Cu(en)(Im)2][(VO3)2] (2a and 2b) were obtained by the reaction between compound 1 and another achiral ligand Im (ethanediamine = en and imidazole = Im). In the present system, compound 1 has the characteristic of a quasi-plane structure unit. Further reaction of compound 1 and the achiral ligand (Im) induced the formation of chiral Λ/Δ Cu centers, and then a pair of chiral frameworks containing one-dimensional (1D) helical chains was formed. The chiral symmetry breaking phenomenon of compounds 2a and 2b can also be expected and explained based on this kind of prochirality synthetic strategy.

A cobalt-based 3D porous framework with excellent catalytic ability for the selective oxidation of cis-cyclooctene.

A 3D porous framework [Co3(µ2-OH)4(I)2]·2H2O (I = hypoxanthine) with two types of 1D channels possess excellent catalytic ability for the selective oxidation of cis-cyclooctene.

Transition metal-induced self-assembly of small molybdenum clusters.

The first-row transition metals (TMs) are applied to induce the assembly of small molybdenum clusters (SMCs) in the molybdenum/TM/phosphate system, and eight SMC-based compounds are synthesized: [(V(2)O(2))(H(2)PMo(8)V(4)O(40))]·2(en)·12H(2)O (1), [CrMo(6)O(18)(OH)(6)]·1.5(H(2)en)·5H(2)O (2), [MnMo(12)O(24)(OH)(6)(HPO(4))(2)(PO(4))(6)]·7(H(2)en)·6H(2)O (3), {[Co(H(2)O)](2)[CoMo(12)O(24)(OH)(6)(H(2)PO(4))(2)(PO(4))(6)]}·4(H(2)en)·4H(2)O (4), [Ni(5)(H(2)O)(22)(Mo(2)O(4))(8)(HPO(4))(20)(PO(4))(6)]·32H(2)O (5), Cu(2)(en)(4)(Mo(8)O(26)) (6), [Cu(en)(2)Mo(5)O(15)(HPO(4))(2)]·(H(2)en)·2H(2)O (7) and {Zn(2)[Na(H(2)O)(2)][NaMo(12)O(24)(OH)(6)(H(2)PO(4))(6)(PO(4))(2)]}·5(en)·11H(2)O (8) (en = ethylenediamine). Six kinds of SMCs as molecular building blocks have been observed within these eight compounds, namely, Mo(2)V, Mo(4), Mo(5), Mo(6)(1), Mo(6)(2) and Mo(8). In present reaction system, these TMs not only induce the assembly of SMCs, but also regulate the dimensionality of these compounds, ranging from discrete 0D to infinite 1D, 2D and 3D frameworks. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of compounds 1-8 are also investigated.

Bis[8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-(piperazin-4-ium-1-yl)-5,8-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carb-oxy-lic acid] 2,5-dicarb-oxy-benzene-1,4-di-carboxyl-ate octa-hydrate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, 2C(14)H(18)N(5)O(3) (+)·C(10)H(5)O(8) (2-)·8H(2)O, contains one [H(2)ppa](+)cation, one half of an [H(2)btec](2-) anion (H(4)btec = 1,2,4,5-benzene-tetra-carb-oxy-lic acid and Hppa = 8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-piperazin-1-yl-5,8-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carb-oxy-lic acid) that is completed by inversion symmetry and four water mol-ecules. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are connected by inter-molecular hydrogen-bonding inter-actions and π-π stacking between the benzene rings of the [H(2)btec](2-) anion and the pyrimidine rings of the [H(2)ppa](+) cation [centroid-centroid distance = 3.597 (3) Å], generating a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure.

4-(3-Carb-oxy-1-ethyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinolin-7-yl)piperazin-1-ium 4-carb-oxy-benzoate-benzene-1,4-dicarb-oxy-lic acid (2/1).

In the title compound, C(16)H(19)FN(3)O(3) (+)·C(8)H(5)O(4) (-)·0.5C(8)H(6)O(4), the benzene-1,4-dicarb-oxy-lic acid mol-ecule is located on a centre of symmetry. In the crystal, the mol-ecules and ions are connected by inter-molecular C-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking inter-actions [with a centroid-centroid distance of 3.402 (2) Å], generating a three-dimensional supra-molecular structure.

Bis(2-carboxybenzo-ato-κO)bis-[1-cyclo-propyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-7-(piperazin-4-ium-1-yl)-1,4-dihydro-quinoline-3-carboxyl-ato-κO,O]manganese(II) dihydrate.

The title compound, [Mn(C(17)H(18)FN(3)O(3))(2)(C(8)H(5)O(4))(2)]·2H(2)O or [Mn(cfH)(2)(1,2-Hbdc)(2)]·2H(2)O (cfH = ciprofloxacin = 1-cyclo-propyl-6-fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazin-yl)-3-quinoline carb-oxy-lic acid, 1,2-bdc = benzene-1,2-dicarboxyl-ate), has been prepared under hydro-thermal conditions. The Mn(2+) atom, located on an inversion centre, exhibits a distorted octa-hedral geometry, coordinated by four O atoms from two symmetry-related zwitterionic ciprofloxacin ligands in the equatorial positions and two O atoms of two 1,2-Hbdc ligands in the axial positions. The complex mol-ecules are linked into a two-dimensional network through N-H⋯O and OW-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A strong intramolecular hydrogen bond between the carboxyl/carboxylate groups of the 1,2-Hbdc anion is also present. The layers are further extended through off-set aromatic π-π stacking inter-actions of cfH groups [centroid-centroid distance of 3.657 (2) Å] into the final three-dimensional supra-molecular arrays.

catena-Poly[[(2,2'-bipyridine)-manganese(II)]-µ(3)-4,4'-sulfonyl-dibenzoato].

In the title compound, [Mn(C(14)H(8)O(6)S)(C(10)H(8)N(2))](n), the Mn(II) ion is coordinated by four O atoms from three 4,4'-sulfonyl-dibenzoate (sdba) ligands and two N atoms from one 2,2'-bipyridine (2,2'-bipy) ligand in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. The manganese atoms are alternately bridged either by two sdba ligands, with an Mn⋯Mn separation of 12.284 (1) Å, or by two carboxyl-ate groups from two sdba ligands, with an Mn⋯Mn separation of 4.064 (1) Å, thus producing polymeric chains propagated in [101]. Weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance of 3.730 (3) Šbetween the aromatic rings of neighbouring polymeric chains] further stabilize the crystal packing.

Diaqua-bis-[8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-(piperazin-4-ium-1-yl)-5,8-dihydro-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxyl-ato]copper(II) bis[4-(4-carboxyphenoxy)benzoate].

In the title compound, [Cu(C(14)H(17)N(5)O(3))(2)(H(2)O)(2)](C(14)H(9)O(5))(2), the Cu(2+) atom, located on an inversion centre, exhibits a distorted octa-hedral geometry, coordinated by four O atoms from two pipemidic acid ligands in equatorial positions and two water mol-ecules in axial positions. The pipemidic acid ligand acts a bidentate ligand and the single deprotonated 4,4'-oxydibenzoic acid acts as an anion. Classical N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds are present in the crystal structure.

Enantiopure chiral coordination polymers of tetrahedral and octahedral cobalt(II) alternate chains exhibiting slow magnetic relaxation behavior.

The first two chiral homometallic coordination frameworks with homochiral helical [Co(Oct)O(Trp)Co(Td)O(Trp)](n) ferrimagnetic chains, exhibiting a unique coexistence of chirality and slow magnetic relaxation in one material, are reported.

Radial Basis Function Neural Network-based PID model for functional electrical stimulation system control.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has been widely used in the area of neural engineering. It utilizes electrical current to activate nerves innervating extremities affected by paralysis. An effective combination of a traditional PID controller and a neural network, being capable of nonlinear expression and adaptive learning property, supply a more reliable approach to construct FES controller that help the paraplegia complete the action they want. A FES system tuned by Radial Basis Function (RBF) Neural Network-based Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) model was designed to control the knee joint according to the desired trajectory through stimulation of lower limbs muscles in this paper. Experiment result shows that the FES system with RBF Neural Network-based PID model get a better performance when tracking the preset trajectory of knee angle comparing with the system adjusted by Ziegler- Nichols tuning PID model.