TC-Net: A joint learning framework based on CNN and vision transformer for multi-lesion medical images segmentation.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid advancement of medical imaging technology, the demand for accurate segmentation of medical images is increasing. However, most existing methods are unable to capture locality and long-range dependency information in integrated ways for medical images. METHOD: In this paper, we propose an elegant segmentation framework for medical images named TC-Net, which can utilize both the locality-aware and long-range dependencies in the medical images. As for the locality-aware perspective, we employ a CNN-based encoder and decoder structure. The CNN branch uses the locality of convolution operations to dig out local information in medical images. As for the long-range dependencies, we construct a Transformer branch to focus on the global context. Additionally, we proposed a locality-aware and long-range dependency concatenation strategy (LLCS) to aggregate the feature maps obtained from the two subbranches. Finally, we present a dynamic cyclical focal loss (DCFL) to address the class imbalance problem in multi-lesion segmentation. RESULTS: Comprehensive experiments were conducted on lesion segmentation tasks using two fundus image databases and a skin image database. The TC-Net achieves scores of 0.6985 and 0.5171 in the metric of mean pixel accuracy on the IDRiD and DDR databases, respectively. Moreover, on the skin image database, the TC-Net reached mean pixel accuracy of 0.8886. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves better performance than other deep learning segmentation schemes. Furthermore, the proposed DCFL achieves higher performance than other loss functions in multi-lesion segmentation. SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed TC-Net is a promising new framework for multi-lesion medical image segmentation and many other challenging image segmentation tasks. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved.

Dopant-Free Pyrrolopyrrole-Based (PPr) Polymeric Hole-Transporting Materials for Efficient Tin-Based Perovskite Solar Cells with Stability Over 6000 h.

A new set of pyrrolopyrrole-based (PPr) polymers incorporated with thioalkylated/alkylated bithiophene (SBT/BT) is synthesized and explored as hole-transporting materials (HTMs) for Sn-based perovskite solar cells (TPSCs). Three bithiophenyl spacers bearing the thioalkylated hexyl (SBT-6), thioalkylated tetradecyl (SBT-14), and tetradecyl (BT-14) chains are utilized to examine the effect of the alkyl chain lengths. Among them, the TPSCs are fabricated using PPr-SBT-14 as HTMs through a two-step approach by attaining a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.6% with a remarkable long-term stability beyond 6000 h, which has not been reported elsewhere for a non-PEDOT:PSS-based TPSC. The PPr-SBT-14 device is stable under light irradiation for 5 h in air (50% relative humidity) at the maximum power point (MPP). The highly planar structure, strong intramolecular S(alkyl)···S(thiophene) interactions, and extended π-conjugation of SBT enable the PPr-SBT-14 device to outperform the standard poly(3-hexylthiophene,-2,5-diyl (P3HT) and other devices. The longer thio-tetradecyl chain in SBT-14 restricts molecular rotation and strongly affects the molecular conformation, solubility, and film wettability over other polymers. Thus, the present study makes a promising dopant-free polymeric HTM model for the future design of highly efficient and stable TPSCs.

Unlocking the Low-Temperature Potential of Propylene Carbonate to -30 °C via N-Methylpyrrolidone.

As the one of the core electrolyte solvents for Li-ion batteries, ethylene carbonate (EC) is still irreplaceable for its balance of ionic conductivity and interfacial stability. However, it also defines the boundary for the low-temperature performance of the battery because of its high melting point (36.4 °C). Its immediate sibling, propylene carbonate (PC), has been proposed as its convenient substitute for its much lower melting point (-48.8 °C). Unfortunately, the propylene carbonate-graphite anode interfacial problem has been a puzzle since the days before the advent of the Li-ion battery. Among various strategies to mitigate this issue, blending in selected strong solvents for Li+ to bring down propylene carbonate's presence in the solvation shell has been proven often effective but the mechanism from the interfacial chemistry perspective remains unexplored. Herein, we study a new cosolvent, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), for PC-based electrolyte and observe excellent reversibility that approaches the commercial standard, far beyond the similar systems in the past. To understand the mechanism, solvation chemistry analysis and in situ characterizations are undertaken to probe the interfacial chemistry from various standpoints. Based on these results and further theoretical calculation, it is proposed that N-methylpyrrolidone has mediated the reduction process of propylene carbonate to facilitate the growth of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer akin to ethylene carbonate. Finally, an electrolyte has also been successfully developed based on the NMP/PC couple to outperform the commercial electrolyte by a clear margin when tested in a LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2-graphite cell at -30 °C.

Transcriptome-Wide N6-Methyladenosine Methylome Alteration in the Rat Spinal Cord After Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Recent studies showed that RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays an important role in neurological diseases. We used methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-Seq) technology to generate the m6A modification map after traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). A total of 2,609 differential m6A peaks were identified after TSCI. Our RNA sequencing results after TSCI showed 4,206 genes with significantly altered expression. Cross-link analysis of m6A sequencing results and RNA sequencing results showed that 141 hyper-methylated genes were upregulated, 53 hyper-methylated genes were downregulated, 57 hypo-methylated genes were upregulated, and 197 hypo-methylated genes were downregulated. Among these, the important inflammatory response factor Tlr4 and the important member of the neurotrophin family Ngf were both upregulated and hyper-methylated after TSCI. This study provides that in the future, the epigenetic modifications of the genes could be used as an indicator of TSCI.

Effect of synchronous online vs. face-to-face cardiopulmonary resuscitation training on chest compression quality: A pilot randomized manikin study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare the effect of synchronous online and face-to-face cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training on chest compressions quality in a manikin model. METHODS: A total of 118 fourth-year medical students participated in this study. The participants were divided into two groups: the online synchronous teaching group and the face-to-face group. Then, the participants were further randomly distributed to 1 of 2 feedback groups: online synchronous teaching and training with feedback devices (TF, n = 30) or without feedback devices (TN, n = 29) and face-to-face teaching and training with feedback devices (FF, n = 30) or without feedback devices (FN, n = 29). In the FN group and FF group, instructors delivered a 45-min CPR training program and gave feedback and guidance during training on site. In the TN group and TF group, the participants were trained with an online lecture via Tencent Meeting live broadcasting. Finally, participants performed a 2-min continuous chest compression (CC) during a simulated cardiopulmonary arrest scene without the audiovisual feedback (AVF) device. The outcome measures included CC depth, CC rate, proportions of appropriate depth (50-60 mm) and CC rate (100-120/min), percentage of correct hand location position, and percentage of complete chest recoil. RESULTS: There was little difference in the CC quality between the synchronous online training groups and the face-to-face training groups. There was no statistically significant difference in CC quality between the TN group and FN group. There were also no statistically significant differences between the TF and FF groups in terms of correct hand position, CC depth, appropriate CC depth, complete chest recoil or CC rate. However, the FF group had a higher appropriate CC rate than the TF group (p = 0.045). In the face-to-face training groups, the AVF device group had a significantly greater CC depth, appropriate CC depth, CC rate, and appropriate CC rate. However, there was a lack of statistically significant differences in terms of correct hand position (p = 0.191) and appropriate CC depth (p = 0.123). In the synchronous online training groups, the AVF device had little effect on the CC rate (p = 0.851) and increased the appropriate CC rate, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.178). CONCLUSIONS: Synchronous online training with an AVF device would be a potential alternative approach to face-to-face chest compression training. Synchronous online training with AVF devices seems to be a suitable replacement for face-to-face training to offer adequate bystander CPR chest compression training.

The effect of preperitoneal pelvic packing for hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures.

PURPOSE: Hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures still represent a challenge to trauma surgeons and have a very high mortality. This study was designed to explore the effect of the interventions of direct preperitoneal pelvic packing for the hemodynamically unstable pelvic fractures. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled 67 cases of severe pelvic fractures with unstable hemodynamics from October 2011 to December 2019. All patients presented in our emergency center and received preperitoneal pelvic packing were included in this study. The indication was persistent systolic blood pressure ≤90 mmHg during initial resuscitation and after transfusion of two units of red blood cells. Patients with hemodynamic stability who need no preperitoneal pelvic packing to control bleeding were excluded. Their demographic characteristics, clinical features, laboratory results, therapeutic interventions, adverse events, and prognostic outcomes were collected from digital information system of electronic medical records. Statistics were described as mean ± standard deviation or medium and analyzed using pair sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: The patients' average age was 41.6 years, ranging from 10 to 88 years. Among them, 45 cases were male (67.2%) and 22 cases were female (32.8%). Significant difference was found regarding the systolic blood pressure (mmHg) in the emergency department (78.4 ± 13.9) and after preperitoneal pelvic packing in the surgery intensive care unit (100.1 ± 17.6) (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, the arterial base deficit (mmol/L) were significantly lower in the surgery intensive care unit (median -6, interquartile range -8 to -2) than in the emergency department (median -10, interquartile range -14 to -8) (p < 0.05). After preperitoneal pelvic packing, 15 patients (22.4%) underwent pelvic angiography for persistent hypotension or suspected ongoing haemorrhage. The overall mortality rate was 29.5% (20 of 67). CONCLUSIONS: Preperitoneal pelvic packing, as a useful surgical technique, is less invasive and can be very efficient in early intra-pelvic bleed control.

iTRAQ-based proteomic profiling reveals protein alterations after traumatic brain injury and supports thyroxine as a potential treatment.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a primary cause of disability and death across the world. Previously, RNA analysis was widely used to study the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying TBI; however, the relatively low correlation between the transcriptome and proteome revealed that RNA transcription abundance does not reliably predict protein abundance, which led to the emergence of proteomic research. In this study, an iTRAQ proteomics approach was applied to detect protein alterations after TBI on a large scale. A total of 3937 proteins were identified, and 146 proteins were significantly changed after TBI. Moreover, 23 upregulated proteins were verified by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), and fold changes in 16 proteins were consistent with iTRAQ outcomes. Transthyretin (Ttr) upregulation has been demonstrated at the transcriptional level, and this study further confirmed this at the protein level. After treatment with thyroxine (T4), which is transported by Ttr, the effects of T4 on neuronal histopathology and behavioral performance were determined in vivo (TBI + T4 group). Brain edema was alleviated, and the integrity of the blood brain barrier (BBB) improved. Escape latency in the Morris water maze (MWM) declined significantly compared with the group without T4 treatment. Modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) of the TBI + T4 group decreased from day 1 to day 7 post-TBI compared with the TBI + saline group. These results indicate that T4 treatment has potential to alleviate pathologic and behavioral abnormalities post-TBI. Protein alterations after T4 treatment were also detected by iTRAQ proteomics. Upregulation of proteins like Lgals3, Gfap and Apoe after TBI were reversed by T4 treatment. GO enrichment showed T4 mainly affected intermediate filament organization, cholesterol transportation and axonal regeneration. In summary, iTRAQ proteomics provides information about the impact of TBI on protein alterations and yields insight into underlying mechanisms and pathways involved in TBI and T4 treatment. Finally, Ttr and other proteins identified by iTRAQ may become potential novel treatment targets post-TBI.

Important scoring systems for assessing the severity of COVID-19 based on COVID-19-related deaths in Wuhan, China.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of 21 deaths and evaluate potential factors affecting disease severity and mortality risk in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: This retrospective analysis assessed clinical data of 21 patients who died owing to COVID-19. Disease severity and mortality risk were assessed using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II); Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA); multilobular infiltration, hypo-lymphocytosis, bacterial coinfection, smoking history, hypertension and age (MuLBSTA); and pneumonia severity index (PSI) scores. Results: The mean age of the patients was 66 ±â€Š14 years and 15 (71.4%) patients were men. Sixteen (76.2%) patients had chronic medical illnesses. Twelve (57.1%) patients were overweight. Decreased lymphocyte proportions were observed in 17 (81.0%) patients on admission. Elevated D-dimer levels were observed in 11 (52.4%) patients, and the levels significantly increased when pneumonia deteriorated. The initial APACHE II and SOFA scores demonstrated that 18 (85.7%) and 13 (61.9%) patients, respectively, were in the middle-risk level. MuLBSTA and PSI scores after admission were associated with higher risks of mortality in 13 (61.9%) patients. Most patients developed organ failure and subsequently died. Conclusions: Older, overweight, male patients with a history of chronic illnesses and continuously decreased lymphocyte proportions and increased D-dimer levels might have higher risks of death owing to COVID-19. The combination of general scoring (SOFA) and pneumonia-specific scoring (MuLBSTA and PSI) systems after admission might be sensitive in assessing the mortality risk of patients with COVID-19 who are in critical condition.

Ferrate Oxidation of Phenolic Compounds in Iodine-Containing Water: Control of Iodinated Aromatic Products.

Highly toxic iodinated products would form in oxidation and disinfection of iodine-containing water. Variation of iodinated aromatic products in ferrate [Fe(VI)] oxidation of phenolic compounds (phenol, bisphenol A (BPA), and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HBA)) in iodine-containing water was investigated. At pH 5.0, oxidation of phenolic compounds was inhibited by competitive reaction of ferrate with I-, and no formation of iodinated aromatic products was detected. Almost all I- was converted into nontoxic IO3-. At pH 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0, HOI formed in ferrate oxidation of I- and further reacted with phenols, with the formation of iodinated aromatic products. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that both kinds and contents of iodinated aromatic products were raised with the increase in solution pH and the content of I-, and these iodinated aromatic products were further oxidized by ferrate. Ferrate deprived iodine from iodinated aromatic products and transferred highly toxic organic iodine into nontoxic IO3-. An electron-donating substituent (alkyl) increased the reactivity of phenol with ferrate and HOI and facilitated ferrate oxidation of iodinated phenols. An electron-drawing substituent (carboxyl) decreased the reactivity of phenol with ferrate and HOI and hindered the further oxidation of iodinated aromatic products. A kinetic model about the variation of phenol, BPA, and p-HBA in reaction with ferrate in iodine-containing water was developed, and the oxidation profile of phenolic compounds could be satisfactorily predicted at various iodide concentrations.

Forty years of reform and opening up: China's progress toward a sustainable path.

After 40 years of reform and "opening up," China has made remarkable economic progress. Such economic prosperity, however, has been coupled with environmental degradation. We analyze diverse long-term data to determine whether China is experiencing a decoupling of economic growth and environmental impacts, and where China stands with respect to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of reducing regional division, urban-rural gap, social inequality, and land-based impacts on oceans. The results highlight that China's desire to achieve "ecological civilization" has resulted in a decoupling trend for major pollutants since 2015, while strong coupling remains with CO2 emissions. Progress has been made in health care provision, poverty reduction, and gender equity in education, while income disparity continues between regions and with rural-urban populations. There is a considerable way to go toward achieving delivery of the SDGs; however, China's progress toward economic prosperity and concomitant sustainability provides important insights for other countries.

Incidence, Risk factors, and Biomarkers Predicting Ischemic or Hemorrhagic Stroke Associated Acute Kidney Injury and Outcome: A Retrospective Study in a General Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the epidemiology, risk factors, and predictive parameters for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality in a general intensive care unit (ICU) in China. METHODS: During 5 years, 479 stroke patients were screened, and 381 were enrolled. AKI was diagnosed within 7 days after ICU admission, based on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Risk factors of AKI were assessed by Logistic regression analyses, and the predictive biomarkers for AKI were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Also examined were factors influencing 28-day mortality, using Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier curves. -Results: Among all, 115 (30.18%) patients developed AKI. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that the following features at ICU admission significantly increased the risk of developing AKI: an increased National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (OR 1.136, p < 0.001) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (OR 1.107, p = 0.042); hypertension (OR 2.346, p = 0.008); use of loop diuretics (OR 1.961, p = 0.032); and higher serum cystatin C (sCysC; OR 8.156, p = 0.001). The area under the ROC curves for predicting AKI using sCysC was 0.772, slightly better than that of other biomarkers. The sCysC ≥0.93 mg/L (hazard ratio 1.844, p = 0.004) significantly predicted 28-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Among stroke patients in ICU, we identified significant risk factors of stroke-associated AKI. Serum CysC level at ICU admission was an important biomarker for predicting AKI and 28-day mortality.

Two different states conversion mechanism of the imprinting sites.

Bisphenol A molecular imprinted adsorbent (BMIA) was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel process and showed a good specific binding performance in the water. The further studies showed that the mass transfer process was controlled by in-diffusion, and the synthesis conditions would effect on the amount of imprinting sites. Scatchard model analysis evidenced that the high binding affinity sites and the low binding affinity sites were both on BMIA, and the high binding affinity sites played a key role in the specific binding process. Scatchard model analysis of temperature effect experiments and dosage effect experiments proved that the specific binding sites with high binding affinity and the unexpressed specific binding sites with low binding affinity were the two different states of the imprinting binding sites. The conversion between the two different states depended on the reaction driving force, and the increasing reaction driving force would increase the number of specific binding sites. Especially, the temperature showed a linear positive correlation with the amount of specific binding sites. Finally, a possible model was put forward to explain the two different states conversion mechanism of the imprinting sites.

Biodegradation of sulfadiazine in microbial fuel cells: Reaction mechanism, biotoxicity removal and the correlation with reactor microbes.

Sulfadiazine (SDZ) is a high priority sulfonamide antibiotic and was always detected in environmental samples. This study explored the removal of SDZ in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), in terms of MFC operation, degradation products, reaction mechanism, SDZ biotoxicity removal, and the correlation between microbial community and SDZ removal. SDZ would greatly impact the activity of reactor microbes, and longtime acclimation is required for the biodegradation of SDZ in MFCs. After acclimation, 10 mg/L of SDZ could be removed within 48 h. Liquid chromatographic-mass spectroscopic analysis showed that SDZ could be degraded into 2-aminopyrimidine, 2-amino-4-hydroxypyrimidine and benzenesulfinic acid. Compared with published SDZ biodegradation mechanism, we found that the sulfanilamide part (p-Anilinesulfonic acid) of SDZ would be degraded into benzenesulfinic acid in the system. The effects of background constituents on SDZ biodegradation were explored, and co-existed humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) could accelerate the removal of SDZ in MFCs. After analyzing the reactor microbial community and the removal of SDZ at different operation cycles, it was found that the relative abundance of Methanocorpusculum, Mycobacterium, Clostridium, Thiobacillus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, and Stenotrophomonas was highly correlated with the removal of SDZ throughout the experiment.

Organic contaminants degradation from the S(IV) autoxidation process catalyzed by ferrous-manganous ions: A noticeable Mn(III) oxidation process.

Remarkable atrazine degradation in the S(IV) autoxidation process catalyzed by Fe2+-Mn2+ (Fe2+/Mn2+/sulfite) was demonstrated in this study. Competitive kinetic experiments, alcohol inhibiting methods and electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments proved that sulfur radicals were not the major oxidation species. Mn(III) was demonstrated to be the primary active species in the Fe2+/Mn2+/sulfite process based on the comparison of oxidation selectivity. Moreover, the inhibiting effect of the Mn(III) hydrolysis and the S(IV) autoxidation in the presence of organic contaminants indicated the existence of three Mn(III) consumption routes in the Fe2+/Mn2+/sulfite process. The absence of hydroxyl radical and sulfate radical was interpreted by the competitive dynamics method. The oxidation capacity of the Fe2+/Mn2+/sulfite was independent of the initial pH (4.0-6.0) because the fast decay of S(IV) decreased initial pH below 4.0 rapidly. The rate of ATZ degradation was independent of the dissolved oxygen (DO) because that the major DO consumption process was not the rate determining step during the production of SO5•-. Phosphate and bicarbonate were confirmed to have greater inhibitory effects than other environmental factors because of their strong pH buffering capacity and complexing capacity for Fe3+. The proposed acetylation degradation pathway of ATZ showed the application of the Fe2+/Mn2+/sulfite process in the research of contaminants degradation pathways. This work investigated the characteristics of the Fe2+/Mn2+/sulfite process in the presence of organic contaminants, which might promote the development of Mn(III) oxidation technology.

Electrochemical activation of persulfates at BDD anode: Radical or nonradical oxidation?

The combination of persulfates (peroxydisulfate (PDS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS)) and electrolysis using boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode is a promising green advanced oxidation process. In comparison with electrolysis alone, electrochemical activation of persulfates at BDD anode considerably enhanced the degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ). The experimental results indicate that the surface-adsorbed hydroxyl radical (HO) played the dominant role. The generally proposed nonradical oxidation mechanism ignored hydroxyl radical (HO) oxidation because low concentration of radical scavenger (<10 M methanol or 5 M tertbutanol) could not effectively scavenge the surface-adsorbed HO. The quasi steady-state concentration of HO was estimated to be about 5.0-9.1 × 10-12 M for electrolysis with BDD anode, and it was increased to 1.1-1.6 × 10-11 M and 3.2-5.0 × 10-11 M for addition of 5 mM PDS and PMS, respectively. The results of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry as well as evolution of dissolved oxygen (DO) reveal that the electrochemically activated persulfates molecule (PDS∗/PMS∗) promoted the production of HO via water dissociation at BDD anode and enhanced the direct electron transfer (DET) reaction, which otherwise inhibited the oxygen evolution side reaction. Therefore, higher current efficiency was achieved in electrochemical activation of persulfates process compared with electrolysis process. Additionally, the transformation products of CBZ were also investigated and their formation pathways were proposed.

Nonradical oxidation from electrochemical activation of peroxydisulfate at Ti/Pt anode: Efficiency, mechanism and influencing factors.

Electrochemical activation of peroxydisulfate (PDS) at Ti/Pt anode was systematically investigated for the first time in this work. The synergistic effect produced from the combination of electrolysis and the addition of PDS demonstrates that PDS can be activated at Ti/Pt anode. The selective oxidation towards carbamazepine (CBZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), propranolol (PPL), benzoic acid (BA) rather than atrazine (ATZ) and nitrobenzene (NB) was observed in electrochemical activation of PDS process. Moreover, addition of excess methanol or tert-butanol had negligible impact on CBZ (model compound) degradation, demonstrating that neither sulfate radical (SO4-) nor hydroxyl radical (HO) was produced in electrochemical activation of PDS process. Direct oxidation (PDS oxidation alone and electrolysis) and nonradical oxidation were responsible for the degradation of contaminants. The results of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and chronoamperometry suggest that electric discharge may integrate PDS molecule with anode surface into a unique transition state structure, which is responsible for the nonradical oxidation in electrochemical activation of PDS process. Adjustment of the solution pH from 1.0 to 7.0 had negligible effect on CBZ degradation. Increase of either PDS concentration or current density facilitated the degradation of CBZ. The presence of chloride ion (Cl-) significantly enhanced CBZ degradation, while addition of bicarbonate (HCO3-), phosphate (PO43-) and humic acid (HA) all inhibited CBZ degradation with the order of HA >> HCO3- > PO43-. The degradation products of CBZ and chlorinated products were also identified. Electrochemical activation of PDS at Ti/Pt anode may serve as a novel technology for selective oxidation of organic contaminants in water and soil.

Effects of carbon ion beam irradiation on lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis in mice.

Radiation-induced lung injury is a well-described complication of nuclear accidents, marrow-transplant pretreatment and thoracic radiotherapy. The mechanism is complex and no special therapy for it is available at present. To study radiation pulmonary injury following heavy ion radiotherapy for thoracic tumors, Kunming mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control and 2, 4 and 6 Gy irradiation groups which underwent whole-body exposure to 235 MeV/u (12)C(6+) administered at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL). The pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and the hydroxyproline (HP) content was assessed by spectrophotometry at months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 after radiation exposure. In addition, the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß in the lung tissues was measured. The results showed that, compared with the control group, the lung tissue HP content was increased following irradiation but did not statistically significantly change after 4 months in the 4- and 6-Gy-treated groups. However, in the 2-Gy-treated group, the HP content was markedly increased between months 1 and 4 and decreased after month 4. The extent of the lung injury was significantly increased by the higher radiation dosages but was relieved in the 2 Gy group as the time since irradiation increased. The results also revealed that the levels of TNF-α were upregulated and reached a maximum at month 2, but decreased noticeably 2 months later in the experimental groups. The expression of TGF-ß increased markedly in month 4 and was altered little in the 4- and 6-Gy-treated groups but decreased sharply in the 2 Gy irradiation group after month 4. These findings suggest that heavy ion radiotherapy for chest tumors causes lung injury to a certain extent, while there is likely to be little injury to lungs treated with <2 Gy, which provides scientific evidence for the use of heavy ion therapy for thoracic tumors.

Neurogenic locus notch homolog protein 4 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor variants combined effect on schizophrenia susceptibility.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationships between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NOTCH4 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with schizophrenia among Han Chinese in Southern China. METHODS: Two NOTCH4 SNPs (rs520688 and rs415929) and two BDNF SNPs (rs2030324 and rs12273539) were examined in 464 schizophrenics and 464 healthy controls from Hunan province in South China, using the Sequenom MassARRAY® iPLEX System. RESULTS: In the study population, rs520688 and rs2030324 were significantly associated with schizophrenia. A decreased risk of schizophrenia was associated with the rs520688 GA genotype (p = 0.035), whereas an increased risk of schizophrenia was associated with the rs2030324 CC/CT genotype (p = 0.044). The genotype distributions of rs415929 in NOTCH4 and rs12273539 in BDNF did not differ significantly between the case and control groups. Although no allele-allele interactions were detected between rs520688 and rs2030324, recombination analysis revealed a combined effect of the two on the susceptibility to schizophrenia, with GA-TT decreasing and CT/CC-GG/GA increasing the risk of schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, rs520688 in NOTCH4 and rs2030324 in BDNF are significantly associated with schizophrenia among Han Chinese in Southern China. The two had a combined effect on the susceptibility to schizophrenia among Han Chinese in Southern China, but this may not be caused by an allele-allele interaction.

Plasmonic waveguiding in a hexagonally ordered metal wire array.

We propose the inclusion of a structured pattern of nanoscale metal wires in a silica fiber to form a symmetric plasmonic waveguide. The surface plasmon polariton modes within the waveguide are studied by varying the wire diameter and spacing. Simulation results show that hybridization of the single-wire mode and the gap plasmon mode can yield a hybrid mode with optimum propagation lengths comparable to those reported for other structures but with better light confinement. The fiber can be easily doped with a gain material to offset the loss so that the resultant waveguide will be useful for integration with electronic circuits at nanometer dimensions.