Aquaporin-4 Antibody Dynamics and Relapse Risk in Seropositive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder Treated with Immunosuppressants.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) dynamics and relapse risk in patients with seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder treated with immunosuppressants. METHODS: This observational cohort study with prospectively collected data included 400 neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder patients seropositive for AQP4-IgG and treated with immunosuppressants. Serum AQP4-IgG was detected by fixed cell-based assay every 6 months. RESULTS: After treatment with immunosuppressants, 128 patients became AQP4-IgG seronegative. The median time to become seronegative for 400 patients was 76.4 months (61.4 months, NA). Among those patients with negative change of AQP4-IgG, the mean annualized relapse rate significantly decreased after patients became seronegative (0.20 vs 0.77, p < 0.001), and a positive correlation was observed between time to become seronegative and relapse (OR 1.018, 95% CI 1.001-1.035, p < 0.05). Independent risk factors for AQP4-IgG becoming seronegative were older age at onset, initiation of immunosuppressants at onset, and shorter disease duration before maintenance therapy. Independent risk factors for relapse included younger age (≤46.4 years) at onset, poly-system involvement in the first attack, and unchanged or increased AQP4-IgG titer. The relapse risk was not associated with sex, combination with connective tissue disease, seropositivity for systemic autoimmune antibodies, or incomplete recovery from the first attack. INTERPRETATION: Patients with younger age at onset, poly-system involvement in the first attack, and unchanged or increased titer of AQP4-IgG are most likely to experience relapse under treatment with immunosuppressants. Time to AQP4-IgG becoming seronegative and change of AQP4-IgG titer may become the surrogate efficacy biomarkers in clinical trials. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:1069-1081.

Non-linear association of atherogenic index of plasma with bone mineral density a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Although there has been abundant evidence of the association between dyslipidemia as a single factor and osteoporosis, the non-linear relationship between osteoporosis and the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to investigate the complex relationship between AIP and bone mineral density (BMD) to elucidate their interrelationship. METHODS: An analysis of 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) data was conducted for this study. The study enrolled 5,019 participants. Logarithmically multiplying triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol yields the AIP (base 10). The measured variables consisted of BMD in the total femur (TF), femoral neck (FN), and lumbar spine (LS). The association between AIP and BMD was examined using a range of statistical models, such as weighted multivariable logistic regression, generalized additive model, etc. RESULTS: It was found that AIP was positively associated with BMD after adjusting for age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, degree of education, income, Consuming alcoholic beverages, osteoporosis status (Yes or No), ALT, AST, serum creatinine, and total calcium levels. Further studies supported the association link between elevated BMD and AIP. Furthermore, compared to men, females had a higher positive connection between AIP and BMD. In general, there was a curve in the reverse L-shape seen, with a point of change around 0.877, indicating a relationship between AIP and TF BMD. Moreover, a curve exhibiting an L-formed pattern, with a point of inflection at around 0.702, was seen between AIP and FN BMD. In addition, a J-shaped curve was seen, with a point of inflection at 0.092, which demonstrates the association between AIP and LS BMD. CONCLUSION: The AIP and TF BMD curves resemble inverted L shapes, as do the AIP and FN BMD curves. The relationship between AIP and LS BMD was further demonstrated by a J-shaped curve. The results indicate a possible association between AIP and bone mineral density, which should be explored in more detail.

Design and analysis of a compact micro-ring resonator signal emitter to reduce the uniformity-induced phase distortion and crosstalk in orbital angular momentum (OAM) division multiplexing.

To improve the transmission capacity of an optical system, different multiplexing schemes have been proposed, such as optical time division multiplexing (OTDM), wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), polarization division multiplexing (PolDM), spatial division multiplexing (SDM), etc. One kind of SDM technique to boost the capacity is through modifying the spatial phase structure of an optical beam, which is known as the orbital angular momentum (OAM) division multiplexing. Moreover, the OAM signal emitter can be produced by using mature and high-yield silicon photonic (SiPh) technology, without the need of using bulky optical components or expensive spatial light modulator (SLM). The SiPh-based micro-ring resonator is one of the promising OAM signal emitter candidates, since it is simple, compact and easy to fabricate. However, the device performance is highly subjected to the structural design, and the uniformity-induced phase distortion will significantly degrade the purities of OAM beams; hence, introducing severe OAM signal crosstalk during the OAM division multiplexing. In this work, a compact SiPh-based micro-ring resonator type OAM signal emitter with detailed design parameters is presented and the output signal uniformity issue is comprehensively investigated. Two kinds of the structural optimization are performed by adjusting the angular grating width as well as the grating height. The results indicate that a significant improvement in output OAM beam uniformity can be achieved, with the attenuation factor being improved over 88% at the price of acceptable 4 ∼ 5% coupling efficiency reduction. The variations of the transmission and the uniformity induced by the fabrication error are also analyzed.

Beyond "greening" and "browning": Trends in grassland ground cover fractions across Eurasia that account for spatial and temporal autocorrelation.

Grassland ecosystems cover up to 40% of the global land area and provide many ecosystem services directly supporting the livelihoods of over 1 billion people. Monitoring long-term changes in grasslands is crucial for food security, biodiversity conservation, achieving Land Degradation Neutrality goals, and modeling the global carbon budget. Although long-term grassland monitoring using remote sensing is extensive, it is typically based on a single vegetation index and does not account for temporal and spatial autocorrelation, which means that some trends are falsely identified while others are missed. Our goal was to analyze trends in grasslands in Eurasia, the largest continuous grassland ecosystems on Earth. To do so, we calculated Cumulative Endmember Fractions (annual sums of monthly ground cover fractions) derived from MODIS 2002-2020 time series, and applied a new statistical approach PARTS that explicitly accounts for temporal and spatial autocorrelation in trends. We examined trends in green vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, and soil ground cover fractions considering their independent change trajectories and relations among fractions over time. We derived temporally uncorrelated pixel-based trend maps and statistically tested whether observed trends could be explained by elevation, land cover, SPEI3, climate, country, and their combinations, all while accounting for spatial autocorrelation. We found no statistical evidence for a decrease in vegetation cover in grasslands in Eurasia. Instead, there was a significant map-level increase in non-photosynthetic vegetation across the region and local increases in green vegetation with a concomitant decrease in soil fraction. Independent environmental variables affected trends significantly, but effects varied by region. Overall, our analyses show in a statistically robust manner that Eurasian grasslands have changed considerably over the past two decades. Our approach enhances remote sensing-based monitoring of trends in grasslands so that underlying processes can be discerned.

Cooperation between NSPc1 and DNA methylation represses HOXA11 expression and promotes apoptosis of trophoblast cells during preeclampsia.

Accumulating evidence has shown that the apoptosis of trophoblast cells plays an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and an intricate interplay between DNA methylation and polycomb group (PcG) protein-mediated gene silencing has been highlighted recently. Here, we provide evidence that the expression of nervous system polycomb 1 (NSPc1), a BMI1 homologous polycomb protein, is significantly elevated in trophoblast cells during preeclampsia, which accelerates trophoblast cell apoptosis. Since NSPc1 acts predominantly as a transcriptional inactivator that specifically represses HOXA11 expression in trophoblast cells during preeclampsia, we further show that NSPc1 is required for DNMT3a recruitment and maintenance of the DNA methylation in the HOXA11 promoter in trophoblast cells during preeclampsia. In addition, we find that the interplay of DNMT3a and NSPc1 represses the expression of HOXA11 and promotes trophoblast cell apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that the cooperation between NSPc1 and DNMT3a reduces HOXA11 expression in preeclampsia pathophysiology, which provides novel therapeutic approaches for targeted inhibition of trophoblast cell apoptosis during preeclampsia pathogenesis.

Flexible Data Rate Allocation Using Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) in a Mode Division Multiplexing (MDM) Optical Power Splitter for System-on-Chip Networks.

We put forward and demonstrate a silicon photonics (SiPh)-based mode division multiplexed (MDM) optical power splitter that supports transverse-electric (TE) single-mode, dual-mode, and triple-mode (i.e., TE0, TE1, and TE2). An optical power splitter is needed for optical signal distribution and routing in optical interconnects. However, a traditional optical splitter only divides the power of the input optical signal. This means the same data information is received at all the output ports of the optical splitter. The powers at different output ports may change depending on the splitting ratio of the optical splitter. The main contributions of our proposed optical splitter are: (i) Different data information is received at different output ports of the optical splitter via the utilization of NOMA. By adjusting the power ratios of different channels in the digital domain (i.e., via software control) at the Tx, different channel data information can be received at different output ports of the splitter. It can increase the flexibility of optical signal distribution and routing. (ii) Besides, the proposed optical splitter can support the fundamental TE0 mode and the higher modes TE1, TE2, etc. Supporting mode-division multiplexing and multi-mode operation are important for future optical interconnects since the number of port counts is limited by the chip size. This can significantly increase the capacity besides wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and spatial division multiplexing (SDM). The integrated SiPh MDM optical power splitter consists of a mode up-conversion section implemented by asymmetric directional couplers (ADCs) and a Y-branch structure for MDM power distribution. Here, we also propose and discuss the use of the Genetic algorithm (GA) for the MDM optical power splitter parameter optimization. Finally, to provide adjustable data rates at different output ports after the MDM optical power splitter, non-orthogonal multiple access-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (NOMA-OFDM) is also employed. Experimental results validate that, in three modes (TE0, TE1, and TE2), user-1 and user-2 achieve data rates of (user-1: greater than 22 Gbit/s; user-2: greater than 12 Gbit/s) and (user-1: greater than 12 Gbit/s; user-2: 24 Gbit/s), respectively, at power-ratio (PR) = 2.0 or 3.0. Each channel meets the hard-decision forward-error-correction (HD-FEC, i.e., BER = 3.8 × 10-3) threshold. The proposed method allows flexible data rate allocation for multiple users for optical interconnects and system-on-chip networks.

Bi-Directional Free-Space Visible Light Communication Supporting Multiple Moveable Clients Using Light Diffusing Optical Fiber.

In this work, we put forward and demonstrate a bi-direction free-space visible light communication (VLC) system supporting multiple moveable receivers (Rxs) using a light-diffusing optical fiber (LDOF). The downlink (DL) signal is launched from a head-end or central office (CO) far away to the LDOF at the client side via a free-space transmission. When the DL signal is launched to the LDOF, which acts as an optical antenna to re-transmit the DL signal to different moveable Rxs. The uplink (UL) signal is sent via the LDOF towards the CO. In a proof-of-concept demonstration, the LDOF is 100 cm long, and the free space VLC transmission between the CO and the LDOF is 100 cm. 210 Mbit/s DL and 850 Mbit/s UL transmissions meet the pre-forward-error-correction bit error rate (pre-FEC BER = 3.8 × 10-3) threshold.

Wideband and Channel Switchable Mode Division Multiplexing (MDM) Optical Power Divider Supporting 7.682 Tbit/s for On-Chip Optical Interconnects.

Silicon photonics (SiPh) are considered a promising technology for increasing interconnect speed and capacity while decreasing power consumption. Mode division multiplexing (MDM) enables signals to be transmitted in different orthogonal modes in a single waveguide core. Wideband MDM components simultaneously supporting wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) can significantly increase the transmission capacity for optical interconnects. In this work, we propose, fabricate and demonstrate a wideband and channel switchable MDM optical power divider on an SOI platform, supporting single, dual and triple modes. The switchable MDM power divider consists of two parts. The first part is a cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) for switching the data from their original TE0, TE1 and TE2 modes to different modes among themselves. After the target modes are identified, mode up-conversion and Y-branch are utilized in the second part for the MDM power division. Here, 48 WDM wavelength channels carrying OFDM data are successfully switched and power divided. An aggregated capacity of 7.682 Tbit/s is achieved, satisfying the pre-forward error correction (pre-FEC) threshold (bit-error-rate, BER = 3.8 × 10-3). Although up to three MDM modes are presented in the proof-of-concept demonstration here, the proposed scheme can be scaled to higher order modes operation.

Design Consideration, Numerical and Experimental Analyses of Mode-Division-Multiplexed (MDM) Silicon Photonics Integrated Circuit with Sharp Bends.

Due to the popularity of different high bandwidth applications, it is becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy the huge data capacity requirements, since the traditional electrical interconnects suffer significantly from limited bandwidth and huge power consumption. Silicon photonics (SiPh) is one of the important technologies for increasing interconnect capacity and decreasing power consumption. Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) allows signals to be transmitted simultaneously, at different modes, in a single waveguide. Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and orthogonal-frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) can also be utilized to further increase the optical interconnect capacity. In SiPh integrated circuits, waveguide bends are usually inevitable. However, for an MDM system with a multimode bus waveguide, the modal fields will become asymmetric when the waveguide bend is sharp. This will introduce inter-mode coupling and inter-mode crosstalk. One simple approach to achieve sharp bends in multimode bus waveguide is to use a Euler curve. Although it has been reported in the literature that sharp bends based on a Euler curve allow high performance and low inter-mode crosstalk multimode transmissions, we discover, by simulation and experiment, that the transmission performance between two Euler bends is length dependent, particularly when the bends are sharp. We investigate the length dependency of the straight multimode bus waveguide between two Euler bends. High transmission performance can be achieved by a proper design of the waveguide length, width, and bend radius. By using the optimized MDM bus waveguide length with sharp Euler bends, proof-of-concept NOMA-OFDM experimental transmissions, supporting two MDM modes and two NOMA users, are performed.

[Expert consensus for Jingtong Granules in treatment of cervical radiculopathy in clinical application].

With the effects of activating blood and resolving stasis, and moving Qi to relieve pain, Jingtong Granules is widely used in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy in China. Long-term clinical application and related evidence have shown that the prescription has ideal effect in alleviating the pain in neck, shoulder, and upper limbs, stiffness or scurrying numbness, and scurrying pain caused by this disease. However, there is a lack of consensus on the clinical application of Jingtong Granules. Therefore, clinical first-line experts and methodology experts from all over the country were invited to compile this expert consensus. This expert consensus is expected to guide clinicians to use Jingtong Granules in a standardized and reasonable way, improve clinical efficacy, reduce medication risks, and benefit patients. First, according to the clinical experience of experts and the standard development procedures, the indications, syndrome characteristics, clinical advantages, and possible adverse reactions of Jingtong Granules were summarized. Then, through face-to-face interview of clinical doctors in traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine and survey of the clinical application, the clinical problems were summed up, and the consensus was reached with the nominal group method to form the final clinical problems. Third, evidence retrieval was carried out for the clinical problems, and relevant evidence was evaluated. The GRADE system was employed to rate the quality of evidence. Fourth, 5 recommendation items and 3 consensuses items were summarized with the nominal group method. Opinions and peer reviews on the consensus content were solicited through expert meetings and letter reviews. The final consensus includes the summary of evidence on the clinical indications, effectiveness, and safety of Jingtong Granules, which can serve as a reference for clinicians in hospitals and primary health institutions.

Using lighting design tool to simplify the visible light positioning plan and reduce the deep learning loading.

We put forward and transform the commercially available lighting design software into an indoor visible light positioning (VLP) design tool. The proposed scheme can work well with different deep learning methods for reducing the loading of training data set collection. The indoor VLP models under evaluation include second order regression, fully-connected neural-network (FC-NN), and convolutional neural-network (CNN). Experimental results show that the similar positioning accuracy can be obtained when the indoor VLP models are trained with experimentally acquired data set or trained with software obtained data set. Hence, the proposed method can reduce the training loading for the indoor VLP.

2.805 Gbit/s high-bandwidth phosphor white light visible light communication utilizing an InGaN/GaN semipolar blue micro-LED.

We propose and implement a high-bandwidth white-light visible light communication (VLC) system accomplishing data rate of 2.805 Gbit/s utilizing a semipolar blue micro-LED. The system uses an InGaN/GaN semipolar (20-21) blue micro-LED to excite yellow phosphor film for high-speed VLC. The packaged 30 µm 2 × 4 blue micro-LED array has an electrical-to-optical (EO) bandwidth of 1042.5 MHz and a peak wavelength of 447 nm. The EO bandwidth of the white-light VLC system is 849 MHz. Bit error rate (BER) of 2.709 × 10-3 meeting the pre-forward error correction (FEC) threshold is accomplished by employing a bit and power loaded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal. The proposed white-light VLC system employs simple and inexpensive yellow phosphor film for white-light conversion, complex color conversion material is not needed. Besides, no optical blue filter is employed in the white-light VLC system. The fabrication of the InGaN/GaN semipolar (20-21) blue micro-LED is discussed, and its characteristics are also evaluated.

Forest phenoclusters for Argentina based on vegetation phenology and climate.

Forest biodiversity conservation and species distribution modeling greatly benefit from broad-scale forest maps depicting tree species or forest types rather than just presence and absence of forest, or coarse classifications. Ideally, such maps would stem from satellite image classification based on abundant field data for both model training and accuracy assessments, but such field data do not exist in many parts of the globe. However, different forest types and tree species differ in their vegetation phenology, offering an opportunity to map and characterize forests based on the seasonal dynamic of vegetation indices and auxiliary data. Our goal was to map and characterize forests based on both land surface phenology and climate patterns, defined here as forest phenoclusters. We applied our methodology in Argentina (2.8 million km2 ), which has a wide variety of forests, from rainforests to cold-temperate forests. We calculated phenology measures after fitting a harmonic curve of the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) time series derived from 30-m Sentinel 2 and Landsat 8 data from 2018-2019. For climate, we calculated land surface temperature (LST) from Band 10 of the thermal infrared sensor (TIRS) of Landsat 8, and precipitation from Worldclim (BIO12). We performed stratified X-means cluster classifications followed by hierarchical clustering. The resulting clusters separated well into 54 forest phenoclusters with unique combinations of vegetation phenology and climate characteristics. The EVI 90th percentile was more important than our climate and other phenology measures in providing separability among different forest phenoclusters. Our results highlight the potential of combining remotely sensed phenology measures and climate data to improve broad-scale forest mapping for different management and conservation goals, capturing functional rather than structural or compositional characteristics between and within tree species. Our approach results in classifications that go beyond simple forest-nonforest in areas where the lack of detailed ecological field data precludes tree species-level classifications, yet conservation needs are high. Our map of forest phenoclusters is a valuable tool for the assessment of natural resources, and the management of the environment at scales relevant for conservation actions.

[Research progress in mechanism of Chinese herbal compounds and monomers in delaying lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration].

Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in the treatment of degenerative bone and joint diseases, and its widely used in clinical practice. In recent years, many scholars have conducted a large number of basic studies on the delay of intervertebral disc degeneration by herbal compound and monomeric components from different perspectives. In order to further elucidate its mechanism of action, this paper summarizes the in vivo and in vitro experimental studies conducted at the level of both herbal compound and single components, respectively, in order to provide references for the basic research on the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration by Chinese medicine. A summary shows that commonly used herbal compound prescriptions include both classical prescriptions such as Duhuo Jisheng Decoction, as well as clinical experience prescriptions such as Yiqi Huoxue Recipe. Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, and Eucommiae Cortex were used most frequently. Tonic for deficiency and blood stasis activators were used most frequently. The most utilized monomeric components include icariin, ginsenoside Re, salvianolic acid B and aucubin. The main molecular mechanisms by which herbal compound and monomeric components delay of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration include improving the intervertebral disc microenvironment, promoting the synthesis of aggregated proteoglycans and type Ⅱ collagen in the intervertebral disc, reducing the degradation of the extracellular matrix, and inhibiting apoptosis in the nucleus pulposus cells, etc. The main signaling pathways involved include Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, MAPK-related signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, Fas/FasL signaling pathway, PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway, NF-κB signaling pathway, JAK/STAT signaling pathway, and hedgehog signaling pathway, etc.

Development and application of SYBR Green â real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay for detection of swine Getah virus.

Getah virus (GETV), a mosquito-borne virus belonging to the Alphavirus genus of family Togaviridae, has become increasingly problematic, which poses a huge threat to the safety of animals and public health. In order to detect GETV quickly and accurately, we have developed a SYBR Green I real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay for GETV with the detection limit of 66 copies/µL, excellent correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9975, and amplification efficiency (E) of 98.90%, the target selected was the non-structural protein 3 of GETV. The sensitivity of it was higher than that of ordinary RT-PCR by 1000 folds, and the inter-assay and intra-assay CV values were all less than 0.99%. The newly developed RT-qPCR assay exhibited good sensitivity and reproducibility, which will provide technical support for the reliable and specific rapid diagnosis, and quantitative analysis of GETV infection.

A modified intrafocal pinning technique with three-dimensional planning to facilitate volar plating in dorsally comminuted AO/OTA C2 and C3 distal radius fractures.

BACKGROUNDS: Theaim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a modified intrafocal pinningtechnique with three-dimensional (3D) planning to facilitate volar plating in dorsally comminuted intra-articular distal radius fractures. METHODS: Intotal 35 AO/OTA type C2 and C3 fractures were finally included.The 3D digital model of the fracture was reconstructed based on preoperative computedtomographic (CT) images, with the displacement of the comminuted dorsalfragment and the intra-articular fragment analyzed for preoperative planning. During operation, amodified intrafocal pinning technique was applied percutaneously from thedorsal aspect of the radius to reduce the collapsed intra-articular fragmentfollowing volar plating. Adequate reduction was confirmed in all of patientsconsidering radial height, radial inclination and volar tilt in postoperativeradiographs. RESULTS: No significant fracture re-displacement wasobserved in most of the cases during a mean follow-up period of 17.4 months, exceptfor two patients withthe C3 fracture. All of the patients achieved adequate clinicalROMs at 12 months postoperatively, with a mean DASH score of 12.0. Most of the patients achievedan excellent (n = 21) or good (n = 12) Gartland and Werley wrist score. CONCLUSIONS: Ourmodified intrafocal pinning technique with 3D planning contributes to a satisfactoryclinical and radiological outcome in dorsally comminuted intra-articular distalradius fractures fixed with a volar locking plate. TRIALREGISTRATION: Notapplicable because the design of the study is retrospective.

Adaptive ghost imaging.

Traditional ghost imaging applies correlated algorithms to reconstruct the image of an object. However, it fundamentally requires some spatial distributions of the correlated light beam, e.g. random illumination, which hardly exists in reality. Here, different from the localized analysis used in the traditional ghost imaging, a spatial and temporal global analysis of the whole measurements is proposed. Therefore, we demonstrate a new ghost imaging modality, called adaptive ghost imaging (AGI), that utilizes the difference of successive frames as the correlation pattern to generate the image. As a result, AGI can work with any varying illuminations including, but not limited to, random illumination. We believe that AGI will make the ghost imaging easier, more applicable and closer to reality.

Speckle reducing OCT using optical chopper.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been an important and powerful tool for biological research and clinical applications. However, speckle noise significantly degrades the image quality of OCT and has a negative impact on the clinical diagnosis accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel speckle noise suppression technique which changes the spatial distribution of sample beam using a special optical chopper. Then a series of OCT images with uncorrelated speckle patterns could be captured and compounded to improve the image quality without degradation of resolution. Typical signal-to-noise ratio improvement of ∼6.4 dB is experimentally achieved in tissue phantom imaging with average number n = 100. Furthermore, compared with conventional OCT, the proposed technique is demonstrated to view finer and clearer biological structures in human skin in vivo, such as sweat glands and blood vessels. The advantages of low cost, simple structure and compact integration will benefit the future design of handheld or endoscopic probe for biomedical imaging in research and clinical applications.

The role of GtxA during Gallibacterium anatis infection of primary chicken oviduct epithelial cells.

Gallibacterium anatis (G. anatis), one of the major pathogens causing reproductive tract disorders in laying hens, leads to a reduction in egg production and increased mortality, caused by either single or mixed infections with other pathogens. As a specific virulence factor of G. anatis, the role of GtxA in layers' salpingitis remains unclear. In this study, we explored the effect of GtxA on G. anatis infection by comparing wild strain Yu-PDS-RZ-1-SLG (RZ) and its GtxA deleted counterpart RZΔgtxA in primary chicken oviduct epithelial cells (COEC). Their adherence, invasion, cytoxicity, and ability to induce apoptosis and and cytokine secretion were evaluated and the cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion of the recombinant GtxA protein and its N-terminal adenylate cyclase and C-terminal RTX hemolysin domain were also analyzed. We found that the adhesion ability of RZΔgtxA was significantly lower than that of parental strain RZ, and its toxicity to COEC was weakened; Meanwhile, apoptosis was inhibited and the expression of IL-6, IL-2, TNF-α and IFN-γ were dramatically reduced in COEC infected by RZΔgtxA. In contrast, the recombinant protein GtxA inhibited the proliferation of oviduct cells and induced obvious cytotoxicity, and the expression of IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ were up-regulated in COEC interacted with recombinant proteins. Our study indicates that GtxA promotes G. anatis adherence to cells, changes cells permeability and expression of inflammatory factors, resulting in cell damage and apoptosis.

[Study on mechanism of "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" in treatment of lumbar disc herniation based on network pharmacology].

The aim of this paper was to investigate the key targets and mechanism of "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation by means of network pharmacology. The currently recognized databases and analysis software at home and abroad were used to construct the network from drugs and diseases. The chemical components of Epimedii Folium and Paeo-niae Radix Alba were collected by using databases such as TCMSP, while their active components were determined and the action targets were predicted according to threshold screening and literature reports. The genes for lumbar disc herniation were collected by using GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET databases. The drug targets were mapped to disease targets, and protein interaction network analysis for key targets, GO function enrichment analysis and KEGG signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed. Finally, 23 active components of Epimedium Folium and 13 active components of Paeoniae Radix Alba were determined, and a total of 624 drug targets were obtained. After standardization, 214 drug targets were obtained. In addition, 306, 2 and 5 related targets of lumbar disc herniation were collected from GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET database, respectively, and a total of 293 disease targets were obtained after deduplication. After the mapping of drug target and disease target, 44 common targets were obtained. PPI protein interaction network analysis showed that IL-6, TNF, AKT1, MAPK1, and VEGFA may be the core targets for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. GO enrichment analysis identified 56 items(P<0.05), among which biological processes mainly included immune response, apoptosis, etc.; cell components mainly included extracellular space, extracellular region, etc.; molecular functions mainly included cytokine activity, metallopeptidase activity and so on. Through KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, 91 signaling pathways related to inflammation, metabolism, and senescence were identified, mainly including IL-17 signaling pathway and TNF signaling pathway and so on. "Epimedii Folium-Paeoniae Radix Alba" showed the characteristics of multi-channel and multi-target for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. This study preliminarily explored the key targets for its role and the biological processes and signaling pathways involved. It was found that it may play a therapeutic role by affecting inflammation and immune regulation, which laid the foundation for further experimental verification.