PDM-16QAM transmission of 135 GBaud enabled by 120 GSa/s DAC and Tomlinson-Harashima pre-coding.

We experimentally verified that Tomlinson-Harashima (TH) pre-coding for an optical coherent system can enhance the speed of polarization division multiplexing (PDM) 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal to be higher than 135 GBaud with 120 GSa/s digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and electrical/optical/electrical bandwidth of the system narrower than 57 GHz at -30dB. The improvement of achievable capacity based on the received SNR in optical back-to-back conditions could be obviously observed by comparing the PDM-16QAM signal with and without TH pre-coding. The normalized generalized mutual information of the 135 GBaud PDM-16QAM signal for 120 km standard single mode fiber transmission was much higher than the threshold of error-free operation of a 5/6 code rate of digital video broadcasting satellite second generation low-density parity check forward error correction. To the best of our knowledge, the ratio of the symbol rate to the DAC sampling rate (135 GBaud over 120 GSa/s) is the highest ever reported for DAC-based optical coherent systems. The reachable distance of a 140 GBaud PDM-16QAM signal can be predicted to be approximately 100 km, even with the imperfect timing recovery operation.

Inhibiting the MAPK pathway improves heart failure with preserved ejection fraction induced by salt-sensitive hypertension.

Heart failure (HF) preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) accounts for almost 50% of HF, and hypertension is one of the pathogenies. The MAPK signaling pathway is closely linked to heart failure and hypertension; however, its function in HEpEF resulting from salt-sensitive hypertension is not well understood. In this work, a salt-sensitive hypertension-induced HEpEF model was established based on deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt (DOCA-salt) hypertension mice. The impact of the MAPK inhibitor (Doramapimod) on HEpEF induced by salt-sensitive hypertension was assessed through various measures, such as blood pressure, transthoracic echocardiography, running distance, and histological analysis, to determine its therapeutic effectiveness on cardiac function. In addition, the effects of high salt on myogenic cells were also evaluated in vitro using qRTPCR. The LV ejection fractions (LVEF) in DOCA-salt hypertension mice were over 50%, indicating that the salt-sensitive hypertension-induced HFpEF model was successful. RNA-seq revealed that the MAPK signaling pathway was upregulated in the HFpEF model compared with the normal mice, accompanied by hypertension, impaired running distance, restricted cardiac function, increased cross-sectional and fibrosis area, and upregulation of heart failure biomarkers, including GAL-3, LDHA and BNP. The application of Doramapimod could improve blood pressure, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and myocardial fibrosis, as well as decrease the aforementioned heart failure biomarkers. The qRTPCR results showed similar findings to these observations. Our findings suggest that the use of a MAPK inhibitor (Doramapimod) could be a potential treatment for salt-sensitive hypertension-induced HFpEF.

Straightforward method for measuring optical fiber's nonlinear coefficient based on phase mismatching FWM.

A novel method for measuring optical fiber's nonlinear coefficient, based on phase mismatching four-wave mixing is proposed. Measurements for both high nonlinearity dispersion shifted fiber and low nonlinearity standard single mode fiber are demonstrated with simple setup. Chromatic dispersion is also measured with high precision simultaneously, and therefore its effect to the nonlinear coefficient measurement can be removed.

The function of guanylate binding protein 3 (GBP3) in human cancers by pan-cancer bioinformatics.

As a guanylate binding protein (GBPs) member, GBP3 is immune-associated and may participate in oncogenesis and cancer therapy. Since little has been reported on GBP3 in this field, we provide pan-cancer bioinformatics to investigate the role of GBP3 in human cancers. The GBP3 expression, related clinical outcomes, immune infiltrates, potential mechanisms and mutations were conducted using tools including TIMER2.0, GEPIA2.0, SRING, DAVID and cBioPortal. Results showed an increased risk of high GBP3 in Brain Lower Grade Glioma (LGG) and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LUSC) and a decreased risk of GBP3 in Sarcoma (SARC) and Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM) (p ≤ 0.05). GBP3 was negatively correlated with CAFs in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (ESCA) and positively correlated with CAFs in LGG, LUSC and TGCG (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, GBP3 was positively correlated with CD8+ T cells in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BLCA), Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CESC), Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma (KIRC), SARC, SKCM, SKCM-Metastasis and Uveal Melanoma (UVM) (p ≤ 0.05). Potentially, GBP3 may participate in the homeostasis between immune and adaptive immunity in cancers. Moreover, the most frequent mutation sites of GBP3 in cancers are R151Q/* and K380N. This study would provide new insight into cancer prognosis and therapy.

All-optical technique for modulation format conversion from NRZ-OOK to RZ-16QAM employing nonlinear optical loop mirror with 1:2 coupler.

All-optical technique for modulation format conversion from 4 channels non-return-to-zero on-off-keying (OOK) to return-to-zero 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) employing nonlinear optical loop mirror with 1:2 coupler configuration is proposed and experimentally demonstrated at 10Gs/s. The experimentally converted 16QAM signal was distorted in its phase by cross-phase modulation induced amplitude-to-phase noise conversion. The effect of amplified spontaneous emission noise in the amplified OOK signals to the converted 16QAM's phase was theoretically discussed.

Helicobacter pylori Infection as a Risk Factor for Abnormal Serum Protein Levels in General Population of China.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is considered as a risk factor for nutritional and metabolic abnormalities, and serum protein is an important marker of the nutritional and immune status. It is still unknown whether HP infection affects serum protein levels. Methods: The participants who underwent health screening from July 2020 to August 2021 were included, among whom, 1485 subjects with 14C-urea breath test (14C-UBT) values ≥100 disintegrations per minute (dpm) were defined as HP-positive cases, and 4864 cases with 14C-UBT values <100 dpm were defined as HP-negative cases. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and biochemical parameters of the blood were analyzed for all subjects. Categorical variables were compared using the χ2 test and continuous variables using Student's t test. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of HP infection on serum proteins. Results: Age, the proportion of female, globulin levels, total cholesterol levels, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the HP infected group than in the non-infected group (P < 0.05). Height, weight, body mass index, hip circumference, albumin levels, albumin to globulin ratio, triglycerides levels, and uric acid levels were significantly higher in the non-infected group than in the infected group (P < 0.05). Multifactorial analysis revealed that HP infection was significantly associated with the risk of decreased serum albumin levels (odds ratio [OR] = 0.809, P = 3.51×10-4); HP infection was significantly associated with the risk of increased serum globulin levels (model 1: OR = 1.257, P = 1.39× 10-4); and HP infection was significantly associated with the risk of decreased albumin/globulin ratio (OR= 0.775, P = 2.30×10-5). Conclusion: HP infection was significantly associated with lower serum albumin levels, elevated globulin levels, and lower albumin/globulin ratio. Thus, it is an important factor affecting nutritional metabolism.

Rectal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glyceryl trinitrate, or combinations for prophylaxis of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis: A network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis is the most common and severe complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Recent evidence suggests that combinations based on rectal nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are more beneficial in preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have also demonstrated the efficacy of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). We conducted a network meta-analysis to compare NSAIDs and GTN for prevention of PEP and to determine whether they are better in combination. AIM: To compare NSAIDs and GTN for prevention of PEP and to determine whether they are better in combination. METHODS: A systematic search was done for full-text RCTs of PEP in PubMed, Embase, Science Citation Index, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials database. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen for eligible RCTs. The major data were extracted by two independent reviewers. The frequentist model was used to conduct this network meta-analysis and obtain the pairwise OR and 95%CI. The data were then extracted and assessed on the basis of the Reference Citation Analysis (https://www.referencecitationanalysis.com/). RESULTS: Twenty-four eligible RCTs were selected, evaluating seven preventive strategies in 9416 patients. Rectal indomethacin 100 mg plus sublingual GTN (OR: 0.21, 95%CI: 0.09-0.50), rectal diclofenac 100 mg (0.34, 0.18-0.65), sublingual GTN (0.34, 0.12-0.97), and rectal indomethacin 100 mg (0.49, 0.33-0.73) were all more efficacious than placebo in preventing PEP. The combination of rectal indomethacin and sublingual GTN had the highest surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) probability of (92.2%) and was the best preventive strategy for moderate-to-severe PEP with a SUCRA probability of (89.2%). CONCLUSION: Combination of rectal indomethacin 100 mg with sublingual GTN offered better prevention of PEP than when used alone and could alleviate the severity of PEP.

Effect of computer navigation-assisted minimally invasive direct lateral interbody fusion in the treatment of patients with lumbar tuberculosis: A retrospective study.

The benefits of navigation-assisted technologies are not entirely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the outcomes of patients with lumbar tuberculosis who received computer navigation-assisted minimally invasive direct lateral interbody fusion (DLIF).This was a retrospective study of 33 patients with lumbar tuberculosis who underwent minimally invasive DLIF at the Department of Spine and Orthopedics of Guigang People's Hospital (Guangxi, China) between January 2015 and December 2016. The patients were pathologically diagnosed as lumbar tuberculosis and grouped into the navigation-assisted fluoroscopy (NAV; n = 18) and non-navigation-assisted fluoroscopy (non-NAV; n = 15) groups. X-ray exposure and operation times were assessed in all patients.All surgical procedures were successfully completed. No case was converted into open surgery. The NAV group had longer surgical preparation time but shorter operation time compared with the non-NAV group (both P <.01). Total operation time showed no significant difference between the 2 groups (P = .1). The time of radiation exposure in the non-NAV group was longer compared with that of the NAV group (53.2 ±â€Š9.9 vs 13.5 ±â€Š2.6 s; P <.01). There were no significant differences regarding intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, length of hospital stay, bone fusion and complications between the 2 groups (all P >.05).Computer navigation-assisted minimally invasive DLIF could significantly reduce intraoperative radiation exposure, with no increase in total operation time.