Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Helium Energy Spectrum from 70 GeV to 80 TeV with the DAMPE Space Mission.

The measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic ray helium nuclei from 70 GeV to 80 TeV using 4.5 years of data recorded by the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is reported in this work. A hardening of the spectrum is observed at an energy of about 1.3 TeV, similar to previous observations. In addition, a spectral softening at about 34 TeV is revealed for the first time with large statistics and well controlled systematic uncertainties, with an overall significance of 4.3σ. The DAMPE spectral measurements of both cosmic protons and helium nuclei suggest a particle charge dependent softening energy, although with current uncertainties a dependence on the number of nucleons cannot be ruled out.

Assessment of the efficacy of intra-articular platelet rich plasma treatment in an ACLT experimental model by dynamic contrast enhancement MRI of knee subchondral bone marrow and MRI T2∗ measurement of articular cartilage.

OBJECTIVE: The vascularization of subchondral bone plays a significant role in the progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has positive effects on cartilage lesions. However, PRP's efficacy for subchondral bone marrow lesions and the relationship of these lesions to cartilage are still undiscovered. Therefore, our aims were first to longitudinally investigate the change in subchondral flow by dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and degeneration of cartilage by MRI T2∗ in an anterior cruciate transection rodent (ACLT) model, and second to examine changes in parameters after intra-articular PRP injection. DESIGN: A 32-week investigation in 18 rats allocated to sham-control, ACLT with normal saline injection (ACLT + NS), and ACLT with PRP injection groups ended with histological evaluation. Another rat was used as a donor of allogenic PRP. RESULTS: Compared to the sham-control group, the ACLT + NS group had higher subchondral blood volume A (0.051, 95% confidence interval: 0.009, 0.092) and lower venous washout kel (-0.030: -0.055, -0.005) from week 4; lower permeability kep from week 18 (-0.954: -1.339, -0.569); higher cartilage T2∗ values (1.803: 1.504, 2.102) reflecting collagen loss beginning at week 10. For the PRP treatment group, subchondral bone marrow A and cartilage T2∗ decreased from week 10. Histological results confirmed and were correlated with the MRI findings. CONCLUSION: Subchondral hyper-perfusion plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of OA and was associated with cartilage degeneration. The efficacy of PRP can be observed from reduced perfusion and MRI T2∗ values.

Measurement of the cosmic ray proton spectrum from 40 GeV to 100 TeV with the DAMPE satellite.

The precise measurement of the spectrum of protons, the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, is necessary to understand the source and acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. This work reports the measurement of the cosmic ray proton fluxes with kinetic energies from 40 GeV to 100 TeV, with 2 1/2 years of data recorded by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). This is the first time that an experiment directly measures the cosmic ray protons up to ~100 TeV with high statistics. The measured spectrum confirms the spectral hardening at ~300 GeV found by previous experiments and reveals a softening at ~13.6 TeV, with the spectral index changing from ~2.60 to ~2.85. Our result suggests the existence of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays at energies lower than the so-called knee and sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

Cartilage MRI T2∗ relaxation time and perfusion changes of the knee in a 5/6 nephrectomy rat model of chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by metabolic disturbances in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis as kidney function declines. Alterations in blood perfusion in bone resulting from arteriosclerosis of bone vessels may relate to the progression of CKD. Herein, change in dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI parameters (A: amplitude, kel: elimination constant, and kep: permeability rate constant) and MRI T2∗ relaxation time of the knee cartilage were measured in a rodent nephrectomy model in order to (1) examine the relationship of peripheral blood perfusion to CKD and (2) demonstrate the feasibility of using DCE-MRI parameters and MRI T2∗ as imaging biomarkers to monitor disease progression. DESIGN: Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats received either (1) no intervention or (2) 5/6 nephrectomy. RESULTS: We found that the CKD group (compared with the control group) had lower A and kel values and similar kep value in the lateral and medial articular cartilages beginning at 12 weeks (P < 0.05); statistically significantly higher T2∗ values in the lateral and medial articular cartilages beginning at 18 weeks (P < 0.05); statistically significantly decreased inner luminal diameter of the popliteal artery, and altered structure of the lateral and medial articular cartilages (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Perfusion deficiency and CKD may be related. DCE parameters and MRI T2∗ could serve as imaging biomarkers of cartilage degeneration in CKD progression.

[A cone-beam CT investigation on condylar growth in beagle dog treated with Herbst appliance and prostaglandin E2 during late stage of growth].

Objective: To assess the mandibular condylar growth using cone-beam CT (CBCT) in beagle dogs treated with Herbst appliance and exogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) during late stage of growth. Methods: Twenty-four male beagle dogs aged 8 months were divided into four groups according to the random number table (n=6 in each group): natural growth group, mandibular protraction group (Herbst group), injected prostaglandin E2 group (PGE2 group), mandibular protraction plus injected prostaglandin E2 group (Herbst+PGE2 group). The beagle dogs in Herbst+PGE2 group and PGE2 group were injected 0.1 ml of prostaglandin E2 (dose of 0.05 mg) into bilateral temporomandibular joint articular cavity. The dogs in natural growth group and Herbst group were injected 0.1 ml of saline into bilateral temporomandibular joint articular cavity as control. PGE2 and saline were injected once every 3 days for 60 days, respectively. CBCT was taken before the application of Herbst appliance and after removal of the appliance for all beagle dogs in four groups at the same time. The CBCT images were reconstructed using Invivo5 software and the relevant parameters of temporomandibular joint were measured. Results: No significant difference was found in natural growth group before and after the experiment (P>0.05). After the treatment, the condylar height and condylar size in Herbst group ([0.19+0.04] and [0.18+0.30] mm), PGE2 group ([0.38+0.14] and [0.51+0.24] mm) and Herbst+PGE2 group ([0.65+0.08] and [0.70+0.24] mm) slightly increased (P<0.05). The condylar changes in all experimental groups were greater than the natural growth group (P<0.05), and the ranges of change, in descending order, were Herbst+PGE2 group, PGE2 group and Herbst group (P<0.05). However, the condylar longitudinal distances, condyle width, condylar transverse diameter, glenoid fossa width and glenoid fossa depth had no statistically significant difference among the four groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Injection of exogenous PGE2 into the temporomandibular joint articular cavity, or using Herbst appliance separately, a certain amount of growth was observed on the mandibular condyle in beagle dogs during late stage of growth. The combination of Herbst appliance and exogenous PGE2 injection made the condylar growth more obviously.

Retrograde jejunal intussusception after total gastrectomy: A case report and literature review.

Retrograde jejunal intussusception is a rare disease. A 60-year-old female patient was hospitalized due to vomiting for 2 days, with a history of radical gastrectomy plus esophagus jejunum Rouxs-en-Y. On examination, there was a palpable wax-like mass on the left-hand side underneath the umbilicus. Computerized tomography scan showed a proximal jejunal intussusception. During surgery, the distal jejunum was found set into the proximal jejunum for a length of 30 cm, and bowel necrosis was also observed. The necrotic tube was resected and anastomosis was performed. Four days after the surgery, gastrointestinal function resumed. After a 10-month follow-up, the patient had no discomfort.

Abnormal perfusion in patellofemoral subchondral bone marrow in the rat anterior cruciate ligament transection model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis: a dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging study.

OBJECTIVE: Although anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a well-recognized risk factor for developing knee post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), the process in the patellofemoral (PF) joint after ACL injury is still under-researched. Our aim was to investigate the perfusion changes in PF subchondral bone marrow in the rat ACL transection (ACLX) model of PTOA using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). DESIGN: Eighteen male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly separated into three groups (n = 6 each group): a normal control group and groups receiving ACLX and sham-surgery, respectively, in the right knee. Perfusion parameters in the patellar and femoral subchondral bone marrows of all rats were measured on DCE-MRI at 0, 4, 8, and 16 weeks after respective treatment. After the last MRI at week 16, the rats were sacrificed and their right knees were harvested for histologic examination. In addition, to observe the long-term histologic change in PF joints, 9 additional rats (n = 3 in each group) were included and sacrificed at week 32 for histologic examination. RESULTS: In the ACLX group vs the sham and control groups, the perfusion parameters were significantly changed in both patellar and femoral subchondral bone marrows at week 16. Histologic examination revealed cartilage defects in ACLX rats at 32 weeks after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: These data point to a possible functional relationship between subchondral bone marrow perfusion abnormalities and cartilage breakdown in PTOA. Moreover, the perfusion parameters derived from DCE-MRI can potentially serve as biomarkers of early OA.

Effect of RAGE polymorphisms on susceptibility to and severity of osteoarthritis in a Han Chinese population: a case-control study.

Recent studies have revealed that the inflammatory process plays a role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). The S100 family and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) participate in regulating inflammation, even in the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). MMP-1 degrades cartilage, which may result in OA development. Moreover, polymorphisms in RAGE, S100A8, and MMP-1 have a marked effect on ligand binding and transcription regulating. In this study, we investigated the potential genetic contribution of the RAGE, S100A8, and MMP-1 genes to OA. We performed a matched case-control association study and genotyped OA patients and healthy controls, who were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assays. A total of 207 patients were diagnosed with knee OA and underwent total knee replacement. The control group included 207 individuals who had standard X-rays of the knee joints to confirm K/L < 2 and were matched by age and gender. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in RAGE (-429T/C, -374T/A, and 557G/A), S100A8 (rs3795391A/G), and MMP-1 (-1607 1G/2G, -755G/T, and -519A/G) were evaluated. RAGE -374T/A, S100A8 rs3795391A/G, MMP-1 -1607 1G/2G, -755G/T, and -519A/G showed no significant difference between OA patients and healthy controls. RAGE -429T/C and 557G/A showed a significant association between OA patients and healthy controls (P = 0.016 and 0.047, respectively). In haplotype analyses, no RAGE and MMP-1 haplotypes showed associations with OA. Our results suggest that the investigated polymorphism in the RAGE gene play a role in OA in the Han Chinese population.

Extreme Hyperlactatemia After Heart Transplantation: One Center's Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Hyperlactatemia may occur early after cardiac surgery and is correlated with prognosis. This study was conducted to analyze the perioperative variables and postoperative outcomes among heart transplant recipients with extremely high lactate levels (>15 mmol/L). METHODS: The single-center medical records of heart transplantation from June 2006 to May 2013 were retrospectively reviewed for patient characteristics, perioperative hemodynamic variables, arterial blood gas analysis data, and postoperative mortality. RESULTS: Among 58 consecutive heart transplant recipients, lactate levels over the detectable upper limit (>15 mmol/L) were identified in 12 patients after intensive care unit admission, with peak time at 1.9 ± 2.0 (range 0-6.1) hours. The maximal preoperative lactate level was 3.1 mmol/L, and most (11/12) postoperative lactate levels returned to <4 mmol/L at 27.5 ± 12.8 hours after surgery (range 15-58, median 24), displaying a trend toward delayed extubation time in 10 recipients (P < .01). Blood glucose levels elevated significantly from preoperative 148.9 ± 45.2 to 375.7 ± 96.9 mg/dL at peak lactate level (P < .01). Four patients died in the ICU (range 5-32 days), 4 died after discharge (range 5-57 months), with 6 in total surviving over 1 year. CONCLUSION: Extreme hyperlactatemia commonly occurred early after heart transplantation and mostly recovered within 30 hours; however, with delayed extubation time after operation.

Roll up polymer/oxide/polymer nanomembranes as a hybrid optical microcavity for humidity sensing.

A hybrid optical microcavity from rolled-up polymer/oxide/polymer nanomembranes presents its excellent capability for environmental relative humidity detection. When exposed to a moist surrounding, poly(acrylic acid)/poly(ethylenimine) polymers swell greatly due to the absorption of water molecules, which thus leads to an increased wall thickness of the tubular optical microcavity and therefore presents a profound wavelength redshift of its whispering-gallery mode resonance. These experiments fit well with the calculation based on the Mie-scattering theory. Theoretical calculation also demonstrates that the thin walls of our tubular microcavities contribute to a high detection sensitivity compared to other microcavities. Our work could lead to new designs and applications of optical microcavities.

Solid freeform-fabricated scaffolds designed to carry multicellular mesenchymal stem cell spheroids for cartilage regeneration.

Three-dimensional (3D) cellular spheroids have recently emerged as a new trend to replace suspended single cells in modern cell-based therapies because of their greater regeneration capacities in vitro. They may lose the 3D structure during a change of microenvironment, which poses challenges to their translation in vivo. Besides, the conventional microporous scaffolds may have difficulty in accommodating these relatively large spheroids. Here we revealed a novel design of microenvironment for delivering and sustaining the 3D spheroids. Biodegradable scaffolds with macroporosity to accommodate mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) spheroids were made by solid freeform fabrication (SFF) from the solution of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide). Their internal surface was modified with chitosan following air plasma treatment in order to preserve the morphology of the spheroids. It was demonstrated that human MSC spheroids loaded in SFF scaffolds produced a significantly larger amount of cartilage-associated extracellular matrix in vitro and in NOD/SCID mice compared to single cells in the same scaffolds. Implantation of MSC spheroid-loaded scaffolds into the chondral defects of rabbit knees showed superior cartilage regeneration. This study establishes new perspectives in designing the spheroid-sustaining microenvironment within a tissue engineering scaffold for in vivo applications.

First measurement of the form factors in the decays D0 → ρ- e+ ν(e) and D+ → ρ0 e+ ν(e).

The beauty to up quark coupling constant |V(ub)| can be extracted from B → ρ e+ ν(e) combined with the form factors for D → K* e+ ν(e) and B → V ℓ+ ℓ- and D → ρ e+ ν(e). Using the entire CLEO-c ψ(3770) → DD event sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 818 pb(-1) and approximately 5.4×10(6) DD events, we measure the form factors for the decays D0 → ρ- e+ ν(e) and D+ → ρ0 e+ ν(e) for the first time and the branching fractions with improved precision. A four-dimensional unbinned maximum likelihood fit determines the form factor ratios to be V(0)/A1(0)=1.48±0.15±0.05 and A2(0)/A1(0)=0.83±0.11±0.04. Assuming Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity, the known D meson lifetimes, and our measured branching fractions we obtain the form factor normalizations A1(0), A2(0), and V(0). We also present a measurement of the branching fraction for D+ → ω e+ ν(e) with improved precision.

Assessment of cam-type femoroacetabular impingement by ultrasonography: value of anterior femoral distance measurements.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively determine the reproducibility and performance of a quantitative measurement for cam-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) designated as the anterior femoral distance (AFD) of the femoral head-neck junction identified at ultrasonography (US). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 72 patients with clinically suspected FAI were retrospectively evaluated, and US studies were performed during a 20-month period. Of these, we selected 53 patients who underwent subsequent magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography and had adequate recorded US images. All the longitudinal US images of the anterior and anterosuperior contours of the femoral head-neck junction were recorded by a radiologist. 33 of these US images were also recorded by a technician. An alpha angle of > 55° on MR arthrography was indicative of cam-type FAI. Two independent radiology residents blinded to the clinical data and MR arthrography measured the maximal femoral head-neck overgrowth defined as the AFD on US (AFD-US). Reproducibility was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Bland-Altman plots, and diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: AFD-US showed high intra- and inter-rater agreement (ICC = 0.913 - 0.968) in all measurements and good reproducibility among different operators in the anterior contour measurements (ICC = 0.881) but not in the anterosuperior contour measurements (ICC = 0.196). An AFD-US cut-off value of 4.0 mm in the anterior contour yielded the greatest sensitivity (80.9 %) and specificity (87.5 %) for the diagnosis of cam-type FAI by ROC analysis. CONCLUSION: AFD-US of the anterior contour of the femoral head-neck junction is helpful in diagnosing cam-type FAI.

Atypical ductal hyperplasia of the breast diagnosed by ultrasonographically guided core needle biopsy.

PURPOSE: We analysed the ultrasonographic (US) features of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) of the breast diagnosed by US-guided core needle biopsy (CNB) with the aim of identifying factors that affect the underestimation of ADH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 134 ADH lesions sampled by US-guided CNB were reviewed retrospectively. All lesions were evaluated for pattern, size, lesion characteristics and margins, and the corresponding surgical outcome or imaging follow-up was obtained. Each patient's clinical and radiological features were analysed to identify factors involved in ADH underestimation. RESULTS: The prevalence of malignancy in each pattern of lesions following surgical excision was 32/81 (40%) for solid masses, 14/31 (45%) for ductal patterns, 5/17 (29%) for complex cystic lesions and 2/5 (40%) for architectural distortions. Based on the results of surgical and US follow-up, none of the category 3 lesions was proven to be a malignancy. Malignancy was found in 17 (21%) of the 80 BI-RADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) category 4a lesions, 20 (74%) of the 27 category 4b lesions, 12 (92%) of the 13 category 4c lesions, and four (100%) of the four category 5 lesions. Lesions with a higher US assessment category, lacking circumscribed margins, or a mammographic finding of suspected malignancy were all significantly associated with underestimation (p < 0.05 for each). CONCLUSION: US is useful in evaluating ADH lesions and in clarifying the indication for biopsy of these lesions. Familiarity with the frequency associated with malignancy for each feature will improve the utility of US in the work-up of these breast abnormalities.