[Research progress of non-biological artificial liver support system therapy for paitents with liver failure].

Liver failure progresses quickly with high mortality. Non-biological artificial liver support system therapy is one of the important treatments for patients with liver failure. The basic techniques of non-biological artificial liver support system therapy include plasma exchange, plasma adsorption and continuous renal replacement therapy. In this paper, the effect and choice of these basic techniques, the treatment timing, the possible patients who may benefit, and the existing problems are summarized and discussed. We hope to provide a reference for the rational use of non-biological artificial liver support system therapy in clinical practice.

[Application of ultra-short echo time-T2* component analysis technology in monitoring morphological and biochemical changes of achilles tendon in amateur marathon athletes].

Objective: To explore the value of ultra-short echo time (UTE)-T2* component analysis techniques in dynamic monitoring the morphological and biochemical changes in amateur marathon athletes' achilles tendon before and after the marathon. Methods: Twenty-nine amateur marathon runners were recruited between October 2020 and March 2021 in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, including 25 males and 4 females, aged from 24 to 50 (40±6) years old. All volunteers underwent bilateral achilles tendon MRI examination 1 week before the marathon, 48 hours after the race, and 1 month after the race. The shape and signal of the achilles tendon were evaluated by routine T1-weighted, proton density weighted with fat saturation sequence and different echo time (TE) UTE sequence, and the changes of achilles tendon after running was quantitatively analyzed by UTE-T2* sequence. The values of single-component analysis (T2*M), short T2* components (T2*S), and long T2* components (T2*L) and Fraction values were obtained using UTE-T2* sequence. The value of the whole achilles tendon was measured on the sagittal images of achilles tendon, and the Achilles tendon was equally divided into three subregions [muscle-tendon junction (MTJ), middle (MID), and insertion (INS)]. The region of interest was delineated by two radiologists independently. The intra-group correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to evaluate the consistency of the data measured by two radiologists. Nonparametric Friedman M test was used to compare the differences of T2*M, T2*S, T2*L and Fraction values in different time points and different subregions. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare the difference between 48 h post-race and pre-race T2*S values (ΔT2*S) of different distance, different running posture, different pace and different amount of training, in which ΔT2*S equals the T2*S value of 48 h post-race minus the T2*S value of pre-race. Results: On the sequence of short TE (TE≤0.6 ms), achilles tendinopathy can manifest as scattered punctate hypointensity in areas of high signal intensity. The two radiologists showed a good consistency in measuring the T2*M, T2*S, T2*L and Fraction values of the achilles tendon, and the ICC values ​​were 0.96, 0.94, 0.83 and 0.94, respectively. The T2*s values was significantly higher in the whole Achilles tendon, MTJ and MID segment at 48 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise, and decreased after 1 month of exercise, [0.49 (0.45, 0.59) vs 0.54 (0.49, 0.59) vs 0.53 (0.49, 0.57), 0.48 (0.44, 0.54) vs 0.53 (0.47, 0.58) vs 0.50 (0.46, 0.57), 0.48 (0.43, 0.58) vs 0.54 (0.47, 0.59) vs 0.52 (0.46, 0.57); respectively, all P<0.05]. The changes in T2*M, T2*L and Fraction values are not statistically significant (all P>0.05). In different running gestures, the ΔT2*S of achilles tendon who using the postures of front-middle feet is higher than that using the postures of back feet (0.03(-0.05, 0.07) vs -0.03(-0.17, 0.11), P=0.001). Conclusion: The Bi-component analysis of UTE-T2* technology is superior to single component analysis in monitoring the dynamic changes of achilles tendon before and after exercise, and T2*S is a more sensitive sequence to evaluate the subtle changes in the chemical composition of achilles tendon.

Macromolecular fraction (MMF) from 3D ultrashort echo time cones magnetization transfer (3D UTE-Cones-MT) imaging predicts meniscal degeneration and knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Meniscal degeneration is strongly associated with osteoarthritis (OA). We aimed to evaluate a 3D ultrashort-echo-time Cones magnetization transfer (UTE-Cones-MT) sequence for quantification of macromolecular fraction (MMF) and MT ratio (MTR) in menisci of healthy volunteers and patients with different degrees of OA. METHODS: Patients with mild OA (n = 19; 37-86 years; 10 males) or advanced OA (n = 12; 52-88 years; 4 males) and healthy volunteers (n = 17; 20-49 years; 7 males) were scanned with T2-FSE and UTE-Cones-MT sequences at 3T. Morphological assessment was performed using meniscal whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS). MMF and MTR were calculated for menisci, and correlated with age and meniscal WORMS scores. The diagnostic efficiency was performed by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under the curve (AUC) analyses. RESULTS: Decreased MMF and MTR were observed in menisci of patients with mild or advanced OA compared with healthy subjects, and in menisci with tears (Grade 2-4) compared with normal menisci (Grade 0). Significant negative correlations were observed between MMF (r = -0.769, P < 0.01), MTR (r = -0.320, P < 0.01), and meniscal WORMS score. There was a mild negative correlation between MMF (r = -0.438, P < 0.01), MTR (r = -0.289, P < 0.01), and age. The AUC values of MMF and MTR in the four horns of meniscus and the posterior horn medial meniscus for differentiating OA patients from healthy volunteers were 0.762 and 0.699, and 0.835 and 0.883, respectively. CONCLUSION: The 3D UTE-Cones-MT biomarkers of MTR and especially MMF can detect compositional changes in meniscus and differentiate healthy subjects from patients with mild or advanced knee OA.

Ultrastrong and Stiff Carbon Nanotube/Aluminum-Copper Nanocomposite via Enhancing Friction between Carbon Nanotubes.

Researchers have been aiming to replace copper with carbon nanotube/copper nanocomposites, which are lighter and exhibit better electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, the strength is far below pure carbon nanotube assembly and even much lower than some copper-based alloys. This disadvantage hinders the extensive application of carbon nanotube/copper nanocomposites. In this study, the carbon nanotube/aluminum-copper nanocomposites with ultra-strength and stiffness were prepared. The strength and elasticity modulus of composite reached as high as 6.6 and 500 GPa, respectively, while a high conductivity of 1.8 × 107 S/m was maintained. This can be attributed to the diffusion of Cu and Al atoms into the carbon nanotube fiber, which enhances friction between the carbon nanotubes by "pinning" and "bridging". This structure provides us with novel insights into the design of carbon nanotubes/metal nanocomposites with ultrahigh strength and conductivity.

[Research progress of the application of regional citrate anticoagulation in artificial liver to treat liver failure].

Liver failure is a rapidly progressive condition with a high mortality rate. Artificial liver treatment is one of the most important treatments for liver failure. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of in vitro circulation device, anticoagulants such as heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin are often used in clinical practice. However, it induces hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia and other adverse reactions, thereby threatening the life safety of liver failure patients. Regional citrate anticoagulation does not affect the coagulation mechanism in vivo, nor does it effects platelets, so in vitro circulating anticoagulants has become the first choice anticoagulant treatment method for continuous renal replacement therapy. Combined with the current research condition at home and abroad, the research progress of the application of regional citrate anticoagulation in artificial liver to treat liver failure is discussed, covering its principle content, application status and application prospect.

[miRNA-96-5p inhibits the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by targeting FoxQ1].

Objective: To investigate the role of microRNA-96-5p in the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells and its molecular mechanism. Methods: From June 2015 to January 2017, 53 resected specimens were collected. The transcriptional levels of microRNA-96-5p and forkhead box Q1 (FoxQ1) in gastric cancer tissues and the matched para-cancerous tissues were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression of FoxQ1 protein was also detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship between microRNA-96-5p expression and the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer and its correlation with FoxQ1 expression were analyzed. The expressions of miRNA-96-5p in gastric cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue were detected by qRT-PCR. miRNA-96-5p mimics was transfected to BGC-823 gastric cancer cells. The effects of miRNA-96-5p on cell proliferation and invasion were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The protein expressions of FoxQ1, E-cadherin and vimentin were determined by western blot. The relationship between FoxQ1 and miRNA-96-5p expressed in BGC-823 cells was detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: The median expression of miRNA-96-5p in gastric cancer tissue was 1.05, significantly lower than 3.23 of para-cancerous tissues (P<0.05). The positive rate of FoxQ1 expression in gastric cancer tissue was 71.7%, significantly higher than 28.3% of para-cancerous tissues (P<0.05). The expression of FoxQ1 was negatively corelated with the level of miRNA-96-5p (r=-0.613, P=0.006). The expression of miRNA-96-5p in gastric cancer cell BGC-823 was significantly decreased compared with normal gastric epithelial cell (0.96±0.08 vs 2.84±0.15, P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 assay and Transwell assay showed that overexpression of miRNA-96-5p significantly reduced the proliferation and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells (P<0.05). Overexpression of miRNA-96-5p decreased the protein level of FoxQ1. Moreover, it upregulated the expression of E-cadherin and downregulated the expression of vimentin. The result of dual-luciferase-3'-UTR reporter assay confirmed that miRNA-96-5p binds to the 3'UTR of FoxQ1. Conclusion: miRNA-96-5p may suppress the proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer cell by down-regulation of FoxQ1.

[Relationship of TLR2 and TLR4 expressions on the surface of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to small intestinal bacteria overgrowth in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate TLR2 and TLR4 expressional situation on the surface of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their relationship with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Methods: Flow cytometry was used to detect TLR2 and TLR4 expressional situation on the surface of PBMC in 78 cases with HCC, 56 cases with cirrhosis and 33 healthy controls. Furthermore, lactose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) was used to detect small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Results: Of the 78 cases with HCC, 56 cases (71.8%) were SIBO-positive, 23 cases (41.1%) were SIBO- positive in 56 cases with cirrhosis, and 1 (3.0%) was SIBO-positive in 33 healthy controls. The incidence of SIBO in HCC patients was higher than cirrhosis patients (χ(2) = 12.72, P < 0.05) and healthy controls (χ(2) = 41.18, P < 0.05). The expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 in HCC patients (100.55 ± 24.22, 42.76 ± 15.96) were significantly higher than cirrhosis (67.42 ± 18.36, 24.38 ± 8.68)and healthy control group (33.06 ± 11.72, 12.52 ± 4.46) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 in SIBO-positive patients (108.75 ± 20.40, 48.1 ± 14.98) were higher than SIBO-negative patients (79.67 ± 20.60, 28.62 ± 7.36) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 and the incidence of SIBO in HCC patients are significantly higher than cirrhosis and healthy control group. Moreover, the high expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 in SIBO-positive HCC patients may promote the development of HCC.

Apoptosis of hepatocarcinoma cells Hepg2 induced by Huaier extract through regulation of HBx and CEACAM1 gene expression..

Huaier can effectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells by enhancing the immune system. However, the mechanism of its function is still not clear. The current study aimed to explore the possible mechanism of Huaier in inhibiting human hepatocarcinoma cells by observing its effect on proliferation and invasion in hepatocarcinoma cells, HepG2 and HepG2-X, which stably express the HBx gene, and by comparing the levels of mRNA transcription and protein expression of HBx and CEACAM1 in HepG2 cells and HepG2-X cells when treated with different concentrations of Huaier. HepG2 cells and HepG2-X cells were treated with 0, 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 g/L-1 Huaier extract in vitro. MTT assay was used to measure the inhibition of cell proliferation. The transwell cell model coated with Matrigel glue was used to detect the invasion of HepG2 and HepG2-X cells in vitro. Flowcytometry was used to observe changes in cell cycle. Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to detect HBx and CEREAM1 mRNA transcription and protein expression separately. Huaier extract can inhibit HepG2 and HepG2-X cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The A value of HepG2-X cells in each group was higher than that of HepG2 cells. Compared with the control group, the invasion ability of HepG2 and HepG2-X cells decreased significantly after treatment with Huaier extract, in a dose-dependent manner. The cell cycle of HepG2 and HepG2-X was arrested at S phase. The distribution of G0/G1 phase decreased gradually with the increase of the concentration of Huaier extract, and the proportion of G0/G1 phase distribution declined. After treating with Huaier extract, mRNA transcription and protein expression of HBx in HepG2 and HepG2-X declined, while those of CEACAM1 increased, reflecting a dose-dependent manner (P less than 0.05). Therefore, we concluded that the inhibitory effect of Huaier extract on hepatocarcinoma cell proliferation might function through down regulation of HBx gene expression and upregulation of CEACAM1 gene expression.

InP-based pseudomorphic InAs/InGaAs triangular quantum well lasers with bismuth surfactant.

An InP-based 2.1 µm InAs/In0.53Ga0.47As triangular quantum well laser grown with Bi surfactant has shown improved performance in comparison to the device with the same structure but grown without Bi surfactant. Under continuous-wave driving operation, the output light power is increased from 32.6 to 37.5 mW at the same injecting current of 850 mA at 200 K. The external differential and internal quantum efficiencies for the laser with Bi surfactant are 18.4% and 41%, respectively, which are correspondingly higher than 13.1% and 31% for the reference device. Furthermore, a decreased internal loss from 20.9 to 17.6 cm-1 for the Bi surfactant laser is also observed. These results suggest that Bi surfactant is promising for further enhancing performances of strained quantum well laser diodes.

[Research advances in chronicity of hepatitis E virus infection].

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection usually causes acute hepatitis and has a self-limiting progression. The patients often recover within 6 months with good prognosis. Recent studies have found that HEV infection may become chronic in special situations, which manifests as persistent liver function abnormalities for at least 6 months after acute HEV infection and the presence of viral nucleic acid in serum, feces, and/or liver tissue. Chronicity of HEV infection mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients, and it is rare but very dangerous in clinical practice. An understanding of the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, treatment methods, and preventive measures of chronicity of HEV infection helps clinical physicians develop an effective management regimen and improve patient prognosis. This article introduces related issues, in order to raise the awareness of this disease among clinical physicians.

Theophylline: a review of population pharmacokinetic analyses.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Numerous population pharmacokinetic studies of theophylline have been conducted in paediatric and adult patients. The purpose of this review was to summarize the published studies concerning population pharmacokinetics of theophylline in patients of different ages and discuss factors that might cause the large variability in the pharmacokinetics of theophylline. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in PubMed using the following keywords: 'theophylline', 'population pharmacokinetic(s)' and 'nonlinear mixed effect model'. Additionally, the relevant references listed in the retrieved articles were manually reviewed. All of the studies that reported the population pharmacokinetics of theophylline in humans were included in this review. However, articles were excluded if they were not written in English. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Sixteen articles were included in this review. Among them, 11 were conducted on paediatric patients, and five were conducted on adults. A one-compartment model with first-order elimination was employed in most of the included articles. A nonlinear mixed effect modelling approach (NONMEM) was the most commonly used software to develop a population pharmacokinetic model. Body weight and age (post-conceptional age and post-natal age) were the most important factors associated with the clearance (CL) of theophylline in paediatric patients. Body weight (ideal body weight and lean body mass), age and smoking status were most frequently used to estimate the CL of theophylline in adults. The median (range) estimate values of CL for paediatric and adult patients were 0·062 (0·0056-0·0949) L/h/kg and 0·053 (0·0493-0·0517) L/h/kg, respectively. The median values of the interindividual variability of CL were 33·5% in adults and 25·8% in paediatric patients. The mean values of the residual variability were 21% in paediatric patients and 14·3% in adults. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: This review concludes that body weight and age were the most important factors associated with the clearance of theophylline in paediatric patients. Body weight, age and smoking were most frequently used to estimate the clearance of theophylline in adults. Future studies are warranted to detect the influence of new factors, such as cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 gene polymorphisms, on the pharmacokinetics of theophylline because some pharmacokinetic variability was not fully explained.

Pentraxin-3 level at admission is a strong predictor of short-term mortality in a community-based hospital setting.

BACKGROUND: The pattern recognition molecule pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a novel potential marker of prognosis, as elevated levels are associated with both disease severity and mortality in patients with a wide range of conditions. However, the usefulness of PTX3 as a prognostic biomarker in a general hospital setting is unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 1326 unselected, consecutive patients (age >40 years) admitted to a community hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. Patients were followed until death or for a median of 11.5 years after admission. The main outcome measure was all-cause mortality. Serum samples collected from patients at admission and from 192 healthy control subjects were quantified for PTX3 level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: PTX3 was elevated in patients (median 3.7 ng mL(-1) , range 0.5-209.8) compared with healthy nonhospitalized subjects (median 3.5 ng mL(-1) , range 0.0-8.3; P = 0.0003). Elevated PTX3 levels, defined as above the 95th percentile of the concentration in healthy subjects, were associated with increased overall mortality during the study (P < 0.0001). This increase in mortality was greatest in the short term, with an unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 6.4 [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.8-11.0] at 28 days after admission, compared to 1.7 (95% CI 1.4-2.0) at the end of follow-up. These results were still significant after adjustment for age, gender and glomerular filtration rate: adjusted HR of 5.0 (95% CI 2.9-8.8) and 1.4 (95% CI 1.2-1.8), respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PTX3 could be a widely applicable marker of short-term mortality in hospitalized patients and may be useful in the initial risk stratification.

Serum Vitamin D Level in Overweight Individuals and Its Correlation With the Incidence of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

In this study, we investigated the serum vitamin D level in overweight individuals and its correlation with the incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Between May 2020 and May 2021, the Department of Gastroenterology at the People's Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine treated a total of 321 outpatients and inpatients with NAFLD, who were included in the NAFLD group, while 245 healthy age- and gender-matched individuals were included in the control group. All the data were collected for the relevant indices, including fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine transaminase, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25[OH]D. The patients with NAFLD were divided into the normal BMI group, the overweight group, and the obese group, according to the body mass index, and the 25(OH)D levels were compared between the different groups. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to analyze the correlation between the serum 25(OH)D level and NAFLD. Regarding the serum 25 (OH)D level, it was lower in the NAFLD group than in the control group ([18.36 + 1.41] µg/L vs [22.33 + 2.59] µg/L, t = ?5.15, P<0.001), and was lower in the overweight group than in the normal group ([18.09 ± 5.81] µg/L vs [20.60 ± 4.16] µg/L, t = 0.26, P = 0.041). The serum 25(OH)D level was thus negatively correlated with the incidence of NAFLD in overweight individuals (r = 0.625, P<0.05). In conclusion, the level of 25(OH)D decreased in patients with NAFLD with increasing BMI (normal, overweight, obese). Keywords: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Vitamin D.

A clinical study of HBsAg-activated dendritic cells and cytokine-induced killer cells during the treatment for chronic hepatitis B.

We aim to study the therapeutic effects of HBsAg-activated DCs and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells as adoptive immunotherapy in patients with Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB). Autologous HBsAg-activated DC-CIK cells were infused into patients with CHB to evaluate their effect on HBV-DNA, HBsAg, ALT, etc. The viral load in the treatment group decreased significantly (P < 0.001), while that in the control group did not decrease (P > 0.05). Twenty-one patients (63.6% efficiency) in the treatment group had a viral response (≥2 log decrease in viral load), while four patients (14.8% efficiency) from the control group had a viral response. There were significant differences in the viral responses of the two groups (the control group 63.6% versus the control group 14.8%, P < 0.001). We concluded that the immunity was enhanced after HBsAg activation in DCs and CIK cells. Reinfusion of autologous HBsAg-activated DC-CIK cells inhibited HBV proliferation in 21 of 33 (63.6%) patients.

Factors influencing epitaxial growth of three-dimensional Ge quantum dot crystals on pit-patterned Si substrate.

We investigated the molecular beam epitaxy growth of three-dimensional (3D) Ge quantum dot crystals (QDCs) on periodically pit-patterned Si substrates. A series of factors influencing the growth of QDCs were investigated in detail and the optimized growth conditions were found. The growth of the Si buffer layer and the first quantum dot (QD) layer play a key role in the growth of QDCs. The pit facet inclination angle decreased with increasing buffer layer thickness, and its optimized value was found to be around 21°, ensuring that all the QDs in the first layer nucleate within the pits. A large Ge deposition amount in the first QD layer favors strain build-up by QDs, size uniformity of QDs and hence periodicity of the strain distribution; a thin Si spacer layer favors strain correlation along the growth direction; both effects contribute to the vertical ordering of the QDCs. Results obtained by atomic force microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy showed that 3D ordering was achieved in the Ge QDCs with the highest ever areal dot density of 1.2 × 10(10) cm(-2), and that the lateral and the vertical interdot spacing were ~10 and ~2.5 nm, respectively.

Light absorption engineering of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon by femtosecond laser.

The light absorption coefficient of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon has been engineered to have a Gaussian distribution by means of absorption modification using a femtosecond laser. The absorption-modified sample exhibits a significant absorption enhancement of up to ∼700%, and the strong absorption does not depend on the incident light. We propose a model responsible for this interesting behavior. In addition, we present an optical limiter constructed through this absorption engineering method.

The efficacy and safety of pirfenidone in the treatment of HPS-related pulmonary fibrosis and Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is increasing year by year in the world, which has a greater impact on the quality of life of patients. In the past, symptomatic treatment was used in clinical practice, but the overall effect is still not good. Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of pirfenidone in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; however, adverse reactions have been reported. We, therefore, systematically evaluated the effectiveness and safety of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Relevant studies were retrieved from the Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM), Wanfang and Weipu databases between January 1999 and May 2020, including the keywords "pirfenidone" and "idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis", were included in our systematic review. Review Manager 5.4 software was used for data synthesis, and analyses of publication bias and sensitivity. RESULTS: Our systematic review included 13 studies involving a total of 13247 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Pirfenidone was associated with reduced declines in vital capacity (VC) and forced vital capacity (FVC) from baseline in patients with hermansky-pudlak syndrome (HPS)-related pulmonary fibrosis and to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Pirfenidone treatment was associated with lower reductions in FVC, lower reductions in 6-minute walking test distance, lower decreases in minimum oxygen saturation during the 6-minute walking test, lower all-cause death, lower relative risk of IPF-related death and increased progression-free survival compared to placebo. Progression-free survival was significantly longer in the pirfenidone group. The incidence of gastrointestinal, skin, nervous system, and liver function-related adverse events was significantly higher in the pirfenidone group compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Pirfenidone has efficacy in delaying the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Pirfenidone is well-tolerated by the majority of patients; however, mild adverse reactions related to the gastrointestinal tract, skin, nervous system, and liver function are common. Overall, Pirfenidone may be an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Tunable nonlinear absorption of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon.

Nonlinear absorption (NLA) of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) has been investigated through the open aperture Z-scan method for the photon energy of the incident irradiance slightly less than the bandgap of the sample. NLA responses have been observed to be highly sensitive to the wavelength and intensity of the incident irradiance as well as to the bandgap of the sample, indicating greatly tunable NLA of nc-Si:H. The band tail of nc-Si:H appears to play a crucial role in such NLA responses.