High-performance GeSi/Ge multi-quantum well photodetector on a Ge-buffered Si substrate.

This work demonstrates a high-performance photodetector with a 4-cycle Ge0.86Si0.14/Ge multi-quantum well (MQW) structure grown by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition techniques on a Ge-buffered Si (100) substrate. At -1 V bias, the dark current density of the fabricated PIN mesa devices is as low as 3 mA/cm2, and the optical responsivities are 0.51 and 0.17 A/W at 1310 and 1550 nm, respectively, corresponding to the cutoff wavelength of 1620 nm. At the same time, the device has good high-power performance and continuous repeatable light response. On the other hand, the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the device is as high as -5.18%/K, surpassing all commercial thermal detectors. These results indicate that the CMOS-compatible and low-cost Ge0.86Si0.14/Ge multilayer structure is promising for short-wave infrared and uncooled infrared imaging.

Successful treatment of a severe Takotsubo syndrome case complicated by liver abscess.

The main manifestations of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) are a spherical expansion of the left ventricle or near the apex and decreased systolic function. TTS is mostly thought to be induced by emotional stress, and the induction of TTS by severe infection is not often reported. A 72-year-old female patient with liver abscess reported herein was admitted due to repeated fever with a history of hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. Her severe infection caused TTS, and her blood pressure dropped to 80/40 mmHg. IABP treatment was performed immediately and continued for 10 days, and comprehensive medication was administered. Based on her disease course and her smooth recovery, general insights and learnings may be: Adding to mental and other pathological stress reaction, serious infections from pathogenic microorganism could be of great important causation of stress reaction leading to TTS, while basic diseases such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes were be of promoting factors; In addition to effective drug therapies for TTS, the importance of the timely using of IABP should be emphasized.

Manipulating Cation Exchange Reactions in Cu2-xS Nanoparticles via Crystal Structure Transformation.

Copper-deficient Cu2-xS nanoparticles (NPs) are extensively exploited as a superior cation exchange (CE) template to yield sophisticated nanostructures. Recently, it has been discovered that their CE reactions can be facilely manipulated by copper vacancy density, morphology, and NP size. However, the structural similarity of usually utilized Cu2-xS somewhat limits the manipulation of the CE reactions through the factor of crystal structure because it can strongly influence the process of the reaction. Herein, we report a methodology of crystal structure transformation to manipulate the CE reactions. Particularly, roxbyite Cu1.8S nanodisks (NDs) were converted into solid wurtzite CdS NDs and Janus-type Cu1.94S/CdS NDs by a "full"/partial CE reaction with Cd2+. Afterward, the roxbyite Cu1.8S were pseudomorphically transformed into covellite CuS NDs. Unlike Cu1.8S, the CuS was scarcely exchanged because of the unique disulfide (S-S) bonds and converted into hollow wurtzite CdS under a more reactive condition. The S-S bonds were gradually split and CuS@CdS core@shell-type NDs were generated. Therefore, our findings in the present study provide not only a versatile technique to manipulate CE reactions in Cu2-xS NPs but also a better comprehension of their reaction dynamics and pathways.

First Demonstration of Novel Vertical Gate-All-Around Field-Effect-Transistors Featured by Self-Aligned and Replaced High-κ Metal Gates.

A novel n-type nanowire/nanosheet (NW/NS) vertical sandwich gate-all-around field-effect-transistor (nVSAFET) with self-aligned and replaced high-κ metal gates (HKMGs) is presented for the first time, aiming at a 3 nm technology node and beyond. The nVSAFETs were fabricated by an integration flow of Si/SiGe epitaxy, quasi-atomic layer etching (qALE) of SiGe selective to Si, formation of SiGe/Si core/shell NS/NW structure, building of nitride dummy gate, and replacement of the dummy gate. This fabrication method is complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible, simple, and reproducible, and NWs with a diameter of 17 nm and NSs with a thickness of 20 nm were obtained. Excellent control of short-channel-effects was presented. The device performance was also investigated and discussed. The proposed integration scheme has great potential for applications in chip manufacturing, especially with vertical channel devices.

Comparison of the prognosis for different onset stage of cardiogenic shock secondary to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: The study was conducted to evaluate the outcomes of different onset stage of cardiogenic shock (CS) in the patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Total 675 STEMI patients who had undergone primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) from November 2010 to December 2017 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were enrolled. According to the onset time of CS, the cohort was divided into three groups: Non-CS group, CS on admission group and Developed CS group. The short-term (30 days), middle-term (12 months) and long-term (80 months) outcomes were analyzed. COX proportional hazard models were established for identification of the predictors. RESULTS: The all cause death, cardiac death and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days were similar among the three groups. The incidence of MACE in the CS on admission group was significantly higher than the other two groups at 12 months. As to the long-term outcomes, the CS on admission group had lower survival rate than the other two groups. The Develop CS group had lower survival rate than Non-CS group numerically with a trend towards statistical significance. The incidence of cardiac death in the Non-CS group was the lowest. The incidence of MACE in the CS on admission group was much higher compared with the other two groups. After multivariate analysis, the independent predictors of all cause death included age, male sex, prior stroke and LVEF. The independent predictors of cardiac death included age, male sex, prior stroke, LVEF, CS on admission and developed CS. The independent predictors of MACE included age, prior stroke, LVEF, multivessel lesions, post-PCI TIMI grade 1 and CS on admission. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outcomes of CS on admission group were the worst of all. The outcomes of Developed CS group laid between the other two groups. The consequences highlighted the importance of prevention for CS developing in the STEMI patients during hospitalization.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ modulates renal crystal retention associated with high oxalate concentration by regulating tubular epithelial cellular transdifferentiation.

The differentiated phenotype of renal tubular epithelial cell exerts significant effect on crystal adherence. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) has been shown to be critical for the regulation of cell transdifferentiation in many physiological and pathological conditions; however, little is known about its role in kidney stone formation. In the current study, we found that temporarily high oxalate concentration significantly decreased PPARγ expression, induced Madin Darby Canine Kidney cell dedifferentiation, and prompted subsequent calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal adhesion in vitro. Furthermore, cell redifferentiation after the removal of the high oxalate concentration, along with a decreasing affinity to crystals, was an endogenic PPARγ-dependent process. In addition, the PPARγ antagonist GW9662, which can depress total-PPARγ expression and activity, enhanced cell dedifferentiation induced by high oxalate concentration and inhibited cell redifferentiation after removal of the high oxalate concentration. These effects were partially reversed by the PPARγ agonist 15d-PGJ2. Similar results were observed in animals that suffered from temporary hyperoxaluria followed by a recovery period. The active crystal-clearing process occurs through the transphenotypical morphology of renal tubular epithelial cells, reflecting cell transdifferentiation during the recovery period. However, GW9662 delayed cell redifferentiation and increased the secondary temporary crystalluria-induced crystal retention. This detrimental effect was partially reversed by 15d-PGJ2. Taken together, our results revealed that endogenic PPARγ activity plays a vital regulatory role in crystal clearance, subsequent crystal adherence, and CaOx stone formation via manipulating the transdifferentiation of renal tubular epithelial cells.

SPTLC1 inhibits cell growth via modulating Akt/FOXO1 pathway in renal cell carcinoma cells.

Serine palmitoyltransferase long chain-1 (SPTLC1), which is the rate-limiting enzyme for sphingolipid biosynthesis, has been indicated to be essential for carcinoma cell survival and proliferation in recent, but its role in the regulation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unknown. In the present study, we found that SPTLC1 expression was significantly decreased in RCC tissues compared to non-tumor tissues, and low SPTLC1 expression was associated with poor overall survival of RCC patients. In addition, our results revealed that forced expression of SPTLC1 could significantly inhibit cell growth in vitro and in vivo via, at least in part, modulating Akt/FOXO1 signaling pathway, thus representing a novel role of SPTLC1 in the regulation of tumor growth in RCC for the first time.

ß-arrestin1-medieated inhibition of FOXO3a contributes to prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

Recently, ß-arrestin1 has been indicated as a prostate cancer promoter through promoting cell proliferation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition, but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, our data revealed that ß-arrestin1 could promote cell growth through inhibiting the transcriptional activity and expression of FOXO3a in prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We found that ß-arrestin1 could promote the cell and tumor growth of prostate cancer, and ß-arrestin1 expression represented a negative correlation with FOXO3a expression but not FOXO1 expression in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues. In addition, forced expression of ß-arrestin1 induced a significant decrease of FOXO3a expression but had no clear effect on FOXO1 expression. Mechanistically, ß-arrestin1 could interact with FOXO3a and MDM2, respectively, and promote the interaction between FOXO3a and MDM2, whereas it had no obvious interaction with FOXO1. Furthermore, ß-arrestin1 could inhibit the transcriptional activity of FOXO3a via Akt and ERK1/2 pathways. Together, our results revealed a novel mechanism for ß-arrestin1 in the regulation of the prostate cancer procession through inhibiting FOXO3a.

Bias-Exchange Metadynamics Simulation of Membrane Permeation of 20 Amino Acids.

Thermodynamics of the permeation of amino acids from water to lipid bilayers is an important first step for understanding the mechanism of cell-permeating peptides and the thermodynamics of membrane protein structure and stability. In this work, we employed bias-exchange metadynamics simulations to simulate the membrane permeation of all 20 amino acids from water to the center of a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membrane (consists of 256 lipids) by using both directional and torsion angles for conformational sampling. The overall accuracy for the free energy profiles obtained is supported by significant correlation coefficients (correlation coefficient at 0.5-0.6) between our results and previous experimental or computational studies. The free energy profiles indicated that (1) polar amino acids have larger free energy barriers than nonpolar amino acids; (2) negatively charged amino acids are the most difficult to enter into the membrane; and (3) conformational transitions for many amino acids during membrane crossing is the key for reduced free energy barriers. These results represent the first set of simulated free energy profiles of membrane crossing for all 20 amino acids.

Prevalence of kidney stones in China: an ultrasonography based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of kidney stones among adults in China. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among individuals aged ≥18 years across China, from May 2013 to July 2014. Participants underwent urinary tract ultrasonographic examinations, completed pre-designed and standardised questionnaires, and provided blood and urine samples for analysis. Kidney stones were defined as particles of ≥4 mm. Prevalence was defined as the proportion of participants with kidney stones and binary logistic regression was used to estimate the associated factors. RESULTS: A total of 12 570 individuals (45.2% men) with a mean (sd, range) age of 48.8 (15.3, 18-96) years were selected and invited to participate in the study. In all, 9310 (40.7% men) participants completed the investigation, with a response rate of 74.1%. The prevalence of kidney stones was 6.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.9, 6.9], and the age- and sex-adjusted prevalence was 5.8% (95% CI 5.3, 6.3; 6.5% in men and 5.1% in women). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that male gender, rural residency, age, family history of urinary stones, concurrent diabetes mellitus and hyperuricaemia, increased consumption of meat, and excessive sweating were all statistically significantly associated with a greater risk of kidney stones. By contrast, consumption of more tea, legumes, and fermented vinegar was statistically significantly associated with a lesser risk of kidney stone formation. CONCLUSION: Kidney stones are common among Chinese adults, with about one in 17 adults affected currently. Some Chinese dietary habits may lower the risk of kidney stone formation.

ß-arrestin1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition via modulating GSK-3ß/ß-catenin pathway in prostate cancer cells.

Recently, ß-arrestin1 was indicated as a tumor promoter in prostate cancer, but its exact role in cancer metastasis still have not been well clarified. Here, our data revealed that ß-arrestin1 could promote the migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells via initiating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanically, ß-arrestin1 could increase the transcriptional activity and expression of ß-catenin, together with Akt activity, whereas decrease the activities of GSK-3ß and PP2A. In addition, ß-arrestin1 could function as a scaffold protein in modulating the interactions between PP2A, Akt, GSK-3ß and ß-catenin. These results reveal a novel mechanism of ß-arrestin1 in modulating EMT and GSK-3ß/ß-catenin signaling in prostate cancer, thereby suggest that assessment of ß-arrestin1 may provide a potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer.

L-Carnitine Protects Renal Tubular Cells Against Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Crystals Adhesion Through Preventing Cells From Dedifferentiation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The interactions between calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystals and renal tubular epithelial cells are important for renal stone formation but still unclear. This study aimed to investigate changes of epithelial cell phenotype after COM attachment and whether L-carnitine could protect cells against subsequent COM crystals adhesion. METHODS: Cultured MDCK cells were employed and E-cadherin and Vimentin were used as markers to estimate the differentiate state. AlexaFluor-488-tagged COM crystals were used in crystals adhesion experiment to distinguish from the previous COM attachment, and adhesive crystals were counted under fluorescence microscope, which were also dissolved and the calcium concentration was assessed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Dedifferentiated MDCK cells induced by transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) shown higher affinity to COM crystals. After exposure to COM for 48 hours, cell dedifferentiation were observed and more subsequent COM crystals could bind onto, mediated by Akt/GSK-3ß/Snail signaling. L-carnitine attenuated this signaling, resulted in inhibition of cell dedifferentiation and reduction of subsequent COM crystals adhesion. CONCLUSIONS: COM attachment promotes subsequent COM crystals adhesion, by inducing cell dedifferentiation via Akt/GSK-3ß/Snail signaling. L-carnitine partially abolishes cell dedifferentiation and resists COM crystals adhesion. L-carnitine, may be used as a potential therapeutic strategy against recurrence of urolithiasis.

ß-Arrestin2 Contributes to Cell Viability and Proliferation via the Down-Regulation of FOXO1 in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

ß-Arrestin2 has been identified to act as a corepressor of androgen receptor (AR) signaling by binding to AR and serving as a scaffold to affect the activity and expression of AR in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells; however, little is known regarding its role in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progression. Here, our data demonstrated that ß-arrestin2 contributes to the cell viability and proliferation of CRPC via the downregulation of FOXO1 activity and expression. Mechanistically, in addition to its requirement for FOXO1 phosphorylation induced by IGF-1, ß-arrestin2 could inhibit FOXO1 activity in an Akt-independent manner and delay FOXO1 dephosphorylation through the inhibition of PP2A phosphatase activity and the attenuation of the interaction between FOXO1 and PP2A. Furthermore, ß-arrestin2 could downregulate FOXO1 expression via ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Together, our results identified a novel role for ß-arrestin2 in the modulation of the CRPC progress through FOXO1. Thus, the characterization of ß-arrestin2 may represent an alternative therapeutic target for CRPC treatment.

Gate-defined quantum point contacts in a germanium quantum well.

We report an experimental study of quantum point contacts defined in a high-quality strained germanium quantum well with layered electric gates. At a zero magnetic field, we observed quantized conductance plateaus in units of 2e2/h. Bias-spectroscopy measurements reveal that the energy spacing between successive one-dimensional subbands ranges from 1.5 to 5 meV as a consequence of the small effective mass of the holes and the narrow gate constrictions. At finite magnetic fields perpendicular to the device plane, the edges of the conductance plateaus get split due to the Zeeman effect and Landé g factors were estimated to be ∼6.6 for the holes in the germanium quantum well. We demonstrate that all quantum point contacts in the same device have comparable performances, indicating a reliable and reproducible device fabrication process. Thus, our work lays a foundation for investigating multiple forefronts of physics in germanium-based quantum devices that require quantum point contacts as building blocks.

CMOS Scaling for the 5 nm Node and Beyond: Device, Process and Technology.

After more than five decades, Moore's Law for transistors is approaching the end of the international technology roadmap of semiconductors (ITRS). The fate of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) architecture has become increasingly unknown. In this era, 3D transistors in the form of gate-all-around (GAA) transistors are being considered as an excellent solution to scaling down beyond the 5 nm technology node, which solves the difficulties of carrier transport in the channel region which are mainly rooted in short channel effects (SCEs). In parallel to Moore, during the last two decades, transistors with a fully depleted SOI (FDSOI) design have also been processed for low-power electronics. Among all the possible designs, there are also tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs), which offer very low power consumption and decent electrical characteristics. This review article presents new transistor designs, along with the integration of electronics and photonics, simulation methods, and continuation of CMOS process technology to the 5 nm technology node and beyond. The content highlights the innovative methods, challenges, and difficulties in device processing and design, as well as how to apply suitable metrology techniques as a tool to find out the imperfections and lattice distortions, strain status, and composition in the device structures.

Inhibition of PARP1 by small interfering RNA enhances docetaxel activity against human prostate cancer PC3 cells.

Though poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitors have benefits in combination with radiotherapy in prostate cancers, few is known about the exactly role and underlying mechanism of PARP1 in combination with chemotherapy agents. Here our data revealed that inhibition of PARP1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) could enhance docetaxel's activity against PC3 cells, which is associated with an accelerate repression of EGF/Akt/FOXO1 signaling pathway. Our results provide a novel role of PARP1 in transcription regulation of EGFR/Akt/FOXO1 signaling pathway and indicate that PARP1 siRNA combined with docetaxel can be an innovative treatment strategy to potentially improve outcomes in CRPC patients.

Design Strategy of High Stability Vertically Aligned RGO@V2O5 Heterostructure Cathodes for Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Among various cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), vanadium-based oxides have garnered significant attention in research circles owing to their exceptionally high theoretical specific capacity. However, the outstanding zinc storage capacity of vanadium pentoxide is constrained by its irreversible dissolution in an aqueous solution. Here, we propose a laser reduction of graphene oxide and construct a heterostructure of V2O5 coated with vertically aligned reduced graphene oxide (VrGO). The VrGO nanosheets effectively suppress the dissolution of V2O5 and provide channels for the efficient transport of zinc ions and electrons, so the electrochemical reaction kinetics of the electrode are improved. The AZIB based on the VrGO@V2O5 heterostructure cathode has a high specific capacity of 254.9 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 and excellent cycle stability with a capacity retention rate of 90.1% after 5000 cycles of charge and discharge. When assembled into a flexible quasi-solid-state AZIB, the capacity of the device is reduced by only 2% after 1000 bending cycles, showing good potential for wearable applications. This work provides a reliable strategy for designing flexible AZIB with high electrochemical performance and structural stability.

Investigation on Recrystallization Channel for Vertical C-Shaped-Channel Nanosheet FETs by Laser Annealing.

Transistor scaling has become increasingly difficult in the dynamic random access memory (DRAM). However, vertical devices will be good candidates for 4F2 DRAM cell transistors (F = pitch/2). Most vertical devices are facing some technical challenges. For example, the gate length cannot be precisely controlled, and the gate and the source/drain of the device cannot be aligned. Recrystallization-based vertical C-shaped-channel nanosheet field-effect transistors (RC-VCNFETs) were fabricated. The critical process modules of the RC-VCNFETs were developed as well. The RC-VCNFET with a self-aligned gate structure has excellent device performance, and its subthreshold swing (SS) is 62.91 mV/dec. Drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) is 6.16 mV/V.

High-Quality Recrystallization of Amorphous Silicon on Si (100) Induced via Laser Annealing at the Nanoscale.

At sub-3 nm nodes, the scaling of lateral devices represented by a fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) and gate-all-around field effect transistors (GAAFET) faces increasing technical challenges. At the same time, the development of vertical devices in the three-dimensional direction has excellent potential for scaling. However, existing vertical devices face two technical challenges: "self-alignment of gate and channel" and "precise gate length control". A recrystallization-based vertical C-shaped-channel nanosheet field effect transistor (RC-VCNFET) was proposed, and related process modules were developed. The vertical nanosheet with an "exposed top" structure was successfully fabricated. Moreover, through physical characterization methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the influencing factors of the crystal structure of the vertical nanosheet were analyzed. This lays the foundation for fabricating high-performance and low-cost RC-VCNFETs devices in the future.