Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity downhill or level running has no effect on postprandial lipemia: A randomized controlled trial.

Elevated postprandial triglyceride (TG) concentrations are linked to a relatively high risk of cardiovascular disease. Eccentric endurance exercise, such as downhill walking and running, can provide metabolic benefits similar to concentric exercise. However, whether eccentric exercise affects postprandial lipemia remains unknown. Nine healthy young men performed level running (trial) or downhill running (DR trial, -15% slope) at 60% [INSIDE:1]O2max or rest (CON trial) for 30 min in a randomized crossover design. The participants were fed a high-fat meal the next day. Blood and expired gas samples were collected before and 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h after the meal. Muscle soreness was measured using a visual analog scale. The DR trial induced mild muscle damage. During the 6-h postprandial period, serum TG concentrations and area under the curve (AUC) were similar across the three trials. The DR trial had a significantly higher AUC of nonesterified fatty acid concentrations and a significantly lower AUC of glucose concentrations than the CON trial. The results suggested that neither moderate-intensity DR nor running a level surface had a significant effect on lipemia after a high-fat meal. However, DR improved the postprandial glycemic response.

Proximal migration of a 5 French pancreatic stent during bile stone extraction: a successful retrieval using mini-snare.

Pancreatic stents are used for a variety of conditions during therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP). Pancreatic duct stenting reduces the incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis and facilitate bilitary cannulation in difficult cases. Proximal migration of a pancreatic stent during bile duct stone extraction is an infrequent event, but its management can be technically challenging. We present a case that a double flanged pancreatic stent (5 French (Fr), 5 cm) was placed to facilitate the bilitary cannulation during the bile duct stone extraction. The pancreatic duct stent migrated into the proximal pancreas duct at the end of the bile duct stone clearance. After two unsuccessful attempts to remove the impacted stent with a balloon catheter and forceps, wire-guided endoscopic snare retrieval was conducted. Firstly, a guide wire was placed in the pancreatic duct and a soft mini-snare was passed over the guide wire. Then, the mini-snare was advanced into the proximal pancreatic duct over the guide wire and the proximally migrated stent was removed successfully with the mini-snare. Wire-guided endoscopic snare retrieval of proximally migrated pancreatic stents is safe and effective. The successful case of the retrieval with mini-snare provides another option for proximal migration retrieval of pancreatic stent retrieval. Further studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and elucidate its associated complications.

A pulsated weak-resonant-cavity laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking for injection-locked RZ transmission.

By spectrally slicing a single longitudinal-mode from a master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking functions, the broadened self-injection-locking of a slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is demonstrated to achieve bi-directional transmission in a 200-GHz array-waveguide-grating channelized dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network system. Both the down- and up-stream slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are non-return-to-zero modulated below threshold and coherently injection-locked to deliver the pulsed carrier for 25-km bi-directional 2.5 Gbits/s return-to-zero transmission. The master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is gain-switched at near threshold condition and delivers an optical coherent pulse-train with its mode linewidth broadened from 0.2 to 0.8 nm by transient wavelength scanning, which facilitates the broadband injection-locking of the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes with a threshold current reducing by 10 mA. Such a transient wavelength scanning induced spectral broadening greatly releases the limitation on wavelength injection-locking range required for the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode. The theoretical modeling and numerical simulation on the wavelength scanning and tracking effects of the master and slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are performed. The receiving power sensitivity for back-to-back transmission at bit-error-rate <10(-10) is -25.6 dBm, and the power penalty added after 25-km transmission is less than 2 dB for all 16 channels.

[Anandamide inhibits the growth of colorectal cancer cells through CB1 and lipid rafts].

OBJECTIVE: To study the influences of endocannabinoid-anandamide (AEA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of the colorectal cancer cell line (CaCo-2) and to elucidate the effects of CB1 and lipid rafts, and to further elucidate the molecular mechanism and the effect of AEA on the generation and development of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Human colorectal cancer cell line CaCo-2 was cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum in 5% CO(2) atmosphere at 37°C. CaCo-2 cells were divided into different groups and treated with different concentrations of AEA, AEA + SR141716A, AEA + AM630 and AEA + methyl-ß-cyclodextrin (MCD). MTT assay was used to determine the effects of AEA, its putative CB1, CB2 receptor antagonists (SR141716A and AM630) and MCD on the proliferation of CaCo-2 cells. Annexin V-PE/7AAD binding assay was used to detect apoptosis in the CaCo-2 cells. Western-blot was applied to check the expressions of CB1, CB2, p-AKT and caspase-3 proteins in different groups of CaCo-2 cells. RESULTS: AEA inhibited the proliferation of CaCo-2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner and the effect could be antagonized by SR141716A and MCD. The inhibiting rates were (21.52 ± 0.45)%, (42.16 ± 0.21)%, (73.64 ± 0.73)% and (83.28 ± 0.71)%, respectively, at different concentrations of AEA (5, 10, 20 and 40 µmol/L). The three groups (20 µmol/L AEA, 20 µmol/L AEA + 10 µmol/L SR141716A and 20 µmol/L AEA + 1 mmol/L MCD) showed different inhibiting rates [(73.64 ± 0.73)%, (16.15 ± 0.75)% and (12.58 ± 0.63)%], respectively. Annexin V-PE/7AAD binding assay showed that AEA induced apoptosis in the CaCo-2 cells and MCD could antagonize this effect. The apoptosis rates of the three groups (control, 20 µmol/L AEA and 20 µmol/L AEA + 1 mmol/L MCD) were (2.95 ± 0.73)%, (39.61 ± 0.73)% and (14.10 ± 0.64)%, respectively. The expressions of CB1, CB2, p-AKT and Caspase-3 proteins were all observed in the CaCo-2 cells. AEA inhibited p-AKT protein expression and induced caspase-3 protein expression. The two actions were also antagonized by MCD. CONCLUSIONS: AEA can strongly suppress the proliferation of colorectal cancer CaCo-2 cells via the CB1 receptor and membrane cholesterol-LRs and induce apoptosis via lipid rafts. Anandamide plays a very important role in the carcinogenesis and development of colorectal cancer. MCD is a critical member in this system.

Molecular identification and relative abundance of microorganisms in douchi koji and salted egg white sufu during processing.

A novel animal protein-based douchi koji-inoculated steamed salted egg white sufu (SEWS) has been developed. This study determined the relative abundance of microorganisms in the douchi koji and semi-finished (5-day fermentation) and finished (5-day fermentation and 14-day ripening) SEWS by using 16S and 18S ribosomal DNA and gene-cloning methods. The results revealed that Bacillus spp. and Aspergillus oryzae were dominant in the douchi koji. In the semi-finished SEWS, the percentages of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis were considerably lower, whereas those of Enterococcus and Staphylococcus were substantially higher. In the finished SEWS, Bacillus spp. became dominant again and A. oryzae was the only fungus detected. In conclusion, by using molecular techniques, microbial population dynamics in SEWS can be evaluated. During processing, the relative abundance of microorganisms in SEWS changed and Bacillus spp. and A. oryzae remained dominant. This study provides crucial information for designing starter cultures for producing SEWS.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors for liver injury in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a worldwide pandemic. We investigated the clinical characteristics and risk factors for liver injury in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan by retrospectively analyzing the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data for 218 COVID-19 patients and identifying the risk factors for liver injury by multivariate analysis. AIM: To investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for liver injury in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. METHODS: The 218 patients included 94 males (43.1%), aged 22 to 94 (50.1 ± 18.4) years. Elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were present in 42 (53.2%) and 36 (45.6%) cases, respectively, and 79 (36.2%) patients had abnormally elevated transaminase levels at admission. Patients with liver injury were older than those with normal liver function by a median of 12 years, with a significantly higher frequency of males (68.4% vs 28.8%, P < 0.001) and more coexisting illnesses (48.1% vs 27.3%, P = 0.002). Significantly more patients had fever and shortness of breath (87.3% vs 69.8% and 29.1% vs 14.4%, respectively) in the liver injury group. Only 12 (15.2%) patients had elevated total bilirubin. ALT and AST levels were mildly elevated [1-3 × upper limit of normal (ULN)] in 86.1% and 92.9% of cases, respectively. Only two (2.5%) patients had an ALT or AST level > 5 × ULN. Elevated γ-glutamyl transpeptidase was present in 45 (57.0%) patients, and 86.7% of these had a γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase level < 135 U/L (3 × ULN). Serum alkaline phosphatase levels were almost normal in all patients. Patients with severe liver injury had a significantly higher frequency of abnormal transaminases than non-severe patients, but only one case had very high levels of aminotransferases. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that male sex, high D-dimer level, and high neutrophil percentage were linked to a higher risk of liver injury. The early stage of COVID-19 may be associated with mildly elevated aminotransferase levels in patients in Wuhan. Male sex and high D-dimer level and neutrophil percentage may be important predictors of liver injury in patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Male sex and high D-dimer level and neutrophil percentage may be important predictors of liver injury in patients with COVID-19.

Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients with gastrointestinal symptoms: A report of 164 cases.

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods: The clinical data of 164 COVID-19 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were extracted and analysed retrospectively. Results: In total, 505 COVID-19 patients were divided into two groups: those with gastrointestinal symptoms (G group) and those without gastrointestinal symptoms (NG group). Common gastrointestinal symptoms included inappetence, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Significantly higher proportions of patients with fever, dizziness, myalgia, and fatigue were noted in group G than in group NG. Compared with patients without fever, there was a significant difference between G group and NG group in moderate fever or above, while there was no significant difference between the two groups in low fever. The laboratory results showed that patients in the G group had significantly higher C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase levels than those in the NG group. Moreover, the proportion of patients with severe pneumonia was significantly higher in the G group than in the NG group. Conclusion: In Wuhan, the proportion of COVID-19 patients who experience gastrointestinal symptoms is relatively high. Patients who experience gastrointestinal symptoms are more likely to suffer from severe pneumonia, which may help clinicians identify patients at high risk of COVID-19 and thus reduce the incidence of this condition.

Side-mode transmission diagnosis of a multichannel selectable injection-locked Fabry-Perot Laser Diode with anti-reflection coated front facet.

Theory and experiments on the side-mode-suppression-ratio (SMSR) enhancement and the linewidth reduction of a Fabry-Perot laser diode (FPLD) side-mode-injection-locked by using another FPLD are demonstrated to realize its potential application as a DWDM transmitter source. The SMSR, the spectral linewidth and the linewidth enhancement factor are simulated to realize the limitation of the FPLD-FPLD link under side-mode injection-locking condition. A degradation of the linewidth enhancement factor from 1.5 to 2.1 is observed due to the slave FPLD injection-locked at principle- and side-mode conditions. Up to 22-channel selectability of the 2.5 Gbit/s directly modulated FPLD based transmitter under side-mode injection-locking is demonstrated with a SMSR >35 dB, a Q-factor 6.8-9.2, a locking range of 24 nm, a power penalty of -0.7 dB, and a BER of 10(-10) at -17 dBm. The side-mode injection-locked FPLD shows high-quality transmission performance and meet the demand for cost-effective and high-capability 2.5 Gbit/s WDM systems.

L-band erbium-doped fiber laser with coupling-ratio controlled wavelength tunability.

By controlling the output coupling ratio, we demonstrate a novel wavelength-tunable L-band Erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) with a maximum tuning range up to 58 nm (from 1567 to 1625 nm) by controlling its output coupling ratio between 1% and 99%. The L-band EDFL is configured by using a bi-directionally dual-wavelength pumped EDFA in close-loop with an output coupler of tunable coupling ratio and an air-gap inserted FC/PC connector pair. Such an EDFL exhibits a quantum efficiency of 42% and an ultra-high power conversion efficiency of 37% under optimized pumping scheme, providing the small-signal gain and output power of ~34 dB and 91 mW, respectively. Low variation of <1.2 dB on channel power, power fluctuation of 0.04% and a narrow linewidth of 0.03 nm are obtained.

Optically heterodyne diagnosis of a high-saturation-power undoped InP sandwiched InGaAs p-i-n photodiode grown on GaAs.

We demonstrate the optical heterodyne diagnostics and high saturation power characteristics of a novel undoped InP sandwiched In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As p-i-n photodiode with a partially p-doped photoabsorption layer, which is grown on a linearly graded metamorphic In(x)Ga(1-x)P buffered GaAs substrate layer and exhibits an excellent low dark current density of 3.6x10(-7) A/cm(2). Such a top-illuminated optical receiver exhibits an illuminating window of 60-mum diameter, which performs ultra-linear power handling capability up to 18 dBm at 1550 nm, providing a maximum photocurrent of 35 mA under a reverse bias of 9 volts. These result in extremely high current bandwidth and bandwidth-responsivity products of 350 mA*GHz and 4.8 GHz*A/W, respectively, at receiving frequency of up to 10 GHz.

Dynamics of optical backward-injection-induced gain-depletion modulation and mode locking in semiconductor optical amplifier fiber lasers.

The optical gain-depletion-induced mode-locking dynamics of a semiconductor optical-amplifier-based fiber ring laser (SOAFL) backward injected by a purely sinusoidally modulated or digitally encoded distributedfeedback laser diode are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. The effect of gain depletion and waveform on the mode-locked pulse width, pulse shape, and power of the SOAFL are interpreted from theoretical simulations. The shortest pulse width of 12 ps can be generated from an optically sinusoidal-wave-modulated SOAFL. By backward injecting the SOAFL with a digitally encoded optical signal of adjustable duty cycle, one can observe the optimized gain depletion time of 400-600 ps required for mode locking the SOAFL.