Theory of all-coupling angulon for molecules rotating in many-body environment.

The formation of angulon, stemming from the rotor (molecule or impurity), rotating in the quantum many-body field, adds a new member to the quasi-particles' family and has aroused intense interest in multiple research fields. However, the analysis of the coupling strength between the rotor and its hosting environment remains a challenging task, both in theory and experiment. Here, we develop the all-coupling theory of the angulon by introducing a unitary transformation, where the renormalization of the rotational constants for different molecules in the helium nanodroplets is reproduced, getting excellent agreement with the experimental data collected during the past decades. Moreover, the strength of molecule-helium coupling and the effective radius of the solvation shell co-rotating along with the molecular rotor could be estimated qualitatively. This model not only provides significant enlightenment for analyzing the rotational spectroscopy of molecules in the phononic environment, but also provides a new method to study the transfer of the phonon angular momentum in the angulon frame.

Meta-analysis of single-stage versus two-staged management for concomitant gallstones and common bile duct stones.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article was to compare the effectiveness and safety of single-stage (laparoscopic cholecystectomy [LC] plus laparoscopic common bile duct exploration [LCBDE]) with two-stage (LC plus endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)/endoscopic sphincterotomy [EST]) in management for concomitant gallstones and common bile duct (CBD) stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing outcomes following single-stage with two-stage management for concomitant gallstones and CBD stones published from 1990 to 2017 in PubMed, Embase and the Science Citation Index. The primary outcomes were stone clearance from the CBD, post-operative morbidity and mortality. The secondary outcomes were retained stone, conversion to other procedures, length of hospital stay and total operating time. Pooled risk ratio (RR) or weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using either the fixed effects model or random effects model. RESULTS: Eleven RCTs studies were included in this analysis. These studies included a total of 1338 patients: 666 underwent LC + LCBDE and 672 underwent LC + ERCP/EST. The meta-analysis showed that no significant difference was noted between the two groups regarding CBD stone clearance (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.99-1.14; P= 0.12), post-operative morbidity (RR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.79-1.34; P= 0.81), mortality (RR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.06-1.41; P= 0.13), retained stone (RR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.57-1.47; P= 0.71), conversion to other procedures (RR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.55-0.16; P= 0.23), length of hospital stay (WMD: 1.24, 95% CI: 3.57-1.09, P= 0.30), total operating time (WMD: 25.42, 95% CI: 22.38-73.22, P= 0.30). CONCLUSION: Single-stage is efficient and safe in the treatment of patients with concomitant gallstones and CBD stones while avoiding the second procedure. In selected patients, single-stage management for concomitant gallstones and CBD stones might be considered as the preferred approach. However, the findings have to be carefully interpreted due to the existence of heterogeneity, in addition, patient's condition, operator's experience also should be taken into account in making treatment decisions.

Visible light communication and positioning using positioning cells and machine learning algorithms.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a practical visible light position (VLP) system using repeated unit cells and machine learning (ML) algorithms. ML is employed to increase the positioning accuracy. Algorithms of the 2nd-order regression ML model and the polynomial trilateral ML model are discussed. More than 80% of the measurement data have position error within 4 cm when using the 2nd-order regression ML model, while the position error is within 5 cm when using the polynomial trilateral ML model.

[Comparison of the Diagnostic Values of Dynamic Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging,Digital Breast Tomosynthesis,and Digital Mammography for Early Breast Cancer].

Objective To compare the values of dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(DCE-MRI),digital breast tomosynthesis(DBT),and digital mammography(DM)in the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging data of 65 cases with early breast cancer confirmed by surgical pathology from June 2017 to December 2018.All patients underwent breast DCE-MRI,DM and DBT before surgery.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were drawn,with the pathological results as the gold standard,to evaluate the diagnostic performance of different examination methods.The areas under ROC curves(AUCs)were compared using Z test.The differences among DCE-MRI,DBT and DM in detecting early breast cancer were compared using chi-square test in terms of positive rates,accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of these imaging methods in detecting the size of early breast cancer.Results The AUCs of DCE-MRI,DBT,and DM based on the BI-RADS classification for early diagnosis of breast cancer were 0.910,0.832,and 0.700,respectively(z=2.132,P=0.001);the sensitivity of DCE-MRI,DBT,and DM for early breast cancer was 92.3%,70.8%,and 52.5%,the specificity was 65.0%,85.0%,and 79.3%,and the accuracy was 83.1%,70.8%,and 50.8%,indicating that DCE-MRI(χ 2=15.330,P=0.0001) and DBT(χ 2=5.450,P=0.020) had significantly higher diagnostic accuracy than DM.The measurement results of DM,DBT,and DCE-MRI were positively correlated with the pathological measurements(r=0.781,r=0.847,r=0.946;all P<0.01). Conclusions DCE-MRI and DBT have higher positive rates and accuracies than DM in detecting early breast cancer.Medical institutions where DCE-MRI is still not available can use DBT to improve the early detection of breast cancer.

Inhibition of silkworm vacuolar-type ATPase activity by its inhibitor Bafilomycin A1 induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in an embryonic cell line of silkworm.

Vacuolar-type ATPase (V-ATPase) is a type of hydrogen ion transporter located in the vesicular membrane-like system, which mediates active transport and intracellular acidification in various compartments. In mammals, V-ATPase has been reported to play a key role in cell proliferation and apoptosis. The studies of V-ATPase in silkworm mainly focus on the acidification regulation of midgut and silk gland and immune resistance. However, there are few reports about the function of silkworm V-ATPase on cell proliferation, autophagy, and apoptosis. Thus, the function of V-ATPase in a cell line of Bombyx mori (BmE) was investigated by treating the cell line with bafilomycin A1, a specific inhibitor of V-ATPase. Cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) and flow cytometry analysis showed that bafilomycin A1 treatment decreased the cell proliferation activity, affected the cell cycle progression and induced cell apoptosis. LysoTracker Red staining showed that the target of bafilomycin A1 is lysosome. The expression of all autophagy-related genes ( BmATG5, BmATG6, and BmATG8) decreased, indicating that cell autophagy was inhibited. The analysis of the apoptosis pathway demonstrated that inhibiting the activity of V-ATPase of BmE cells could promote mitochondria to release cytochrome C, inhibit the expression of BmIAP, and activate the caspase cascade to induce apoptosis. All these findings systematically illustrate the effects of V-ATPase on the proliferation, autophagy, and apoptosis in BmE cells, and provide new ideas and a theoretical basis for further study on the function of V-ATPase in BmE.

Bradykinin increased the permeability of BTB via NOS/NO/ZONAB-mediating down-regulation of claudin-5 and occludin.

After demonstrating bradykinin (BK) could increase the permeability of blood-tumor barrier (BTB) via opening the tight junction (TJ), and that the possible mechanism is unclear, we demonstrated that BK could increase the expressions of eNOS and nNOS and promote ZONAB translocation into nucleus. NOS inhibitors l-NAME and 7-NI could effectively block the effect of BK on increasing BTB permeability, decreasing the expressions of claudin-5 and occludin and promoting the translocation of ZONAB. Overexpression of ZONAB could significantly enhance BK-mediating BTB permeability. Meanwhile, chromatin immunoprecipitation verified ZONAB interacted with the promoter of claudin-5 and occludin respectively. This study indicated NOS/NO/ZONAB pathway might be involved in BK's increasing the permeability of BTB.

Overexpression of miR-18a negatively regulates myocyte enhancer factor 2D to increase the permeability of the blood-tumor barrier via Krüppel-like factor 4-mediated downregulation of zonula occluden-1, claudin-5, and occludin.

miR-18a represses angiogenesis and tumor evasion by weakening vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-ß signaling to prolong the survival of glioma patients, although it is thought to be an oncogene. This study investigates the potential effects of miR-18a on the permeability of the blood-tumor barrier (BTB) and its possible molecular mechanisms. An in vitro BTB model was successfully established. The endogenous expression of miR-18a in glioma vascular endothelial cells (GECs) was significantly lower than that in normal vascular ECs, and the overexpression of miR-18a significantly increased the permeability of the BTB as well as downregulating the mRNA and protein expressions of tight junction-related proteins zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1), claudin-5, and occludin in GECs. Dual luciferase reporter assays revealed that miR-18a bound to the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D). The overexpression of both miR-18a and MEF2D with the 3'UTR significantly weakened the effect caused by miR-18a of decreasing the mRNA and protein expressions of ZO-1, claudin-5 and occludin and of increasing the permeability of the BTB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that MEF2D could directly bind to KLF4 promoter. This study shows that miR-18a targets and negatively regulates MEF2D, which further regulates tight junction-related proteins ZO-1, claudin-5, and occludin through transactivation of KLF4 and, finally, changes the permeability of the BTB. MiR-18a should garner growing attention because it might serve as a potential target in opening the BTB and providing a new strategy for the treatment of gliomas.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in deep second-degree scald wounds in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in deep second-degree scald wounds,with an attempt to further explore the role of VEGF in burn wound healing. METHODS: Totally 36 adult Wistar rats were randomized into two groups: the scald group(30 rats)and the control group(6 rats). In the scald group,rat models of deep second-degree scald wounds were established. Full-thickness tissues of the wounds were collected respectively 1,3,7,14,and 21 days after the modeling. The expressions of the VEGF mRNA and protein were detected with real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot,respectively. In the control group,the same procedures were performed but without modeling. RESULTS: Compared with the control group,the expressions of VEGF mRNA and proteins were significantly higher in the scald group(P<0.05). The expression levels reached the peak on day 1,gradually decreased on day 3,reached the lowest points on day 14,but increased again on day 21. CONCLUSIONS: VEGF is involved in the healing of scald burns. The expression of VEGF during the wound healing is closely correlated with the wound angiogenesis.

Meta-analysis of simultaneous versus staged resection for synchronous colorectal liver metastases.

AIM: There is no clear consensus on the optimal timing of surgical resection for synchronous colorectal liver metastases (SCLM). This study is a meta-analysis of the available evidence. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of trials comparing outcomes following simultaneous resection with staged resection for SCLM published from 1990 to 2010 in PubMed, Embase, Ovid and Medline. Pooled odds ratios (OR) or weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using either the fixed effects or random effects model. RESULTS: Nineteen non-randomized controlled trials (NRCT) studies were included in this analysis. These studies included a total of 2724 patients: 1116 underwent simultaneous resection and 1608 underwent staged resection. Meta-analysis showed that shorter hospital stay (P < 0.001) and lower total complication rate (P < 0.001) were observed in patients undergoing simultaneous resection group. The overall survival rate in the simultaneous resection group did not statistically differ with that in the staged resection group at 1 year (P = 0.13), 3 years (P = 0.26), 5 years (P = 0.38), as well as the 1, 3 and 5 years disease-free survival rates (respectively, P = 0.55; P = 0.16; P = 0.12). No significant difference was noted between the two groups in terms of mortality (P = 0.16), intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.06) and recurrence (P = 0.47). CONCLUSION: Simultaneous resection is safe and efficient in the treatment of patients with SCLM while avoiding a second laparotomy. In selected patients, simultaneous resection might be considered as the preferred approach. However, the findings have to be carefully interpreted due to the lower level of evidence and the existence of heterogeneity.

Prediction of Diabetic Macular Edema Using Knowledge Graph.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a significant complication of diabetes that impacts the eye and is a primary contributor to vision loss in individuals with diabetes. Early control of the related risk factors is crucial to reduce the incidence of DME. Artificial intelligence (AI) clinical decision-making tools can construct disease prediction models to aid in the clinical screening of the high-risk population for early disease intervention. However, conventional machine learning and data mining techniques have limitations in predicting diseases when dealing with missing feature values. To solve this problem, a knowledge graph displays the connection relationships of multi-source and multi-domain data in the form of a semantic network to enable cross-domain modeling and queries. This approach can facilitate the personalized prediction of diseases using any number of known feature data. In this study, we proposed an improved correlation enhancement algorithm based on knowledge graph reasoning to comprehensively evaluate the factors that influence DME to achieve disease prediction. We constructed a knowledge graph based on Neo4j by preprocessing the collected clinical data and analyzing the statistical rules. Based on reasoning using the statistical rules of the knowledge graph, we used the correlation enhancement coefficient and generalized closeness degree method to enhance the model. Meanwhile, we analyzed and verified these models' results using link prediction evaluation indicators. The disease prediction model proposed in this study achieved a precision rate of 86.21%, which is more accurate and efficient in predicting DME. Furthermore, the clinical decision support system developed using this model can facilitate personalized disease risk prediction, making it convenient for the clinical screening of a high-risk population and early disease intervention.

Polaron states of the full-configuration defects in metal halide perovskites.

The systematical analysis for varieties of defects with different depths and lattice relaxation strengths in metal halide perovskites (MHPs) is a challenging task. Here, we study the energy shifts of the full-configuration defects due to the polaron effect based on the all-coupling variational method in MHPs, where these polaron states are formed stemming from different defect species coupling with the longitudinal optical phonon modes via Fro¨hlich mechanism. We find that the polaron effect results in defect levels varying from tens to several hundreds of meV, which are very close to the correction of defect levels due to the defect-polaron effect, especially for these defects migration proved in the recent experiments in MHPs. These results provide the significant enlightenment not only for analyzing the radiation and non-radiation processes of carriers mediated by defects, but also for optimizing defect effect in the photovoltaic and photoelectric devices based on MHPs materials.

Ultrahigh-gain organic transistors based on van der Waals metal-barrier interlayer-semiconductor junction.

Intrinsic gain is a vital figure of merit in transistors, closely related to signal amplification, operation voltage, power consumption, and circuit simplification. However, organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) targeted at high gain have suffered from challenges such as narrow subthreshold operating voltage, low-quality interface, and uncontrollable barrier. Here, we report a van der Waals metal-barrier interlayer-semiconductor junction-based OTFT, which shows ultrahigh performance including ultrahigh gain of ~104, low saturation voltage, negligible hysteresis, and good stability. The high-quality van der Waals-contacted junctions are mainly attributed to patterning EGaIn liquid metal electrodes by low-energy microfluidic processes. The wide-bandgap semiconductor Ga2O3 as barrier interlayer is achieved by in situ surface oxidation of EGaIn electrodes, allowing for an adjustable barrier height and expected thermionic emission properties. The organic inverters with a high gain of 5130 and a simplified current stabilizer are further demonstrated, paving a way for high-gain and low-power organic electronics.

Self-Trapped Interlayer Excitons in van der Waals Heterostructures.

The self-trapped state (STS) of the interlayer exciton (IX) has aroused enormous interest owing to its significant impact on the fundamental properties of the van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs). Nevertheless, the microscopic mechanisms of STS are still controversial. Herein, we study the corrections of the binding energies of the IXs stemming from the exciton-interface optical phonon coupling in four kinds of vdWHs and find that these IXs are in the STS for the appropriate ratio of the electron and hole effective masses. We show that these self-trapped IXs could be classified into type I with the increasing binding energy in the tens of millielectronvolts range, which are very agreement with the red-shift of the IX spectra in experiments, and type II with the decreasing binding energy, which provides a possible explanation for the blue-shift and broad line width of the IX's spectra at low temperatures. Moreover, these two types of exciton states could be transformed into each other by adjusting the structural parameters of vdWHs. These results not only provide an in-depth understanding for the self-trapped mechanism but also shed light on the modulations of IXs in vdWHs.

Neuroprotective effects of a new triterpenoid from edible mushroom on oxidative stress and apoptosis through the BDNF/TrkB/ERK/CREB and Nrf2 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo.

Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilat is an edible mushroom which is used to produce tea and syrup due to its medicinal properties. In this study, 10 secondary metabolites (1-10), including a new lanostane triterpenoid named 2α-hydroxy-inotodiol (2α-HI, 1), were identified from the edible mushroom I. obliquus through high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) data analysis. The neuroprotective function of all steroidal metabolites in H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cells was investigated. The results showed that 2α-HI exhibited the most remarkable neuroprotective activity. In the meantime, 2α-HI significantly ameliorated oxidative stress damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial damage induced by H2O2 in SH-SY5Y cells. The Nrf2 siRNA and inhibitors transfected the SH-SY5Y cells, indicating the Nrf2 and BDNF/TrkB/ERK/CREB pathway mediated the neuroprotective effects of 2α-HI against the H2O2-stimulated oxidative stress and apoptosis. Moreover, the neuroprotection of 2α-HI was preliminarily verified in zebrafish. In conclusion, this research was the first to confirm that 2α-HI could effectively protect SH-SY5Y cells against H2O2-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis via the Nrf2 and BDNF/TrkB/ERK/CREB signaling pathway. Hence, this mushroom could be a potential dietary supplement to ameliorate neurodegenerative diseases.

Charge Carriers Trapping by the Full-Configuration Defects in Metal Halide Perovskites Quantum Dots.

Metal halide perovskites quantum dots (MHPQDs) have aroused enormous interest in the photovoltaic and photoelectric disciplines because of their marvelous properties and size characteristics. However, one of the key problems of how to systematically analyze charge carriers trapped by defects is still a challenging task. Here, we study multiphonon processes of the charge carrier trapping by various defects in MHPQDs based on the well-known Huang-Rhys model, in which a method of a full-configuration defect, including different defect species with variable depth and lattice relaxation strength, is developed by introducing a localization parameter in the quantum defect model. With the help of this method, these fast trapping channels for charge carriers transferring from the quantum dot ground state to different defects are found. Furthermore, the dependence of the trapping time on the radius of quantum dot, the defect depth, and temperature is given. These results not only enrich the knowledge of charge carrier trapping processes by defects, but also bring light to the designs of MHPQDs-based photovoltaic and photoelectric devices.

Altered Expression of Transfer-RNA-Derived Small RNAs in Human With Rheumatic Heart Disease.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a severe public health problem in developing countries. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a medical complication of RHD. Although the understanding of disease pathogenesis has advanced in recent years, the key questions need to be addressed. Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are a novel type of short non-coding RNAs with potential regulatory functions in various physiological and pathological processes. The present study used tsRNAs sequencing to investigate the relationship between RHD and atrial fibrillation (AF). Three paired cardiac papillary muscles were taken from six rheumatic RHD patients with AF (3 cases) or without AF (3 cases) from January 2016 to January 2017 in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. A total of 219 precisely matched tsRNAs were identified, and 77 tsRNAs (fold change > 2.0 and P < 0.05) were differently changed. Three tsRNAs (AS-tDR-001269, AS-tDR-001363, AS-tDR-006049) were randomly selected and confirmed by qRT-PCR. The results of qRT-PCR were consistent with tsRNAs sequencing, suggesting the tsRNAs sequencing was reliable. Subsequently, we predicted the target mRNAs of the three tsRNAs. Moreover, we verified the functions of tsRNAs targeting mRNAs in vitro. Finally, bioinformatics analysis indicated that the target genes were abundant in regulation of transcription, DNA binding, intracellular. Most of the genes were predicted to interplay with cytokine-cytokine receptor by KEGG analysis. Our findings uncover the pathological process of AF in RHD through tsRNAs sequencing. This research provides a new perspective for future research on elucidating the mechanism of AF in RHD and offers potential new candidates for the treatment and diagnosis.

Quantum defect-assisted multiphonon Raman scattering in metal halide perovskites.

Quantum defects are essential to understand the non-radiative recombination processes in metal halide perovskites-based photovoltaic devices, in which Huang-Rhys factor, reflecting the coupling strength between the charge carrier and optical phonons, plays a key role in determining the non-radiative recombination via multiphonon processes. Herein, we theoretically present multiphonon Raman scattering intermediated by defects arising from the charge carrier of defect coupled with the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon in the deformation potential and Fröhlich mechanisms, respectively. We find that the Raman scattering shows multiple LO phonon overtones at equal interval LO phonons, where Huang-Rhys factor could be evaluated by the order of the strongest overtone. Meanwhile, we give the combinational multiphonon scattering between two mechanisms. Different types of the combinational modes with the weak scattering intensities provide a possible explanation for the long non-radiative charges-carrier lifetimes in metal halide perovskites.

Energy Resonance Transfer between Quantum Defects in Metal Halide Perovskites.

Quantum defects have been shown to play an essential role in nonradiative recombination in metal halide perovskites (MHPs). Nonetheless, the processes of charge transfer assisted by defects are still ambiguous. Herein, we theoretically study the nonradiative multiphonon processes among different types of quantum defects in MHPs using Markvart's model for the induced mechanisms of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions. We find that the charge carrier can transfer between the neighboring levels of the same type of shallow defects by multiphonon processes, but it will be distinctly suppressed with an increase in the defect depth. For the nonradiation multiphonon transitions between donor- and acceptor-like defects, the processes are very fast and not sensitive to the defect depth, which provides a possible explanation for the phenomenon of blinking of photoluminescence spectra. We also discuss the temperature dependence of these multiphonon processes and find that their variational trends depend on the comparison of the Huang-Rhys factor with the emitted phonon number. These theoretical results not only fill some of the gaps in defect-assisted nonradiative processes in the perovskite materials but also provide deeper physical insights into producing higher-performance perovskite-based devices.

Effective velocities of polaron spin states in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides.

We propose a theoretical model for studying the effective velocities of polaron spin states in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDS) on the substrate. It is found that the effective velocity of polaron shows the splitting with different magnitudes due to the Rashba spin-orbit coupling, which results in the reversed distribution of the effective velocities of polaron spin states. Moreover, the reversed points depend on the truncated wave-vector of optical phonon and can be modulated by the polarity of substrate and the internal distance between monolayer TMDS and substrate. These theoretical results enlighten some simple ways to distinguish and modulate the polaron spin states in two-dimensional heterostructures.

The effect of different thawing methods on the health-promoting compounds and antioxidant capacity in frozen baby mustard.

The effects of five domestic thawing methods, including air thawing (AIR), water thawing with bags (W + B), water thawing without bags (W - B), refrigerator thawing (REF), and microwave thawing (MIC), on the main health-promoting compounds and antioxidant capacity in both unblanched and blanched baby mustard were investigated in this study. The results showed that different thawing methods markedly affected the health-promoting compounds and antioxidant capacity of baby mustard. MIC better retained the overall nutritional quality of frozen baby mustard compared with the four other treatments. AIR led to significant decreases in the glucosinolate contents in unblanched and blanched baby mustard. W + B led to significant decreases in the total phenols contents and antioxidant capacity levels in unblanched and blanched baby mustard, as well as the ascorbic acid content in unblanched baby mustard. W + B led to a significant decrease in the FRAP level in unblanched baby mustard, as well as the glucosinolate and ascorbic acid contents and ABTS level in blanched baby mustard. REF led to significant decreases in glucosinolates and proanthocyanidins contents in unblanched baby mustard, as well as the ascorbic acid content in blanched baby mustard. Furthermore, the thawing time was greatly shortened by MIC (only approximately 1 min). Thus, MIC was the optimal thawing method for frozen baby mustard regardless of whether it was blanched, as MIC best preserved nutritional quality and reduced the thawing time.