Self-referenced refractive index sensor based on double-dips method with bimetal-dielectric and double-groove grating.

Self-referenced refractive index sensors allow more accurate measurements and reduce the influence of extraneous factors. This work proposed a high-sensitivity, self-referenced surface plasmon resonance sensor with Na grating and Au-ZnS composite grating. When Transverse Magnetic-polarized light is incident into the prism, three surface plasmon resonances are excited at the interface of Na-MgF2 grating and Au-ZnS grating. The first one is treated as the reference angle, the second and third are forward and backward surface plasmon resonance, respectively. Using the angular modulation, the single-dip sensitivities are 329.41 deg/RIU and 788.24 deg/RIU in the range of 1.330-1.347. To further improve the performance of the sensor, the double-dips method is adopted, and the average sensitivity in the range of 1.330-1.347 is 1117.65 deg/RIU, while the maximum reaches 4390 deg/RIU. Due to high sensitivity, a good figure of merit can be obtained even with a larger full width at half maximum of 3.30°. This proposed sensor provides potential application in the research of biomolecular detection and chemical testing.

Theoretical modeling and investigations of lossy mode resonance prism sensor based on TiO2 film.

The optical sensor based on lossy mode resonance can overcome the limitations of traditional surface plasmon resonance sensors and work under TE and TM polarized light. In this paper, an LMR sensor theoretical model with the configuration of prism/matching layer/lossy layer/sensing layer is proposed, which is based on the principle of attenuated total reflection. By using TiO2 film as the lossy layer and LiF film as the matching layer, the resonance signal under angle interrogation is effectively improved. One of the advantages of the proposed sensor is that the detection range and detection accuracy are dynamically adjustable, which provides additional degrees of freedom in the design and use of the device. The structural parameters (film thickness, layer refractive index) affecting the resonance signal have been investigated based on the electric field distribution at resonance and the coupled mode theory. The LMR signal under TE and TM polarization can be switched by changing the thickness ratio of the matching layer and the lossy layer. All possible combinations of film thicknesses are given as a reference for the design of the LMR prism sensor based on TiO2 film. Under proper thickness combination, the proposed sensor is capable of detecting the medium with refractive index ranging from 1.32 ∼ 1.47, with a sensitivity range of 34 ∼ 148 °/RIU under angle interrogation and a maximum value of 192 RIU-1 for FOM under TM polarization. We hope these investigations can prove the advantages of LMR prism sensors and provide guidance for the experimental implementation of LMR prism sensors in the future.

Effect of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles on Myocardial Cell Apoptosis Induced by Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

This study was to provide a theoretical basis for effective treatment of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R injury) and explore the effect of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles on myocardial cell apoptosis induced by I/R injury. In this study, 50 healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were selected and divided into five groups according to the random table method: a sham operation group, an I/R group, a 1 - 10 nm CeO2 nanoparticle group (CeO2-1 group), a 10 - 25 nm CeO2 nanoparticle group (CeO2-2 group), and a 50 nm CeO2 nanoparticle group (CeO2-3 group). Rats in different groups were injected with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and CeO2 nanoparticles with different diameters, respectively. The rat models of I/R injury were prepared to explore and analyze the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, and myocardial cell apoptosis of rats with I/R injury by CeO2 nanoparticles. The results showed that the cardiomyocyte necrosis, SOD activity, MDA content, GSH-Px activity, and apoptosis index of the three groups of rats injected with CeO2 nanoparticles were much better than those in the I/R group. The effects on SOD activity, MDA content, GSH-Px activity, and apoptosis index of cardiomyocytes in the CeO2-2 group were significantly better than those in the CeO2-1 and CeO2-3 groups, showing statistically great differences (P< 0.05); and effects on SOD activity, MDA content, and GSH-Px activity of cardiomyocytes in CeO2-1 group were better obviously than those in the CeO2-3 groups, showing statistically observable differences (P< 0.05). In addition, the difference between the CeO2-1 group and CeO2-3 on the apoptosis index of cardiomyocytes was not statistically remarkable (P> 0.05). It can be considered that the CeO2 nanoparticles can effectively alleviate the effects of myocardial I/R injury, showing reliable clinical significance.

Association of body mass index with clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In this meta-analysis, we aimed to systematically examine the relationship between body mass index and major adverse cardiovascular events in acute coronary syndrome patients and to provide theoretical guidance for body weight management in these patients. Methods: A comprehensive analysis of applicable research published between 2008 and 2021 was conducted using the PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, Wanfang, and CNKI databases. Extracted odds ratios from the randomized-controlled studies were pooled using fixed-effects meta-analysis. Publication bias was addressed through evaluation methods such as funnel plot or sensitivity analysis. Results: Ten studies with a total of 58,992 individuals were included. The consequences of this meta-analysis confirmed that, compared to normal body mass index, patients with acute coronary syndrome significantly increased the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (odds ratio= 1.20; 95% confidence interval: 1.12-1.29, p<0.001). Conclusion: Patients with acute coronary syndrome being overweight or obese significantly increased the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared to those with normal body mass index. The results suggest that patients may focus on weight management to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in acute coronary syndrome.

The cardiovascular system at high altitude: A bibliometric and visualization analysis.

BACKGROUND: When exposed to high-altitude environments, the cardiovascular system undergoes various changes, the performance and mechanisms of which remain controversial. AIM: To summarize the latest research advancements and hot research points in the cardiovascular system at high altitude by conducting a bibliometric and visualization analysis. METHODS: The literature was systematically retrieved and filtered using the Web of Science Core Collection of Science Citation Index Expanded. A visualization analysis of the identified publications was conducted employing CiteSpace and VOSviewer. RESULTS: A total of 1674 publications were included in the study, with an observed annual increase in the number of publications spanning from 1990 to 2022. The United States of America emerged as the predominant contributor, while Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia stood out as the institution with the highest publication output. Notably, Jean-Paul Richalet demonstrated the highest productivity among researchers focusing on the cardiovascular system at high altitude. Furthermore, Peter Bärtsch emerged as the author with the highest number of cited articles. Keyword analysis identified hypoxia, exercise, acclimatization, acute and chronic mountain sickness, pulmonary hypertension, metabolism, and echocardiography as the primary research hot research points and emerging directions in the study of the cardiovascular system at high altitude. CONCLUSION: Over the past 32 years, research on the cardiovascular system in high-altitude regions has been steadily increasing. Future research in this field may focus on areas such as hypoxia adaptation, metabolism, and cardiopulmonary exercise. Strengthening interdisciplinary and multi-team collaborations will facilitate further exploration of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cardiovascular changes in high-altitude environments and provide a theoretical basis for standardized disease diagnosis and treatment.

Clinical Analysis of Myocardial Injury in Highlanders with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a prevalent adverse cardiovascular event at high-altitude environments. Prolonged exposure to high altitudes may result in myocardial injury, which is associated with poor clinical outcomes. This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics of myocardial injury in patients with PH at high altitude. Methods: Consecutive patients admitted to a general tertiary hospital at the altitude of 3,650 m were selected into this retrospective study. Clinical and biochemical data were collected, as well as based on cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and echocardiography, patients were divided into myocardial injury group and non-myocardial injury group. Results: A total of 231 patients were enrolled, among whom 29 (12.6%) had myocardial injury. We found that body mass index, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and serum level of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) in myocardial injury group were significantly higher than non-myocardial injury group. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that cTnI has a significant positive correlation with CK-MB and lactic dehydrogenase instead of aspartate aminotransferase. A receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to demonstrate that CK-MB could significantly predict the occurrence of myocardial injury with an area under the curve of 0.749, and a level of 3.035 (sensitivity = 59.3%, specificity = 90.5%) was optimal cutoff value. Conclusion: The incidence of myocardial injury in highlanders with PH is significant. CK-MB, as a convenient and efficient marker, has been found to be closely associated with cTnI and plays a predictive role in the occurrence of myocardial injury with PH in individuals exposed to high altitude.

Microplastic enrichment capacity of Ctenochaetus striatus from the habitat environment - An example in Xisha, South China Sea.

Microplastic pollution is a widespread concern in the global marine environment. In this study, microplastic pollution status in Xisha waters was investigated. Microplastics were found in all seawater samples, and 90.76 % of C. striatus samples were detected with microplastics. The average abundance of microplastics in seawater samples was 0.64 ± 0.39 items/L, and the abundance of microplastics in the gills and gastrointestinal tracts (GITs)of C. striatus was 1.14 ± 0.41 items/L and 1.80 ± 0.49 items/L, respectively. Shapes of microplastics in the seawater and in the gills and GITs of C. striatus were mainly fibers and films, and the majority of the particle sizes being <1 mm, and the polymers were mainly PET. In addition, the abundance of microplastics in the gills and GITs of C. striatus was positively correlated with that in the seawater, and the correlation was higher in the gills than in the GITs, which means that the accumulation of microplastics in the gills was more closely related to their habitats. The positive correlation between microplastic abundance in the gills and GITs of C. striatus and its body size may be due to the fact that larger individuals have greater energetic demands, require more energy requirements, consume more food, and thus increase the chances of ingesting microplastics.

Study on the Geographic Variation and Trophic Variation of Todarodes pacificus in Different Areas Based on Stable Isotope Information from the Gladius.

The Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) is an important cephalopod in the northwest Pacific Ocean. In this study, the proostracum of the gladius of T. pacificus samples collected by Chinese squid fishing vessels in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan in August and December 2018 were continuously cut, and stable isotope values of the cut fragments were used to analyze the migration path and feeding ecology of T. pacificus. The results showed that when the proostracum grew to 120 mm from the distal end, T. pacificus began to migrate. In the East China Sea, T. pacificus migrated to low latitudes and nearshore areas, and the trophic level of their food showed no large changes during migration. In the Sea of Japan, T. pacificus migrated to high latitudes and offshore areas, and the trophic level of their food showed a decreasing trend during migration. There was no significant difference in migration or feeding ecology between females and males, but the competitive capacity of the females may be stronger than that of the males. The results provided a scientific basis for the scientific management and development of T. pacificus resources.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease: An omics study.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD) is a severely progressive condition with uncertain physiological course. Hence, it has become increasingly relevant to clarify the specific mechanisms of molecular modification, which is crucial to identify more treatment strategies. With the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing, omics technology gives access to massive experimental data and advanced techniques for systems biology, permitting comprehensive assessment of disease occurrence and progression. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the study of PAH-CHD and omics. To provide a comprehensive description and promote further in-depth investigation of PAH-CHD, this review attempts to summarize the latest developments in genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and multi-omics integration.

Ultra-Broadband Tunable Terahertz Metamaterial Absorber Based on Double-Layer Vanadium Dioxide Square Ring Arrays.

Based on the phase transition of vanadium dioxide(VO2), an ultra-broadband tunable terahertz metamaterial absorber is proposed. The absorber consists of bilayer VO2 square ring arrays with different sizes, which are completely wrapped in Topas and placed on gold substrate. The simulation results show that the absorption greater than 90% has frequencies ranging from 1.63 THz to 12.39 THz, which provides an absorption frequency bandwidth of 10.76 THz, and a relative bandwidth of 153.5%. By changing the electrical conductivity of VO2, the absorption intensity can be dynamically adjusted between 4.4% and 99.9%. The physical mechanism of complete absorption is elucidated by the impedance matching theory and field distribution. The proposed absorber has demonstrated its properties of polarization insensitivity and wide-angle absorption, and therefore has a variety of application prospects in the terahertz range, such as stealth, modulation, and sensing.

MicroRNA-382-5p inhibits osteosarcoma development and progression by negatively regulating VEZF1 expression.

Human osteosarcoma is the most frequent malignant primary bone tumor that mainly occurs in young adults and children. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are abnormally expressed in human osteosarcoma and contribute to osteosarcoma initiation and development. The present study aimed to investigate the role of miR-382-5p in the nosogenesis of osteosarcoma and to identify a novel target for osteosarcoma treatment. miR-382-5p expression was detected in human osteosarcoma clinical tissues and cell lines, including 143B, U2OS and MG63, via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis. Multiple bioinformatic prediction toowe used to identify the potential target genes of miR-382-5p and vascular endothelial zinc finger 1 (VEZF1), which were validated via the dual-luciferase reporter assay. MG63 and U2OS cells were transfected with miR-382-5p mimics. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was performed to assess cell proliferation, while the Transwell assay was performed to assess migration and invasion. Cell colony formation was measured via crystal violet staining, and apoptosis was assessed via Annexin V/propidium iodide staining. The wound healing assay was performed to assess the migratory ability of U2OS and MG63 cells. Antitumor effects of miR-382-5p were evaluated in nude mice xenografts using U2OS cells. The results demonstrated that miR-382-5p expression was markedly downregulated in human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines compared with adjacent normal tissues. Transfection of miR-382-5p mimics into MG63 and U2OS cells significantly inhibited the malignant behaviors of cells, including decreased proliferation, migration, diminished colony formation and invasion, and promoted osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. Bioinformatics prediction indicated that VEZF1 is a direct target gene of miR-382-5p. Overexpression of VEZF1 restored osteosarcoma tumor development inhibited by miR-382-5p in vivo. In addition, overexpression of miR-382-5p restrained the growth of xenograft osteosarcoma in nude mice following co-transfection, and overexpression of VEZF1 attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-382-5p in nude mice. miR-382-5p acted as a tumor suppressor gene and inhibited the malignant biological behaviors of human osteosarcoma cells and functions associated with directly targeting VEZF1. Taken together, these results suggest that the miR-382-5p/VEZF1 interaction has an important role in osteosarcoma development and progression, and thus may be used as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.

Construction and characterization of the transformation-competent artificial chromosome (TAC) libraries of Leymus multicaulis.

Transformation-competent artificial chromosome system is able to clone and transfer genes efficiently in plants. In order to clone genes highly tolerant to barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), Aphids, drought and salt from Leymus multicaulis, the two TAC genomic libraries I and II were constructed in vector pYLTAC17 and pYLTAC747H/sacB, which contain about 165000 and 236000 recombinant clones separately. The genome coverage of the two libraries was totally estimated to be about 3-5 haploid genome equivalents, as size selection of genomic DNA fragments was approximately from 9 to 300 kb. Clones of the genomic libraries were collected as bulked pools each containing 500 clones or so, stored in twelve 96-deep-well plates and then were gridding in triplicate onto a high-density colony hybridization filter with a 3x3 pattern using a GeneTACtrade mark G3 arraying robot after being transferred manually into three 384-well plates. Meanwhile 2501 and 2890 clones of Library in pYLTAC17 and in pYLTAC747H/sacB were stored individually in fourteen 384-well plates and then were automatically gridding in duplicate onto a high-density colony hybridization filter with a 6x6 pattern after a replication of plates. Nineteen positive clones were detected by using the probe glutahione reductase gene of L. multicaulis. TAC libraries constructed here can be used to isolate genomic clones containing target genes, and to carry out genome walking for positional cloning. Once the target TAC clones were isolated, they could be immediately transferred into plant genomes with the Agrobacterium system.

High-throughput mining of E-genome-specific SNPs for characterizing Thinopyrum elongatum introgressions in common wheat.

Diploid Thinopyrum elongatum (EE, 2n = 2x = 14) and related polyploid species constitute an important gene pool for improving Triticeae grain and forage crops. However, the genomic and molecular marker resources are generally poor for these species. To aid the genetic, molecular, breeding and ecological studies involving Thinopyrum species, we developed a strategy for mining and validating E-genome-specific SNPs using Th. elongatum and common wheat (Triticum aestivum, AABBDD, 2n = 6x = 42) as experimental materials. By comparing the transcriptomes between Chinese Spring (CS, a common wheat variety) and the CS-Th. elongatum octoploid, 35,193 candidate SNPs between E genome genes and their common wheat orthologs were computed. Through comparative genomic analysis, these SNPs were putatively assigned to the seven individual E genome chromosomes. Among 420 randomly selected SNPs, 373 could be validated. Thus, approximately 89% of the mined SNPs may be authentic with respect to their polymorphism and chromosomal location. Using 14 such SNPs as molecular markers, complex E genome introgressions were reliably identified in 78 common wheat-Th. elongatum hybrids, and the structural feature of a novel recombinant chromosome formed by 6E and 7E was revealed. Finally, based on testing 33 SNPs assigned to chromosome 3E in multiple genotypes of Th. elongatum, Pseudoroegneria stipifolia (carrying the St genome related to E) and common wheat, we suggest that some of the SNP markers may also be applicable for genetic studies within and among the Thinopyrum species (populations) carrying E and/or St genomes in the future.