Coronary Microvascular Function Assessment using the Coronary Angiography-Derived Index of Microcirculatory Resistance in Patients with ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Studies reporting the status of coronary microvascular function in the infarct-related artery (IRA) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remain limited. This study utilized the coronary angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (caIMR) to assess coronary microvascular function in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary PCI. Methods: We used the FlashAngio system to measure the caIMR after primary PCI in 157 patients with STEMI. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), defined as a composite endpoint encompassing cardiac mortality, target vessel revascularization, and rehospitalization due to congestive heart failure (CHF), myocardial infarction (MI), or angina. Results: Approximately 30% of patients diagnosed with STEMI and who experienced successful primary PCI during the study period had a caIMR in the IRA of > 40. The caIMR in the IRA was significantly higher than in the reference vessel (32.9 ± 15.8 vs. 27.4 ± 11.1, p < 0.001). The caIMR in the reference vessel of the caIMR > 40 group was greater than in the caIMR ≤ 40 group (30.9 ± 11.3 vs. 25.9 ± 10.7, p = 0.009). Moreover, the caIMR > 40 group had higher incidence rates of MACEs at 3 months (25.5% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.009) and 1 year (29.8% vs. 13.9%, p = 0.04), than in the caIMR ≤ 40 group, which were mainly driven by a higher rate of rehospitalization due to CHF, MI, or angina. A caIMR in the IRA of > 40 was an independent predictor of a MACE at 3 months (hazard ratio (HR): 3.459, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.363-8.779, p = 0.009) and 1 year (HR: 2.384, 95% CI: 1.100-5.166, p = 0.03) in patients with STEMI after primary PCI. Conclusions: Patients with STEMI after primary PCI often have coronary microvascular dysfunction, which is indicated by an increased caIMR in the IRA. An elevated caIMR of > 40 in the IRA was associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI.

Multiple Chirality Switching of a Dye-Grafted Helical Polymer Film Driven by Acid & Base.

A stimuli-responsive multiple chirality switching material, which can regulate opposed chiral absorption characteristics, has great application value in the fields of optical modulation, information storage and encryption, etc. However, due to the rareness of effective functional systems and the complexity of material structures, developing this type of material remains an insurmountable challenge. Herein, a smart polymer film with multiple chirality inversion properties was fabricated efficiently based on a newlydesigned acid & base-sensitive dye-grafted helical polymer. Benefited from the cooperative effects of various weak interactions (hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interaction, etc.) under the aggregated state, this polymer film exhibited a promising acid & base-driven multiple chirality inversion property containing record switchable chiral states (up to five while the solution showed three-state switching) and good reversibility. The creative exploration of such a multiple chirality switching material can not only promote the application progress of current chiroptical regulation technologybut also provide a significant guidance for the design and synthesis of future smart chiroptical switching materials and devices.

Coronary Microcirculatory Function Indicated by Coronary Angiography-Derived Index of Microvascular Resistance in Patients Undergoing Rotational Atherectomy.

Background: There are scarce published data reporting the effect of rotational atherectomy (RA) on coronary microcirculation function. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate coronary microcirculation function indicated by the coronary angiography-derived index of microvascular resistance (caIMR) in patients undergoing RA. Methods: RA procedures between January 2013 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. We investigated coronary microcirculation function indicated by caIMR as well as peri-procedural adverse events among the study population. All caIMR measurements were performed using a FlashAngio system. The primary outcome was a composite of post-RA thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade < 3 in the target vessel, myocardial injury, procedure-related myocardial infarction, and cardiac death during hospitalization. Results: A total of 155 RA procedures were analyzed. The post-RA caIMRs were significantly higher than pre-RA caIMRs in the target vessels (16.0 ± 7.0 vs. 14.5 ± 7.5, p = 0.029). Patients with post-RA caIMR ≥ 25 accounted for nearly 12% of those with pre-RA caIMR < 25. Patients with post-RA thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade < 3 had a significantly higher pre-RA caIMR (23.5 ± 10.2 vs. 13.7 ± 6.6, p = 0.005), and the proportion of patients with pre-RA caIMR ≥ 25 in the group with TIMI flow grade < 3 was greater (61.5% vs. 38.5%, p < 0.001) than that in the group with TIMI flow grade of 3. Maximum RA time of each pass (odds ratio: 1.127, 95% confidence interval: 1.025-1.239, p = 0.014) and pre-RA caIMR ≥ 25 (odds ratio: 3.254, 95% confidence interval: 1.054-10.048, p = 0.040) were identified to be the independent predictors of the primary outcome for patients who underwent RA. Conclusions: There were significant changes in the coronary microcirculation function of the target vessels after receiving RA as indicated by increased post-RA caIMR compared to pre-RA caIMR. Patients with baseline coronary microcirculatory dysfunction were more likely to have post-RA TIMI flow grade < 3, whereas those with pre-RA caIMR ≥ 25 experienced worse outcomes.

The therapeutic effects of excimer laser coronary atherectomy therapy for in-stent restenosis chronic total occlusions.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of excimer laser coronary atherectomy (ELCA) in patients with in-stent restenosis chronic total occlusions (ISR CTOs). BACKGROUND: ISR CTOs are a challenge in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although they can be treated by ELCA, limited data are available on the effects of ELCA treatment in these patients. METHODS: Fifty-nine consecutive patients underwent PCI for ISR CTOs at Beijing Hospital between December 2017 and September 2020. According to whether or not ELCA was performed, they were divided into two groups. Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) analyses were performed routinely, including measurement of the minimal lumen diameter and calculation of the percentage diameter stenosis. The procedural success rate, the frequency of peri-procedural complications, and the incidence rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) over nine months were assessed. The primary endpoint in the study was the percentage diameter stenosis. RESULTS: Procedure success was achieved in most patients in both groups (75.9%). Patients in the ELCA group exhibited a lower percentage diameter stenosis (24.5 ± 9.09 vs. 35.1 ± 18.6, p = 0.048) and a larger minimal lumen diameter (2.36 ± 0.29 mm vs. 1.78 ± 0.64 mm, p < 0.001) than those in the control group and the 9-month incidence rates of MACEs did not differ (9.5% vs 15.8%, p = 0.699). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that ELCA may be a safe and effective technique in the treatment of ISR CTOs, and the use of ELCA can achieve good immediate angiographic results, as measured by QCA, without increasing peri-procedural complications or the incidence rates of 9-month MACEs.

Advances in nanomaterials for electrochromic devices.

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) have been regarded as promising candidates for energy-saving smart windows, next-generation displays and wearable electronics due to their significant benefits of simple and adjustable structures, low power consumption, flexible and stretchable features, and eye-friendly modes for displays. However, there are many existing issues waiting to be solved such as durability, reversibility and inadequate switching performances. These insurmountable technical bottlenecks significantly slow down the commercialization of next-generation ECDs. Nanomaterials with superior active reaction surface area have played indispensable roles in optimizing heterogeneous electron transfer and homogeneous ion transfer for ECDs and other optoelectronic devices. In recent years, with the joint efforts of various outstanding research teams, new kinds and methods for nanomaterials to fabricate ECDs with excellent performances have been rapidly developing. This review highlights the latest exciting results regarding the design and application of new and unique nanomaterials for each layer of ECDs. Meanwhile, the structures, mechanisms, features and preparation of the reported nanomaterials to improve the electrochromic properties have been discussed in detail. In addition, the remaining challenges and corresponding strategies of this field are also proposed. Hopefully, this review can inspire more and more researchers to enrich the nanomaterials for ECDs and other related fields to overcome faced technical barriers by innovative means and promote industrialization of ECDs and other optoelectronic technologies.

A Multiple Chirality Switching Device for Spatial Light Modulators.

A new and simple strategy towards electric-field-driven multiple chirality switching device has been designed and fabricated by combining a newly synthesized base-responsive chiroptical polymer switch (R-FLMA) and p-benzoquinone (p-BQ) via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. Clear and stable triple chirality states (silence, positive, negative) of this device in visible band can be regulated reversibly (>1000 cycles) by adjusting voltage programs. Furthermore, such chiral switching phenomena are also accompanied by apparent changes of color and fluorescence. More importantly, the potential application of this device for a spatial light modulator has also been demonstrated.

Fast and robust quantum control for multimode interactions using shortcuts to adiabaticity.

Adiabatic quantum control is a very important approach for quantum physics and quantum information processing (QIP). It holds the advantage with robustness to experimental imperfections but accumulates more decoherence due to the long evolution time. Here, we propose a universal protocol for fast and robust quantum control in multimode interactions of a quantum system by using shortcuts to adiabaticity. The results show this protocol can speed up the evolution of a multimode quantum system effectively, and it can also keep the robustness very good while adiabatic quantum control processes cannot. We apply this protocol for the quantum state transfer in QIP in the photon-phonon interactions in an optomechanical system, showing a perfect result. These good features make this protocol have the capability of improving effectively the feasibility of the practical applications of multimode interactions in QIP in experiment.

Diarylethene-based xerogels: the fabrication of more entangled networks driven by isomerization and acidofluorochromism.

Fully-conjugated styrylbenzoxazoles and styrylbenzothiazoles of BOAF24, BOACl24, BOACl35, BOABr24, BOABr35, BTAF24, BTACl24 and BTABr24 without traditional gelation groups could form organogels. It was found that introduction of chlorine atoms in the 2,4-positions of the phenyl group would improve gelation abilities, and benzothiazole derivatives exhibited better gelation abilities than benzoxazoles with a similar π-skeleton due to better π-electron delocalization. Interestingly, the organogel of BTACl24 could change into solution by UV light due to trans-cis isomerization, which could also induce morphological changes in xerogels. The smooth organogel nanofibers stretched out lots of thin 'arms' to hold together or to catch other nanofibers upon UV irradiation, so more entangled networks were generated. Moreover, TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) could induce a gel-sol transformation on account of the protonation of the benzoxazole or benzothiazole unit, accompanied by emission quenching. BTACl24 exhibited higher performance than BOACl24 in the detection of TFA because of its strong basicity. The decay time and the detection limit of BTACl24 in xerogel-based film towards TFA vapor were of 0.7 s and 0.3 ppm, respectively. Therefore, organogelation of non-traditional organogelators is a powerful approach to the fabrication of multi-stimuli-responsive soft materials, and provides a new method to generate more entangled 3D networks through photochemical reactions in xerogels.

Sensitized intense near-infrared downconversion quantum cutting three-photon luminescence phenomena of the Tm(3+) ion activator in Tm(3+)Bi(3+):YNbO(4) powder phosphor.

In present study, the intense sensitized three photon near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence of Tm(3+) ion activator in Tm(3+)Bi(3+):YNbO(4) powder phosphor is reported. It is induced both by [{(1)G(4)→(3)H(4), (3)H(6)→(3)H(5)} or {(1)G(4)→(3)H(5), (3)H(6)→(3)H(4)}] and {(3)H(4)→(3)F(4), (3)H(6)→(3)F(4)} cross-energy transfer. We found that the 1820.0 nm (3)F(4)→(3)H(6) luminescence intensity of Tm(0.08)Bi(0.01)Y(0.91)NbO(4) powder phosphor excited by 302.0 nm is 151 and 8.38 times larger, compared to Tm(0.005)Y(0.995)NbO(4) excited by 302.0 and 468.0 nm, in which the quantum cutting takes place between Tm(3+) ions and Bi(3+) ion only acts as sensitizer. To the knowledge of the authors, it is the first time that the effective Bi(3+) sensitized near-infrared quantum cutting of Tm(3+) ion activator has been reported. It can facilitate the probing of the next-generation environmentally friendly germanium solar cell.

Entanglement distillation for quantum communication network with atomic-ensemble memories.

Atomic ensembles are effective memory nodes for quantum communication network due to the long coherence time and the collective enhancement effect for the nonlinear interaction between an ensemble and a photon. Here we investigate the possibility of achieving the entanglement distillation for nonlocal atomic ensembles by the input-output process of a single photon as a result of cavity quantum electrodynamics. We give an optimal entanglement concentration protocol (ECP) for two-atomic-ensemble systems in a partially entangled pure state with known parameters and an efficient ECP for the systems in an unknown partially entangled pure state with a nondestructive parity-check detector (PCD). For the systems in a mixed entangled state, we introduce an entanglement purification protocol with PCDs. These entanglement distillation protocols have high fidelity and efficiency with current experimental techniques, and they are useful for quantum communication network with atomic-ensemble memories.

Recent Progress of Quantum Dots Light-Emitting Diodes: Materials, Device Structures, and Display Applications.

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs), as a class of 0D semiconductor materials, have generated widespread interest due to their adjustable band gap, exceptional color purity, near-unity quantum yield, and solution-processability. With decades of dedicated research, the potential applications of quantum dots have garnered significant recognition in both the academic and industrial communities. Furthermore, the related quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) stand out as one of the most promising contenders for the next-generation display technologies. Although QD-based color conversion films are applied to improve the color gamut of existing display technologies, the broader application of QLED devices remains in its nascent stages, facing many challenges on the path to commercialization. This review encapsulates the historical discovery and subsequent research advancements in QD materials and their synthesis methods. Additionally, the working mechanisms and architectural design of QLED prototype devices are discussed. Furthermore, the review surveys the latest advancements of QLED devices within the display industry. The narrative concludes with an examination of the challenges and perspectives of QLED technology in the foreseeable future.

An electrochemically responsive B-O dynamic bond to switch photoluminescence of boron-nitrogen-doped polyaromatics.

Boron-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exhibit excellent optical properties, and regulating their photophysical processes is a powerful strategy to understand the luminescence mechanism and develop new materials and applications. Herein, an electrochemically responsive B-O dynamic coordination bond is proposed, and used to regulate the photophysical processes of boron-nitrogen-doped polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The formation of the B-O coordination bond under a suitable voltage is confirmed by experiments and theoretical calculations, and B-O coordination bond can be broken back to the initial state under opposite voltage. The whole process is accompanied by reversible changes in photophysical properties. Further, electrofluorochromic devices are successfully prepared based on the above electrochemically responsive coordination bond. The success and harvest of this exploration are beneficial to understand the luminescence mechanism of boron-nitrogen-doped polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and provide ideas for design of dynamic covalent bonds and broaden material types and applications.

Variant-specific antibody response following repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection.

The ongoing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses challenges to the immunity induced by infections and vaccination. We conduct a 6-month longitudinal evaluation of antibody binding and neutralization of sera from individuals with six different combinations of vaccination and infection against BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86. We find that most individuals produce spike-binding IgG or neutralizing antibodies against BA.5, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 2 months after infection or vaccination. However, compared to ancestral strain and BA.5 variant, XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 exhibit comparable but significant immune evasion. The spike-binding IgG and neutralizing antibody titers decrease in individuals without additional antigen exposure, and <50% of individuals neutralize XBB.1.5, EG.5.1, and BA.2.86 during the 6-month follow-up. Approximately 57% of the 107 followed up individuals experienced an additional infection, leading to improved binding IgG and neutralizing antibody levels against these variants. These findings provide insights into the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on immunity following repeated exposure.

Lasing characteristic of organic octagonal quasicrystal slabs with single-defect microcavity at low-index contrast.

We experimentally demonstrate and characterize an organic octagonal quasicrystal slab with a single-defect microcavity at low-index contrast. The gain medium is the conjugated-polymer, composed by two PPV derivatives, a BEHP-PPV and a MEH-PPV. By optical pumping, the lasing action is achieved at 607 nm with a FWHM of 1 nm. The threshold of lasing is 9 µJ/cm(2). The intensity of the lasing peak depends linearly on the pump energy above the threshold.

Multiphoton near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence phenomena of Tm3+ ion in (Y1-xTm(x))3Al5O12 powder phosphor.

In the present study, the multiphoton near-infrared downconversion quantum cutting luminescence phenomena of Tm3+ ion in (Y(1-x)Tm(x))(3)Al(5)O(12) powder phosphor, which is currently a hot research topic throughout the world, is reported. The x-ray diffraction spectra, the visible to near-infrared excitation and emission spectra, and fluorescence lifetimes are measured. It is found that Tm:YAG powder phosphor has intense two-photon quantum cutting luminescence, and, for the first time, it is found that Tm:YAG powder phosphor has strong four-photon near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence of 1788 nm (3)F4 → (3)H6 fluorescence of Tm(3+) ion. It is also found that the theoretical up-limit of four-photon near-infrared quantum cutting efficiency is about 282.12%, which results from both the {(1)D2 → (3)F2, (3)H6 → (3)H4} and {(3)H4 → (3)F4, (3)H6 → (3)F4} cross-energy transfers.

Laser speckle imaging based on intensity fluctuation modulation.

We present a method, intensity fluctuation modulation (IFM), to obtain a full-field laser speckle microvessel image. Different from laser speckle contrast analysis, IFM imaging is insensitive to flow velocity and can be used to reconstruct microvessel images with higher spatial resolution and SNR. An in vivo animal experiment on a mouse pinna is conducted to demonstrate that IFM imaging is capable of achieving laser speckle microangiography.

[Spectroscopy parameters of Ho3+ in Ho3+ : FOG and Ho3+ : FOV].

In the present paper, the absorption spectra of Ho3+ (0.5 mol%)-doped oxyfluoride glass (FOG) sample and Ho3+ (0.5 mol%)-doped oxyfluoride vitroceramics (FOV) sample were measured through experiment. The authors calculated the intensity parameters omega 2, 4, 6 of the two materials according to J-O theory, and analyzed the possible reason for the difference between the two materials on the intensity parameters. After that the authors calculated oscillator strength, spontaneous radiative transition rate, branching ratio and integrated emission cross section and some other spectroscopic parameters of several excited states and then made a comparative analysis of the two materials based on these spectroscopic parameters. The authors found that the oscillator strength of trivalent holmium iron in FOV is about the same with the oscillator strength in YAlO3 and is similar to oscillator strength in FOG, while slightly larger than in that LBTAF and much larger than that in LaF3 and ZBLAN. By analyzing the calculated spectroscopic parameters, it can be found that some transitions, especially 5I7 --> 5I8, 5F5 --> 5I8 etc., have a relatively large oscillator strengths(larger than 10(-6)) and large integrated emission cross sections(larger than 10(-18) cm). These transitions have the conditions to form laser passages, so they are worth a lot of attention. At last, application prospects of several strong luminescence transitions were concluded.

Accuracy and Reproducibility of Coronary Angiography-Derived Fractional Flow Reserve in the Assessment of Coronary Lesion Severity.

Purpose: Coronary angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (caFFR) is a novel computational flow dynamics (CFD)-derived assessment of coronary vessel flow with good diagnostic performance. Herein, we performed a retrospective study to evaluate the reproducibility of caFFR findings between observers and investigate the diagnostic performance of caFFR for coronary stenosis defined as FFR ≤0.80, especially in the grey zone (0.75≤caFFR ≤0.80). Patients and Methods: A total of 150 patients (167 coronary vessels) underwent caFFR (with FlashAngio used for calculation of flow variables) and subsequent invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements. Outcomes, including reproducibility, were compared for vessels in and outside the grey zone. Results: The correlation of caFFR findings was good between the two laboratories (r = 0.723, p<0.001). The AUC of ROC were both high for caFFR-CoreLab1 and caFFR-CoreLab2 (0.975 and 0.883). The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values were not significantly different between the two laboratories (p>0.05). caFFR had a strong correlation with measures to FFR (r=0.911, p<0.001). There was no systematic difference between caFFR and FFR on Bland-Altman analysis in and outside the grey zone. There was no difference in diagnostic accuracy between the grey and non-grey zones in the prediction of FFR ≤0.80 (p=0.09). Conclusion: The inter-observer reproducibility for caFFR was high, and the diagnostic accuracy of caFFR was good compared to that of FFR.

Proteogenomics of clear cell renal cell carcinoma response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Sunitinib is one the therapies approved for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Here, we undertake proteogenomic profiling of 115 tumors from patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) undergoing Sunitinib treatment and reveal the molecular basis of differential clinical outcomes with TKI therapy. We find that chromosome 7q gain-induced mTOR signaling activation is associated with poor therapeutic outcomes with Sunitinib treatment, whereas the aristolochic acid signature and VHL mutation synergistically caused enhanced glycolysis is correlated with better prognosis. The proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis further highlights the responsibility of mTOR signaling for non-response to Sunitinib. Immune landscape characterization reveals diverse tumor microenvironment subsets in ccRCC. Finally, we construct a multi-omics classifier that can detect responder and non-responder patients (receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve, 0.98). Our study highlights associations between ccRCC molecular characteristics and the response to TKI, which can facilitate future improvement of therapeutic responses.