Kerr nonlinearity assisted magnetically induced transparency in cavity magnon polaritons.

We investigate optical transmission in cavity magnon polaritons and discover a complex multi-window magnetically induced transparency and a bistability with magnetic and optical characteristics. With the regulation of Kerr nonlinear effects and driven fields, a complex multi-window resonant transmission with fast and slow light effects appears, which includes transparency and absorption windows. The magnetically induced transparency and absorption can be explained by the destructive and constructive interference between different excitation pathways. Moreover, we demonstrate the bistability of magnons and photons with a hysteresis loop, where magnetic and optical bistabilities can induce and control each other. Our results pave a new way, to the best of our knowledge, for implementing a room-temperature multiband quantum memory.

Potential 2D thermoelectric material ATeI (A = Sb and Bi) monolayers from a first-principles study.

Lots of two-dimensional (2D) materials have been predicted theoretically and further confirmed in experiments, and have wide applications in nanoscale electronic, optoelectronic and thermoelectric devices. In this work, the thermoelectric properties of ATeI (A = Sb and Bi) monolayers are systematically investigated according to semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. It is found that spin-orbit coupling (SOC) has an important effect on the electronic transport coefficients of p-type doping, but a negative influence on n-type doping. The room-temperature sheet thermal conductance is 14.2 [Formula: see text] for SbTeI and 12.6 [Formula: see text] for BiTeI, which is lower than that of most well-known 2D materials, such as the transition-metal dichalcogenide, group IV-VI, group VA and group IV monolayers. The very low sheet thermal conductance of ATeI (A = Sb and Bi) monolayers is mainly due to their small group velocities and short phonon lifetimes. The strongly polarized covalent bonds between A and Te or I atoms induce strong phonon anharmonicity, which gives rise to low lattice thermal conductivity. It is found that the high-frequency optical branches contribute significantly to the total thermal conductivity, which is obviously different from the usual picture, where there is little contribution from the optical branches. According to cumulative lattice thermal conductivity with respect to the phonon mean free path (MFP), it is difficult to further reduce the lattice thermal conductivity using nanostructures. Finally, the possible thermoelectric figure of merit ZT values of the ATeI (A = Sb and Bi) monolayers are calculated. It is found that p-type doping has much better thermoelectric properties than n-type doping. At room temperature, the peak ZT can reach 1.11 for SbTeI and 0.87 for BiTeI, respectively. These results make us believe that ATeI (A = Sb and Bi) monolayers may be potential 2D thermoelectric materials, which could stimulate further experimental work towards the synthesis of these monolayers.

Strain effects on phonon transport in antimonene investigated using a first-principles study.

Strain engineering is a very effective method to continuously tune the electronic, topological, optical and thermoelectric properties of materials. In this work, strain-dependent phonon transport of recently-fabricated antimonene (Sb monolayers) under biaxial strain is investigated using a combination of first-principles calculations and the linearized phonon Boltzmann equation within the single-mode relaxation time approximation (RTA). It is found that the ZA dispersion of antimonene with strain less than -1% gives imaginary frequencies, which suggests that compressive strain can induce structural instability. Experimentally, it is possible to enhance structural stability by tensile strain. The calculated results show that lattice thermal conductivity increases with strain increasing from -1% to 6%, and lattice thermal conductivity at 6% strain is 5.6 times larger than that at -1% strain at room temperature. It is interesting that lattice thermal conductivity is inversely proportional to the buckling parameter h in a considered strain range. Such a strain dependence of lattice thermal conductivity is attributed to enhanced phonon lifetimes caused by increased strain, while group velocities have a decreased effect on lattice thermal conductivity with increasing strain. It is found that acoustic branches dominate the lattice thermal conductivity over the full strain range. The cumulative room-temperature lattice thermal conductivity at -1% strain converges to a maximum with the phonon mean free path (MFP) at 50 nm, while that at 6% strain becomes as large as 44 µm, which suggests that strain can give rise to very strong size effects on lattice thermal conductivity in antimonene. Finally, the increased lattice thermal conductivity caused by increasing strain can be explained by a reduced polarized covalent bond, inducing weak phonon anharmonicity. These results may provide guidance on fabrication techniques of group-VA element (As, Sb, Bi) monolayers, and offer perspectives on tuning lattice thermal conductivity by the size and strain for applications of thermal management and thermoelectricity.

Neuroprotective Activity of Cerebrosides from Typhonium giganteum by Regulating Caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 Signaling Pathways in PC12 Cells.

An investigation of the potential neuroprotective natural product constituents of the rhizomes of Typhonium giganteum led to the isolation of two new cerebrosides, typhonosides E (1) and F (2), along with 11 known analogues (3-13). The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic data interpretation. The activity of these compounds against glutamate-induced cell apoptosis was investigated in PC12 cells. All compounds exhibited such activity, which was related to the length of the fatty acyl chain. Among them, longan cerebroside II (11), with the longest fatty acyl chain, showed the most potent protective effect in PC12 cells from glutamate injury, with an EC50 value of 2.5 µM. Moreover, at the molecular level, longan cerebroside II (11) downregulated the expression of caspase-9, caspase-3, and Bax, upregulated the expression of Bcl-2, and decreased the level of cytosolic cytochrome c in a concentration-dependent manner.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of aryloxyacetamide derivatives as neuroprotective agents.

A series of new aryloxyacetamide derivatives 10a-s and 14a-m are designed and synthesized. Their protective activities against the glutamate-induced cell death were investigated in differentiated rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells). Most compounds exhibited neuroprotective effects, especially for 10m, 10r, 14b and 14c, which showed potential protection of PC12 cells at three doses (0.1, 1.0, 10µM). MTT assay, Hoechst 33342/PI double staining, and high content screening (HCS) revealed that pretreatment of the cells with 10m, 10r, 14b and 14c has significantly decreased the extent of cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The results of western blot analysis demonstrated these compounds suppressed apoptosis of glutamate-induced PC12 cells via caspase-3 pathway. These compounds can be lead compounds for further discovery of neuroprotective agents for treating cerebral ischemic stroke. Basic structure-activity relationships are also presented.

Stability of trapped Bose-Einstein condensate under a density-dependent gauge field.

We study the ground-state stability of the trapped one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate under a density-dependent gauge field by variational and numerical methods. The competition of density-dependent gauge field and mean-field atomic interaction induces the instability of the ground state, which results in irregular dynamics. The threshold of the gauge field for exciting the instability is obtained analytically and confirmed numerically. When the gauge field is less than the threshold, the system is stable, and the gauge field induces chiral dynamics of the wave packet. When the gauge field is greater than the threshold, the system is unstable, and the ground-state wave packet will be deformed and fragmented. Interestingly, we find that as the gauge field approaches the threshold, strong dipolar and breathing dynamics take place, and strong modes mixing occurs, the instability of the system sets in. In addition, we show that the stability of the system can be well controlled by periodical modulation of the trapping potential. We provide theoretical evidence to understand and control the irregular dynamics associated with chiral superfluid induced by density-dependent gauge field.

Nonlinear Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana tunneling and interferometry of extended Bose-Hubbard flux ladders.

The nonlinear Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana (LZSM) tunneling dynamics and interferometry of an extended Bose-Hubbard flux ladder are studied. Based on the mean-field theory, the dispersion relation of the system is given, and it is found that loop structures periodically appear in the band structure and the nonlinear LZSM interference occurs naturally without Floquet engineering, which can be effectively modulated by atomic interactions. The nonlinear energy bands and the unique chirality feature of the flux ladder system can be identified through the dynamics of nonlinear Landau-Zener tunneling. Remarkably, the critical position of the noise in the interference pattern can be employed to identify the loop structure in the energy band, establishing an effective link between the nonlinear loop structure and LZSM interferometry. The position, intensity, symmetry, and width of interference patterns strongly depend on the magnetic field, atomic interactions, rung-to-leg coupling ratio, and energy bias, which provides an effective way to measure these parameters using the nonlinear LZSM interferometry. This paper further expands the dynamics of flux ladder systems to complex interaction regions and has potential applications in the precise measurement of related nonlinear systems.

Cloning, expression, and purification of a recombinant Tat-HA-NR2B9c peptide.

To design a peptide disrupting the interaction between N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors-2B (NR2B) and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95), a gene fragment encoding a chimeric peptide was constructed using polymerase chain reaction and ligated into a novel expression vector for recombinant expression in a T7 RNA polymerase-based expression system. The chimeric peptide contained a fragment of the cell membrane transduction domain of the human immunodeficiency virus type1 (HIV-1) Tat, a influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) epitope-tag, and the C-terminal 9 amino acids of NR2B (NR2B9c). We named the chimeric peptide Tat-HA-NR2B9c. The expression plasmid contained a gene fragment encoding the Tat-HA-NR2B9c was ligated to the C-terminal fragment of l-asparaginase (AnsB-C) via a unique acid labile Asp-Pro linker. The recombinant fusion protein was expressed in inclusion body in Escherichia coli under isopropyl ß-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) and purified by washing with 2M urea, solubilizing in 4M urea, and then ethanol precipitation. The target chimeric peptide Tat-HA-NR2B9c was released from the fusion partner following acid hydrolysis and purified by isoelectric point precipitation and ultrafiltration. SDS-PAGE analysis and MALDI-TOF-MS analysis showed that the purified Tat-HA-NR2B9c was highly homogeneous. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of Tat-HA-NR2B9c on ischemia-induced cerebral injury in the rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion, and found that the peptide reduced infarct size and improved neurological functions.

Nonlinear Bloch dynamics and spin-wave generation in a Bose-Hubbard ladder subject to effective magnetic field.

The two-leg magnetic ladder is the simplest and ideal model to reflect the coupling effects of lattice and magnetic field. It is of great significance to study some novel phases, topological characteristics, and chiral characteristics in condensed matter physics. In particular, the left-right leg degree of freedom can be regarded as a pseudospin, and the two-leg magnetic ladder also provides an ideal platform for the study of spin dynamics. Here the ground state, Bloch oscillations (BOs), and spin dynamics of the interacting two-leg magnetic ladder subject to an external linear force are studied by using variational approach and numerical simulation. In the absence of the external linear force, the critical condition of transition between the zero-momentum state and plane-wave state is obtained analytically, and the physical mechanism of the ground-state transition is revealed. When the external linear force presents, the occurrence of BOs excites the spin dynamics, and we reveal the chiral BOs and the accompanied spin dynamics of the system in different ground states. In particular, we further study the influence of periodically modulated linear force on BOs and spin dynamics. The frequencies of the linear force corresponding to the resonances and pseudoresonances are obtained analytically, which result in rich nonlinear dynamics. In resonances, stable and strong BOs (with larger amplitude) are observed. In pseudoresonances, because the pseudoresonance frequencies are related to the initial momentum and phase of the wave packet, a dispersion effect takes place and strong diffusion of wave packet occurs. When the frequency is nonresonant, drift and weak dispersion of wave packet occur simultaneously with the wave-packet oscillation. In all cases, the wave-packet dynamics is accompanied with periodic but anharmonic pseudospin oscillation. The BOs and spin dynamics are effectively controlled by periodically modulating the linear force.

A resting state fMRI study of major depressive disorder with and without anxiety.

BACKGROUND: The neurobiology of the Major depressive disorder (MDD) with anxiety is still unclear. The present study aimed to explore the brain correlates of MDD with and without anxiety in men and women during resting-state fMRI. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-four patients with MDD (MDD with anxiety, N = 152) and MDD without anxiety, N = 102) and 228 healthy controls (HCs) participated in this study. We compared the fALFF(fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations) and ReHo(regional homogeneity) of ACC(anterior cingulate cortex) and insula among these three groups. We also compared gender difference between MDD with anxiety and MDD without anxiety. RESULTS: We found that the fALFF values within the ACC and insula were significantly lower in MDD with anxiety compared to without anxiety and HCs. However, we did not find differences in ReHo values among the three groups. In women, we found significant differences in fALFF values between MDD with and without anxiety. These differences were not observed in men. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that MDD with anxiety show less spontaneous BOLD-fMRI signal intensity within the ACC and insula compared to MDD without anxiety, especially in women. The fALFF within the ACC and insula can be a potential biomarker for severe MDD phenotype.

[An investigation on female sexual dysfunction among urban Chinese women in Nanjing].

OBJECTIVE: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a common problem affecting women's quality of life. However, reports are rarely seen on sexual problems in Chinese women. This study is to investigate the prevalence of FSD among urban Chinese women in Nanjing and offer some evidence for the establishment of preventative measures for FSD in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional hospital-based survey was conducted in Nanjing, China between August 2008 and March 2009. The sexual function of 609 women aged 20 -56 years from the urban area of Nanjing were investigated using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The total FSFI score of < 25 was used as the diagnostic criterion for FSD. RESULTS: The total FSFI score was 24.21 +/- 4.40 in this group of women, and it decreased with the increase of age. The overall prevalence of FSD was 56.8%, and it increased with the increase of age, 47.1%, 57.0%, 75.0% and 90.3% in the < 29 yr, 30 - 39 yr, 40 - 49 yr and > or = 50 yr groups, respectively. The most common problems were low sexual satisfaction (43.2%) and orgasm disorder (41.7%), followed by sexual pain (40.2%), hyposexuality (35.1%), vaginal dryness (31.4%) and sexual arousal disorder (29.6%). CONCLUSION: FSD is a common problem among urban Chinese women in Nanjing, and the most common sexual problems are low sexual satisfaction and orgasm disorder.

[Multivariate analysis of dyspareunia in women].

OBJECTIVE: Dyspareunia is a common sexual trouble in women during the sexual intercourse. This study is to investigate the risk factors for dyspareunia in urban Chinese women and to supply some evidence for its preventive measures. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based survey by distributing 2 658 copies of a questionnaire among the women in Nanjing urban area who came for regular physical examination in Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Hospital and their female companions aged over 20 years. The sexual function of the subjects was evaluated according to female sexual function indexes, dyspareunia indicated by sexual pain score < 4.4, and the results analyzed by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Totally, 1 856 (69.8%) of the subjects completed the questionnaire, and 1 457 that met the criteria were included for analysis, of whom 43.0% (626/1457) admitted to dyspareunia during the sexual intercourse. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age (> or = 50 years) , smoking, hysterectomy, vaginal lubrication disorder, lack of sexual communication with partners were independent risk factors for dyspareunia (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dyspareunia is associated with multiple factors including age (> or = 50 years), smoking, hysterectomy, vaginal lubrication disorder, lack of sexual communication with partners.

Solitary matter wave in spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates with helicoidal gauge potential.

We analytically and numerically study the different types of solitary wave in the two-component helicoidal spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). Adopting the multiscale perturbation method, we derive the analytical bright and dark solitary wave solutions of the system, and the stationary and moving bright (dark) solitary waves are obtained. The effects of spin-orbit coupling, the helicoidal gauge potential, the momentum, the Zeeman splitting, and the atomic interactions on the solitary wave types are discussed, and it is found that the coupling of these physical parameters can manipulate different types of solitary waves in the system. The results indicate that the helicoidal gauge potential breaks the symmetric properties of the energy band of the system and adjusts the energy band structure, thus further effecting the solitary wave properties, i.e., stationary or moving solitary wave, bright, or dark solitary wave. Correspondingly, the analytical predictions for exciting stationary or moving bright (dark) solitary wave in parameter space are obtained. In particular, the helicoidal gauge potential changes the solitary wave types drastically for the weak spin-orbit coupling, i.e., in the absence of the helicoidal gauge potential, only dark (bright) solitary wave solutions exist in the system with repulsive (attractive) atomic interaction; however, in the presence of the helicoidal gauge potential, both dark and bright solitary waves can exist in the system regardless of whether the atomic interaction is repulsive or attractive. In addition, we investigate the stability of solitary waves and obtain the stability regions of different types of solitary waves by applying the linear stability analysis. The dynamic evolution results of the solitary waves by the direct numerical simulation not only validate the linear stability analysis but also confirm the analytical prediction of the solitary waves. Finally, the collision effects between solitary waves are also presented by the numerical simulation. It is shown that the interactions between solitary waves in the system have both elastic and inelastic collisions, which are closely related to the position of solitary wave states in the linear energy band. Our results provide a potential way to adjust the types of solitary waves in BECs with helicoidal gauge potential.

Ground-state phase and superfluidity of tunable spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates.

We theoretically study the ground-state phases and superfluidity of tunable spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) under the periodic driving of Raman coupling. An effective time-independent Floquet Hamiltonian is proposed by using a high-frequency approximation, and we find single-particle dispersion, spin-orbit-coupling, and asymmetrical nonlinear two-body interaction can be modulated effectively by the periodic driving. The critical Raman coupling characterizing the phase transition and relevant physical quantities in three different phases (the stripe phase, plane-wave phase, and zero momentum phase) are obtained analytically. Our results indicate that the boundary of ground-state phases can be controlled and the system will undergo three different phase transitions by adjusting the external driving. Interestingly, we find the contrast of the stripe density can be enhanced by the periodic driving in the stripe phase. We also study the superfluidity of tunable spin-orbit-coupled BECs and find the dynamical instability can be tuned by the periodic driving of Raman coupling. Furthermore, the sound velocity of the ground-state and superfluidity state can be controlled effectively by tuning the periodic driving strength. Our results indicate that the periodic driving of Raman coupling provides a powerful tool to manipulate the ground-state phase transition and dynamical instability of spin-orbit-coupled BECs.

Stability and superfluidity of the Bose-Einstein condensate in a two-leg ladder with magnetic field.

The stability and superfluidity of the Bose-Einstein condensate in two-leg ladder with magnetic field are studied. The dispersion relation and the phase diagram of the system are obtained. Three phases are revealed: the Meissner phase, the biased ladder (BL) phase, and the vortex phase. The dispersion relation and phase transition of the system strongly depend on the magnitude of atomic interaction strength, the rung-to-leg coupling ratio and the magnetic flux. Particularly, the change of the energy band structure in the phase transition region is modified significantly by the atomic interaction strength. Furthermore, based on the Bogoliubov theory, the energetic and dynamical stability of the system are invested. The stability phase diagram in the full parameter space is presented, and the dependence of superfluidity on the dispersion relation is illustrated explicitly. The atomic interaction strength can produce dynamical instability in the energetic unstable region and can expand the superfluid region. The results show that the stability of the system can be controlled by the atomic interaction strength, the rung-to-leg coupling ratio and the magnetic flux. In addition, the excitation spectrums in the Meissner phase, BL phase and vortex phase are further studied. The modulation of the excitation spectrum and the energetic stability of the system by the atomic interaction strength, the rung-to-leg coupling ratio and magnetic flux is discussed. Finally, through the numerical simulation, the dynamical instability of the system is verified by the time evolution of the Bloch wave and rung current. This provides a theoretical basis for controlling the superfluidity of the system.

Localization and spin dynamics of spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in deep optical lattices.

We analytically and numerically discuss the dynamics of two pseudospin components Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in deep optical lattices. Rich localized phenomena, such as breathers, solitons, self-trapping, and diffusion, are revealed and strongly depend on the strength of the atomic interaction, SOC, Raman detuning, and the spin polarization (i.e., the initial population difference of atoms between the two pseudospin components of BECs). The critical conditions for the transition of localized states are derived analytically. Based on the critical conditions, the detailed dynamical phase diagram describing the different dynamical regimes is derived. When the Raman detuning satisfies a critical condition, localized states with a fixed initial spin polarization can be observed. When the critical condition is not satisfied, we use two quenching methods, i.e., suddenly and linearly quenching Raman detuning from the soliton or breather state, to discuss the spin dynamics, phase transition, and wave packet dynamics by numerical simulation. The sudden quenching results in a damped oscillation of spin polarization and transforms the system to a new polarized state. Interestingly, the linear quenching of Raman detuning induces a controllable phase transition from an unpolarized phase to an expected polarized phase, while the soliton or breather dynamics is maintained.

Brain structural alterations in MDD patients with gastrointestinal symptoms: Evidence from the REST-meta-MDD project.

OBJECTIVE: While gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are very common in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), few studies have investigated the neural basis behind these symptoms. In this study, we sought to elucidate the neural basis of GI symptoms in MDD patients by analyzing the changes in regional gray matter volume (GMV) and gray matter density (GMD) in brain structure. METHOD: Subjects were recruited from 13 clinical centers and categorized into three groups, each of which is based on the presence or absence of GI symptoms: the GI symptoms group (MDD patients with at least one GI symptom), the non-GI symptoms group (MDD patients without any GI symptoms), and the healthy control group (HCs). Structural magnetic resonance images (MRI) were collected of 335 patients in the GI symptoms group, 149 patients in the non-GI symptoms group, and 446 patients in the healthy control group. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) was administered to all patients. Correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to determine if there was a correlation between the altered brain regions and the clinical symptoms. RESULTS: There were significantly higher HAMD-17 scores in the GI symptoms group than that of the non-GI symptoms group (P < 0.001). Both GMV and GMD were significant different among the three groups for the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus, left lingual gyrus, bilateral caudate nucleus, right Fusiform gyrus and bilateral Thalamus (GRF correction, cluster-P < 0.01, voxel-P < 0.001). Compared to the HC group, the GI symptoms group demonstrated increased GMV and GMD in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, and the non-GI symptoms group demonstrated an increased GMV and GMD in the right superior temporal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus and decreased GMV in the right Caudate nucleus (GRF correction, cluster-P < 0.01, voxel-P < 0.001). Compared to the non-GI symptoms group, the GI symptoms group demonstrated significantly increased GMV and GMD in the bilateral thalamus, as well as decreased GMV in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus and bilateral insula lobe (GRF correction, cluster-P < 0.01, voxel-P < 0.001). While these changed brain areas had significantly association with GI symptoms (P < 0.001), they were not correlated with depressive symptoms (P > 0.05). Risk factors for gastrointestinal symptoms in MDD patients (p < 0.05) included age, increased GMD in the right thalamus, and decreased GMV in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus and left Insula lobe. CONCLUSION: MDD patients with GI symptoms have more severe depressive symptoms. MDD patients with GI symptoms exhibited larger GMV and GMD in the bilateral thalamus, and smaller GMV in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus and bilateral insula lobe that were correlated with GI symptoms, and some of them and age may contribute to the presence of GI symptoms in MDD patients.

Expanded human cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells salvage infarcted myocardium in rats with acute myocardial infarction.

1. Cell transplantation has promise as a therapeutic option for restoring impaired heart function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the optimal cell type to use remains controversial. We investigated the therapeutic efficacy and feasibility of intramyocardial transplantation of human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (hUCB-EPC) in rats with AMI. 2. The Wistar rats myocardial infarction model was established by ligating the left anterior descending artery. The labelled hUCB-EPC were transplanted through intramyocardial injection. Left ventricular function was assessed using a pressure-volume catheter and echocardiogram. Anti-VIII immunohistochemistry staining was used to reflect the degree of angiogenesis in peri-infarcted areas by calculating the average capillary density. The fibrosis degree of infarcted myocardium was analysed by Masson staining and the collagen volume fraction was calculated. 3. The labelled donor endothelial progenitor cells were detected in the new microvessels in host myocardium by double-positive staining with CM-Dil and FITC-UEA-l. An increase in left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular fractional shortening, left ventricular end-systolic pressure, first derivative of left ventricular pressure (+dP/dtmax and -dP/dtmax), as well as a decrease in the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in rats with cell therapy indicated a significant improvement in global heart function. The cell therapy group had increased microvessel formation and a decreased degree of myocardial fibrosis compared to the control group. Moreover, the degree of myocardial fibrosis was less than that of the control group. 4. The improved global heart function and decreased cardiac fibrosis in rats with AMI implies the potential benefit of hUCB-EPC transplantation.

[Male factors in repeated spontaneous abortion].

Repeated spontaneous abortion (RSA), with very complicated pathogenesis, has an incidence of about 0.5% 2.0%. As for the paternal part which provides half of the genes for the embryo, current studies mainly focus on the genes of somatic cells or germ cells. Chromosome abnormality of somatic cells, chromosome disorder of sperm, defects in sperm quality, genetic mutation, senility, infection and any other paternal gene abnormalities that affect the embryo would induce RSA. This paper presents an update on the above mentioned paternal factors which might result in RSA.

Stability and quantum escape dynamics of spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in the shallow trap.

The Bose-Einstein condensates in a finite depth potential well provide an ideal platform to study the quantum escape dynamics. In this paper, the ground state, tunneling, and diffusion dynamics of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of Bose-Einstein condensates with two pseudospin components in a shallow trap are studied analytically and numerically. The phase transition between the plane-wave phase and zero-momentum phase of the ground state is obtained. Furthermore, the stability of the ground state is discussed, and the stability diagram in the parameter space is provided. The bound state (in which condensates are stably trapped in the potential well), the quasibound state (in which condensates tunnel through the well), and the unstable state (in which diffusion occurs) are revealed. We find that the finite depth potential well has an important effect on the phase transition of the ground state, and, interestingly, SOC can stabilize the system against the diffusion and manipulate the tunneling and diffusion dynamics. In particular, spatial anisotropic tunneling and diffusion dynamics of the two pseudospin components induced by SOC in quasibound and unstable states are observed. We provide an effective model and method to study and control the quantum tunneling and diffusion dynamics.