Tamm-cavity terahertz detector.

Efficiently fabricating a cavity that can achieve strong interactions between terahertz waves and matter would allow researchers to exploit the intrinsic properties due to the long wavelength in the terahertz waveband. Here we show a terahertz detector embedded in a Tamm cavity with a record Q value of 1017 and a bandwidth of only 469 MHz for direct detection. The Tamm-cavity detector is formed by embedding a substrate with an Nb5N6 microbolometer detector between an Si/air distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) and a metal reflector. The resonant frequency can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the substrate layer. The detector and DBR are fabricated separately, and a large pixel-array detector can be realized by a very simple assembly process. This versatile cavity structure can be used as a platform for preparing high-performance terahertz devices and opening up the study of the strong interactions between terahertz waves and matter.

An investigation into the HIF-dependent intestinal barrier protective mechanism of Qingchang Wenzhong decoction in ulcerative colitis management.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, non-specific inflammatory disease affecting the colon and rectum with an etiology that remains elusive. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used on long-term UC treatment to better maintain the efficacy than traditional aminosalicylic acid or glucocorticosteroids and to ease financial burden of patients. Qingchang Wenzhong Decoction (QCWZD) is a modern TCM decoction with established clinical efficacy but the mechanism of its protection on intestinal barrier function remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: Current findings highlight that the activation of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway can facilitate the repair of intestinal epithelium barrier. This study is to investigate the protective effects of QCWZD and its HIF-targeted ingredients on hypoxia-dependent intestinal barrier. METHODS: The mice model of UC was induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Disease activity index (DAI) and histopathology scores and colon length were used to measure the severity of colitis. The DAO activity in serum and protein expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins were detected to explore the function of intestinal barrier. The protein levels of HIF-1α and its downstream gene heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were measured as well. HIF-targeted active ingredients in QCWZD were selected by network pharmacology and molecular docking. Protective effects of six constituents on HIF-related anti-oxidative and barrier protective pathway were evaluated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced HT29 and RAW264.7 cells, through the measurement of the production of ROS and mRNA level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. HIF-1α knockdown was carried out to explore the correlation of protection effects with HIF-related pathway of the active ingredients. RESULTS: QCWZD effectively alleviated colitis induced by DSS and demonstrated a protective effect on intestinal barrier function by upregulating HIF-related pathways. Six specific ingredients in QCWZD, targeting HIF, successfully reduced the production of cellular ROS and proinflammatory cytokines in LPS-induced cells. It is noteworthy that the barrier protection provided by these molecules is intricately linked with the HIF-related pathway. CONCLUSIONS: This study elucidates the HIF-related molecular mechanism of QCWZD in protecting the function of the epithelial barrier. Six compounds targeting the activation of the HIF-dependent pathway were demonstrated to unveil a novel therapeutic approach for managing UC.

A new species of the Achalinus rufescens complex (Xenodermidae: Achalinus) from Fujian Province, China.

A new species of the xenodermid snake genus Achalinus Peters, 1869 is described from Fujian Province, China, based on six specimens. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses based on a mitochondrial DNA fragment (CO1) indicated the new taxon is different from its congeners (pdistance ≥ 18.5%). Morphologically, the new species can be diagnosed from the other species by a combination of following characters: (1) dorsal scales 23 rows throughout, strongly keeled, the most outer rows on both sides also keeled and slightly enlarged; (2) tail relatively longer, TaL/TL ratio 0.260.29 in males, 0.210.22 in females; (3) maxillary teeth 3033; (4) length of suture between internasals significantly longer than that between prefrontals; (5) nasal divided into two sections by nasal cleft; (6) a single loreal; (7) SPO 1, seldom 2; (8) SPL 6, the fourth and fifth contacting eye; (9) IFL5, rarely 6, the first three touching the first pair of chin shields; (10) TMP 79, arranged in three rows; (11) VS 142149 in males, VS 152154 in females; (12) SC 7481 in males, SC 6365 in females, arranged in a single row; (13) cloacal entire; (14) greyish brown above, pale yellow beneath; (15) dorsum with an indistinct longitudinal vertebral stripe. The description of the new species brings the total species of Achalinus to 19.

IPDN-China promotes the development of pediatric dialysis in China.

BACKGROUND: In mainland China, dialysis for children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was not introduced until the 1980s. To describe the development of pediatric dialysis in different regions of China, a national pediatric dialysis network, namely, International Pediatric Dialysis Network-China (IPDN-China) ( www.pedpd.org.cn ), was launched in 2012. METHODS: Original and updated information from the renal centers registered with the IPDN-China was collected between 2012 and 2016 from two sources, namely, the registry and the survey, and demographic features were analyzed. RESULTS: Due to promotion by the IPDN-China, the number of registered renal centers increased from 12 to 39 between 2012 and 2016, with a significant increase in the coverage of the Chinese administrative divisions (from 26.5 to 67.6%) (p < 0.01); and the coverage of the pediatric (0~14 years old) population increased to nearly 90% in 2016. The distribution of renal centers indicated that East China had the highest average number of registered centers per million population (pmp) 0~14-year-old age group. Seventeen relatively large dialysis centers were distributed across 14 divisions. Various modalities of renal replacement therapy (RRT) were available in most centers. The IPDN-China has promoted collaborations between dieticians, psychologists, and social workers on dialysis teams to provide better service to children with ESRD and their families. The proportion of centers with all three types of paramedic support (i.e., dieticians, psychologists, and social workers) as well as the proportion of centers with a partial paramedic team significantly increased between 2012 (25.0%) and 2016 (69.2%) (p < 0.05). In terms of the point prevalent cases of patients (aged < 18 years), data from the survey of 39 registered centers revealed that the number of children with ESRD who were on RRT was 578 (49% received a kidney transplant) at the end of 2016, which was more than that reported in previous surveys. Data from the registry showed that 349 dialysis patients had been enrolled as of the end of 2016. The median age at RRT start was 9.5 years, and the leading cause of ESRD was congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). CONCLUSIONS: The IPDN-China has helped to promote the development of pediatric dialysis for ESRD in China by improving the organization of care for dialysis patients and increasing the availability and the quality of RRT for patients who need it. To improve knowledge about the epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric RRT around the country, a sustained effort needs to be made by the IPDN-China to increase the enrollment of dialysis patients and increase the number of registered centers in the future.

Demonstration of a superconducting nanowire single photon detector with an ultrahigh polarization extinction ratio over 400.

Polarization sensitive photo-detectors are the key to the implementation of the polarimetric imaging systems, which are proved to have superior performance than their traditional counterparts based on intensity discriminations. In this article, we report the demonstration of a superconducting nanowire single photon detector (SNSPD) of which the response is ultra-sensitive to the polarization state of the incident photons. Measurements carried out on a fabricated SNSPD show that a device efficiency of ~48% can be achieved at 1550 nm for the case of parallel polarization, which is ~420 times larger than that for the case of perpendicular polarization. While the reported polarization ultra-sensitive technique is demonstrated on a single-pixel SNSPD, it is also fully compatible with the multi-pixel SNSPD array platforms that emerged recently.

Downregulated NLRP3 and NLRP1 inflammasomes signaling pathways in the development and progression of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: NLRP3 and NLRP1 inflammasomes signaling pathways may play an important role in the development and progression of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, relative research is rare. METHODS: The blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and granulocytes (GCs) were collected from T1DM patients. The mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The NLRP3/NLRP1was knocked down by transfected with siRNA, or ovexpressed by infected with lentiviral vectors in PBMCs and GCs from non obese diabetic (NOD) mice, respectively. The occurrence of diabetes was evaluated and the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance was tested in NOD mice with IL-1 receptor-associated kinase-M deficiency (IRAK-M-/-). The pancreas and lymphonodus of IRAK-M-/- NOD mice were also collected for detection of NLRP3/NLRP1 expression. RESULTS: NLRP3, NLRP1, Caspase-1and IL-1ß were significantly downregulated in the PBMCs and GCs of patients with T1DM, and NLRP3 and NLRP1 were markedly downregulated in T1DM patients with DKA compared to that with ND and CC. Further study indicated that IL-1ß mRNA expression level was positively correlated with the expression levels of NLRP3, NLRP1 and Caspase-1. Besides, NLRP3/NLRP1 knockdown decreased the expression levels of Caspase-1 and IL-1ß; whereas NLRP3/NLRP1 overexpression increased the expression levels of Caspase-1 and IL-1ß in vitro. IRAK-M-/- NOD mice had early onset and rapid progression of T1DM, and weak glucose tolerance, which was regarded as an early T1D mouse model. The mRNA expression levels of NLRP3, NLRP1, Caspase-1and IL-1ß in the pancreas and lymphonodus of IRAK-M-/- NOD mice were significantly higher compared to that of IRAK-M+/+ NOD mice. CONCLUSION: NLRP3 and NLRP1 inflammasomes signaling pathways were associated with the development and progression of T1DM, which response as protective factors in the early stage of T1DM.

Design of a polarization-insensitive superconducting nanowire single photon detector with high detection efficiency.

Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) deliver superior performance over their competitors in the near-infrared regime. However, these detectors have an intrinsic polarization dependence on the incident wave because of their one-dimensional meander structure. In this paper, we propose an approach to eliminate the polarization sensitivity of SNSPDs by using near-field optics to increase the absorption of SNSPDs under transverse magnetic (TM) illumination. In addition, an optical cavity is added to our SNSPD to obtain nearly perfect absorption of the incident wave. Numerical simulations show that the maximum absorption of a designed SNSPD can reach 96% at 1550 nm, and indicate that the absorption difference between transverse electric (TE) and TM polarization is less than 0.5% across a wavelength window of 300 nm. Our work provides the first demonstration of the possibility of designing a polarization-insensitive and highly efficient SNSPD without performing device symmetry improvements.

Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in urinary tract infection diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Urinary infections are a common type of pediatric disease, and their treatment and prognosis are closely correlated with infection location. Common clinical manifestations and laboratory tests are insufficient to differentiate between acute pyelonephritis and lower urinary tract infection. This study was conducted to explore a diagnostic method for upper and lower urinary tract infection differentiation. METHODS: The diagnostic values of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic curve method for upper and lower urinary tract infection differentiation. PCT was determined using chemiluminescent immunoassay. RESULTS: The PCT and CRP values in children with acute pyelonephritis were significantly higher than those in children with lower urinary tract infection (3.90 ± 3.51 ng/ml and 68.17 ± 39.42 mg/l vs. 0.48 ± 0.39 ng/ml and 21.39 ± 14.92 mg/l). The PCT values were correlated with the degree of renal involvement, whereas the CRP values failed to show such a significant correlation. PCT had a sensitivity of 90.47% and a specificity of 88% in predicting nephropathia, whereas CRP had sensitivity of 85.71% and a specificity of 48%. CONCLUSIONS: Both PCT and CRP can be used for upper and lower urinary tract infection differentiation, but PCT has higher sensitivity and specificity in predicting pyelonephritis than CRP. PCT showed better results than CRP. PCT values were also correlated with the degree of renal involvement.

Evaluation of right ventricle function in children with primary nephrotic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate right ventricle (RV) function in children with primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). METHODS: RV hemodynamics were evaluated by Doppler echocardiography in 50 children with PNS (aged 2.5-12 years), either at PNS onset (n = 37) or relapse (n = 13), and in 50 normal controls. Heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, RV enddiastolic and end-systolic volume, RV ejection fraction, RV end-diastolic pressure, RV peak systolic and end-systolic pressure were determined from pressure-volume loops. The maximal rates of RV pressure upstroke and fall (dP/d t(max) and dP/d t(min), respectively) were calculated. Effective pulmonary arterial elastance was calculated as end-systolic pressure divided by stroke volume. Plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were also measured. RESULTS: RV end-diastolic pressure was increased by an average of 20% in 39 of the patients with PNS, whereas RV ejection fraction was reduced by an average of 15% compared with controls (p < 0.05 for both). Cardiac output and stroke volume were maintained, indicating compensation at the expense of increased RV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and increased RV filling pressure (p < 0.05). Plasma TNF-alpha was elevated in patients with PNS (326 +/- 117 kU/L vs. 75 +/- 23 kU/L, p < 0.05); IGF-1 was similar in PNS patients and controls. CONCLUSION: Right ventricle function was impaired in children with PNS. The characteristics were unrelated to blood pressure and IGF-1, but may be correlated with TNF-alpha and disease duration. Further studies are needed to evaluate the etiology and clinical implications of this abnormality.