Edge State, Band Topology, and Time Boundary Effect in the Fine-Grained Categorization of Chern Insulators.

We predict novel topological phases with broken time-reversal symmetry supporting the coexistence of opposite chiral edge states, which are fundamentally different from the photonic spin-Hall, valley-Hall, and higher-order topological phases. We find a fine-grained categorization of Chern insulators, their band topologies characterized by identical Chern numbers are completely different. Furthermore, we prove that different topologies cause zeros in their Bloch wave function overlaps, which imprint the band gap closing and appear at the degenerate points of topological phase transition. The Bloch wave function overlaps predict the reflection and refraction at a topological time boundary, and the overlap zeros ensure the existence of vanishing revival amplitude at critical times even though different topologies before and after the time boundary have identical Chern numbers. Our findings create new opportunities for topological metamaterials, uncover the topological feature hidden in the time boundary effect as a probe of topology, and open a venue for the exploration of the rich physics originating from the long-range couplings.

Early T-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukaemia with monocytic morphology negative for CD3 by flow cytometry: A diagnostic challenge solved by immunohistochemistry.

No abstract available.

MDF-Net: A Multi-Scale Dynamic Fusion Network for Breast Tumor Segmentation of Ultrasound Images.

Breast tumor segmentation of ultrasound images provides valuable information of tumors for early detection and diagnosis. Accurate segmentation is challenging due to low image contrast between areas of interest; speckle noises, and large inter-subject variations in tumor shape and size. This paper proposes a novel Multi-scale Dynamic Fusion Network (MDF-Net) for breast ultrasound tumor segmentation. It employs a two-stage end-to-end architecture with a trunk sub-network for multiscale feature selection and a structurally optimized refinement sub-network for mitigating impairments such as noise and inter-subject variation via better feature exploration and fusion. The trunk network is extended from UNet++ with a simplified skip pathway structure to connect the features between adjacent scales. Moreover, deep supervision at all scales, instead of at the finest scale in UNet++, is proposed to extract more discriminative features and mitigate errors from speckle noise via a hybrid loss function. Unlike previous works, the first stage is linked to a loss function of the second stage so that both the preliminary segmentations and refinement subnetworks can be refined together at training. The refinement sub-network utilizes a structurally optimized MDF mechanism to integrate preliminary segmentation information (capturing general tumor shape and size) at coarse scales and explores inter-subject variation information at finer scales. Experimental results from two public datasets show that the proposed method achieves better Dice and other scores over state-of-the-art methods. Qualitative analysis also indicates that our proposed network is more robust to tumor size/shapes, speckle noise and heavy posterior shadows along tumor boundaries. An optional post-processing step is also proposed to facilitate users in mitigating segmentation artifacts. The efficiency of the proposed network is also illustrated on the "Electron Microscopy neural structures segmentation dataset". It outperforms a state-of-the-art algorithm based on UNet-2022 with simpler settings. This indicates the advantages of our MDF-Nets in other challenging image segmentation tasks with small to medium data sizes.

[Factors influencing bilirubin elevation and its correlation with UGT1A1 gene polymorphism in the early postoperative period of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt].

Objective: To investigate the factors influencing total bilirubin elevation and its correlation with UGT1A1 gene polymorphism in the early postoperative period of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Methods: 104 cases with portal hypertension and esophageal variceal hemorrhage (EVB) treated with elective TIPS treatment were selected as the study subjects and were divided into a bilirubin-elevated group and a normal bilirubin group according to the total bilirubin elevation level during the early postoperative period. Univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to analyze the factors influencing total bilirubin elevation in the early postoperative period. PCR amplification and first-generation sequencing technology were used to detect the polymorphic loci of the UGT1A1 gene promoter TATA box, enhancer c.-3279 T > G, c.211G > A, and c.686C > A. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation of four locus alleles and genotypes with elevated total bilirubin in the early postoperative period. Results: Among the 104 cases, 47 patients were in the bilirubin elevated group, including 35 males (74.5%) and 12 females (25.5%), aged (50.72 ± 12.56) years. There were 57 cases in the normal bilirubin group, including 42 males (73.7%) and 15 females (26.3%), aged (51.63 ± 11.10) years. There was no statistically significant difference in age (t = -0.391, P = 0.697) and gender (χ(2) = 0.008, P = 0.928) between the two groups of patients. Univariate analysis revealed that preoperative alanine transaminase (ALT) level (χ(2) = 5.954, P = 0.015), total bilirubin level (χ(2) = 16.638, P < 0.001), MELD score (χ(2) = 10.054, P = 0.018), Child-Pugh score (χ(2) = 6.844, P = 0.022), and postoperative portal vein branch development (χ(2) = 6.738, P = 0.034) were statistically significantly different between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative ALT level, total bilirubin level, and portal vein branch development after TIPS were correlated with the elevated total bilirubin in the early postoperative period. The polymorphism of the c.211G > A locus of the UGT1A1 gene correlation had elevated total bilirubin in the early postoperative period of TIPS. The risk of elevated total bilirubin was increased in the population carrying allele A (P = 0.001, OR = 4.049) in the early postoperative period. Allelic polymorphisms in the TATA box promoter region and enhancer c.-3279 T > G and c.686C > A had no statistically significant difference between the bilirubin-elevated group and the normal bilirubin group. Conclusion: The preoperative ALT level, total bilirubin level, and portal vein branch development are correlated with the elevated total bilirubin in early postoperative patients. The polymorphisms of the UGT1A1 gene and enhancer c.211G > A are correlated with the occurrence of elevated total bilirubin in the early postoperative period of TIPS. Allele A carrier may have a higher risk of elevated total bilirubin in the early postoperative period.

Comparing risk changes of needlestick injuries between countries adopted and not adopted the needlestick safety and prevention act: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether countries that adopted the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (NSPA) achieved a reduced risk of needlestick injuries (NSIs). METHOD: In this meta-analysis, 3 international databases (Embase, PubMed, and MEDLINE EBSCO) and 1 Chinese database (Airiti Library) were searched using appropriate keywords to retrieve relevant articles, including multiyear NSI incidences that were published after 2010. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies was used to evaluate article prevalence. A binary random-effects model was used to estimate risk ratio as summary effect. A log scale was used to evaluate differences in risk ratios of NSIs between countries that adopted versus those that did not adopt the NSPA. RESULTS: In total, 11 articles were included in the meta-analysis from 9 countries, and NSI incidence rates were surveyed between 1993 and 2016. The risk ratios of NSIs in countries with and without the NSPA were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.67-0.91) and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.85-1.12), respectively, and the ratio of risk ratios was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.65-0.98). Reduction in NSI incidence was more prominent in nurses than in physicians. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the mandatory use of safety-engineered medical devices in countries that adopted the NSPA had lower NSI incidence in healthcare workers compared with countries without needlestick safety and prevention regulatory policies. Further studies are needed to develop preventive strategies to protect against NSIs in physicians, which should be incorporated into the standards of care established by national regulatory agencies.

Expression and immunogenicity of secreted forms of bovine ephemeral fever virus glycoproteins applied to subunit vaccine development.

AIMS: Vaccines for bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) are available but are difficult to produce, expensive or suffer from genetic instability. Therefore, we designed constructs encoding C-terminally truncated forms (transmembrane anchoring region deleted) of glycoproteins G and GNS such that they were secreted from the cell into the media to achieve high-level antigen expression, correct glycosylation pattern and enable further simple purification with the V5 epitope tag. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, synthetic biology was employed to create membrane-bound and secreted forms of G and GNS glycoprotein. Mammalian cell culture was employed as an antigen expression platform, and the secreted forms of G and GNS protein were easily purified from media using a highly effective, single-step method. The V5 epitope tag was genetically fused to the C-termini of the proteins, enabling detection of the antigen through immunoblotting and immunomicroscopy. Our data demonstrated that the C-terminally truncated form of the G glycoprotein was efficiently secreted from cells into the cell media. Moreover the immunogenicity was confirmed in mice test. CONCLUSIONS: The immuno-dot blots showed that the truncated G glycoprotein was present in the total cell extract, and was clearly secreted into the media, consistent with the western blotting data and live-cell images. Our strategy presented the expression of secreted, epitope-tagged, forms of the BEFV glycoproteins such that appropriately glycosylated forms of BEFV G protein was secreted from the BHK-21 cells. This indicates that high-level expression of secreted G glycoprotein is a feasible strategy for large-scale production of vaccines and improving vaccine efficacy. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The antigen expression strategy designed in this study can produce high-quality recombinant protein and reduce the amount of antigen used in the vaccine.

Increasing comparability among coral bleaching experiments.

Coral bleaching is the single largest global threat to coral reefs worldwide. Integrating the diverse body of work on coral bleaching is critical to understanding and combating this global problem. Yet investigating the drivers, patterns, and processes of coral bleaching poses a major challenge. A recent review of published experiments revealed a wide range of experimental variables used across studies. Such a wide range of approaches enhances discovery, but without full transparency in the experimental and analytical methods used, can also make comparisons among studies challenging. To increase comparability but not stifle innovation, we propose a common framework for coral bleaching experiments that includes consideration of coral provenance, experimental conditions, and husbandry. For example, reporting the number of genets used, collection site conditions, the experimental temperature offset(s) from the maximum monthly mean (MMM) of the collection site, experimental light conditions, flow, and the feeding regime will greatly facilitate comparability across studies. Similarly, quantifying common response variables of endosymbiont (Symbiodiniaceae) and holobiont phenotypes (i.e., color, chlorophyll, endosymbiont cell density, mortality, and skeletal growth) could further facilitate cross-study comparisons. While no single bleaching experiment can provide the data necessary to determine global coral responses of all corals to current and future ocean warming, linking studies through a common framework as outlined here, would help increase comparability among experiments, facilitate synthetic insights into the causes and underlying mechanisms of coral bleaching, and reveal unique bleaching responses among genets, species, and regions. Such a collaborative framework that fosters transparency in methods used would strengthen comparisons among studies that can help inform coral reef management and facilitate conservation strategies to mitigate coral bleaching worldwide.

[Using text mining to identify gap in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome related information dissemination between the official channel delivery and the needs of adolescents].

Objective: The study intends to identify gap in HIV/AIDS awareness dissemination between the official channel delivery and the needs of adolescents. Methods: We crawled all the HIV/AIDS queries from "Baidu zhidao" till June 11st, 2018. "Baidu zhidao" inquiry and information form official public service announcement (abbreviated for "official delivery" hereafter) were the data source for comparative analysis. We categorized the text data into four kinds, "prevention", "testing and treatment", "symptoms and infection" and "legalization and policies" according to official categorization. Word segmentation was used for text mining and word frequency statistics, as well word cloud was used for word frequency visualization (all based on a comparison after removing the useless words). Results: Of the official delivery, the proportion of prevention category accounted for 32.3% (n=162) (ranks 1st), and the proportion of legalization and policies category was 14.1% (n=71). While among the "Baidu zhidao" inquiry information, the proportion of testing and treatment category accounted for 51.7% (n=51 264), and the proportion of prevention category accounted for 11.4% (n=11 272). The frequencies of same terms/ repeated terms of two channels accounted for 60% (59.3%-63.9%) of each category among the official delivery, of which, the proportion of interest terms comparatively less and more diverse in "Baidu zhidao" inquiries. The proportion of the terms frequency of each category was about 45% in "prevention, testing and treatment", 34.3% (n=14 781) in "symptoms and infection" and 17.0% (n=5 744) in "legalization and policies", respectively. Conclusion: A big gap was identified between the available official source and inquiries' term, especially word frequency discrepancy between "legalization and policies" and "prevention" categories. It underscore the necessity for the official channel to address the needs and interests of adolescents in the future.

Frequent loss of CD10 expression in follicular lymphoma with leukaemic presentation.

INTRODUCTION: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is usually a nodal lymphoma expressing CD10, rarely with leukaemic presentation (FL-LP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched for FL-LP in our institution from 2000 to 2018 and characterised the neoplastic cells by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Thirteen (6.1%) of 212 FL cases were FL-LP, all de novo neoplasms. The leukaemic cells were small in 12 cases and large in one. All had concurrent FL, mostly (92%; 12/13) low-grade. The single case with large leukaemic cells had a concurrent primary splenic low-grade FL and a double-hit large B-cell lymphoma in the marrow. RESULTS: CD10 was expressed in the leukaemic cells in 38% (5/13) cases by flow cytometry and in 77% (10/13) cases in tumours (p= 0.0471). IGH/BCL2 reciprocal translocation was identified in 85% (11/13) cases. Most patients were treated with chemotherapy. In a median follow-up time of 36 months, nine patients were in complete remission. The 2- and 5-year survival rates were at 100% and 83%, respectively. In this study, we characterised a series of de novo FL-LP in Taiwan. All patients had concurrent nodal and/or tissue tumours, which might suggest that these patients seek medical help too late. CONCLUSION: The lower CD10 expression rate by flow cytometry than by immunohistochemistry might be due to different epitopes for these assays. Alternatively, loss of CD10 expression might play a role in the pathogenesis of leukaemic change. The clinical course of FL-LP could be aggressive, but a significant proportion of the patients obtained complete remission with chemotherapy.

Assessment of immunization regimens of duck Riemerella anatipestifer vaccines.

AIMS: Riemerella anatipestifer infections of goslings and ducklings can result in high mortality. Since there are at least 21 serotypes of R. anatipestifer, cross-protection is an important goal for vaccine development. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we evaluated the immunostimulatory effect of different immunization regimens - the traditional inactivated vaccine vs prime-boost regimens using DNA and protein subunit vaccines (DNA+subunit, subunit+subunit, subunit+inactivated and DNA+DNA). Results showed that, when compared to the inactivated vaccine, prime-boost regimens induced higher and up to 16-week longer lasting levels of antibody responses, significantly elevated the percentage of the cytotoxic CD8+ T cell and higher expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-12 mRNAs. Furthermore, as an indication of cross-protection, sera from prime-boost regimens were able to recognize lysates of R. anatipestifer serotypes 1, 2 and 6. CONCLUSIONS: Prime-boost regimens especially DNA-prime and protein-boost, induce strong long-term immune response and may prove protective for breeder ducks requiring long-term protection. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: It is worth mentioning that the subunit+inactivated regimen group also elicited strong immune response. The cost of this regimen may only be half of the other prime-boost regimens, making this subunit + inactivated combination an attractive option.

High sugar-sweetened beverage intake frequency is associated with smoking, irregular meal intake and higher serum uric acid in Taiwanese adolescents.

Types of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) can differ greatly between countries, with greater consumption of sweetened tea in Asia. This study aimed to understand changes in SSB consumption by adolescents in Taiwan over 18 years and their association with demographic characteristics and clinical outcome. This study used survey data from the 1993-1996 and 2010-2011 Nutrition and Health Surveys in Taiwan. Participants were high school students aged 13 to 18 years. Data were weighted and analysed using SUDAAN 11.0 and SAS 9.4. Participants were asked about intake frequencies of SSB and were grouped into four different SSB intake groups based on the combination of high or low frequency (including moderate frequency) of intake of sweetened tea and soda/sports/energy drinks. Results indicated over 99 % of teens reported having at least one SSB in the past week. Smoking status was significantly associated with SSB intake types with high tea intake (high tea and low soda (HL) group, OR 7·56, P < 0·001; high tea and high soda (HH) group, OR 9·96, P < 0·001). After adjustment for potential confounders, adolescents in the low tea and high soda (LH) group (ß = 0·05, P = 0·034) had significantly higher mean serum uric acid values. In conclusion, sugary tea remains the SSB of choice for Taiwanese adolescents. Those with a frequent intake of soda/sports/energy drinks had a higher chance of being hyperuricaemic.

Reperfusion using lactate Ringer's mixture partially eliminates IGF II receptor involved cardiac damage caused by hemorrhagic shock in diabetic rats.

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that damages many organs. We investigated the effects of reperfusion using lactate Ringer's solution (LR) in a diabetic animal model. Eight-week-old rats were divided into groups: control, hemorrhagic shock induced (HS), diabetes mellitus (DM), DM plus HS (DM + HS) and DM rats that received LR after HS (DM + HS + LR). HS was induced by withdrawing blood from the femoral artery and arterial pressure was maintained at 40 mm Hg for 1 h. Animals were perfused with either withdrawn blood or LR. Rats were sacrificed and hearts were collected from all groups. Histopathological studies were performed using left ventricles and western blotting analysis was performed using protein extracted from the left ventricle. Using the TUNEL assay, we found more apoptotic cells in the DM + HS group compared to the control group, whereas in animals resuscitated with LR, the number of apoptotic cells was reduced. Western blotting showed a significant reduction in apoptotic markers, cyt c, cas 9 and cas 3, and increased survival markers, pPI3K and pAKT, in the DM + HS + LR group. Reperfusion with LR may have therapeutic effects on trauma induced HS by blocking the IGF II R facilitated apoptosis pathway in diabetic rats.

MiR-296-3p may affect the proliferation and migration of non-small cell lung cancer cells via regulating RABL3.

OBJECTIVE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The pathogenesis of NSCLC has not yet been fully understood, and the therapeutic efficacy of current anti-NSCLC medication remains unsatisfactory. Previous studies indicated that miR-296-3p was down-regulated in NSCLC, suggesting that miR-296-3p may participate in the pathogenesis of NSCLC; however, the specific mechanisms still need to be further explored. The aim of this work is to investigate the roles of miR-296-3p in NSCLC and the related mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty NSCLC tissue and paired adjacent tissue were collected, and Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to examine the expression of miR-296-3p in cancer tissue and the adjacent tissue. Next, A549 cells were cultured and transfected with miR-296-3p mimics, and cell migration and invasion were determined using scratch wound-healing and transwell assays. Moreover, Western blot assay was performed to determine the effect of miR-296-3p on the expression of Rab-like 3 (RABL3), Matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2, Janus kinase (JAK) and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3); next, Dual-Luciferase reporter assay has been conducted to prove the direct targeting relationship between miR-296-3p and RABL3. Finally, the cells of different treatments were subcutaneously implanted into nude mice to investigate the effect of miR-296-3p mimics in the xenograft mice tumor models. RESULTS: Our data indicated that miR-296-3p was significantly down-regulated and RABL3 was markedly up-regulated in NSCLC tissue compared with the adjacent tissue. Moreover, transient over-expression of miR-296-3p in A549 cells induced a significant decrease in the proliferation and invasion ability of A549 cells, as well as decreased expression of RABL3, MMP-2, JAK and STAT3. Furthermore, the Dual-Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that RABL3 is a direct target of miR-296-3p. Finally, the results of animal studies indicated that miR-296-3p can regulate the tumorigenesis of A549 cells in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings proved that miR-296-3p may play a role as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo, and we first reported that miR-296-3p can regulate the migration and invasion of A549 cells via targeting RABL3. Our data suggested that miR-296-3p may serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating NSCLC.

KHC-4 inhibits ß-catenin expression in prostate cancer cells.

KHC-4 is a 2-phenyl-4-quinolone analogue that exhibits anticancer activity. Aberrant activation of ß-catenin signaling contributes to prostate cancer development and progression. Therefore, targeting ß-catenin expression could be a useful approach to treating prostate cancer. We found that KHC-4 can inhibit ß-catenin expression and its signaling pathway in DU145 prostate cancer cells. Treatment with KHC-4 decreased total ß-catenin expression and concomitantly decreased ß-catenin levels in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. KHC-4 treatment also inhibited ß-catenin expression and that of its target proteins, PI3K, AKT, GSK3ß and TBX3. We monitored the stability of ß-catenin with the proteasomal inhibitor, MG132, in DU145 cells and found that MG132 reversed KHC-4-induced proteasomal ß-catenin degradation. We verified CDK1/ß-catenin expression in KHC-4 treated DU145 cells. We found that roscovitine treatment reversed cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and ß-catenin expression caused by KHC-4 treatment. We suggest that KHC-4 inhibits ß-catenin signaling in DU145 prostate cancer cells.

A DNA priming and protein boosting immunization scheme to augment immune responses against parvovirus in ducks.

AIMS: To evaluate the effect of a DNA priming and protein boosting immunization scheme in ducks. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pekin ducks were immunized with pTCY/VP2 DNA vaccine; on day 14 (D14) after primary immunization, the ducks were boosted with either the same vaccine (DNA + DNA) or the rVP2 vaccine (DNA + rVP2). CpG oligodeoxynucleotides containing three copies of GACGTT motifs were used as the adjuvant in the vaccines. Compared with unimmunized controls, both immunization schemes significantly increased the titre of antigen-specific antibodies, lymphocyte proliferation index, percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and mRNA expression of interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-12 in antigen-stimulated PBMCs. Furthermore, compared with the DNA + DNA homologous scheme, the DNA + rVP2 heterologous scheme significantly increased lymphocyte proliferation, percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cells in PBMCs and upregulation of mRNA expression of cytokines 2 weeks after the boost (D28). CONCLUSIONS: The DNA + rVP2 immunization scheme enhanced immune responses, mainly Th1 type, against parvovirus in ducks. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The DNA priming and protein boosting heterologous immunization strategy can be applied to develop vaccines against viral infections in ducks. It can potentially be used in breeding ducks because of long-term immunity may confer protection for ducklings.

Recombinant ApxIV protein enhances protective efficacy against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in mice and pigs.

AIMS: Available bacterins, commercial or autogenous, for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae disease control have, thus far, shown debatable protective efficacy and only in homologous challenges. Our study sought to determine whether the addition of reombinant protein ApxIV to the multicomponent vaccine could enhance protection against homologous and heterologous challenge of A. pleuropneumoniae. METHODS AND RESULTS: The virulence of ApxI, ApxII, ApxIV and OMP were cloned and expressed using a prokaryotic system; these recombinant proteins were combined with inactivated A. pleuropneumoniae serovar 1 to formulate different multicomponent vaccines. Immune response and protective efficacy of the vaccines were evaluated in mice and pigs. A protection rate of 67% was observed against heterologous challenge in mice vaccinated with the rApxIV formulation. Piglets vaccinated with vaccine containing ApxIV produced significantly higher antibody titre and provided complete protection and reduced gross lesions by 67% when compared with the nonimmunized group after homologous challenge. Additionally, flow cytometry analysis showed significant cellular immune response. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our vaccination experiments revealed that a combination of inactivated bacteria and the recombinant antigens rApxI, rApxII, rApxIV and rOMP can provide effective protection against heterologous A. pleuropneumoniae challenge. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The addition of ApxIV to the multicomponent vaccine could enhance homologous and heterologous protection in mice and pigs, respectively, against challenge by A. pleuropneumoniae.

Risk of age-related macular degeneration in patients with prostate cancer: a nationwide, population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PC) can be related to increased systemic oxidative stress and dihydrotestosterone level, which are also reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We conducted a cohort study to determine whether patients with PC have an increased risk of AMD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were collected from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database for the 1999-2010 period. The study PC cohort comprised 22 084 patients aged ≥18 years with a first diagnosis of PC. The comparison cohort consisted of age-, occupation-, and urbanization level-matched patients at a ratio of 1 : 1. The primary outcome was the incidence of AMD, which was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and proportional hazards modeling. RESULTS: The mean follow-up periods (standard deviation) for the patients with AMD in the age-, occupation-, and urbanization level-matched PC cohort and non-PC cohorts were 4.69 (2.90) and 5.51 (2.82) years. The mean age of the PC cohort was 73.9 years and that of the non-PC cohort was 73.2 years, with approximately 85.9% of the patients aged >65 years. The PC cohort had a higher risk of AMD than did the propensity score-matched non-PC cohort with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.25 (95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.39). Compared with PC cohort receiving no injection hormone therapy, the PC cohort receiving injection hormone therapy had a lower risk of AMD (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.76). CONCLUSION: PC is associated with an increased risk of AMD. Patients with PC receiving injected form of androgen deprivation therapy had a lower risk of AMD than patients with PC not receiving injected form of androgen-deprivation therapy.

Terahertz generation from laser-driven ultrafast current propagation along a wire target.

Generation of intense coherent THz radiation by obliquely incidenting an intense laser pulse on a wire target is studied using particle-in-cell simulation. The laser-accelerated fast electrons are confined and guided along the surface of the wire, which then acts like a current-carrying line antenna and under appropriate conditions can emit electromagnetic radiation in the THz regime. For a driving laser intensity ∼3×10^{18}W/cm^{2} and pulse duration ∼10 fs, a transient current above 10 KA is produced on the wire surface. The emission-cone angle of the resulting ∼0.15 mJ (∼58 GV/m peak electric field) THz radiation is ∼30^{∘}. The conversion efficiency of laser-to-THz energy is ∼0.75%. A simple analytical model that well reproduces the simulated result is presented.

Generation of Gigawatt Circularly Polarized Attosecond-Pulse Pairs.

A novel scheme for generating a pair of gigawatt attosecond pulses by coherent Thomson scattering from relativistic electron sheets is proposed. With a circularly polarized relativistic laser pulse, the scattered x-ray signal can have a saddlelike temporal profile, where the lower electromagnetic frequencies are found mostly in the center region of this saddlelike profile. By filtering out the latter, we can obtain two few-attosecond pulses separated by a subfemtosecond interval, which is tunable by controlling the energy of the sheet electrons. Such a pulse pair can be useful for an attosecond pump probe at an unprecedented time resolution and for ultrafast chiral studies in molecules and materials.