Subwavelength dichroic demultiplexer based on double Fabry-Perot cavities.

Plasmonic demultiplexers hold promise for the realization of the subwavelength and high-splitting ratio dichroic splitter and have a wide range of applications from optical communication, and manipulation to ultrafast data treatment. However, this vision has not been realized for a long time due to lacking the suitable splitting structure design, which limits its further development of integrated photonic circuits. Here, we demonstrate a plasmonic demultiplexer with subwavelength feature size (0.54 µm) and broadband spectral (620-870 nm) range, and high-splitting ratio (17 dB in experiments and 20 dB in calculations). It consists of two adjacent Fabry-Perot cavities (covered by PMMA polymer) and coupling gratings, which are integrated with the Au waveguide. The relatively simple double cavities design of our device has a simple theoretical analysis and fabrication process. Our work has relevance for various optical applications, such as multiple wavelength photodetectors and optical multichannel interconnects.

Effectiveness of antibiotics loaded bone cement in primary total knee arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The application of antibiotics loaded bone cement (ALBC) in the revision of failed total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been widely accepted to reduce risk of peri-prosthetic infection. However, the prophylactic use of ALBC in primary TKA remains controversial. This study was aimed to identify the prophylactic effect on peri-prosthetic infection and safety of ALBC in primary TKA. HYPOTHESIS: The application of ALBC could reduce the risk of peri-prosthetic infection in primary TKA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic platforms including PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were retrieved to identify studies comparing outcomes of prophylactic ALBC and plain cement in primary TKA. For outcomes reported as dichotomous variable and continuous variable, risk ratio (RR) and weighted mean difference (WMD) as well as their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were selected as the effect sizes for pooling. While for those outcomes reported the adjusted effect sizes such as odds ratio (OR, derived from multivariate logistic regression), and hazard ratio (HR, derived from multivariate COX proportional hazard model), the reported effect sizes were selected for pooling. RESULTS: A total of 17 studies with 2,074,844 patients (1,093,920 in ALBC group and 980,924 in plain cement group) were eligible for final inclusion. No significant difference was found between ALBC and plain cement groups both for the unadjusted (RR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.86∼1.21, p=0.832) and adjusted (OR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.76∼1.17, p=0.596) peri-prosthetic infection rate. ALBC application was related to significantly increased length of hospital stay (WMD=0.13, 95% CI: 0.10∼0.17, p<0.001). There was no significance on the difference of operation related adverse events between two groups (RR=1.31, 95% CI: 0.68∼2.52, p=0.420). Significantly increased risks of acute renal failure and readmission, and temporarily increased ototoxicity in ALBC group were reported in one of the primary study. DISCUSSION: There is no sufficient evidence supporting decreased peri-prosthetic infection rate with ALBC application in primary TKA. What's more, it must be taken into consideration about the safety and added cost of additional impregnated antibiotics. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III; meta-analysis.

[Relationship between obesity and lumbar disc herniation in adolescents].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between obesity and lumbar disc herniation in adolescents. METHODS: From January 2018 to July 2019, 581 patients (337 males, 244 females) with lumbar disc herniation were included in the surgical treatment. According to the age classification standard of the World Health Organization, they were divided into two groups:the adolescent group, 235 cases (145 males, 90 females), age 14 to 44 years old with an average of (32.2±7.3) years. The middle-aged and elderly group, 346 cases (192 males, 154 females), age 45 to 85 years old with an average age of (58.7± 9.8) years. At the time of admission, the same trained investigator measured height, waist circumference and hip circumference with tape measure and weight with electronic scale. All the data were measured twice and the average value was taken and recorded. The body mass index and the waist-hip ratio were calculated. According to each parameter standard, the patients were divided into normal, overweight and obese. The proportion of obese people in different age groups was calculated and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The normal of the BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio of the young patients were 78(33.2%), 91 (38.7%) and 85(36.2%) respectively;104(44.3%), 95(40.4%), 99(42.1%) were overweight, 53(22.5%), 49(20.9%), 51 (21.7%) were obese. The normal of the BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio of the middle-aged and old patients were 145 (41.9%), 138 (39.9%) and 147 ( 42.5%) respectively;153 (44.2%), 162 (46.8%), 155 (44.8%) were overweight, 48 (13.9%), 46 (13.3%), 44 (12.7%) were obese. Among the three parameters, the proportion of obese people in the adolescent group was higher than that in the middle-aged group, and the difference was significant (χ2 was 8.836, 6.228 7, 8.536 3 respectively, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: For adolescent patients, obesity may increase the load of lumbar disc, affect its metabolism and accelerate its degeneration. For adolescent, obesity is a more significant risk factor of lumbar disc herniation, so it is more important to control weight and prevent obesity in adolescent to reduce the incidence of lumbar disc herniation.

[Limited open reduction and intramedullary fixation for the treatment of refractory femoral subtrochanteric fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the surgical technique and clinical effect of limited open reduction and intramedullary fixation assisted with orthopedic traction bed for the treatment of femoral subtrochanteric fractures. METHODS: From July 2015 to October 2017, 12 patients with femoral subtrochanteric fractures were treated including 9 males and 3 females with an average age of 44 years old ranging from 33 to 67 years old. Among them, 10 cases were on the left trochanter and 2 on the right, and there were 8 cases of highly fall injury and 4 cases of traffic accident injury. All patients received operation at 2 to 5 days after injury. According to the Seinsheimer classification, 8 cases were type IIIA, 2 were type IIIB and 2 were type IV, and all cases were closed injury. The patients were placed on the orthopedic traction bed for trial closed reduction to maintain proper traction before operation. Under C-arm X-ray fluoroscopy, it was advisable to take the fracture end of the main bone block without obvious shortening and shifting. Then limited incision and lengthened InterTan intramedullary nailing were performed, and the Sanders traumatic hip score was used to evaluate the postoperative efficacy. RESULTS: All 12 patients were followed up from 6 to 24 months with an average of 12 months. All cases were received bone healing at 3 to 6 months with an average time of 4 months. According to the Sanders grades, the results were excellent in 9 cases, good in 2 cases and medium in 1 case. Infection, breakage of internal fixation loosening and adverse complications such as malunion were not appeared in all the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Limited open reduction assisted with traction bed can be effective to solve the problem of the intraoperative reduction in the complex subtrochanteric fractures, which could save operation time and decrease bleeding. Combined with intramedullary fixation, this method could acquire good counterpoint and stability for the fracture end, and provide a method for the treatment of refractory subtrochanteric fractures.

Structure revision of aspergicin by the crystal structure of aspergicine, a co-occurring isomer produced by co-culture of two mangrove epiphytic fungi.

The structure of aspergicin (1), an antibacterial alkaloid produced by co-culture of two marine-derived mangrove epiphytic fungi, were revised by the co-occurring isomer named as aspergicine (2), whose structure was determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and X-ray crystallography.

Anti-Cancerous Potential of Polysaccharide Fractions Extracted from Peony Seed Dreg on Various Human Cancer Cell Lines Via Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis.

In this study, four homo/heterogenous polysaccharides (HBSS, CHSS, DASS, and CASS) extracted from peony seed dreg with respective molecular weights of 3467, 4677, 229, and 56 kDa were evaluated for anti-cancerous attributes in prostate cancer cells (Pc-3), colon cancer cells (HCT-116), human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), cervical cancer (Hela cells) and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells as control. Among them, CASS and DASS extracted by alkali, consisted of 34.43% Gal, 26.39% Ara, 21.80% Glc and 35.77% Ara, 19.35% Gal, 17.77% Man, respectively. CASS fraction had the most significant inhibitory effects on all the cell lines used whereas HBSS had least effect. The CASS shown remarkable inhibition and cytotoxic effects in Hela cells followed by other cell lines as compared to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). CASS arrested cell cycle in G0/G1 phase except MCF-7 cells and increased apoptotic cells percentage varied in different treated cells. CASS down regulated the expression of Cyclin A/B1/D1/E1, CDK-1/2/4/6 and p15/16/21/27 excluding p53. The notable change in expression of proteins (Cytochrome C, Bax, Bcl-2, p-Caspase-3, -8, -9, and PARP) was observed followed by Apaf-1 and Survivin. These findings indicated that CASS has an anti-cancerous potential in the treatment of human cancers which make it a potent candidate in functional foods.

[Meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of PFNA and InterTAN for the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To system evaluate the clinical effect and safety of PFNA and InterTAN internal fixation methods for femoral intertrochanteric fracture. METHODS: According to the Cochrane systemic analysis method, randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials which were about the comparison of PFNA and InterTAN for intertrochanteric fracture were collected from Cochrane Library(2017, issue 4), PubMed (January, 2003-May, 2017), Wanfang Med Online (January, 2003-May, 2017) and China Academic Journals Full-text Database(January, 2003-May, 2017) by computer searching. Cross-checking was done after assessing the quality of the included trials and extracting the data by two reviewers independently. Data analysis were performed with RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: Two randomized controlled trials and five quasi-randomized controlled trials involving 611 cases met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analyses showed no significant differences between the two methods on Harris scores[MD=-1.00, 95%CI(-2.29, 0.28), P=0.13], union time[MD=0.04, 95%CI (-0.70, 0.77), P=0.92], full weight-bearing time[MD=1.06, 95%CI(-0.29, 2.42), P=0.13], hospital stay[MD=-0.04, 95%CI (-0.52, 0.45), P=0.89] and length of incision[MD=-1.00, 95%CI (-2.64, 0.65), P=0.23]. There were significant differences between the two methods on operative time[MD=-25.75, 95%CI (-37.47, -14.03), P<0.000 1], intraoperative blood loss[MD=-55.67, 95%CI(-108.07, -3.27), P=0.04] and the internal fixation complication rate[MD=4.17, 95%CI (1.33, 13.08), P=0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: Both PFNA and InterTAN could provide good effect for intertrochanteric fracture. The operation time of PFNA is shorter than that of InterTAN, and there is less blood loss during operation. PFNA may be the first choice for the treatment of patients who have many complications and can't endure long-time operation. The complications of PFNA are more than those of InterTAN. In patients with long life expectancy and high requirements, InterTAN may be preferentially selected to reduce complications. According to the patient's situation, after a comprehensive consideration, appropriate treatment can be selected.

Thermal, emulsifying and rheological properties of polysaccharides sequentially extracted from Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb leaves.

Plant polysaccharides are widely used in food industry as thickening and gelling agents and these attributes largely depend on their thermal, emulsifying and rheological properties. As known, the extraction methods always bring about the diversification of property and functions of polysaccharides. Thus, the Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb leaves polysaccharides (VBTLP) were sequentially extracted using hot buffer (HBSS), chelating agent (CHSS), dilute alkaline (DASS) and concentrated alkaline (CASS). The thermal, emulsifying and rheological properties of VBTLP were investigated in the present study. Within the range of 20-225°C, CHSS showed the highest peak temperature, whereas HBSS displayed the highest endothermic enthalpy and highest emulsifying activity, while, CASS showed the longest emulsifying stability. The VBTLP solutions exhibited non-Newtonian shear-thinning behavior within the concentrations of 0.6-2.5%. The apparent viscosity of VBTLP solution decreased under following conditions: acidic pH (4.0), alkaline pH (10.0), in the presence of Ca2+ and at high temperature, while it increased in the presence of Na+ and at freezing conditions. The modulus G' and G″ of VBTLP solutions were increased with increasing oscillation frequency, and the crossover frequency shifted to lower values when the polysaccharide content increased. The above results of thermal, emulsifying and rheological properties of VBTLPs supplied the basis for V. bracteatum leaves in potential industrial applications of foods.

The rheological properties of polysaccharides sequentially extracted from peony seed dreg.

The peony seed dreg polysaccharides (PSDPs) were sequentially extracted using hot buffer (HBSS), chelating agent (CHSS), dilute alkaline (DASS) and concentrated alkaline (CASS). The rheological properties of PSDPs were investigated by steady-shear and oscillatory rheological measurements. The four PSDPs fractions in solution exhibited typical non-Newtonian and shear-thinning behavior. The viscosity of HBSS was higher than the rest. While the viscosity value of all PSDPs solution decreased at acid pH (4.0) and alkaline pH (10.0), in the presence of Ca(2+) and high temperature (90°C), it increased in the presence of Na(+) and following freezing. The modulus G' and G" of all PSDPs solution were increased with increasing oscillation frequency ranging between 0.01 and 100Hz at each concentration. In all four cases, the crossover of G' and G" values decreased gradually with increasing concentration of samples.

Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides sequentially extracted from peony seed dreg.

The sequential extraction of peony seed dreg polysaccharides (PSDP) with hot buffer (HBSS), chelating agent (CHSS), dilute alkaline (DASS) and concentrated alkaline (CASS) yielded four different polysaccharide fractions. Based on their absorptions at 3600-3200cm(-1) and 1200-800cm(-1), these fractions were confirmed to be polysaccharides. The properties of four PSDPs displayed some slight differences. The CASS showed the highest peak temperature and endothermic enthalpy. The emulsifying activity and emulsifying stability of four PSDPs exhibited a dose-dependent pattern; HBSS showed the highest emulsifying activity, and CHSS displayed the longest emulsifying stability. The four PSDPs also exhibited wide variations in their antioxidant activities. For example, i) CASS showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power and ABTS radical scavenging activity; ii) HBSS exhibited the highest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, and iii) CHSS displayed the higher ferrous ions chelating ability than others.

Stepwise synthesis of cubic Au-AgCdS core-shell nanostructures with tunable plasmon resonances and fluorescence.

Cubic Au-AgCdS core-shell nanostructures were synthesized through cation exchange method assisted by tributylphosphine (TBP) as a phase-transfer agent. Among intermediate products, Au-Ag core-shell nanocubes exhibited many high-order plasmon resonance modes related to the special cubic shape, and these plasmon bands red-shifted along with the increasing of particle size. The plasmon band of Au core first red-shifted and broadened at the step of Au-Ag2S and then blue-shifted and narrowed at the step of Au-AgCdS. Since TBP was very crucial for the efficient conversion from Ag2S to CdS, we found that both absorption and fluorescence of the final products could be controlled by TBP.