ORM1 promotes tumor progression of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) through CALR-mediated apoptosis.

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most prevalent type of kidney cancer and causes thousands of deaths each year. The prognosis for KIRC is poor. One critical factor is that the mechanism beneath KIRC is unclear. ORM1 is a reactant to acute inflammation. In this study, we demonstrated that methylation of ORM1 promoter was low and ORM1 was expressed significantly higher in KIRC. KIRC with higher ORM1 expression exhibited worse survival probability. Meanwhile, ORM1 was expressed higher in KIRC cell lines. When ORM1 was knocked down, cell proliferation ability was inhibited potently compared to the NC control. Cell migration as well as invasion ability were also suppressed dramatically. At molecular level, the expression of active caspase-3 and Bax was upregulated in ORM1-KD group while Bcl-2 downregulated. Moreover, CALR decreased following ORM1-KD and rescued expression of CALR increased Bcl-2 level but reduced the level of cleaved caspase-3 and Bax. Consistently, the apoptotic rate of 786-O and Caki-2 cells was upregulated in ORM1-KD but downregulated after CALR overexpression. The activity of caspase-3 was also regulated by ORM1-KD. In addition, the inhibition rate of sorafenib was enhanced in ORM1 KD group but reduced after overexpression of ORM1. Conclusively, ORM1 is clinically associated with progression of KIRC and regulates cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis in KIRC. Moreover, ORM1 affects the efficiency of sorafenib in KIRC and regulates caspase-3 mediated cascades response through CALR molecule. This study provides us a new way to recognize the development and progression in KIRC.

Endovascular intervention for basilar artery occlusion in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: To date, few data have been reported on clinical outcomes following interventions in elderly populations with acute basilar artery occlusion. Using data from the Endovascular Treatment for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study (BASILAR), we evaluated the efficacy and safety of intervention and determined predictors of outcomes among elderly patients in China. METHODS: Patients from January 2014 to May 2019 were dichotomized into elderly (75 years or older) and nonelderly patients (under 75 years). Pearson's Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were performed to assess 90-day favorable functional outcome (defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 0-3), mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage between intervention and conservative cohorts in elderly patients. RESULTS: Among the 829 patients in the BASILAR, 182 patients aged 75 years or older were analyzed. These patients were divided into intervention (127 patients) and conservative (55 patients) cohorts. Compared with the conservative cohort, the intervention cohort presented more frequently with a favorable functional outcome (28.3% versus 12.7%; p = 0.023) and with a decreased mortality (54.3% versus 76.4%; p = 0.005). There was no difference in symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (4.7% versus 0, p = 0.235). Multivariate analysis indicated that intervention was associated with favorable functional outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 0.262; 95% confidence interval, 0.088-0.778, p = 0.016) and lower mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.257; 95% confidence interval, 0.109-0.606, p = 0.002). In the intervention cohort, initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and occlusion site were associated with functional outcome, and initial NIHSS score and recanalization were associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Although the overall outcome following intervention was worse with age, intervention was more effective and safer than conservative treatment for elderly Chinese patients with basilar artery occlusion. Predictors of desirable outcome in elderly patients undergoing intervention included lower initial NIHSS score, occlusion site and successful recanalization.Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.chictr.org. Unique identifier: ChiCTR-1800014759.

Photoluminescence-enhanced cholesteric films: Coassembling copper nanoclusters with cellulose nanocrystals.

Iridescent and luminescent composite films were fabricated through a coassembly strategy, in which glutathione-stabilized copper nanoclusters (GSH-CuNCs) were incorporated into chiral nematic structures of a cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) film. Through variations in the helical pitch, these composite films exhibited broadband reflection. The fluorescence emission spectrum of the composite film exhibited peaks at 439 and 600 nm, corresponding to crystallization-induced emission from CNCs and assembly-induced emission from CuNCs. The enhanced luminescence and prolonged lifetime of the composite film were attributed to the confinement effect of solid layers and attendant intermolecular interactions. By tuning the reaction time, temperature, and pH of the solution, the emission color and intensity of the CuNCs could be changed. At appropriate GSH and Cu2+ concentrations, the chiral organization of GSH-CuNCs enabled the composite CNC film to exhibit right-handed chiral fluorescence with an asymmetry factor of -0.16. Luminescent composite films were employed to fabricate LEDs with custom colors and patterns.

Effect of Endovascular Treatment Alone vs Intravenous Alteplase Plus Endovascular Treatment on Functional Independence in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The DEVT Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: For patients with large vessel occlusion strokes, it is unknown whether endovascular treatment alone compared with intravenous thrombolysis plus endovascular treatment (standard treatment) can achieve similar functional outcomes. Objective: To investigate whether endovascular thrombectomy alone is noninferior to intravenous alteplase followed by endovascular thrombectomy for achieving functional independence at 90 days among patients with large vessel occlusion stroke. Design, Setting, and Participants: Multicenter, randomized, noninferiority trial conducted at 33 stroke centers in China. Patients (n = 234) were 18 years or older with proximal anterior circulation intracranial occlusion strokes within 4.5 hours from symptoms onset and eligible for intravenous thrombolysis. Enrollment took place from May 20, 2018, to May 2, 2020. Patients were enrolled and followed up for 90 days (final follow-up was July 22, 2020). Interventions: A total of 116 patients were randomized to the endovascular thrombectomy alone group and 118 patients to combined intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy group. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was the proportion of patients achieving functional independence at 90 days (defined as score 0-2 on the modified Rankin Scale; range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]). The noninferiority margin was -10%. Safety outcomes included the incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage within 48 hours and 90-day mortality. Results: The trial was stopped early because of efficacy when 234 of a planned 970 patients had undergone randomization. All 234 patients who were randomized (mean age, 68 years; 102 women [43.6%]) completed the trial. At the 90-day follow-up, 63 patients (54.3%) in the endovascular thrombectomy alone group vs 55 (46.6%) in the combined treatment group achieved functional independence at the 90-day follow-up (difference, 7.7%, 1-sided 97.5% CI, -5.1% to ∞)P for noninferiority = .003). No significant between-group differences were detected in symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (6.1% vs 6.8%; difference, -0.8%; 95% CI, -7.1% to 5.6%) and 90-day mortality (17.2% vs 17.8%; difference, -0.5%; 95% CI, -10.3% to 9.2%). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with ischemic stroke due to proximal anterior circulation occlusion within 4.5 hours from onset, endovascular treatment alone, compared with intravenous alteplase plus endovascular treatment, met the prespecified statistical threshold for noninferiority for the outcome of 90-day functional independence. These findings should be interpreted in the context of the clinical acceptability of the selected noninferiority threshold. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-IOR-17013568.

DEVT: A randomized, controlled, multicenter trial of direct endovascular treatment versus standard bridging therapy for acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation - Protocol.

BACKGROUND: Eight randomized controlled trials have consistently shown that endovascular treatment plus best medical treatment improves outcome after acute anterior proximal intracranial large vessel occlusion strokes. Whether intravenous thrombolysis prior to endovascular treatment in patients with anterior circulation, large vessel occlusion is of any additional benefits remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study compares the safety and efficacy of direct endovascular treatment versus intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator bridging with endovascular treatment (bridging therapy) in acute stroke patients with intracranial internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery-M1 occlusion within 4.5 h of symptom onset. METHODS AND DESIGN: The DEVT study is a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial with blinded outcome assessment. This trial uses a five-look group-sequential non-inferiority design. Up to 194 patients in each interim analysis will be consecutively randomized to direct endovascular treatment or bridging therapy group in 1:1 ratio over three years from about 30 hospitals in China. OUTCOMES: The primary end-point is the proportion of independent neurological function defined as modified Rankin scale score of 0 to 2 at 90 days. The primary safety measure is symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage at 48 h and mortality at 90 days. TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: ChiCTR-IOR-17013568 (www.chictr.org.cn).

Alteration of the fatty acid composition of Brassica napus L. via overexpression of phospholipid: Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 from Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.

Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb. plays an important role in traditional Chinese medicine and is one of major woody oil tree in China. Phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (PDAT1), as an important catalytic enzyme for the formation of triacylglycerol (TAG), is mainly responsible for the transfer of an acyl group from the sn-2 position of phospholipids to the sn-3 position of sn-1, 2-diacylglycerol (DAG) to produce TAG and sn-1 lysophospholipids. The importance of PDAT1 in triacylglycerol biosynthesis has been illustrated in previous research, and at least 67 PDAT1 sequences have been identified from 31 organisms. However, little is known about the gene encoding PDAT1 in S. sebiferum (SsPDAT1), which is involved in seed oil biosynthesis. To explore the functional characteristics of SsPDAT1, we cloned and analyzed the full-length cDNA in the coding region of SsPDAT1, which consists of 2040 bp and encodes a putative protein of 680 amino acid (aa) residues. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis showed that recombinant SsPDAT1 could restore TAG accumulation in TAG-deficient mutant yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) H1246, which revealed the enzyme activity of SsPDAT1. Moreover, transgenic Brassica napus L. W10 plants overexpressing SsPDAT1 showed significant increases of 19.6-28.9 % in linoleic acid levels but decreases of 27.3-37.1 % in linolenic acid. Furthermore, the total oil content increased by 8.1 %-10.8 % in SsPDAT1 transgenic seeds. These results confirmed the role of SsPDAT1 in stabilizing oil biosynthesis and suggested that SsPDAT1 could be exploitable to specifically regulate the oil composition of plants. These experimental results provide a new concept that may enable the industrial development of plants with high-linoleic-acid oil through overexpression of SsPDAT1 in S. sebiferum L.

The function of KptA/Tpt1 gene - a minor review.

Rapid response of uni- and multicellular organisms to environmental changes and their own growth is achieved through a series of molecular mechanisms, often involving modification of macromolecules, including nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. The ADP-ribosylation process has ability to modify these different macromolecules in cells, and is closely related to the biological processes, such as DNA replication, transcription, signal transduction, cell division, stress, microbial aging and pathogenesis. In addition, tRNA plays an essential role in the regulation of gene expression, as effector molecules, no-load tRNA affects the overall gene expression level of cells under some nutritional stress. KptA/Tpt1 is an essential phosphotransferase in the process of pre-tRNA splicing, releasing mature tRNA and participating in ADP-ribose. The objective of this review is concluding the gene structure, the evolution history and the function of KptA/Tpt1 from prokaryote to eukaryote organisms. At the same time, the results of promoter elements analysis were also shown in the present study. Moreover, the problems in the function of KptA/Tpt1 that have not been clarified at the present time are summarised, and some suggestions to solve those problems are given. This review presents no only a summary of clear function of KptA/Tpt1 in the process of tRNA splicing and ADP-ribosylation of organisms, but also gives some proposals to clarify unclear problems of it in the future.

Assessment of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion via a Nationwide Prospective Registry.

Importance: Several randomized clinical trials have recently established the safety and efficacy of endovascular treatment (EVT) of acute ischemic stroke in the anterior circulation. However, it remains uncertain whether patients with acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) benefit from EVT. Objective: To evaluate the association between EVT and clinical outcomes of patients with acute BAO. Design, Setting, and Participants: This nonrandomized cohort study, the EVT for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion Study (BASILAR) study, was a nationwide prospective registry of consecutive patients presenting with an acute, symptomatic, radiologically confirmed BAO to 47 comprehensive stroke centers across 15 provinces in China between January 2014 and May 2019. Patients with acute BAO within 24 hours of estimated occlusion time were divided into groups receiving standard medical treatment plus EVT or standard medical treatment alone. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the improvement in modified Rankin Scale scores (range, 0 to 6 points, with higher scores indicating greater disability) at 90 days across the 2 groups assessed as a common odds ratio using ordinal logistic regression shift analysis, adjusted for prespecified prognostic factors. The secondary efficacy outcome was the rate of favorable functional outcomes defined as modified Rankin Scale scores of 3 or less (indicating an ability to walk unassisted) at 90 days. Safety outcomes included symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and 90-day mortality. Results: A total of 1254 patients were assessed, and 829 patients (of whom 612 were men [73.8%]; median [interquartile] age, 65 [57-74] years) were recruited into the study. Of these, 647 were treated with standard medical treatment plus EVT and 182 with standard medical treatment alone. Ninety-day functional outcomes were substantially improved by EVT (adjusted common odds ratio, 3.08 [95% CI, 2.09-4.55]; P < .001). Moreover, EVT was associated with a significantly higher rate of 90-day modified Rankin Scale scores of 3 or less (adjusted odds ratio, 4.70 [95% CI, 2.53-8.75]; P < .001) and a lower rate of 90-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 2.93 [95% CI, 1.95-4.40]; P < .001) despite an increase in symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (45 of 636 patients [7.1%] vs 1 of 182 patients [0.5%]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with acute BAO, EVT administered within 24 hours of estimated occlusion time is associated with better functional outcomes and reduced mortality.

Efficacy and safety of rescue stenting following failed mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion: propensity score analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of rescue stenting (RS) after failed mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for patients with large artery occlusion in the anterior circulation. METHODS: Consecutive patients who experienced failed reperfusion and subsequently did or did not undergo RS at 16 comprehensive stroke centers were enrolled from January 2015 to June 2018. Propensity score matching was used to achieve baseline balance between the patient groups. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) at 48 hours and the modified Rankin Scale scores and mortality at 3 months in the two groups were compared. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients with RS and 117 patients without RS after failed MT were enrolled. Propensity score matching analysis selected 132 matched patients. The good outcome rate was significantly higher in matched patients with RS than in those without RS (36.4% vs 19.7%, p=0.033), whereas the sICH (13.6% vs 21.2%, p=0.251) and mortality (31.9% vs 43.9%, p=0.151) were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: RS seems to be an effective safe choice for patients with large vessel occlusion of the anterior circulation who underwent failed MT.

Effects of mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke patients with etiology of large artery atherosclerosis.

AIMS: Atherosclerosis is more prevalent in Asian population. This distinct etiology of stroke might disadvantage Asian patients when applying. mechanical thrombectomy (MT). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MT in a cohort of Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke. due to large artery atherosclerosis (LAA). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 649 patients treated with MT were included. Patients were classified according to etiology of stroke as LAA and cardioembolism ones. Successful revascularization was defined as modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) grade ≥ 2b. Favorable outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤ 2 at 90 days. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors for functional outcomes. The patients with stroke of LAA etiology had significantly higher rate of favorable functional outcome (50.2% vs 36.5%, p < .001) and good collateral (grade of ASITN/SIRI: 2-3) (58.8% versus 43.2%, p < .001), and lower median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) (15.6 versus 18.2, p < .001), compared to patients with stroke of cardioembolism etiology. There was no significant difference in the rate of successful postprocedural mTICI between groups (84.5% versus 83.2%, p = .671). Rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (20.0% versus 11.7%, p = .004) and mortality (31.8% versus 18.8%, p < .001) within 3 months were notably higher in the cardioembolism group than that in the LAA group. CONCLUSION: Mechanical thrombectomy may be more efficacious in treating acute ischemic stroke of LAA etiology than that of cardioembolism etiology.

Prediction of favorable outcome by percent improvement in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with endovascular stent thrombectomy.

Our objective was to investigate a method for assessing early improvement and its predictive value for 3-month functional outcome in patients treated with EST. A total of 97 consecutive AIS patients undergoing EST were prospectively collected and retrospective reviewed. Data on demographics, vascular risk factors, admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, 24-h NIHSS score, reperfusion and collateral formation were collected. Percent improvement was defined as ([baseline NIHSS score-24-h NIHSS score]/baseline NIHSS score×100%), while absolute improvement was calculated by the difference between scores (baseline NIHSS score-24-h NIHSS score). A 3-month functional outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Favorable outcome was defined as a mRS score of 0-2. Areas under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for percent improvement and absolute improvement in predicting favorable outcome was compared. Finally, we investigated the independent predictors of improvement at 24h after EST and its relationship with favorable outcome. Pairwise comparison of ROC curves revealed that percent improvement had larger AUC than absolute improvement (p=0.004). Rapid neurological improvement (RNI), defined as percent improvement ⩾30%, was a powerful predictor of favorable outcome (odds ratio [OR] 7.63, confidence interval [CI]: 2.65-21.96; p<0.001). Good collaterals (OR 2.86; 95% CI: 1.11-7.38; p=0.030) and short onset-to-reperfusion time (ORT) (OR 3.02, 95% CI: 1.17-7.80; p=0.022) were independent predictors of RNI. RNI predicted 3-month favorable outcome in AIS patients treated with EST. Good collaterals and short ORT are independent predictors of RNI.

Lack of improvement following endovascular therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Recent randomized trials have consistently demonstrated a clinical benefit of endovascular therapy (ET) over best medical therapy (including intravenous (IV) thrombolysis in eligible patients) or IV thrombolysis only in selected patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to proximal occlusion in the carotid territory. Previous study demonstrates that lack of improvement (LOI) at 24 hours is an independent predictor of poor outcome and death at 3 months in patients with AIS treated with IV alteplase. However, LOI at 24 hours following ET has not been studied systematically. The purpose of this study is to identify predictors of LOI at 24 hours in patients with AIS after ET as well as the relationship between LOI and unfavorable outcome at 3 months. METHODS: A total of 98 consecutive patients with AIS treated with ET in two separate stroke centers from 2010 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Data on demographics, preexisting vascular risk factors, occlusion site, pre- and post-treatment modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia (mTICI) classification, collaterals and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission as well as 24 hours after the endovascular procedurals were collected. LOI was defined as a reduction of 3 points or less on the NIHSS at 24 hours compared with baseline. A 3-month functional outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin scale (mRS). Unfavorable outcome was prespecified as a score of more than 2 on the mRS. The onset-to-reperfusion time (ORT) was defined as time to mTICI 2b or 3 or end of procedure. Long ORT was defined as time to reperfusion beyond 6 hours. Poor reperfusion was defined as mTICI ≦2a. The pretreatment collateral circulation extent was graded as poor (grades 0-1) or good (grades 2-4). RESULTS: Among the 98 patients with AIS who were treated with ET, LOI was present in 48 (49%) subjects. Multivariate analysis indicated that poor collaterals (odds ratio [OR] 3.25; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-8.19; p = 0.012) and long ORT (OR 3.97, 95% CI: 1.66-9.54; p = 0.002) were independent predictors of LOI. LOI (OR 7.18, 95% CI: 2.39-21.61; p < 0.001) was independently associated with unfavorable outcome at 3 months. CONCLUSION: Among patients with AIS treated with ET, as an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome, LOI at 24 hours is associated with poor collaterals and long ORT.

[Preliminary analysis of SPT tests on 5,843 allergic rhinitis patients from south Shanghai area].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the distribution of allergen tested by skin prick test (SPT) in about 5,843 allergic rhinitis patients in south Shanghai. METHOD: SPT test was conducted in 5,843 allergic rhinitis patients who came to our clinic from January 2007 to August 2012. The result was analyzed by age, sex and year. RESULT: The top three allergens by percentage are dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides culinae and fungus among 15 common allergens. Incidence rate between male and female in each year had statistical significance, both of which showed no increasing trend with year. Incidence rates among different age groups aging from 6 to 17 years' old had no statistically significant difference, but statistically significant difference among different age groups existed in other age groups. Incidence rate showed increasing trend with year in age group of 40-65, which was not observed in other groups. The incidence rate showed decreasing trend with age in male and female, while the incidence rate in male was always higher than female. CONCLUSION: In south Shanghai, primary allergens causing allergic rhinitis are dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides culinae and fungus. Statistically significant difference about allergic rhinitis existed in age and sex. SPT has important significance in diagnosis of allergens.

Effect of Brillouin slow light on distributed Brillouin fiber sensors.

The effect of Brillouin slow light on distributed Brillouin fiber sensors (DBFSs) is studied. We demonstrate Brillouin slow light for a 1.2 ns pulse with peak powers (PS) from 3.3 to 56.2 mW on depletion of the pump power (PP) ranging from 1.3 to 83.2 mW in conventional optical fibers (SMF-28). Experiments show that, when pump power depletion is not negligible, for a given PP the Brillouin gain and delay time of a pulse decrease when PS increases in a long (> or =10 km) sensing fiber. The optimum pump beam depletion resulting from strong interaction of the pump and the probe in the fiber provides accurate temperature and strain information at a high spatial resolution. Our study reveals that at low PP the spatial resolution error caused by the pulse delay for a DBFS with centimeter spatial resolution is less than 5% of the pulse length.

Picosecond-pulse wavelength conversion based on cascaded second-harmonic generation-difference frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide.

The wavelength conversion of picosecond optical pulses based on the cascaded second-harmonic generation-difference-frequency generation process in a MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide is studied both experimentally and theoretically. In the experiments, the picosecond pulses are generated from a 40 GHz mode-locked fiber laser and two tunable filters, with which the lasing wavelength can be tuned from 1530 to 1570 nm, and the pulse width can be tuned from 2 to 7 ps. New-frequency pulses, i.e., converted pulses, are generated when the picosecond pulse train and a cw wave interact in the waveguide. The conversion characteristics are systematically investigated when the pulsed and cw waves are alternatively taken as the pump at the quasi-phase-matching wavelength of the device. In particular, the conversion dependences on input pulse width, average power, and pump wavelength are examined quantitatively. Based on the temporal and spectral characteristics of wavelength conversion, a comprehensive analysis on conversion efficiency is presented. The simulation results are in good agreement with the measured data.

Development and performance comparison of two different approaches for stabilizing a harmonic mode-locked fiber laser at 40 GHz.

What we believe to be a new and simple approach was developed for stabilizing a harmonic mode-locked fiber laser at 40 GHz. It uses a computer to tune the modulation frequency in a 100 kHz band near 40 GHz to follow variations in the length of the optical cavity. A second approach was also developed to compare with the new approach and to draw conclusions on its performance. Results for the pulse characteristics, side-mode suppression ratio, and timing jitter show that both approaches provide an efficient way of stabilizing a harmonic FM mode-locked fiber laser.

Generating a high-extinction-ratio pulse from a phase-modulated optical signal with a dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear loop mirror.

We demonstrate a method for generating ultrashort pulses from a phase-modulated optical signal by using a dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear loop mirror instead of the traditional linear dispersion medium. The extinction ratio of the pulses is greatly improved at the same time. By controlling the bandwidth of the phase-modulated signal and the dispersion map of the dispersion-imbalanced nonlinear loop mirror, we can control the pulse width from several picoseconds to hundreds of femtoseconds.

[Follow-up surveying the clinical effects after the endoscopic sinus surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the follow-up time and the effect of intranasal glucocorticoid for chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps after endoscopic sinus surgery. METHOD: After the endoscopic sinus surgery, 30 cases of sinusitis and nasal polyps accepted the postsurgical care for the cavity, sinus washing, and intranasal local glucocorticoid rhinocort, then the clinical effects was follow-up surveyed. RESULT: Intranasal local glucocorticoid could evidently reduce the courses of dry and the epithelial metaplasia of nasal cavity and sinus. CONCLUSION: After the endoscopic sinus surgery, follow-up of endoscopic sinus, postsurgical care for the cavity and intranasal local glucocorticoid played equally important roles in treating sinusitis and nasal polyps.