Widely tunable NCPM-KTA OPO based on non-collinear phase-matching in a four-mirror ring cavity.

Based on non-collinear phase-matching (PM), a new method for widely tunable wavelength was proposed and demonstrated in a four-mirror ring cavity of non-critical phase-matching (NCPM) KTiOAsO4 (KTA) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Wavelength tuning range of 141 nm from 1535.56 nm to 1676.73 nm was achieved by moving one mirror of ring cavity back and forth. The tuning theory and tuning method of non-collinear PM were analyzed in detail. The output energy and pulse width of signal were measured and compared in collinear and non-collinear PM condition. This method is also applicable to OPOs of other nonlinear crystals based on four-mirror ring cavity.

Electrostatically mediated layer-by-layer assembly of nitrogen-doped graphene/PDDA/gold nanoparticle composites for electrochemical detection of uric acid.

A layer-by-layer self-assembled nitrogen-doped graphene/PDDA/gold nanoparticle (NDG/PDDA/GNP) composite was described. Citrate-stabilizing gold nanoparticle colloids (GNPs) were electrostatically adsorbed onto NDG nanosheets using a cationic polyelectrolyte, polydiallyldimethylammonium (PDDA), as the linker, thereby creating a high-performance electrochemical interface. The morphology and chemical composition were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Analytical application was manifested by electrochemical sensing of uric acid (UA), a biomarker involved with a variety of clinical diseases. The prepared nanocomposite exhibited noticeable electroactivity to uric acid oxidation and can give effective peak separation with ascorbic acid and dopamine. Additionally, the nanocomposite practically averted from other potentially interferents including glucose, urea, and serotonin, thus allowing selective voltammetric detection of UA in the biological matrix. Under the optimal condition, peak currents measured by differential pulse voltammetry were proportional to UA concentrations in the range of 0.5~100 µM (R2 = 0.998), with the detection limit of 53 nM. The NDG/PDDA/GNP nanocomposite as presented herein holds potential for aiding the diagnosis of UA-associated diseases and should be a new opportunity for biochemical analysis and biosensing applications. Graphical abstract.

Picosecond laser seal welding of glasses with a large gap.

Ultra-fast lasers can realize selective welding of glasses through nonlinear effect and have the advantages of having high welding accuracy, having small heat-affected zone, having high joint strength and not requiring intermediate absorption layer, which provides a new idea for chip packaging. However, this method is limited to the condition of optical contact, which is difficult to use in engineering applications. To solve this problem, an innovative seal welding method by picosecond laser is presented in this paper. In this method, a picosecond laser performs firstly rapid oscillating scan local welding of the two natural overlap glasses with a large contact gap to form a closed area consisting of spot welds. The glass contact gap in the closed area can be reduced to about 1.5 µm through the solidification shrinkage effect of spot welds. Then a good seal weld without plasma ablation, micro-hole, and micro-crack defects can be achieved by picosecond laser in this closed area to realize seal welding of glasses with a large contact gap. The sealing test results show that the seal welding samples can keep good sealing performance for more than one week.

RPCA-based thermoacoustic imaging for microwave ablation monitoring.

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a potent cancer treatment tool, but its effectiveness can be hindered by the lack of visual feedback. This paper validates the feasibility of using microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging (TAI) technique to monitor the MWA process. A feasibility analysis was conducted at the principle level and a high-performance real-time TAI system was introduced. To address the interference caused by MWA, a robust principal component analysis (RPCA)-based method for TAI was proposed. This method leverages the correlation between multiple signal frames to eliminate interference. RPCA's effectiveness in TAI was demonstrated through three sets of different experiments. Experiments demonstrated that TAI can effectively monitors the MWA process. This work represents the first application of RPCA-related matrix decomposition methods in TAI, paving the way for the application of TAI in more complex clinical scenarios. By providing rapid and accurate visual feedback, this research advances MWA technology.

Shengxian decoction protects against chronic heart failure in a rat model via energy regulation mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is actually a disease caused by an imbalanced energy metabolism between myocardial energy demand and supply, ultimately resulting in abnormal myocardial cell structure and function. Energy metabolism imbalance plays an important role in the pathological process of chronic heart failure (CHF). Improving myocardial energy metabolism is a new strategy for the treatment of CHF. Shengxian decoction (SXT), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, has good therapeutic effects on the cardiovascular system. However, the effects of SXT on the energy metabolism of CHF is unclear. In this study, we probed the regulating effects of SXT on energy metabolism in CHF rats using various research methods. METHODS: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to perform quality control of SXT preparations. Then, SD rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups: sham, model, positive control (trimetazidine) and high-, middle-, and low-dose SXT groups. Specific reagent kits were used to detect the expression levels of ALT and AST in rats' serum. Echocardiography was used to evaluate cardiac function. H&E, Masson and TUNEL staining were performed to examine myocardial structure and myocardial apoptosis. Colorimetry was used to determine myocardial ATP levels in experimental rats. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of myocardial mitochondria. ELISA was used to estimate CK, cTnI, and NT-proBNP levels, and LA、FFA、MDA、SOD levels. Finally, Western blotting was used to examine the protein expression of CPT-1, GLUT4, AMPK, p-AMPK, PGC-1α, NRF1, mtTFA and ATP5D in the myocardium. RESULTS: HPLC showed that our SXT preparation method was feasible. The results of ALT and AST tests indicate that SXT has no side effect on the liver function of rats. Treatment with SXT improved cardiac function and ventricular remodelling and inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis and oxidative stress levels induced by CHF. Moreover, CHF caused decrease ATP synthesis, which was accompanied by a reduction in ATP 5D protein levels, damage to mitochondrial structure, abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism, and changes in the expression of PGC-1α related signal pathway proteins, all of which were significantly alleviated by treatment with SXT. CONCLUSION: SXT reverses CHF-induced cardiac dysfunction and maintains the integrity of myocardial structure by regulating energy metabolism. The beneficial effect of SXT on energy metabolism may be related to regulating the expression of the PGC-1α signalling pathway.

The therapeutic effect of Huazhuojiedu decoction on precancerous lesions in a gastric cancer model via the regulation of lnc 517368.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Huazhuojiedu decoction, a Chinese herbal preparation, has been proven to be clinically effective in treating precancerous lesions in gastric cancer (PLGC). This formula is optimized from a classic formula called "Ganluxiaodu Dan." Although some experiments have shown that Huazhuojiedu decoction is effective against PLGC, the mechanism remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the treatment of PLGC with Huazhuojiedu decoction from the perspective of lncRNA in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A PLGC rat model was prepared and randomly divided into a Huazhuojiedu decoction group (HG), a vitacoenzyme group (VG), a model group (MG), and a normal group (CG). Each group was given a corresponding concentration of medicine and distilled water for 10 weeks. The pathological changes in the gastric mucosa were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE). High-throughput sequencing was performed to detect the differentially expressed lncRNAs in the HG, MG, and CG. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to verify differentially expressed lncRNAs, and rat-human homology information was obtained from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) Genome Database. Human gastric mucosal epithelial cells (GES-1) were used to prepare precancerous lesions of gastric cancer cells (MC). A Huazhuojiedu decoction drug-containing serum was prepared to treat the MC cells. The effects of the Huazhuojiedu decoction and the lncRNA ENST00000517368 (lnc 517368) knockdown or overexpression on PLGC cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated in vitro using CCK-8, flow cytometry, and RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The HE results showed that gastric mucosal pathology was significantly improved in the HG. High-throughput sequencing results showed that compared with the CG, 91 lncRNAs upregulated in the MG were restored and downregulated in the HG (P < 0.05), and 115 lncRNAs downregulated in the MG were restored and upregulated in the HG (P < 0.05). The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with the sequencing results. The differentially expressed genomic rat lncRNA ENSRNOT00000079699 is homologous to human lnc 517368. In cell experiments, high expression of lnc 517368 promoted proliferation and reduced apoptosis in PLGC cells, while the Huazhuojiedu decoction reduced the expression of lnc 517368 and improved cell morphology. CONCLUSIONS: Huazhuojiedu decoction inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in PLGC cells, and its effect may be partially dependent on the downregulation of lnc 517368.

Determination of the protective effects of Hua-Zhuo-Jie-Du in chronic atrophic gastritis by regulating intestinal microbiota and metabolites: combination of liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer metabolic profiling and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Hua-Zhuo-Jie-Du (HZJD), a Chinese herbal prescription consisting of 11 herbs, is commonly used in China to treat chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). We aimed to determine the effect of HZJD on the microbiome-associated metabolic changes in CAG rats. METHODS: The CAG rat models were induced by 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) combined with irregular fasting and 2% sodium salicylate, which was intragastrically administrated in fasted animals for 24 weeks. The CAG rats in the Chinese medicine (CM) group were administered a daily dose of 14.81 g/kg/day HZJD, and the vitacoenzyme (V) group were administered a daily dose of 0.08 g/kg/day vitacoenzyme. All animals were treated for 10 consecutive weeks, consecutively. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to assess the histopathological changes in the gastric tissues. An integrated approach based on liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LC-MS) metabolic profiling combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing was carried out to assess the effects of HZJD on CAG rats. Spearman analysis was used to calculate the correlation coefficient between the different intestinal microbiota and the metabolites. RESULTS: The H&E results indicated that HZJD could improve the pathological condition of CAG rats. The LC-MS results indicated that HZJD could significantly improve 21 gastric mucosal tissue perturbed metabolites in CAG rats; the affected metabolites were found to be involved in multiple metabolic pathways, such as the central carbon metabolism in cancer. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that HZJD could regulate the diversity, microbial composition, and abundance of the intestinal microbiota of CAG rats. Following HZJD treatment, the relative abundance of Turicibacter was increased, and the relative abundance of Desulfococcus and Escherichia were decreased in the CM group when compared with the M group. Spearman analysis revealed that perturbed intestinal microbes had a strong correlation with differential metabolites, Escherichia exhibited a negative correlation with l-Leucine, Turicibacter was negatively correlated with urea, and Desulfococcus exhibited a positive correlation with trimethylamine, and a negative correlation with choline. CONCLUSIONS: HZJD could protect CAG by regulating intestinal microbiota and its metabolites.

A comparison of the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative therapies for gastroesophageal reflux disease: A protocol for network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases in the world and is showing increasing prevalence in some countries. The disease has a chronic course that leads to a significant decline in the quality of life of patients and is associated with a high economic burden worldwide. And complementary and alternative medicine is used to treat the disease. Over the past few decades, a number of randomized controlled trials and systematic evaluations have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different types of complementary and alternative medicine methods, so there is an urgent need to summarize and further evaluate these studies. METHODS: We will search the following sources without restrictions for date, language, or publication status: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) Cochrane Library, and EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Bio-medicine Database, VIP Chinese Periodical Database, Wan Fang Database. We will apply a combination of Medical Subject Heading and free-text terms incorporating database-specific controlled vocabularies and text words to implement search strategies. We will also search the ongoing trials registered in the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Besides, the previous relevant reviews conducted on complementary and alternative therapies for GERD and reference lists of included studies will also be searched. RESULTS: This study will provide a reliable basis for the treatment of GERD with complementary and alternative therapies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings will be an available reference to evaluate the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative therapies on GERD and may provide decision-making reference on which method to choose for clinicians. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020169332.

Association between gastroesophageal reflux disease and depression disorder: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study will systematically synthesize the evidence on the potential association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and depression disorder (DD). METHODS: We will search the following electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, the Chinese Bio Medical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the China Science and Technology Journal database (VIP) and Wanfang Data. In addition, ongoing trials will be retrieved from the WHO ICTRP Search Portal, the Chinese Clinical Trial Register and The Clinical Trials Register. Articles related to gastroesophageal reflux disease and depression will be searched. And language and time will be unlimited. RESULTS: The study will afford additional insight into the investigation the association between GERD and DD. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study will provide helpful evidence to explore the association between GERD and DD. REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202090026.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation to Investigate the Mechanisms of Huazhuojiedu Decoction to Treat Chronic Atrophic Gastritis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is an important stage in the normal gastric mucosa's transformation into gastric cancer. Huazhuojiedu decoction (HZJD), a Chinese herbal preparation, has proven clinically effective to treat CAG. However, few studies have explored the mechanism of HZJD in CAG treatment. PURPOSE: This study aimed to shed light on the mechanisms underlying HZJD decoction CAG treatment using a network pharmacology approach and experimental validation. METHODS: The active components of HZJD decoction were obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. Their targets were predicted through the SwissTargetPrediction database. Disease targets were screened using the GeneCards database. The disease and drug prediction targets were intersected to select the common potential therapeutic targets, which then were input into the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes to build a protein-protein interaction network. The "herb-compound-target-disease" and the "herb-target-pathway" network diagrams were constructed in Cytoscape 3.3.0. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis of effective targets were performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. Finally, the core targets were preliminarily verified by CAG rat model. The gastric mucosa's histopathological changes were observed via hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expressions of MAPK1, AKT1, TNF, VEGFA, and EGFR were detected by western blot and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: A total of 155 nodes, including 20 putative targets of HZJD decoction, were selected as core hubs based on topological importance and were closely associated with the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptotic process, and cancer-related pathways (AKT1, TNF, VEGFA, and EGFR) in CAG. Further animal experiments showed that the expression of AKT1 in CAG rats was significantly increased, which was suppressed by HZJD decoction. TNF and VEGFA expression increased in the model group, but did not change in the HZJD group. MAPK1 and EGFR expression showed no significant differences among control, model, and HZJD groups. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the results suggest that the components of HZJD decoction can alleviate and prevent the severity of gastric precancerous lesions via AKT1 inhibition in CAG.

Robust adaptive motion/force control scheme for crawler-type mobile manipulator with nonholonomic constraint based on sliding mode control approach.

In this paper, a robust adaptive motion/force control (RAMFC) scheme is presented for a crawler-type mobile manipulator (CTMM) with nonholonomic constraint. For the position tracking control design, an adaptive sliding mode tracking controller is proposed to deal with the unknown upper bounds of system parameter uncertainties and external disturbances. Based on the position tracking results, a robust control strategy is also developed for the nonholonomic constraint force of CTMM. According to the Lyapunov stability theory, the stability of the closed-loop control system, the uniformly ultimately boundedness of position tracking errors, and the boundedness of the force error and adaptive coefficient errors are all guaranteed by using the derived RAMFC scheme. Simulation and experimental tests on a CTMM with two-link manipulator demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control scheme.