Color image information transmission based on elliptic optical vortex array encoding/decoding.

A multichannel high-dimensional data encoding/decoding scheme based on composite elliptic optical vortex (EOV) arrays is proposed. By exploiting the rotation angle of the EOV, a 4 × 4 composite EOV array is used for high-dimensional data encoding. The conjugate symmetric extension Fourier computer-generated holography algorithm with controllable reconstruction focus is used to assign different reconstruction focus to the data of the three channels (R, G, and B) of the color image. Then, the data of the three channels is transmitted simultaneously by a single hologram to further improve the transmission efficiency. At the receiver, the initial information sequence is decoded by directly identifying the captured intensity patterns with a deep learning-based convolutional neural network. In the experiment, a 128 × 128-pixel color image is successfully transmitted, which confirms the feasibility of our proposed encoding/decoding scheme. This method has great potential for future high-capacity optical communications.

Sub-kHz-linewidth continuous-wave single-frequency ring-cavity fiber laser based on high-gain Er: YAG crystal-derived silica fiber.

Throughout the development of single frequency fiber lasers (SFFLs), gain fiber is one of the most important components, which can greatly affect the quality of SFFLs. Here, we fabricated an Er: YAG crystal-derived silica fiber (EYDSF) using a CO2 laser-heating drawing technique, with a high gain coefficient of 1.74 dB/cm. Employing the EYDSF of only 10 cm as a gain medium, we constructed a continuous-wave ring-cavity SFFL with an all-fiber system. An ultra-narrow linewidth <660 Hz was achieved harnessing a homemade low-concentration Er-doped silica fiber as a saturable absorber. Importantly, the SFFL output power was up to 32.7 mW at 1560 nm. What's more, no multi longitudinal mode or mode hopping were found in 2 hours, and the fluctuation of power was <0.63% in 8 hours. Furthermore, the relative intensity noise was lower to -145 dB/Hz at frequencies over 1 MHz. The results indicate that the ring-cavity SFFL has desirable performance in output power, linewidth, stability and noise, which serves a prospective candidate applied to coherent optical communications, high-precision sensors, laser radars and other advanced fields.

Improving the anti-acute myeloid leukemia activity of CD123-specific engager T cells by MyD88 and CD40 costimulation.

The outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia remains poor, and immunotherapy has the potential to improve this. T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors or bispecific T-cell engagers targeting CD123 are actively being explored in preclinical and/or early phase clinical studies. We have shown that T cells expressing CD123-specific bispecific T-cell engagers (CD123.ENG T cells) have anti-acute myeloid leukemia activity. However, like chimeric antigen receptor T cells, their effector function diminishes rapidly once they are repeatedly exposed to antigen-positive target cells. Here we sought to improve the effector function of CD123.ENG T cells by expressing inducible co-stimulatory molecules consisting of MyD88 and CD40 (iMC), MyD88 (iM), or CD40 (iC), which are activated by a chemical inducer of dimerization. CD123.ENG T cells expressing iMC, iM, or iC maintained their antigen specificity in the presence of a chemical inducer of dimerization, as judged by cytokine production (interferon-γ, interleukin-2) and their cytolytic activity. In repeat stimulation assays, activating iMC and iM, in contrast to iC, enabled CD123.ENG T cells to secrete cytokines, expand, and kill CD123-positive target cells repeatedly. Activating iMC in CD123.ENG T cells consistently improved antitumor activity in an acute myeloid leukemia xenograft model. This translated into a significant survival advantage in comparison to that of mice that received CD123.ENG or CD123.ENG.iC T cells. In contrast, activation of only iM in CD123.ENG T cells resulted in donor-dependent antitumor activity. Our work highlights the need for both toll-like receptor pathway activation via MyD88 and provision of co-stimulation via CD40 to consistently enhance the antitumor activity of CD123.ENG T cells.

Primary hypothyroidism in childhood cancer survivors: Prevalence, risk factors, and long-term consequences.

BACKGROUND: Data on primary hypothyroidism and its long-term impact on the health, cognition, and quality of life (QOL) of childhood cancer survivors are limited. This study examined the prevalence of and risk factors for primary hypothyroidism and its associations with physical, neurocognitive, and psychosocial outcomes. METHODS: This was a retrospective study with a cross-sectional health outcome analysis of an established cohort comprising 2965 survivors of childhood cancer (52.8% male; median current age, 30.9 years, median time since cancer diagnosis, 22.3 years). Multivariable logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between primary hypothyroidism and cancer-related risk factors, cardiovascular disease risk factors, frailty, neurocognitive and QOL outcomes, social attainment, and subsequent thyroid carcinoma. Associations between serum free thyroxine and thyrotropin levels at assessment and health outcomes were explored. RESULTS: The prevalence of primary hypothyroidism was 14.7% (95% CI, 13.5%-16.0%). It was more likely in females (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.08), was less likely in non-Whites (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99), was associated with thyroid radiotherapy (higher risk at higher doses), and was more common if cancer was diagnosed at an age ≥ 15.0 years versus an age < 5 years (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.09). Primary hypothyroidism was associated with frailty (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.05-2.26), dyslipidemia (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.14-2.04), impaired physical QOL (OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.12-2.48), and having health care insurance (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.07-2.12). CONCLUSIONS: Primary hypothyroidism is common in survivors and is associated with unfavorable physical health and QOL outcomes. The impact of thyroid hormone replacement practices on these outcomes should be investigated further.

Patient-reported outcomes in survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies with hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Patient-reported outcomes among survivors of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) are understudied. We compared symptom prevalence, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and risk factors in adult survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies treated with HSCT to those treated with conventional therapy and noncancer controls. Survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies (HSCT N = 112 [70% allogeneic, 30% autologous]; conventionally treated N = 1106) and noncancer controls (N = 242) from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study completed surveys assessing 10 symptom domains and SF-36 HRQOL summary scores. Chronic health conditions (CHCs) were validated by clinical assessment. Multivariable logistic regression reveals that compared with noncancer controls, HSCT survivors endorsed a significantly higher symptom prevalence in sensation (OR = 4.7, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-8.4), motor/movement (OR = 4.3, 95% CI, 1.6-11.0), pulmonary (OR = 4.6, 95% CI, 1.8-11.8), and memory domains (OR = 4.8, 95% CI, 2.5-9.2), and poorer physical HRQOL (OR = 6.9, 95% CI, 2.8-17.0). HSCT and conventionally treated survivors had a similar prevalence of all symptom domains and HRQOL (all P > .05); however, HSCT survivors had a significantly higher cumulative prevalence for specific symptoms: double vision (P = .04), very dry eyes (P < .0001), and trouble seeing when wearing glasses (P < .0001). Occurrence of organ-specific CHCs, instead of transplant receipt, was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of all symptom domains (all P < .05) in adult survivors of childhood cancer, except for pain and anxiety domains. This study found that patient-reported outcomes were equally impaired between HSCT and conventionally treated survivors, but poorer in both groups compared with noncancer controls. Poor patient-reported outcomes in all survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies correlated with the presence of CHCs, whether treated with conventional therapy or HSCT.

Connector-style hollow-core fiber interconnections.

To go beyond the fundamental limits imposed by latency, nonlinearity, and laser damage threshold in silica glass fibers, the hollow-core fiber (HCF) technique has been intensively investigated for decades. Recent breakthroughs in ultralow-loss HCF clearly imply that long-haul applications of HCF in communications and lasers are going to appear. Nevertheless, up to now, the HCF technique as a whole is still hampered by the limited length of a single span and the lack of HCF-based functional devices. To resolve these two issues, it is of importance to develop ultralow-loss and plug-and-play HCF interconnections. In this work, we report on HCF interconnections with the lowest-ever insertion losses (0.10 dB for HCF to standard single-mode fiber (SMF) and 0.13 dB for HCF to itself in the 1.5 µm waveband) and in a pluggable means. Two fiber mode-field adapters, one based on a graded-index multi-mode fiber (GIF) and the other utilizing a thermally expanded core (TEC) SMF, have been tested and compared. An extra insertion loss arising from imperfect refractive index distribution in a commercial GIF is observed. Our HCF interconnections also realize a back-reflection of <-35 dB over a 100 nm bandwidth as well as other critical metrics in favor of practical applications. Our technique is viable for any type of HCF.

Clinically ascertained health outcomes, quality of life, and social attainment among adult survivors of neuroblastoma: A report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to characterize chronic disease, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), emotional distress, and social attainment among long-term survivors of neuroblastoma. METHODS: Chronic health conditions among 136 ≥10-year neuroblastoma survivors (median age, 31.9 years; range, 20.2-54.6 years) and 272 community controls (median age, 34.7 years; range, 18.3-59.6 years) were graded with a modified version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 4.03). HRQOL and emotional distress were assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. Log-binomial regression and logistic regression were used to compare the prevalence of chronic conditions and the frequency of reduced HRQOL, distress, and social attainment between survivors and controls. The cumulative burden approach was used to estimate multimorbidity. RESULTS: By the age of 35 years, survivors had experienced, on average, 8.5 grade 1 to 5 conditions (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.6-9.3), which was higher than the average for controls (3.3; 95% CI, 2.9-3.7). Compared with controls, survivors had a higher prevalence of any pulmonary (P = .003), auditory (P < .001), gastrointestinal (P < .001), neurological (P = .003), or renal condition (P < .001); were more likely to report poor physical HRQOL (P = .01) and symptoms of anxiety (P = .01) and somatization (P = .01); and were less likely to live independently (P = .01) or marry (P = .01). In analyses limited to survivors, those with 1 or more grade 3 to 5 conditions were more likely to report reduced general health (odds ratio [OR], 6.6; 95% CI, 1.6-26.9), greater bodily pain (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.0-17.0), and unemployment (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.2-8.5). CONCLUSIONS: Because of the high burden of chronic diseases and the associations of these morbidities with reduced HRQOL and social attainment, screening and interventions that provide opportunities to optimize health are important among neuroblastoma survivors.

Exceeding 50% slope efficiency DBR fiber laser based on a Yb-doped crystal-derived silica fiber with high gain per unit length.

We fabricated a Yb-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Yb:YAG) crystal-derived silica fiber (YCDSF) using an assembly consisting of a YAG crystal rod and silica tube on a CO2 laser-heated drawing tower. The fiber has a Yb concentration of 5.66 wt%, and absorption coefficient of 32 dB/cm at 980 nm. The figure of merit of the unsaturated absorption and gain per unit length of the YCDSF are 93% and 4.4 dB/cm, respectively. Based on the results of the numerical simulation, an all-fiber distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser using only a 1.5-cm-long YCDSF is experimentally demonstrated to have a maximum output power of 360 mW with a pump threshold power of 21 mW. The fiber laser also achieved an optical signal-to-noise ratio of 80 dB, a beam quality factor of 1.022 in two orthogonal directions and a slope efficiency of up to 50.5%. These results indicate that the all-fiber DBR laser has potential applications in high-quality seed sources and coherent optical communications.

Propagation of a centrosymmetric optical vortex beam through a paraxial ABCD system with an axicon.

Recently, a new form of laser beam, called the "centrosymmetric optical vortex" (CSOV), has been proposed. We employ the modified calculation method for studying the propagation of the CSOV beam, which is constructed via four canonical optical vortices with different topological charges. The speed of calculation is more convenient and faster than the usual means by using the diffraction integral directly. With a modified calculation method, the propagation properties of the CSOV in free space are illustrated and analyzed using numerical examples. Several parameters influencing the CSOV beams and the ABCD optical system are discussed in detail. Our experimental results are consistent with theoretical predictions. Furthermore, the orbital angular momentum states and density are also studied. The research results are expected to provide a basis for the application of CSOV beams in beam reshaping, optical trapping, and rotating microparticle manipulation, particularly in separating cells.

The change of nuclear LC3 distribution in acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Making sure the change of nuclear LC3 distribution in the autophagy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell and finding out the regulation mechanism may lead to a breakthrough for killing AML cells. Western blots were performed to assess the expression of autophagy proteins. Changes in the LC3 distribution were monitored by immunofluorescence assays together with western blots, and the expression levels of Sirt1, DOR, Beclin1, HMGB1, and AMPK mRNA were detected via fluorescent quantitative PCR. The effects of Sirt1 and DOR on cell proliferation and survival were analyzed by MTT, flow cytometry, and western blotting assays. We found that treating AML cells with Ara-c or Sorafenib resulted in autophagy enhancement, and when autophagy was enhanced, nuclear LC3 moved into the cytoplasm. Notably, when autophagy was inhibited by blocking the nuclear LC3 shift, the cytotoxicity of drugs was enhanced. Our results also identified Sirt1 and DOR as regulatory molecules for the observed nuclear LC3 shift, and these molecules further affected the expression of Beclin1, HMGB1, and AMPK. Our results suggest the distribution of nuclear LC3 can be a novel way for further studying death of AML cells,and the regulatory molecules may be new targets for treating AML.

The cumulative burden of surviving childhood cancer: an initial report from the St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE).

BACKGROUND: Survivors of childhood cancer develop early and severe chronic health conditions (CHCs). A quantitative landscape of morbidity of survivors, however, has not been described. We aimed to describe the cumulative burden of curative cancer therapy in a clinically assessed ageing population of long-term survivors of childhood cancer. METHODS: The St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE) retrospectively collected data on CHCs in all patients treated for childhood cancer at the St Jude Children's Research Hospital who survived 10 years or longer from initial diagnosis and were 18 years or older as of June 30, 2015. Age-matched and sex-frequency-matched community controls were used for comparison. 21 treatment exposure variables were included in the analysis, with data abstracted from medical records. 168 CHCs for all participants were graded for severity using a modified Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events. Multiple imputation with predictive mean matching was used for missing occurrences and grades of CHCs in the survivors who were not clinically evaluable. Mean cumulative count was used for descriptive cumulative burden analysis and marked-point-process regression was used for inferential cumulative burden analysis. FINDINGS: Of 5522 patients treated for childhood cancer at St Jude Children's Research Hospital who had complete records, survived 10 years or longer, and were 18 years or older at time of study, 3010 (54·5%) were alive, had enrolled, and had had prospective clinical assessment. 2512 (45·5%) of the 5522 patients were not clinically evaluable. The cumulative incidence of CHCs at age 50 years was 99·9% (95% CI 99·9-99·9) for grade 1-5 CHCs and 96·0% (95% CI 95·3-96·8%) for grade 3-5 CHCs. By age 50 years, a survivor had experienced, on average, 17·1 (95% CI 16·2-18·1) CHCs of any grade, of which 4·7 (4·6-4·9) were CHCs of grade 3-5. The cumulative burden in matched community controls of grade 1-5 CHCs was 9·2 (95% CI 7·9-10·6; p<0·0001 vs total study population) and of grade 3-5 CHCs was 2·3 (1·9-2·7, p<0·0001 vs total study population). Second neoplasms, spinal disorders, and pulmonary disease were major contributors to the excess total cumulative burden. Notable heterogeneity in the distribution of CHC burden in survivors with differing primary cancer diagnoses was observed. The cumulative burden of grade 1-5 CHCs at age 50 years was highest in survivors of CNS malignancies (24·2 [95% CI 20·9-27·5]) and lowest in survivors of germ cell tumours (14·0 [11·5-16·6]). Multivariable analyses showed that older age at diagnosis, treatment era, and higher doses of brain and chest radiation are significantly associated with a greater cumulative burden and severity of CHCs. INTERPRETATION: The burden of CHCs in survivors of childhood cancer is substantial and highly variable. Our assessment of total cumulative burden in survivors of paediatric cancer, with detailed characterisation of long-term CHCs, provide data to better inform future clinical guidelines, research investigations, and health services planning for this vulnerable, medically complex population. FUNDING: The US National Cancer Institute, St Baldrick's Foundation, and the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities.

Focal shift in tightly focused hybridly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian vector beams with zero radial index.

Hybridly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian vector beams (HPLGVBs) with zero radial index are obtained based on the third type of Laguerre-Gaussian vector beams. Polarization distributions of HPLGVBs are controlled by the phase retardation of a wave plate. The ellipticity angle and polarization orientation angle are used to describe the polarization distributions of the HPLGVBs. The electric field intensity distributions of tightly focused HPLGVBs are analyzed in the focal plane by the Richards-Wolf vectorial diffraction method. It is found that the tightly focused HPLGVBs have a focal shift phenomenon. The dependence of the focal shift of the HPLGVBs on the different parameters is discussed in detail. The simulation results show that the magnitude of the focal shift is related to the polarization distribution, and the focal shift is quite obvious for large azimuthal mode index, long focal length, large numerical aperture, and narrow beam waist. The effective control of the focal shift will have great potential applications in optical micromanipulation.

Dimensional properties of Laguerre-Gaussian vortex beams.

We derive and analyze the dimensional properties of Laguerre-Gaussian vortex beams theoretically and numerically. The analytical expressions of inner and outer radii are given out and proved to be proportional to the transverse beam size, when the topological charge remains. The ratio of the outer and inner radius only depends on the topological charge, having nothing to do with the waist radius and the propagation distance, and the ratio decreases as the topological charge increases. Using a spatial light modulator loaded with computer-generated holograms, we generate vortex beams. The experimental results are in good agreement with our numerical simulations. This research may provide useful insights into the study of the optical vortex beam and its further applications.

Cardiac Outcomes in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer Exposed to Cardiotoxic Therapy: A Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Studies of cardiac disease among adult survivors of childhood cancer have generally relied on self-reported or registry-based data. OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess cardiac outcomes among survivors of childhood cancer. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. PATIENTS: 1853 adult survivors of childhood cancer, aged 18 years or older, who received cancer-related cardiotoxic therapy at least 10 years earlier. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline history and physical examination, fasting metabolic and lipid panels, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and 6-minute walk test. RESULTS: One half of the survivors (52.3%) were men with a median age of 8 years (range, 0 to 24 years) at cancer diagnosis and 31 years (range, 18 to 60 years) at evaluation. Cardiomyopathy was present in 7.4% survivors (newly identified at the time of evaluation in 4.7%), coronary artery disease in 3.8% (newly identified in 2.2%), valvular regurgitation or stenosis in 28.0% (newly identified in 24.8%), and conduction or rhythm abnormalities in 4.4% (newly identified in 1.4%). Nearly all survivors were asymptomatic. The prevalence of cardiac conditions increased with age at evaluation, ranging from 3% to 24% among survivors aged 30 to 39 years to 10% to 37% among those aged 40 years or older. In multivariable analysis, survivors exposed to anthracycline doses of 250 mg/m2 or more had greater odds of cardiomyopathy (odds ratio, 2.7 [95% CI, 1.1 to 6.9]) than those who were not exposed. Survivors exposed to heart radiation also had increased odds of cardiomyopathy (odds ratio, 1.9 [CI, 1.1 to 3.7]) compared with those who were not exposed. Radiation exposure greater than 1500 cGy with any anthracycline exposure conferred the greatest odds for valve findings. LIMITATIONS: Sixty-one percent of survivors exposed to anthracycline chemotherapy or cardiac-directed radiation participated. A comparison group and longitudinal assessments were not available. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular screening identified considerable subclinical disease among adult survivors of childhood cancer. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Cancer Institute, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities.

High Sensitivity Refractometer Based on TiO2-Coated Adiabatic Tapered Optical Fiber via ALD Technology.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology is introduced to fabricate a high sensitivity refractometer based on an adiabatic tapered optical fiber. Different thicknesses of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofilm were coated around the tapered fiber precisely and uniformly under different deposition cycles. Attributed to the higher refractive index of the TiO2 nanofilm compared to that of silica, an asymmetric Fabry-Perot (F-P) resonator could be constructed along the fiber taper. The central wavelength of the F-P resonator could be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the TiO2 nanofilm. Such a F-P resonator is sensitive to changes in the surrounding refractive index (SRI), which is utilized to realize a high sensitivity refractometer. The refractometer developed by depositing 50.9-nm-thickness TiO2 on the tapered fiber shows SRI sensitivity as high as 7096 nm/RIU in the SRI range of 1.3373-1.3500. Due to TiO2's advantages of high refractive index, lack of toxicity, and good biocompatibility, this refractometer is expected to have wide applications in the biochemical sensing field.

Renal function in survivors of nonsyndromic Wilms tumor treated with unilateral radical nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Partial nephrectomy is considered by some for children with unilateral Wilms tumor (UWT) to avoid the theoretical complication of renal insufficiency. In the current study, the authors evaluated the prevalence of hypertension and impaired renal function in long-term survivors of nonsyndromic UWT who were treated without nephrotoxic chemotherapy or ionizing radiation. METHODS: Eligibility included age ≤15 years at the time of diagnosis of nonsyndromic UWT, treatment receipt before 2002, and maintenance of disease remission after unilateral nephrectomy without receipt of abdominal irradiation or nephrotoxic chemotherapy. Renal function was assessed by urinalysis and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Patients receiving antihypertensive medication or those with blood pressure readings of >140/90 mm Hg were considered to be hypertensive. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients with a median age at diagnosis of 3.2 years (range, 0.2-12.1 years) met eligibility criteria. The median length of follow-up was 19.6 years (range, 10.0-32.8 years). All but 1 patient had stage I/II disease. Sixty-eight patients (90.7%) patients had WT with favorable histology and 7 patients had anaplastic histology. Sixteen patients (21.3%) had an eGFR <90 mL/minute/1.73m(2), 2 of whom also had proteinuria (12.5%). No patient had an eGFR <60 mL/minute/1.73m(2). Five patients (6.7%) had hypertension, 3 of whom were receiving antihypertensive medications. At the time of last follow-up, no patient had developed end-stage renal disease. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with UWT who were treated with unilateral radical nephrectomy without nephrotoxic chemotherapy or ionizing radiation appear to be at low risk of developing significant long-term renal dysfunction. For this patient population, the routine use of partial nephrectomy does not appear justified. However, monitoring and counseling are important for identifying the rare patient who develops subtle renal insufficiency and therefore might be at an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular sequelae.

High sensitivity refractive index sensor based on adiabatic tapered optical fiber deposited with nanofilm by ALD.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology is introduced to fabricate a high sensitivity refractive index sensor based on an adiabatic tapered optical fiber. Different thickness of Al2O3 nanofilm is coated around fiber taper precisely and uniformly under different deposition cycles. Attributed to the high refractive index of the Al2O3 nanofilm, an asymmetry Fabry-Perot like interferometer is constructed along the fiber taper. Based on the ray-optic analysis, total internal reflection happens on the nanofilm-surrounding interface. With the ambient refractive index changing, the phase delay induced by the Goos-Hänchen shift is changed. Correspondingly, the transmission resonant spectrum shifts, which can be utilized for realizing high sensitivity sensor. The high sensitivity sensor with 6008 nm/RIU is demonstrated by depositing 3000 layers Al2O3 nanofilm as the ambient refractive index is close to 1.33. This high sensitivity refractive index sensor is expected to have wide applications in biochemical sensors.

Assessing the impact of green finance on sustainable tourism development in China.

The escalating urgency to address environmental degradation and promote sustainable development globally has emphasized the critical role of Green Finance (GF) in fostering responsible practices across industries. The tourism sector has drawn significant attention due to its substantial environmental impact, necessitating the implementation of robust financial mechanisms to mitigate its ecological footprint. China, recognized as a key player in the global tourism arena, the convergence of rapid economic expansion and the imperative for environmental conservation presents a distinctive set of challenges and opportunities. The study employed the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methodologies to systematically evaluate the impact of GF. The findings of fuzzy AHP indicate the critical role of environmental sustainability measures (GF2) as the topmost impacting factor. This refers to the practice of utilizing financial mechanisms and instruments to support initiatives that promote environmental conservation, minimize ecological footprints, and foster sustainable development. While financial allocation and effectiveness (GF1) and policy and regulatory framework impact (GF4) also hold significant importance in shaping sustainable tourism development. Moreover, the results of fuzzy TOPSIS identified top strategies such as green bond innovation for ecosystem regeneration (S1) and circular economy integration (S4), which can play a significant role in promoting sustainable tourism practices by facilitating initiatives aimed at ecosystem regeneration and integrating circular economy principles into the tourism industry.

Pilot study of vascular health in survivors of osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular-related toxicities have been reported among survivors of osteosarcoma. METHODS: Fasting blood samples from 24 osteosarcoma survivors were analyzed for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), apolipoprotein-ß, lipoprotein (a), fibrinogen, circulating endothelial cells (CECs), and surface expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Values were compared to subjects in the natural history Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) cohort study except for CECs and VCAM-1 expression, which were compared to controls studied at the University of Minnesota Lillehei clinical trials unit. PROCEDURE: Survivors (54.2% male), median age 18 years (9-32) at diagnosis, 36.5 years (20-56) at evaluation were treated with a variety of chemotherapeutic exposures, all but one were exposed to doxorubicin (median dose 450 mg/m(2) ; range: 90-645 mg/m(2)), 14 (58.3%) received cisplatin, and 3 (12.5%) were exposed to carboplatin. Two survivors (8.3%) received radiation therapy for disease relapse. Compared to CARDIA subjects, mean hsCRP (3.0 mg/L ± 2.0 vs. 1.6 ± 2.3), triglycerides (151 mg/dl ± 81.7 vs. 95.4 ± 101.3), lipoprotein (a) (34.9 mg/dl ± 17.7 vs. 13.8 ± 22.0), and fibrinogen (315.0 mg/dl ± 49.3 vs. 252.4 ± 61.7) were significantly elevated. The number of CECs (0.47 cells/ml ± 2.5 vs. 0.92 ± 2.5) did not differ while surface expression of VCAM-1 (86.4% ± 34.0 vs. 42.1 ± 33.8) was significantly elevated compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Among survivors of osteosarcoma, assessed a median of 14 years from diagnosis, there is evidence of vascular inflammation, dyslipidemia, and early atherogenesis.

Abdominal aortic calcification in young adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort study.

Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), metabolic syndrome, and low bone mineral density (BMD) are risk factors for atherosclerotic disease and cardiovascular morbidity. We evaluated AAC in 662 adult survivors of childhood ALL (median age 31 years). AAC was present in 10% of subjects, metabolic syndrome in 36%, and low BMD in 29%. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for AAC among women with metabolic syndrome was 2.3 (95% CL = 1.0, 4.3). The adjusted OR for AAC in men with low BMD was 3.1 (95% CL = 1.3, 7.3). A substantial proportion of adult survivors of childhood ALL have AAC and/or metabolic syndrome, suggestive of early atherosclerotic disease.