Numerical investigation of effective nonlinear coefficient model for coupled third harmonic generation.

In this paper, the optimal solution of effective nonlinear coefficient of quasi-phase-matching (QPM) crystals for coupled third harmonic generation (CTHG) was numerically investigated. The effective nonlinear coefficient of CTHG was converted to an Ising model for optimizing domain distributions of aperiodically poled lithium niobate (APPLN) crystals with lengths as 0.5 mm and 1 mm, and fundamental wavelengths ranging from 1000 nm to 6000 nm. A method for reconstructing crystal domain poling weight curve of coupled nonlinear processes was also proposed, which demonstrated the optimal conversion ratio between two coupled nonlinear processes at each place along the crystal. In addition, by applying the semidefinite programming, the upper bound on the effective nonlinear coefficients deff for different fundamental wavelengths were calculated. The research can be extended to any coupled dual χ(2) process and will help us to understand better the dynamics of coupled nonlinear interactions based on QPM crystals.

Consideration of non-phase-matched nonlinear effects in the design of quasi-phase-matching crystals for optical parametric oscillators.

Femtosecond optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are widely used in ultrafast nonlinear frequency conversion and quantum information. However, conventional OPOs based on quasi-phase-matching (QPM) crystals have many parasitic non-phase-matched processes which decrease the conversion efficiency. Here, we propose nine-wave coupled equations (NWCEs) to simulate all phase-matched and non-phase-matched interactions in QPM crystals to improve conventional three-wave coupled equations (TWCEs), especially for the situation of high intensity ultrashort pulses and complexly structured crystals. We discuss how to design the poling period of QPM crystal to maximize the conversion efficiency of signal light for a given OPO system. The simulation reveals that the OPO based on chirped periodically poled lithium niobate (CPPLN) with a certain chirp rate has higher signal wave conversion efficiency than that of a PPLN, and demonstrates that NWCEs illustrate more details of the pulse evolution in the OPO cavity. Starting from a CPPLN, an aperiodically poled lithium niobate (APPLN) design is available by modifying the domain lengths of the crystal and optimizing the OPO output power via dynamical optimization algorithm. The results show that by using a properly designed APPLN crystal, a 1600 nm OPO, when pumped by a femtosecond laser with 1030 nm central wavelength, 150 femtosecond pulse duration and 5 GW/cm2 power intensity at the focus, can achieve very efficient output with a signal light conversion efficiency of 50.6%, which is higher than that of PPLN (25.2%) and CPPLN (40.2%). The scheme in this paper will provide a reference for the design of nonlinear QPM crystals of OPOs and will help to understand the complex nonlinear dynamical behavior in OPO cavities.

Broadband and ascendant nonlinear optical properties of the wide bandgap material GaN nanowires.

Gallium nitride (GaN) nanowire, as a type of wide bandgap nanomaterial, has attracted considerable interest because of its outstanding physicochemical properties and applications in energy storage and photoelectric devices. In this study, we prepared GaN nanowires via a facile chemical vapor deposition method and investigated their nonlinear absorption responses ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared in the z-scan technology under irradiation by picosecond laser pulses. The experiment revealed that GaN nanowires exhibit remarkable nonlinear absorption characteristics attributed to their wide bandgap and nanostructure, including saturable absorption and reverse saturable absorption. When compared to bulk GaN crystals, the nanowires provide a richer and more potent set of nonlinear optical effects. Furthermore, we conducted an analysis of the corresponding electronic transition processes associated with photon absorption. Under high peak power density laser excitation, two-photon absorption or three-photon absorption dominate, with maximum modulation depths of 73.6%, 74.9%, 63.1% and 64.3% at 266 nm, 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm, respectively, corresponding to absorption coefficients of 0.22 cm/GW, 0.28 cm/GW, 0.08 cm/GW, and 2.82 ×10-4 cm3/GW2. At lower peak energy densities, GaN nanowires demonstrate rare and excellent saturation absorption characteristics at wavelength of 355 nm due to interband transitions, while saturable absorption is also observed at 532 nm and 1064 nm due to band tail absorption. The modulation depths are 85.2%, 41.9%, and 13.7% for 355 nm, 532 nm, and 1064 nm, corresponding to saturation intensities of 3.39 GW/cm2, 5.58 GW/cm2 and 14.13 GW/cm2. This indicates that GaN nanowires can be utilized as broadband optical limiters and high-performance pulse laser modulating devices, particularly for scarce ultraviolet optical limiters, and saturable absorbers for ultraviolet and visible lasers. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the application potential of wide bandgap nanomaterials in nonlinear optical devices.

Real-world outcomes of regorafenib combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced or metastatic microsatellite stable colorectal cancer: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment strategies are limited for patients with chemotherapy refractory microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with regorafenib in this population in routine clinical practice. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer who received at least one dose of ICIs combined with regorafenib in 14 Chinese medical centers. The primary outcome was objective response rate (ORR). This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on February 2020 (NCT04771715). RESULTS: Eighty-four patients received ICIs combined with regorafenib from January 2019 to January 2021. Most patients (91%) received two or more systemic treatment lines before the study treatment. Seventy-six patients (90%) had confirmed MSS status. At a median follow-up of 5.5 months, four patients achieved partial response (5%) and 37 patients achieved stable disease (45%) as the best response. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.1 months, and the median overall survival was 17.3 months. Eleven patients (13%) remained progression-free for more than 6 months. Baseline liver metastasis (HR 1.98, 95%CI 1.07-3.69, P = 0.03) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of ≥ 1.5 (HR 2.83, 95%CI 1.00-7.98, P = 0.05) were associated with shorter PFS in multivariate analysis. Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 16 patients (19%). CONCLUSION: The combination of ICIs with regorafenib can be a valuable treatment option for a proportion of patients with chemotherapy refractory MSS colorectal cancer. Patients with no liver metastasis and a low NLR at baseline may derive most benefit from this strategy.

High-performance multi-parameter fiber sensor by grating-enhanced Mach-Zehnder interference.

A multi-parameter dual-core fiber sensor is proposed to realize highly sensitive detection of illumination, temperature, and humidity, separately. Through partial grating etching of a one-side core, the interaction between the core and the external environment is enhanced. Then, combining the Mach-Zehnder effect of the dual core, a higher sensing sensitivity is obtained. Experimental results show the temperature sensitivity is higher than 6.1952 nm/°C. Besides, the humidity and illumination resolution can reach as accurate as 0.041 relative humidity (RH) and 0.025 light units, respectively. To have better multi-parameter sensing and demodulation, the deep learning algorithm of a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) is used to reach an accuracy of 99.05% with ∼2.00 root mean square error (RMSE). We envision such an excellent multi-parameter sensor can be promising in environmental monitoring and intelligent manufacturing.

LINC00022 acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer progression via sponging miR-375-3p to regulate FOXF1 expression.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). It has been reported that LINC00022 is highly expressed in some typs of cancer and its overexpression indicates poor prognosis. The function of LINC00022 in CRC progression remains unclear and is mainly investigated in the present study. METHODS: LINC00022 expression in CRC tissues was analyzed by using the TNMplot software. LINC00022 expression in CRC cells was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The effects of LINC00022 on the malignant behaviors of CRC cells were detected by a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. Dual-luciferase assays were used to verify the targeting relationship between LINC00022 and miR-375-3p and between miR-375-3p and Forkhead box F1 (FOXF1), followed by the rescue experiment. RESULTS: LINC00022 was highly expressed in CRC tissues compared with paired para-carcinoma tissues (n = 41). CRC cells with LINC00022 knockdown exhibited decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities but increased apoptosis accompanied by decreased protein levels of c-Myc, cyclin D1, cleaved caspase 3, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, and MMP9. Additionally, LINC00022 downregulation in CRC cells suppressed the tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as evidenced by decreased vascular endothelial growth factor A levels in LINC00022-silenced cells. The inhibitory effect of LINC00022 knockdown on tumor growth was also observed in an in vivo model. Conversely, LINC00022 overexpression showed that opposite effect. We further demonsrtaed that LINC00022 could upregulate FOXF1 expression through sponging miR-375-3p. Moreover, miR-375-3p knockdown reversed the effects of LINC00022 down-regulation. CONCLUSIONS: LINC00022 may up-regulate FOXF1 expression via competitively binding miR-375-3p, thereby promoting the development of CRC.

A natural cuttlefish melanin nanoprobe for preoperative and intraoperative mapping of lymph nodes.

Lymphatic metastasis plays an important role in malignant tumor invasion. Efficient identification of sentinel lymph node (SLN) is extremely significant for designing therapeutic strategies and assessing prognosis. In this work, we developed a natural cuttlefish melanin nanoprobe for the preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of lymphatic metastasis. The cuttlefish melanin nanoparticle could improve the water-solubility and biocompatibility of the near-infrared-II (NIR-II) dye, and extend the retention time of small molecule dye. The NIR-II imaging results verified that the nanoparticles have a high accumulation, high sensitivity, and high signal-to-noise ratio in the lymphatic system. Moreover, the nanoparticles have obvious naked-eye identification potential due to their natural brownish-black color. Additionally, the nanoparticles can combine with Gd ions to achieve preoperative lymphatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results of this study provide a unique approach to effectively identify and accurately remove lymph nodes before operation and during surgery, exhibiting tremendous potential in clinical translation.

Clinical and Genetic Characteristics of a Cohort with Distal Vaginal Atresia.

Distal vaginal atresia is a rare abnormality of female reproductive tract in which the vagina is closed or absent. The distal vagina may be replaced by fibrous tissue and the condition is often not diagnosed until a girl fails to begin having periods at puberty. Although it is a congenital disorder, potential genetic causes of distal vaginal atresia are still unknown. We recruited a cohort of 39 patients with distal vaginal atresia and analyzed their phenotypic and genetic features. In addition to the complaint of distal vaginal atresia, approximately 17.9% (7/39) of the patients had other Müllerian anomalies, and 17.9% (7/39) of the patients had other structural abnormalities, including renal-tract, skeletal and cardiac anomalies. Using genome sequencing, we identified two fragment duplications on 17q12 encompassing HNF1B and LHX1, two dosage-sensitive genes with candidate pathogenic variants, in two unrelated patients. A large fragment of uniparental disomy was detected in another patient, affecting genes involved in cell morphogenesis and connective tissue development. Additionally, we reported two variants on TBX3 and AXL, leading to distal vaginal atresia in mutated mouse model, in our clinical subjects for the first time. Essential biological functions of these detected genes with pathogenic variants included regulating reproductive development and cell fate and patterning during embryogenesis. We displayed the comprehensive clinical and genetic characteristic of a cohort with distal vaginal atresia and they were highly heterogeneous both phenotypically and genetically. The duplication of 17q12 in our cohort could help to expand its phenotypic spectrum and potential contribution to the distal vaginal atresia. Our findings of pathogenic genetic variants and associated phenotypes in our cohort could provide evidence and new insight for further research attempting to reveal genetic causes of distal vaginal atresia.

Two-photon dual-comb LiDAR.

The interferometric signals produced in conventional dual-comb laser ranging require femtosecond lasers with long-term carrier-envelope offset frequency stability, and are limited to an upper sampling rate by radio-frequency aliasing considerations. By using cross-polarized dual combs and two-photon detection, we demonstrate carrier-phase-insensitive cross-correlations at sampling rates of up to 12× the conventional dual-comb aliasing limit, recording these in a digitizer-based acquisition system to implement ranging with sub-100 nm precision. We then extend this concept to show how the high data burden of conventional dual-comb acquisition can be eliminated by using a simple microcontroller as a ns-precision stopwatch to record the time intervals separating the two-photon cross-correlation pulses, providing real-time and continuous LiDAR-like distance metrology capable of sub-100 nm precision and dynamic acquisition for unlimited periods.

Development of a deep-ultraviolet pulse laser source operating at 234†nm for direct cooling of Al+ ion clocks.

We report on the development of a 250-MHz 234 nm deep-ultraviolet pulse source based on a flexible wavelength-conversion scheme. The scheme is based on a frequency-doubled optical parametric oscillator (FD-OPO) together with a cascaded frequency conversion process. We use a χ(2) nonlinear envelope equation to guide the design of an intra-cavity OPO crystal, demonstrating a flexible broadband tunable feature and providing as high as watt-level of a frequency-doubled signal output centered at 850 nm, which is served as an input wave for the cascaded frequency conversion process. As much as 3.0 mW of an average power at 234 nm is obtained, with an rms power stability of better than 1% over 20 minutes. This deep-ultraviolet pulse laser source can be used for many applications in quantum optics and for direct laser cooling of Al+ ion clocks.

The knockdown of LncRNA AFAP1-AS1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promoted apoptosis by regulating miR-545-3p/hepatoma-derived growth factor axis in lung cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the most common human cancers. Long noncoding RNA AFAP1-AS1 (LncRNA AFAP1-AS1) and microRNA-545-3p (miR-545-3p) were reported to play important roles in lung cancer development. This study aimed to elucidate the functional mechanisms of AFAP1-AS1 and miR-545-3p in lung cancer. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction was carried out to determine the levels of AFAP1-AS1, miR-545-3p and hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF). Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay, flow cytometry, and transwell migration and invasion assays, respectively. Furthermore, the interaction between miR-545-3p and AFAP1-AS1 or HDGF was predicted by bioinformatics analysis software starbase and confirmed by the dual luciferase reporter assay. Western blot assay was used to detect the protein level of HDGF. Besides, murine xenograft model was conducted through injecting A549 cells transfected with sh-AFAP1-AS1. The expression levels of AFAP1-AS1 and HDGF were increased, while miR-545-3p was decreased in lung cancer tissues and cells. AFAP1-AS1 knockdown suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, AFAP1-AS1 mediated cell progression through regulating miR-545-3p expression. In addition, miR-545-3p negatively regulated the expression level of HDGF via binding 3'-untranslated region of HDGF. As expected, AFAP1-AS1 knockdown inhibited lung cancer progression via affecting miR-545-3p/HDGF axis. Besides, AFAP1-AS1 knockdown suppressed lung cancer tumor growth in vivo. Collectively, our results suggested that AFAP1-AS1 promoted the development of lung cancer via regulating miR-545-3p/HDGF axis, providing a potential target for the treatment of lung cancer.

Proteome profiling of gestational diabetes mellitus at 16-18 weeks revealed by LC-MS/MS.

BACKGROUND: The practices used to diagnose gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) could only be carried out around the time of detectable symptoms, and predictive capacity is little. METHODS: LC-MS/MS was conducted to explore overview proteomics for GDM complicated pregnant woman at 16-18 gestation weeks, while normal pregnant for control. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was further applied in an independent cohort of 15 GDM cases and 15 controls for verification. RESULTS: The results indicated that 24 protein expression levels were significantly changed in GDM group samples, and inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, blood coagulation, and lipid homeostasis were associated with GDM. The abnormal expression of CRP and IGFBP2 was verified in the first-trimester maternal plasma in women who subsequently developed GDM. CONCLUSIONS: This study not only identified 24 potential predictive biomarkers for GDM also provided a global overview of protein rearrangements induced by GDM.

Ultrahigh Resolution Thickness Measurement Technique Based on a Hollow Core Optical Fiber Structure.

An ultrahigh resolution thickness measurement sensor was proposed based on a single mode-hollow core-single mode (SMF-HCF-SMF) fiber structure by coating a thin layer of material on the HCF surface. Theoretical analysis shows that the SMF-HCF-SMF fiber structure can measure coating thickness down to sub-nanometers. An experimental study was carried out by coating a thin layer of graphene oxide (GO) on the HCF surface of the fabricated SMF-HCF-SMF fiber structure. The experimental results show that the fiber sensor structure can detect a thin layer with a thickness down to 0.21 nanometers, which agrees well with the simulation results. The proposed sensing technology has the advantages of simple configuration, ease of fabrication, low cost, high resolution, and good repeatability, which offer great potential for practical thickness measurement applications.

The risk of periodontitis for peripheral vascular disease: a systematic review.

Periodontitis is one of the risk factors associated with peripheral artery disease. This meta-analysis evaluates how periodontitis contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of peripheral artery disease. We systematically searched electronic databases Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Pubmed. Grey literature was also searched via Google Scholar. All studies evaluating the relationship between the incidence of periodontitis and peripheral artery disease were included. Subgroup analyses of carotid artery disease and lower extremity arterial disease were also conducted. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled and analyzed. The I² statistic was used to evaluate heterogeneity. Within a total of 25 studies, including 22,090 participants based on eligibility criteria, the incidence of peripheral artery disease was significantly higher among those with periodontitis (OR: 1.60, 95% CI 1.41-1.82, P < 0.001, I² = 80.5%). In subgroup analysis, periodontitis was still a risk for lower extremity arterial disease (OR: 3.00, 95% CI 2.23-4.04, P < 0.001, I² = 0%) and carotid artery disease (OR: 1.39, 95% CI 1.24-1.56, P < 0.001, I² = 79.4%). Periodontitis is significantly associated with the incidence of lower extremity arterial disease and carotid artery disease.

Characterization of a carrier-envelope-offset-stabilized blue- and green-diode-pumped Ti:sapphire frequency comb.

Diode-pumping of Ti:sapphire provides a low-cost route to high-quality frequency-comb sources, exploiting the potential of direct diode modulation for wideband control of the carrier-envelope-offset frequency. We present here an fREP- and fCEO-locked, directly diode-pumped Ti:sapphire frequency comb, producing 66-fs pulses at 800 nm and employing f-to-2f interferometry and current modulation of a 462-nm blue laser diode to achieve a stabilization bandwidth extending to ∼70 kHz. Characterizations of the fREP and fCEO phase noise are compared to relative intensity noise spectra of the pump diodes to provide insights into how the diode design and performance transfer into the comb stability, suggesting a lower contribution to fREP and fCEO noise from the blue laser diode than from the green diode.

Modified-FOLFIRINOX combined with deep regional hyperthermia in pancreatic cancer: a retrospective study in Chinese patients.

BACKGROUND: FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy displays significant survival improvements in patients with pancreatic cancer. However, toxicities have hampered enthusiasm for the use of FOLFIRINOX in full dose. In order to increase the tolerability, many researchers focused on the modification of FOLFIRINOX. On the other hand, hyperthermia (HT) has been considered as an effective ancillary treatment for cancer therapy. Up to now, there is no report evaluating combining deep regional hyperthermia (DRHT) with modified-FOLFIRINOX for pancreatic cancer patients. METHODS: In this study, we conducted a retrospective review of pancreatic cancer patients treated with the combination of new form modified-FOLFIRINOX and DRHT (BSD2000). Patients underwent chemotherapy that included low-dose irinotecan (70-130 mg/m2), oxaliplatin (65-70 mg/m2) on day 1 and 5-FU (2400 mg/m2 as a 46 h continuous infusion, no bolus) or capecitabine (CAP) (1000 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1-10) or tegafur, gimeracil and oteracil potassium (TS-1) (80-120 mg/d twice daily on days 1-10), 2-week schedule. Generally, DRHT treatment was performed weekly, 45 min for each time during chemotherapy. RESULTS: The patients receiving mFOLFIRINOX as the first line chemotherapy combining with DRHT, obtained an improvement in OS and PFS, 17 months (95% CI 1.97-32.03 months) and 4 months (95% CI 0-8.29 months) respectively. Overall, this combination regimen was safe; 17.6% patients suffered from grade 3/4 toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we conducted a retrospective study combining mFOLFIRINOX and DRHT, which was well tolerated. The efficacy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer was encouraging, but further studies would be required to prove its merit, compared with conventional treatment.

Immunoturbidimetric Assay for Determination of Peripheral Blood C Reactive Protein on the Pentra MS CRP Hematology Analyzer.

BACKGROUND: The Pentra MS CRP hematology analyzer (hereinafter the Pentra analyzer) can simultaneously provide 5-part leukocyte differential and C-reactive protein (CRP). The aim of the study was to investigate the performance of CRP determination by the Pentra analyzer. METHODS: The precision, limit of quantitation (LoQ), carryover, linearity, stability, and comparability of the Pentra analyzer were determined. The Passing-Bablok regression analysis and the Bland-Altman graphs illustrated the correlation for CRP concentration analyzed by the Pentra analyzer and BN-II analyzer. RESULTS: The within-run precision of CRP determination by the Pentra analyzer had a CV < 2.0% in peripheral blood, which met the requirements of the instructions (CV ≤ 10%). The Pentra analyzer had a total CV of 5.35% and 5.52% at a CRP concentration of 4.1 and 80 mg/L, respectively. The LoQ value for the Pentra analyzer was 0.96 mg/L. The carryover was 0.57% for peripheral blood and 0.86% for plasma by the analyzer. The stability of CRP results was good, when the anticoagulation samples were stored at room temperature or 4°C within 48 hours (deviation < 5%). The linearity range for whole blood samples was 0 - 188.13 mg/L (r² = 0.9992). There was high correlation of the CRP results analyzed with the Pentra analyzer and BN II analyzer. The Passing-Bablok regression analysis and the Bland-Altman graphs showed the bias plot display excellent agreement between the two assays (the mean value for the Pentra 2.19 mg/L and the BN-II 2.35 mg/L, n = 101). CONCLUSIONS: The results of CRP determination by the Pentra analyzer have the advantages of accuracy and reliability, and it is suitable for routine use in emergency laboratory and small to medium-size laboratories.

Monoclonal antibodies for differentiating infections of three serological-related tospoviruses prevalent in Southwestern China.

BACKGROUND: The thrips-borne tospoviruses Calla lily chlorotic spot virus (CCSV), Tomato zonate spot virus (TZSV) and a new species provisionally named Tomato necrotic spot associated virus (TNSaV) infect similar crops in southwestern China. The symptoms exhibiting on virus-infected crops are similar, which is difficult for distinguishing virus species by symptomatology. The sequences of nucleocapsid proteins (NPs) of CCSV, TNSaV and TZSV share high degrees of amino acid identity with each other, and their serological relationship was currently demonstrated from the responses of the previously reported monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the NP of CCSV (MAb-CCSV-NP) and the nonstructural NSs protein of Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) (MAb-WNSs). Therefore, the production of virus-specific antibodies for identification of CCSV, TNSaV and TZSV is demanded to improve field surveys. METHODS: The NP of TZSV-13YV639 isolated from Crinum asiaticum in Yunnan Province, China was bacterially expressed and purified for producing MAbs. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting were conducted to test the serological response of MAbs to 18 tospovirus species. Additionally, the virus-specific primers were designed to verify the identity of CCSV, TNSaV and TZSV in one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Two MAbs, denoted MAb-TZSV-NP(S15) and MAb-TZSV-NP(S18), were screened for test. MAb-TZSV-NP(S15) reacted with CCSV and TZSV while MAb-TZSV-NP(S18) reacted specifically to TZSV in both indirect ELISA and immunoblotting. Both MAbs can be used to detect TZSV in field-collected plant samples. The epitope of MAb-TZSV-NP(S18) was further identified consisting of amino acids 78-86 (HKIVASGAD) of the TZSV-13YV639 NP that is a highly conserved region among known TZSV isolates but is distinct from TNSaV and TZSV. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, two MAbs targeting to different portions of the TZSV NP were obtained. Unlike MAb-CCSV-NP reacted with TNSaV as well as CCSV and TZSV, both TZSV MAbs can be used to differentiate CCSV, TNSaV and TZSV. The identity of CCSV, TNSaV and TZSV was proven by individual virus-specific primer pairs to indicate the correctness of serological responses. We also proposed an serological detection platform using MAb-CCSV-NP, MAb-TZSV-NP(S15) and MAb-TZSV-NP(S18) to allow researchers and quarantine staff to efficiently diagnose the infections of CCSV, TNSaV and TZSV in China and other countries.

[Serum IgG subtypes features and differential diagnosis of autoimmunepancreatitis patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical value of serum IgG subclass distribution in differential diagnosis of autoimmune pancreatitis. METHODS: Inpatients were enrolled as follow, autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP, n=28), acute and chronic pancreatitis (ACP, n=112), pancreatic cancer (PC, n=15), cholangiocarcinoma (CC, n=9), retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF, n=37), together with healthy controls (n=52). IgG subtypes, amylase, lipase, glucose and CA19-9 were tested.For patients with autoimmune pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, radiographic CT of abdomen and pathological staining were included for comparison. RESULTS: IgG4 subtype distributed in a wide range as 7.6(1.7-13.8) g/L in AIP, 0.4(0.2-0.7) g/L in ACP, 0.7(0.2-0.9) g/L in PC, 0.5(0.4-6.5) g/L in CC and 0.4(0.2-0.7) g/L in control group, the difference was significant (H=40.536, P<0.001). There were no significant differences of IgG1, IgG3 level in AIP, RPC and control group (all P>0.05). While IgG4 level was 7.6(1.7-13.8), 1.3(0.5-2.6), 0.4(0.2-0.7) g/L in AIP, RPC and control group, respectively. The difference was significant (H=36.833, P<0.001). IgG4 level in RPC group was lower than that in AIP group (P<0.05). And it was meaningful in the differential diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Serum IgG4 subtype plays an important role in differentiation of autoimmune pancreatitis from associated diseases.

Contamination-resistant silica antireflective coating with closed ordered mesopores.

Porous silica optical antireflective (AR) coatings prepared by traditional sol-gel method have been extensively used for high power laser systems, but a serious drawback is that contamination existing in the high vacuum is easily absorbed by the disordered open pore structure, resulting in a fast decrease in transmittance. To improve the stability of transmittance in vacuum, a contamination-resistant silica AR coating with ordered mesopores completely closed by hydrophobic-oleophobic groups was successfully developed on a fused quartz substrate. The ordered mesopores in the coating were controlled under the direction of surfactant F127 via an evaporation-induced-self-assembling process and then were closed by post-grafting long chain fluoroalkylsilane. The grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and the X-ray reflectivity (XRR) results indicated that the mesopores in the coating constructed a Fmmm orthorhombic symmetry structure with a (010) plane parallel to the substrate. Cage-like mesopores were confirmed by nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. The obtained coatings showed low surface roughness, excellent abrase-resistance and high transmittance of 100% on quartz substrate. Especially, the decrease of transmittance tested with polydimethylsiloxane pollution in vacuum within one-month was as small as 0.02%. The laser induced damage threshold was up to 59.8 J cm(-2) at a 12 ns laser pulse of 1053 nm wavelength. This work provides an alternative way to fabricate AR coatings with high stability.