Microvascular alterations of the ocular surface and retina in connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease

AIM:To examine the disparities in macular retinal vascular density between individuals with connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease(CTD-ILD)and healthy controls(HCs)by optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)and to investigate the changes in microvascular density in abnormal eyes.METHODS:For a retrospective case-control study,a total of 16 patients(32 eyes)diagnosed with CTD-ILD were selected as the ILD group.The 16 healthy volunteers with 32 eyes,matched in terms of age and sex with the patients,were recruited as control group.The macular retina’s superficial retinal layer(SRL)and deep retinal layer(DRL)were examined and scanned using OCTA in each individual eye.The densities of retinal microvascular(MIR),macrovascular(MAR),and total microvascular(TMI)were calculated and compared.Changes in retinal vascular density in the macular region were analyzed using three different segmentation methods:central annuli segmentation method(C1-C6),hemispheric segmentation method[uperior right(SR),superior left(SL),inferior left(IL),and inferior right(IR)],and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study(ETDRS)methods[superior(S),inferior(I),left(L),and right(R)].The data were analyzed using Version 9.0 of GraphPad prism and Pearson analysis.RESULTS:The OCTA data demonstrated a statistically significant difference(P<0.05)in macular retinal microvessel density between the two groups.Specifically,in the SRL and DRL analyses,the ILD group exhibited significantly lower surface density of MIR and TMI compared to the HCs group(P<0.05).Furthermore,using the hemispheric segmentation method,the ILD group showed notable reductions in SL,SR,and IL in the superficial retina(P<0.05),as well as marked decreases in SL and IR in the deep retina(P<0.05).Similarly,when employing the ETDRS method,the ILD group displayed substantial drops in superficial retinal S and I(P<0.05),along with notable reductions in deep retinal L,I,and R(P<0.05).In the central annuli segmentation method,the ILD group exhibited a significant decrease in the superficial retinal C2-4 region(P<0.05),whereas the deep retina showed a notable reduction in the C3-5 region(P<0.05).Additionally,there was an observed higher positive likelihood ratio in the superficial SR region and deep MIR.Furthermore,there was a negative correlation between conjunctival vascular density and both deep and superficial retinal TMI(P<0.001).CONCLUSION:Patients with CTD-ILD exhibits a significantly higher conjunctival vascular density compared to the HCs group.Conversely,their fundus retinal microvascular density is significantly lower.Furthermore,CTD-ILD patients display notably lower superficial and deep retinal vascular density in comparison to the HCs group.The inverse correlation between conjunctival vascular density and both superficial and deep retinal TMI suggests that detecting subtle changes in ocular microcirculation could potentially serve as an early diagnostic indicator for connective tissue diseases,thereby enhancing disease management.

D2EHPA萃取法从钒页岩高氯浸出液中制备钒电解液

提出一种从钒页岩中回收有价元素并制备钒电解液的工艺。结果表明,在料液pH值为2.6、萃取剂D2EHPA浓度为20%、相比(O/A)为1:1、萃取时间为8 min、H2SO4浓度为4 mol/L及反萃时间为30 min的条件下,钒萃取率为99.3%,反萃率为99.8%。对制备的电解液组成及电化学性能进行详细研究。溶液化学和红外光谱分析表明,浸出液中氯离子可以与钒离子络合,促进钒的萃取。采用本研究提出的工艺能实现钒页岩的综合利用,并避免钒电解液制备过程中有害物质对环境的潜在污染。

Application of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of juvenile localized scleroderma with skin ulcer: a case report

Background:Juvenile Localized Scleroderma(JLS)is a rare pediatric rheumatic disease characterized by inflammation and skin sclerosis.The side effect of consensus-recommended medications and the risk of disability posed challenges to the JLS treatment.We intend to demonstrate the potential of traditional Chinese medicine in treating JLS with skin ulcers and reducing the dose of glucocorticoid.Method:Here we report a case of a 13-year-old male with JLS who took oral methotrexate tablets of 10 mg/week and methylprednisolone of 6 mg/day for over six months without significant effect and suffered from skin ulcers on the dorsal feet one month after drug cessation.Subsequently,the patient was treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine of low-dose glucocorticosteroid,adjusted Shenqi Huoxue formula and Jinshe Xiaoyan formula,etc.Results:After integrated treatment,the patient’s dorsal feet ulcers healed and the skin sclerosis and hyperpigmentation improved significantly.Conclusions:This case report suggests that integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine can be used as an effective treatment for JLS.

Ultrafast structural dynamics using time-resolved x-ray diffraction driven by relativistic laser pulses

Based on a femtosecond laser plasma-induced hard x-ray source with a high laser pulse energy(>100 mJ)at 10 Hz repetition rate,we present a time-resolved x-ray diffraction system on an ultrafast time scale.The laser intensity is at relativistic regime(2×10^(19)W/cm^(2)),which is essential for effectively generating K_(α)source in high-Z metal material.The produced copper K_(α)radiation yield reaches to 2.5×10^(8)photons/sr/shot.The multilayer mirrors are optimized for monochromatizating and two-dimensional beam shaping of Kαemission.Our experiment exhibits its ability of monitoring the transient structural changes in a thin film SrCoO_(2.5)crystal.It is demonstrated that this facility is a powerful tool to perform dynamic studies on samples and adaptable to the specific needs for different particular applications with high flexibility.

Energy-Selective X-Ray Ghost Imaging

X-ray ghost imaging(XGI) has opened up a new avenue for damage-free medical imaging.Here energy-selective spectroscopic XGI under poor illumination is demonstrated with a single-pixel detector for the first time.The key device was a specially fabricated Au mask incorporating a new modulation pattern design,by which means images of a real object were obtained with a spatial resolution of 10 μm and a spectral energy resolution of about 1.5 keV.Compressed sensing was also introduced to improve the image quality.Our proof-of-principle experiment extends the methodology of XGI to make possible the retrieval of spectral images with only a single-pixel detector,and paves the way for potential applications in many fields such as biology,material science and environmental sensing.

Extraesophageal saline enhances endoscopic ultrasonography to differentiate esophagus and adjacent organs

AIM: To distinguish between the esophagus and adjacent organs using extraesophageal saline injection (ESI) in a canine model.

Superficial esophageal lesions detected by endoscopic ultrasound enhanced with submucosal edema

AIM:To determine if there is consistency between endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)findings and pathological results for detecting lesions of different depth in the esophageal mucosa.METHODS:A canine(Beagle)model was established in which lesions of different depths were created in the esophageal mucosa by thermal burning.Seventy-two hours later,these lesions and adjacent tissue in the esophagus were examined by EUS.EUS findings including infiltrating depth,strength of echogenicity and homogeneity were recorded.Dogs were sacrificed and tissue specimens were obtained.We then compared the EUS findings with the pathology reports.RESULTS:Thermal burns created at different power settings caused lesions of different depth in the esophageal mucosa.When the echo strength was shifted from high,medium,to low echogenicity,an increase in the infiltrating depth of the lesion was noted,which coincided with results of the pathology examination.Obvious submucosal edema visualized by EUS was also detected by pathology.Furthermore,because of the enhancement caused by the submucosal edema,the lesions invading into the submucosa were easily visualized by EUS.CONCLUSION:There is consistency between EUS findings and pathological results of esophageal lesions with different depths.Submucosal edema can serve as an ultrasonic contrast agent.

Surface chemical disorder and lattice strain of GaN implanted by 3-MeV Fe^(10+)ions

Chemical disorder on the surface and lattice strain in GaN implanted by Fe^(10+)ions are investigated.In this study,3-MeV Fe^(10+)ions fluence ranges from 1×10^(13)ions/cm^(2)to 5×10^(15)ions/cm^(2)at room temperature.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,high-resolution x-ray diffraction,and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize lattice disorder.The transition of Ga-N bonds to oxynitride bonding is caused by ion sputtering.The change of tensile strain out-of-plane with fluence was measured.Lattice disorder due to the formation of stacking faults prefers to occur on the basal plane.

Properties of long light filaments in natural environment

The multiple filamentation of terawatt femtosecond （fs） laser pulses is experimentally studied in a natural environment. A more than 30-m long plasma filament with a millimeter diameter is formed by the collimated fs laser pulse freely propagating in an open atmosphere. This study provides the first quantitative experimental data about the electron density of a long range light filament in the atmosphere. The electron density of such a filament is quantitatively detected by using an electric method, showing that it is at the 1011-cm -3 level.

High speed ghost imaging based on a heuristic algorithm and deep learning

We report an overlapping sampling scheme to accelerate computational ghost imaging for imaging moving targets,based on reordering a set of Hadamard modulation matrices by means of a heuristic algorithm. The new condensed overlapped matrices are then designed to shorten and optimize encoding of the overlapped patterns, which are shown to be much superior to the random matrices. In addition, we apply deep learning to image the target, and use the signal acquired by the bucket detector and corresponding real image to train the neural network. Detailed comparisons show that our new method can improve the imaging speed by as much as an order of magnitude, and improve the image quality as well.

Prospect of ultrahigh-resolution fast neutron absorption spectroscopy based on a laser plasma electron accelerator

Fast neutron absorption spectroscopy is widely used in the study of nuclear structure and element analysis. However,due to the traditional neutron source pulse duration being of the order of nanoseconds, it is difficult to obtain a high-resolution absorption spectrum. Thus, we present a method of ultrahigh energy-resolution absorption spectroscopy via a high repetition rate, picosecond duration pulsed neutron source driven by a terawatt laser. The technology of single neutron count is used, which results in easily distinguishing the width of approximately 20 keV at 2 MeV and an asymmetric shape of the neutron absorption peak. The absorption spectroscopy based on a laser neutron source has one order of magnitude higher energy-resolution power than the state-of-the-art traditional neutron sources, which could be of benefit for precisely measuring nuclear structure data.

Gefitinib(an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor)plus anlotinib(an multikinase inhibitor)for untreated,EGFR-mutated,advanced non-small cell lung cancer(FL-ALTER):a multicenter phase III trial

Dual inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)signaling pathways offers the prospect of improving the effectiveness of EFGR-targeted therapy.In this phase 3 study(ClinicalTrial.gov:NCT04028778),315 patients with treatment-naïve,EGFR-mutated,advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)were randomized(1:1)to receive anlotinib or placebo plus gefitinib once daily on days 1–14 per a 3-week cycle.At the prespecified final analysis of progression-free survival(PFS),a significant improvement in PFS was observed for the anlotinib arm over the placebo arm(hazards ratio[HR]=0.64,95%CI,0.48–0.80,P=0.003).Particularly,patients with brain metastasis and those harboring EGFR amplification or high tumor mutation load gained significant more benefits in PFS from gefitinib plus anlotinib.The incidence of grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events was 49.7%of the patients receiving gefitinib plus anlotinib versus 31.0%of the patients receiving gefitinib plus placebo.Anlotinib plus gefitinib significantly improves PFS in patients with treatment-naïve,EGFR-mutated,advanced NSCLC,with a manageable safety profile.

An-Luo-Hua-Xian Pill Improves the Regression of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Treated with Entecavir

Background and Aims:Chronic hepatitis B(CHB)can cause liver fibrosis and lead to cirrhosis and cancer.As the effectiveness of antiviral therapy to reverse liver fibrosis is limited,We aimed to evaluate the effect of An-Luo-Hua-Xian pill(ALHX)on fibrosis regression in CHB patients treated with entecavir(ETV).Methods:Treatment-naïve patients with CHB were randomly treated with ETV alone or combined with ALHX(ETV+ALHX)between October 1,2013 and December 31,2020.Demographic,laboratory,and liver histology data before and after 78 weeks of treatment were collected.The Ishak fibrosis score(F)was used and fibrosis regression required a decrease in F of≥1 after treatment.Results:A total of 780 patients were enrolled,and 394 with a second liver biopsy after treatment were included in the per-protocol population,132 in ETV group and 262 in ETV+ALHX group.After 78 weeks of treatment,the fibrosis regression rate in the ETV+ALHX group was significantly higher than that of the ETV group at baseline F≥3 patients:124/211(58.8%)vs.45/98(45.9%),p=0.035.The percentage of patients with a decreased liver stiffness measurement(LSM)was higher in the ETV+ALHX group:156/211(73.9%)vs.62/98(63.%),p=0.056.Logistic regression analysis showed that ETV combined with ALHX was associated with fibrosis regression[odds ratio(OR)=1.94,p=0.018],and a family history of hepatocellular carcinoma was on the contrary.(OR=0.41,p=0.031).Conclusions:ETV combined with ALHX increased liver fibrosis regression in CHB patients.

Single-pixel imaging with neutrons

Neutron imaging is an invaluable tool for noninvasive analysis in many fields.However,neutron facilities are expensive and inconvenient to access,while portable sources are not strong enough to form even a static image within an acceptable time frame using traditional neutron imaging.Here we demonstrate a new scheme for single-pixel neutron imaging of real objects,with spatial and spectral resolutions of 100 lm and 0.4%at 1A,respectively.Low illumination down to 1000 neutron counts per frame pattern was achieved.The experimental setup is simple,inexpensive,and especially suitable for low intensity portable sources,which should greatly benefit applications in biology,material science,and industry.

Clean source of soft X-ray radiation formed in supersonic Ar gas jets by high-contrast femtosecond laser pulses of relativistic intensity

In this work,we optimized a clean,versatile,compact source of soft X-ray radiation(Ex-ray∼3 keV)with an yield per shot up to 7×10^11 photons/shot in a plasma generated by the interaction of high-contrast femtosecond laser pulses of relativistic intensity(Ilas∼10^18-10^19 W/cm^2)with supersonic argon gas jets.Using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy approaches,the dependence of main characteristics(temperature,density and ionization composition)and the emission efficiency of the X-ray source on laser pulse parameters and properties of the gas medium was studied.The optimal conditions,when the X-ray photon yield reached a maximum value,have been found when the argon plasma has an electron temperature of Te∼185 eV,an electron density of Ne∼7×10^20 cm^-3 and an average charge of Z∼14.In such a plasma,a coefficient of conversion to soft X-ray radiation with energies Ex-ray∼3.1(±0.2)keV reaches 8.57×10^-5,and no processes leading to the acceleration of electrons to MeV energies occur.It was found that the efficiency of the X-ray emission of this plasma source is mainly determined by the focusing geometry.We confirmed experimentally that the angular distribution of the X-ray radiation is isotropic,and its intensity linearly depends on the energy of the laser pulse,which was varied in the range of 50-280 mJ.We also found that the yield of X-ray photons can be notably increased by,for example,choosing the optimal laser pulse duration and the inlet pressure of the gas jet.