Hepatitis E virus(HEV)is one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis worldwide.Although most of HEV infections are asymptomatic,some patients will develop the symptoms,especially pregnant women,the elderly,and ...Hepatitis E virus(HEV)is one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis worldwide.Although most of HEV infections are asymptomatic,some patients will develop the symptoms,especially pregnant women,the elderly,and patients with preexisting liver diseases,who often experience anorexia,nausea,vom-iting,malaise,abdominal pain,and jaundice.HEV infection may become chronic in immunosuppressed individuals.In addition,HEV infection can also cause several extrahepatic manifestations.HEV exists in a wide range of hosts in nature and can be transmitted across species.Hence,animals susceptible to HEV can be used as models.The establishment of animal models is of great significance for studying HEV transmission,clinical symptoms,extrahepatic manifestations,and therapeutic strategies,which will help us understand the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment of hepatitis E.This review summarized the animal models of HEV,including pigs,monkeys,rabbits,mice,rats,and other animals.For each animal species,we provided a concise summary of the HEV genotypes that they can be infected with,the cross-species transmission pathways,as well as their role in studying extrahepatic manifestations,prevention,and treatment of HEV infection.The advantages and disadvantages of these animal models were also emphasized.This review offers new perspectives to enhance the current understanding of the research landscape surrounding HEV animal models.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common malignant tumor.At present,early diagnosis of HCC is dif-ficult and therapeutic methods are limited.Radiomics can achieve accurate quantitative evaluation of the lesions withou...Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common malignant tumor.At present,early diagnosis of HCC is dif-ficult and therapeutic methods are limited.Radiomics can achieve accurate quantitative evaluation of the lesions without invasion,and has important value in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.Radiomics fea-tures can predict the development of cancer in patients,serve as the basis for risk stratification of HCC patients,and help clinicians distinguish similar diseases,thus improving the diagnostic accuracy.Further-more,the prediction of the treatment outcomes helps determine the treatment plan.Radiomics is also helpful in predicting the HCC recurrence,disease-free survival and overall survival.This review summa-rized the role of radiomics in the diagnosis,treatment and prognosis of HCC.展开更多
Cancer stem cells(CSCs)are the main cause of tumor growth,invasion,metastasis and recurrence.Recently,CSCs have been extensively studied to identify CSCspecific surface markers as well as signaling pathways that play ...Cancer stem cells(CSCs)are the main cause of tumor growth,invasion,metastasis and recurrence.Recently,CSCs have been extensively studied to identify CSCspecific surface markers as well as signaling pathways that play key roles in CSCs self-renewal.The involvement of CSCs in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal(GI)cancers also highlights these cells as a priority target for therapy.The diagnosis,prognosis and treatment of GI cancer have always been a focus of attention.Therefore,the potential application of CSCs in GI cancers is receiving increasing attention.This review summarizes the role of CSCs in GI cancers,focusing on esophageal cancer,gastric cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,and pancreatic cancer.In addition,we propose CSCs as potential targets and therapeutic strategies for the effective treatment of GI cancers,which may provide better guidance for clinical treatment of GI cancers.展开更多
AIM: To determine whether lentivirus-mediated shRNA targeting the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) gene could be exploited in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Human pancreatic cancer cells Pa...AIM: To determine whether lentivirus-mediated shRNA targeting the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) gene could be exploited in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Human pancreatic cancer cells Panc-1, Mia-paca2, Bxpc-3 and SW1990, infected with lentivirus, were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Western blotting was used to examine XIAP protein levels, survivin and p-Akt to confirm the result of real-time PCR and determine the possible mechanism. The 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to measure IC50 to determine chemosensitivity to the chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine. A colony assay, MTT assay and a tumorigenicity experiment were used to study cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo . Caspase-3/7 activity, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-staining and flow cytometric measurements were used to study apoptosis in SW1990 cells. RESULTS: XIAP proteins were found to be differen- tially expressed among pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, Mia-paca2, Bxpc-3 and SW1990. Data of real-time PCR and Western blotting showed that XIAP was reduced persistently and markedly by lentivirus-mediated shRNA. Downregulation of XIAP by transfection with XIAP shRNA resulted in decreased p-Akt expression. XIAP shRNA also inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo , enhanced drug-induced apoptosis and increased chemosensitivity to 5-FU and gemcitabine. Results also suggest that inhibition of XIAP and subsequent p-Akt depletion may have an anti-tumor effect through attenuating the ability of cancer cells to survive. CONCLUSION: Lentivirus-mediated gene therapy is an attractive strategy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and justifies the use of lentivirus in pancreatic cancer gene therapy studies.展开更多
Fluoride-based thulium-doped visible light fiber amplifier(TmVLFA), which can be used to amplify the blue light signal for a visible light communication(VLC) system,is theoretically demonstrated for the first time acc...Fluoride-based thulium-doped visible light fiber amplifier(TmVLFA), which can be used to amplify the blue light signal for a visible light communication(VLC) system,is theoretically demonstrated for the first time according to the best of our knowledge. The transition rate equations and power propagation equations are solved to predict the dependence of the gain and noise figure on fiber parameters. The numerical results show that with the pump wavelength 1150 nm and pump power 800 mW, 2.75 m long thulium-doped fiber can amplify blue light(480 nm) signal up to 33.3 dB, and the noise figure is in the range from 3.0 to 3.5 dB. The model and numerical results encourage the use of fiber amplifier in VLC system for blue light amplification to extend the range of VLC.展开更多
We propose an ultra-thin glass film coated with graphene as a new kind of surrounding material which can greatly enhance spontaneous emission rate(SER) of dipole emitter embedded in it. With properly designed paramete...We propose an ultra-thin glass film coated with graphene as a new kind of surrounding material which can greatly enhance spontaneous emission rate(SER) of dipole emitter embedded in it. With properly designed parameters,numerical results show that SER-enhanced factors as high as 1.286 9 106 can be achieved. The influences of glass film thickness and chemical potential/doping level of graphene on spontaneous emission enhancement are also studied in this paper. A comparison is made between graphene and other coating materials such as gold and silver to see their performances in SER enhancement.展开更多
This paper introduces the method of support vector machine （SVM） into the field of synthetic earthquake prediction, which is a non-linear and complex seismogenic system. As an example, we apply this method to predic...This paper introduces the method of support vector machine （SVM） into the field of synthetic earthquake prediction, which is a non-linear and complex seismogenic system. As an example, we apply this method to predict the largest annual magnitude for the North China area （30°E-42°E, 108°N-125°N） and the capital region （38°E-41.5°E, 114°N-120°N） on the basis of seismicity parameters and observed precursory data. The corresponding prediction rates for the North China area and the capital region are 64.1% and 75%, respectively, which shows that the method is feasible.展开更多
Based on the actual situation of tobacco production in South Anhui tobacco-growing area,the paper analyzes several major constraints,and discusses several aspects such as tobacco production human resources,production ...Based on the actual situation of tobacco production in South Anhui tobacco-growing area,the paper analyzes several major constraints,and discusses several aspects such as tobacco production human resources,production of large-scale cultivation,science and technology service providers,the standardized production management and production security system. The countermeasures and suggestions for sustainable development are also put forward to provide a reference for the sustainable development of tobacco-growing area in South Anhui.展开更多
Greater participation in global value chains(GVCs)has highlighted the impact of exchange rate shocks on international trade.This paper examines how such participation influences firms'responses to exchange rate mo...Greater participation in global value chains(GVCs)has highlighted the impact of exchange rate shocks on international trade.This paper examines how such participation influences firms'responses to exchange rate movements,focusing on the relationship between firms'pricing and value-added in exports.This study,using detailed Chinese firm-level data,demonstrates that firms with a high degree of GVC participation reacted to currency appreciation by lowering their export prices more substantially and reducing their export volumes less.This is mainly attributable to the"cost-hedging effect"within the marginal cost channel and the"pricing inhibition effect"within the markup channel.By categorizing export firms by trade models and product types,this study further demonstrates that processing trade firms at the low end of the value chain and those with low product differentiation were more inclined to absorb exchange rate shocks.This study adds to the existing theoretical framework and provides strong evidence for China in deepening GVC integration and supporting the development of high-quality export firms.展开更多
A thermally tuned multi-channel interference widely tunable semiconductor laser is designed and demonstrated,for the first time to our knowledge,that realizes a tuning range of more than 45 nm,side-mode suppression ra...A thermally tuned multi-channel interference widely tunable semiconductor laser is designed and demonstrated,for the first time to our knowledge,that realizes a tuning range of more than 45 nm,side-mode suppression ratios up to 56 d B,and Lorentzian linewidth below 160 k Hz.Al Ga In As multiple quantum wells(MQWs)were used to reduce linewidth,which have a lower linewidth enhancement factor compared with In Ga As P MQWs.To decrease the power consumption of micro-heaters,air gaps were fabricated below the arm phase sections.For a 75μm long suspended thermal tuning waveguide,about 6.3 m W micro-heater tuning power is needed for a 2πround-trip phase change.Total micro-heater tuning power required is less than 50 m W across the whole tuning range,which is lower than that of the reported thermally tuned tunable semiconductor lasers.展开更多
We study the roles of local financial development and foreign direct investment, and more importantly, their interaction with one another, in local capital allocation, based on Chinese industrial and regional data. Ou...We study the roles of local financial development and foreign direct investment, and more importantly, their interaction with one another, in local capital allocation, based on Chinese industrial and regional data. Our main finding is that, although local financial development and FDI each individually tended to improve the efficiency of local capital allocation during the sample period, they tended to compete and crowd out each other＇s effect, so that one impaired the individual function of the other. In particular, there exists a threshold value for local financial development, above which an increase in FDI reduces the efficiency of local capital allocation, rather than improve it. On the other hand, there exists a threshold value for FDI, above which further development in the local financial system lowers the efficiency of local capital allocation, rather than increase it. Our estimations suggest that the levels of FDI and local financial development in some relatively more developed Chinese regions have already surpassed such threshold values. We provide some interpretations of our findings and we discuss potential policy implications.展开更多
基金This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82272396)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(226-2022-00061).
文摘Hepatitis E virus(HEV)is one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis worldwide.Although most of HEV infections are asymptomatic,some patients will develop the symptoms,especially pregnant women,the elderly,and patients with preexisting liver diseases,who often experience anorexia,nausea,vom-iting,malaise,abdominal pain,and jaundice.HEV infection may become chronic in immunosuppressed individuals.In addition,HEV infection can also cause several extrahepatic manifestations.HEV exists in a wide range of hosts in nature and can be transmitted across species.Hence,animals susceptible to HEV can be used as models.The establishment of animal models is of great significance for studying HEV transmission,clinical symptoms,extrahepatic manifestations,and therapeutic strategies,which will help us understand the pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment of hepatitis E.This review summarized the animal models of HEV,including pigs,monkeys,rabbits,mice,rats,and other animals.For each animal species,we provided a concise summary of the HEV genotypes that they can be infected with,the cross-species transmission pathways,as well as their role in studying extrahepatic manifestations,prevention,and treatment of HEV infection.The advantages and disadvantages of these animal models were also emphasized.This review offers new perspectives to enhance the current understanding of the research landscape surrounding HEV animal models.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82272396)Suzhou Medical and Health Science and Technology Innovation Project(SKY2022057).
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common malignant tumor.At present,early diagnosis of HCC is dif-ficult and therapeutic methods are limited.Radiomics can achieve accurate quantitative evaluation of the lesions without invasion,and has important value in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.Radiomics fea-tures can predict the development of cancer in patients,serve as the basis for risk stratification of HCC patients,and help clinicians distinguish similar diseases,thus improving the diagnostic accuracy.Further-more,the prediction of the treatment outcomes helps determine the treatment plan.Radiomics is also helpful in predicting the HCC recurrence,disease-free survival and overall survival.This review summa-rized the role of radiomics in the diagnosis,treatment and prognosis of HCC.
基金Supported by the Youth Medical Talent of Jiangsu Province,No.QNRC2016475.
文摘Cancer stem cells(CSCs)are the main cause of tumor growth,invasion,metastasis and recurrence.Recently,CSCs have been extensively studied to identify CSCspecific surface markers as well as signaling pathways that play key roles in CSCs self-renewal.The involvement of CSCs in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal(GI)cancers also highlights these cells as a priority target for therapy.The diagnosis,prognosis and treatment of GI cancer have always been a focus of attention.Therefore,the potential application of CSCs in GI cancers is receiving increasing attention.This review summarizes the role of CSCs in GI cancers,focusing on esophageal cancer,gastric cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,and pancreatic cancer.In addition,we propose CSCs as potential targets and therapeutic strategies for the effective treatment of GI cancers,which may provide better guidance for clinical treatment of GI cancers.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No. 30872492Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, No. 088JJ3042
文摘AIM: To determine whether lentivirus-mediated shRNA targeting the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) gene could be exploited in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Human pancreatic cancer cells Panc-1, Mia-paca2, Bxpc-3 and SW1990, infected with lentivirus, were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Western blotting was used to examine XIAP protein levels, survivin and p-Akt to confirm the result of real-time PCR and determine the possible mechanism. The 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to measure IC50 to determine chemosensitivity to the chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine. A colony assay, MTT assay and a tumorigenicity experiment were used to study cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo . Caspase-3/7 activity, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-staining and flow cytometric measurements were used to study apoptosis in SW1990 cells. RESULTS: XIAP proteins were found to be differen- tially expressed among pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, Mia-paca2, Bxpc-3 and SW1990. Data of real-time PCR and Western blotting showed that XIAP was reduced persistently and markedly by lentivirus-mediated shRNA. Downregulation of XIAP by transfection with XIAP shRNA resulted in decreased p-Akt expression. XIAP shRNA also inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo , enhanced drug-induced apoptosis and increased chemosensitivity to 5-FU and gemcitabine. Results also suggest that inhibition of XIAP and subsequent p-Akt depletion may have an anti-tumor effect through attenuating the ability of cancer cells to survive. CONCLUSION: Lentivirus-mediated gene therapy is an attractive strategy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and justifies the use of lentivirus in pancreatic cancer gene therapy studies.
文摘Fluoride-based thulium-doped visible light fiber amplifier(TmVLFA), which can be used to amplify the blue light signal for a visible light communication(VLC) system,is theoretically demonstrated for the first time according to the best of our knowledge. The transition rate equations and power propagation equations are solved to predict the dependence of the gain and noise figure on fiber parameters. The numerical results show that with the pump wavelength 1150 nm and pump power 800 mW, 2.75 m long thulium-doped fiber can amplify blue light(480 nm) signal up to 33.3 dB, and the noise figure is in the range from 3.0 to 3.5 dB. The model and numerical results encourage the use of fiber amplifier in VLC system for blue light amplification to extend the range of VLC.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.61177056)the Cultivation Fund of the Key Scientific and Technical Innovation Project,Ministry of Education of China(Grant No.708038)
文摘We propose an ultra-thin glass film coated with graphene as a new kind of surrounding material which can greatly enhance spontaneous emission rate(SER) of dipole emitter embedded in it. With properly designed parameters,numerical results show that SER-enhanced factors as high as 1.286 9 106 can be achieved. The influences of glass film thickness and chemical potential/doping level of graphene on spontaneous emission enhancement are also studied in this paper. A comparison is made between graphene and other coating materials such as gold and silver to see their performances in SER enhancement.
基金supported by the Key Project of Science and Technology Supporting Plan of Tianjin Scientific Commission (No. 07ZCGYSF03100)
文摘This paper introduces the method of support vector machine （SVM） into the field of synthetic earthquake prediction, which is a non-linear and complex seismogenic system. As an example, we apply this method to predict the largest annual magnitude for the North China area （30°E-42°E, 108°N-125°N） and the capital region （38°E-41.5°E, 114°N-120°N） on the basis of seismicity parameters and observed precursory data. The corresponding prediction rates for the North China area and the capital region are 64.1% and 75%, respectively, which shows that the method is feasible.
文摘Based on the actual situation of tobacco production in South Anhui tobacco-growing area,the paper analyzes several major constraints,and discusses several aspects such as tobacco production human resources,production of large-scale cultivation,science and technology service providers,the standardized production management and production security system. The countermeasures and suggestions for sustainable development are also put forward to provide a reference for the sustainable development of tobacco-growing area in South Anhui.
基金support from the National Social Science Fund of China(No.15ZDC020).
文摘Greater participation in global value chains(GVCs)has highlighted the impact of exchange rate shocks on international trade.This paper examines how such participation influences firms'responses to exchange rate movements,focusing on the relationship between firms'pricing and value-added in exports.This study,using detailed Chinese firm-level data,demonstrates that firms with a high degree of GVC participation reacted to currency appreciation by lowering their export prices more substantially and reducing their export volumes less.This is mainly attributable to the"cost-hedging effect"within the marginal cost channel and the"pricing inhibition effect"within the markup channel.By categorizing export firms by trade models and product types,this study further demonstrates that processing trade firms at the low end of the value chain and those with low product differentiation were more inclined to absorb exchange rate shocks.This study adds to the existing theoretical framework and provides strong evidence for China in deepening GVC integration and supporting the development of high-quality export firms.
基金National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFB2201201)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2018M642824)+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(61675077,61904064)State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics(IOSKL2018KF13)。
文摘A thermally tuned multi-channel interference widely tunable semiconductor laser is designed and demonstrated,for the first time to our knowledge,that realizes a tuning range of more than 45 nm,side-mode suppression ratios up to 56 d B,and Lorentzian linewidth below 160 k Hz.Al Ga In As multiple quantum wells(MQWs)were used to reduce linewidth,which have a lower linewidth enhancement factor compared with In Ga As P MQWs.To decrease the power consumption of micro-heaters,air gaps were fabricated below the arm phase sections.For a 75μm long suspended thermal tuning waveguide,about 6.3 m W micro-heater tuning power is needed for a 2πround-trip phase change.Total micro-heater tuning power required is less than 50 m W across the whole tuning range,which is lower than that of the reported thermally tuned tunable semiconductor lasers.
文摘We study the roles of local financial development and foreign direct investment, and more importantly, their interaction with one another, in local capital allocation, based on Chinese industrial and regional data. Our main finding is that, although local financial development and FDI each individually tended to improve the efficiency of local capital allocation during the sample period, they tended to compete and crowd out each other＇s effect, so that one impaired the individual function of the other. In particular, there exists a threshold value for local financial development, above which an increase in FDI reduces the efficiency of local capital allocation, rather than improve it. On the other hand, there exists a threshold value for FDI, above which further development in the local financial system lowers the efficiency of local capital allocation, rather than increase it. Our estimations suggest that the levels of FDI and local financial development in some relatively more developed Chinese regions have already surpassed such threshold values. We provide some interpretations of our findings and we discuss potential policy implications.
