Experiment on inducing apoptosis of melanoma cells by micro-plasma jet

As a promising cancer treatment method,cold atmospheric plasma has received widespread attention in recent years.However,previous research has focused more on how to realize and expand the anti-cancer scope of plasma jet.There are also studies on the killing of small-scale cancer cells,but the effects of plasma jet on normal cells and normal cell clusters have been ignored.Therefore,we proposed a 50μm sized micro-plasma jet device,and used the device to treat melanoma cells(A-375)and human glial cells(HA1800)to evaluate their anti-cancer effects and effects on normal cells.The experimental results show that this kind of micro-plasma jet device can effectively inactivate cancer cells in a short period of time,while having little effect on normal cells.This work provides a certain experimental basis for the application offine plasma jet to clinically inactivate cancer cells.

Reduction of Residual Stress in Low Alloy Steel with Magnetic Treatment in Different Directions

The behavior that different magnetic treatment directions induce various amounts of welding residual stress reductions in low alloy steel was studied. Reductions of 26%-28% in the longitudinal stress σ x were obtained when low frequency alternating magnetic treatment was applied perpendicularly to the welding bead, whereas reductions of 20%-21% in σ x were measured by using the same treatment parameters except that the field direction was applied parallel to the bead. It is proposed that different extent of stress reductions caused by the above two treatment directions is attributed primarily to the alteration of the energy absorbed by domains from the external magnetic field, which part of energy can arouse plastic deformation in microstructures by the motion of domain walls.

The Impact of Directly Observed Therapy on Preventive Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Students in Dalian, China

Preventive treatment has an essential effect on latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)[purified protein derivative(PPD)induration≥15 mm].Between2010 and 2013,there were 6 tuberculosis(TB)outbreaks in the universities in Dalian,China.So far,in Dalian,the directly observed therapy(DOT)and

Recent advances and future directions for the pharmacogenetic basis of anti-VEGF treatment response in neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Age related macular degeneration （AMD） is a complex progres- sive neurodegenerative disease causing blindness in 30-35 million people worldwide. It affects the macula region of the retina leading to severe vision loss and legal blindness in individuals 〉 50 years of age （Wong et al., 2014）. The precise aetiology of AMD is unknown but smoking, age and genetic factors are major risk factors for AMD predisposition （Ding et al., 2009）. The genetic basis of AMD is well described with a recent study from the International AMD gene consortium （IAMDGC） reporting 52 genetic variants across 34 loci associated with the risk of AMD pathogenesis and explaining more than 50% of the genetic heritabilitv of the disease （Fritsche et al., 2016）.

Effects of direct ultrasonic treatment on microstructure and elongation of semi-solid Sn-62Bi alloy

A new direct ultrasonic treatment(DUT) setup with the ultrasonic horn placed in the horizontal direction was developed and used in the preparation of semi-solid Sn-62 Bi slurry. The influence of DUT temperature on microstructure and properties of Sn-62 Bi alloy were studied. The test results of XRD showed that the semi-solid Sn-62 Bi alloy obtained by the DUT process exhibits pronounced preferential orientation of Bi(2 0 2), Bi(-1 1 1), Bi(-2 0 1), Sn(1 1 0) and Sn(2 2 0) planes. Compared to the conventional liquid casting Sn-62 Bi alloy without DUT, it was discovered that the primary Bi blocks of semi-solid Sn-62 Bi alloy prepared with the DUT process distribute more homogeneously and are smaller. With the treatment by ultrasonic vibration in the semi-solid state for 120 s, the higher the primary Bi phase fraction in the slurry, the smaller the size of primary semi-solid Bi blocks formed after solidification. The average side length of the primary Bi blocks was from 30 μm to 80 μm. The elongation of Sn-62 Bi alloy treated by DUT for 120 s at 145 °C is 43.21%, reflecting a distinctly improvement by 129.10%, as compared to the conventional liquid casting Sn-62 Bi alloy without DUT. This indicates that DUT process could improve dramatically the ductility of Sn-62 Bi alloys content. The microstructure evolution mechanism of semi-solid Sn-62 Bi alloy slurry was also analyzed.

Future directions for using estrogen receptor agonists in the treatment of acute and chronic spinal cord injury

All synthetic and natural estrogen receptor agonists, in- cluding the most potent physiological molecule estrogen or estradiol （E2）, work typically via activation of nuclear estrogen receptor alpha （ERα） and estrogen receptor beta （ERβ）. Both ERα and ERβ modulate the expression of a variety of genes in the cells. Neurons and glial cells express ERa and ERβ. Many studies so far from our and other laboratories have firmly established the mode of actions that ERα and ERβ agonists are very promising anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agents in the treatment of neurodegenera- rive diseases and injuries including spinal cord injury （SCI） （Chakrabarti et al., 2014a）.

Value of direct vision internal urethrotomy in treatment of urethral stricture-twenty-year clinical experience

Objective To summarize the experience and evaluate the efficacy of treatment of urethral stricture using direct visual internal urethrotomy ( DVIU) . Methods The clinical data of 361 patients ( age range 16 - 72 years, mean age 38 years) with urethral stricture who underwent urethrotomy from 1990 to 2010 was retrospectively ana-

Endovascular treatment of traumatic direct carotid cavernous fistulas with n-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate

Objective To explore the method and safety of endovascular treatment of traumatic direct carotid cavernous fistulas with n-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate. Method A total of 11 patients with traumatic direct carotid cavernous fistulas treated by endovascular embolization with n-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate. (n-BCA) were retrospectively analyzed,including the

Effects of direct aging treatment on microstructure,mechanical properties and residual stress of selective laser melted AlSi10Mg alloy

Direct aging treatment is an important post-processing procedure,yet little research has been done on how it balances the mechanical properties and the stress removal for selective laser melted(SLMed)AlSi10Mg alloys.Here,we proposed a typical direct aging treatment on SLMed AlSi10Mg alloys,and studied the effects on their microstructure,properties and residual stress evolution.The results indi-cate that the as-built microstructure is mainly composed of fine cellularα-Al and reticulated Si phases,and some pre-existing precipitates and dislocations are found in these cells.The direct aging treatment promotes the precipitation of nano-scaled Si phases and preserves a network-like Si structure.Therefore,the strength of the peak-aged alloy increases while the ductility decreases.As the aging temperature in-creases from 160 to 200℃,aging hardening behavior was accelerated significantly.Aging at 160℃ for 4-9 h removes 32.0%-43.0%of the residual stress,which is attributed to the decomposition of the su-persaturatedα-Al matrix,the precipitation of the nano-Si phase and the exposure of low-angle grain boundaries(LAGBs).Considering the overal alloy performance obtained,over-aging at 160℃ for 4 h is the optimized heat treatment regime.Under this condition,the yield strength(YS),ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and elongation(EL)of the alloy in the transverse and longitudinal direction are 309.5 MPa,464.4 MPa and 8.3%and 286.4 MPa,464.9 MPa and 5.1%,respectively.

The effect of bi-annual community-directed treatment with ivermectin on the incidence of epilepsy in onchocerciasis endemic villages in South Sudan:a study protocol

Background:Nodding syndrome(NS)is a devastating epileptic illness of unknown aetiology mainly affecting children 5-15 years of age.Head nodding distinguishes NS from other forms of epilepsy.Other manifestations of the illness include mental and physical growth retardation.Many children die as a result of falling in fires or drowning.Recently,it was shown that NS is only one of the phenotypic presentations of onchocerciasis associated epilepsy(OAE).Despite the strong epidemiological association between epilepsy and onchocerciasis,the causal mechanism is unknown.After implementation of bi-annual community directed treatment with ivermectin(CDTi)and larviciding of rivers in northern Uganda,new cases of NS have ceased,while new cases continue to emerge in South Sudanese onchocerciasis-endemic areas with an interrupted CDTi programme.This study is designed to evaluate the potential effects of bi-annual CDTi on reducing the incidence of NS/OAE in onchocerciasisendemic areas in South Sudan.Methods:A pre-intervention door-to-door population-based household survey will be conducted in selected onchocerciasis-endemic villages in Mundri and Maridi Counties,which have a high prevalence of epilepsy.Using a validated questionnaire,the entire village will be screened by community research assistants for suspected epilepsy cases.Suspected cases will be interviewed and examined by a trained clinical officer or medical doctor who will confirm or reject the diagnosis of epilepsy.Bi-annual CDTi will be implemented in the villages and a surveillance system for epilepsy set up.By implementing an epilepsy onchocerciasis awareness campaign we expect to obtain>90%CDTi coverage of eligible individuals.The door-to-door survey will be repeated two years after the baseline survey.The incidence of NS/OAE will be compared before and after bi-annual CDTi.Discussion:Our study is the first population-based study to evaluate the effect of bi-annual CDTi to reduce the incidence of NS/OAE.If the study demonstrates such a reduction,these findings are expected to motivate communities in onchocerciasis-endemic regions to participate in CDTi,and will encourage policy makers,funders and other stakeholders to increase their efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis.

Effect of Direct Ageing Treatment on Stress-Rupture Properties of GH761 Alloy

The effect of direct ageing treatment on microstructure and stress-rupture properties of GH761 alloy was studied. Phosphorus was added to the tested alloy for its beneficial effect on stress-rupture life. It was found that the grain size of the tested alloy became much finer after direct ageing treatment, in comparison with the commercial GH761 alloy under standard heat treatment condition. The optimum direct ageing treatment has been determined as follows： 830 ℃ × 4 h, air cooling＋ 720 ℃ × 24 h, air cooling. After such treatment, the higher stress-rupture prop- erties of the test alloy at 650 ℃, 690 MPa were obtained. The role of phosphorus is still effective under the condition of direct ageing treatment.

The impact of pastoralist mobility on tuberculosis control in Ethiopia:a systematic review and meta-synthesis

Background:Directly observed treatment,short-course(DOTS)is the current mainstay to control tuberculosis(TB)worldwide.Context-specific adaptations of DOTS have impending implications in the fight against TB.In Ethiopia,there is a national TB control programme with the goal to eliminate TB,but uneven distribution across lifestyle gradients remains a challenge.Notably,the mobile pastoralist communities in the country are disproportionately left uncovered.The aim of this study was to summarize the evidence base from published literature to guide TB control strategy for mobile pastoralist communities in Ethiopia.Main text:We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA)guidelines and systematically reviewed articles in seven electronic databases:Excerptra Medical Database,African Journal Online,PubMed,Google Scholar,Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International Direct,Cochrane Library and Web of Science.The databases were searched from inception to December 31,2018,with no language restriction.We screened 692 items of which 19 met our inclusion criteria.Using a meta-ethnographic method,we identified six themes:(i)pastoralism in Ethiopia;(ii)pastoralists’livelihood profile;(iii)pastoralists’service utilisation;(iv)pastoralists’knowledge and awareness on TB control services;(v)challenges of TB control in pastoral settings;and(vi)equity disparities affecting pastoralists.Our interpretation triangulates the results across all included studies and shows that TB control activities observed in pastoralist regions of Ethiopia are far fewer than elsewhere in the country.Conclusions:This systematic review and meta-synthesis shows that TB control in Ethiopia does not align well with the pastoralist lifestyle.Inaccessibility and lack of acceptability of TB care are the key bottlenecks to pastoralist TB service provision.Targeting these two parameters holds promise to enhance effectiveness of an intervention.

Direct acting antiviral-induced dynamic reduction of serum a fetoprotein in hepatitis C patients without hepatocellular carcinoma

Direct acting antiviral(DAA)treatments may reduce the elevatedαfetoprotein(AFP),but data on how these treatments affect elevated AFP in patients with chronic hepatitis C(CHC)remain insufficient.In the present study,the frequency of baseline AFP elevations and their related factors,AFP dynamics during and after DAA treatment,and factors associated with AFP reduction was assessed.This retrospective study included 141 patients with CHC without hepatocellular carcinoma who received DAA and achieved sustained virological response.The details are as follows:mean post-treatment follow-up was 99 weeks(12–213);mean age,57.8 years old;52%,males;79%,genotype(GT)1;and 47%,cirrhosis.Pre-treatment AFP elevation(>5.5 ng/mL)was seen in 48.2%patients.On multivariate analysis,baseline AFP>5.5 was associated with the presence of cirrhosis(P=0.001),co-existing non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)(P=0.035),and GT 1(P=0.029).AFP normalization was seen in 28.2%patients at treatment week 2,in 52%at the end of treatment,and in 73.4%at the end of follow-up.Post-treatment week 24 AFP normalization was associated with the absence of cirrhosis(P=0.003),Child--Pugh score<6(P=0.015),and baseline AFP<10(P=0.015).AFP elevation is common in patients with CHC and independently associated with NASH,cirrhosis,and GT 1.DAA treatment resulted in AFP normalization as early as treatment week 2.Post-treatment week 24 AFP normalization is independently associated with the absence of cirrhosis,Child--Pugh score<6,and baseline AFP<10.

Direct acting antivirals therapy and hepatocellular carcinoma risk in patients with hepatitis C virus

The estimated number of people with active hepatitis C virus infection worldwide is about 70 million.The estimated number of people with active hepatitis C virus infection worldwide is about 70 million.Approximately 30%of infected individuals develop cirrhosis,whilst some develop liver cancer,the fifth most common cancer worldwide.Currently available treatments,high-efficacy antiviral agents mostly short-term(8-12 weeks)and pangenotypic,have efficacy rates of over 96%.Some patients,especially those with cirrhosis,develop primary liver cancer even after effective hepatitis C virus treatment.In order to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma early,patients at risk should be enrolled in a surveillance program.