Background:Acute improvement in range of motion(ROM)is a widely reported effect of stretching and foam rolling,which is commonly explained by changes in pain threshold and/or musculotendinous stiffness.Interestingly,t...Background:Acute improvement in range of motion(ROM)is a widely reported effect of stretching and foam rolling,which is commonly explained by changes in pain threshold and/or musculotendinous stiffness.Interestingly,these effects were also reported in response to various other active and passive interventions that induce responses such as enhanced muscle temperature.Therefore,we hypothesized that acute ROM enhancements could be induced by a wide variety of interventions other than stretching or foam rolling that promote an increase in muscle temperature.Methods:After a systematic search in PubMed,Web of Science,and SPORTDiscus databases,38 studies comparing the effects of stretching and foam rolling with several other interventions on ROM and passive properties were included.These studies had 1134 participants in total,and the data analysis resulted in 140 effect sizes(ESs).ES calculations were performed using robust variance estimation model with R-package.Results:Study quality of the included studies was classified as fair(PEDro score=4.58)with low to moderate certainty of evidence.Results showed no significant differences in ROM(ES=0.01,p=0.88),stiffness(ES=0.09,p=0.67),or passive peak torque(ES=-0.30,p=0.14)between stretching or foam rolling and the other identified activities.Funnel plots revealed no publication bias.Conclusion:Based on current literature,our results challenge the established view on stretching and foam rolling as a recommended component of warm-up programs.The lack of significant difference between interventions suggests there is no need to emphasize stretching or foam rolling to induce acute ROM,passive peak torque increases,or stiffness reductions.展开更多
Viable and non-viable pathological bacterial translocation promote a self-perpetuating circle of dysfunctional immune activation and systemic inflammation facilitating infections and organ failure in advanced cirrhosi...Viable and non-viable pathological bacterial translocation promote a self-perpetuating circle of dysfunctional immune activation and systemic inflammation facilitating infections and organ failure in advanced cirrhosis.Bacterial infections and sepsis are now recognized as a distinct stage in the natural progression of chronic liver disease as they accelerate organ failure and contribute to the high mortality observed in decompensated cirrhosis.The increasing knowledge of structural,immunological and hemodynamic pathophysiology in advanced cirrhosis has not yet translated into significantly improved outcomes of bacterial infections over the last decades.Therefore,early identification of patients at the highest risk for developing infections and infectionrelated complications is required to tailor the currently available measures of surveillance,prophylaxis and therapy to the patients in need in order to improve the detrimental outcome of bacterial infections in cirrhosis.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate the contrast-enhanced endosonography as a method of differentiating inflammation from pancreatic carcinoma based on perfusion characteristics of microvessels. METHODS: In 86 patients with suspected ...AIM: To evaluate the contrast-enhanced endosonography as a method of differentiating inflammation from pancreatic carcinoma based on perfusion characteristics of microvessels. METHODS: In 86 patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis (age: 62± 12 years; sex: f/m 38/48), pancreatic lesions were examined by conventional endo- scopic B-mode, power Doppler ultrasound and contrastenhanced power mode (Hitachi EUB 525, SonoVue, 2.4 mL, Bracco) using the following criteria for malignant lesions: no detectable vascularisation using conventional power Doppler scanning, irregular appearance of arterial vessels over a short distance using SonoVue contrastenhanced technique and no detectable venous vessels inside the lesion. A malignant lesion was assumed if all criteria were detectable [gold standard endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration cytology, operation]. The criteria of chronic pancreatitis without neoplasia were defined as no detectable vascularisation before injection of SonoVue, regular appearance of vessels over a distance of at least 20 mm after injection of SonoVue and detection of arterial and venous vessels. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specifidty of conventional EUS were 73.2% and 83.3% respectively for pancreatic cancer. The sensitivity of contrast-enhanced EUS increased to 91.1% in 51 of 56 patients with malignant pancreatic lesion and the specificity increased to 93.3% in 28 of 30 patients with chronic inflammatory pancreatic disease.CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound improves the differentiation between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma.展开更多
Herbal traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is used to treat several ailments, but its efficiency is poorly documented and hence debated, as opposed to modern medicine commonly providinge ffective therapies. The aim of t...Herbal traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is used to treat several ailments, but its efficiency is poorly documented and hence debated, as opposed to modern medicine commonly providinge ffective therapies. The aim of this review article is to present a practical reference guide on the role of herbal TCM in managing gastrointestinal disorders, supported by systematic reviews and evidence based trials. A literature search using herbal TCM combined with terms for gastrointestinal disorders in Pub Med and the Cochrane database identified publications of herbal TCM trials. Results were analyzed for study type, inclusion criteria, and outcome parameters. Quality of placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trials was poor, mostly neglecting stringent evidence based diagnostic and therapeutic criteria. Accordingly, appropriate Cochrane reviews and meta-analyses were limited and failed to support valid, clinically relevant evidence based efficiency of herbal TCM in gastrointestinal diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric or duodenal ulcer, dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. In conclusion, the use of herbal TCM to treat various diseases has an interesting philosophical background with a long history, but it received increasing skepticism due to the lack of evidence based efficiency as shown by high quality trials; this has now been summarized for gastrointestinal disorders, with TCM not recommended for most gastrointestinal diseases. Future studies should focus on placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trials, herbal product quality and standard criteria for diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and assessment of adverse herb reactions. This approach will provide figures of risk/benefit profiles that hopefully are positive for at least some treatment modalities of herbal TCM. Proponents of modern herbal TCM best face these promising challenges of pragmaticmodern medicine by bridging the gap between the two medicinal cultures.展开更多
Causality assessment of suspected drug induced liver injury(DILI) and herb induced liver injury(HILI) is hampered by the lack of a standardized approach to be used by attending physicians and at various subsequent eva...Causality assessment of suspected drug induced liver injury(DILI) and herb induced liver injury(HILI) is hampered by the lack of a standardized approach to be used by attending physicians and at various subsequent evaluating levels. The aim of this review was to analyze the suitability of the liver specific Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences(CIOMS) scale as a standard tool for causality assessment in DILI and HILI cases. PubMed database was searched for the following terms: drug induced liver injury; herb induced liver injury; DILI causality assessment; and HILI causality assessment. The strength of the CIOMS lies in its potential as a standardized scale for DILI and HILI causality assessment. Other advantages include its liver specificity and its validation for hepatotoxicity with excellent sensitivity, specificity and predictive validity, based on cases with a positive reexposure test. This scale allows prospective collection of all relevant data required for a valid causality assessment. It does not require expert knowledge in hepatotoxicity and its results may subsequently be refined. Weaknesses of the CIOMS scale include the limited exclusion of alternative causes and qualitatively graded risk factors. In conclusion, CIOMS appears to be suitable as a standard scale for attending physicians, regulatory agencies, expert panels and other scientists to provide a standardized, reproducible causality assessment in suspected DILI and HILI cases, applicable primarily at all assessing levels involved. 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All展开更多
Since end of the 90s of the last century the seismological station Moxa was extended and developed into the modern Geodynamic Observatory. It comprises also the new installation of borehole-tilt meters in front of the...Since end of the 90s of the last century the seismological station Moxa was extended and developed into the modern Geodynamic Observatory. It comprises also the new installation of borehole-tilt meters in front of the observatory building and laser-strain meters in the gallery. The question arises how non-tidal signals are displayed in the measured time series. The investigation of such signals which can be caused naturally or man-made, can result in different sensitivities for the various tilt- and strainmeter systems, e.g. regarding barometric pressure impacts and hydrological induced pore pressure effects.展开更多
BACKGROUND It is challenging to distinguish intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn’s disease due to dynamic changes in epidemiology and similar clinical characteristics. Recent studies have shown that polymorphisms in ge...BACKGROUND It is challenging to distinguish intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn’s disease due to dynamic changes in epidemiology and similar clinical characteristics. Recent studies have shown that polymorphisms in genes involved in the interleukin (IL)- 23/IL-17 axis may affect intestinal mucosal immunity by affecting the differentiation of Th17 cells. AIM To investigate the specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in the IL-23/IL-17 axis and possible pathways that affect susceptibility to intestinal tuberculosis and Crohn's disease. METHODS We analysed 133 patients with intestinal tuberculosis, 128 with Crohn’s disease, and 500 normal controls. DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded specimens or whole blood. Four SNPs in the IL23/Th17 axis (IL22 rs2227473, IL1β rs1143627, TGFβ rs4803455, and IL17 rs8193036) were genotyped with TaqMan assays. The transcriptional activity levels of different genotypes of rs2227473 were detected by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The expression of IL-22R1 in different intestinal diseases was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The A allele frequency of rs2227473 (P = 0.030, odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.95) showed an abnormal distribution between intestinal tuberculosis and healthy controls. The presence of the A allele was associated with a higher IL-22 transcriptional activity (P < 0.05). In addition, IL-22R1 was expressed in intestinal lymphoid tissues, especially under conditions of intestinal tuberculosis, and highly expressed in macrophage-derived Langhans giant cells. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of IL-22R1 in patients with Crohn's disease and intestinal tuberculosis was significantly higher than that in patients with intestinal polyps and colon cancer (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION High IL-22 expression seems to be a protective factor for intestinal tuberculosis. IL-22R1 is expressed in Langhans giant cells, suggesting that the IL-22/IL-22R1 system links adaptive and innate immunity.展开更多
Bioavailability of vitamin E is influenced by several factors, most are highlighted in this review. While gender, age and genetic constitution influence vitamin E bioavailability but cannot be modified, life-style and...Bioavailability of vitamin E is influenced by several factors, most are highlighted in this review. While gender, age and genetic constitution influence vitamin E bioavailability but cannot be modified, life-style and intake of vitamin E can be. Numerous factors must be taken into account however, i.e., when vitamin E is orally administrated, the food matrix may contain competing nutrients. The complex metabolic processes comprise intestinal absorption, vascular transport, hepatic sorting by intracellular binding proteins, such as the significant α-tocopherol-transfer protein, and hepatic metabolism. The coordinated changes involved in the hepatic metabolism of vitamin E provide an effective physiological pathway to protect tissues against the excessive accumulation of, in particular, non-α-tocopherol forms. Metabolism of vitamin E begins with one cycle of CYP4F2/CYP3A4-dependent ω-hydroxylation followed by five cycles of subsequent β-oxidation, and forms the water-soluble end-product carboxyethylhydroxychroman. All known hepatic metabolites can be conjugated and are excreted, depending on the length of their sidechain, either via urine or feces. The physiological handling of vitamin E underlies kinetics which vary between the different vitamin E forms. Here, saturation of the side-chain and also substitution of the chromanol ring system are important. Most of the metabolic reactions and processes that are involved with vitamin E are also shared by other fat soluble vitamins. Influencing interactions with other nutrients such as vitamin K or pharmaceuticals are also covered by this review. All these processes modulate the formation of vitamin E metabolites and their concentrations in tissues and body fluids. Differences in metabolism might be responsible for the discrepancies that have been observed in studies performed in vivo and in vitro using vitamin E as a supplement or nutrient. To evaluate individual vitamin E status, the analytical procedures used for detecting and quantifying vitamin E and its metabolites are crucial. The latest methods in analytics are presented.展开更多
Perovskite materials have triggered a renewed interest in photovoltaic research in the recent years.They display crystal forms with 0D,1D and 2D,3D motifs,and several chemical forms,namely inorganic(titanates,rubidiat...Perovskite materials have triggered a renewed interest in photovoltaic research in the recent years.They display crystal forms with 0D,1D and 2D,3D motifs,and several chemical forms,namely inorganic(titanates,rubidiates,nobiates,tantalates etc.),organic/inorganic metal halides with single to multiple cations,and even organic polymer or quantum dot-infused hybrids.Each crystal type and chemical form are endowed with specific physicochemical,optical,electronic,and morphological properties.These unique properties render them suitable for targeted applications,namely photovoltaics,LEDs,photocatalysis/electrolysis/solar fuels/solar and Li-ion batteries,gas-sensors,ferroelectrics,capacitors,transistors and memristors,photodetectors,and lasers,for advanced quantum cryptography and outer space applications.At first,the crystal and material types,and physicochemical,morphological,and optoelectronic properties of perovskite materials are discussed.Particularly,we focus on those properties which cumulatively contribute to their application in the abovementioned fields.Simultaneously,a comprehensive discussion about the advances in each field is presented.Structure/property/application relationships with key advances demonstrate the versatility of perovskites in modern optoelectronic technologies.展开更多
Fatty acids are energy substrates and cell components which participate in regulating signal transduction,transcription factor activity and secretion of bioactive lipid mediators.The acyl-CoA synthetases(ACSs)family c...Fatty acids are energy substrates and cell components which participate in regulating signal transduction,transcription factor activity and secretion of bioactive lipid mediators.The acyl-CoA synthetases(ACSs)family containing 26 family members exhibits tissue-specific distribution,distinct fatty acid substrate preferences and diverse biological functions.Increasing evidence indicates that dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism in the liver-gut axis,designated as the bidirectional relationship between the gut,microbiome and liver,is closely associated with a range of human diseases including metabolic disorders,inflammatory disease and carcinoma in the gastrointestinal tract and liver.In this review,we depict the role of ACSs in fatty acid metabolism,possible molecular mechanisms through which they exert functions,and their involvement in hepatocellular and colorectal carcinoma,with particular attention paid to long-chain fatty acids and small-chain fatty acids.Additionally,the liver-gut communication and the liver and gut intersection with the microbiome as well as diseases related to microbiota imbalance in the liver-gut axis are addressed.Moreover,the development of potentially therapeutic small molecules,proteins and compounds targeting ACSs in cancer treatment is summarized.展开更多
Gradient index layers and rugate structures were fabricated on a Leybold Syrus pro deposition system by plasma-assisted coevaporation of the low index material silica and the high index material niobium pentoxide.To o...Gradient index layers and rugate structures were fabricated on a Leybold Syrus pro deposition system by plasma-assisted coevaporation of the low index material silica and the high index material niobium pentoxide.To obtain information about the compositional profiles of the produced layers,cross sectional transmission electron microscopy was used in assistance to deposition rate data recorded by two independent crystal monitors during the film preparation.The depth dependent concentration profiles were transformed to refractive index gradients by means of effective medium approximation.Based on the refractive index gradients the corresponding samples`transmission and reflection spectra could be calculated by utilizing matrix formalism.The relevance of the established refractive index profiles could be verified by comparison of the calculated spectra with the measured ones.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fish most common cancer in the world. This case documents an unusual metastatic presentation of HCC in the humerus. Preoperative palliative arterial embolization of the tumor wa...Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fish most common cancer in the world. This case documents an unusual metastatic presentation of HCC in the humerus. Preoperative palliative arterial embolization of the tumor was performed to arrest severe tumor bleeding caused by the biopsy. Embolization turned out to be useful also in limiting/preventing potential uncontrolled bleeding during subsequent amputation.展开更多
Nonlinear frequency conversion is one of the most fundamental processes in nonlinear optics.It has a wide range of applications in our daily lives,including novel light sources,sensing,and information processing.It is...Nonlinear frequency conversion is one of the most fundamental processes in nonlinear optics.It has a wide range of applications in our daily lives,including novel light sources,sensing,and information processing.It is usually assumed that nonlinear frequency conversion requires large crystals that gradually accumulate a strong effect.However,the large size of nonlinear crystals is not compatible with the miniaturisation of modern photonic and optoelectronic systems.Therefore,shrinking the nonlinear structures down to the nanoscale,while keeping favourable conversion efficiencies,is of great importance for future photonics applications.In the last decade,researchers have studied the strategies for enhancing the nonlinear efficiencies at the nanoscale,e.g.by employing different nonlinear materials,resonant couplings and hybridization techniques.In this paper,we provide a compact review of the nanomaterials-based efforts,ranging from metal to dielectric and semiconductor nanostructures,including their relevant nanofabrication techniques.展开更多
Since its discovery in the 1920’s the relaxin peptide hormone family has not only grown in number to now seven members (relaxin-1, relaxin-2, relaxin-3, insulin-like peptide (INSL) 3, INSL4, INSL5 and INSL6), but...Since its discovery in the 1920’s the relaxin peptide hormone family has not only grown in number to now seven members (relaxin-1, relaxin-2, relaxin-3, insulin-like peptide (INSL) 3, INSL4, INSL5 and INSL6), but ever more effects, suchs as vasodilatory, angiogenic, anti-apoptopic, anti-fibriotic and anti-inflammatory, have been linked to them. While relaxin-2 has mainly been investigated in the context of cardiac protection, most comprehensively in the RELAX-AHF and RELAX AHF2 studies, a small number of studies have furthermore assessed the potential neuroprotective effects of especially relaxin-2 and other members of the relaxin family. In this short review we summarise and discuss recent efforts to utilize relaxin hormones for neuroprotection and point out potential future fields of research and translational applications. While many questions still need to be answered, the promising results of the available studies definitely warrant future well-designed studies on neuroprotection by relaxin peptides.展开更多
Emerging memristive devices offer enormous advantages for applications such as non-volatile memories and inmemory computing(IMC),but there is a rising interest in using memristive technologies for security application...Emerging memristive devices offer enormous advantages for applications such as non-volatile memories and inmemory computing(IMC),but there is a rising interest in using memristive technologies for security applications in the era of internet of things(IoT).In this review article,for achieving secure hardware systems in IoT,lowpower design techniques based on emerging memristive technology for hardware security primitives/systems are presented.By reviewing the state-of-the-art in three highlighted memristive application areas,i.e.memristive non-volatile memory,memristive reconfigurable logic computing and memristive artificial intelligent computing,their application-level impacts on the novel implementations of secret key generation,crypto functions and machine learning attacks are explored,respectively.For the low-power security applications in IoT,it is essential to understand how to best realize cryptographic circuitry using memristive circuitries,and to assess the implications of memristive crypto implementations on security and to develop novel computing paradigms that will enhance their security.This review article aims to help researchers to explore security solutions,to analyze new possible threats and to develop corresponding protections for the secure hardware systems based on low-cost memristive circuit designs.展开更多
Background:Team-sport players have a particularly high injury risk.Although female sex is considered a risk factor,it is still unknown whether female and male team-sport players,in fact,differ in their injury rates.We...Background:Team-sport players have a particularly high injury risk.Although female sex is considered a risk factor,it is still unknown whether female and male team-sport players,in fact,differ in their injury rates.We aimed to compare injury rates between female and male players by systematically reviewing and meta-analyzing injury surveillance studies of both sexes in order to evaluate sex-specific differences in team-sport injuries.Methods:Studies that prospectively collected injury data for high-level female and male players(age≥16 years)in basketball,field hockey,football(soccer),handball,rugby(union and sevens),and volleyball were included.Two reviewers(AZ and ALR)independently assessed study quality and extracted data for overall,match,training,and severe injuries(>28 days’time loss)as well as data regarding injury locations and types.Incidence rate ratios(IRRs)were pooled in a meta-analysis,and meta-regression analysis was performed when 10 or more studies were available.Results:Of 20 studies,9 studies reported injury data from football,3 studies from rugby,3 studies from handball,1 study from basketball,1 study from field hockey,2 studies from volleyball,and 1 study from basketball and field hockey.For overall injuries,the pooled IRR=0.86(95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.76-0.98)indicated significantly more injuries in male than in female players.For injury location,the pooled IRR showed higher injury rates in male athletes than in female athletes for upper extremity,hip/groin,thigh,ande foot injuries.Female players had a significantly higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries(IRR=2.15,95%CI:1.27-3.62)than male players.No significant sex-specific differences in IRR were found for match,training,severe injuries,concussions,or ankle sprains.Conclusion:Our meta-analysis provides evidence for sex-specific differences in the injury rates in team sports.Further epidemiological studies including both sexes in sports other than football are needed in order to strengthen the evidence.展开更多
The electrical conductivity of water under extreme temperatures and densities plays a central role in modeling planetary magnetic fields.Experimental data are vital to test theories of high-energy-densitywater and ass...The electrical conductivity of water under extreme temperatures and densities plays a central role in modeling planetary magnetic fields.Experimental data are vital to test theories of high-energy-densitywater and assess the possible development and presence of extraterrestrial life.These states are also important in biology and chemistry studies when specimens in water are confined and excited using ultrafast optical or free-electron lasers(FELs).Here we utilize femtosecond optical lasers to measure the transient reflection and transmission of ultrathin water sheet samples uniformly heated by a 13.6 nm FEL approaching a highly conducting state at electron temperatures exceeding 20000 K.The experiment probes the trajectory ofwater through the high-energy-density phase space and provides insights into changes in the index of refraction,charge carrier densities,andACelectrical conductivity at optical frequencies.At excitation energy densities exceeding 10MJ/kg,the index of refraction falls to n0.7,and the thermally excited free-carrier density reaches ne531027 m−3,which is over an order of magnitude higher than that of the electron carriers produced by direct photoionization.Significant specular reflection is observed owing to critical electron density shielding of electromagnetic waves.Themeasured optical conductivity reaches 23104 S/m,a value that is one to two orders of magnitude lower than those of simplemetals in a liquid state.At electron temperatures below 15000 K,the experimental results agreewell with the theoretical calculations using density-functional theory/molecular-dynamics simulations.With increasing temperature,the electron density increases and the system approaches a Fermi distribution.In this regime,the conductivities agree better with predictions from the Ziman theory of liquid metals.展开更多
文摘Background:Acute improvement in range of motion(ROM)is a widely reported effect of stretching and foam rolling,which is commonly explained by changes in pain threshold and/or musculotendinous stiffness.Interestingly,these effects were also reported in response to various other active and passive interventions that induce responses such as enhanced muscle temperature.Therefore,we hypothesized that acute ROM enhancements could be induced by a wide variety of interventions other than stretching or foam rolling that promote an increase in muscle temperature.Methods:After a systematic search in PubMed,Web of Science,and SPORTDiscus databases,38 studies comparing the effects of stretching and foam rolling with several other interventions on ROM and passive properties were included.These studies had 1134 participants in total,and the data analysis resulted in 140 effect sizes(ESs).ES calculations were performed using robust variance estimation model with R-package.Results:Study quality of the included studies was classified as fair(PEDro score=4.58)with low to moderate certainty of evidence.Results showed no significant differences in ROM(ES=0.01,p=0.88),stiffness(ES=0.09,p=0.67),or passive peak torque(ES=-0.30,p=0.14)between stretching or foam rolling and the other identified activities.Funnel plots revealed no publication bias.Conclusion:Based on current literature,our results challenge the established view on stretching and foam rolling as a recommended component of warm-up programs.The lack of significant difference between interventions suggests there is no need to emphasize stretching or foam rolling to induce acute ROM,passive peak torque increases,or stiffness reductions.
基金Supported by The Federal Ministry of Education and Research(BMBF)Germany(FKZ:01 E0 1002)to Bruns T
文摘Viable and non-viable pathological bacterial translocation promote a self-perpetuating circle of dysfunctional immune activation and systemic inflammation facilitating infections and organ failure in advanced cirrhosis.Bacterial infections and sepsis are now recognized as a distinct stage in the natural progression of chronic liver disease as they accelerate organ failure and contribute to the high mortality observed in decompensated cirrhosis.The increasing knowledge of structural,immunological and hemodynamic pathophysiology in advanced cirrhosis has not yet translated into significantly improved outcomes of bacterial infections over the last decades.Therefore,early identification of patients at the highest risk for developing infections and infectionrelated complications is required to tailor the currently available measures of surveillance,prophylaxis and therapy to the patients in need in order to improve the detrimental outcome of bacterial infections in cirrhosis.
文摘AIM: To evaluate the contrast-enhanced endosonography as a method of differentiating inflammation from pancreatic carcinoma based on perfusion characteristics of microvessels. METHODS: In 86 patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis (age: 62± 12 years; sex: f/m 38/48), pancreatic lesions were examined by conventional endo- scopic B-mode, power Doppler ultrasound and contrastenhanced power mode (Hitachi EUB 525, SonoVue, 2.4 mL, Bracco) using the following criteria for malignant lesions: no detectable vascularisation using conventional power Doppler scanning, irregular appearance of arterial vessels over a short distance using SonoVue contrastenhanced technique and no detectable venous vessels inside the lesion. A malignant lesion was assumed if all criteria were detectable [gold standard endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration cytology, operation]. The criteria of chronic pancreatitis without neoplasia were defined as no detectable vascularisation before injection of SonoVue, regular appearance of vessels over a distance of at least 20 mm after injection of SonoVue and detection of arterial and venous vessels. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specifidty of conventional EUS were 73.2% and 83.3% respectively for pancreatic cancer. The sensitivity of contrast-enhanced EUS increased to 91.1% in 51 of 56 patients with malignant pancreatic lesion and the specificity increased to 93.3% in 28 of 30 patients with chronic inflammatory pancreatic disease.CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound improves the differentiation between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma.
文摘Herbal traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is used to treat several ailments, but its efficiency is poorly documented and hence debated, as opposed to modern medicine commonly providinge ffective therapies. The aim of this review article is to present a practical reference guide on the role of herbal TCM in managing gastrointestinal disorders, supported by systematic reviews and evidence based trials. A literature search using herbal TCM combined with terms for gastrointestinal disorders in Pub Med and the Cochrane database identified publications of herbal TCM trials. Results were analyzed for study type, inclusion criteria, and outcome parameters. Quality of placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trials was poor, mostly neglecting stringent evidence based diagnostic and therapeutic criteria. Accordingly, appropriate Cochrane reviews and meta-analyses were limited and failed to support valid, clinically relevant evidence based efficiency of herbal TCM in gastrointestinal diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric or duodenal ulcer, dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. In conclusion, the use of herbal TCM to treat various diseases has an interesting philosophical background with a long history, but it received increasing skepticism due to the lack of evidence based efficiency as shown by high quality trials; this has now been summarized for gastrointestinal disorders, with TCM not recommended for most gastrointestinal diseases. Future studies should focus on placebo controlled, randomized, double-blind clinical trials, herbal product quality and standard criteria for diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and assessment of adverse herb reactions. This approach will provide figures of risk/benefit profiles that hopefully are positive for at least some treatment modalities of herbal TCM. Proponents of modern herbal TCM best face these promising challenges of pragmaticmodern medicine by bridging the gap between the two medicinal cultures.
文摘Causality assessment of suspected drug induced liver injury(DILI) and herb induced liver injury(HILI) is hampered by the lack of a standardized approach to be used by attending physicians and at various subsequent evaluating levels. The aim of this review was to analyze the suitability of the liver specific Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences(CIOMS) scale as a standard tool for causality assessment in DILI and HILI cases. PubMed database was searched for the following terms: drug induced liver injury; herb induced liver injury; DILI causality assessment; and HILI causality assessment. The strength of the CIOMS lies in its potential as a standardized scale for DILI and HILI causality assessment. Other advantages include its liver specificity and its validation for hepatotoxicity with excellent sensitivity, specificity and predictive validity, based on cases with a positive reexposure test. This scale allows prospective collection of all relevant data required for a valid causality assessment. It does not require expert knowledge in hepatotoxicity and its results may subsequently be refined. Weaknesses of the CIOMS scale include the limited exclusion of alternative causes and qualitatively graded risk factors. In conclusion, CIOMS appears to be suitable as a standard scale for attending physicians, regulatory agencies, expert panels and other scientists to provide a standardized, reproducible causality assessment in suspected DILI and HILI cases, applicable primarily at all assessing levels involved. 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All
文摘Since end of the 90s of the last century the seismological station Moxa was extended and developed into the modern Geodynamic Observatory. It comprises also the new installation of borehole-tilt meters in front of the observatory building and laser-strain meters in the gallery. The question arises how non-tidal signals are displayed in the measured time series. The investigation of such signals which can be caused naturally or man-made, can result in different sensitivities for the various tilt- and strainmeter systems, e.g. regarding barometric pressure impacts and hydrological induced pore pressure effects.
基金Supported by Key R&D Plan of Science and Technology Department of Jiangxi Province,No.20171BBG70087
文摘BACKGROUND It is challenging to distinguish intestinal tuberculosis from Crohn’s disease due to dynamic changes in epidemiology and similar clinical characteristics. Recent studies have shown that polymorphisms in genes involved in the interleukin (IL)- 23/IL-17 axis may affect intestinal mucosal immunity by affecting the differentiation of Th17 cells. AIM To investigate the specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in the IL-23/IL-17 axis and possible pathways that affect susceptibility to intestinal tuberculosis and Crohn's disease. METHODS We analysed 133 patients with intestinal tuberculosis, 128 with Crohn’s disease, and 500 normal controls. DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded specimens or whole blood. Four SNPs in the IL23/Th17 axis (IL22 rs2227473, IL1β rs1143627, TGFβ rs4803455, and IL17 rs8193036) were genotyped with TaqMan assays. The transcriptional activity levels of different genotypes of rs2227473 were detected by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The expression of IL-22R1 in different intestinal diseases was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The A allele frequency of rs2227473 (P = 0.030, odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.95) showed an abnormal distribution between intestinal tuberculosis and healthy controls. The presence of the A allele was associated with a higher IL-22 transcriptional activity (P < 0.05). In addition, IL-22R1 was expressed in intestinal lymphoid tissues, especially under conditions of intestinal tuberculosis, and highly expressed in macrophage-derived Langhans giant cells. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of IL-22R1 in patients with Crohn's disease and intestinal tuberculosis was significantly higher than that in patients with intestinal polyps and colon cancer (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION High IL-22 expression seems to be a protective factor for intestinal tuberculosis. IL-22R1 is expressed in Langhans giant cells, suggesting that the IL-22/IL-22R1 system links adaptive and innate immunity.
基金Grants from "Forschung für die Praxis" of the Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst to Birringer Mgrants from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to Lorkowski S as an acknowledgement to the national institutions that currently support our research in the field of vitamin E and its long-chain metabolites
文摘Bioavailability of vitamin E is influenced by several factors, most are highlighted in this review. While gender, age and genetic constitution influence vitamin E bioavailability but cannot be modified, life-style and intake of vitamin E can be. Numerous factors must be taken into account however, i.e., when vitamin E is orally administrated, the food matrix may contain competing nutrients. The complex metabolic processes comprise intestinal absorption, vascular transport, hepatic sorting by intracellular binding proteins, such as the significant α-tocopherol-transfer protein, and hepatic metabolism. The coordinated changes involved in the hepatic metabolism of vitamin E provide an effective physiological pathway to protect tissues against the excessive accumulation of, in particular, non-α-tocopherol forms. Metabolism of vitamin E begins with one cycle of CYP4F2/CYP3A4-dependent ω-hydroxylation followed by five cycles of subsequent β-oxidation, and forms the water-soluble end-product carboxyethylhydroxychroman. All known hepatic metabolites can be conjugated and are excreted, depending on the length of their sidechain, either via urine or feces. The physiological handling of vitamin E underlies kinetics which vary between the different vitamin E forms. Here, saturation of the side-chain and also substitution of the chromanol ring system are important. Most of the metabolic reactions and processes that are involved with vitamin E are also shared by other fat soluble vitamins. Influencing interactions with other nutrients such as vitamin K or pharmaceuticals are also covered by this review. All these processes modulate the formation of vitamin E metabolites and their concentrations in tissues and body fluids. Differences in metabolism might be responsible for the discrepancies that have been observed in studies performed in vivo and in vitro using vitamin E as a supplement or nutrient. To evaluate individual vitamin E status, the analytical procedures used for detecting and quantifying vitamin E and its metabolites are crucial. The latest methods in analytics are presented.
文摘Perovskite materials have triggered a renewed interest in photovoltaic research in the recent years.They display crystal forms with 0D,1D and 2D,3D motifs,and several chemical forms,namely inorganic(titanates,rubidiates,nobiates,tantalates etc.),organic/inorganic metal halides with single to multiple cations,and even organic polymer or quantum dot-infused hybrids.Each crystal type and chemical form are endowed with specific physicochemical,optical,electronic,and morphological properties.These unique properties render them suitable for targeted applications,namely photovoltaics,LEDs,photocatalysis/electrolysis/solar fuels/solar and Li-ion batteries,gas-sensors,ferroelectrics,capacitors,transistors and memristors,photodetectors,and lasers,for advanced quantum cryptography and outer space applications.At first,the crystal and material types,and physicochemical,morphological,and optoelectronic properties of perovskite materials are discussed.Particularly,we focus on those properties which cumulatively contribute to their application in the abovementioned fields.Simultaneously,a comprehensive discussion about the advances in each field is presented.Structure/property/application relationships with key advances demonstrate the versatility of perovskites in modern optoelectronic technologies.
基金Supported by the Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Klinische Forschung(IZKF-MSP-06)of University Hospital Jena.
文摘Fatty acids are energy substrates and cell components which participate in regulating signal transduction,transcription factor activity and secretion of bioactive lipid mediators.The acyl-CoA synthetases(ACSs)family containing 26 family members exhibits tissue-specific distribution,distinct fatty acid substrate preferences and diverse biological functions.Increasing evidence indicates that dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism in the liver-gut axis,designated as the bidirectional relationship between the gut,microbiome and liver,is closely associated with a range of human diseases including metabolic disorders,inflammatory disease and carcinoma in the gastrointestinal tract and liver.In this review,we depict the role of ACSs in fatty acid metabolism,possible molecular mechanisms through which they exert functions,and their involvement in hepatocellular and colorectal carcinoma,with particular attention paid to long-chain fatty acids and small-chain fatty acids.Additionally,the liver-gut communication and the liver and gut intersection with the microbiome as well as diseases related to microbiota imbalance in the liver-gut axis are addressed.Moreover,the development of potentially therapeutic small molecules,proteins and compounds targeting ACSs in cancer treatment is summarized.
文摘Gradient index layers and rugate structures were fabricated on a Leybold Syrus pro deposition system by plasma-assisted coevaporation of the low index material silica and the high index material niobium pentoxide.To obtain information about the compositional profiles of the produced layers,cross sectional transmission electron microscopy was used in assistance to deposition rate data recorded by two independent crystal monitors during the film preparation.The depth dependent concentration profiles were transformed to refractive index gradients by means of effective medium approximation.Based on the refractive index gradients the corresponding samples`transmission and reflection spectra could be calculated by utilizing matrix formalism.The relevance of the established refractive index profiles could be verified by comparison of the calculated spectra with the measured ones.
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fish most common cancer in the world. This case documents an unusual metastatic presentation of HCC in the humerus. Preoperative palliative arterial embolization of the tumor was performed to arrest severe tumor bleeding caused by the biopsy. Embolization turned out to be useful also in limiting/preventing potential uncontrolled bleeding during subsequent amputation.
文摘Nonlinear frequency conversion is one of the most fundamental processes in nonlinear optics.It has a wide range of applications in our daily lives,including novel light sources,sensing,and information processing.It is usually assumed that nonlinear frequency conversion requires large crystals that gradually accumulate a strong effect.However,the large size of nonlinear crystals is not compatible with the miniaturisation of modern photonic and optoelectronic systems.Therefore,shrinking the nonlinear structures down to the nanoscale,while keeping favourable conversion efficiencies,is of great importance for future photonics applications.In the last decade,researchers have studied the strategies for enhancing the nonlinear efficiencies at the nanoscale,e.g.by employing different nonlinear materials,resonant couplings and hybridization techniques.In this paper,we provide a compact review of the nanomaterials-based efforts,ranging from metal to dielectric and semiconductor nanostructures,including their relevant nanofabrication techniques.
文摘Since its discovery in the 1920’s the relaxin peptide hormone family has not only grown in number to now seven members (relaxin-1, relaxin-2, relaxin-3, insulin-like peptide (INSL) 3, INSL4, INSL5 and INSL6), but ever more effects, suchs as vasodilatory, angiogenic, anti-apoptopic, anti-fibriotic and anti-inflammatory, have been linked to them. While relaxin-2 has mainly been investigated in the context of cardiac protection, most comprehensively in the RELAX-AHF and RELAX AHF2 studies, a small number of studies have furthermore assessed the potential neuroprotective effects of especially relaxin-2 and other members of the relaxin family. In this short review we summarise and discuss recent efforts to utilize relaxin hormones for neuroprotection and point out potential future fields of research and translational applications. While many questions still need to be answered, the promising results of the available studies definitely warrant future well-designed studies on neuroprotection by relaxin peptides.
基金supported by the DFG(German Research Foundation)Priority Program Nano Security,Project MemCrypto(Projektnummer 439827659/funding id DU 1896/2–1,PO 1220/15–1)the funding by the Fraunhofer Internal Programs under Grant No.Attract 600768。
文摘Emerging memristive devices offer enormous advantages for applications such as non-volatile memories and inmemory computing(IMC),but there is a rising interest in using memristive technologies for security applications in the era of internet of things(IoT).In this review article,for achieving secure hardware systems in IoT,lowpower design techniques based on emerging memristive technology for hardware security primitives/systems are presented.By reviewing the state-of-the-art in three highlighted memristive application areas,i.e.memristive non-volatile memory,memristive reconfigurable logic computing and memristive artificial intelligent computing,their application-level impacts on the novel implementations of secret key generation,crypto functions and machine learning attacks are explored,respectively.For the low-power security applications in IoT,it is essential to understand how to best realize cryptographic circuitry using memristive circuitries,and to assess the implications of memristive crypto implementations on security and to develop novel computing paradigms that will enhance their security.This review article aims to help researchers to explore security solutions,to analyze new possible threats and to develop corresponding protections for the secure hardware systems based on low-cost memristive circuit designs.
文摘Background:Team-sport players have a particularly high injury risk.Although female sex is considered a risk factor,it is still unknown whether female and male team-sport players,in fact,differ in their injury rates.We aimed to compare injury rates between female and male players by systematically reviewing and meta-analyzing injury surveillance studies of both sexes in order to evaluate sex-specific differences in team-sport injuries.Methods:Studies that prospectively collected injury data for high-level female and male players(age≥16 years)in basketball,field hockey,football(soccer),handball,rugby(union and sevens),and volleyball were included.Two reviewers(AZ and ALR)independently assessed study quality and extracted data for overall,match,training,and severe injuries(>28 days’time loss)as well as data regarding injury locations and types.Incidence rate ratios(IRRs)were pooled in a meta-analysis,and meta-regression analysis was performed when 10 or more studies were available.Results:Of 20 studies,9 studies reported injury data from football,3 studies from rugby,3 studies from handball,1 study from basketball,1 study from field hockey,2 studies from volleyball,and 1 study from basketball and field hockey.For overall injuries,the pooled IRR=0.86(95%confidence interval(95%CI):0.76-0.98)indicated significantly more injuries in male than in female players.For injury location,the pooled IRR showed higher injury rates in male athletes than in female athletes for upper extremity,hip/groin,thigh,ande foot injuries.Female players had a significantly higher rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries(IRR=2.15,95%CI:1.27-3.62)than male players.No significant sex-specific differences in IRR were found for match,training,severe injuries,concussions,or ankle sprains.Conclusion:Our meta-analysis provides evidence for sex-specific differences in the injury rates in team sports.Further epidemiological studies including both sexes in sports other than football are needed in order to strengthen the evidence.
基金supported by the U.S.Department of Energy,Office of Science,Fusion Energy Science under Grant No.FWP 100182support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC)+4 种基金supported by the U.S.Department of Energy,Office of Science,Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No.DE-AC02-76SF00515support from the U.S.Department of Energy,Laboratory Directed Research and Development(LDRD)Program at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory,under Contract No.DE-AC02-76SF00515support within the Research Unit Grant No.FOR 2440supported in part by the U.S.Department of Energy,Office of Science,Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists(WDTS)under the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships(SULI)Programsupport from the LOEWE Excellence Initiative of the State of Hessen.
文摘The electrical conductivity of water under extreme temperatures and densities plays a central role in modeling planetary magnetic fields.Experimental data are vital to test theories of high-energy-densitywater and assess the possible development and presence of extraterrestrial life.These states are also important in biology and chemistry studies when specimens in water are confined and excited using ultrafast optical or free-electron lasers(FELs).Here we utilize femtosecond optical lasers to measure the transient reflection and transmission of ultrathin water sheet samples uniformly heated by a 13.6 nm FEL approaching a highly conducting state at electron temperatures exceeding 20000 K.The experiment probes the trajectory ofwater through the high-energy-density phase space and provides insights into changes in the index of refraction,charge carrier densities,andACelectrical conductivity at optical frequencies.At excitation energy densities exceeding 10MJ/kg,the index of refraction falls to n0.7,and the thermally excited free-carrier density reaches ne531027 m−3,which is over an order of magnitude higher than that of the electron carriers produced by direct photoionization.Significant specular reflection is observed owing to critical electron density shielding of electromagnetic waves.Themeasured optical conductivity reaches 23104 S/m,a value that is one to two orders of magnitude lower than those of simplemetals in a liquid state.At electron temperatures below 15000 K,the experimental results agreewell with the theoretical calculations using density-functional theory/molecular-dynamics simulations.With increasing temperature,the electron density increases and the system approaches a Fermi distribution.In this regime,the conductivities agree better with predictions from the Ziman theory of liquid metals.