Sensitive and specific bioassays of tumor markers are critical for early cancer detection and treatment.In recent years,lanthanide(Ln3+)doped upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)have attracted wide attentions in tumor ma...Sensitive and specific bioassays of tumor markers are critical for early cancer detection and treatment.In recent years,lanthanide(Ln3+)doped upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)have attracted wide attentions in tumor markers detectio n.Herein,we co mbined NaYF4:Yb,Tm and silver nanoparticles,serving as energy donor and receptor,respectively,to form an up-conversion fluorescence based inhibitory tumor marker biosensor system.The tumor marker CA-125 molecules are labeled with silver NPs,and the energy transfer fluorescent signal can be detected between the UCNPs and the silver NP receptors.The biosensor shows good stability,high sensitivity and selectivity in the tumor marker concentration range from 5 to 100 ng/mL,as well as a detection limit of 120 pg/mL.Due to the advantage of ease of fabrication and operation,low cost and high information capacity,this technology holds great potential for the clinical applications.展开更多
In recent years,organoid technology,i.e.,in vitro three-dimensional(3D)tissue culture,has attracted increasing attention in biomedical engineering.Organoids are cell complexes induced by differentiation of stem cells ...In recent years,organoid technology,i.e.,in vitro three-dimensional(3D)tissue culture,has attracted increasing attention in biomedical engineering.Organoids are cell complexes induced by differentiation of stem cells or organ-progenitor cells in vitro using 3D culture technology.They can replicate the key structural and functional characteristics of the target organs in vivo.With the opening up of this new field of health engineering,there is a need for engineering-system approaches to the production,control,and quantitative analysis of organoids and their microenvironment.Traditional organoid technology has limitations,including lack of physical and chemical microenvironment control,high heterogeneity,complex manual operation,imperfect nutritional supply system,and lack of feasible online analytical technology for the organoids.The introduction of microfluidic chip technology into organoids has overcome many of these limitations and greatly expanded the scope of applications.Engineering organoid microfluidic system has become an interdisciplinary field in biomedical and health engineering.In this review,we summarize the development and culture system of organoids,discuss how microfluidic technology has been used to solve the main technical challenges in organoid research and development,and point out new opportunities and prospects for applications of organoid microfluidic system in drug development and screening,food safety,precision medicine,and other biomedical and health engineering fields.展开更多
Frequent offshore oil spill accidents, industrial oily sewage, and the indiscriminate disposal of urban oily sewage have caused seri- ous impacts on the human living environment and health. The traditional oil-water s...Frequent offshore oil spill accidents, industrial oily sewage, and the indiscriminate disposal of urban oily sewage have caused seri- ous impacts on the human living environment and health. The traditional oil-water separation methods not only cause easily environmental secondary pollution but also a waste of limited resources. Therefore, in this work, three-dimensional (3D) graphitic carbon sphere (GCS) foams (collectively referred hereafter as 3D foams) with a 3D porous structure, pore size distribution of 25-200 μm, and high porosity of 62vol% were prepared for oil adsorption via gel casting using GCS as the starting materials. The results indicate that the water contact angle (WCA) of the as-prepared 3D foams is 130°. The contents of GCS greatly influenced the hydrophobicity, WCA, and microstructure of the as-prepared samples. The adsorption capacities of the as-prepared 3D foams for paraffin oil, vegetable oil, and vacuum pump oil were approximately 12-15 g/g, which were 10 times that of GCS powder. The as-prepared foams are desirable characteristics of a good sorbent and could be widely used in oil spill accidents.展开更多
OBJECTIVE: To investigated the effect and mechanism of Fangjihuangqi Tang (FHT) on lower urinary tract dysfunction induced by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats. METHODS: Male rats were randomly divided into s...OBJECTIVE: To investigated the effect and mechanism of Fangjihuangqi Tang (FHT) on lower urinary tract dysfunction induced by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats. METHODS: Male rats were randomly divided into seven groups: normal, model, finasteride (0.5 mg/ kg), terazosin (0.5 mg/kg), and FHT (10, 5, 2.5 g/kg). Rats were administered testosterone (0.5 mg sc) for 6 weeks after orchiectomy, excluding the normal group. All rats were intragastrically administered assigned drugs for 4 weeks from the third week. Urodynamics were assessed in rats under anesthesia. Serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) were measured. The prostate index (PI), bladder index (BI), and pathological detection were evaluated. RESULTS: In the model group, the PI, BI, serum DHT, serum PAP, threshold pressure (TP), micturition pressure (MP), and residual urine volume (RV)were significantly higher. Moreover, inter-micturition duration (IMD) was significantly lower and the prostatic and bladder showed obvious pathological changes. The IMD was significantly higher, while BI, TP, MP, and RV were significantly lower and bladder pathological changes were alleviated in the FHT (10, 5 g/kg), finasteride, and terazosin groups. The PI, DHT, and PAP were significantly lower in the finasteride group, but they did not change significantly in the FHT (10, 5, 2.5 g/kg) and terazosin groups. CONCLUSION: FHT could relieve symptoms of lower urinary tract dysfunction in BPH rats but with no apparent effect on reducing the volume of the enlarged prostate itself.展开更多
This paper investigated the dependence of out-of-plane electret-based vibration energy harvesters’output power,frequency bandwidth,and resonance frequency on surface charge density and load resistance.As the external...This paper investigated the dependence of out-of-plane electret-based vibration energy harvesters’output power,frequency bandwidth,and resonance frequency on surface charge density and load resistance.As the external acceleration amplitude and electret size were held constant,the following results are predicted by the numerical investigation：（1）An optimum value exists in the surface charge density to maximize the output power.As the surface charge density is increasing,electrostatic forces are enhanced,which emphasizes that the soft spring effect widens the frequency bandwidth and lowers the resonance frequency.（2）Different surface charge densities correspond to different optimum initial air gaps,resonance frequency,and optimum load resistance.（3）With the attenuation of the surface potential,the output power,frequency drift,and frequency bandwidth decreased.（4）An optimum value exists in the load resistance to maximize the output power.As the load resistance is decreasing,electrostatic force is enhanced,which lowers the resonance frequency.（5）A maximum frequency bandwidth exists with further load resistance increasing,and the initial air gap is smaller,the greater the frequency bandwidth.展开更多
The dysfunction of coronary microcirculation is an important cause of coronary artery disease(CAD).The index of microcirculatory resistance(IMR)is a quantitative evaluation of coronary microcirculatory function,which ...The dysfunction of coronary microcirculation is an important cause of coronary artery disease(CAD).The index of microcirculatory resistance(IMR)is a quantitative evaluation of coronary microcirculatory function,which provides a significant reference for the prediction,diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of CAD.IMR also plays a key role in investigating the interaction between epicardial and microcirculatory dysfunctions,and is closely associated with coronary hemodynamic parameters such as flow rate,distal coronary pressure,and aortic pressure,which have been widely applied in computational studies of CAD.However,there is currently a lack of consensus across studies on the normal and pathological ranges of IMR.The relationships between IMR and coronary hemodynamic parameters have not been accurately quantified,which limits the application of IMR in computational CAD studies.In this paper,we discuss the research gaps between IMR and its potential applications in the computational simulation of CAD.Computational simulation based on the combination of IMR and other hemodynamic parameters is a promising technology to improve the diagnosis and guide clinical trials of CAD.展开更多
Based on the analysis of the total free energy of the liquid-bridge, several methods are presented to analyze the pull-off force of liquid-bridge. For the liquid bridge system with a large gap width, accurate solution...Based on the analysis of the total free energy of the liquid-bridge, several methods are presented to analyze the pull-off force of liquid-bridge. For the liquid bridge system with a large gap width, accurate solutions of a two-plates liquid bridge and a sphere-plane liquid bridge are given. In addition, the edge-effect resulting from the profile of the top solid in the liquid-bridge system is analyzed and calculated. It is proved by the subsequent tests.展开更多
A membrane element model with bending modification based on element moment equilibrium is proposed for the first time by the authors, who apply the element model in one step inverse method and simulate the forming pro...A membrane element model with bending modification based on element moment equilibrium is proposed for the first time by the authors, who apply the element model in one step inverse method and simulate the forming process of a flower-shaped box using the membrane element model with and without this modification. The numerical results are compared with those of the incremental method to verify the validity of the element model developed in this paper.展开更多
The activation of some oncogenes promote cancer cell proliferation and growth,facilitate cancer progression and metastasis by induce DNA replication stress,even genome instability.Activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synt...The activation of some oncogenes promote cancer cell proliferation and growth,facilitate cancer progression and metastasis by induce DNA replication stress,even genome instability.Activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)mediates classical DNA sensing,is involved in genome instability,and is linked to various tumor development or therapy.However,the function of cGAS in gastric cancer remains elusive.In this study,the TCGA database and retrospective immunohistochemical analyses revealed substantially high cGAS expression in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines.By employing cGAS high-expression gastric cancer cell lines,including AGS and MKN45,ectopic silencing of cGAS caused a significant reduction in the proliferation of the cells,tumor growth,and mass in xenograft mice.Mechanistically,database analysis predicted a possible involvement of cGAS in the DNA damage response(DDR),further data through cells revealed protein interactions of the cGAS and MRE11-RAD50-NBN(MRN)complex,which activated cell cycle checkpoints,even increased genome instability in gastric cancer cells,thereby contributing to gastric cancer progression and sensitivity to treatment with DNA damaging agents.Furthermore,the upregulation of cGAS significantly exacerbated the prognosis of gastric cancer patients while improving radiotherapeutic outcomes.Therefore,we concluded that cGAS is involved in gastric cancer progression by fueling genome instability,implying that intervening in the cGAS pathway could be a practicable therapeutic approach for gastric cancer.展开更多
In recent years,deep generative models have been successfully applied to perform artistic painting style transfer(APST).The difficulties might lie in the loss of reconstructing spatial details and the inefficiency of ...In recent years,deep generative models have been successfully applied to perform artistic painting style transfer(APST).The difficulties might lie in the loss of reconstructing spatial details and the inefficiency of model convergence caused by the irreversible en-decoder methodology of the existing models.Aiming to this,this paper proposes a Flow-based architecture with both the en-decoder sharing a reversible network configuration.The proposed APST-Flow can efficiently reduce model uncertainty via a compact analysis-synthesis methodology,thereby the generalization performance and the convergence stability are improved.For the generator,a Flow-based network using Wavelet additive coupling(WAC)layers is implemented to extract multi-scale content features.Also,a style checker is used to enhance the global style consistency by minimizing the error between the reconstructed and the input images.To enhance the generated salient details,a loss of adaptive stroke edge is applied in both the global and local model training.The experimental results show that the proposed method improves PSNR by 5%,SSIM by 6.2%,and decreases Style Error by 29.4%over the existing models on the ChipPhi set.The competitive results verify that APST-Flow achieves high-quality generation with less content deviation and enhanced generalization,thereby can be further applied to more APST scenes.展开更多
A double-clamped piezoelectric energy harvester subjected to random excitation is presented,for which corresponding analytical model is established to predict its output characteristics.With the presented theoretical ...A double-clamped piezoelectric energy harvester subjected to random excitation is presented,for which corresponding analytical model is established to predict its output characteristics.With the presented theoretical natural frequency and equivalent stiffness of vibrator,the closed-form expressions of mean power and voltage acquired from the double-clamped piezoelectric energy harvester under random excitation are derived.Finally theoretical analysis is conducted for the output performance of the doubleclamped energy harvester with the change of spectrum density（SD）of acceleration,load resistance,piezoelectric coefficient and natural frequency value,which is found to closely agree with Monte Carlo simulation and experimental results.展开更多
Background:Routinely collected health data are increasingly used in clinical research.No study has systematically reviewed the temporal trends in the number of publications and analyzed different aspects of local rese...Background:Routinely collected health data are increasingly used in clinical research.No study has systematically reviewed the temporal trends in the number of publications and analyzed different aspects of local research practices and their variations in Hong Kong,China,with a specific focus on research ethics governance and approval.Methods:PubMed was systematically searched from its inception to March 28,2023,for studies using routinely col-lected healthcare data from Hong Kong.Results:A total of 454 studies were included.Between 2000 and 2009,32 studies were identified.The number of pub-lications increased from 5 to 120 between 2010 and 2022.Of the investigator-led studies using the Hospital Authority(HA)’s cross-cluster data(n=393),327(83.2%)reported receiving ethics approval from a single cluster/university-based REC,whereas 50 studies(12.7%)did not report approval from a REC.For use of the HA Data Collaboration Lab,approval by a single hospital-based or University-based REC is accepted.Repeated submission of identical ethics applications to different RECs is estimated to cost HK$4.2 million yearly.Conclusions:Most studies reported gaining approval from a single cluster REC before retrieval of cross-cluster HA data.Substantial cost savings would result if repeated review of identical ethics applications were not required.展开更多
Background Recently,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)has been used to simulate blood flow of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis(sICAS)and investigate the clinical implications of its haemodynamic featur...Background Recently,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)has been used to simulate blood flow of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis(sICAS)and investigate the clinical implications of its haemodynamic features,which were systematically reviewed in this study.Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statements,we searched PubMed and Embase up to March 2024 and screened for articles reporting clinical implications of haemodynamic parameters in sICAS derived from CFD models.Results 19 articles met the inclusion criteria,all studies recruiting patients from China.Most studies used CT angiography(CTA)as the source image for vessel segmentation,and generic boundary conditions,rigid vessel wall and Newtonian fluid assumptions for CFD modelling,in patients with 50%-99%sICAS.Pressure and wall shear stress(WSS)were quantified in almost all studies,and the translesional changes in pressure and WSS were usually quantified with a poststenotic to prestenotic pressure ratio(PR)and stenotic-throat to prestenotic WSS ratio(WSSR).Lower PR was associated with more severe stenosis,better leptomeningeal collaterals,prolonged perfusion time and internal borderzone infarcts.Higher WSSR and other WSS measures were associated with positive vessel wall remodelling,regression of luminal stenosis and artery-to artery embolism.Lower PR and higher WSSR were both associated with the presence and severity of cerebral small vessel disease.Moreover,translesional PR and WSSR were promising predictors for stroke recurrence in medically treated patients with sICAS and outcomes after acute reperfusion therapy,which also provided indicators to assess the effects of stenting treatment on focal haemodynamics.Conclusions CFD is a promising tool in investigating the pathophysiology of ICAS and in risk stratification of patients with sICAS.Future studies are warranted for standardisation of the modelling methods and validation of the simulation results in sICAS,for its wider applications in clinical research and practice.展开更多
Background and purpose Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis(sICAS)is associated with a considerable risk of recurrent stroke despite contemporarily optimal medical treatment.Severity of luminal stenosis i...Background and purpose Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis(sICAS)is associated with a considerable risk of recurrent stroke despite contemporarily optimal medical treatment.Severity of luminal stenosis in sICAS and its haemodynamic significance quantified with computational fluid dynamics(CFD)models were associated with the risk of stroke recurrence.We aimed to develop and compare stroke risk prediction nomograms in sICAS,based on vascular risk factors and these metrics.Methods Patients with 50%-99%sICAS confirmed in CT angiography(CTA)were enrolled.Conventional vascular risk factors were collected.Severity of luminal stenosis in sICAS was dichotomised as moderate(50%-69%)and severe(70%-99%).Translesional pressure ratio(PR)and wall shear stress ratio(WSSR)were quantified via CTA-based CFD modelling;the haemodynamic status of sICAS was classified as normal(normal PR&WSSR),intermediate(otherwise)and abnormal(abnormal PR&WSSR).All patients received guideline-recommended medical treatment.We developed and compared performance of nomograms composed of these variables and independent predictors identified in multivariate logistic regression,in predicting the primary outcome,recurrent ischaemic stroke in the same territory(SIT)within 1 year.Results Among 245 sICAS patients,20(8.2%)had SIT.The D2H2A nomogram,incorporating diabetes,dyslipidaemia,haemodynamic status of sICAS,hypertension and age≥50 years,showed good calibration(P for Hosmer-Lemeshow test=0.560)and discrimination(C-statistic 0.73,95%CI 0.60 to 0.85).It also had better performance in risk reclassification and provided larger net benefits in decision curve analysis,compared with nomograms composed of conventional vascular risk factors only,and plus the severity of luminal stenosis in sICAS.Sensitivity analysis in patients with anterior-circulation sICAS showed similar results.Conclusions The D2H2A nomogram,incorporating conventional vascular risk factors and the haemodynamic significance of sICAS as assessed in CFD models,could be a useful tool to stratify sICAS patients for the risk of recurrent stroke under contemporarily optimal medical treatment.展开更多
Dear Editor,Kras and p53 mutation are among the most common gene mutations in lung cancer,which has both the highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers.1 Kras/p53 mutation also causes mitochondrial dysfunction...Dear Editor,Kras and p53 mutation are among the most common gene mutations in lung cancer,which has both the highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers.1 Kras/p53 mutation also causes mitochondrial dysfunction,which has been implicated to promote the inflammation-to-cancer transition.2 We established a lung adenocarcinoma model by using conditional alleles of KrasLSLG12D/p53flox/flox in mice3 to evaluate the effect of Baicalein(5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone),a principal component of Scutellaria baicalensis in traditional Chinese medicine,4 on the initiation and progression of lung cancer.Cre-mediated expression of KrasG12D and deletion of p53 caused obvious tumor lesions in the lung,which were strongly inhibited by the administration of Baicalein(Fig.1a,b and Supplementary Fig.1a,b),indicating that Baicalein is highly potent in inhibiting the progression of primary lung cancer.展开更多
In this study,we present a method for free-space beam shaping and steering based on a silicon optical phased array,which addresses the theoretical limitation of traditional bulk optics.We theoretically analyze the bea...In this study,we present a method for free-space beam shaping and steering based on a silicon optical phased array,which addresses the theoretical limitation of traditional bulk optics.We theoretically analyze the beam propagation properties with changes in the applied phase.Different beam profiles can be shaped by varying the phase combination,while a high-order quasi-Bessel beam can be generated with a cubic change to the phase modulation.The simulated results are validated further experimentally,and they match one another well.Beam steering can be achieved with a field of view as large as 140°,which has potential benefits for practical applications.The presented method is expected to have broad application prospects for optical communications,free-space optical interconnects,and light detection and ranging.展开更多
Pattern recognition receptors arecritical forthe sensing of pathogen-associated molecular patterns or danger-associated molecular patterns and subsequent mounting of innate immunityandshaping ofadaptive immunity.The i...Pattern recognition receptors arecritical forthe sensing of pathogen-associated molecular patterns or danger-associated molecular patterns and subsequent mounting of innate immunityandshaping ofadaptive immunity.The identification of 2'3'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate(cGAMP)synthase(cGAS)as a major cytosolic DNA receptor is a milestone in the field of DNA sensing.The engagement of cGAS by double-stranded DNA from different origins,including invading pathogens,damaged mitochondria,ruptured micronuclei,and genomic DNA results in the generation of cGAMP and activation of stimulator of interferon genes,which thereby activates innate immunity mainly characterized by the activation of type I interferon response.In recent years,great progress has been made in understanding the subcellular localization and novel functions of cGAS.In this review,we particularlyfocus on summarizingthe multifaceted roles ofcGAS in regulating senescence,autophagy,cell stemness,apoptosis,angiogenesis,cell proliferation,antitumor effect,DNA replication,DNA damage repair,micronucleophagy,as well as cell metabolism.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program(2016YFC0207101)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61775080,81602659,11704056)the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province,China(20170101170JC)
文摘Sensitive and specific bioassays of tumor markers are critical for early cancer detection and treatment.In recent years,lanthanide(Ln3+)doped upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs)have attracted wide attentions in tumor markers detectio n.Herein,we co mbined NaYF4:Yb,Tm and silver nanoparticles,serving as energy donor and receptor,respectively,to form an up-conversion fluorescence based inhibitory tumor marker biosensor system.The tumor marker CA-125 molecules are labeled with silver NPs,and the energy transfer fluorescent signal can be detected between the UCNPs and the silver NP receptors.The biosensor shows good stability,high sensitivity and selectivity in the tumor marker concentration range from 5 to 100 ng/mL,as well as a detection limit of 120 pg/mL.Due to the advantage of ease of fabrication and operation,low cost and high information capacity,this technology holds great potential for the clinical applications.
基金This work was supported by the Key Areas Research Development Projects of Guangdong Province(No.2019B020210001)the Tsinghua-U Tokyo Collaborative Research Fund(No.20193080052)the Key Areas Research Development Projects of Hebei Province(No.20375502D).
文摘In recent years,organoid technology,i.e.,in vitro three-dimensional(3D)tissue culture,has attracted increasing attention in biomedical engineering.Organoids are cell complexes induced by differentiation of stem cells or organ-progenitor cells in vitro using 3D culture technology.They can replicate the key structural and functional characteristics of the target organs in vivo.With the opening up of this new field of health engineering,there is a need for engineering-system approaches to the production,control,and quantitative analysis of organoids and their microenvironment.Traditional organoid technology has limitations,including lack of physical and chemical microenvironment control,high heterogeneity,complex manual operation,imperfect nutritional supply system,and lack of feasible online analytical technology for the organoids.The introduction of microfluidic chip technology into organoids has overcome many of these limitations and greatly expanded the scope of applications.Engineering organoid microfluidic system has become an interdisciplinary field in biomedical and health engineering.In this review,we summarize the development and culture system of organoids,discuss how microfluidic technology has been used to solve the main technical challenges in organoid research and development,and point out new opportunities and prospects for applications of organoid microfluidic system in drug development and screening,food safety,precision medicine,and other biomedical and health engineering fields.
基金the National Nat-ural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51872210 and 51672194)the Program for Innovative Teams of Outstand-ing Young and Middle-aged Researchers in the Higher Edu-cation Institutions of Hubei Province,China(No.T201602)the Key Program of Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province,China(No.2017CFA004).
文摘Frequent offshore oil spill accidents, industrial oily sewage, and the indiscriminate disposal of urban oily sewage have caused seri- ous impacts on the human living environment and health. The traditional oil-water separation methods not only cause easily environmental secondary pollution but also a waste of limited resources. Therefore, in this work, three-dimensional (3D) graphitic carbon sphere (GCS) foams (collectively referred hereafter as 3D foams) with a 3D porous structure, pore size distribution of 25-200 μm, and high porosity of 62vol% were prepared for oil adsorption via gel casting using GCS as the starting materials. The results indicate that the water contact angle (WCA) of the as-prepared 3D foams is 130°. The contents of GCS greatly influenced the hydrophobicity, WCA, and microstructure of the as-prepared samples. The adsorption capacities of the as-prepared 3D foams for paraffin oil, vegetable oil, and vacuum pump oil were approximately 12-15 g/g, which were 10 times that of GCS powder. The as-prepared foams are desirable characteristics of a good sorbent and could be widely used in oil spill accidents.
基金Supported by Natural Science Foundation of the Education Department of Anhui Province,China(No.KJ2010A208)
文摘OBJECTIVE: To investigated the effect and mechanism of Fangjihuangqi Tang (FHT) on lower urinary tract dysfunction induced by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats. METHODS: Male rats were randomly divided into seven groups: normal, model, finasteride (0.5 mg/ kg), terazosin (0.5 mg/kg), and FHT (10, 5, 2.5 g/kg). Rats were administered testosterone (0.5 mg sc) for 6 weeks after orchiectomy, excluding the normal group. All rats were intragastrically administered assigned drugs for 4 weeks from the third week. Urodynamics were assessed in rats under anesthesia. Serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) were measured. The prostate index (PI), bladder index (BI), and pathological detection were evaluated. RESULTS: In the model group, the PI, BI, serum DHT, serum PAP, threshold pressure (TP), micturition pressure (MP), and residual urine volume (RV)were significantly higher. Moreover, inter-micturition duration (IMD) was significantly lower and the prostatic and bladder showed obvious pathological changes. The IMD was significantly higher, while BI, TP, MP, and RV were significantly lower and bladder pathological changes were alleviated in the FHT (10, 5 g/kg), finasteride, and terazosin groups. The PI, DHT, and PAP were significantly lower in the finasteride group, but they did not change significantly in the FHT (10, 5, 2.5 g/kg) and terazosin groups. CONCLUSION: FHT could relieve symptoms of lower urinary tract dysfunction in BPH rats but with no apparent effect on reducing the volume of the enlarged prostate itself.
基金Supported by National High Technology R&D Program(SS2013AA041104)
文摘This paper investigated the dependence of out-of-plane electret-based vibration energy harvesters’output power,frequency bandwidth,and resonance frequency on surface charge density and load resistance.As the external acceleration amplitude and electret size were held constant,the following results are predicted by the numerical investigation：（1）An optimum value exists in the surface charge density to maximize the output power.As the surface charge density is increasing,electrostatic forces are enhanced,which emphasizes that the soft spring effect widens the frequency bandwidth and lowers the resonance frequency.（2）Different surface charge densities correspond to different optimum initial air gaps,resonance frequency,and optimum load resistance.（3）With the attenuation of the surface potential,the output power,frequency drift,and frequency bandwidth decreased.（4）An optimum value exists in the load resistance to maximize the output power.As the load resistance is decreasing,electrostatic force is enhanced,which lowers the resonance frequency.（5）A maximum frequency bandwidth exists with further load resistance increasing,and the initial air gap is smaller,the greater the frequency bandwidth.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.61527811 and 61701435)the Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province(No.2020C03016)+1 种基金the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(No.LY17H180003)the Medical Health Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission(No.2020RC094),China。
文摘The dysfunction of coronary microcirculation is an important cause of coronary artery disease(CAD).The index of microcirculatory resistance(IMR)is a quantitative evaluation of coronary microcirculatory function,which provides a significant reference for the prediction,diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of CAD.IMR also plays a key role in investigating the interaction between epicardial and microcirculatory dysfunctions,and is closely associated with coronary hemodynamic parameters such as flow rate,distal coronary pressure,and aortic pressure,which have been widely applied in computational studies of CAD.However,there is currently a lack of consensus across studies on the normal and pathological ranges of IMR.The relationships between IMR and coronary hemodynamic parameters have not been accurately quantified,which limits the application of IMR in computational CAD studies.In this paper,we discuss the research gaps between IMR and its potential applications in the computational simulation of CAD.Computational simulation based on the combination of IMR and other hemodynamic parameters is a promising technology to improve the diagnosis and guide clinical trials of CAD.
文摘Based on the analysis of the total free energy of the liquid-bridge, several methods are presented to analyze the pull-off force of liquid-bridge. For the liquid bridge system with a large gap width, accurate solutions of a two-plates liquid bridge and a sphere-plane liquid bridge are given. In addition, the edge-effect resulting from the profile of the top solid in the liquid-bridge system is analyzed and calculated. It is proved by the subsequent tests.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51075187)
文摘A membrane element model with bending modification based on element moment equilibrium is proposed for the first time by the authors, who apply the element model in one step inverse method and simulate the forming process of a flower-shaped box using the membrane element model with and without this modification. The numerical results are compared with those of the incremental method to verify the validity of the element model developed in this paper.
基金supported by Zhengzhou Major Collaborative Innovation Project(No.18XTZX12003)Key Projects of Discipline Construction in Zhengzhou University(No.XKZDJC202001)+2 种基金National Key Research and Development Program in China(No.2020YFC2006100)Excellent Foreign Scientist Studio of Henan Province in China(No.GZS2018001)Medical Service Capacity Improvement Project of Henan Province in China(Grant No.Yu Wei Medicine[2017]No.66).
文摘The activation of some oncogenes promote cancer cell proliferation and growth,facilitate cancer progression and metastasis by induce DNA replication stress,even genome instability.Activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)mediates classical DNA sensing,is involved in genome instability,and is linked to various tumor development or therapy.However,the function of cGAS in gastric cancer remains elusive.In this study,the TCGA database and retrospective immunohistochemical analyses revealed substantially high cGAS expression in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines.By employing cGAS high-expression gastric cancer cell lines,including AGS and MKN45,ectopic silencing of cGAS caused a significant reduction in the proliferation of the cells,tumor growth,and mass in xenograft mice.Mechanistically,database analysis predicted a possible involvement of cGAS in the DNA damage response(DDR),further data through cells revealed protein interactions of the cGAS and MRE11-RAD50-NBN(MRN)complex,which activated cell cycle checkpoints,even increased genome instability in gastric cancer cells,thereby contributing to gastric cancer progression and sensitivity to treatment with DNA damaging agents.Furthermore,the upregulation of cGAS significantly exacerbated the prognosis of gastric cancer patients while improving radiotherapeutic outcomes.Therefore,we concluded that cGAS is involved in gastric cancer progression by fueling genome instability,implying that intervening in the cGAS pathway could be a practicable therapeutic approach for gastric cancer.
基金support from National Natural Science Foundation of China(62062048).
文摘In recent years,deep generative models have been successfully applied to perform artistic painting style transfer(APST).The difficulties might lie in the loss of reconstructing spatial details and the inefficiency of model convergence caused by the irreversible en-decoder methodology of the existing models.Aiming to this,this paper proposes a Flow-based architecture with both the en-decoder sharing a reversible network configuration.The proposed APST-Flow can efficiently reduce model uncertainty via a compact analysis-synthesis methodology,thereby the generalization performance and the convergence stability are improved.For the generator,a Flow-based network using Wavelet additive coupling(WAC)layers is implemented to extract multi-scale content features.Also,a style checker is used to enhance the global style consistency by minimizing the error between the reconstructed and the input images.To enhance the generated salient details,a loss of adaptive stroke edge is applied in both the global and local model training.The experimental results show that the proposed method improves PSNR by 5%,SSIM by 6.2%,and decreases Style Error by 29.4%over the existing models on the ChipPhi set.The competitive results verify that APST-Flow achieves high-quality generation with less content deviation and enhanced generalization,thereby can be further applied to more APST scenes.
基金Supported by National High Technology R&D Program(SS2013AA041104)
文摘A double-clamped piezoelectric energy harvester subjected to random excitation is presented,for which corresponding analytical model is established to predict its output characteristics.With the presented theoretical natural frequency and equivalent stiffness of vibrator,the closed-form expressions of mean power and voltage acquired from the double-clamped piezoelectric energy harvester under random excitation are derived.Finally theoretical analysis is conducted for the output performance of the doubleclamped energy harvester with the change of spectrum density（SD）of acceleration,load resistance,piezoelectric coefficient and natural frequency value,which is found to closely agree with Monte Carlo simulation and experimental results.
文摘Background:Routinely collected health data are increasingly used in clinical research.No study has systematically reviewed the temporal trends in the number of publications and analyzed different aspects of local research practices and their variations in Hong Kong,China,with a specific focus on research ethics governance and approval.Methods:PubMed was systematically searched from its inception to March 28,2023,for studies using routinely col-lected healthcare data from Hong Kong.Results:A total of 454 studies were included.Between 2000 and 2009,32 studies were identified.The number of pub-lications increased from 5 to 120 between 2010 and 2022.Of the investigator-led studies using the Hospital Authority(HA)’s cross-cluster data(n=393),327(83.2%)reported receiving ethics approval from a single cluster/university-based REC,whereas 50 studies(12.7%)did not report approval from a REC.For use of the HA Data Collaboration Lab,approval by a single hospital-based or University-based REC is accepted.Repeated submission of identical ethics applications to different RECs is estimated to cost HK$4.2 million yearly.Conclusions:Most studies reported gaining approval from a single cluster REC before retrieval of cross-cluster HA data.Substantial cost savings would result if repeated review of identical ethics applications were not required.
基金supported by General Research Fund(Ref No.14106019)Early Career Scheme(Ref No.24103122)+3 种基金Research Grants Council of Hong KongHealth and Medical Research Fund(Reference No.10210366)Hong Kong Food and Health Bureauand Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences.
文摘Background Recently,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)has been used to simulate blood flow of symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis(sICAS)and investigate the clinical implications of its haemodynamic features,which were systematically reviewed in this study.Methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statements,we searched PubMed and Embase up to March 2024 and screened for articles reporting clinical implications of haemodynamic parameters in sICAS derived from CFD models.Results 19 articles met the inclusion criteria,all studies recruiting patients from China.Most studies used CT angiography(CTA)as the source image for vessel segmentation,and generic boundary conditions,rigid vessel wall and Newtonian fluid assumptions for CFD modelling,in patients with 50%-99%sICAS.Pressure and wall shear stress(WSS)were quantified in almost all studies,and the translesional changes in pressure and WSS were usually quantified with a poststenotic to prestenotic pressure ratio(PR)and stenotic-throat to prestenotic WSS ratio(WSSR).Lower PR was associated with more severe stenosis,better leptomeningeal collaterals,prolonged perfusion time and internal borderzone infarcts.Higher WSSR and other WSS measures were associated with positive vessel wall remodelling,regression of luminal stenosis and artery-to artery embolism.Lower PR and higher WSSR were both associated with the presence and severity of cerebral small vessel disease.Moreover,translesional PR and WSSR were promising predictors for stroke recurrence in medically treated patients with sICAS and outcomes after acute reperfusion therapy,which also provided indicators to assess the effects of stenting treatment on focal haemodynamics.Conclusions CFD is a promising tool in investigating the pathophysiology of ICAS and in risk stratification of patients with sICAS.Future studies are warranted for standardisation of the modelling methods and validation of the simulation results in sICAS,for its wider applications in clinical research and practice.
基金the Direct Grant for Research,The Chinese University of Hong Kong(Reference No.2019.033)General Research Fund,Research Grants Council of Hong Kong(Reference number 14106019).
文摘Background and purpose Symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis(sICAS)is associated with a considerable risk of recurrent stroke despite contemporarily optimal medical treatment.Severity of luminal stenosis in sICAS and its haemodynamic significance quantified with computational fluid dynamics(CFD)models were associated with the risk of stroke recurrence.We aimed to develop and compare stroke risk prediction nomograms in sICAS,based on vascular risk factors and these metrics.Methods Patients with 50%-99%sICAS confirmed in CT angiography(CTA)were enrolled.Conventional vascular risk factors were collected.Severity of luminal stenosis in sICAS was dichotomised as moderate(50%-69%)and severe(70%-99%).Translesional pressure ratio(PR)and wall shear stress ratio(WSSR)were quantified via CTA-based CFD modelling;the haemodynamic status of sICAS was classified as normal(normal PR&WSSR),intermediate(otherwise)and abnormal(abnormal PR&WSSR).All patients received guideline-recommended medical treatment.We developed and compared performance of nomograms composed of these variables and independent predictors identified in multivariate logistic regression,in predicting the primary outcome,recurrent ischaemic stroke in the same territory(SIT)within 1 year.Results Among 245 sICAS patients,20(8.2%)had SIT.The D2H2A nomogram,incorporating diabetes,dyslipidaemia,haemodynamic status of sICAS,hypertension and age≥50 years,showed good calibration(P for Hosmer-Lemeshow test=0.560)and discrimination(C-statistic 0.73,95%CI 0.60 to 0.85).It also had better performance in risk reclassification and provided larger net benefits in decision curve analysis,compared with nomograms composed of conventional vascular risk factors only,and plus the severity of luminal stenosis in sICAS.Sensitivity analysis in patients with anterior-circulation sICAS showed similar results.Conclusions The D2H2A nomogram,incorporating conventional vascular risk factors and the haemodynamic significance of sICAS as assessed in CFD models,could be a useful tool to stratify sICAS patients for the risk of recurrent stroke under contemporarily optimal medical treatment.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31770131,81473469 to L.F.and 81922030 to H.L.)International Cooperation Project of the Belt and Road(No.20400750600)+2 种基金Construction project of Shanghai TCM-intigrated innovative flagship hospital(ZY(2021-2023)-0205-05,ZXXT-202203)Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Plan(201840056)H.L.was sponsored by Shanghai Shuguang Program(20SG19).
文摘Dear Editor,Kras and p53 mutation are among the most common gene mutations in lung cancer,which has both the highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers.1 Kras/p53 mutation also causes mitochondrial dysfunction,which has been implicated to promote the inflammation-to-cancer transition.2 We established a lung adenocarcinoma model by using conditional alleles of KrasLSLG12D/p53flox/flox in mice3 to evaluate the effect of Baicalein(5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone),a principal component of Scutellaria baicalensis in traditional Chinese medicine,4 on the initiation and progression of lung cancer.Cre-mediated expression of KrasG12D and deletion of p53 caused obvious tumor lesions in the lung,which were strongly inhibited by the administration of Baicalein(Fig.1a,b and Supplementary Fig.1a,b),indicating that Baicalein is highly potent in inhibiting the progression of primary lung cancer.
基金National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFE0107400)National Natural Science Foundation of China(11727812,11774235,11904232,11933005,61705130)+1 种基金Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(23010503600,23530730500)Program for Professor of Special Appointment(Eastern Scholar)at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning(GZ2020015)。
文摘In this study,we present a method for free-space beam shaping and steering based on a silicon optical phased array,which addresses the theoretical limitation of traditional bulk optics.We theoretically analyze the beam propagation properties with changes in the applied phase.Different beam profiles can be shaped by varying the phase combination,while a high-order quasi-Bessel beam can be generated with a cubic change to the phase modulation.The simulated results are validated further experimentally,and they match one another well.Beam steering can be achieved with a field of view as large as 140°,which has potential benefits for practical applications.The presented method is expected to have broad application prospects for optical communications,free-space optical interconnects,and light detection and ranging.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81922030 and 81770006 to H.L,32188101,32030038,91842303,and 31730025 to B.G.)the Major Research Plan of National Natural Science Foundation of China(2017YFA0505900 to B.G.),Shanghai Shu Guang Program(205G19)Shanghai Science and Technology Fund(19140900600 and 22S11900700 to H.L.).
文摘Pattern recognition receptors arecritical forthe sensing of pathogen-associated molecular patterns or danger-associated molecular patterns and subsequent mounting of innate immunityandshaping ofadaptive immunity.The identification of 2'3'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate(cGAMP)synthase(cGAS)as a major cytosolic DNA receptor is a milestone in the field of DNA sensing.The engagement of cGAS by double-stranded DNA from different origins,including invading pathogens,damaged mitochondria,ruptured micronuclei,and genomic DNA results in the generation of cGAMP and activation of stimulator of interferon genes,which thereby activates innate immunity mainly characterized by the activation of type I interferon response.In recent years,great progress has been made in understanding the subcellular localization and novel functions of cGAS.In this review,we particularlyfocus on summarizingthe multifaceted roles ofcGAS in regulating senescence,autophagy,cell stemness,apoptosis,angiogenesis,cell proliferation,antitumor effect,DNA replication,DNA damage repair,micronucleophagy,as well as cell metabolism.
