Background & Aims Mother-to-infant transmission is the major cause of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among immunized children. There has been much debate about screening pregnant women and ...administering hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) to newborns. We analyzed the rate of HBV infection among children born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers and whether HBIG administration reduces transmission. Methods We analyzed data from 2356 children born to HBsAg-positive mothers, identified through prenatal maternal screens. In addition to HBV vaccines, HBIG was given to all 583 children with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive mothers and to 723 of 1773 children with HBeAg-negative mothers. Serology tests for HBV were performed from 2007 to 2009, when children were 0.5–10 years old. Results A significantly greater percentage of children with HBeAg-positive mothers tested positive for antibodies against the hepatitis B core protein (16.76%) and HBsAg (9.26%) than children with HBeAg-negative mothers (1.58% and 0.29%, respectively; P < .0001 and <.001). Among the HBV-infected children, the rate of chronicity also was higher among children with HBeAg-positive mothers than children with HBeAg-negative mothers (54% vs 17%; P = .002). Similar rates of antibodies against the hepatitis B core protein (0.99% and 1.88%; P = .19) and HBsAg (0.14% and 0.29%; P = .65) were noted in children born to HBeAg-negative mothers who were or were not given HBIG. Infantile fulminant hepatitis developed in 1 of 1050 children who did not receive HBIG (.095%). Conclusions Children born to HBeAg-positive mothers are at greatest risk for chronic HBV infection (9.26%), despite immunization. Administration of HBIG to infants born to HBeAg-negative mothers did not appear to reduce the rate of chronic HBV infection, but might prevent infantile fulminant hepatitis. Screening pregnant women for HBsAg and HBeAg might control mother-to-infant transmission of HBV.
Lung cancer is a malignant tumor characterized by a rapid proliferation rate, less survivability, high mortality, and metastatic potential. This review focuses on updated research about the clinical ...application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an adjuvant therapy to lung cancer treatment and the mechanisms of TCM effect on lung cancer in vitro and in vivo. We summarized the recent 5 years of different research progress on clinical applications and antitumor mechanisms of TCM in the treatment of lung cancer. As a potent adjuvant therapy, TCM could enhance conventional treatments (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and epidermal growth factor receptors EGFRs tyrosine kinase inhibitors TKIs) effects as well as provide synergistic effects, enhance chemotherapy drugs chemosensitivity, reverse drug resistance, reduce adverse reactions and toxicity, relieve patients' pain and improve quality of life (QOL). After treating with TCM, lung cancer cells will induce apoptosis and/or autophagy, suppress metastasis, impact immune reaction, and therapeutic effect of EGFR-TKIs. Therefore, TCM is a promisingly potent adjuvant therapy in the treatment of lung cancer and its multiple mechanisms are worthy of an in-depth study.
Heteroepitaxially flexible oxide systems have been intensely developed and considered as the most promising materials for leading the creation of next‐generation flexible electronic devices. Among ...them, perovskite manganites have attracted significant attention with their abundant and novel properties such as colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and metal‐insulator transition. However, the requirement of high quality samples hampers this field, not to mention the advanced nanoengineering. In this study, fluorophlogopite mica (F‐mica) is selected as a flexible substrate to fabricate heteroepitaxial Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 (PCMO) with a nanocolumn structure. Through a precise control of thickness, different morphologies are realized to manipulate the magnetotransport properties (reduction of melting field). Moreover, thanks to the excellent flexibility of F‐mica, mechanical modulation of CMR (≈1000%) can be achieved in different flex modes while the magnetic properties remain unaffected. Detailed bending tests are performed to study the behavior of resistive change (≈30%). Through the combination of high flexibility, high quality PCMO, and well‐designed nanocolumn structure, the study exhibits the significant controllability of CMR via mechanical bending, and manifests the potential of such a heteroepitaxially flexible oxide system which can be applied on flexible magnetoresistive devices and sensors.
A flexible Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3/F‐mica heteroepitaxy with a nanocolumn structure is developed. Through precise control of thickness and flexion, the mechanical modulation of colossal magnetoresistance can reach near 1000%. Typical bending tests also exhibit a mechanical modulation of resistive tunability of about 30%. This flexible epitaxial perovskite manganite shows the potential on flexible magnetoresistive devices and sensors.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Simultaneous multitarget vital signs measurement has become a hot issue for noncontact vital signs perception. However, there is still challenge in the multitarget heartbeat measurement due to the ...weakness of heartbeat signal and interference from complex environment. In this article, a new multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) continuous-wave (CW) radar system equipped with 2-D digital beamforming (DBF) is presented to measure the respiration and heartbeat of multiple human subjects at unknown positions simultaneously. Through 2-D beam scanning of the whole scene, a 2-D radar image is generated. From the image, the chest motion of multiple targets is accurately located. Then, the vital signs of targets are obtained through forming individual beams focusing on the chests of targets. Moreover, the low intermediate frequency (low-IF) architecture is adopted to minimize the impact of flicker noise in low-frequency amplifier stages. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed MIMO 2-D imaging radar system can locate chest areas of multiple targets, suppress the clutters, and make vital signs measurement, heartbeat measurement in particular, more robust compared with single-input-multiple-output (SIMO) radar system in complex environment.
Purpose
We aimed to evaluate the validity of cancer diagnosis in the National Health Insurance (NHI) database, which has routinely collected the health information of almost the entire Taiwanese ...population since 1995, compared with the Taiwan National Cancer Registry (NCR).
Methods
There were 26,542,445 active participants registered in the NHI database between 2001 and 2012. National Cancer Registry and NHI database records were compared for cancer diagnosis; date of cancer diagnosis; and 1, 2, and 5 year survival. In addition, the 10 leading causes of cancer deaths in Taiwan were analyzed.
Results
There were 908,986 cancer diagnoses in NCR and NHI database and 782,775 (86.1%) in both, with 53,192 (5.9%) in the NHI database only and 73,019 (8.0%) in the NCR only. The positive predictive value of the NHI database cancer diagnoses was 94% for all cancers; the positive predictive value of the 10 specific cancers ranged from 95% (lung cancer) to 82% (cervical cancer). The date of diagnosis in the NHI database was generally delayed by a median of 15 days (interquartile range 8‐18) compared with the NCR. The 1, 2, and 5 year survival rates were 71.21%, 60.85%, and 47.44% using the NHI database and were 71.18%, 60.17%, and 46.09% using NCR data.
Conclusions
Recording of cancer diagnoses and survival estimates based on these diagnosis codes in the NHI database are generally consistent with the NCR. Studies using NHI database data must pay careful attention to eligibility and record linkage; use of both sources is recommended.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Approximately 30% of patients with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) display chemoresistance to cisplatin-based regimens, but the underlying mechanisms are ...unclear. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), a functional homologue of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, contributes substantially to the oncogenic potential of EBV through the activation of multiple signaling pathways, and it is closely associated with a poorer prognosis for NPC. Recent studies show that EBV infection can induce the expression of many cellular miRNAs, including microRNA-21, a biomarker for chemoresistance. However, neither a link between LMP1 expression and miR-21 upregulation nor their cross talk in affecting chemoresistance to cisplatin have been reported. Here, we observed that stable LMP1-transformed NPC cells were less sensitive to cisplatin treatment based on their proliferation, colony formation, the IC50 value of cisplatin and the apoptosis index. Higher levels of miR-21 were found in EBV-carrying and LMP1-positive cell lines, suggesting that LMP1 may be linked to miR-21 upregulation. These data were confirmed by our results that exogenous LMP1 increased miR-21 in both transiently and stably LMP1-transfected cells, and the knock down of miR-21 substantially reversed the resistance of the NPC cells to cisplatin treatment. Moreover, the proapoptotic factors programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) and Fas ligand (Fas-L), which were negatively regulated by miR-21, were found to play an important role in the program of LMP1-dependent cisplatin resistance. Finally, we demonstrated that LMP1 induced miR-21 expression primarily by modulating the PI3K/AKT/FOXO3a signaling pathway. Taken together, we revealed for the first time that viral LMP1 triggers the PI3K/Akt/FOXO3a pathway to induce human miR-21 expression, which subsequently decreases the expression of PDCD4 and Fas-L, and results in chemoresistance in NPC cells.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
It has been suggested that autophagy protects renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) from injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the manner in which the autophagy-lysosome pathway is changed in ...this state remains unclear. In this study of DN, we investigated the autophagic activity and lysosomal alterations in vivo and in vitro. We found that autophagic vacuoles and SQSTM1-positive proteins accumulated in TECs from patients with DN and in human renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2 cells) treated with advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the important factors that involved in the pathogenesis of DN. In HK-2 cells, exposure to AGEs caused a significant increase in autophagosomes but a marked decrease in autolysosomes, and the lysosomal turnover of LC3-II was not observed, although LC3-II puncta were co-localized with the irregular lysosomal-associated membrane protein1 granules after AGEs treatment. Furthermore, lysosomal membrane permeabilization was triggered by AGEs, which likely resulted in a decrease in the enzymatic activities of cathepsin B and cathepsin L, the defective acidification of lysosomes, and suppression of the lysosomal degradation of DQ-ovalbumin. Oxidative stress evoked by AGEs-receptor for AGE interaction likely played an important role in the lysosomal dysfunction. Additionally, ubiquitinated proteins were co-localized with SQSTM1-positive puncta and accumulated in HK-2 cells after exposure to AGEs, indicating blocked degradation of SQSTM1-positive and ubiquitinated aggregates. Taken together, the results show that lysosomal membrane permeabilization and lysosomal dysfunction are triggered by AGEs, which induce autophagic inactivation in TECs from patients with DN. Disruption of the autophagy-lysosome pathway should be focused when studying the mechanisms underlying DN.
Background: The pathophysiological importance of autophagy in renal tubules during the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN) has been implicated.
Results: Autophagy was inactivated because lysosomal membrane permeabilization and lysosomal dysfunction were triggered by advanced glycation end products.
Conclusion: The autophagy-lysosome pathway is disrupted in renal tubules in DN.
Significance: The findings open a new field for studying the mechanisms of DN.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This letter proposed a codesign of array-antenna decoupling surface (ADS) and crisscross-shaped dipole antenna (CSDA), with a wide low-band (LB) working bandwidth from 1.7 to 2.4 GHz and a wide ...high-band (HB) decoupling bandwidth from 3.3 to 4.2 GHz. The CSDA is electromagnetic transparent by introducing interdigital capacitors and high-impedance line, and operating together with four square parasitic units to form a wide LB bandwidth. For the HB antenna array, the spatial distance between each element is only 43 mm in x - and y -axes. The severe in-band coupling is suppressed by the combination of four units and a dielectric radome, acting as dual-layer ADS. With the codesign of ADS and CSDA, the mutual in-band and cross-band coupling is highly suppressed, which is valuable for dual-band antenna array decoupling.
Abstract
A broadband dual‐polarised antenna with L‐shaped strips for long‐term evolution (LTE)/5th generation mobile networks (5G) is proposed in this article. Based on the principle of multi‐mode ...resonance, wide bandwidth is achieved with L‐shaped strips and H‐shaped strips. The metal strips and dipoles are printed on the same substrate, which also contributes to antenna miniaturisation. The short pins are designed for impedance matching and improving isolation. The metal reflector is designed to control beamwidth and increase gain. A prototype was fabricated using an easy Printed Circuit Board technique to verify the proposed design. Low‐profile of 0.2λ
0
(λ
0
is the free‐space wavelength at the centre frequency) is achieved. The measured results show that the relative bandwidth is 74% (2.3–5.0 GHz) at Voltage Standing Wave Ratio <1.8 while the isolation is more than 24 dB covering the LTE/5G modern band. In addition, the in‐band average gain is 9 dBi.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A novel open and short stubs loaded crossed resonator and its applications to cross-coupling filter and tri-band bandpass filters are presented in this paper. Based on the lossless transmission line ...model analysis, it is found that the first three resonance frequencies of the crossed resonator can be conveniently controlled. Benefiting from this feature, the resonator can be utilized to design not only a cascaded triplet (CT) filter, but also a tri-band bandpass filter. The tri-band filter offers two tunable passbands and one fixed passband. The first and third passband frequencies can be tuned effectively by changing the lengths of the stubs. To demonstrate these applications, a CT filter and two tri-band bandpass filters using a crossed resonator are implemented. The experiments verify the theoretical predictions and simulations.
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