This article describes the design of a 32 Gb/s four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM- 4) optical transceiver in a 40 nm CMOS technology. At the transmitter side, the laser driver is composed of ...an asymmetric waveform equalizer, a 3-tap feed-forward equalizer (FFE), and a novel active-back termination (ABT) circuit. The ABT circuit provides a self-tracking, tunable source impedance to match the characteristic impedance of different laser diodes. At the receiver side, the fully integrated optical receiver consists of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA), a variable gain amplifier (VGA), an automatic threshold tracking circuit (ATC), and a quarter-rate decision feedback equalizer (DFE). By using the adaptive ATC, it reduces the BER induced by the harmonic distortion along the signal path by more than 27X under a THD of −20dB. Both the ATC and DFE are automatically adapted by an on-chip sign-sign LMS (SSLMS) engine. Fabricated in TSMC 40 nm CMOS process, the chip area for the transmitter and receiver are about 0.029 mm 2 and 0.23 mm 2 . The power consumptions are about 146.8 mW and 128.8 mW respectively for the PAM-4 transmitter and receiver.
Background and aims
Obese children are more prone to becoming obese adults, and excess adiposity consequently increases the risk of many complications, such as metabolic syndromes, non-alcoholic ...fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, etc. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of multi-strain probiotics on the gut microbiota and weight control in obese children.
Methods
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was carried out on overweight and obese children. Subjects received 12 weeks of treatment with supplementary probiotics that contained three strains:
Lactobacillus salivarius
AP-32,
L. rhamnosus
bv-77, and
Bifidobacterium animalis
CP-9, plus diet and exercise guidance. A total of 82 children were enrolled, and 53 children completed the study.
Results
The supplementation of multi-strain probiotics resulted in a significant effect demonstrating high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and adiponectin elevation. At the same time, body mass index (BMI) and serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), leptin, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were reduced.
Lactobacillus
spp. and
B. animalis
were particularly increased in subjects who received probiotic supplements. The abundance of
Lactobacillus
spp. was inversely correlated with the ether lipid metabolism pathway, while that of
B. animalis
was positively correlated with serum adiponectin levels.
Conclusion
Our results show that obesity-related gut dysbiosis can be reshaped by the supplementation of a multi-strain probiotic to improve lipid metabolism. The regular administration of a multi-strain probiotic supplement may be helpful for weight control and health management in overweight and obese children.
The objective of this study was to investigate the lipid-lowering effects of mulberry water extracts (MWEs). To evaluate the hypolipidemic effect of MWEs, hamsters were fed with either high ...fat/cholesterol diets (HFCD) or HFCD supplemented with 1 and 2% MWEs for 12 weeks. Plasma total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels of hamsters fed HFCD with MWEs were significantly reduced by about 30−37% and 16−35%, respectively, as compared to those without MWEs. Similar results were also measured in hepatic TC and TG of hamsters fed HFCD with MWEs. Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene expression and the uptake ability of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in HepG2 cells were also upregulated by additions of MWEs. MWEs also decreased the gene expressions of enzymes involved in the TG and TC biosyntheses. Results suggest that hypolipidemic effects of MWEs are via an enhancement of LDLR gene expression and the clearance ability of LDL and a decrease in the lipid biosynthesis. Therefore, MWEs could be used as a natural agent against hyperlipidemia.
Background Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is an alternative systemic treatment for patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were refractory or intolerant to sorafenib. To date, ...there have been no biomarkers reported to monitor the therapeutic efficacy and to predict the outcomes of HCC patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Methods Eighty-one HCC patients with elevated baseline α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and extrahepatic spreading who received oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy between 2012 and 2014 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Two AFP tests were performed, at baseline and 2–4 weeks after the initiation of chemotherapy. The change in AFP levels was calculated for survival analysis. Results In the AFP decline group (decreased compared to baseline), the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 7.0 months and 12.3 months, respectively. In the AFP nondecline group, the median PFS and OS were 2.3 months and 3.0 months, respectively. The difference in OS between the two groups was significant ( p < 0.005). In the multivariate analysis for disease progression, the best response to chemotherapy and AFP decline were independent factors, with p values of 0.004 and 0.009, respectively. In the multivariate analysis for OS, the baseline Child–Pugh score, best response to chemotherapy, and AFP decline were independent prognostic factors, with p values of 0.01, 0.001, and 0.008, respectively. Additionally, the unit change in AFP level was predictive of PFS and OS with p values of 0.007 and 0.001, respectively. Conclusion The change in AFP levels 2–4 weeks after initiating oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is useful to predict treatment response and survival.
Previous studies have shown that mulberry water extracts (MWEs), which contain polyphenolic compounds, have an antiatherosclerotic effect in rabbits. Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) ...is the key determinant of the number of VSMCs in remodeling. To improve the recovery from atherosclerosis pathology, it would be ideal to induce regression of atherosclerotic plaques and apoptosis of VSMCs. In this study, we treated high-cholesterol-diet-fed (HCD-fed) rabbits with MWEs, and we found that the MWEs effectively inhibited HCD-fed-induced intimal hyperplasia of vessel walls. We also found that MWEs initially activate JNK/p38 and p53, which in turn activate both Fas-ligand and mitochondria pathways, thereby causing mitochondria translocation of Bax and the reduction of Bcl-2 that trigger the cleavage of procaspases, finally resulting in apoptosis of VSMCs. In addition, 2.5–5.0 g/day of MWEs for humans may be enough to prevent atherosclerosis.
•Mulberry polyphenols inhibit VSMCs proliferation via arresting the progression of G0/G1 cell cycle.•Mulberry polyphenols enhance NO production and iNOS expression in A7r5 cells.•Mulberry polyphenols ...activate AMPK and p53.
Proliferation/migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays vital roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention. Water extracts from mulberry fruit can inhibit VSMCs proliferation and migration and thereby atherosclerosis. In the present study, our aim was to identify the functional polyphenols in mulberry polyphenol extracts (MPEs) and confirm their effects on atherosclerosis and its underlying mechanisms. Western blot analysis of the impact of MPEs on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and proteins related to cell cycle progression showed that 1) MPEs initially activate iNOS to increase NO release, thereby activating (in succession) AMPK, p53, p21, and p-Rb, which eventually results in cell cycle arrest of VSMCs and 2) inhibitors of iNOS, AMPK, and p53 blunt or reverse the induction of cell cycle arrest. Thus, MPEs inhibit atherosclerosis through inducing NO production and AMPK/p53 activation and thereby cell cycle arrest of VSMCs.
Aims: The first aim of the present study is to evaluate the current glycemic control and characteristics of overall and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) population from two cohorts population ...(2011-2012 and 2014-2015). Furthermore, the hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) levels of newly diagnosed in these two cohorts population will be also compared to HbA1C levels on 2013 in subjects of previous diagnosed DM ongoing therapy. Settings and Design: This is a retrospective observational cohort study. Subjects and Methods: All of the data come from the Nauru Diabetes Registry database from Nauru Public Health Center from 2011 to 2015. All patients with their HbA1C will be analyzed and compared between year of 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive results of continuous variables will be expressed as means ± standard deviation. We use unpaired t‑test for comparisons of quantitative variables. A two-tailed P ＜ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The statistical analyses will be performed using the program SPSS (Chicago, Illinois, USA; version 18.0). Results: A total of 614 patients were enrolled for the analysis with mean age of 49.8 year old and mean diabetic duration of 10.1 years. The mean age of onset of DM is 40.4 year old. The female population had long duration of DM than male population. The overall HbA1C levels are slightly greater in 2014-2015 than 2011-2012 without statistical significance (10.9% ± 2.7% and 10.6% ± 2.2%, respectively). The HbA1C levels also do not differ among DM patients with regular outpatient visits. The mean HbA1C of newly diagnosed DM is significant higher in 2014‑15 than that in 2011‑2012 (11.5% ± 2.4 and 10.6% ± 2.1%, respectively, P = 0.039), but not different from HbA1C levels in 2013 in DM patients who received ongoing treatment (10.9% ± 2.3%). Furthermore, HbA1C worsened significantly in 2 of the 15 districts between 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. Conclusions: Nauru has a high prevalence rate with early onset and inadequately controlled diabetes. It needs to propose strategy to early detect and improve glycemic control early to prevent future diabetic complications.
Previous studies have shown that mulberry water extracts (MWEs), which contain polyphenolic compounds, have an antiatherosclerotic effect in vivo and in vitro through stimulating apoptosis of ...vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Histological analysis was performed on atherosclerotic lesions from high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-fed rabbits after treatment with 0.5–1% MWEs for 10 weeks. Immunohistochemistry showed that the expressions of SMA, Ras, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 in the VSMCs were dose-dependently inhibited after MWE treatment. The antimigratory effects of MWEs on A7r5 VSMCs were assessed by western blot analysis of migration-related proteins, visualization of F-actin cytoskeleton, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that MWEs inhibited VSMC migration through reducing interactions of the integrin-β3/focal adhesion kinase complex, alterations of the cytoskeleton, and downregulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β/nuclear factor κB signaling. Taken together, MWEs inhibited HCD-induced rabbit atherogenesis through blocking VSMC migration via reducing interactions of integrin-β3 and focal adhesion kinase and downregulating migration-related proteins.
Telomerase is highly expressed in cancer and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and implicated in controlling genome integrity, cancer formation and stemness. Previous studies identified that Krüppel-like ...transcription factor 4 (KLF4) activates telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression and contributes to the maintenance of self-renewal in ESCs. However, little is known about how KLF4 regulates TERT expression. Here, we discover poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) as a novel KLF4-interacting partner. Knockdown of PARP1 reduces TERT expression and telomerase activity not only in cancer cells, but also in human and mouse ESCs. Recruitment of KLF4 to TERT promoter is reduced in PARP1-suppressed cells. The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity is dispensable, while the oligo(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity is required for the PARP1- and KLF4-mediated TERT activation. Repression of Parp1 in mouse ESCs decreases expression of pluripotent markers and induces differentiation. These results suggest that PARP1 recruits KLF4 to activate telomerase expression and stem cell pluripotency, indicating a positive regulatory role of the PARP1-KLF4 complex in telomerase expression in cancer and stem cells.
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