A dispersion of Guinier Preston (G.P.) zones yields attractive mechanical properties in wrought magnesium alloys. However, the precipitation of G.P. zones has been reported in a limited number of Mg ...alloys. Here, we report deformation-induced G.P. zone precipitation in Mg-9Al and Mg-5 Zn (wt.%) alloys following equal channel angular extrusion at 150 °C. While the extrusion leads to the formation of a bimodal grain structure consisting of unrecrystallized and recrystallized regions, atom probe tomography reveals a high number density of G.P. zones across both regions. Furthermore, hybrid molecular dynamics/Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the attraction of Al and Zn solute atoms to vacancy clusters formed from excess vacancies during extrusion could be the major driving force for the G.P. zone formation. This combination of experiments and computations demonstrates that strategic control of atomic-scale defects can generate novel, far from equilibrium, microstructures, thereby providing an innovative approach to strengthening severely deformed Mg alloys.
Display omitted
Antigenic and genetic analysis of the hemagglutinin of ~13,000 human influenza A (H3N2) viruses from six continents during 2002-2007 revealed that there was continuous circulation in east and ...Southeast Asia (E-SE Asia) via a region-wide network of temporally overlapping epidemics and that epidemics in the temperate regions were seeded from this network each year. Seed strains generally first reached Oceania, North America, and Europe, and later South America. This evidence suggests that once A (H3N2) viruses leave E-SE Asia, they are unlikely to contribute to long-term viral evolution. If the trends observed during this period are an accurate representation of overall patterns of spread, then the antigenic characteristics of A (H3N2) viruses outside E-SE Asia may be forecast each year based on surveillance within E-SE Asia, with consequent improvements to vaccine strain selection.
Abstract Annual influenza epidemics in humans affect 5–15% of the population, causing an estimated half million deaths worldwide per year Stohr K. Influenza—WHO cares. Lancet Infectious Diseases ...2002;2(9):517. The virus can infect this proportion of people year after year because the virus has an extensive capacity to evolve and thus evade the immune response. For example, since the influenza A(H3N2) subtype entered the human population in 1968 the A(H3N2) component of the influenza vaccine has had to be updated almost 30 times to track the evolution of the viruses and remain effective. The World Health Organization Global Influenza Surveillance Network (WHO GISN) tracks and analyzes the evolution and epidemiology of influenza viruses for the primary purpose of vaccine strain selection and to improve the strain selection process through studies aimed at better understanding virus evolution and epidemiology. Here we give an overview of the strain selection process and outline recent investigations into the global migration of seasonal influenza viruses.
The magnetic and mechanical properties of rare-earth magnets hot-deformed at temperature range 750–950
°C have been investigated. The grains tended to grow excessively from dozens of nanometers to ...several microns at the temperatures above 850
°C. The alignment of grains was disrupted by the hot deformation at the high temperatures. The Nd-rich phase was extruded at the temperatures which are higher than 850
°C. The Nd-rich phase extrusion resulted in the reduction of density by 1% and the reduction of remanence from 1.42 to 0.72
T. The reduction of grain boundaries caused by flat platelet-shaped grains changing to spherical grains and the weak binding strength among large grains of Nd
2Fe
14B phase may be the main reasons for the low mechanical strength of hot-deformed magnets.
Abstract Objective To evaluate the best individualized renal biopsy strategies for Chinese patients with suspected kidney cancer. Materials and methods From June 2009 to Oct 2010, 100 core biopsy and ...fine needle aspirations(FNA) have been performed to patients (average age: 62.0 ± 14.2 years) with an indeterminate solid renal mass by computed tomography (CT) scan imaging in-bench. The average tumor size was 4.4 ± 3.5 cm. The core biopsy was performed through a 18 Gauge needle. Frozen sections were obtained intraoperatively in 20 cases. The results were given as malignant, benign, suspect, or nonsignificant. A classification of subtypes of renal cancer might be added by the cytologist. The relationship between enhancing level in CT scan and number of positive biopsy cores rate in renal cancer patients was also analyzed. According to tumor size, two groups were constituted (<4 cm and ≥4 cm). Preoperative subtype and grade were compared with postoperative specimen results. Results Among these cellular fine needle aspirations, the specificity for malignancy or benignity was 93%. The proportion of nonsignificant samples was the same in tumors <4 cm (38.4%) as in tumors >4 cm (28.8%) ( P = 1.000, Fisher's exact test). Central and peripheral renal tumor biopsies were defined by the 2 pathologists as adequate to obtain a diagnosis in 70%–79% and 79%–84% of the cases respectively. The adequacy of central biopsies increases with decreasing tumor size. Cohen's κ coefficient (CKC) for the concordance on biopsy adequacy was 0.87 (very good) for central biopsies and 0.9 (very good) for peripheral biopsies. All adequate renal tumor biopsies allowed the diagnosis of histologic subtype (HS) for both pathologists. CKC for the concordance on the diagnosis of HS was 0.91 (very good). The concordance between HS on renal tumor biopsy and surgical specimen was perfect in all cases. Conclusion According to CT scan information, FNA and core biopsy give useful message accuracy rate. Fine-needle aspiration is complementary to core biopsy, which remains the gold standard of percutaneous sampling. Core renal biopsy can accurately define RCC histologic subtype. However, it does not seem to be able to detect high grade tumors. Tumor size does not seem to influence these results.
The novel architecture of wave‐like proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack developed in our previous work achieved peak volumetric power density and specific power of 2,715.9 W L–1 and ...2,157.9 W kg–1, respectively. However, there still existed perforated bipolar plates and the carbon fiber gas diffusion layer (GDL) was easy to cause damage during the fabrication process of undulate membrane electrode assembles (MEAs). In the present study, sintered stainless steel fiber felt (SSSFF) was employed to work as metallic GDL (MGDL) and bipolar plates simultaneously. Compound membrane electrode assembles (CMEAs) with serpentine and interdigitated flow channels were designed and fabricated using stamping process. A single cell with CMEA was assembled in house and the output performance was evaluated systemically. The results indicated that the peak volumetric power density and specific power of wave‐like PEMFC single with CMEA are 5,764.0 W L–1 and 4,693.5 W kg–1 respectively. This study achieved a significant performance improvement due to the concept of CMEA and may propose a possible means to meet the DOE's 2020 technical target that volumetric power density is 2,500 W L–1 and specific power is 2,000 W kg–1 for stack.
Evidence in the past decade indicates that the mechanisms of anti-nociception of electroacupuncture (EAc) involve actions of neuropeptides (i.e., enkephalin and endorphin) and monoamines (i.e., ...serotonin and norepinephrine) in the central nervous system. Our present results using a subcutaneous injection of formalin to test pain sensation in mice provide further understanding of the involvement of serotonin in the actions of EAc-induced analgesia. Our observations show that (1) EAc at three different frequencies (2, 10 and 100 Hz) elicited an anti-nociceptive effect as determined by behavioral observations of reduced hindpaw licking; (2) exogenously intracerebroventricular administration of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) exhibited an analgesic effect, which partially mimicked the analgesic actions of EAc; (3) the anti-nociception of EAc at different frequencies was attenuated after reduced biosynthesis of serotonin by the administration of the tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, p-chlorophenylalanine, and (4) the 5-HT1A and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, pindobind-5-HT1A and LY-278584, respectively, blocked three different frequencies of EAc-induced analgesic effects, but the anti-nociceptive effect of 100 Hz EAc was potentiated by the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist, ketanserin. These observations suggest that 5-HT1A and 5-HT3 receptors partially mediate the analgesic effects of EAc, but that the 5-HT2 receptor is conversely involved in the nociceptive response.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Lenvatinib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor receptors pathway, activated the immune response in tumor microenvironment. ...However, the combination of lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 has been reported in early phase studies. Hence, this study aims to explore the efficacy and toxicity of lenvatinib combined with nivolumab in the real-world setting. Advanced HCC patients who underwent lenvatinib combined with nivolumab (L + N group) treatment at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan) were reviewed between January 2016 and December 2020. Treatment response and outcomes were collected and analyzed. A control group with lenvatinib (L group) was also included for comparison. Forty patients were included in L + N group and 47 in L group. The L + N group demonstrated a higher objective response rate than L group (45.0% vs. 23.4%,
p
= 0.03). The L + N group also achieved longer PFS (7.5 vs. 4.8 months,
p
= 0.05) and OS (22.9 vs. 10.3 months,
p
= 0.01) than L group. Patients with HBV infection and REFLECT criteria fit demonstrated a trend of better prognosis. The PFS for those with PR, SD and PD groups were 11.2, 6.4, and 2.2 months and OS were non-reached, 14.6 and 4.7 months, respectively. Portal vein thrombosis (HR 4.3, 95% C.I. 1.5–12.8) and AFP > 400 ng/mL (HR 3.3, 95% C.I. 1.1–9.3) were poor prognostic factors and nivolumab used remained a protective factor (HR 0.2, 95% C.I. 0.1–0.7). Dermatitis (35.0%), pruritis (27.5%), and hypothyroidism (27.5%) were the common toxicities. Few patients developed grade 3/4 toxicities, including dermatitis (15%), gastrointestinal bleeding (7.5%), hypertension (5.0%), pneumonitis (2.5%) and stomatitis (2.5%). This is the first real-world data reporting the promising efficacy and tolerable toxicities of lenvatinib combined with nivolumab in advanced HCC. Further randomized trials are prompted.
Weinger et al examine whether short-notice cancellers differed in risk appraisal, coping processes, attitudes toward diabetes, and diabetes self-management from those who never cancelled. After ...discussing the results, they conclude that cancellers actually attended more appointments than noncancellers. Furthermore, the average A1C for both groups was less than 8%.
Candida dubliniensis
is an emerging pathogen capable of causing both superficial and systemic infections. Although
C. dubliniensis
and
C. albicans
are phenotypically similar, the two species differ ...in terms of epidemiology and the ability to rapidly develop resistance to fluconazole.
C. dubliniensis
is primarily associated with oral candidiasis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. In this study, we describe the first recovery of
C. dubliniensis
from oral cavities of non-HIV-infected patients with dermatological diseases in Nanjing, China. The isolates were phenotypically characterized as
C. dubliniensis
by their production of brown rough colonies and chlamydospores on tobacco agar and their inability to grow on hypertonic Sabouraud dextrose agar or to assimilate xylose or α-methyl-
d
-glycoside. The species identification was subsequently confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS). Three
C. dubliniensis
isolates out of 128 (2.3%) presumptive
C. albicans
/
C. dubliniensis
ones were finally identified. Further sequence analysis separated the three isolates into two of the four reported ITS genotypes. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed that they were susceptible to fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, micafungin, and amphotericin B. This study adds to the accumulating evidence that
C. dubliniensis
is widely distributed in non-HIV-infected populations worldwide.
PDF
