Background
The purpose of this study is to analyze and classify morphological features of the nasolacrimal duct (NLD) through 3D reconstruction to help understand the causes and treatment of NLD ...obstruction.
Methods
In this study, we included 63 males and 55 females who underwent autopsy without NLD obstruction with ages ranging from 20 to 78 years. The NLD was defined from the lacrimal fossa to the opening of the BNLD to the inferior meatus, and all continuous CT images showing the NLD were selected. Segmentation was performed semi‐automatically, and the reconstruction and measurement of NLD was performed using the Mimics program.
Results
Overall NLD length, bony nasolacrimal duct (BNLD) length, anteroposterior and transverse diameters at the entrance to the BNLD, anteroposterior and transverse smallest diameters of the BNLD, BNLD volume, and lacrimal sac BNLD angle were significantly higher in males than females (p < .05). BNLD direction in the coronal plane was slightly more likely to be inward. The most common type in both sexes was cylinder type (42.0%), males were more likely to have lower‐thicker types (34.1%), and females more likely to have upper‐thicker types (22.7%).
Conclusion
There were sex differences in NLD measurements, and females had significantly smaller NLDs. These results may partially explain the increased prevalence of primary acquired NLD obstruction in females. The BNLD tends toward the midline, and inclines posteriorly.
Flat metasurfaces with subwavelength meta‐atoms can be designed to manipulate the electromagnetic parameters of incident light and enable unusual light–matter interactions. Although hydrogel‐based ...metasurfaces have the potential to control optical properties dynamically in response to environmental conditions, the pattern resolution of these surfaces has been limited to microscale features or larger, limiting capabilities at the nanoscale, and precluding effective use in metamaterials. This paper reports a general approach to developing tunable plasmonic metasurfaces with hydrogel meta‐atoms at the subwavelength scale. Periodic arrays of hydrogel nanodots with continuously tunable diameters are fabricated on silver substrates, resulting in humidity‐responsive surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the nanostructure–metal interfaces. The peaks of the SPPs are controlled reversibly by absorbing or releasing water within the hydrogel matrix, the matrix‐generated plasmonic color rendering in the visible spectrum. This work demonstrates that metasurfaces designed with these spatially patterned nanodots of varying sizes benefit applications in anti‐counterfeiting and generate multicolored displays with single‐nanodot resolution. Furthermore, this work shows system versatility exhibited by broadband beam‐steering on a phase modulator consisting of hydrogel supercell units in which the size variations of constituent hydrogel nanostructures engineer the wavefront of reflected light from the metasurface.
This paper reports an approach for plasmonic metasurfaces with hydrogel meta‐atoms at the subwavelength scale. Periodic arrays of hydrogel nanodots with tunable diameters are fabricated on silver substrates, resulting in humidity‐responsive surface plasmon polaritons. This work demonstrates that metasurfaces designed with spatially patterned hydrogel nanodots of varying size distributions benefit applications in anti‐counterfeiting, multicolored displays, and a phase modulator.
To advance cancer treatment, we have developed a novel composite material consisting of conjugated polymer dots (CPDs) and Prussian blue (PB) particles, which were immobilized on, and encapsulated ...within, silica particles, respectively. The CPDs functioned as both a photosensitizer and a photodynamic agent, and the PB acted as a photothermal agent. The silica platform provided a biocompatible matrix that brought the two components into close proximity. Under laser irradiation, the fluorescence from the CPDs in the composite material enabled cell imaging and was subsequently converted to thermal energy by PB. This efficient energy transfer was accomplished because of the spectral overlap between the emission of donor CPDs and the absorbance of acceptor PB. The increase in local temperature in the cells resulted in a significant increase in the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by CPDs, in which their independent use did not produce sufficient ROS for cancer cell treatment. To assess the impact of the enhanced ROS generation by the composite material, we conducted experiments using cancer cells under 532 nm laser irradiation. The results showed that with the increase in local temperature, the generated ROS increased by 30% compared with the control, which did not contain PB. When the silica-based composite material was positioned at the periphery of the tumor for 120 h, it led to a much slower tumor growth than other materials tested. By using a CPD-based photodynamic therapy platform, a new simplified approach to designing and preparing cancer treatments could be achieved, which included photothermal PB-assisted enhanced ROS generation using a single laser. This advancement opens up an exciting new opportunity for effective cancer treatment.
Plasmonic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) arranged on polyimide (PI) nanopillars (AgNP/PI) were developed as a stable photothermal surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform. The AgNP/PI ...substrates were prepared via maskless plasma etching and metal deposition using an in situ vacuum sputtering system. The AgNP/PI with high periodicity and high areal density led to high sensitivity, with a SERS enhancement factor (EF) of 2.2 × 108, and excellent reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 7.6%), as evaluated using the high-precision Raman mapping technique. To support the high SERS EF and sensitivity, the near-field enhancements of the dense AgNP array were calculated using a finite-difference time domain method. Notably, compared with AgNPs on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanopillar substrates, the AgNPs formed on the thermally stable PI nanopillar substrates exhibited excellent photothermal stability under illumination with a high-powered laser. The PI and PET surface changes induced by photoinduced local heating were investigated in terms of the glass-transition temperature, coefficient of thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity. The new plasmonic SERS platform has strong potential for reliable molecular detection in practical sensing applications with high-powered laser illuminations.
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•Ag nanoparticles coated onto polyimide for SERS were prepared via in situ sputter-etching and deposition processes.•Designed dense hotspots generate reproducible and reliable SERS signals for practical diagnoses.•The excellent thermal properties of PI prevent thermally induced damage such as structural deformation and decomposition.
The sensitivity and limit-of-detection (LOD) of the traditional surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform suffer from the requirement of precise positioning of small analytes, including ...DNAs and bacteria, into narrow hotspots. In this study, a novel SERS sensor was developed using electrochemical deposition onto metal nanopillars (ECOMPs) combined with complementary DNAs (cDNAs) for the detection of pathogenic bacteria. Applying a redox potential to AuCl4− ions actively engineered the organometallic hotspots based on the cDNAs in a short time (<10 min) and simultaneously produced SERS signals. Because of the influence of potential-driven morphological properties on the SERS efficiency in the cDNA domains and the resonant coupling of internal fields with the fields confined between adjacent ECOMPs-cDNAs, the optimum growth time was determined to be 5 min. The EC-SERS detection and discrimination of Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus were successfully carried out because of the DNA complementarity. Compared with plasmonic metal nanopillars (MPs)-cDNAs, the enhancement factor of the ECOMPs-cDNAs was estimated to be ∼2.0 × 103. A quantitative investigation revealed that a highly linear progression in the target DNA concentration range (0.05–100 nM) and a LOD of ∼0.035 nM were achieved. The specificity of the ECOMPs-cDNAs was validated by cross-hybridization. The platform was also used to assay human whole blood containing 0.1 nM bacterial DNAs. The proposed strategy provides the potential for highly sensitive SERS-based multiplex DNA detection in clinical diagnostics.
Despite the worldwide effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the underlying mechanisms of fatal viral pneumonia remain elusive. Here, we show that critical COVID-19 is associated ...with enhanced eosinophil-mediated inflammation when compared to non-critical cases. In addition, we confirm increased T helper (Th)2-biased adaptive immune responses, accompanying overt complement activation, in the critical group. Moreover, enhanced antibody responses and complement activation are associated with disease pathogenesis as evidenced by formation of immune complexes and membrane attack complexes in airways and vasculature of lung biopsies from six fatal cases, as well as by enhanced hallmark gene set signatures of Fcγ receptor (FcγR) signaling and complement activation in myeloid cells of respiratory specimens from critical COVID-19 patients. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection may drive specific innate immune responses, including eosinophil-mediated inflammation, and subsequent pulmonary pathogenesis via enhanced Th2-biased immune responses, which might be crucial drivers of critical disease in COVID-19 patients.
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•Critical COVID-19 is associated with enhanced eosinophil-mediated inflammation•FcγR signal and complement activation are elevated in critical COVID-19•Immune complexes and MAC are consistently detected in lung tissues from fatal cases•Th2-biased humoral responses are associated with critical COVID-19
Kim et al. find that critical COVID-19 is associated with enhanced eosinophil-mediated inflammation when compared to non-critical cases. Increased Th2-biased immune responses, accompanying overt complement activation, are seen in the critical group. These findings suggest that enhanced eosinophil-mediated inflammation and dysregulated humoral responses might be drivers of severe COVID-19.
Summary
Background
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a great health burden with geographical variations.
Aims
To explore genetic variants associated with chronic HBV infection.
Methods
The ...study included 15 352 participants seropositive for HBV core antibodies in Taiwan Biobank. Among them, 2591 (16.9%) seropositive for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) were defined as having chronic HBV infection. All participants were examined for whole‐genome genotyping by Axiom‐Taiwan Biobank Array. The human leucocyte antigen (HLA) imputation was performed after identification of the variants within the region. Logistic regressions were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals. Correlations of different HLA allele frequencies with HBsAg seroprevalence were evaluated across worldwide populations by Pearson correlation coefficients. Epitope prediction was performed for HLA alleles using NetMHCIIpan method.
Results
Located within a cluster of 450 single nucleotide polymorphisms in HLA class II, rs7770370 (P = 2.73 × 10−35) was significantly associated with HBV chronicity (Pcorrected < 8.6 × 10−8). Imputation analyses showed that HLA‐DPA1*02:02 and HLA‐DPB1*05:01 were associated with chronic HBV, with adjusted ORs of 1.43 (1.09‐1.89) and 1.61 (1.29‐2.01). These allele frequencies were positively correlated with global HBsAg seroprevalence, with R of 0.75 and 0.62 respectively (P < 0.05). HLA‐DRB1*13:02, HLA‐DQA1* 01:02 and HLA‐DQB1*06:09 associated with HBV chronicity negatively, with adjusted ORs of 0.31 (0.17‐0.58), 0.70 (0.56‐0.87) and 0.33 (0.18‐0.63). These HLA alleles had various binding affinities to the predicted epitopes derived from HBV nucleocapsid protein.
Conclusions
HLA class II variants are relevant for chronicity after HBV acquisition.
Summary
The role of AtMYB44, an R2R3 MYB transcription factor, in signaling mediated by jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) is examined. AtMYB44 is induced by JA through CORONATINE ...INSENSITIVE 1 (COI1). AtMYB44 over‐expression down‐regulated defense responses against the necrotrophic pathogen Alternaria brassicicola, but up‐regulated WRKY70 and PR genes, leading to enhanced resistance to the biotrophic pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. The knockout mutant atmyb44 shows opposite effects. Induction of WRKY70 by SA is reduced in atmyb44 and npr1‐1 mutants, and is totally abolished in atmyb44 npr1‐1 double mutants, showing that WRKY70 is regulated independently through both NPR1 and AtMYB44. AtMYB44 over‐expression does not change SA content, but AtMYB44 over‐expression phenotypes, such as retarded growth, up‐regulated PR1 and down‐regulated PDF1.2 are reversed by SA depletion. The wrky70 mutation suppressed AtMYB44 over‐expression phenotypes, including up‐regulation of PR1 expression and down‐regulation of PDF1.2 expression. β‐estradiol‐induced expression of AtMYB44 led to WRKY70 activation and thus PR1 activation. AtMYB44 binds to the WRKY70 promoter region, indicating that AtMYB44 acts as a transcriptional activator of WRKY70 by directly binding to a conserved sequence element in the WRKY70 promoter. These results demonstrate that AtMYB44 modulates antagonistic interaction by activating SA‐mediated defenses and repressing JA‐mediated defenses through direct control of WRKY70.
Introduction
Upfront autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been recommended for patients who are newly diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), and CHOP (cyclophosphamide, ...doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), an anthracycline-based chemotherapy has been the frontline chemotherapy for PTCL. However, it is not clear whether anthracycline-based chemotherapies such as CHOP could be standard induction therapy for PTCL.
Methods
We conducted a randomized phase II study to compare CHOP with fractionated ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide, and dexamethasone (ICED) for patients eligible for ASCT. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and secondary endpoints included objective response rate, overall survival (OS), and safety profiles.
Results
Patients were randomized into either CHOP (n = 69) or ICED (n = 66), and the characteristics of both arms were not different. PTCL-not otherwise specified (NOS, n = 60) and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL, n = 53) were dominant. The objective response rate was not different between CHOP (59.4%) and ICED (56.1%), and the 3-year PFS was not different between CHOP (36.7%) and ICED (33.1%). In AITL patients, CHOP was favored over ICED whereas ICED was associated with more cytopenia and reduced dose intensity. Patients who received upfront ASCT after achieving complete response to CHOP or ICED showed 80% of 3-year OS.
Discussion
In summary, our study showed no therapeutic difference between CHOP and ICED in terms of response and PFS. Thus, CHOP might remain the reference regimen especially for AITL based on its better outcome in AITL, and upfront ASCT could be recommended as a consolidation of complete response in patients with PTCL.
Emerging evidence has indicated a possible link between obesity in early life with subsequent cancer risks, but its association with gastric cancer remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate ...the association of obesity at ages 18-20 and 35 with the later risk of gastric cancer among the Korean population. Included were 122,724 individuals who participated in the large-scale prospective cohort study, the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study, during 2004-2017. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for gastric cancer risk associated with body mass index (BMI) at ages 18-20 and 35 years. During a mean follow-up period of 8.6±2.1 years, a total 927 gastric cancer cases (531 men and 396 women) were identified. When compared to normal BMI (18.5-23.0 kg/m2), obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) at age 35 was significantly associated with increased risk of gastric cancer later in life among total participants (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.26-2.97, p 0.01). When analyzed separately by sex, obesity at 35 years of age was significantly associated with increased risk of gastric cancer among both men (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.02-3.13, p 0.05) and women (HR 2.35, 95% CI 1.21-4.60, p 0.02). No significant associations were found for obesity at late adolescence in both men and women. Our findings suggest that obesity in early adulthood may be associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. The results may aid in understanding the etiology of GC in a population with a divergent trend of gastric cancer.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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