Zero-order waveplates are widely used in the manufacture of laser polarizer waves, which are important in polarimetry and the laser industry. However, there are still challenges in designing ...deep-ultraviolet (DUV) waveplate materials that satisfy large band gaps and small optical anisotropy simultaneously. Herein, three cases of aluminum sulfate fluorides: Na2AlSO4F3, Li4NH4Al(SO4)2F4, and Li6K3Al(SO4)4F4, with novel AlSO4F3 layers or isolated AlS2O8F4 trimers were designed and synthesized by the rational assembly of AlO2F4 and SO4 groups through a hydrothermal method. Experiments and theoretical calculations imply that these three possess short cutoff edges (λ < 200 nm) and small birefringence (0.0014–0.0076 @ 1064 nm), which fulfils the prerequisite for potential DUV zero-order waveplate materials. This work extends the exploration of DUV zero-order waveplate materials to the aluminum sulfate fluoride systems.
Summary This study aims to evaluate the relationships between chromosome 20q13.2 zinc finger protein 217 ( ZNF217 ) locus amplification, ZNF217 expression, E-cadherin expression, and PI3K-Akt pathway ...alterations (activating PIK3CA mutations or loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog PTEN expression), and whether these molecular alterations can predict the clinical survival data in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) patients. Samples and clinical data of 72 OCCC patients were collected. Chromosome 20q13.2 ZNF217 locus amplification was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. ZNF217, E-cadherin and PTEN expression were assessed using immunohistochemical stain. PIK3CA mutation was identified by PCR-amplified gene sequencing. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios of survival. Chromosome 20q13.2 ZNF217 locus amplification was detected in 31% (22/72) of cases, and ZNF217 expression was increased in 40% (27/68) of cases. E-cadherin and PTEN expressions were decreased or lost in 44% (32/72) and 14% (10/72) of cases, respectively. Activating PIK3CA mutations were present in 35% (25/72) of cases. Thirty-three OCCC patients (46%) showed activating PI3K-Akt pathway alterations. Chromosome 20q13.2 ZNF217 locus amplification was significantly associated with decreased E-cadherin expression ( P = .001). In contrast, ZNF217 expression was not related to ZNF217 amplification or E-cadherin expression. In OCCC patients with activating PI3k-Akt pathway, decreased E-cadherin expression ( P = .033) and advanced Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage ( P = .014) predicted shorter overall survival. Two conclusions were raised in our study. First, ZNF217 plays a role in down-regulating E-cadherin expression and is a potential therapeutic target for OCCC patients. Second, E-cadherin expression is a prognostic marker for OCCC patients with activating PI3K-Akt pathway.
Copper(I) chloride was found to be a highly efficient catalyst for the synthesis of dithiocarbamates containing 1,2,3-trizaoles group from organic halides, dithiocarbamic acid prop-2-ynyl ester, and ...sodium azide in water at 70°C. The structures of the new compounds were characterized and screened for their in vitro anti-tumor activities.
Twelve novel dithiocarbamates containing 1,2,3-trizaoles group were prepared via one step starting from organic halides, dithiocarbamic acid prop-2-ynyl ester, and sodium azide, using a very simple catalytic system composed of copper(I) chloride and water at 70°C. The structures of the new compounds were characterized and screened for their in vitro anti-tumor. Four of the compounds displayed varying levels of anti-tumor activity against the CDC25B.
Hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS) is rare but often fatal. A review of literature in 1979 found that only 3% of the 70 patients lived for more than 2 years, but the survival might have been improved over ...the years. We conducted a retrospective study and reviewed the medical records of patients who visited a teaching hospital in Taiwan from January 2000 to August 2010 and had pathological proof of HAS. In addition, we conducted a review of literature and compared those who survived for 2 years or more to those who did not. Of the 3503 patients with primary liver cancer we identified, 9 had HAS, of whom 3 (33.3%) survived for 2 years or more. One survived for 24 months without surgical resection, and the other two received surgery with postoperative chemotherapy and were still alive 32 and 37 months later, respectively. Through reviewing literature, we identified 3 more patients in Taiwan who had survived for 2 years or more. One survived for 42 months without surgical resection, the other two received segmentectomy with postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We also identified 8 such cases outside Taiwan, including 1 who received chemotherapy without surgery and survived for 53 months. None of the differences in the clinical characteristics between those who had and had not survived for 2 years or more reached statistical significance. In conclusion, we believe the combination of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy may be able to achieve long-term survival in some HAS patients nowadays, and it is even possible to achieve fair survival using chemotherapy alone.
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•Aortic-related deaths in Brazil exhibited a steady increase during 2000–2019.•Low temperatures were associated with an immediately increased risk of aortic death.•Per 1 °C drop under ...26 °C was associated with a 4.77 % rise in aortic mortality risk.•Low temperatures were responsible for 19.10 % of aortic-related deaths even in Brazil.
Low temperatures are adverse contributors to cardiovascular diseases, but the associations between short-term exposure to cold and the risk of death from aortic dissection and aneurysm remain unclear, particularly in tropical regions.
This study was conducted based on 123,951 records of deaths caused by aortic dissection and aneurysms extracted from the national Mortality Information System in Brazil between 2000 and 2019.
Relative risks and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for the aortic-related deaths associated with low ambient temperatures were estimated using the conditional logistic model combined with the distributed lag nonlinear model. Subgroup analyses were performed by age group, sex, race, education level, and residential region. Furthermore, this study calculated the number and fraction of aortic-related deaths attributed to temperatures below the temperature threshold to quantify the cold-related mortality burden of aortic diseases.
During the study period, aortic-related deaths and mortality rates in Brazil exhibited a steady increase, rising from 4419 (2.66/100,000) in 2000 to 8152 (3.88/100,000) in 2019. Under the identified temperature threshold (26 °C), per 1 °C decrease in daily mean temperature was associated with a 4.77 % (95 % CI: 4.35, 5.19) increase in mortality risk of aortic-related diseases over lag 0–3 days. Females, individuals aged 50 years or older, Asian and Black race, and northern residents were more susceptible to low temperatures. Low temperatures were responsible for 19.10 % (95 % CI: 17.71, 20.45) of aortic-related deaths in Brazil.
This study highlights that low temperatures were associated with an increased risk of aortic-related deaths, with a remarkable burden even in this predominantly tropical country.
In an unbiased genome-wide screen for copy number variants (CNVs) on a cohort of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, we identified in one patient a complex chromosomal rearrangement involving the ...nucleotide binding protein-like (
NUBPL
) gene on chromosome 14q12. We noted that mutations in the
NUBPL
gene had been reported as causing autosomal recessive (AR) mitochondrial Complex I (CI) deficiency in children. The precise breakpoints of the rearrangement in our PD case were found to be identical to those described in a patient with AR CI deficiency who also harbored a second pathogenic mutation in
NUBPL
. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been considered a strong contributor to PD, and there is substantial evidence that decreased CI activity plays a central role in PD pathogenesis. We hypothesize that pathogenic
NUBPL
variants may increase the risk for PD analogous to variants in the glucosylceramidase beta (
GBA
) gene that increase the risk of developing PD in heterozygous carriers.
Spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder (SRUB) is a rare urological emergency associated with urinary ascites and apparent acute kidney injury. The clinical course can be severe or lethal if no ...early diagnosis is achieved. We present a 44-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus had progressive abdominal fullness, poor appetite, dyspnea, and lower legs edema for two days. Laboratory studies present as acute kidney injury. Abdominal sonogram and computed tomogram (CT) revealed massive ascites. Her ascites relieved dramatically after Foley catheter indwelling, and daily urine amount was about 5,000 mL. Urinary bladder rupture was found after CT cystography. She received surgical repair of the ruptured urinary bladder, and cystometry revealed detrusor areflexia. Then she was discharged uneventfully.
Can the choice of words and tone used by the authors of financial news articles correlate to measurable stock price movements? If so, can the magnitude of price movement be predicted using these same ...variables? We investigate these questions using the Arizona Financial Text (AZFinText) system, a financial news article prediction system, and pair it with a sentiment analysis tool. Through our analysis, we found that subjective news articles were easier to predict in price direction (59.0% versus 50.0% of chance alone) and using a simple trading engine, subjective articles garnered a 3.30% return. Looking further into the role of author tone in financial news articles, we found that articles with a negative sentiment were easiest to predict in price direction (50.9% versus 50.0% of chance alone) and a 3.04% trading return. Investigating negative sentiment further, we found that our system was able to predict price decreases in articles of a positive sentiment 53.5% of the time, and price increases in articles of a negative sentiment 52.4% of the time. We believe that perhaps this result can be attributable to market traders behaving in a contrarian manner, e.g., see good news, sell; see bad news, buy.
► Tested effect of author sentiment on the prediction of future stock price movement. ► Found subjective financial news articles easier to predict in price direction. ► Negative sentiment articles similarly easiest to predict in price direction. ► Found inverse relation between sentiment polarity and stock price movement.
Hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS) is a rare type of liver cancer that is often fatal, and arsenic and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) are two major causal agents. Whereas Taiwan is an endemic area of liver ...cancer, epidemiologic data on HAS are limited. We reviewed the cases observed at a teaching hospital to evaluate the roles of VCM, arsenic, and viral hepatitis in the occurrence of HAS.
We reviewed the medical records of patients with pathological proof of HAS from January 2000 to August 2010 at a teaching hospital which is adjacent to the major VCM processing area in Taiwan and nearby an endemic area of arsenic exposure from drinking water. We also conducted a literature review and included all patients of HAS reported in Taiwan.
Six male and three female cases aged from 56 to 83 years (64.6 ± 8.2 years) were identified at the hospital. The differences in clinical features between men and women were not statistically significant. None of them had exposure to VCM or arsenic in drinking water. Two had evidence of hepatitis C infection, but none had evidence of hepatitis B infection. Five male and four female cases aged 30 to 82 years (58.6 ± 15.5 years) were identified in the literature, including two with arsenic exposure and one with chronic hepatitis B infection.
HAS is rare in Taiwan, and we found no evidence supporting a major role of VCM, arsenic in drinking water, or viral hepatitis in its occurrence.
Abstract Assessing programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression through immunohistochemistry (IHC) is the golden standard in predicting immunotherapy response of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ...However, observation of heterogeneous PD-L1 distribution in tumor space is a challenge using IHC only. Meanwhile, immunofluorescence (IF) could support both planar and three-dimensional (3D) histological analyses by combining tissue optical clearing with confocal microscopy. We optimized clinical tissue preparation for the IF assay focusing on staining, imaging, and post-processing to achieve quality identical to traditional IHC assay. To overcome limited dynamic range of the fluorescence microscope’s detection system, we incorporated a high dynamic range (HDR) algorithm to restore the post imaging IF expression pattern and further 3D IF images. Following HDR processing, a noticeable improvement in the accuracy of diagnosis (85.7%) was achieved using IF images by pathologists. Moreover, 3D IF images revealed a 25% change in tumor proportion score for PD-L1 expression at various depths within tumors. We have established an optimal and reproducible process for PD-L1 IF images in NSCLC, yielding high quality data comparable to traditional IHC assays. The ability to discern accurate spatial PD-L1 distribution through 3D pathology analysis could provide more precise evaluation and prediction for immunotherapy targeting advanced NSCLC.
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