The associations between long-term risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and spontaneous seroclearance of HBV e antigen (HBeAg), HBV DNA and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) have never been examined by a ...prospective study using serially measured seromarkers. This study aimed to assess the importance of spontaneous HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg seroclearance in the prediction of HCC risk.
This study included 2946 HBsAg seropositive individuals who were seronegative for antibodies against HCV and free of liver cirrhosis. Serial serum samples collected at study entry and follow-up health examinations were tested for HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the HRs of developing HCC after seroclearance of HBV markers.
The HR (95% CI) of developing HCC after seroclearance of HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg during follow-up was 0.63 (0.38 to 1.05), 0.24 (0.11 to 0.57) and 0.18 (0.09 to 0.38), respectively, after adjustment for age, gender and serum level of alanine aminotransferase at study entry. High HBV DNA levels at the seroclearance of HBeAg (mean±SD, 4.35±1.64 log10 IU/mL) may explain the non-significant association between HBeAg seroclearance and HCC risk. Among HBeAg seronegative participants with detectable serum HBV DNA at study entry, the lifetime (30-75-years-old) cumulative incidence of HCC was 4.0%, 6.6% and 14.2%, respectively, for those with seroclearance of both HBV DNA and HBsAg, seroclearance of HBV DNA only, and seroclearance of neither.
Spontaneous seroclearance of HBV DNA and HBsAg are important predictors of reduced HCC risk.
Disks of a eutectic Cu–Ag alloy were processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) up to 20 revolutions to reveal the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties. Both the Cu and Ag phases were ...thinned continuously with increasing numbers of revolutions. After 20 revolutions, the alternating Cu and Ag phases were significantly refined and became fibrous with dimensions as thin as 5
nm. The strain hardening behavior of the Cu–Ag alloy was characterized after different numbers of HPT revolutions, and a saturation microhardness was attained. It is shown that the tensile fracture mode changed from necking to fully brittle shearing with increasing numbers of revolutions, and some shear offsets with sizes of ∼5–20
μm were observed on the fracture surfaces. Based on the abnormal saturation microhardness value of the eutectic alloy, the strengthening mechanisms of various Cu–Ag alloys are discussed.
Nanostructured Cu and Cu–Al alloys processed by high-pressure torsion were isochronally annealed to investigate the effects of the stacking fault energy (SFE) on strength and ductility. All metals ...exhibit a similar general trend that the strength decreases and the ductility improves with increasing annealing temperatures, and a notable enhancement of ductility was achieved only when the volume fraction of recrystallized grains exceeded ∼80%. The strength–ductility synergy improves significantly with decreasing SFE.
The cubic chiral helimagnets with the P213 space group represent a group of compounds in which the stable skyrmion-lattice state is experimentally observed. The key parameter that controls the energy ...landscape of such systems and determines the emergence of a topologically nontrivial magnetic structure is the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). Chemical substitution is recognized as a convenient instrument to tune the DMI in real materials and has been successfully utilized in studies of a number of chiral magnets, such as MnSi, FeGe, MnGe, and others. In our study, we applied small-angle neutron scattering to investigate how chemical substitution influences the skyrmionic properties of an insulating helimagnet Cu2OSeO3 when Cu ions are replaced by either Zn or Ni. Our results demonstrate that the DMI is enhanced in the Ni-substituted compounds (Cu,Ni)2OSeO3, but weakened in (Cu,Zn)2OSeO3. The observed changes in the DMI strength are reflected in the magnitude of the spin-spiral propagation vector and the temperature stability of the skyrmion phase.
Typical fracture morphology of Mg–3%Al–1%Zn (AZ31) alloy after low cycle fatigue was investigated using SEM and optical microscope. It is shown that prolific lamellar structure in the crack ...initiation and crack stable propagation zone mainly results from twinning, while dimple structure formed in the unstable crack propagation and final rupture zone is mainly due to slip. The formation mechanisms of corresponding morphologies are proposed based on twinning and detwinning processes during compressive and tensile loading half cycles, respectively, for this alloy.
Highlights • MiR-922 downregulates UCHL1 in a post-transcriptional way. • UCHL1 affects the levels of phosphorylated tau. • MiR-922 increases tau phosphorylation by downregulating UCHL1. • One of the ...mechanisms underlying the downregulation of UCHL1 in AD patients is proposed. • Our study may help to open a new window for the diagnosis and treatment of AD.
Brain metastasis (BM) is a major cause of mortality in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients; however, the molecular pathway of SCLC BM remains largely unknown because of a lack of investigation. ...Here we screen the levels of some candidate-soluble factors in the serum of SCLC patients and find that SCLC patients with high levels of placental growth factor (PLGF) are prone to BM. Using in vitro blood-brain barrier model, we show that PLGF derived from SCLC cells triggers vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1-Rho-extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 signaling axis activation, results in disassembly of tight junction in brain endothelial cells and promotes SCLC cell transendothelial migration. Furthermore, the downregulation of PLGF suppresses SCLC cell metastasis to the brain in an experimental BM model. These data suggest that PLGF is a potential signature of SCLC BM and a prospective therapeutic target for SCLC BM.
We have designed and fabricated high-performance single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) by using 0.18-µm high-voltage CMOS technology. Without any technology customization, the SPADs have low ...dark-count rate, high photon-detection probability, low afterpulsing probability, and acceptable timing jitter and breakdown voltage. Our design provides a low-cost and high-performance SPAD for various applications.
Ultrafine-grained (UFG) Cu and Cu–Zn alloy were prepared using equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) to investigate the effects of stacking fault energy (SFE) on microstructure evolution and ...mechanical properties. Combining with the previous researches, the grain refinement process of ECAP is divided into three stages based on the variation of tensile strength and plasticity. According to the influences of defects on strength and ductility during plastic deformation, the three stages are discussed in detail by considering the dislocation density, grain and twin boundaries. Besides, the impact of SFE on the strength and ductility of the UFG Cu–Zn alloys are evaluated, indicating that these two mechanical properties can be improved simultaneously in the whole ECAP process either through slightly or widely adjusting the SFE. This significant effect of SFE reflects in two aspects, one is in the microstructure evolution during ECAP processing and the other is in the subsequent tensile plastic deformation, both of which can be achieved through regulating the dislocation motion via changing the SFE.
Improving materials used to make qubits is crucial to further progress in quantum information processing. Of particular interest are semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures that are expected to ...form the basis of topological quantum computing. We grew semiconductor indium antimonide nanowires that were coated with shells of tin of uniform thickness. No interdiffusion was observed at the interface between Sn and InSb. Tunnel junctions were prepared by in situ shadowing. Despite the lack of lattice matching between Sn and InSb, a 15-nanometer-thick shell of tin was found to induce a hard superconducting gap, with superconductivity persisting in magnetic field up to 4 teslas. A small island of Sn-InSb exhibits the two-electron charging effect. These findings suggest a less restrictive approach to fabricating superconducting and topological quantum circuits.
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