Background
Several previous researches had found artery stiffness associated skeletal muscle mass, but not considering muscle strength and physical performance, which also were compositions of ...sarcopenia. This study aims to reveal the relationship of artery stiffness and sarcopenia using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria.
Methods
Study was performed on 1002 Chinese community dwelling participants aged ≥65 years from November 2016 to March 2017. Body composition, muscle strength, physical performance, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) considering as artery stiffness index were measured.
Results
In multiple regression analysis, baPWV was associated with handgrip (β=−0.13, P=0.04) and Relative skeletal muscle mass index (ASM/Ht
2
) (β=−0.02, P<0.01), but not with 4-meter velocity (P=0.21). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that 1-SD (3.50m/s) increased in baPWV was still associated with a 11% (CI, 4%–20%; P<0.01) higher odds of being sarcopenia. In the gender subgroup analysis, the relationship of baPWV and sarcopenia remain significant in men (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07–1.42, P<0.01), but not in women (P=0.07).
Conclusions
High brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity is associated with sarcopenia in Chinese community-dwelling elderly, with gender differences.
Purpose
To investigate whether growth hormone (GH) could improve pregnancy rates of patients with thin endometrium by clinical study and laboratory experiments.
Materials and methods
Ninety-three ...patients were randomized to either the GH-received group (40) or the routine exogenous administration of estrogens control group (53) for clinical study. The human endometrial carcinoma cell line RL95-2 was used for testing the role of GH with Western blot and real-time PCR by exposure to various concentrations of GH (0.1 nM,1 nM,10 nM,100 nM).
Results
Patients treated with GH had a significantly (
P
< 0.05) greater endometrium thickness on day 3 (7.87±0.72 vs 6.34±0.86), higher implantation rates (24.4% vs 10.5%) and greater clinical pregnancy rates (42.5% vs 18.9%) compared with the control group. No adverse events were associated with the use of GH. Administration of GH significantly up-regulated the expression of VEGF, ItgB3 and IGF-I expression in RL95-2 cells at both mRNA and protein levels (
P
< 0.05). AG490, an inhibitor of JAK2, nearly completely inhibited the up-regulative effect of GH through the JAK2-STAT5 pathway, and GH-induced effects could be mediated through autocrine IGF-I together with its hepatic counterpart. IGF-I mRNA was detected in the RL95-2 cells.
Conclusion
GH may improve pregnancy outcomes of patients with thin endometrium who undergo frozen embryo transfer by acting on human endometrial cells to promote proliferation and vascularization and to up-regulate receptivity-related molecular expression.
The management of intracranial pseudoaneurysms is controversial. The purpose of this study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of the clinical efficacy of a Willis covered stent specially ...designed for the intracranial vasculature in the management of a pseudoaneurysm of the cranial internal carotid artery (CICA).
Eight patients with pseudoaneurysms of the CICA were treated with use of the Willis covered stent. The flexibility of the entire stent system was gauged from the resistance met when reaching the target lesion and was categorized as no resistance, no apparent resistance, or resistance that could be overcome. The apposition of the Willis stent after deployment was scored as excellent with no endoleak, good with a small endoleak, or bad with an apparent endoleak. Follow-up angiography was performed 3 to 12 months after placement of the stent, and angiographic assessments were categorized as endoleak, stenosis of the covered segment of vessel, or occlusion of parent arteries. Follow-up clinical evaluations were also performed, and outcomes were graded as full recovery, improvement, unchanged, and aggravation.
Endovascular treatment was technically successful in all aneurysms without procedural-related complications, and all of the stents were easily navigated to the targeted lesions in the CICA. Complete resolution of the pseudoaneurysm was observed in 6 patients immediately after the procedure, and a minimal endoleak into the aneurysm persisted in 2 patients. No morbidity or mortality and no technical adverse event occurred. A follow-up angiogram confirmed complete reconstruction of the internal carotid artery, with no recurrent aneurysmal filling and no occurrence of stenosis in the area of the stent. By the final follow-up visit, 4 patients had fully recovered, 3 had improved, and 1 patient's condition was unchanged.
On the basis of our preliminary experience, the Willis covered stent specially designed for the intracranial vasculature can manage a CICA pseudoaneurysm safely and effectively, but longer follow-up and expanded clinical trials are needed.
The importance of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect in Fe-based superconductors (FeSCs) has recently been under hot debate. Considering the Hund’s coupling-induced electronic correlation, the ...understanding of the role of SOC in FeSCs is not trivial and is still elusive. Here, through a comprehensive study ofSe77andFe57nuclear magnetic resonance, a nontrivial SOC effect is revealed in the nematic state of FeSe. First, the orbital-dependent spin susceptibility, determined by the anisotropy of theFe57Knight shift, indicates a predominant role from the3dxyorbital, which suggests the coexistence of local and itinerant spin degrees of freedom in the FeSe. Then, we reconfirm that the orbital reconstruction below the nematic transition temperature (Tnem∼90K) happens not only on the3dxzand3dyzorbitals but also on the3dxyorbital, which is beyond a trivial ferro-orbital order picture. Moreover, our results also indicate the development of a coherent coupling between the local and itinerant spin degrees of freedom belowTnem, which is ascribed to a Hund’s coupling-induced electronic crossover on the3dxyorbital. Finally, because of a nontrivial SOC effect, sizable in-plane anisotropy of the spin susceptibility emerges in the nematic state, suggesting a spin-orbital-intertwined nematicity rather than a simple spin- or orbital-driven nematicity. The present work not only reveals a nontrivial SOC effect in the nematic state but also sheds light on the mechanism of nematic transition in FeSe.
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The majority of the Earth's terrestrial carbon is stored in the soil. If anthropogenic warming stimulates the loss of this carbon to the atmosphere, it could drive further planetary warming. Despite ...evidence that warming enhances carbon fluxes to and from the soil, the net global balance between these responses remains uncertain. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of warming-induced changes in soil carbon stocks by assembling data from 49 field experiments located across North America, Europe and Asia. We find that the effects of warming are contingent on the size of the initial soil carbon stock, with considerable losses occurring in high-latitude areas. By extrapolating this empirical relationship to the global scale, we provide estimates of soil carbon sensitivity to warming that may help to constrain Earth system model projections. Our empirical relationship suggests that global soil carbon stocks in the upper soil horizons will fall by 30 ± 30 petagrams of carbon to 203 ± 161 petagrams of carbon under one degree of warming, depending on the rate at which the effects of warming are realized. Under the conservative assumption that the response of soil carbon to warming occurs within a year, a business-as-usual climate scenario would drive the loss of 55 ± 50 petagrams of carbon from the upper soil horizons by 2050. This value is around 12-17 per cent of the expected anthropogenic emissions over this period. Despite the considerable uncertainty in our estimates, the direction of the global soil carbon response is consistent across all scenarios. This provides strong empirical support for the idea that rising temperatures will stimulate the net loss of soil carbon to the atmosphere, driving a positive land carbon-climate feedback that could accelerate climate change.
The management of nuclear wastes has long been a problem that hinders the sustainable and clean utilization of nuclear energy since the advent of nuclear power. These nuclear wastes include minor ...actinides (MAs:
Np,
Am,
Am,
Cm and
Cm) and long-lived fission products (LLFPs:
Se,
Zr,
Tc,
Pd,
I and
Cs), and yet are hard to be handled. In this work, we propose a scheme that can transmute almost all the MAs and LLFPs with a lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR). In this scheme, the MAs and the LLFPs are loaded to the fuel assembly and the blanket assembly for transmutation, respectively. In order to study the effect of MAs loading on the operation of the core, the neutron flux distribution, spectra, and the k
are further compared with and without MAs loading. Then the LLFPs composition is optimized and the support ratio is obtained to be 1.22 for
Np, 1.63 for
Am, 1.27 for
Am, 1.32 for
Se, 1.53 for
Tc, 1.02 for
Pd, and 1.12 for
I, respectively, indicating that a self-sustained transmutation can be achieved. Accordingly, the transmutation rate of these nuclides was 13.07%/y for
Np, 15.18%/y for
Am, 13.34%/y for
Am, 0.58%/y for
Se, 0.92%/y for
Tc, 1.17%/y for
Pd, 0.56%/y for
I. Our results show that a lead-cooled fast reactor can be potentially used to manage nuclear wastes with high levels of long-lived radioactivity.
ABSTRACT We present preliminary results of the quasar survey in the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) first data release (DR1), which includes the pilot survey and ...the first year of the regular survey. There are 3921 quasars reliably identified, among which 1180 are new quasars discovered in the survey. These quasars are at low to median redshifts, with a highest z of 4.83. We compile emission line measurements around the H , Hβ, Mg ii, and C iv regions for the new quasars. The continuum luminosities are inferred from SDSS photometric data with model fitting, as the spectra in DR1 are non-flux-calibrated. We also compile the virial black hole mass estimates, with flags indicating the selection methods, and broad absorption line quasars. The catalog and spectra for these quasars are also available. Of the 3921 quasars, 28% are independently selected with optical-infrared colors, indicating that the method is quite promising for the completeness of the quasar survey. LAMOST DR1 and the ongoing quasar survey will provide valuable data for studies of quasars.
Transparent polycrystalline ceramics have found various applications, such as laser hosts, infrared (IR) windows/domes, lamp envelopes and transparent armors, instead of their single crystal ...counterparts, due mainly to their processing flexibility in fabricating items with large sizes and complex shapes and more importantly cost-effectiveness. High optical transparent ceramics require high purity and high density. To achieve high purity final products, it is necessary to use high purity precursor powders. To get high density, various sintering technologies have been employed, such as high-pressure (HP) sintering, high isostatic pressure (HIP) sintering, vacuum sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS). At the same time, various wet chemical synthesis routes have been used to produce precursor powders at submicron or even nanometer scales, with significantly improved sinterability. Transparent ceramics for armor and IR window/dome applications should have superior mechanical and thermal properties. Therefore, nanosized ceramics and nanocomposite ceramics have attracted much attention more recently. This review was aimed to summarize the latest progress in processing, materials and applications of transparent ceramics. It is arranged by starting with a brief introduction, followed by a detailed description on various sintering technologies used to develop transparent ceramics. After that, potential applications of transparent ceramics, together with their optical, mechanical and thermal properties, will be discussed. It will be concluded with discussions on future trend and perspectives, as well as some important issues, of transparent ceramic materials.
The recent focus on topological insulators is due to the scientific interest in the new state of quantum matter as well as the technology potential for a new generation of THz optoelectronics, ...spintronics and quantum computations. It is important to elucidate the dynamics of the Dirac fermions in the topologically protected surface state. Hence we utilized a novel ultrafast optical pump mid-infrared probe to explore the dynamics of Dirac fermions near the Dirac point. The femtosecond snapshots of the relaxation process were revealed by the ultrafast optics. Specifically, the Dirac fermion-phonon coupling strength in the Dirac cone was found to increase from 0.08 to 0.19 while Dirac fermions were away from the Dirac point into higher energy states. Further, the energy-resolved transient reflectivity spectra disclosed the energy loss rate of Dirac fermions at room temperature was about 1 meV/ps. These results are crucial to the design of Dirac fermion devices.
We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD). Six relevant electronic databases ...(PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared rTMS with control condition for PSD were included. The mean change in depression symptom scores was defined as the primary efficacy outcome. Secondary outcomes included the remission rate of depression, stroke recovery, and cognitive function recovery. In total, 7 RCTs with 351 participants were included. At post-treatment, rTMS was significantly more effective than the control condition, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of -1.15 (95%CI: -1.62 to -0.69; P<0.001, I2=71%) and remission with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.46 (95%CI: 1.68 to 7.12; P<0.001; I2=11%). As for stroke recovery, rTMS was also better than the control condition (SMD=-0.67, 95%CI: -1.02 to -0.32; P<0.001). However, no significant difference was found for cognitive function recovery between the two groups (SMD=4.07, 95%CI: -1.41 to 9.55; P=0.15). To explore the potential moderators for the primary outcome, a series of subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. The results implied that rTMS may be more effective in Asian samples than in North American samples (P=0.03). In conclusion, from the current evidence in this study, rTMS could be an effective treatment for patients with PSD. Further clinical studies with larger sample sizes and clearer subgroup definitions are needed to confirm these outcomes.
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