INTRODUCTION Fatal familial insomnia （FFI） is a serious and rare prion disease, which was first reported by Lugaresi et al. in 1986.Early diagnosis of FFI might be important for early and sufficient counseling of pa...INTRODUCTION Fatal familial insomnia （FFI） is a serious and rare prion disease, which was first reported by Lugaresi et al. in 1986.Early diagnosis of FFI might be important for early and sufficient counseling of patients and their relatives, also concerning the risk of inheritance, and potentially also for treatment studies. However, the diagnosis of FFI might be difficult because of the heterogeneity of clinical features, low sensitivity of diagnostic tests, and absence of family history. The aim of the present study was to develop a clinical scheme and diagnostic criteria for FFI based on our research and expert consensus.展开更多
Cancer cell growth is associated with immune surveillance failure.Nowadays,restoring the desired immune response against cancer cells remains a major therapeutic strategy.Due to the recent advances in biological knowl...Cancer cell growth is associated with immune surveillance failure.Nowadays,restoring the desired immune response against cancer cells remains a major therapeutic strategy.Due to the recent advances in biological knowledge,efficient therapeutic tools have been developed to support the best bio-clinical approaches for immune precision therapy.One of the most important successes in immune therapy is represented by the applicational use of monoclonal antibodies,particularly the use of rituximab for B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.More recently,other monoclonal antibodies have been developed,to inhibit immune checkpoints within the tumor microenvironment that limit immune suppression,or to enhance some immune functions with immune adjuvants through different targets such as Toll-receptor agonists.The aim is to inhibit cancer proliferation by the diminishing/elimination of cancer residual cells and clinically improving the response duration with no or few adverse effects.This effect is supported by enhancing the number,functions,and activity of the immune effector cells,including the natural killer(NK)lymphocytes,NKT-lymphocytes,γδT-lymphocytes,cytotoxic T-lymphocytes,directly or indirectly through vaccines particularly with neoantigens,and by lowering the functions of the immune suppressive cells.Beyond these new therapeutics and their personalized usage,new considerations have to be taken into account,such as epigenetic regulation particularly from microbiota,evaluation of transversal functions,particularly cellular metabolism,and consideration to the clinical consequences at the body level.The aim of this review is to discuss some practical aspects of immune therapy,giving to clinicians the concept of immune effector cells balancing between control and tolerance.Immunological precision medicine is a combination of modern biological knowledge and clinical therapeutic decisions in a global vision of the patient.展开更多
We present two cavity-stabilized lasers at 1555 nm, which are built to be the frequency source for a transportable photonic microwave generation system. The frequency instability reaches the thermal noise limit （7 &#...We present two cavity-stabilized lasers at 1555 nm, which are built to be the frequency source for a transportable photonic microwave generation system. The frequency instability reaches the thermal noise limit （7 ×10-16） of the 10-cm ultra-low expansion glass cavity at 1-10s averaging time and the beat signal of the two lasers reveals a remarkable linewidth of 185mHz.展开更多
Background The adverse health effects of lead for children under 6 years are well known.Studies to assess the lead exposure among children in China are small in sample size and lack of national representative data.The...Background The adverse health effects of lead for children under 6 years are well known.Studies to assess the lead exposure among children in China are small in sample size and lack of national representative data.The aim of this study therefore was to describe blood lead levels and identify risk factors for lead exposure among children aged 0 to 6 years living in 16 cities in China.Methods We analyzed data from blood lead levels surveillance in China carried out in 16 large cities between 2004 and 2008.A stratified clustered random sampling strategy was used.A total of 69 968 children aged 0 to 6 years were included.We conducted multiple Logistic regression analyses to explore risk factors to high blood lead level.Results The geometric mean blood lead level of the children was 4.50 μg/dl （median：4.90 μg/dl; IQR：3.20-7.00 μg/dl）.Overall prevalence of blood lead level ≥10.00 μg/dl among 0-to 6-year-old children was 7.57%.But the proportion of blood lead level ≥5.00 but 〈10.00 μg/dl was 42.12%.Blood lead levels were significantly higher in boys （4.63 μg/dl） than in girls （4.35 μg/dl） （P 〈0.0001）.The geometric mean blood lead levels and prevalence of blood lead level ≥10.00 μg/dl increased with age （P 〈0.0001 for the two trends）.After controlling for sociodemographic,dietary and behavior factors,multivariable analysis indicated that lower maternal education,male gender,younger age,often biting pencil or/and toys,walking or playing for long time on the street,not washing hands before eating are major risk factors for higher lead levels.Conclusions The blood lead levels among Chinese children in urban areas are lower than previous studies but close to those of developed countries.However,children with low lead exposure account for almost half and the sociodemographic factors （age,male sex,and low mother education level） continue to be associated with higher blood lead levels.展开更多
Elastomers with outstanding strength,toughness and healing efficiency are highly promising for many emerging fields.However,it is still a challenge to integrate all these beneficial features in one elastomer.Herein,an...Elastomers with outstanding strength,toughness and healing efficiency are highly promising for many emerging fields.However,it is still a challenge to integrate all these beneficial features in one elastomer.Herein,an asymmetric alicyclic structure adjacent to aromatic disulfide was tactfully introduced into the backbone of polyurethane(PU)elastomer.Specifically,such elastomer(PU-HPS)was fabricated by polycondensing polytetramethylene ether glycol(PTMEG),isophorone diisocyanate(IPDI)and p-hydroxydiphenyl disulfide(HPS)via one-pot method.The molecular mobility and phase morphology of PU-HPS can be tuned by adjusting the HPS content.Consequently,the dynamic exchange of hydrogen and disulfide bonds in the hard segment domains can also be tailored.The optimized sample manifests outstanding tensile strength(46.4 MPa),high toughness(109.1 MJ/m^(3)),high self-healing efficiency after fracture(90.3%),complete scratch recovery(100%)and good puncture resistance.Therefore,this work provides a facile strategy for developing robust self-healing polymers.展开更多
The effect of H_2S on the corrosion behavior of 316 L stainless steel was investigated using electrochemical methods by changing the gas condition from CO_2 to H_2S and then back to CO_2. The presence of H_2S showed a...The effect of H_2S on the corrosion behavior of 316 L stainless steel was investigated using electrochemical methods by changing the gas condition from CO_2 to H_2S and then back to CO_2. The presence of H_2S showed an acceleration effect on the corrosion of 316 L stainless steel in comparison with CO_2. The acceleration effect remained even after the complete removal of H_2S by CO_2, indicating that the passive film was irreversibly damaged. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analysis indicated that the passive film was composed of Cr_2O_3, Fe_2O_3, and FeS_2 after being immersed in H_2S-containing solutions. The semiconducting property of the passive film was then investigated by using the Mott–Schottky approach. The presence of sulfides resulted in higher acceptor and donor densities and thus was responsible for the deterioration of passive films.展开更多
BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease is associated with coronary atherosclerosis indicated by carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT)thickening and altered vascular elasticity.The epicardial adipose layer can secrete proinf...BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease is associated with coronary atherosclerosis indicated by carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT)thickening and altered vascular elasticity.The epicardial adipose layer can secrete proinflammatory factors that promote the formation of coronary atherosclerosis.Thus,the epicardial fat layer thickness(EAT)may also predict coronary heart disease.AIM To determine the role of common carotid artery ultrasound parameters and EAT in the early diagnosis of coronary artery disease.METHODS Based on coronary angiography,patients with newly suspected coronary heart disease were divided into case(n=107)and control(n=41)groups.The carotid ultrasound parameters,including vascular stiffness(β),elastic coefficient(EP),pulse wave conduction velocity(PWV-β),CIMT,and EAT were compared between the case and control groups and among patients with different lesion numbers in the case group.Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the early diagnostic value of EAT,common carotid artery elasticity,and CIMT for coronary heart disease.RESULTS EP,β,PWV-β,CIMT,and EAT were significantly higher in the case group compared with the levels in the control group(all P<0.001).In the case group,lesions were detected in one vessel in 34 patients,two vessels in 38 patients,and three vessels in 35 patients.Within the case group,β,EP,PWV-β,CIMT,and EAT levels significantly increased with an increased number of lesions(all P<0.001).EAT positively correlated withβ,EP,PWV-β,and CIMT(all P<0.01).The area under the curve for diagnosing coronary heart disease using EAT combined with CIMT and carotid elasticity was 0.893,and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.890 and 0.837.CONCLUSION EAT correlated well with changes in carotid artery elasticity and CIMT in patients with coronary heart disease.The combination of EAT,carotid artery elasticity,and CIMT facilitates the early diagnosis of coronary heart disease.展开更多
The phenomenon of gamma-ray burst （GRB） spectral lags is very common, but a definitive explanation has not yet been given. From a sample of 82 GRB pulses we find that the spectral lags are correlated with the pulse ...The phenomenon of gamma-ray burst （GRB） spectral lags is very common, but a definitive explanation has not yet been given. From a sample of 82 GRB pulses we find that the spectral lags are correlated with the pulse widths, however, there is no correlation between the relative spectral lags and the relative pulse widths. We suspect that the correlations between spectral lags and pulse widths might be caused by the Lorentz factor of the GRBs concerned. Our analysis on the relative quantities suggests that the intrinsic spectral lag might reflect other aspect of pulses than the aspect associated with the dynamical time of shocks or that associated with the time delay due to the curvature effect.展开更多
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 81470074）, and the Clinical funding from Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Committee （No.Z141107002514117）.
文摘INTRODUCTION Fatal familial insomnia （FFI） is a serious and rare prion disease, which was first reported by Lugaresi et al. in 1986.Early diagnosis of FFI might be important for early and sufficient counseling of patients and their relatives, also concerning the risk of inheritance, and potentially also for treatment studies. However, the diagnosis of FFI might be difficult because of the heterogeneity of clinical features, low sensitivity of diagnostic tests, and absence of family history. The aim of the present study was to develop a clinical scheme and diagnostic criteria for FFI based on our research and expert consensus.
文摘Cancer cell growth is associated with immune surveillance failure.Nowadays,restoring the desired immune response against cancer cells remains a major therapeutic strategy.Due to the recent advances in biological knowledge,efficient therapeutic tools have been developed to support the best bio-clinical approaches for immune precision therapy.One of the most important successes in immune therapy is represented by the applicational use of monoclonal antibodies,particularly the use of rituximab for B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.More recently,other monoclonal antibodies have been developed,to inhibit immune checkpoints within the tumor microenvironment that limit immune suppression,or to enhance some immune functions with immune adjuvants through different targets such as Toll-receptor agonists.The aim is to inhibit cancer proliferation by the diminishing/elimination of cancer residual cells and clinically improving the response duration with no or few adverse effects.This effect is supported by enhancing the number,functions,and activity of the immune effector cells,including the natural killer(NK)lymphocytes,NKT-lymphocytes,γδT-lymphocytes,cytotoxic T-lymphocytes,directly or indirectly through vaccines particularly with neoantigens,and by lowering the functions of the immune suppressive cells.Beyond these new therapeutics and their personalized usage,new considerations have to be taken into account,such as epigenetic regulation particularly from microbiota,evaluation of transversal functions,particularly cellular metabolism,and consideration to the clinical consequences at the body level.The aim of this review is to discuss some practical aspects of immune therapy,giving to clinicians the concept of immune effector cells balancing between control and tolerance.Immunological precision medicine is a combination of modern biological knowledge and clinical therapeutic decisions in a global vision of the patient.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 91536217the West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under Grant No 2013ZD02the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under Grant No 2015334
文摘We present two cavity-stabilized lasers at 1555 nm, which are built to be the frequency source for a transportable photonic microwave generation system. The frequency instability reaches the thermal noise limit （7 ×10-16） of the 10-cm ultra-low expansion glass cavity at 1-10s averaging time and the beat signal of the two lasers reveals a remarkable linewidth of 185mHz.
文摘Background The adverse health effects of lead for children under 6 years are well known.Studies to assess the lead exposure among children in China are small in sample size and lack of national representative data.The aim of this study therefore was to describe blood lead levels and identify risk factors for lead exposure among children aged 0 to 6 years living in 16 cities in China.Methods We analyzed data from blood lead levels surveillance in China carried out in 16 large cities between 2004 and 2008.A stratified clustered random sampling strategy was used.A total of 69 968 children aged 0 to 6 years were included.We conducted multiple Logistic regression analyses to explore risk factors to high blood lead level.Results The geometric mean blood lead level of the children was 4.50 μg/dl （median：4.90 μg/dl; IQR：3.20-7.00 μg/dl）.Overall prevalence of blood lead level ≥10.00 μg/dl among 0-to 6-year-old children was 7.57%.But the proportion of blood lead level ≥5.00 but 〈10.00 μg/dl was 42.12%.Blood lead levels were significantly higher in boys （4.63 μg/dl） than in girls （4.35 μg/dl） （P 〈0.0001）.The geometric mean blood lead levels and prevalence of blood lead level ≥10.00 μg/dl increased with age （P 〈0.0001 for the two trends）.After controlling for sociodemographic,dietary and behavior factors,multivariable analysis indicated that lower maternal education,male gender,younger age,often biting pencil or/and toys,walking or playing for long time on the street,not washing hands before eating are major risk factors for higher lead levels.Conclusions The blood lead levels among Chinese children in urban areas are lower than previous studies but close to those of developed countries.However,children with low lead exposure account for almost half and the sociodemographic factors （age,male sex,and low mother education level） continue to be associated with higher blood lead levels.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51873110)the Foundation of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Natural Rubber Processing and Key Laboratory of Carb on Fiber and Functio nal Polymers(Beijing University of Chemical Technology),Ministry of Educati on.
文摘Elastomers with outstanding strength,toughness and healing efficiency are highly promising for many emerging fields.However,it is still a challenge to integrate all these beneficial features in one elastomer.Herein,an asymmetric alicyclic structure adjacent to aromatic disulfide was tactfully introduced into the backbone of polyurethane(PU)elastomer.Specifically,such elastomer(PU-HPS)was fabricated by polycondensing polytetramethylene ether glycol(PTMEG),isophorone diisocyanate(IPDI)and p-hydroxydiphenyl disulfide(HPS)via one-pot method.The molecular mobility and phase morphology of PU-HPS can be tuned by adjusting the HPS content.Consequently,the dynamic exchange of hydrogen and disulfide bonds in the hard segment domains can also be tailored.The optimized sample manifests outstanding tensile strength(46.4 MPa),high toughness(109.1 MJ/m^(3)),high self-healing efficiency after fracture(90.3%),complete scratch recovery(100%)and good puncture resistance.Therefore,this work provides a facile strategy for developing robust self-healing polymers.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.51271025)the Beijing Higher Education Young Elite Teacher Project
文摘The effect of H_2S on the corrosion behavior of 316 L stainless steel was investigated using electrochemical methods by changing the gas condition from CO_2 to H_2S and then back to CO_2. The presence of H_2S showed an acceleration effect on the corrosion of 316 L stainless steel in comparison with CO_2. The acceleration effect remained even after the complete removal of H_2S by CO_2, indicating that the passive film was irreversibly damaged. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analysis indicated that the passive film was composed of Cr_2O_3, Fe_2O_3, and FeS_2 after being immersed in H_2S-containing solutions. The semiconducting property of the passive film was then investigated by using the Mott–Schottky approach. The presence of sulfides resulted in higher acceptor and donor densities and thus was responsible for the deterioration of passive films.
文摘BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease is associated with coronary atherosclerosis indicated by carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT)thickening and altered vascular elasticity.The epicardial adipose layer can secrete proinflammatory factors that promote the formation of coronary atherosclerosis.Thus,the epicardial fat layer thickness(EAT)may also predict coronary heart disease.AIM To determine the role of common carotid artery ultrasound parameters and EAT in the early diagnosis of coronary artery disease.METHODS Based on coronary angiography,patients with newly suspected coronary heart disease were divided into case(n=107)and control(n=41)groups.The carotid ultrasound parameters,including vascular stiffness(β),elastic coefficient(EP),pulse wave conduction velocity(PWV-β),CIMT,and EAT were compared between the case and control groups and among patients with different lesion numbers in the case group.Pearson correlation was used to evaluate the early diagnostic value of EAT,common carotid artery elasticity,and CIMT for coronary heart disease.RESULTS EP,β,PWV-β,CIMT,and EAT were significantly higher in the case group compared with the levels in the control group(all P<0.001).In the case group,lesions were detected in one vessel in 34 patients,two vessels in 38 patients,and three vessels in 35 patients.Within the case group,β,EP,PWV-β,CIMT,and EAT levels significantly increased with an increased number of lesions(all P<0.001).EAT positively correlated withβ,EP,PWV-β,and CIMT(all P<0.01).The area under the curve for diagnosing coronary heart disease using EAT combined with CIMT and carotid elasticity was 0.893,and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.890 and 0.837.CONCLUSION EAT correlated well with changes in carotid artery elasticity and CIMT in patients with coronary heart disease.The combination of EAT,carotid artery elasticity,and CIMT facilitates the early diagnosis of coronary heart disease.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘The phenomenon of gamma-ray burst （GRB） spectral lags is very common, but a definitive explanation has not yet been given. From a sample of 82 GRB pulses we find that the spectral lags are correlated with the pulse widths, however, there is no correlation between the relative spectral lags and the relative pulse widths. We suspect that the correlations between spectral lags and pulse widths might be caused by the Lorentz factor of the GRBs concerned. Our analysis on the relative quantities suggests that the intrinsic spectral lag might reflect other aspect of pulses than the aspect associated with the dynamical time of shocks or that associated with the time delay due to the curvature effect.
