Lyapunov-type inequalities for (m+1)(m+1)th order half-linear differential equations with anti-periodic boundary conditions

In this work, we will establish several new Lyapunov-type inequalities for $(m+1)$th order half-linear differential equations with anti-periodic boundary conditions, the results of this paper are new and generalize and improve some early results in the literature

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Interaction with the Tumor Microenvironment in Malignant Progression of Human Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor, characterized with a rapid progression and poor prognosis despite modern therapies. Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is a membrane tyrosine kinase that could be activated by binding ligands with the extracellular domain, and communicating signals according to the tyrosine kinase activity of the intracellular domain. Recent studies revealed that RTKs such as EGFR, PDGFR and MET play key roles in cancer progression through regulation of abundant cellular processes. As transmembrane proteins, RTKs work as a mediator between the extracellular environment and intracellular compartments, translating the tumor microenvironment (TME) signals into the tumor cells. TME is also a critical regulator for the malignant process, lately receiving considerable attention. It is composed of extracellular matrix (ECM), the stromal cells (i.e., endothelial cells, microglia and fibroblasts), secreted factors, and hypoxia environment, etc. Among these, the strong invasion and sustained angiogenesis of GBM are closely related to ECM-receptor interaction and -associated signaling events. In this chapter, we consider the interaction and mechanisms of RTKs and TME in GBM progression, especially the role of ECM-receptor mediated signaling in tumor invasion, hypoxia and angiogenesis, glioma stem cells and tumor metabolism. We then summarize and discuss recent improvements on the approaches of targeting RTK and TME as the therapy in the primary GBM

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Results from Pooled Cohort Studies and Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Observational research has indicated that individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an elevated likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation (AF). Herein, we performed meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the correlation and potential causal relationship between RA and AF. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for cohort studies comparing AF risk among participants with and without RA. Quantitative synthesis of the adjusted risk ratio (RR) or hazard ratio was performed with the random-effects model. RA and AF were studied with two-sample MR analysis with the random-effects inverse variance weighted method. Patients with RA had a higher risk of AF than participants without RA [RR = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23–1.43, P < 0.0001]. Genetically predicted RA was not associated with a significantly elevated risk of AF (odds ratio = 1.009, 95% CI: 0.986–1.032, P = 0.449). After adjustment for confounding factors in multifactorial MR, RA and AF still showed no correlation. Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results, thus indicating the robustness of the causal association. Overall, RA was associated with elevated risk of AF in our meta-analysis. However, genetically predicted RA may not be causal

Sodium Fluoride Arrests Renal G2/M Phase Cell-Cycle Progression by Activating ATM-Chk2-P53/Cdc25C Signaling Pathway in Mice

Background/Aims: Excessive fluoride intake can induce cytotoxicity, DNA damage and cell-cycle changes in many tissues and organs, including the kidney. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of fluoride-induced renal cell-cycle changes are not well understood at present. In this study, we used a mouse model to investigate how sodium fluoride (NaF) induces cell-cycle changes in renal cells. Methods: Two hundred forty ICR mice were randomly assigned to four equal groups for intragastric administration of NaF (0, 12, 24 and 48 mg/kg body weight/day) for 42 days. Kidneys were taken to measure changes of the cell-cycle at 21 and 42 days of the experiment, using flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot methods. Results: NaF, at more than 12 mg/kg body weight, induced G2/M phase cell-cycle arrest in the renal cells, which was supported by the finding of significantly increased percentages of renal cells in the G2/M phase. We found also that G2/M phase cell-cycle arrest was accompanied by up-regulation of p-ATM, p-Chk2, p-p53, p-Cdc25C, p-CDK1, p21, and Gadd45a protein expression levels; up-regulation of ATM, Chk2, p53, p21, and Gadd45a mRNA expression levels; down-regulation of CyclinB1, mdm2, PCNA protein expression levels; and down-regulation of CyclinB1, CDK1, Cdc25C, mdm2, and PCNA mRNA expression levels. Conclusion: In this mouse model, NaF, at more than 12 mg/ kg, induced G2/M phase cell-cycle arrest by activating the ATM-Chk2-p53/Cdc25C signaling pathway, which inhibits the proliferation of renal cells and development of the kidney. Activation of the ATM-Chk2-p53/Cdc25C signaling pathway is the mechanism of NaF-induced renal G2/M phase cell-cycle arrest in this model

Lyapunov-type inequalities for (m+1)(m+1)th order half-linear differential equations with anti-periodic boundary conditions

In this work, we will establish several new Lyapunov-type inequalities for $(m+1)$th order half-linear differential equations with anti-periodic boundary conditions, the results of this paper are new and generalize and improve some early results in the literature

Enhanced Photothermal and Photoacoustic Performance of Graphene Oxide in NIR-II Biowindow by Chemical Reduction

We report on a novel strategy for constructing graphene oxide nanomaterials with strongly enhanced photothermal (PT) and photoacoustic (PA) performance in the near-infrared (NIR)-II biowindow by chemical reduction. Optical spectra clearly reveal that obvious enhancement of optical absorption is observed in the whole NIR wideband from the NIR-I to NIR-II region for chemically reduced graphene oxide (CR-G) nanomaterials, which is mainly arising from the restoration of the electronic conjugation within the graphene oxide sheets and therefore inducing a black-body re-introduction effect of typical graphite-like materials. We experimentally synthesized CR-G samples with different degrees of reduction to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed strategy. Experimental results show that the PT performance of the CR-G samples is greatly improved owing to the absorption enhancement by chemical reduction in the NIR-II biowindow. Furthermore, both in vitro and in vivo PA imaging of the CR-G samples with different degrees of reduction are performed to demonstrate their enhanced NIR-II PA performances. This work provides a feasible guidance for the rational design of graphene oxide nanomaterials with great potential for PT and PA applications in the NIR-II biowindow by chemical reduction

Enhanced Photothermal and Photoacoustic Performance of Graphene Oxide in NIR-II Biowindow by Chemical Reduction

We report on a novel strategy for constructing graphene oxide nanomaterials with strongly enhanced photothermal (PT) and photoacoustic (PA) performance in the near-infrared (NIR)-II biowindow by chemical reduction. Optical spectra clearly reveal that obvious enhancement of optical absorption is observed in the whole NIR wideband from the NIR-I to NIR-II region for chemically reduced graphene oxide (CR-G) nanomaterials, which is mainly arising from the restoration of the electronic conjugation within the graphene oxide sheets and therefore inducing a black-body re-introduction effect of typical graphite-like materials. We experimentally synthesized CR-G samples with different degrees of reduction to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed strategy. Experimental results show that the PT performance of the CR-G samples is greatly improved owing to the absorption enhancement by chemical reduction in the NIR-II biowindow. Furthermore, both in vitro and in vivo PA imaging of the CR-G samples with different degrees of reduction are performed to demonstrate their enhanced NIR-II PA performances. This work provides a feasible guidance for the rational design of graphene oxide nanomaterials with great potential for PT and PA applications in the NIR-II biowindow by chemical reduction

Dual-Chirp Photonics-Based Radar for Distance and Velocity Measurement Based on Compressive Sensing

We proposed a dual-chirp microwave photonic radar based on compressive sensing for distance and velocity measurement. This radar can generate different chirp linear frequency modulated (LFM) signals using a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPMZM). In the receiving part, a dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator (DDMZM) and a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) are cascaded for the optical mixing and de-chirp processing with a pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS). Then the mixed signal can be gathered by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) at a sampling rate that is well below the Nyquist sampling rate. Using fewer sampling points, the reconstruction algorithm can recover the de-chirped signal accurately with a compression ratio of 8. A proof-of-concept experiment demonstrates that when the target is stationary, the distance measurement error is about 1.560 cm. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the recovery signal is enhanced to 30.725 dB. When the target is moving, the simulation results present that the maximum distance error is 1.2 cm, and the velocity error is below 0.140 m/s. This compressive sensing radar reduces the pressure of a massive amount of data storage or processing and guarantees the accuracy of signal recovery. At the same time, it breaks the limitation of operation bandwidth and increases the speed of operation