Moth-Eye Anti-Reflection Surface For Sunlight Readable Flexible Displays

A broadband anti-reflection surface with moth-eye structure for sunlight readable flexible displays is demonstrated. The proposed nanostructure exhibits excellent anti-reflection performance (luminous reflectance 0.23%), low haze (0.95%), great flexibility (curve radius \u3c8 mm), high hardness (\u3e3H) and self-cleaning characteristics. A numerical model is developed to simulate and optimize the nanostructure. Excellent agreement between simulation and experiment is obtained

Broadband Antireflection Film With Moth-Eye-Like Structure For Flexible Display Applications

Sunlight readability is a critical requirement for display devices, especially for mobile displays. Anti-reflection (AR) films can greatly improve sunlight readability by reducing the surface reflection. In this work, we demonstrate a broadband moth-eye-like AR surface on a flexible substrate, intended for flexible display applications. The motheye- like nanostructure was fabricated by an imprinting process onto a flexible substrate with a thin hard-coating film. The proposed nanostructure exhibits excellent AR with luminous reflectance \u3c0.23% and haze below 1% with indistinguishable image quality deterioration. A rigorous numerical model is developed to simulate and optimize the optical behaviors. Excellent agreement between the experiment and simulation is obtained. Meanwhile, the nanostructure shows robust mechanical characteristics (pencil hardness \u3e3 H), which is favorable for touch panels. A small bending radius (8 mm) was also demonstrated, which makes the proposed nanostructure applicable for flexible displays. Additionally, a fluoroalkyl coating was applied onto the moth-eye-like surface to improve the hydrophobicity (with a water contact angle \u3e100°). Such a self-cleaning feature helps protect touch panels from dust and fingerprints. The proposed moth-eye-like AR film is expected to find widespread applications for sunlight readable flexible and curved displays

Is peptic ulcer disease a risk factor of postherpetic neuralgia in patients with herpes zoster?

Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of herpes zoster which is caused by areactivation of latent varicella zoster virus. The pathogenesis of postherpetic neuralgia may involveperipheral and central mechanisms. Reported risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia include femalegender, old age, diminished cell-mediated immunity and nutritional deficiencies. Based on our clinicalobservation which revealed that peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is one of the common comorbidities inpatients with postherpetic neuralgia, we hypothesize that herpes zoster patients with PUD may be at agreater risk for the development of postherpetic neuralgia due to their impaired cellular immunity anddepressed nutritional status. Major causes of PUD include Helicobacter pylori infection and usage ofulcerogenic medications. Patients with H. pylori infection may develop T cell dysfunctions and nutritionaldeficiencies including vitamin C, iron, cobalamin, carotenes and alpha-tocopherol. Ulcerogenicmedications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids have been found not only tobe ulcerogenic but also immunosuppressive to T cells. In addition, usage of steroids and nonsteroidalanti-inflammatory drugs may cause deficiencies of alpha-tocopherol, carotenes, cobalamin, iron, zincand vitamin C. Vitamin C, carotenes and alpha-tocopherol are anti-inflammatory and the major oxidantscavengers in the aqua phase and biomembranes. Deficiencies of these nutrients may induce dysregulatedinflammation and oxidative damage leading to neuropathic pain in patients with herpes zoster.Furthermore, nutrient deficiencies including zinc, iron, cobalamin and vitamin C are associated withdysregulation of Ca(v)3.2 T-channels and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, upregulation of nitric oxidesynthase, the increase of nitric oxide formation and dysfunction of central norepinephrine inhibitory painpathway. Prospective cohort studies are suggested to test the hypothesis. We further propose that afollow-up study that contains two groups of herpes zoster patients, i.e., with or without gastroendoscopy-proven PUD, be conducted to determine their incidence of postherpetic neuralgia. In addition,despite of the high proportion of zoster patients having been treated with antiviral therapies, preventionand treatment of postherpetic neuralgia remain challenging in clinical practice. The potential risk ofpostherpetic neuralgia in zoster patients with PUD could mean that physicians need to pay more attentionto the comorbidity - PUD in patients with herpes zoster and treat PUD earlier in order to prevent thedevelopment of postherpetic neuralgia

Suboptimal Plasma Vitamin C Is Associated with Lower Bone Mineral Density in Young and Early Middle-Aged Men: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate associations between bone mineral density (BMD) and four selected circulating nutrients, particularly vitamin C, among adults aged 20–49 years. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the lumbar spine BMD of 866 men and 589 women were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and divided into tertiles, respectively. Logistic regressions were used to identify the predictors of low BMD by comparing subjects with the highest BMD to those with the lowest. Results: Multivariate logistic regressions identified suboptimal plasma vitamin C (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16, 2.31), suboptimal serum vitamin B12 (AOR 2.05, 95% CI 1.02, 4.12), and low BMI (BMI 8.8 mg/L), was positively significantly correlated with the lumbar spine BMD in men, but there was no association in women. Conclusions: Plasma vitamin C, categorized as suboptimal and sufficient, was positively associated with the lumbar spine BMD in young and early middle-aged men. A well-designed cohort study is needed to confirm the findings

Efficacy and safety of gefapixant for chronic cough: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Background The efficacy and safety of gefapixant in adults with chronic cough remain unclear. Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of gefapixant using updated evidence. Methods MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Embase databases were searched from inception through September 2022. Subgroup analysis based on dose of gefapixant (i.e. ≤20, 45–50 and ≥100 mg twice daily for low, moderate and high doses, respectively) was performed to explore a potential dose-dependent effect. Results Five studies involving seven trials showed the efficacy of moderate- or high-dose gefapixant for reducing objective 24-h cough frequency (estimated relative reduction 30.9% and 58.5%, respectively) (i.e. primary outcome) and awake cough frequency (estimated relative reduction 47.3% and 62.8%, respectively). Night-time cough frequency was only reduced with high-dose gefapixant. Consistently, the use of moderate- or high-dose gefapixant significantly alleviated cough severity and improved cough-related quality of life, but increased the risk of all-cause adverse events (AEs), treatment-related AEs and ageusia/dysgeusia/hypogeusia. Subgroup analysis showed dose dependency in both efficacy and AEs with a cut-off dose being ≥45 mg twice daily. Conclusions This meta-analysis revealed dose-dependent efficacy and adverse effects of gefapixant against chronic cough. Further studies are required to investigate the feasibility of moderate-dose (i.e. 45–50 mg twice daily) gefapixant in clinical practice

Association of prognostic nutritional index with long-term mortality in patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome: a meta-analysis

Abstract The predictive value of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for the long-term prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains uncertain. Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched from inception until January 2023 to study the relationship between all-cause mortality risk and PNI in patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention for ACS (i.e., primary outcome). Thirteen observational studies were included in this meta-analysis. Analysis of seven studies using PNI as a categorical variable showed a pooled hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality of 2.97 (95% CI 1.65 to 5.34, p = 0.0003, I2 = 89%, n = 11,245) for patients with a low PNI. The meta-analysis also showed a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with a low PNI (HR 2.04; 95% CI 1.59 to 2.61; p < 0.00001; I2 = 21%; n = 8534). Moreover, advanced age, diabetes mellitus, and high Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk scores were associated with a high risk of all-cause mortality, whereas a high body mass index was associated with a low risk of all-cause mortality. The results showed an association between a low PNI and an increased risk of long-term mortality in patients undergoing coronary interventions for ACS. Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm these findings