Fantastic Behavior of High-TC Superconductor Junctions: Tunable Superconductivity

Carrier injection performed in oxygen-deficient YBa2Cu3O7(YBCO) hetero-structure junctions exhibited tunable resistance that was entirely different with behaviors of semiconductor devices. Tunable superconductivity in YBCO junctions, increasing over 20 K in transition temperature, has achieved by using electric processes. To our knowledge, this is the first observation that intrinsic property of high TC superconductors superconductivity can be adjusted as tunable functional parameters of devices. The fantastic phenomenon caused by carrier injection was discussed based on a proposed charge carrier self-trapping model and BCS theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Junction Point Detection Algorithm for SAR Image

In this paper, we propose a novel junction point detector based on an azimuth consensus for remote sensing images. To eliminate the impact of noise and some noncorrelated edges of SAR image, an azimuth consensus constraint is developed. In addition to detecting the locations of junctions at the subpixel level, this operator recognizes their structures as well. A new formula that includes a minimization criterion for the total weighted distance is proposed to compute the locations of junction points accurately. Compared with other well-known detectors, including Forstner, JUDOCA, and CPDA, the experimental results indicate that our operator outperforms them both in location accuracy of junction points and in angle accuracy of branch edges. Moreover, our method possesses satisfying robustness to the impact of noise and changes of the SAR images. Our operator can be potentially used to solve a number of problems in computer vision, such as SAR image registration, wide-baseline matching, and UAV navigation system

(5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide inhibits the inflammatory cascade reaction in astrocytes

Many studies have shown that (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide is the optimal modified analogue of triptolide, possessing comparable immunosuppressive activity but much lower cytotoxicity than triptolide. Whether (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide has preventive effects on neuroinflammation is unclear. This study was designed to pretreat primary astrocytes from the brains of neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats with 20, 100 and 500 nM (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide for 1 hour before establishing an in vitro neuroinflammation model with 1.0 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide for 24 hours. The generation of nitric oxide was detected by Griess reagents. Astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein was measured by immunohistochemical staining. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β in the culture supernatant were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Nuclear factor-κB/p65 expression was examined by immunofluorescence staining. The phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor IκB-α and the location of nuclear factor-κB/P65 were determined using western blot assay. Our data revealed that (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide inhibited the generation of nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β from primary astrocytes activated by lipopolysaccharide, decreased the positive reaction intensity of glial fibrillary acidic protein, reduced the expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1β in culture supernatant, inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB-α and the translocation of nuclear factor-κB/P65 to the nucleus. These results have confirmed that (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced glial inflammatory response and provides cytological experimental data for (5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Health care systems in Sweden and China: Legal and formal organisational aspects

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sharing knowledge and experience internationally can provide valuable information, and comparative research can make an important contribution to knowledge about health care and cost-effective use of resources. Descriptions of the organisation of health care in different countries can be found, but no studies have specifically compared the legal and formal organisational systems in Sweden and China.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To describe and compare health care in Sweden and China with regard to legislation, organisation, and finance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature reviews were carried out in Sweden and China to identify literature published from 1985 to 2008 using the same keywords. References in recent studies were scrutinized, national legislation and regulations and government reports were searched, and textbooks were searched manually.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The health care systems in Sweden and China show dissimilarities in legislation, organisation, and finance. In Sweden there is one national law concerning health care while in China the law includes the "Hygienic Common Law" and the "Fundamental Health Law" which is under development. There is a tendency towards market-orientated solutions in both countries. Sweden has a well-developed primary health care system while the primary health care system in China is still under development and relies predominantly on hospital-based care concentrated in cities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite dissimilarities in health care systems, Sweden and China have similar basic assumptions, i.e. to combine managerial-organisational efficiency with the humanitarian-egalitarian goals of health care, and both strive to provide better care for all.</p

Factors associated with persistent positive in HBV DNA level in patients with chronic Hepatitis B receiving entecavir treatment

IntroductionThe clinical significance of persistent positive in Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) DNA level in patients receiving antiviral therapy is not well known. We investigated factors associated with persistent viremia (PV) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) given 78-week entecavir.MethodsA total of 394 treatment-naïve CHB patients who had undergone liver biopsy at baseline and week 78 of treatment were analyzed in this prospective multicentre study. We identified patients with PV (above the lower limit of quantification, 20 IU/ml) after 78 weeks of entecavir therapy. Stepwise, forward, multivariate regression analyses of specified baseline parameters were apllied to identify factors associated with PV. Futhermore, we assessed the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in all patients using models of the risk of HCC development.ResultsOf the 394 patients, 90 (22.8%) still with PV after 78-week antiviral treatment. Factors associated significantly with PV (vs complete virological response, CVR) were HBV DNA level ≥8 log10 IU/mL (OR, 3.727; 95% CI, 1.851-7.505; P &lt; 0.001), Anti-HBc level &lt; 3 log10 IU/mL (OR, 2.384; 95% CI, 1.223-4.645; P=0.011), and HBeAg seropositivity (OR, 2.871; 95% CI, 1.563-5.272; P &lt; 0.001). Patients with PV were less likely to have fibrosis progression and HCC development than those with the CVR. Of the 11 HBeAg-positive patients with HBV DNA level ≥8 log10 IU/mL and Anti-HBc level &lt; 3 log10 IU/mL at baseline, 9 (81.8%) had persistent positivity in HBV DNA level and 0 had fibrosis progression at week 78 of treatment.DiscussionIn conclusion, HBV DNA level ≥8 log10 IU/mL, Anti-HBc level &lt; 3 log10 IU/mL and HBeAg seropositivity at baseline contribute to PV in patients with CHB receiving 78-week antiviral treatment. In addition, the rate of fibrosis progression and the risk of HCC development in patients with PV were kept low. The complete protocol for the clinical trial has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01962155 and NCT03568578)

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of an Escherichia coliProduced Bivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: An Interim Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

HPV是一种常见的生殖道感染病毒，高危型HPV持续性感染能够导致几乎所有的宫颈癌，其中HPV 16型和18型危害最大，可导致约70%的宫颈癌。预防性HPV疫苗有望减少甚至最终消灭由疫苗型别导致的宫颈癌，降低HPV相关的疾病负担。该研究是在全国4个中心5个现场的18-45岁健康女性中进行的多中心、随机、双盲、对照（戊肝疫苗）的三期临床试验，该研究结果证实我校自主研发的双价人乳头瘤病毒疫苗（大肠杆菌）具有良好的安全性、免疫原性和免疫持久性，可有效地预防HPV 16型和/或18型相关的宫颈高度癌前病变及持续性感染。 该论文报告了我校和厦门万泰沧海生物技术有限公司自主研发的双价人乳头瘤病毒疫苗（大肠杆菌）三期临床试验的期中分析结果。这是第一个进入临床试验并提交药品注册申请的国产人乳头瘤病毒疫苗（HPV疫苗），有望成为世界上第四个上市的HPV疫苗，受到世界卫生组织和盖茨基金会等国际组织的高度关注。 中国医学科学院肿瘤医院乔友林教授、我校吴婷教授、广西壮族自治区疾病预防控制中心李荣成主任医师、江苏省疾病预防控制中心胡月梅主任医师、北京大学人民医院魏丽惠教授、中国食品药品检定研究院李长贵研究员、中国医学科学院肿瘤医院陈汶教授为该论文的共同第一作者，我校张军教授、夏宁邵教授和中国医学科学院肿瘤医院乔友林教授为该论文的共同通讯作者。【Abstract】Background The high cost and insufficient supply of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have slowed the pace of controlling cervical cancer. A phase 3 clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of a novel Escherichia coli-produced bivalent HPV-16/18 vaccine. Methods A multi-centre, randomized, double-blind trial started on November 22, 2012, in China. In total, 7372 eligible women aged 18-45 years were age-stratified and randomly assigned to receiving 3 doses of the test or control (hepatitis E) vaccine at months 0, 1 and 6. Co-primary endpoints included high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection (over 6 months) associated with HPV-16/18. The primary analysis was performed on a per-protocol susceptible population of individuals who were negative for relevant HPV type-specific neutralizing antibodies (at day 0) and DNA (at day 0 through month 7) and who received 3 doses of the vaccine. This report presents data from a pre-specified interim analysis used for regulatory submission. Results In the per-protocol cohort, the efficacies against high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection were 100.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 55.6% to 100.0%, 0/3306 in the vaccine group vs. 10/3296 in the control group) and 97.8% (95% CI = 87.1% to 99.9%, 1/3240 vs. 45/3246), respectively. The side effects were mild. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were noted. Robust antibody responses for both types were induced and persisted for at least 42 months. Conclusions The Escherichia coli-produced HPV-16/18 vaccine is well tolerated and highly efficacious against HPV-16/18 associated high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection in women.This work was supported by grants from the Chinese National High-tech R&D Program (863 program, 2012AA02A408), the Chinese National Major Scientific and Technological Special Project for “Significant New Drug Development” (2018ZX09308010 and 2012ZX09101316), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81673240 and U1705283), the Fujian Provincial Major Scientific and Technological Project (2015YZ0002), the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS, 2017-I2M-B&R-03, and 2016-I2M-1-019) and Xiamen Innovax. 该研究获得了国家高技术研究发展计划（863计划）、新药创制国家科技重大专项、国家自然科学基金、福建省科技重大专项、中国医学科学院医学与健康科技创新工程基金以及厦门万泰沧海生物技术有限公司的资助