Full-range Gate-controlled Terahertz Phase Modulations with Graphene Metasurfaces

Local phase control of electromagnetic wave, the basis of a diverse set of applications such as hologram imaging, polarization and wave-front manipulation, is of fundamental importance in photonic research. However, the bulky, passive phase modulators currently available remain a hurdle for photonic integration. Here we demonstrate full-range active phase modulations in the Tera-Hertz (THz) regime, realized by gate-tuned ultra-thin reflective metasurfaces based on graphene. A one-port resonator model, backed by our full-wave simulations, reveals the underlying mechanism of our extreme phase modulations, and points to general strategies for the design of tunable photonic devices. As a particular example, we demonstrate a gate-tunable THz polarization modulator based on our graphene metasurface. Our findings pave the road towards exciting photonic applications based on active phase manipulations

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

A New Method to get the LVEF Reference Values of the Healthy Adult Male by Heart Rate and Geographical Environment Factors

Summary: Background: Finding a new method to get the Chinese healthy adult male LVEF reference values with heart rate & geo graphical environment factors. It is more accurate and simpler while considering different areas and individual differences. Methods: Collecting 3502 cases from more than 44 cities healthy adult male LVEF reference values and heart rate reference values (X1) within 10 years published articles in CNKI. A correlation analysis and ridge regression were employed to extract dependent geographical environment factors and predict the reference values of LVEF. The Kriging interpolation of geostatistical analysis were developed to reveal the spatial distribution characteristics of the LVEF values. Results: It has a correlation between LVEF and heart rate (X1)& geographical environment factors. The ridge regression equation of LVEF reference values and geographical environment factors is formula(1). The equation of LVEF reference values with heart rate and geographical environment factors is formula(2). Conclusion: The Chinese healthy adult male LVEF distribution showed a downward trend from south to north. Some geographical environment factors have impact on LVEF reference values including latitude, annual precipitation amount and mean air temperature distribution. LVEF is negative correlation with heart rate. When geographical environment factors and individual's heart rate are known, the local and individual's LVEF reference values can be derived from the formulas. Keywords: LVEF, reference values, heart rate, regional differences, geographical environment factor

Eltrombopag with or without Tacrolimus for relapsed/refractory acquired aplastic anaemia: a prospective randomized trial

Abstract This trial compared eltrombopag (EPAG)+tacrolimus and EPAG monotherapy in patients with refractory/relapsed acquired aplastic anaemia (AA). Patients with refractory/relapsed AA were randomly assigned to receive either EPAG+tacrolimus or EPAG monotherapy at a ratio of 2:1. Patient response, safety, clonal evolution and survival were compared. In total, 114 patients were included in the analysis, with 76 patients receiving EPAG+tacrolimus and 38 receiving EPAG only. With a median follow-up of 18 (6–24) months, the overall response rate (ORR) for patients treated with EPAG+tacrolimus and EPAG alone was 38.2% vs. 31.6% (P = 0.490) at the 3rd month, 61.8% vs. 39.5% (P = 0.024) at the 6th month, 64.5% vs. 47.1% (P = 0.097) at the 12th month, and 60.5% vs. 34.2% (P = 0.008) at the last follow-up. The rate of each adverse event, overall survival curves (P = 0.635) and clonal evolution rate (P = 1.000) were comparable between the groups. A post hoc subgroup analysis showed that EPAG+tacrolimus could have advantage over EPAG monotherapy in terms of the ORR at the 6th month (P = 0.030)/last follow-up (P = 0.013) and the cumulative relapse-free survival (RFS) curves (P = 0.048) in patients <60 years old

Maternal Body Mass Index, Gestational Weight Gain, and Risk of Cancer in Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Mounting evidence suggests that maternal obesity and gestational weight gain (GWG) may increase the risk of cancer in their offspring; however, results are inconsistent. The purpose of this research is to determine the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) and GWG and the risk of cancer in offspring through a systematic and comprehensive meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic literature search of several databases was conducted on 1 October 2022 to identify relevant studies. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. The overall risk estimates were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Twenty-two studies with more than 8 million participants were included. An increased risk of total cancer was found in offspring whose mothers had a high GWG (odds ratio [OR]: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01–1.19; p: 0.040) but not in offspring whose mothers had a low GWG (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.96–1.17; p: 0.030), when compared with offspring whose mothers had a suitable GWG. In addition, no statistically significant association was found between maternal underweight (OR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.97–1.13; p: 0.630), overweight/obesity (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.99–1.16; p: 0.020), and risk of total cancer in offspring. Conclusions: Our study proposes evidence that maternal BMI and GWG may be associated with the risk of cancer in offspring, although statistical significance was found only for high GWG. Further well-designed research is required to clarify the potential relevance of maternal BMI and GWG on offspring cancer, especially for specific cancers

Extracellular vesicles derived from human dental mesenchymal stem cells stimulated with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound alleviate inflammation-induced bone loss in a mouse model of periodontitis

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a new mode of intercellular crosstalk and are responsible for many of the therapeutic effects of MSCs. To promote the application of MSC-EVs, recent studies have focused on the manipulation of MSCs to improve the production of EVs and EV-mediated activities. The current paper details an optimization method using non-invasive low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) as the stimulation for improving oral MSC-EV production and effectiveness. Stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP), a type of oral mesenchymal stem cell, displayed intensity-dependent pro-osteogenic and anti-inflammatory responses to LIPUS without significant cytotoxicity or apoptosis. The stimuli increased the secretion of EVs by promoting the expression of neutral sphingomyelinases in SCAP. In addition, EVs from LIPUS-induced SCAP exhibited stronger efficacy in promoting the osteogenic differentiation and anti-inflammation of periodontal ligament cells in vitro and alleviating oral inflammatory bone loss in vivo. In addition, LIPUS stimulation affected the physical characteristics and miRNA cargo of SCAP-EVs. Further investigations indicated that miR-935 is an important mediator of the pro-osteogenic and anti-inflammatory capabilities of LIPUS-induced SCAP-EVs. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that LIPUS is a simple and effective physical method to optimize SCAP-EV production and efficacy