CT-guided core needle biopsy of the lung in patients with primary malignancy suspected of lung metastasis: 5-year experience from a single institution

PURPOSEWe aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and safety profile of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) in patients with primary malignancy suspected of lung metastasis and assess possible factors associated with nondiagnostic results.METHODSAll PTNBs with core needle performed in our hospital from January 2014 to January 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Overall, 108 cases were found to have a history of primary malignancy with suspected lung metastasis. Patient demographics, lesion characteristics, procedure techniques and complications were evaluated as predictors of overall diagnosis, final diagnosis of lung metastasis, and nondiagnostic results. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate analysis.RESULTSThe overall diagnostic accuracy of PTNB was 83.3%. Lung metastasis was found in 52.8% of PTNBs (57 of 108) and nondiagnostic results were present in 27.6% (18 of 108). Of the 18 cases with nondiagnostic results, 11 cases had a final diagnosis of lung metastasis (61.1%), yielding PTNB a sensitivity of 83.8% and specificity of 100% for the detection of lung metastasis. Smaller lesion size (p = 0.014), pneumothorax (p = 0.026), and hemoptysis (p = 0.014) were significantly associated with overall nondiagnostic results. Similarly, smaller lesion size (p = 0.047), pneumothorax (p = 0.019), high-grade pulmonary hemorrhage (p = 0.019), and hemoptysis (p = 0.012) were significantly correlated with unsuccessful biopsies in the diagnosis of lung metastasis.CONCLUSIONCT-guided core needle biopsy of the lung in patients with primary malignancy suspected of lung metastasis has a high diagnostic accuracy with acceptable complication rates. Small lesion size, pneumothorax, high-grade pulmonary hemorrhage, and hemoptysis are significantly associated with nondiagnostic results in the final diagnosis of lung metastasis. Repeat biopsy and clinical/radiological follow-up should be considered in cancer patients with nondiagnostic results due to the high probability of lung metastasis

Suspended silicon integrated platform for the long-wavelength mid-infrared band

The atmospheric-transmission window and the fingerprint region of many substances overlaps with the long-wave infrared band. This has enabled the emergence of a new path for photonic integrated circuits, which could exploit the potential applications of this wavelength range, including chemical and bio sensing. In this work we review our latest advances in the suspended silicon platform with subwavelength grating lateral cladding at 7.7-µm wavelength. Suspended waveguides only require one lithographic etch step and can be specifically designed to maximize sensitivity when used as sensors. Waveguides with propagation loss of 3.1±0.3 dB/cm are demonstrated, as well as bends with less than 0.1 dB/bend. Suspended waveguides based on shifted Bragg grating lateral cladding are also reported, with propagation loss of 5.1±0.6 dB/cm. These results prepare the ground for the development of a platform capable of covering the entire mid-infrared band. Keywords: suspended silicon, mid-infrared, long-wave infrared, subwavelength grating, Bragg.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Sciences for The 2.5-meter Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST)

The Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST) is a dedicated photometric survey facility under construction jointly by the University of Science and Technology of China and Purple Mountain Observatory. It is equipped with a primary mirror of 2.5m in diameter, an active optical system, and a mosaic CCD camera of 0.73 Gpix on the main focus plane to achieve high-quality imaging over a field of view of 6.5 square degrees. The installation of WFST in the Lenghu observing site is planned to happen in the summer of 2023, and the operation is scheduled to commence within three months afterward. WFST will scan the northern sky in four optical bands (u, g, r, and i) at cadences from hourly/daily to semi-weekly in the deep high-cadence survey (DHS) and the wide field survey (WFS) programs, respectively. WFS reaches a depth of 22.27, 23.32, 22.84, and 22.31 in AB magnitudes in a nominal 30-second exposure in the four bands during a photometric night, respectively, enabling us to search tremendous amount of transients in the low-z universe and systematically investigate the variability of Galactic and extragalactic objects. Intranight 90s exposures as deep as 23 and 24 mag in u and g bands via DHS provide a unique opportunity to facilitate explorations of energetic transients in demand for high sensitivity, including the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational-wave events detected by the second/third-generation GW detectors, supernovae within a few hours of their explosions, tidal disruption events and luminous fast optical transients even beyond a redshift of 1. Meanwhile, the final 6-year co-added images, anticipated to reach g about 25.5 mag in WFS or even deeper by 1.5 mag in DHS, will be of significant value to general Galactic and extragalactic sciences. The highly uniform legacy surveys of WFST will also serve as an indispensable complement to those of LSST which monitors the southern sky.Comment: 46 pages, submitted to SCMP

SOI Waveguide Integrated Graphene Mid-Infrared Detector

Mid-infrared group IV photonics is a vibrant field, which aims to migrate techniques used for near-infrared silicon photonics to longer wavelengths in order to build photonic integrated lab-on-a-chip sensors that can be applied in areas such as remote sensing, homeland security, medical diagnostics or environmental monitoring.In order to create mid-infrared lab-on-a-chip sensors, both passive and active devices are required. Passive deceives for wavelengths up to 4 m can be created using the silicon-on-insulator waveguide platform, which is commonly used in the near-infrared, and is compatible with the standard and developed near-infrared fabrication techniques. Graphene is a 2-D material that has excellent electronic and optical properties. It can interact with light from microwave to ultraviolet wavelengths, making it a potential candidate for light detection applications over a wide spectral range. By taking advantage of the wide transparency range of group IV platforms in the midinfrared and the 2-D nature of graphene, this project is aiming to investigate the integration of graphene mid-infrared photodetectors with silicon waveguides.In this project, two different designs of SOI waveguide integrated graphene mid-infrared photodetectors have been fabricated and characterised, exhibiting responsivities of 2.2 mA/W at the 3.8 m wavelength, which is the longest wavelength demonstration up date of waveguide integrated graphene photodetection. In addition, these devices exhibited photodetection at wavelengths up to 7.7 m, confirming that graphene is a promising detector candidate for even longer wavelengths

Dataset for: SOI Waveguide Integrated Graphene Mid-Infrared Detector

Data to support the doctoral thesis entitled : SOI Waveguide Integrated Graphene Mid-Infrared Detector, University of southampton, 2019.</span

Effects of Botulinum Toxin Type A on Collagen Deposition in Hypertrophic Scars

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Promotional Effect of Pt-Doping on the Catalytic Performance of Pt−CeO₂ Catalyst for CO Oxidation

Growing interest in the development of a hydrogen economy means that CO oxidation is increasingly important for upgrading H2-rich fuel gas streams for fuel cells. CeO2-supported catalysts are the most promising candidates for the catalytic oxidation of CO because of their high activity. In the present work, DFT+U calculations were performed to investigate the stability and CO oxidation reactivity of Ptn (n = 1−4) clusters supported on CeO2(111) (Pt/CeO2) and Pt-doped CeO2(111) (Pt/(Pt−Ce)O2) surfaces. The Pt clusters showed similar nucleation behavior on both CeO2 and (Pt−Ce)O2 surfaces. Further, the formation of oxygen vacancies (Ov) was facilitated because of surface charge depletion caused by the dopant Pt. Our DFT results suggest that the interfacial OV plays an important role in the CO oxidation reaction cycle, and the calculated energy barrier for the CO oxidation reaction on the Pt/(Pt−Ce)O2 surface is approximately 0.43 eV lower than that on the surface of the undoped catalyst, suggesting enhanced CO oxidation reactivity. Therefore, the chemical modification of the CeO2 support via doping is an effective strategy for improving the catalytic performance of Pt/CeO2

Promotional Effect of Pt-Doping on the Catalytic Performance of Pt&minus;CeO2 Catalyst for CO Oxidation

Growing interest in the development of a hydrogen economy means that CO oxidation is increasingly important for upgrading H2-rich fuel gas streams for fuel cells. CeO2-supported catalysts are the most promising candidates for the catalytic oxidation of CO because of their high activity. In the present work, DFT+U calculations were performed to investigate the stability and CO oxidation reactivity of Ptn (n = 1&minus;4) clusters supported on CeO2(111) (Pt/CeO2) and Pt-doped CeO2(111) (Pt/(Pt&minus;Ce)O2) surfaces. The Pt clusters showed similar nucleation behavior on both CeO2 and (Pt&minus;Ce)O2 surfaces. Further, the formation of oxygen vacancies (Ov) was facilitated because of surface charge depletion caused by the dopant Pt. Our DFT results suggest that the interfacial OV plays an important role in the CO oxidation reaction cycle, and the calculated energy barrier for the CO oxidation reaction on the Pt/(Pt&minus;Ce)O2 surface is approximately 0.43 eV lower than that on the surface of the undoped catalyst, suggesting enhanced CO oxidation reactivity. Therefore, the chemical modification of the CeO2 support via doping is an effective strategy for improving the catalytic performance of Pt/CeO2