Josephson current transport through a Quantum Dot in an Aharonov-Bohm Ring

The Josephson current through an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interferometer, in which a quantum dot (QD) is situated on one arm and a magnetic flux $\Phi$ threads through the ring, has been investigated. With the existence of the magnetic flux, the relation of the Josephson current and the superconductor phase is complex, and the system can be adjusted to $\pi$ junction by either modulating the magnetic flux or the QD's energy level $\varepsilon_d$. Due to the electron-hole symmetry, the Josephson current $I$ has the property $I(\varepsilon_d,\Phi)=I(-\varepsilon_d,\Phi+\pi)$. The Josephson current exhibits a jump when a pair of Andreev bound states aligns with the Fermi energy. The condition for the current jump is given. In particularly, we find that the position of the current jump and the position of the maximum value of the critical current $I_c$ are identical. Due to the interference between the two paths, the critical current $I_c$ versus the QD's level $\varepsilon_d$ shows a typical Fano shape, which is similar to the Fano effect in the corresponding normal device. But they also show some differences. For example, the critical current never reaches zero for any parameters, while the current in the normal device can reach zero at the destruction point.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Effects of STAT3 Gene Silencing and Rapamycin on Apoptosis in Hepatocarcinoma Cells

The PI3K/Akt/mTOR and JAK/STAT3 signaling pathways are important for regulating apoptosis, and are frequently activated in cancers. In this study, we targeted STAT3 and mTOR in human hepatocellular carcinoma Bel-7402 cells and examined the subsequent alterations in cellular apoptosis. The expression of STAT3 was silenced with small interfering RNA (siRNA)-expressing plasmid. The activity of mTOR was inhibited using rapamycin. Following treatment, Annexin V/propidium iodide staining followed by flow cytometry and Hoechst33258 immunofluorescence staining was used to examine cellular apoptosis. JC-1 staining was used to monitor depolarization of mitochondrial membrane (ΔΨm). Furthermore, the expression of activated caspase 3 protein was analyzed by Western blotting. Compared to non-treated or control siRNA-transfected cells, significantly higher levels of apoptosis were detected in siSTAT3-transfected or rapamycin-treated cells (P < 0.05), which was further enhanced in cells targeted for both molecules (P < 0.05). The pro-apoptotic effects were accompanied with concomitant depolarization of mitochondrial membrane and up-regulation of activated caspase 3. Combined treatments using rapamycin and STAT3 gene silencing significantly increases apoptosis in Bel-7402 cells, displaying more dramatic effect than any single treatment. This study provides evidence for targeting multiple molecules in cancer therapy

Correlation between Drug Compliance and Quality of Life in AIDS Patients under Effects of Nursing Intervention

Objective: Good drug compliance is the significant premise of the therapeutic efficacy and the physically healthy level could be reflected by the quality of life. It will be of great importance in enhancing the drug compliance and the quality of life for patients to firm their confidence in fighting with the disease, cooperate with treatment and prolong the lifetime through researching the nursing intervention model for AIDS patients. Based on the analysis of the effects of nursing intervention on AIDS patients’ drug compliance and quality of life, this report studies the correlation between drug compliance and quality of life in AIDS patients under effects of nursing intervention, so as to provide theoretical basis for offering reasonable scheme of nursing intervention more comprehensively, assess the effect of treatment and improve the entirely healthy level of AIDS patients. Methods: A total of 240 AIDS patients were selected as subjects randomly, who were randomized into control group and intervention group, with 120 patients in each group. Both control group and intervention group were given routine nursing measures, while intervention group was given reasonable nursing intervention measures according to nursing requirements on the basis of routine nursing. Baseline data of patients, data after 3 months of observation and data after 10 months of observation were collected using self-made Antiviral Drug Compliance Questionnaire and World Health Organization Quality of Life with 100 Questions (WHOQOL-100), followed by rank correlation analysis and regression analysis. Results: After 3 months and 10 months of nursing intervention, there was obvious rank correlation between patients’ drug compliance and quality of life in the intervention group. After 10 months of nursing intervention, the effects of drug compliance showed obvious gradual enhancement. As for domains of quality of life, after 3 months of nursing intervention, the rank correlation between drug compliance and physiology domain, independence domain and social relation domain became significant; after 10 months of nursing intervention, the rank correlation became more significant, and the rank correlation between drug compliance and psychology domain and environment domain also became significant. Conclusion: Drug compliance has direct influence on the therapeutic effects of patients, and the quality of life can improve the therapeutic effects of patients through influencing patients’ drug compliance. With the continuation of intervention measures, the effects of intervention show gradual enhancement. Keywords: AIDS; correlation; nursing intervention; treatment compliance; quality of lif

The “obesity paradox” in patients with atrial fibrillation:Insights from the Gulf SAFE registry

BACKGROUND: The prognostic impact of obesity on patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains under-evaluated and controversial. METHODS: Patients with AF from the Gulf Survey of Atrial Fibrillation Events (Gulf SAFE) registry were included, who were recruited from six countries in the Middle East Gulf region and followed for 12 months. A multivariable model was established to investigate the association of obesity with clinical outcomes, including stroke or systemic embolism (SE), bleeding, admission for heart failure (HF) or AF, all-cause mortality, and a composite outcome. Restricted cubic splines were depicted to illustrate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and outcomes. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted. RESULTS: A total of 1,804 patients with AF and recorded BMI entered the final analysis (mean age 56.2 ± 16.1 years, 47.0% female); 559 (31.0%) were obese (BMI over 30 kg/m(2)). In multivariable analysis, obesity was associated with reduced risks of stroke/systematic embolism [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.18–0.89], bleeding [aOR 0.44, 95%CI, 0.26–0.74], HF admission (aOR 0.61, 95%CI, 0.41–0.90) and the composite outcome (aOR 0.65, 95%CI, 0.50–0.84). As a continuous variable, higher BMI was associated with lower risks for stroke/SE, bleeding, HF admission, all-cause mortality, and the composite outcome as demonstrated by the accumulated incidence of events and restricted cubic splines. This “protective effect” of obesity was more prominent in some subgroups of patients. CONCLUSION: Among patients with AF, obesity and higher BMI were associated with a more favorable prognosis in the Gulf SAFE registry. The underlying mechanisms for this obesity “paradox” merit further exploration

Comparative Efficacy of Ivermectin and Levamisole for Reduction of Migrating and Encapsulated Larvae of Baylisascaris transfuga in Mice

The comparative efficacy of 2 anthelmintics (ivermectin and levamisole) against Baylisascaris transfuga migrating and encapsulated larvae was studied in mice. A total of 60 BALB/c mice inoculated each with about 1,000 embryonated B. transfuga eggs were equally divided into 6 groups (A-F) randomly. Mice of groups A and B were treated with ivermectin and levamisole, respectively, on day 3 post-infection (PI). Mice of groups A-C were killed on day 13 PI. Similarly, groups D and E were treated with ivermectin and levamisole, respectively, on day 14 PI, and all mice of groups D-F were treated on day 24 PI. The groups C and F were controls. Microexamination was conducted to count the larvae recovering from each mouse. The percentages of reduction in the number of migrating larvae recovered from group A (ivermectin) and B (levamisole) were 88.3% and 81.1%, respectively. In addition, the reduction in encapsulated larvae counts achieved by ivermectin (group D) and levamisole (group E) was 75.0% and 49.2%, respectively. The results suggested that, to a certain extent, both anthelmintics appeared to be more effective against migrating larvae than encapsulated larvae. However, in the incipient stage of infection, ivermectin may be more competent than levamisole as a larvicidal drug for B. transfuga

Ribosomal S6 Kinase 2 (RSK2) Maintains Genomic Stability by Activating the Atm/p53-Dependent DNA Damage Pathway

10.1371/journal.pone.0074334PLoS ONE89-POLN