Ferritin level prospectively predicts hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Previous studies have detected a higher level of ferritin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but a potential causal association between serum ferritin level and hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be clarified. Using a well-established prospective cohort and longitudinally collected serial blood samples, the association between baseline ferritin levels and HCC risk were evaluated in 1,152 patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), a major risk factor for HCC. The association was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression model using univariate and multivariate analyses and longitudinal analysis. It was demonstrated that HBV patients who developed HCC had a significantly higher baseline ferritin level than those who remained cancer-free (188.00 vs. 108.00 ng/ml, P\u3c0.0001). The patients with a high ferritin level (≥200 ng/ml) had 2.43-fold increased risk of HCC compared to those with lower ferritin levels [hazard ratio (HR), 2.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.63-3.63]. A significant trend of increasing HRs along with elevated ferritin levels was observed (P for trend \u3c0.0001). The association was still significant after multivariate adjustment. Incorporating ferritin into the α-fetoprotein (AFP) model significantly improved the performance of HCC prediction (the area under the curve from 0.74 to 0.77, P=0.003). Longitudinal analysis showed that the average ferritin level in HBV patients who developed HCC was persistently higher than in those who were cancer-free during follow-up. HCC risk reached a peak at approximately the fifth year after baseline ferritin detection. Moreover, stratified analyses showed that the association was noted in both males and females, and was prominent in patients with a low AFP value. In short, serum ferritin level could independently predict the risk of HBV-related HCC and may have a complementary role in AFP-based HCC diagnosis. Future studies are warranted to validate these findings and test its clinical applicability in HCC prevention and management. © 2018, Spandidos Publication

Efficient Topological Materials Discovery Using Symmetry Indicators

Although the richness of spatial symmetries has led to a rapidly expanding inventory of possible topological crystalline (TC) phases of electrons, physical realizations have been slow to materialize due to the practical difficulty to ascertaining band topology in realistic calculations. Here, we integrate the recently established theory of symmetry indicators of band topology into first-principle band-structure calculations, and test it on a databases of previously synthesized crystals. The combined algorithm is found to efficiently unearth topological materials and predict topological properties like protected surface states. On applying our algorithm to just 8 out of the 230 space groups, we already discover numerous materials candidates displaying a diversity of topological phenomena, which are simultaneously captured in a single sweep. The list includes recently proposed classes of TC insulators that had no previous materials realization as well as other topological phases, including: (i) a screw-protected 3D TC insulator, \b{eta}-MoTe2, with gapped surfaces except for 1D helical "hinge" states; (ii) a rotation-protected TC insulator BiBr with coexisting surface Dirac cones and hinge states; (iii) non-centrosymmetric Z2 topological insulators undetectable using the well-established parity criterion, AgXO (X=Na,K,Rb); (iv) a Dirac semimetal MgBi2O6; (v) a Dirac nodal-line semimetal AgF2; and (vi) a metal with three-fold degenerate band crossing near the Fermi energy, AuLiMgSn. Our work showcases how the recent theoretical insights on the fundamentals of band structures can aid in the practical goal of discovering new topological materials

Topological materials discovery by large-order symmetry indicators.

Crystalline symmetries play an important role in the classification of band structures, and their richness leads to various topological crystalline phases. On the basis of our recently developed method for the efficient discovery of topological materials using symmetry indicators, we explore topological materials in five space groups ( S G s), which are diagnosed by large-order symmetry indicators (ℤ8 and ℤ12) and support the coexistence of several kinds of gapless boundary states in a single compound. We predict many candidate materials; some representatives include Pt3Ge ( S G 140 ), graphite ( S G 194 ), XPt3 ( S G 221 , X = Sn, Pb), Au4Ti ( S G 87 ), and Ti2Sn ( S G 194 ). As by-products, we also find that AgXF3 ( S G 140 , X = Rb, Cs) and AgAsX ( S G 194 , X = Sr, Ba) are good Dirac semimetals with clean Fermi surfaces. The proposed materials provide a good platform for studying the novel properties emerging from the interplay between different types of boundary states

Case Study on the Basel II implementation in the United States

published_or_final_versionInternational and Public AffairsMasterMaster of International and Public Affair

In vitro transdifferentiation of liver into functional pancreatic-like cells

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Millimeter-Wave Active Array Antennas Integrating Power Amplifier MMICs through Contactless Interconnects

Next-generation mobile wireless technologies demand higher data capacity than the modern sub-6 GHz technologies can provide. With abundantly available bandwidth, millimeter waves (e.g., Ka/K bands) can offer data rates of around 10 Gbit/s; however, this shift to higher frequency bands also leads to at least 20 dB more free-space path loss. Active integrated antennas have drawn much attention to compensate for this increased power loss with high-power, energy- efficient, highly integrated array transmitters. Traditionally, amplifiers and antennas are designed separately and interconnected with 50 Ohm intermediate impedance matching networks. The design process typically de-emphasizes the correlation between antenna mutual coupling effects and amplifier nonlinearity, rendering high power consumption and poor linearity. This research aims to overcome the technical challenges of millimeter-wave active integrated array antennas on delivering high power (15–25 dBm) and high energy efficiency (≥25%) with above 10% bandwidth. A co-design methodology was proposed to maximize the output power, power efficiency, bandwidth, and linearity with defined optimal interface impedances. Contrary to conventional approaches, this methodology accounts for the correlation between mutual coupling effects and nonlinearity. A metallic cavity-backed bowtie slot antenna, with sufficient degrees of freedom in synthesizing a non 50 Ohm complex-valued optimal impedance, was adopted for high radiation efficiency and enhanced bandwidth. To overcome interconnection’s bandwidth and power loss limitations, an on-chip E-plane probe contactless transition be- tween the antenna and amplifier was proposed. An array of such antennas be- comes connected bowtie slots, allowing for wideband and wide-scan array performance. An infinite array active integrated unit cell approach was introduced for large-scale (aperture area ≈100 λ2) active array designs. The proposed co-design flow is applied in designing a Ka-band wideband, wide scan angle (\ub155\ub0/\ub140\ub0) active array antenna, consisting of the connected bowtie slot radiator fed through the on-chip probe integrated onto the output of a class AB GaAs pHEMT MMIC PA. The infinite array performance of such elements is experimentally verified, presenting a 11.3% bandwidth with a peak 40% power efficiency, 28 dBm EIRP, and 22 dBm saturated power

Inspiration

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