2,541 research outputs found
Differential hepatic features presenting in Wilson disease-associated cirrhosis and hepatitis B-associated cirrhosis
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND Cirrhosis is a chronic late stage liver disease associated with hepatitis viruses, alcoholism, and metabolic disorders, such as Wilson disease (WD). There are no clear markers or clinical features that define cirrhosis originating from these disparate origins. We hypothesized that cirrhosis is not one disease and cirrhosis of different etiology may have differential clinical hepatic features. AIM To delineate the liver features between WD-associated cirrhosis and hepatitis Bassociated cirrhosis in the Chinese population. METHODS In this observational study, we reviewed the medical data of consecutive inpatients who had WD-associated cirrhosis or hepatitis B-associated cirrhosis from January 2010 to August 2018, and excluded patients who had carcinoma, severe heart or pulmonary diseases, or other liver diseases. According to the etiology of cirrhosis, patients were divided into two groups: WD-associated cirrhosis group (60 patients) and hepatitis B-associated cirrhosis group (56 patients). The liver fibrosis degree, liver function indices, and portal hypertension features of these patients were compared between the two groups. RESULTS No inter-group differences were observed in the diagnostic liver fibrosis markers, however, clinical features clearly defined the origin of cirrhosis. WD-associated cirrhosis patients (16-29 years) had lower levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and bilirubin, lower prothrombin time, lower incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, and lower portal vein diameter (P < 0.05), compared to cirrhosis resulting from hepatitis B in older patients (45-62 years). Importantly, they had decreased risks of progression from Child-Pugh grade A to B (odds ratio = 0.046, 95% confidence interval: 0.006-0.387, P = 0.005) and of ascites (odds ratio = 0.08, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.48, P = 0.005). Conversely, WDassociated cirrhosis patients had a higher risk of splenomegaly (odds ratio = 4.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.38-12.45, P = 0.011). CONCLUSION WD-associated cirrhosis presents a higher risk of splenomegaly associated with leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, although revealing milder liver dysfunction and portal hypertension symptoms, which recommends WD patients to be monitored for associated complications
First-principles study of native point defects in Bi2Se3
Using first-principles method within the framework of the density functional
theory, we study the influence of native point defect on the structural and
electronic properties of BiSe. Se vacancy in BiSe is a double
donor, and Bi vacancy is a triple acceptor. Se antisite (Se) is always
an active donor in the system because its donor level ((+1/0))
enters into the conduction band. Interestingly, Bi antisite(Bi) in
BiSe is an amphoteric dopant, acting as a donor when
0.119eV (the material is typical p-type) and as an acceptor when
0.251eV (the material is typical n-type). The formation energies
under different growth environments (such as Bi-rich or Se-rich) indicate that
under Se-rich condition, Se is the most stable native defect independent
of electron chemical potential . Under Bi-rich condition, Se vacancy
is the most stable native defect except for under the growth window as
0.262eV (the material is typical n-type) and
-0.459eV(Bi-rich), under such growth windows one
negative charged Bi is the most stable one.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
IBED: Combining IBEA and DE for optimal feature selection in software product line engineering
Comparative Transcriptomics of Strawberries (Fragaria spp.) Provides Insights into Evolutionary Patterns
Multiple closely related species with genomic sequences provide an ideal system for studies on comparative and evolutionary genomics, as well as the mechanism of speciation. The whole genome sequences of six strawberry species (Fragaria spp.) have been released, which provide one of the richest genomic resources of any plant genus. In this study, we first generated seven transcriptome sequences of Fragaria species de novo, with a total of 48,557–82,537 unigenes per species. Combined with 13 other species genomes in Rosales, we reconstructed a phylogenetic tree at the genomic level. The phylogenic tree shows that Fragaria closed grouped with Rubus and the Fragaria clade is divided into three subclades. East Asian species appeared in every subclade, suggesting that the genus originated in this area at ∼7.99 Mya. Four species found in mountains of Southwest China originated at ∼3.98 Mya, suggesting that rapid speciation occurred to adapt to changing environments following the uplift of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Moreover, we identified 510 very significantly positively selected genes in the cultivated species F. × ananassa genome. This set of genes was enriched in functions related to specific agronomic traits, such as carbon metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction processes, which are directly related to fruit quality and flavor. These findings illustrate comprehensive evolutionary patterns in Fragaria and the genetic basis of fruit domestication of cultivated strawberry at the genomic/transcriptomic level
Generation of high-density high-polarization positrons via single-shot strong laser-foil interaction
We put forward a novel method for producing ultrarelativistic high-density
high-polarization positrons through a single-shot interaction of a strong laser
with a tilted solid foil. In our method, the driving laser ionizes the target,
and the emitted electrons are accelerated and subsequently generate abundant
photons via the nonlinear Compton scattering, dominated by the laser.
These photons then generate polarized positrons via the nonlinear
Breit-Wheeler process, dominated by a strong self-generated quasi-static
magnetic field . We find that placing the foil at an
appropriate angle can result in a directional orientation of , thereby polarizing positrons. Manipulating the laser polarization
direction can control the angle between the photon polarization and
, significantly enhancing the positron polarization degree.
Our spin-resolved quantum electrodynamics particle-in-cell simulations
demonstrate that employing a laser with a peak intensity of about
W/cm can obtain dense ( 10 cm) polarized positrons
with an average polarization degree of about 70\% and a yield of above 0.1 nC
per shot. Moreover, our method is feasible using currently available or
upcoming laser facilities and robust with respect to the laser and target
parameters. Such high-density high-polarization positrons hold great
significance in laboratory astrophysics, high-energy physics and new physics
beyond the Standard Model
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