A review of the development of interventional devices for mitral valve repair with the implantation of artificial chords

Mitral regurgitation (MR) was the most common heart valve disease. Surgical repair with artificial chordal replacement had become one of the standard treatments for mitral regurgitation. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) was currently the most commonly used artificial chordae material due to its unique physicochemical and biocompatible properties. Interventional artificial chordal implantation techniques had emerged as an alternative treatment option for physicians and patients in treating mitral regurgitation. Using either a transapical or a transcatheter approach with interventional devices, a chordal replacement could be performed transcatheter in the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass, and the acute effect on the resolution of mitral regurgitation could be monitored in real-time by transesophageal echo imaging during the procedure. Despite the in vitro durability of the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene material, artificial chordal rupture occasionally occurred. In this article, we reviewed the development and therapeutic results of interventional devices for chordal implantation and discuss the possible clinical factors responsible for the rupture of the artificial chordal material

Prenatal diagnosis of micrognathia: a systematic review

PurposeThis systematic review aimed to analyze the characteristics of different diagnostic techniques for micrognathia, summarize the consistent diagnostic criteria of each technique, and provide a simple and convenient prenatal diagnosis strategy for micrognathia.MethodsIn accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the search was undertaken in three international databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). The three reviewers assessed all papers and extracted the following variables: author's name and year of publication, country, study design, number of participants, gestational age, equipment for prenatal examination, biometric parameters related to micrognathia, main results.ResultsA total of 25 articles included in the analysis. Nineteen articles described cross-sectional studies (76 percent), 4 (16 percent) were case-control studies, and 2 (8 percent) were cohort studies. Fifteen studies (60 percent) had a prospective design, 9 (36 percent) had a retrospective design, and one (4 percent) had both prospective and retrospective design. Thirty-two percent of the studies (n = 8) were performed in USA, and the remaining studies were performed in China (n = 4), Israel (n = 3), Netherlands (n = 3), UK (n = 1), France (n = 1), Italy (n = 1), Belgium(n = 1), Germany (n = 1), Spain (n = 1), and Austria (n = 1). The prenatal diagnosis of micrognathia can be performed as early as possible in the first trimester, while the second and third trimester of pregnancy were the main prenatal diagnosis period. The articles that were included in the qualitative synthesis describe 30 biometric parameters related to the mandible.ConclusionOf the 30 biometric parameters related to the mandible, 15 can obtain the simple and convenient diagnostic criteria or warning value for micrognathia. Based on these diagnostic criteria or warning value, clinicians can quickly make a preliminary judgment on facial deformities, to carry out cytologic examination to further clarify the diagnosis of micrognathia

An Ultra-fast Quantum Random Number Generation Scheme Based on Laser Phase Noise

Based on the intrinsic random property of quantum mechanics, quantum random number generators allow for access of truly unpredictable random sequence and are now heading towards high performance and small miniaturization, among which a popular scheme is based on the laser phase noise. However, this scheme is generally limited in speed and implementation complexity, especially for chip integration. In this work, a general physical model based on wiener process for such schemes is introduced, which provides an approach to clearly explain the limitation on the generation rate and comprehensively optimize the system performance. We present an insight to exploit the potential bandwidth of the quantum entropy source that contains plentiful quantum randomness with a simple spectral filtering method and experimentally boost the bandwidth of the corresponding quantum entropy source to 20 GHz, based on which an ultra-fast generation rate of 218 Gbps is demonstrated, setting a new record for laser phase noise based schemes by one order of magnitude. Our proposal significantly enhances the ceiling speed of such schemes without requiring extra complex hardware, thus effectively benefits the corresponding chip integration with high performance and low implementation cost, which paves the way for its large-scale applications.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figure

Developing a new treatment for superficial fungal infection using antifungal Collagen-HSAF dressing

Fungal pathogens are common causes of superficial clinical infection. Their increasing drug resistance gradually makes existing antifungal drugs ineffective. Heat stable antifungal factor (HSAF) is a novel antifungal natural product with a unique structure. However, the application of HSAF has been hampered by very low yield in the current microbial producers and from extremely poor solubility in water and common solvents. In this study, we developed an effective mode of treatment applying HSAF to superficial fungal infections. The marine-derived Lysobacter enzymogenes YC36 contains the HSAF biosynthetic gene cluster, which we activated by the interspecific signaling molecule indole. An efficient extraction strategy was used to significantly improve the purity to 95.3%. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the Type I collagen-based HSAF (Col-HSAF) has a transparent appearance and good physical properties, and the in vitro sustained-release effect of HSAF was maintained for more than 2 weeks. The effective therapeutic concentration of Col-HSAF against superficial fungal infection was explored, and Col-HSAF showed good biocompatibility, lower clinical scores, mild histological changes, and antifungal capabilities in animals with Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis and cutaneous candidiasis. In conclusion, Col-HSAF is an antifungal reagent with significant clinical value in the treatment of superficial fungal infections

Real-time Monitoring for the Next Core-Collapse Supernova in JUNO

Core-collapse supernova (CCSN) is one of the most energetic astrophysical events in the Universe. The early and prompt detection of neutrinos before (pre-SN) and during the SN burst is a unique opportunity to realize the multi-messenger observation of the CCSN events. In this work, we describe the monitoring concept and present the sensitivity of the system to the pre-SN and SN neutrinos at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), which is a 20 kton liquid scintillator detector under construction in South China. The real-time monitoring system is designed with both the prompt monitors on the electronic board and online monitors at the data acquisition stage, in order to ensure both the alert speed and alert coverage of progenitor stars. By assuming a false alert rate of 1 per year, this monitoring system can be sensitive to the pre-SN neutrinos up to the distance of about 1.6 (0.9) kpc and SN neutrinos up to about 370 (360) kpc for a progenitor mass of 30$M_{\odot}$ for the case of normal (inverted) mass ordering. The pointing ability of the CCSN is evaluated by using the accumulated event anisotropy of the inverse beta decay interactions from pre-SN or SN neutrinos, which, along with the early alert, can play important roles for the followup multi-messenger observations of the next Galactic or nearby extragalactic CCSN.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Plasma-catalytic oxidation of toluene over MCeZrO_<i>x</i>/TiO₂ (M = Cu, Mn, Ni and Co) catalysts using a dielectric barrier discharge reactor

Plasma catalysis is recognized as a promising technology for the elimination of diluted volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, a hybrid process was carried out using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and MCeZr/TiO2 (M = Cu, Mn, Ni, and Co) catalysts for the degradation of VOCs. The plasma-catalytic system demonstrated a substantial improvement in toluene conversion and CO2 selectivity compared to the plasma-only system owing to the synergistic effects of plasma and thermal catalysis on toluene degradation. The performance of toluene removal follows the sequence of CuCeZr/T > NiCeZr/T > CoCeZr/T > MnCeZr/T in plasma catalysis. The CuCeZr/T catalyst demonstrated the highest toluene conversion of 99.0% and a CO2 selectivity of 91.0% at a discharge power of 30 W. Energetic electrons and reactive species generated by plasma actively participate in toluene activation in the gas phase and facilitate adsorption on the catalyst surface. The redox properties between Ce4+/Ce3+ and Cu+/Cu2+ species dictated the reducibility of the CuCeZr/T catalyst, promoting oxygen cycling during toluene oxidation and leading to enhanced catalytic performance. The pathways of toluene destruction in the plasma-catalysis system are discussed based on the analysis results of GC-MS, optical emission spectroscopy and calculations of the electron-impact reactions

Ce6-modified Fe ions-doped carbon dots as multifunctional nanoplatform for ferroptosis and photodynamic synergistic therapy of melanoma

Abstract Background Despite the higher sensitivity of melanoma towards ferroptosis and photodynamic therapy (PDT), the lack of efficient ferroptosis inducers and the poor solubility of photosensitizers restrict their synergistic strategies. With unique advantages, carbon dots (CDs) are expected to serve as innovative building blocks for combination therapy of cancers. Results Herein, an ferroptosis/PDT integrated nanoplatform for melanoma therapy is constructed based on chlorin e6-modified Fe ions-doped carbon dots (Fe-CDs@Ce6). As a novel type of iron-carbon hybrid nanoparticles, the as-prepared Fe-CDs can selectively activate ferroptosis, prevent angiogenesis and inhibit the migration of mouse skin melanoma cells (B16), but have no toxicity to normal cells. The nano-conjugated structures facilitate not only the aqueous dispersibility of Ce6, but also the self-accumulation ability of Fe-CDs@Ce6 within melanoma area without requiring extra targets. Moreover, the therapeutic effects of Fe-CDs@Ce6 are synergistically enhanced due to the increased GSH depletion by PDT and the elevated singlet oxygen (1O2) production efficiency by Fe-CDs. When combined with laser irradiation, the tumor growth can be significantly suppressed by Fe-CDs@Ce6 through cyclic administration. The T 2 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capability of Fe-CDs@Ce6 also reveals their potentials for cancer diagnosis and navigation therapy. Conclusions Our findings indicate the multifunctionality of Fe-CDs@Ce6 in effectively combining ferroptosis/PDT therapy, tumor targeting and MRI imaging, which enables Fe-CDs@Ce6 to become promising biocompatible nanoplatform for the treatment of melanoma. Graphic Abstrac

A Method for Improving Controlling Factors Based on Information Fusion for Debris Flow Susceptibility Mapping: A Case Study in Jilin Province, China

Debris flow is one of the most frequently occurring geological disasters in Jilin province, China, and such disasters often result in the loss of human life and property. The objective of this study is to propose and verify an information fusion (IF) method in order to improve the factors controlling debris flow as well as the accuracy of the debris flow susceptibility map. Nine layers of factors controlling debris flow (i.e., topography, elevation, annual precipitation, distance to water system, slope angle, slope aspect, population density, lithology and vegetation coverage) were taken as the predictors. The controlling factors were improved by using the IF method. Based on the original controlling factors and the improved controlling factors, debris flow susceptibility maps were developed while using the statistical index (SI) model, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model, the random forest (RF) model, and their four integrated models. The results were compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the spatial consistency of the debris flow susceptibility maps was analyzed while using Spearman&rsquo;s rank correlation coefficients. The results show that the IF method that was used to improve the controlling factors can effectively enhance the performance of the debris flow susceptibility maps, with the IF-SI-RF model exhibiting the best performance in terms of debris flow susceptibility mapping

Additional file 1 of Ce6-modified Fe ions-doped carbon dots as multifunctional nanoplatform for ferroptosis and photodynamic synergistic therapy of melanoma

Additional file 1: Figure S1. PL spectra of Fe-CDs under different excitation wavelengths. Figure S2. Deconvoluted C 1s and O 1s XPS spectra of Fe-CDs. Figure S3. FTIR spectrum of Fe-CDs and Fe-CDs@Ce6. Figure S4. XPS full spectra, deconvoluted C 1s and O 1s spectra of Fe-CDs@Ce6. Figure S5. Evaluation of stability of Fe-CDs@Ce6 (2 mg/mL) in PBS (pH=7.4), acidic PBS (pH=5.0) and serum (10% FBS). Figure S6. Photographs of solution for the chromatic reaction of Fe ions and SA. From left to right: SA, SA+FeSO4, SA+Fe-CDs (0.2 mg/mL), SA+Fe-CDs (0.5 mg/mL), SA+GSH-reduced Fe-CDs (0.2 mg/mL), and SA+GSH-reduced Fe-CDs (0.5 mg/mL). Figure. S7 Photographs of solution for the chromogenic reaction of Fe2+ and K3[Fe(CN)6]. From left to right: (a) 0.1 mg/mL K3[Fe(CN)6], (b) 0.1 mg/mL K3[Fe(CN)6] + 0.01 mg/mL FeSO4, (c) 0.1 mg/mL K3[Fe(CN)6] + 0.01 mg/mL Fe2(SO4)3, (d) 0.1 mg/mL K3[Fe(CN)6] + 0.1 mg/mL Fe-CDs, (e) 0.1 mg/mL K3[Fe(CN)6] + 0.2 mg/mL Fe-CDs, (f) 0.1 mg/mL K3[Fe(CN)6] + 0.5 mg/mL Fe-CDs. Figure S8. Evaluation of Fenton reaction by measuring the UV-Vis absorption spectra of MB and H2O2 under different concentrations of Fe-CDs (A) and GSH reduced Fe-CDs (B) (insets show the solution photographs of MB+H2O2 and different concentrations of Fe-CDs and GSH reduced Fe-CDs). Figure. S9 ELISA assay of TNF-α (A) and IL-10 (B) expression level in B16 conditioned medium after Fe-CDs@Ce6+PDT treatment. Figure S10. A-B The levels of ROS in B16 cells after treatment with Fe-CDs (Scale bar: 500 μm). C-D The alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential in B16 cells after treatment with Fe-CDs (Scale bar：100 μm) (n=3, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 were considered statistically significant). Figure S11. Western blot analysis for β-catenin, xCT, Lef1, HO1 and GPX4 (n=3, *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 were considered statistically significant). Figure S12. Stimulation of tube formation in HUVECs using B16 cell supernatant after treatment (Scale bar: 200 μm and 100 μm from top to bottom) (n=3, ****p<0.0001 were considered statistically significant). Figure S13. A Macroscopic presentation of tumors, along with measurements of B tumor volume and C mouse body weight (n=6) (Scale bar: 1 cm). Figure. S14 Co-staining of Lyso- and Mito tracker with Fe-CDs@Ce6 at the incubation temperature of 4 and 37°C. Scale bar: 100 μm. Figure. S15 Time-dependent cellular uptake of Fe-CDs@Ce6 by B16 cells at the incubation temperature of 4 and 37°C. Scale bar: 100 μm. Figure S16. The result of H&E staining of main organs of nude mice after treatment (Scale bar: 100 μm). Figure S17. Volcano plot of melanoma in PBS vs Fe-CDs. Figure S18. Immunohistochemical analysis of β-catenin, Lef1, HO1 and GPX4 (n=3, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001, ****p<0.0001 were considered statistically significant). Figure S19. Western blot analysis for β-catenin, xCT, Lef1, HO1 and GPX4 (n=3, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001, ****p<0.0001 were considered statistically significant)