Panoramic-reconstruction temporal imaging for seamless measurements of slowly-evolved femtosecond pulse dynamics

Single-shot real-time characterization of optical waveforms with sub-picosecond resolution is essential for investigating various ultrafast optical dynamics. However, the finite temporal recording length of current techniques hinders comprehensive understanding of many intriguing ultrafast optical phenomena that evolve over a time scale much longer than their fine temporal details. Inspired by the space-time duality and by stitching of multiple microscopic images to achieve a larger field of view in the spatial domain, here a panoramic-reconstruction temporal imaging (PARTI) system is devised to scale up the temporal recording length without sacrificing the resolution. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the PARTI system is applied to study the dynamic waveforms of slowly-evolved dissipative Kerr solitons in an ultrahigh-Q microresonator. Two 1.5-ns-long comprehensive evolution portraits are reconstructed with 740-fs resolution and dissipative Kerr soliton transition dynamics, in which a multiplet soliton state evolves into stable singlet soliton state, are depicted

Neurokinin-1 Receptor Immunoreactive Neuronal Elements in the Superficial Dorsal Horn of the Chicken Spinal Cord: With Special Reference to Their Relationship with the Tachykinin-containing Central Axon Terminals in Synaptic Glomeruli

Synaptic glomeruli that involve tachykinin-containing primary afferent central terminals are numerous in lamina II of the chicken spinal cord. Therefore, a certain amount of noxious information is likely to be modulated in these structures in chickens. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry with confocal and electron microscopy to investigate whether neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R)-expressing neuronal elements are in contact with the central primary afferent terminals in synaptic glomeruli of the chicken spinal cord. We also investigated which neuronal elements (axon terminals, dendrites, cell bodies) and which neurons in the spinal cord possess NK-1R, and are possibly influenced by tachykinin in the glomeruli. By confocal microscopy, NK-1R immunoreactivities were seen in a variety of neuronal cell bodies, their dendrites and smaller fibers of unknown origin. Some of the NK-1R immunoreactive profiles also expressed GABA immunoreactivities. A close association was observed between the NK-1R-immunoreactive neurons and tachykinin-immunoreactive axonal varicosities. By electron microscopy, NK-1R immunoreactivity was seen in cell bodies, conventional dendrites and vesicle-containing dendrites in laminae I and II. Among these elements, dendrites and vesicle-containing dendrites made contact with tachykinin-containing central terminals in the synaptic glomeruli. These results indicate that tachykinin-containing central terminals in the chicken spinal cord can modulate second-order neuronal elements in the synaptic glomeruli

Percutaneous closure versus surgical repair for ruptured sinus of valsalva aneurysm: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesRuptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (RSVA) often has an abrupt onset, and can chest pain, acute heart failure, and even sudden death. The effectiveness of different treatment modalities remains controversial. Thus, we completed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficiency and safety of traditional surgery vs. percutaneous closure (PC) for RSVA.MethodsWe carried out a meta-analysis using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Data, and the China Science and Technology Journal Database. The primary outcome was comparing in-hospital mortality between the two procedures, and the secondary outcome was documenting postoperative residual shunts, postoperative aortic regurgitation, and length of hospital stay in the two groups. Differences were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the relationships between predefined surgical variables and clinical outcomes. This meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager software (version 5.3).ResultsThe final qualifying studies included 330 patients from 10 trials (123 in the percutaneous closure group, and 207 in the surgical repair group). When PC was compared to surgical repair, there were no statistically significant differences in in-hospital mortality (overall OR: 0.47, 95%CI 0.05–4.31, P = 0.50). However, percutaneous closure did significantly decrease the average length of hospital stay (OR: −2.13, 95% CI −3.05 to −1.20, P < 0.00001) when compared to surgical repair, but there were no significant between-group differences in the rates of postoperative residual shunts (overall OR: 1.54, 95%CI 0.55–4.34, P = 0.41) or postoperative aortic regurgitation (overall OR: 1.54, 95%CI 0.51–4.68, P = 0.45).ConclusionPC may become a valuable alternative to surgical repair for RSVA