Separatrix modes in weakly deformed microdisk cavities

Optical modes in deformed dielectric microdisk cavities often show an unexpected localization along unstable periodic ray orbits. We reveal a new mechanism for this kind of localization in weakly deformed cavities. In such systems the ray dynamics is nearly integrable and its phase space contains small island chains. When increasing the deformation the enlarging islands incorporate more and more modes. Each time a mode comes close to the border of an island chain (separatrix) the mode exhibits a strong localization near the corresponding unstable periodic orbit. Using an EBK quantization scheme taking into account the Fresnel coefficients we derive a frequency condition for the localization. Observing far field intensity patterns and tunneling distances, reveals small differences in the emission properties. © 2017 Optical Society of America.1

Omega-3 index and smoking in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction taking statins: a case-control study in Korea

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>n-3 fatty acids and lifestyle also are closely related to risk of CVD. Most Koreans have higher fish consumption than people of Western populations. However, little is known about the recommended value of omega-3 index in Korean patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) taking statins. Here, we tested the hypothesis that lower omega-3 fatty acids and/or smoking are associated with acute STEMI, even though patients with dyslipidemia who were taking statins and who attained their LDL-C goals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a case-control study in which omega-3 fatty acids and lifestyle factors were determined in 24 consecutive Korean patients taking statins with angiographically confirmed acute STEMI and 68 healthy controls without acute STEMI. The omega-3 index was calculated by the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in erythrocyte membranes. Multivariable adjusted regression analysis was used to assess independent associations between acute STEMI, omega-3 index, and lifestyle factors after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of total subjects was 59.9 years, and 57.6% of the subjects were male. The omega-3 index was significantly lower in cases (8.83%) than controls (11.13%; P < 0.001); however, total <it>trans</it>-fatty acids were not different between the two groups. The omega-3 index was inversely associated with odds for being a case (OR 0.16 (95% CI 0.03-1.14); P = 0.047), while smoking was positively associated with odds for being a case (OR 6.67 (95% CI 1.77-25.23); P = 0.005) after adjusting for all confounding variables.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study shows that relative to controls, acute STEMI cases are more likely to be smokers and to have a lower omega-3 index, even though the cases were taking statins. An omega-3 index of at least 11% and abstinence from smoking are associated with cardioprotection for Koreans.</p

Cardiovascular disease risk assessment using a deep-learning-based retinal biomarker: a comparison with existing risk scores

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the ability of a deep-learning-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) retinal biomarker, Reti-CVD, to identify individuals with intermediate- and high-risk for CVD. Methods and results: We defined the intermediate- and high-risk groups according to Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE), QRISK3, and modified Framingham Risk Score (FRS). Reti-CVD’s prediction was compared to the number of individuals identified as intermediate- and high-risk according to standard CVD risk assessment tools, and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated to assess the results. In the UK Biobank, among 48 260 participants, 20 643 (42.8%) and 7192 (14.9%) were classified into the intermediate- and high-risk groups according to PCE, and QRISK3, respectively. In the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases study, among 6810 participants, 3799 (55.8%) were classified as intermediate- and high-risk group according to modified FRS. Reti-CVD identified PCE-based intermediate- and high-risk groups with a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 82.7%, 87.6%, 86.5%, and 84.0%, respectively. Reti-CVD identified QRISK3-based intermediate- and high-risk groups with a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 82.6%, 85.5%, 49.9%, and 96.6%, respectively. Reti-CVD identified intermediate- and high-risk groups according to the modified FRS with a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 82.1%, 80.6%, 76.4%, and 85.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The retinal photograph biomarker (Reti-CVD) was able to identify individuals with intermediate and high-risk for CVD, in accordance with existing risk assessment tools

Effect of Pumpkin Seed Oil on Hair Growth in Men with Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Pumpkin seed oil (PSO) has been shown to block the action of 5-alpha reductase and to have antiandrogenic effects on rats. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was designed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of PSO for treatment of hair growth in male patients with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia (AGA). 76 male patients with AGA received 400 mg of PSO per day or a placebo for 24 weeks. Change over time in scalp hair growth was evaluated by four outcomes: assessment of standardized clinical photographs by a blinded investigator; patient self-assessment scores; scalp hair thickness; and scalp hair counts. Reports of adverse events were collected throughout the study. After 24 weeks of treatment, self-rated improvement score and self-rated satisfaction scores in the PSO-treated group were higher than in the placebo group ( = 0.013, 0.003). The PSOtreated group had more hair after treatment than at baseline, compared to the placebo group ( &lt; 0.001). Mean hair count increases of 40% were observed in PSO-treated men at 24 weeks, whereas increases of 10% were observed in placebo-treated men ( &lt; 0.001). Adverse effects were not different in the two groups

Lowest threshold lasing modes localized on marginally unstable periodic orbits in a semiconductor microcavity laser

The lowest threshold lasing mode in a rounded D-shape microcavity is theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated. To identify the lowest threshold lasing mode, we investigate threshold conditions of different periodic orbits by considering the linear gain condition due to the effective pumping region and total loss consisting of internal and scattering losses in ray dynamics. We compare the ray dynamical result with resonance mode analysis, including gain and loss. We find that the resonance modes localized on the pentagonal marginally unstable periodic orbit have the lowest threshold in our fabrication configuration. Our findings are verified by obtaining the path lengths and far-field patterns of lasing modes. © 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement.1

A Probiotic Mixture Regulates T Cell Balance and Reduces Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms in Mice

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with a complex etiology involving the immune response. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of certain probiotics in the treatment and prevention of AD. However, the mechanism by which these probiotics regulate the immune system remains unclear. In this study, we examined the immunomodulatory capacity of Duolac ATP, a mixed formulation of probiotics, both in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that the expression of programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1) was significantly upregulated on bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) treated with Duolac ATP. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-beta were both upregulated when BMDCs were treated with Duolac ATP. The percentage of proliferated regulatory T cells (Tregs) was enhanced when CD4+ T cells were co-cultured with Duolac ATP-treated BMDCs on plates coated with anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies. Intriguingly, IL-10 secretion from CD4+ T cells was also observed. The AD symptoms, histologic scores, and serum IgE levels in AD mice were significantly decreased after oral treatment with Duolac ATP. Moreover, the Th1-mediated response in AD-induced mice treated with oral Duolac ATP showed upregulation of IL-2 and IFN-gamma as well as of downstream signaling molecules T-bet, STAT-1, and STAT-4. Conversely, Duolac ATP suppressed Th2 and Th17 responses in AD-like mice, as evidenced by the downregulation of GATA-3, C-maf, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-17. Additionally, Duolac ATP increased the number of Tregs found at Peyer’s patches (PP) in treated AD mice. These results suggest that Duolac ATP modulates DCs to initiate both Th1 and Treg responses in AD mice. Thus, Duolac ATP represents a potential preventative agent against AD and could serve as an effective immunomodulator in AD patients

ZNF507 affects TGF-β signaling via TGFBR1 and MAP3K8 activation in the progression of prostate cancer to an aggressive state

Background: The progression of prostate cancer (PC) to the highly aggressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) or neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a fatal condition and the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we identified the novel transcriptional factor ZNF507 as a key mediator in the progression of PC to an aggressive state. Methods: We analyzed ZNF507 expression in the data from various human PC database and high-grade PC patient samples. By establishment of ZNF507 knockdown and overexpression human PC cell lines, we assessed in vitro PC phenotype changes including cell proliferation, survival, migration and invasion. By performing microarray with ZNF507 knockdown PC cells, we profiled the gene clusters affected by ZNF507 knockdown. Moreover, ZNF507 regulated key signal was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Finally, we performed xenograft and in vivo metastasis assay to confirm the effect of ZNF507 knockdown in PC cells. Results: We found that ZNF507 expression was increased, particularly in the highly graded PC. ZNF507 was also found to be associated with metastatic PC of a high grade. Loss- or gain-of-function–based analysis revealed that ZNF507 promotes the growth, survival, proliferation, and metastatic properties of PC (e.g., epithelial-mesenchymal transition) by upregulating TGF-β signaling. Profiling of gene clusters affected by ZNF507 knockdown revealed that ZNF507 positively regulated the transcription of TGFBR1, MAP3K8, and FURIN, which in turn promoted the progression of PC to highly metastatic and aggressive state. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ZNF507 is a novel key regulator of TGF-β signaling in the progression of malignant PC and could be a promising target for studying the development of advanced metastatic PCs. © 2021, The Author(s).1

The Effect of Composite Pig Islet-Human Endothelial Cell Grafts on the Instant Blood-Mediated Inflammatory Reaction

Instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction (IBMIR) causes rapid islet loss in portal vein islet transplantation. Endothelial cells are known to protect against complement-mediated lysis and activation of coagulation. We tested composite pig islet-human endothelial cell grafts as a strategy to overcome IBMIR. Porcine islets were cocultured with human endothelial cells in specially modified culture medium composed of M199 and M200 for 1-9 days. A positive control group, negative control group, and the endothelial cell-coated group were examined with an in vitro tubing loop assay using human blood. The endothelial cell-coated group was subdivided and analyzed by degree of surface coverage by endothelial cells (50%) or coculture time (= 5 days). Platelet consumption and complement and coagulation activation were assessed by platelet count, C3a, and thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), respectively. After 60-min incubation in human blood, the endothelial cell-coated group showed platelet consumption inhibition and low C3a and TAT assay results compared to uncoated controls. When the endothelial cell-coated group was subdivided by degree of surface coverage, the <= 50% coated group showed less platelet consumption and less activation of complement and coagulation compared with the positive control (uncoated) group. On analysis by coculture time, only the subgroup cocultured for <5 days showed the same protective effect. Human endothelial cell-coated pig islets, especially the partially coated and short-term cocultured pig islet-human endothelial cell composites, reduced all components of IBMIR. If the optimal endothelial cell-islet coculture method could be identified, human endothelial cell coating of pig islets would offer new strategies to improve xenogenic islet transplantation outcomes.McGuigan AP, 2007, BIOMATERIALS, V28, P2547, DOI 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2007.01.039Kim JH, 2007, XENOTRANSPLANTATION, V14, P60, DOI 10.1111/j.1399-3089.2006.00364.xCowan PJ, 2007, XENOTRANSPLANTATION, V14, P7, DOI 10.1111/j.1399-3089.2006.00368.xJones GL, 2007, CELL TRANSPLANT, V16, P505Johansson U, 2005, AM J TRANSPLANT, V5, P2632, DOI 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2005.01076.xKorsgren O, 2005, TRANSPLANTATION, V79, P1289, DOI 10.1097/01.TP.0000157273.60147.7CVenturini M, 2005, RADIOLOGY, V234, P617, DOI 10.1148/radiol.2342031356Goto M, 2004, TRANSPLANTATION, V77, P741, DOI 10.1097/01.TP.0000114872.26990.4FSzmitko PE, 2003, CIRCULATION, V107, P3093, DOI 10.1161/01.CIR.0000074242.66719.4ALinn T, 2003, FASEB J, V17, P881, DOI 10.1096/fj.02-0615fjeOzmen L, 2002, DIABETES, V51, P1779Buhler L, 2002, XENOTRANSPLANTATION, V9, P3Bennet W, 2001, TRANSPLANTATION, V72, P312Bennet W, 2000, TRANSPLANTATION, V69, P711Bennet W, 1999, DIABETES, V48, P1907ANTONOV AS, 1992, THROMB RES, V67, P135SPEISER W, 1987, BLOOD, V69, P964KUMAR S, 1987, DIFFERENTIATION, V36, P57MADRI JA, 1983, J CELL BIOL, V97, P153