186 research outputs found
Clinical application of personalized composite incision for cataract surgery on grassroots poverty alleviation
AIM:To investigate whether complex surgical incision in cataract surgery based on corneal astigmatism axial can reduce preoperative corneal astigmatism.<p>METHODS: Cataract patients 100 cases(100 eyes)with corneal astigmatism more than 1.50D detected by keratometry were collected in this study. Scleral tunnel incision was made as the main incision according to diameter direction of maximum corneal refractive power, meanwhile, an auxiliary incision was performed on the other side of the main incision. Extracapsular cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation was performed by a small-incision. The preoperative and postoperative(3 days, 1 month, 3, 6, 12 months)corneal astigmatism and uncorrected visual acuity were measured.<p>RESULTS: The preoperative and postoperative(3 days, 1 month, 3, 6, 12 months)average corneal astigmatism were(+2.08Ā±0.666)D,(-1.06Ā±0.75)D,(+0.67Ā±0.71)D,(+1.11Ā±0.77)D,(+1.20Ā±0.88)D and(+1.30Ā±0.68)D, respectively. The preoperative and postoperative(3 days, 1 month, 3, 6, 12 months)average uncorrected visual acuity were 0.30Ā±0.19, 0.55Ā±0.25, 0.69Ā±0.21, 0.66Ā±0.18, 0.65Ā±0.20, 0.60Ā±0.22. <p>CONCLUSION: The use of composite and personalized incision in cataract surgery helps to reduce preoperative corneal astigmatism. Because of the advantage of simple process and low cost, this operation is suitable to popularize in poverty alleviation at the grassroots level
RF-thermal-structural-RF coupled analysis on the travelling wave disk-loaded accelerating structure
Travelling wave (TW) disk-loaded accelerating structure is one of the key
components in normal conducting (NC) linear accelerators, and has been studied
for many years. In the design process, usually after the dimensions of each
cell and the two couplers are finalized, the structure is fabricated and tuned,
and then the whole structure characteristics can be measured by the vector
network analyzer. Before the structure fabrication, the whole structure
characteristics are less simulated limited by the available computer
capability. In this paper, we described the method to do the
RF-thermal-structural-RF coupled analysis on the TW disk-loaded structure with
one single PC. In order to validate our method, we first analyzed and compared
our RF simulation results on the 3m long BEPCII structure with the
corresponding experimental results, which shows very good consistency. Finally,
the RF-thermal-structure-RF coupled analysis results on the 1.35m long NSC KIPT
linac accelerating structure are presented.Comment: 5 pages, 16 figures, Submitted to the Chinese Physics C (Formerly
High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics
Some Refinements and Generalizations of I. Schur Type Inequalities
Recently, extensive researches on estimating the value of e have been studied. In this paper, the structural characteristics of I. Schur type inequalities are exploited to generalize the corresponding inequalities by variable parameter techniques. Some novel upper and lower bounds for the I. Schur inequality have also been obtained and the upper bounds may be obtained with the help of Maple and automated proving package (Bottema). Numerical examples are employed to demonstrate the reliability of the approximation of these new upper and lower bounds, which improve some known results in the recent literature
HCV genotype 6 prevalence, spontaneous clearance and diversity amongst elderly members of the Li ethnic minority in Baisha County, China
The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus varies widely across geographical regions and ethnic groups. Our previous study showed that 6 strains isolated from Baisha County, Hainan Island, China, were all new genotype 6 (gt6) subtypes which differed significantly from subtypes of other regions. In the current study, we conducted a comprehensive epidemiological survey of HCV in the Li ethnic group, native to Baisha County. AntiāHCV antibodies were detected by 2 independent ELISAs in all participants, and positive results confirmed by the recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) and HCV RNA viral loads were measured. Univariate chiāsquare test and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for HCV infection and spontaneous clearance rates. Indeterminate RIBA results were excluded or included in analyses; consequently, findings were expressed as a range. Direct sequencing of partial regions within NS5B and E1 was employed for genotyping. Among 1682 participants, 117 to 153 were antiāHCV positive (7.0%ā9.1%), with 42.7%ā52.6% confirmed to have cleared infection. AntiāHCV positivity was associated with older age (ā„60 years) (OR = 0.02, 95% CI 0.01ā0.05, P < 0.01) and surgery (OR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.36ā5.57, P < 0.01), with no significant difference found between the HCV infection group and the HCV spontaneous clearance group. The gt6 subtype distribution characteristics of Baisha County were unique, complex and diverse. The sequences did not cluster with known gt6 subtypes but formed 4 Baisha communityāspecific groups. HCV infection in members of the Li minority ethnic group is characterized by high prevalence rates in the elderly, high spontaneous clearance rates and broad gt6 diversity
Testing and Data Reduction of the Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) for Dome A, Antarctica
The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (hereinafter CSTAR) is the first Chinese
astronomical instrument on the Antarctic ice cap. The low temperature and low
pressure testing of the data acquisition system was carried out in a laboratory
refrigerator and on the 4500m Pamirs high plateau, respectively. The results
from the final four nights of test observations demonstrated that CSTAR was
ready for operation at Dome A, Antarctica. In this paper we present a
description of CSTAR and the performance derived from the test observations.Comment: Accepted Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (RAA) 1 Latex file
and 20 figure
Interferon regulatory factor-1 together with reactive oxygen species promotes the acceleration of cell cycle progression by up-regulating the cyclin E and CDK2 genes during high glucose-induced proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells
BACKGROUND: The high glucose-induced proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays an important role in the development of diabetic vascular diseases. In a previous study, we confirmed that Interferon regulatory factor-1 (Irf-1) is a positive regulator of the high glucose-induced proliferation of VSMCs. However, the mechanisms remain to be determined. METHODS: The levels of cyclin/CDK expression in two cell models involving Irf-1 knockdown and overexpression were quantified to explore the relationship between Irf-1 and its downstream effectors under normal or high glucose conditions. Subsequently, cells were treated with high glucose/NAC, normal glucose/H(2)O(2), high glucose/U0126 or normal glucose/H(2)O(2)/U0126 during an incubation period. Then proliferation, cyclin/CDK expression and cell cycle distribution assays were performed to determine whether ROS/Erk1/2 signaling pathway was involved in the Irf-1-induced regulation of VSMC growth under high glucose conditions. RESULTS: We found that Irf-1 overexpression led to down-regulation of cyclin D1/CDK4 and inhibited cell cycle progression in VSMCs under normal glucose conditions. In high glucose conditions, Irf-1 overexpression led to an up-regulation of cyclin E/CDK2 and an acceleration of cell cycle progression, whereas silencing of Irf-1 suppressed the expression of both proteins and inhibited the cell cycle during the high glucose-induced proliferation of VSMCs. Treatment of VSMCs with antioxidants prevented the Irf-1 overexpression-induced proliferation of VSMCs, the up-regulation of cyclin E/CDK2 and the acceleration of cell cycle progression in high glucose conditions. In contrast, under normal glucose conditions, H(2)O(2) stimulation and Irf-1 overexpression induced cell proliferation, up-regulated cyclin E/CDK2 expression and promoted cell cycle acceleration. In addition, overexpression of Irf-1 promoted the activation of Erk1/2 and when VSMCs overexpressing Irf-1 were treated with U0126, the specific Erk1/2 inhibitor abolished the proliferation of VSMCs, the up-regulation of cyclin E/CDK2 and the acceleration of cell cycle progression under high glucose or normal glucose/H(2)O(2) conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the downstream effectors of Irf-1 are cyclin E/CDK2 during the high glucose-induced proliferation of VSMCs, whereas they are cyclin D1/CDK4 in normal glucose conditions. The Irf-1 overexpression-induced proliferation of VSMCs, the up-regulation of cyclin E/CDK2 and the acceleration of cell cycle progression are associated with ROS/Erk1/2 signaling pathway under high glucose conditions
Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Promotes Atherosclerosis via HMGB1/TLR4-Mediated Downregulation of PPARĪ³/LXRĪ±/ABCA1 in ApoE-/- Mice
Background: Although our previous studies have confirmed that the activation of TLR4 is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS), the underling mechanism is largely unclear. Here, we hypothesized that CUMS accelerates atherosclerotic development through lowering PPARĪ³/LXRĪ±-ABCA1 expression via HMGB1/TLR4 signaling.Methods: In present study, CUMS atherosclerotic animal models were established with AopE-/- mice, and CUMS Raw 264.7 macrophage models were mimicked by high corticosterone treatment, These models were treated with Ethyl pyruvate (EP, an inhibitor of HMGB1), TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242, and PPARĪ³ agonist RSG (Rosiglitazone) to test our hypothesis, respectively.Results: Our results indicated that the protein levels of HMGB1, TLR4, and pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1Ī², TNF-Ī± were elevated with the development of atherosclerosis in CUMS mice, while the expressions of PPARĪ³, LXRĪ±, and ABCA1 declined. Notably, HMGB1 inhibition by EP reversed CUMS-induced atherosclerotic development, pro-inflammatory cytokines upregulation, and PPARĪ³/LXRĪ±-ABCA1 downregulation. The same trend was observed in the stressed mice treatment with TAK-242. Further experimental evidences indicated that EP, TAK-242, and RSG treatment notably corrected foam cell formation, HMGB1 release, and down-regulation of LXRĪ± and ABCA1 in CUMS Raw 264.7 macrophage model.Conclusion: These results indicate that CUMS exacerbates atherosclerosis is likely via HMGB1-mediated downregulation of PPARĪ³/LXRĪ±-ABCA1 through TLR4. These data reveal a novel mechanism by which CUMS aggravates atherosclerosis and may offer a potential therapeutic target for this disease
Radio Astronomy
Contains reports on sixteen research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant AST81-21416)National Science Foundation (Grant AST80-22864)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Contract S-10665-C)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Contract NAGW373)National Science Foundation (Grant AST79-19553)National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant 04-8-M01-1)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NAG5-10)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Contract NAS5-22929)Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Contract MDA 903-82-K-0521)Intelsat (Contract Intel-188)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-80-C-0104)Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (Contract LS90B4860F
Radio Astronomy
Contains summary of research and reports on nine research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant AST81-21416)National Science Foundation (Grant AST82-14296)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant S-10781-C)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NAGW-373)National Science Foundation (Grant AST79-19553)M.I.T. Sloan Fund for Basic ResearchNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Grant 04-8-M01-1)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NAG5-10)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Contract NAS5-22929)Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Contract MDA 903-82-K-0521)Center for Advanced Television Studie
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