218 research outputs found
Multi-wavelength Stellar Polarimetry of the Filamentary Cloud IC5146: I. Dust Properties
We present optical and near-infrared stellar polarization observations toward
the dark filamentary clouds associated with IC5146. The data allow us to
investigate the dust properties (this paper) and the magnetic field structure
(Paper II). A total of 2022 background stars were detected in -, -,
-, and/or -bands to mag. The ratio of the polarization
percentage at different wavelengths provides an estimate of ,
the wavelength of peak polarization, which is an indicator of the small-size
cutoff of the grain size distribution. The grain size distribution seems to
significantly change at 3 mag, where both the average and dispersion
of decrease. In addition, we found
0.6-0.9 m for mag, which is larger than the 0.55 m
in the general ISM, suggesting that grain growth has already started in low
regions. Our data also reveal that polarization efficiency (PE ) decreases with as a power-law in -, -, and
-bands with indices of -0.710.10, -1.230.10 and -0.530.09.
However, -band data show a power index change; the PE varies with
steeply (index of -0.950.30) when mag but softly
(index of -0.250.06) for greater values. The soft decay of PE in
high regions is consistent with the Radiative Aligned Torque model,
suggesting that our data trace the magnetic field to mag.
Furthermore, the breakpoint found in -band is similar to the where we
found the dispersion significantly decreased. Therefore, the
flat PE- in high regions implies that the power index changes result
from additional grain growth.Comment: 31 pages, 17 figures, and 3 tables; accepted for publication in Ap
HTRA1 variant increases risk to neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Chinese population
AbstractAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment in the world. Advanced AMD can be divided into wet AMD (choroidal neovascularization) and dry AMD (geographic atrophy, GA). Drusen is characterized by deposits in the macula without visual loss and is an early AMD sign in the Caucasian population. rs11200638 in the promoter of HTRA1 has recently been shown to increases the risk for wet AMD in both Caucasian and Hong Kong Chinese populations. In order to replicate these results in a different cohort, we genotyped rs11200638 for 164 Chinese patients (90 wet AMD and 74 drusen) and 106 normal controls in a Han Mainland Chinese cohort. The genotypes were compared using chi square analysis for an additive allelic model. rs11200638 was significantly associated with wet AMD (p=5.00×10−12). Unlike in the Caucasian population, the risk allele of rs11200638 was not associated with drusen in our Chinese population. These findings confirm the association of HTRA1 with wet AMD
The genetic variants at the HLA-DRB1 gene are associated with primary IgA nephropathy in Han Chinese
BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), an immune-complex-mediated glomerulonephritis defined immunohistologically by the presence of glomerular IgA deposits, is the most common primary glomerular disease worldwide and a significant cause of end-stage renal disease. Familial clustering of patients with IgAN suggests a genetic predisposition. METHODS: In this study, 192 patients with IgAN and 192 normal controls in the Sichuan cohort and 935 patients with IgAN and 2,103 normal controls in the Beijing cohort were investigated. HLA-DRB1*01–DRB1*10 specificities were genotyped by the PCR–SSP technique in both cohorts. Based on the HLA-DRB1*04-positive results, the subtypes of HLA-DRB1*04 were analyzed using sequencing-based typing (SBT) in 291 IgAN cases and 420 matched controls. RESULTS: The frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 in the IgAN group was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.129 vs. 0.092, P = 8.29 × 10(-5), odds ratio (OR) =1.381, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.178–1.619). Other alleles at the HLA-DRB1 locus were observed with no significant differences between the case and control groups. The dominant alleles of the HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes were DRB1*0405 in both cohorts. The frequencies of HLA-DRB1*0405 and 0403 were significantly increased in the patients compared to healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: HLA-DRB1*04 was significantly associated with primary IgAN in Chinese population. This result implies that HLA-DRB1 gene plays a major role in primary IgAN
Emerging trends on the mechanism of pelvic organ prolapse from 1997 to 2022: visualization and bibliometric analysis
ObjectiveAt present, there is no feature description of the mechanism of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in the literature. This study aimed to map the emerging trends regarding the mechanism of POP from inception to 2022 by bibliometric analysis and to analyze its research hotspots and frontiers.MethodsWe downloaded pertinent publications from inception to 2022 from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) on 30 June 2022. The data were then examined using the Bibliometrix program in R (Version 4.1.0), CiteSpace software, the Online Analysis Platform of Literature Metrology (https://bibliometric.com), and a bibliometrix online interface.ResultsA total of 290 qualified records on the mechanism of POP were identified and included in the analysis. The most productive journal was International Urogynecology Journal. Bump RC and Olsen AL were the most cited authors. Extracellular matrix, collagen, apoptosis, elastin, oxidative stress, gene expression, matrix metalloproteinase, and tissue engineering were among the 25 most relevant terms. According to the analysis of trending topics, tissue engineering has become a new research hotspot.ConclusionExtracellular matrix remodeling, oxidative stress and apoptosis are the three main directions for studying the mechanism of POP. In addition, tissue engineering has become a new research hotspot. In the future, in-depth research on the interaction between different mechanisms will be carried out, and attempts will be made to combine biomimetic materials and seed cells to achieve the regeneration and reconstruction of POP-related organs
Comparative Metabolomics Revealed Metabolite Differences in Bamboo Shoots (Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda Hsueh & T. P. Yi ex Ohrnberger) at Different Growth Stages
In order to explore the dynamic changes and stage specificity of metabolites in bamboo shoots during its growth, widely targeted metabolomics based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to analyze fresh bamboo shoots harvested at heights of 10 and 25 cm. The results showed that a total of 875 metabolites belonging to 13 categories were identified from bamboo shoots, including sugars, alcohols and flavonoids, whose relative contents significantly increased in 25 cm-high bamboo shoots. Moreover, the results of multivariate statistical analyses showed that the metabolites in bamboo shoots had an obvious stage specificity. Totally 283 significantly differential metabolites were identified between the two growth stages, of which 102 metabolites were annotated to 82 metabolic pathways. The contents of 20 major nutrients did not significantly differ between the two growth stages; however, the contents of metabolites related to taste, flavor and bioactive function were higher, while the content of bitter compounds was lower in the 25 cm-high bamboo shoots. Therefore, compared with the 10 cm-high bamboo shoots, the 25 cm-high bamboo shoots have a higher comprehensive economic value and are more suitable for harvesting. The results of this study can provide a theoretical reference for the comprehensive development and sustainable utilization of Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda
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