Outcome of Surgery for Coloduodenal Fistula in Crohn's Disease

BACKGROUND

This study was conducted to report the short- and long-term outcomes of surgery for coloduodenal fistula in Crohn's disease and explore the effect of preoperative optimization on surgical outcome.

METHODS

This is a retrospective review of 34 patients with coloduodenal fistula complicating Crohn's disease between Jan 2008 and May 2015. Demographic information, preoperative management, and intraoperative and postoperative outcome data were collected.

RESULTS

Primary duodenal repair was carried out in 33 patients (13 with duodenal defect >3 cm), and bypass surgery was performed in one patient with duodenal stenosis. Patients undergoing preoperative optimization (n = 25) had decreased postoperative major (24.0 vs. 87.5 %, P = 0.005) and intra-abdominal septic (20.0 vs. 75.0 %, P = 0.008) complications compared to patients with emergent/semi-emergent surgery (n = 8). No duodenal stenosis occurred on a median follow-up of 22.5 months. Patients with duodenum-ileocolic anastomosis fistula had longer postoperative stay (14.0 vs. 10.0 days, P = 0.032) and increased possibility of refistulization of the duodenum on follow-up (30.0 vs. 0 %, P = 0.031) compared with those with spontaneous duodenum-colonic fistula.

CONCLUSION

Primary duodenal repair can be safely performed in coloduodenal fistula in Crohn's disease provided there was no duodenal stenosis, even for large duodenal defects. Preoperative optimization is associated with reduced postoperative complications. Patients with duodenum-ileocolic anastomosis fistula are more likely to have duodenum fistula recurrence compared to those with spontaneous duodenum-colonic fistula.

A Land Plant-Specific Transcription Factor Directly Enhances Transcription of a Pathogenic Noncoding RNA Template by DNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase II

Some DNA-dependent RNA polymerases (DdRPs) possess RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, as was first discovered in the replication of Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) RNA genome in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Recent studies revealed that this activity in bacteria and mammals is important for transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms. Here, we used PSTVd as a model to uncover auxiliary factors essential for RNA-templated transcription by DdRP PSTVd replication in the nucleoplasm generates (-)-PSTVd intermediates and (+)-PSTVd copies. We found that the Nicotiana benthamiana canonical 9-zinc finger (ZF) Transcription Factor IIIA (TFIIIA-9ZF) as well as its variant TFIIIA-7ZF interacted with (+)-PSTVd, but only TFIIIA-7ZF interacted with (-)-PSTVd. Suppression of TFIIIA-7ZF reduced PSTVd replication, and overexpression of TFIIIA-7ZF enhanced PSTVd replication in planta. Consistent with the locale of PSTVd replication, TFIIIA-7ZF was found in the nucleoplasm and nucleolus, in contrast to the strictly nucleolar localization of TFIIIA-9ZF. Footprinting assays revealed that only TFIIIA-7ZF bound to a region of PSTVd critical for initiating transcription. Furthermore, TFIIIA-7ZF strongly enhanced the in vitro transcription of circular (+)-PSTVd by partially purified Pol II. Together, our results identify TFIIIA-7ZF as a dedicated cellular transcription factor that acts in DdRP-catalyzed RNA-templated transcription, highlighting both the extraordinary evolutionary adaptation of viroids and the potential of DdRPs for a broader role in cellular processes.

MiRNA Expression Analysis of Pretreatment Biopsies Predicts the Pathological Response of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy

OBJECTIVE

To identify miRNA markers useful for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neo-CRT) response prediction.

SUMMARY

Neo-CRT followed by surgery improves ESCC patients' survival compared with surgery alone. However, CRT outcomes are heterogeneous, and no current methods can predict CRT responses.

METHODS

Differentially expressed miRNAs between ESCC pathological responders and nonresponders after neo-CRT were identified by miRNA profiling and verified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of 27 ESCCs in the training set. Several class prediction algorithms were used to build the response-classifying models with the qPCR data. Predictive powers of the models were further assessed with a second set of 79 ESCCs.

RESULTS

Ten miRNAs with greater than a 1.5-fold change between pathological responders and nonresponders were identified and verified, respectively. A support vector machine (SVM) prediction model, composed of 4 miRNAs (miR-145-5p, miR-152, miR-193b-3p, and miR-376a-3p), were developed. It provided overall accuracies of 100% and 87.3% for discriminating pathological responders and nonresponders in the training and external validation sets, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the subgroup determined by the SVM model was the only independent factor significantly associated with neo-CRT response in the external validation sets.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined qPCR of the 4 miRNAs provides the possibility of ESCC neo-CRT response prediction, which may facilitate individualized ESCC treatment. Further prospective validation in larger independent cohorts is necessary to fully assess its predictive power.

Reduced Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-1 levels in SLE patients correlates to enhanced STAT1 activation

Systemic Lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder with unknown etiology. Although the specific events dictating SLE pathology remain unclear, abundant evidence indicates a critical role for dysregulated cytokine signaling in disease progression. Notably, the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family of intracellular proteins, in particular the kinase inhibitory region (KIR) bearing SOCS1 and SOCS3, play a critical role in regulating cytokine signaling. Here in this foundational study, we test the hypothesis that regulation of cytokine signaling in SLE patients may be perturbed by a lack of KIR bearing SOCS1 and SOCS3. We analyzed 34 SLE patients, segregated by disease activity (SLEDAI) and prednisone treatment, in comparison with 11 healthy controls. Real time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed significant reductions in SOCS1 and SOCS3 in PMBC’s of SLE patients by both mRNA and protein expression when compared to controls. Notably, decreased SOCS1, but not SOCS3 protein levels in the SLE patients were inversely correlated to activation of STAT1, but not Erk 1/2 or Akt. Notably, the inverted SOCS1/pSTAT1 ratio correlated to significantly enhanced MHC class II levels amongst SLE patients. These studies represent a critical first step in implicating a role of SOCS1 and SOCS3 deficiencies in the progression of human SLE, providing impetus for the performance for a larger multi-centered examination. Finally, these studies point to the possibility that peptides, previously shown to mimic SOCS signaling and inhibit rodent autoimmune disease, may have efficacy in the treatment of human SLE.

[Development of a Laser On-Line Cement Raw Material Analysis Equipment]

In engineering construction, cement quality directly affects the safety of construction projects. So it is necessary that we use qualified cement in the engineering structure. It is of great signification that a method detects cement raw material rapidly to adjust the mixture ratio of raw ores to ensure the cement quality. Traditional detection method needs sampling, sample preparation and test, etc. With many procedures, the test results are seriously lagged behind the production process. This paper introduces a set of online analysis equipment to determinate elemental composition of cement powder timely based on laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. This equipment is composed of a LIBS detection system and a pneumatic system. The equipment can achieve the real-time measurement for it needn’t sample preparation. Thus, it can guide cement raw material proportioning in time. In this paper, we have quantitatively analyzed the main components of Al2O3, CaO, Fe2O3, MgO and SiO2 in the cement raw materials using the full spectrum normalization method as well as the support vector machine. The corresponding maximum absolute errors were 0.34%, 0.35%, 0.07%, 0.14%, and 0.55%, respectively. Results showed that the measurement results of the newly developed LIBS equipment are in accord with those of the conventional chemical method. Furthermore, the measurement precision is in line with X-Ray fluorescence spectrometry. It is confirmed that the LIBS technique could be a prospect method for determination of elemental composition in the cement production industries.

The mastery of antidotes: A survey of antidote knowledge and availability among emergency physicians in registered hospitals in China

AIM

To describe various types of Chinese hospitals' emergency department (ED) physicians' knowledge of antidotes and the comparative availability of toxicological treatments at these hospitals.

METHODS

We emailed a written survey to the ED doctors of 900 hospitals in China. The hospitals' names and addresses were obtained and randomly selected from the 6214 hospitals registered by the Chinese Medical Association. The survey included 23 questions on antidotes to commonly seen poisonings as well as questions on the availability of antidotes and decontamination techniques at each hospital.

RESULTS

Six hundred and fifty three hospital emergency directors responded to the survey 72.6% response rate). Overall knowledge of antidotes is not high and varied depending on antidote. Physicians in Eastern China, those working in tertiary-level hospitals and those working in hospitals with higher numbers of beds performed significantly better. On average, only 35.6% of the 23 antidotes were available in all reporting hospitals; 54.1% can get these antidotes from nearby hospitals and 42.0% can get them from a local CDC poison control center. However, only 57.3% can get a requested antidote within two hours. Gastric lavage is the most widely used decontamination procedure, and the availability of extracorporeal decontamination techniques is between 67.2% and 79.6% (depending on type).

CONCLUSION

Knowledge of specific antidotes correlated significantly with size, type, and region of hospital in China rather than with individual physician characteristics. Significant antidotes remain unavailable or unavailable within 2 h in about half of all hospitals surveyed, although all major acute decontamination treatments and techniques seem quite prevalent.

Effects of algae growth on cadmium remobilization and ecological risk in sediments of Taihu Lake

Indoor simulation experiment with 2.76 L microcosms using sediment from Taihu Lake were conducted to investigate the relationship between algae bloom and heavy metals release into a lake aquatic environment. The results showed that Microcystic aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) growth can enhance cadmium (Cd) mobilization from sediments to overlying water due to increasing pH and DO content of overlying water and changing the redox condition of surface sediment (0-2 cm) from weak oxidation to weak reduction. The dissolved Cd concentration in overlying water can be decreased during algal growth process. The remobilization of Cd from sediment can effectively reduce the ecological risk of total Cd in sediments. The results of this study showed that both Igeo and Er(i) can be used to effectively evaluate the ecological risk of heavy metal Cd in different fractions.

Sorption and degradation of selected organic UV filters (BM-DBM, 4-MBC, and OD-PABA) in laboratory water-sediment systems

Organic UV filters that have been widely used in sunscreens and other personal care products have drawn much public concern because of their widespread contamination in the environment and their potential ecological risks to ecosystems. We selected three UV filters with high frequency of detection in the environment, namely butyl methoxy dibenzoylmethane (BM-DBM), ethylhexyl dimethyl p-aminobenzoate (OD-PABA), and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), to investigate the sorption and degradation behaviors of these compounds in lab-scale water-sediment systems set up with natural water and sediment samples collected from different rivers and lakes (i.e., Yangtze River, Qinhuai River, Xuanwu Lake, and Mochou Lake) in Nanjing, East China. The sorption isotherms of these UV filters were well described by the Freundlich equation (C s   = K f  × C w (n) ). The sorption of three UV filters in four sediments was all linear or close to it, with n values between 0.92 and 1.13. A moderate to strong sorption affinity was observed for these compounds, and the sorption appears to be irreversible. For the combined sorption and degradation studies, sorption was found to be a primary mechanism for the disappearance of these UV filters from the water phase, and biotransformation appears to be the predominant factor for the degradation of the target compounds in the water-sediment systems. All three UV filters were found to be slightly resistant to the microbes in these systems, with DT50total and DT90total values-the disappearance time (DT) describes the time in which the initial total mass of the UV filters in the whole system is reduced by 50 and 90 %-ranging between 18 and 31 days and 68 and 101 days, respectively.

Hyperspectral Models and Forcasting of Physico-Chemical Properties for Salinized Soils in Northwest China

Hyperspectral remote sensing data have special advantages, i.e., they have high spectral resolution and strong band continuity, and a great number of spectral information could be widely used in soil properties monitoring research. Using hyperspectral remote sensing technique to analyze saline soil properties makes great significance for the crop growth in the irrigation district and agricultural sustainable development. 221 soil samples were collected from Manasi River Basin to measure soil electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM) and 3 kinds of cation concentrations including Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, which were used to obtain sodium adsorption ration value (SAR). The soil hyperspectral curves were also measured. EC, SOM and SAR models were established based on the six spectral-related indices, including raw reflectance (R), standard normal variable (SNV), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), logarithm of the reciprocal (LR), the first derivative reflectance (FDR) and continuum-removal reflectance (CR) by the stepwise linear regression method. The results showed that, compared to the other five models, the model of log (EC)~R had the highest accuracy with r value of 0.782 and RMSE value of 0.256. The model of SOM vs. NDVI had the highest accuracy with r value of 0.670 and RMSE value of 5.352. The model of SAR vs. FDR had the highest accuracy with r value of 0.647 and RMSE value of 1.932. As to the model accuracy of the studied soil physico-chemical properties, the log(Ec) model was the most effective one, followed by the SOM model, the SAR model was the most inaccurate. The sensitive wavelengths for EC, SOM and SAR distributed in 395~1 801 nm, 352~1 144 nm and 394~1 011 nm, respectively. Since soil physico-chemical properties were highly spatially variable, there were large differences for the model establishment and validation of the soil properties. This research could be a reference of hyperspectral remote sensing monitoring of salinized soils.

Magnetic resonance imaging of Müllerian duct anomalies in children

Müllerian duct anomalies encompass a wide variety of disorders resulting from abnormalities in the embryological development of the Müllerian ducts. In the prepubertal pediatric population, Müllerian duct anomalies are often incidental findings on studies obtained for other reasons. The onset of menses can prompt more clinical symptoms. Proper characterization of Müllerian duct anomalies is important because these anomalies can affect the development of gynecological disorders as well as fertility. Müllerian duct anomalies also carry a high association with other congenital anomalies, particularly renal abnormalities. MRI is widely considered the best modality for assessing Müllerian duct anomalies; it provides multiplanar capability, clear anatomical detail and tissue characterization without ionizing radiation. MRI allows for careful description of Müllerian duct anomalies, often leading to classification into the most widely accepted classification system for Müllerian duct anomalies. This system, developed by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, includes seven subtypes: uterine agenesis/hypoplasia, unicornuate, didelphys, bicornuate, septate, arcuate, and diethylstilbestrol (DES) drug-related uterus. In cases of complex anomalies that defy classification, MRI allows detailed depiction of all components of the anatomical abnormality, allowing for proper management and surgical planning.

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma co-exists with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: Is strain elastography still useful?

To study the performance of strain elastography in differentiating papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) combined with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), conventional ultrasound scan (US) and strain elastography (SE) were performed on 558 nodules smaller than 10 mm by one examiner before surgeries. Serum concentrations of thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) (normal range: 0-60 U/ml) were measured. Continuous variables were analyzed by independent t test. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was applied to calculate the cut-off values of strain ratio (SR) and elastography score (ES). The comparison of AUCs is performed by Z test. 482 nodules were diagnosed as PTMC and there were 181 nodules co-existed with HT. SR measurements were lower in PTMC co-existed with HT when comparing to those without HT. (7.292±6.581 vs 11.319±13.155, p<0.000). Taking the data from all of the 558 nodules, the best cut-off of diagnosing PTMC was SR>2.58. When taking the data from 181 PTMC with HT, the best cut-off was SR>2.10. The diagnostic value of SR>2.1 were higher than ES>3, conventional US and combining US and SE (z=3.595, 4.876, 4.420, p<0.001), but cut-off of SR>2.1 did not show significant enhancement of diagnostic value compared to SR>2.58 (z=0.439, p=0.8903>0.001) in PTMC with HT. There is a negative relation between SR and titer of TPO-Ab (r=-0.650, p<0.0001). PTMC with high TPO-Ab (>1000) titer presented lower SR (5.972±4.118 vs 8.379±9.172, p=0.009). Although SR measurements were lower in nodules co-existed with HT when comparing those without HT, using a regular ES and cut-off of SR measurement would not influence the diagnosing performance. SE is still very useful for diagnosing PTMC with HT. PTMC with high TPO-Ab titer might require a lower cut-off of SR.

Establishment of a normal reference value of parathyroid hormone in a large healthy Chinese population and evaluation of its relation to bone turnover and bone mineral density

A normal reference value of parathyroid hormone (PTH) was established for the first time in a large sample of healthy Chinese subjects by completely excluding interference of vitamin D deficiency. A high PTH level correlated significantly with an elevated bone turnover and a reduced bone mineral density (BMD).

INTRODUCTION

The aims of this study are to establish a normal reference value for serum PTH and to evaluate the effect of parathyroid gland status on bone turnover and BMD.

METHODS

Our cross-sectional study included 1436 healthy individuals from 5 different Chinese cities. Concentrations of serum PTH, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), procollagen I N-terminal peptide (P1NP, a bone formation marker), and carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (β-CTX, a bone resorption marker) were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The relation of PTH concentration to age, gender, height, and weight was examined. Reference values of PTH were established for all subjects and for subjects categorized by serum 25OHD concentrations. Correlations of PTH levels with bone turnover biomarkers and BMD were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

Reference values of PTH were 8.84-69.95 pg/mL in all the subjects and 7.48-60.73 and 5.83-56.78 pg/mL in the subjects with serum 25OHD concentrations of ≥20 and ≥30 ng/mL, respectively. Serum PTH showed a negative linear correlation with 25OHD, and the breakpoint was 18.21 ng/mL, below which the PTH level rapidly increased. The increase in PTH levels with age showed a positive linear correlation with P1NP and β-CTX concentrations and a negative linear correlation with BMD at the lumbar spines and the femoral neck.

CONCLUSIONS

A reference value of PTH was established in a large sample of healthy Chinese subjects according to 25OHD status, gender, and age. A high PTH level correlated significantly with an elevated bone turnover and a reduced BMD.

Estimating national-scale ground-level PM25 concentration in China using geographically weighted regression based on MODIS and MISR AOD

Taking advantage of the continuous spatial coverage, satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) products have been widely used to assess the spatial and temporal characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on the ground and their effects on human health. However, the national-scale ground-level PM2.5 estimation is still very limited because the lack of ground PM2.5 measurements to calibrate the model in China. In this study, a national-scale geographically weighted regression (GWR) model was developed to estimate ground-level PM2.5 concentration based on satellite AODs, newly released national-wide hourly PM2.5 concentrations, and meteorological parameters. The results showed good agreements between satellite-retrieved and ground-observed PM2.5 concentration at 943 stations in China. The overall cross-validation (CV) R (2) is 0.76 and root mean squared prediction error (RMSE) is 22.26 μg/m(3) for MODIS-derived AOD. The MISR-derived AOD also exhibits comparable performance with a CV R (2) and RMSE are 0.81 and 27.46 μg/m(3), respectively. Annual PM2.5 concentrations retrieved either by MODIS or MISR AOD indicated that most of the residential community areas exceeded the new annual Chinese PM2.5 National Standard level 2. These results suggest that this approach is useful for estimating large-scale ground-level PM2.5 distributions especially for the regions without PMs monitoring sites.

The changing relationship between HbA1c and FPG according to different FPG ranges

PURPOSE

Since the American Diabetes Association included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the diagnostic criteria for diabetes in 2010, the clinical use of HbA1c has remained controversial. We explored the use of HbA1c for diagnosing diabetes and intermediate hyperglycemia in comparison with fasting plasma glucose (FPG).

METHODS

We screened 3710 adult subjects (mean age = 55.24 years) comprising 1704 males and 2006 females. We drew an receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the ability of HbA1c to diagnose diabetes and intermediate hyperglycemia according to FPG. We used Kappa coefficient and Pearson's correlation coefficient to evaluate the relationship between HbA1c and FPG in different FPG ranges.

RESULTS

The areas under ROC curve to diagnose diabetes and intermediate hyperglycemia were 0.859 (95 % CI 0.827-0.892) and 0.633 (95 % CI 0.615-0.651). The kappa coefficients between FPG and HbA1c for diagnosis of diabetes and intermediate hyperglycemia were 0.601 (P < 0.001) and 0.104 (P < 0.001). The Pearson's correlation coefficient of FPG and HbA1c was 0.640 (P < 0.001), but when we classified FPG as normal, intermediate hyperglycemia and diabetes, the coefficients became 0.07 (P = 0.002), 0.185 (P < 0.001) and 0.760 (P < 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between HbA1c and FPG changed according to the different FPG ranges. When FPG was higher, the relationship was stronger. HbA1c and FPG were highly consistent in diagnosing diabetes, but they were not in predicting intermediate hyperglycemia.

Hsa-miRNA-31 regulates epithelial cell barrier function by inhibiting TNFSF15 expression

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by epithelial barrier disruption and alterations in immune regulation but with the etiology unknown. MicroRNA-31 is the most consistent differentially expressed miRNA in ulcerative colitis tissue. The aim of this project is to study the important roles of miRNA-31 in regulation of intestinal epithelial barrier function. We found that expression of miRNA-31 is proportional to the proliferation of Caco2-BBE cells and overexpression of miRNA-31 can increase its trans-epithelial resistance (TER) by decreasing the transepithelial permeability. miRNA-31 can directly bind to the 3-UTR of TNFSF15, thereafter negatively regulating its expression in Caco2-BBE cells. BrdU and TUNEL analysis demonstrated that transfection of miRNA-31 stimulates proliferation or apoptosis-resistance. Taken together, these results revealed a novel mecha-nism underlying the regulation of epithelial barrier function by miRNA-31 during its regulation on proliferation of epithelial cells.

Complete genome sequence and comparative genome analysis of a new special Yersinia enterocolitica

Yersinia enterocolitica is the most diverse species among the Yersinia genera and shows more polymorphism, especially for the non-pathogenic strains. Individual non-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica strains are wrongly identified because of atypical phenotypes. In this study, we isolated an unusual Y. enterocolitica strain LC20 from Rattus norvegicus. The strain did not utilize urea and could not be classified as the biotype. API 20E identified Escherichia coli; however, it grew well at 25 °C, but E. coli grew well at 37 °C. We analyzed the genome of LC20 and found the whole chromosome of LC20 was collinear with Y. enterocolitica 8081, and the urease gene did not exist on the genome which is consistent with the result of API 20E. Also, the 16 S and 23 SrRNA gene of LC20 lay on a branch of Y. enterocolitica. Furthermore, the core-based and pan-based phylogenetic trees showed that LC20 was classified into the Y. enterocolitica cluster. Two plasmids (80 and 50 k) from LC20 shared low genetic homology with pYV from the Yersinia genus, one was an ancestral Yersinia plasmid and the other was novel encoding a number of transposases. Some pathogenic and non-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica-specific genes coexisted in LC20. Thus, although it could not be classified into any Y. enterocolitica biotype due to its special biochemical metabolism, we concluded the LC20 was a Y. enterocolitica strain because its genome was similar to other Y. enterocolitica and it might be a strain with many mutations and combinations emerging in the processes of its evolution.

Population Pharmacokinetics of Lithium Carbonate in Young Male Healthy Chinese Volunteers

Aim: To investigate the population pharmacokinetics (PK) model of lithium carbonate in young male healthy Chinese subjects. Methods: This study was conducted using a 2-period crossover design. 20 healthy male subjects received lithium carbonate tablets from 2 different Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers. Plasma samples were obtained by blood sampling over 72 h in each period. Population PK analysis was performed using nonlinear mixed-effects model (NONMEM) software. The final models were validated using bootstrap and visual predictive check (VPC) approaches. Results: The final PK model was a two-compartment model. The population PK parameters, clearance (CL/F), apparent distribution volume of the central compartment (V2/F), inter-compartmental clearance (Q/F) and apparent distribution volume of the peripheral compartment (V3/F), were 9.39 L/h, 10.4 L, 22.1 L/h, and 216 L, respectively. Conclusion: Population PK models for lithium carbonate have been developed and considerable inter-subject variability was found in healthy young male Chinese subjects. It takes a long time to achieve the steady state in conventional therapy. This may provide guidelines for future use of lithium carbonate in China.

Observation of Long-Range Elliptic Azimuthal Anisotropies in sqrt[s]=13 and 2.76 TeV pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector

ATLAS has measured two-particle correlations as a function of the relative azimuthal angle, Δϕ, and pseudorapidity, Δη, in sqrt[s]=13 and 2.76 TeV pp collisions at the LHC using charged particles measured in the pseudorapidity interval |η|<2.5. The correlation functions evaluated in different intervals of measured charged-particle multiplicity show a multiplicity-dependent enhancement at Δϕ∼0 that extends over a wide range of Δη, which has been referred to as the "ridge." Per-trigger-particle yields, Y(Δϕ), are measured over 2<|Δη|<5. For both collision energies, the Y(Δϕ) distribution in all multiplicity intervals is found to be consistent with a linear combination of the per-trigger-particle yields measured in collisions with less than 20 reconstructed tracks, and a constant combinatoric contribution modulated by cos(2Δϕ). The fitted Fourier coefficient, v_{2,2}, exhibits factorization, suggesting that the ridge results from per-event cos(2ϕ) modulation of the single-particle distribution with Fourier coefficients v_{2}. The v_{2} values are presented as a function of multiplicity and transverse momentum. They are found to be approximately constant as a function of multiplicity and to have a p_{T} dependence similar to that measured in p+Pb and Pb+Pb collisions. The v_{2} values in the 13 and 2.76 TeV data are consistent within uncertainties. These results suggest that the ridge in pp collisions arises from the same or similar underlying physics as observed in p+Pb collisions, and that the dynamics responsible for the ridge has no strong sqrt[s] dependence.