[Analysis of clinical characteristics and prognosis of non-severe aplastic anemia children with chromosomal abnormalities]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of non-severe aplastic anemia (NSAA) with chromosomal abnormalities in children. Method: A retrospective analysis of 304 cases with NSAA with successful karyotyping from 2001 to 2014 in the Institute of Hematology & Blood Disease Hospital was carried out. The treatment response, condition of blood transfusion were analyzed using χ² test, the cumulative survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Result: Out of 304 patients, 28 patients had chromosomal abnormalities with trisomy 8 (7 cases, 25.0%), abnormalities in chromosome 7 (5 cases, 17.9%), and other types (16 cases, 57.1%). There were no significant differences in the treatment response(40.9% (9/22)vs. 58.6%(119/203), χ²=2.539, P=0.111), the rate of getting rid of blood transfusion(54.5%(6/11) vs. 65.0%(39/60), χ²=6.455, P=0.086), five-year progression-free survival (49.2% vs.70.8%, χ²=0.849, P=0.357), and five-year cumulative survival (79.1% vs. 92.8%, χ²=0.330, P=0.556) between the patients with or without chromosomal abnormalities. There were significant differences in the rate of disease progression(41.7%(10/24) vs. 22.3%(48/215), χ²=4.394, P=0.045), the incidence of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (20.8%(5/24)vs. 0.9%(2/215), χ²=30.082, P=0.000)and the five-year cumulative incidence of MDS or AML(33.4% vs. 0.8%, χ²=17.798, P=0.000)between children with and without chromosomal abnormalities. Conclusion: The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in children with NSAA is 9.2%. The clinical features and treatment response are similar, but children with chromosomal abnormalities have a poorer prognosis, and have higher risk of progressing to MDS or AML.

Preparation of Entangled States through Hilbert Space Engineering

We apply laser fields to trapped atomic ions to constrain the quantum dynamics from a simultaneously applied global microwave field to an initial product state and a target entangled state. This approach comes under what has become known in the literature as "quantum Zeno dynamics" and we use it to prepare entangled states of two and three ions. With two trapped ^{9}Be^{+} ions, we obtain Bell state fidelities up to 0.990_{-5}^{+2}; with three ions, a W-state fidelity of 0.910_{-7}^{+4} is obtained. Compared to other methods of producing entanglement in trapped ions, this procedure can be relatively insensitive to certain imperfections such as fluctuations in laser intensity.

Electrically controllable plasmonic enhanced coherent random lasing from dye-doped nematic liquid crystals containing Au nanoparticles

An electrically controllable plasmonic enhanced coherent random lasing from the dye-doped nematic liquid crystal containing Au nanoparticles is demonstrated. To achieve the optimal control of the RL properties, the polarization of the pump light should be parallel to the rubbing direction of the cells. The lasing output intensity is direction-dependent and the substantial output distributes in an angle range of 0°~30° deviating from the direction of the pump stripe. The coherent feedback associated with the coherent random lasing mainly originates from the cooperative effect of the enhanced localized electric field in the vicinity of Au nanoparticles and the multiple scattering caused by the fluctuations of the liquid crystal director and local dielectric tensor.

High-Fidelity Universal Gate Set for ^{9}Be^{+} Ion Qubits

We report high-fidelity laser-beam-induced quantum logic gates on magnetic-field-insensitive qubits comprised of hyperfine states in ^{9}Be^{+} ions with a memory coherence time of more than 1 s. We demonstrate single-qubit gates with an error per gate of 3.8(1)×10^{-5}. By creating a Bell state with a deterministic two-qubit gate, we deduce a gate error of 8(4)×10^{-4}. We characterize the errors in our implementation and discuss methods to further reduce imperfections towards values that are compatible with fault-tolerant processing at realistic overhead.

Nanoscale Electron Bunching in Laser-Triggered Ionization Injection in Plasma Accelerators

Ionization injection is attractive as a controllable injection scheme for generating high quality electron beams using plasma-based wakefield acceleration. Because of the phase-dependent tunneling ionization rate and the trapping dynamics within a nonlinear wake, the discrete injection of electrons within the wake is nonlinearly mapped to a discrete final phase space structure of the beam at the location where the electrons are trapped. This phenomenon is theoretically analyzed and examined by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations which show that three-dimensional effects limit the wave number of the modulation to between >2k_{0} and about 5k_{0}, where k_{0} is the wave number of the injection laser. Such a nanoscale bunched beam can be diagnosed by and used to generate coherent transition radiation and may find use in generating high-power ultraviolet radiation upon passage through a resonant undulator.

Capturing relativistic wakefield structures in plasmas using ultrashort high-energy electrons as a probe

A new method capable of capturing coherent electric field structures propagating at nearly the speed of light in plasma with a time resolution as small as a few femtoseconds is proposed. This method uses a few femtoseconds long relativistic electron bunch to probe the wake produced in a plasma by an intense laser pulse or an ultra-short relativistic charged particle beam. As the probe bunch traverses the wake, its momentum is modulated by the electric field of the wake, leading to a density variation of the probe after free-space propagation. This variation of probe density produces a snapshot of the wake that can directly give many useful information of the wake structure and its evolution. Furthermore, this snapshot allows detailed mapping of the longitudinal and transverse components of the wakefield. We develop a theoretical model for field reconstruction and verify it using 3-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. This model can accurately reconstruct the wakefield structure in the linear regime, and it can also qualitatively map the major features of nonlinear wakes. The capturing of the injection in a nonlinear wake is demonstrated through 3D PIC simulations as an example of the application of this new method.

Meta-analysis of the IL-10 promoter polymorphisms and pediatric asthma susceptibility

The results of previous epidemiological studies exploring the relationship between interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter polymorphisms and susceptibility to pediatric asthma are not consistent. Therefore, we have performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide a more convincing conclusion. Odds ratios (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of association between the IL-10 promoter polymorphisms and susceptibility to pediatric asthma. Publication bias was examined by Begg's funnel plots and the Egger test. A detailed literature search based on stringent parameters yielded sixteen relevant studies, comprising 2494 cases and 2160 controls. The overall population showed no significant association between the IL-10 -1082G/A polymorphism and pediatric asthma risk in any of the genetic models (dominant model: OR = 1.583, 95%CI = 0.614-4.076, P = 0.342; allelic model: OR = 1.214, 95%CI = 0.748-1.971, P = 0.433; additive model: OR = 2.240, 95%CI = 0.950-5.277, P = 0.065; recessive model: OR = 1.435, 95%CI = 0.659-3.128, P = 0.363). Subgroup analyses revealed a significant association between different ethnicity and atopic status subgroups. However, there was no evidence of a significant association between the other two polymorphisms (-819C/ T and -592C/A) and pediatric asthma in our study. No significant publication bias was observed in this meta-analysis. The results of this study indicate that the IL-10 -1082G/A polymorphism might be a risk factor for asthma in children. However, because of the small sample size included in the subgroup analyses, the results should be interpreted with caution.

Cardiac Specific Overexpression of hHole Attenuates Isoproterenol-Induced Hypertrophic Remodeling through Inhibition of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases (ERKs) Signalling

The human Hole gene (hHole) encodes a six-transmembrane protein with 319- amino acids. Our previous study showed that hHole was strongly expressed in adult heart and may act as a suppressor of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), overactivation of which contributed to pathological cardiac hypertrophy. In this study, it was observed that Hole expression was up-regulated in murine hypertrophic hearts. In a cardiac specific transgenic mouse model, it was observed that overexpression of hHole specifically in heart attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis induced by isoproterenol (ISO), with blunted transcriptions of ERK1/2, total ERK1/2 proteins and phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) levels. Furthermore, overexpression of hHole in mice by hydrodynamic tail-vein injection with hHole plamids also inhibited cardiac hypertrophy induced by ISO. Our work identified hHole as a novel repressor of cardiac hypertrophy, and provided new insights into the possible target for the prevention or treatment of cardiac diseases.

Spinon Walk in Quantum Spin Ice

We study a minimal model for the dynamics of spinons in quantum spin ice. The model captures the essential strong coupling between the spinon and the disordered background spins. We demonstrate that the spinon motion can be mapped to a random walk with an entropy-induced memory in imaginary time. Our numerical simulation of the spinon walk indicates that the spinon propagates as a massive quasiparticle at low energy despite its strong coupling to the spin background at the microscopic energy scale. We discuss the experimental implications of our findings.

Endosome Escape Strategies for Improving the Efficacy of Oligonucleotide Delivery Systems

Gene therapy requires safe and effective vectors to deliver genes to their target site of action. Non-viral gene delivery systems have attracted growing attention due to their low toxicity, low immunogenicity and ease of production compared to viral vectors. Most non-viral gene delivery systems enter cells via endocytic pathways, and their escape from endosomes is therefore crucial for successful transfection. Several reagents have been developed to promote endosomal escape, including peptides, polymers and lipids. Among these, endosome-disrupting peptides have been used in many studies, and have proven to be one of the most promising approaches to overcome endosomal entrapment and lysosomal degradation. This review provides an up-to-date summary of strategies for enhancing endosomal escape, with a focus on the modification of endosome-disrupting peptides to further increase the efficient delivery of oligonucleotides.

[Clinical and genetic features of dyskeratosis congenital with bone marrow failure in eight patients]

目的

加深对先天性角化不良（dyskeratosis congenital，DC）伴骨髓衰竭的认识。

方法

收集2010年9月30日至2015年9月30日8例伴骨髓衰竭DC患儿的临床资料，利用二代测序技术对DKC1、TERC、TERT、NOP10、NHP2、TINF2等16种端粒相关基因进行全外显子及剪接位点测序分析。

结果

8例DC患儿中男6例、女2例，中位发病月龄为42(15~60）个月。初诊血常规：中位WBC 3.99（1.26~5.44）×10⁹/L，中位中性粒细胞计数1.11(0.38~2.15）×10⁹/L，中位RBC 2.45(0.37~3.56）×10¹²/L，中位HGB 82.5(15~127) g/L，中位PLT 27（2~112）×10⁹/L。8例患儿中6例骨髓增生减低或重度减低。3例患儿检出DKC1基因突变：c.961C>A 1例，c.1058C>T 2例；4例患儿检出TINF2基因突变：c.849delC、c.844C>T、c.811C>T、c.862T>A合并c.871delA各1例；1例患儿检出TINF2基因突变（c.848C>A）合并TERT基因突变（c.1138C>T）。其中DKC c.961C>A、TINF2 c.849delC、TINF2 c.871delA突变为首次报道。7例患儿口服雄激素治疗，其中5例血常规指标改善。1例患儿死于重症感染，其余7例患儿维持治疗。

结论

DC伴骨髓衰竭以TINF2突变和DKC1突变为主。雄激素治疗对部分病例有效。

Pre-attentive dysfunction of musical processing in major depressive disorder: A mismatch negativity study

BACKGROUND

Deficits of pre-attentive information processing have been frequently found in patients with major depressive disorder, nevertheless the results are quite inconsistent due to clinical heterogeneity and methodological difference. Cognitive processing of music is a useful tool for investigating human cognition and its underlying brain mechanisms. Although general auditory processing and perception of musical sound are hampered in patients with MDD, whether the deficits in musical processing begin from pre-attentive stage is not well investigated yet. The present study aimed to investigate the MMN of musical sound in patients with MDD.

METHOD

MMN responses to different musical features were compared in 20 patients with MDD and 20 age-matched healthy controls. The multi-feature paradigm was used to examine automatic change detection of six different musical sound features (pitch, timbre, location, intensity, slide, rhythm) in a complex musical context. Severity of depression and co-morbid anxiety were evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD-17) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA).

RESULTS

MMNs were obtained with all deviants. The timbre-MMN was significantly larger in MDD patients than in healthy controls, while the other deviants (pitch, location, intensity, slide and rhythm) elicited similar MMN across groups. For MDD patients, the amplitudes and latencies of MMNs did not correlate with severity of depression or co-morbid anxiety.

LIMITATIONS

The sample size in this study is relatively small.

CONCLUSION

Patients with MDD do not perform at the same level as controls in automatic change detection of timbre. This dysfunction is considered to be a trait-dependent feature of MDD.

Physics of Phase Space Matching for Staging Plasma and Traditional Accelerator Components Using Longitudinally Tailored Plasma Profiles

Phase space matching between two plasma-based accelerator (PBA) stages and between a PBA and a traditional accelerator component is a critical issue for emittance preservation. The drastic differences of the transverse focusing strengths as the beam propagates between stages and components may lead to a catastrophic emittance growth even when there is a small energy spread. We propose using the linear focusing forces from nonlinear wakes in longitudinally tailored plasma density profiles to control phase space matching between sections with negligible emittance growth. Several profiles are considered and theoretical analysis and particle-in-cell simulations show how these structures may work in four different scenarios. Good agreement between theory and simulation is obtained, and it is found that the adiabatic approximation misses important physics even for long profiles.

Low-Temperature Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH₃ over Mn₂O₃-Doped Fe₂O₃ Hexagonal Microsheets

Mn2O3-doped Fe2O3 hexagonal microsheets were prepared for the low-temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3. These hexagonal microsheets were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, BET, XPS, NH3-TPD, H2-TPR, and in situ DRIFT and were shown to exhibit a considerable uniform hexagonal microsheet structure and excellent low temperature SCR efficiency. When doped with different Mn molar ratios, Mn2O3 was detected in the Fe2O3 hexagonal microsheets based on the XRD results without the presence of other MnOX species. In addition, the hexagonal microsheets with a Mn/Fe molar ratio of 0.2 showed the best SCR removal performance among the materials, where a 98% NO conversion ratio at 200 °C at a space velocity of 30,000 h(-1) was obtained. Meanwhile, excellent tolerances to H2O and SO2, as well as high thermal stability, were obtained in Mn2O3-doped Fe2O3 hexagonal microsheets. Moreover, on the basis of the XPS and in situ DRIFT results, it can be suggested that coupled Mn2O3 nanocrystals played a key role at low temperatures and produced a possible redox reaction mechanism in the SCR process.

Long-term association between dairy consumption and risk of childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Data from small-scale, short-term, clinical trials suggest a beneficial effect of dairy consumption on the risk of childhood obesity; however, the long-term association is unclear. Therefore, we aim to examine the longitudinal association between dairy consumption and the risk of overweight/obesity in children and adolescents by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE through March 2015. Additional studies were retrieved via Google Scholar or a hand review of the reference lists from relevant articles. Pooled associations of interest were estimated by using a random-effects model. The heterogeneity for each pooled analysis was evaluated by I(2) statistic as well as by Cochran's Q test. Publication bias was assessed by using both Egger's and Begg's tests.

RESULTS

Ten studies comprising 46,011 children and adolescents with an average 3-year follow-up were included. As compared with those who were in the lowest group of dairy consumption, children in the highest intake group were 38% less likely to have childhood overweight/obesity (pooled odds ratio (OR)=0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.80). With each 1 serving/day increment in dairy consumption, the percentage of body fat was reduced by 0.65% (β=0.65; 95% CI: -1.35, 0.06; P=0.07), and the risk of overweight/obesity was 13% lower (OR=0.87; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

Accumulated evidence from prospective cohort studies suggests that dairy consumption is inversely and longitudinally associated with the risk of childhood overweight/obesity. Further studies are warranted to examine the types of dairy products in relation to the risk of childhood overweight/obesity.

Risk of Incident Colorectal Cancer and Death After Colonoscopy: A Population-based Study in Utah

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Colonoscopy is widely recommended for colorectal (CRC) screening in the United States, but evidence of effectiveness is limited. We examined whether exposure to colonoscopy decreases the odds of incident CRC and death from CRC in Utah.

METHODS

We performed a case-control study of Utah residents, 54 to 90 years old, who received a CRC diagnosis from 2000 through 2010 (cases). Age- and sex-matched controls with no history of CRC (controls) were selected for each case. We determined receipt of colonoscopy 6 months to 10 years before the reference date for each case and control through administrative claims data. Colonoscopy exposure was compared by using conditional logistic regression.

RESULTS

We identified 5128 cases and 20,512 controls; 741 cases (14%) and 5715 controls (28%) received a colonoscopy. Exposure to colonoscopy reduced the odds for a diagnosis of CRC; the odds ratios (ORs) were 0.41 for any CRC (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.38-0.44), 0.58 for proximal colon cancer (95% CI, 0.51-0.65), and 0.29 for distal colon or rectal cancer (95% CI, 0.25-0.33). This finding was consistent among sexes, age groups, and cancer stages. Similarly, in a subgroup analysis, colonoscopy was associated with decreased odds of death from CRC (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.28-0.39) in both the proximal colon (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.34-0.55) and distal colon or rectum (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.18-0.30).

CONCLUSIONS

In the population of Utah, colonoscopy is associated with a large reduction in risk of new-onset CRC and death from CRC. This reduction in risk for CRC was greatest for the distal colon and rectum, with a more modest reduction for proximal colon cancer.

Spontaneous renal hemorrhage caused by invasive mole: a case report

CASE

The authors report a case with spontaneous renal hemorrhage caused by invasive mole. The diagnosis was gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), with metastasis to brain, kidneys, and lungs at Stage IV. The patient was given etoposide-methotrexate-actinomycin D plus cyclophosphamide-vincristine (EMACO) treatment regimen for 11 times including three times with consolidation chemotherapies. Laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) + laparoscopic-assisted left renal excision + evacuation of the left perirenal hematoma were performed during the eighth chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Post-operational pathological examination revealed trophoblasts within the lesions present in uterine fundus and the residue images of a few trophoblasts present in the left renal mass.

Structure–performance relationships of MnO2 nanocatalyst for the low-temperature SCR removal of NOX under ammonia

To investigate the corresponding relationship between catalytic efficiency and structure, MnO₂ nanomaterials (nanospheres, nanosheets, nanorods) have been prepared successfully, and were thoroughly characterized by SEM and TEM.

Nucleic acid aptamers in cancer research, diagnosis and therapy

Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA oligomers, identified from a random sequence pool, with the ability to form unique and versatile tertiary structures that bind to cognate molecules with superior specificity. Their small size, excellent chemical stability and low immunogenicity enable them to rival antibodies in cancer imaging and therapy applications. Their facile chemical synthesis, versatility in structural design and engineering, and the ability for site-specific modifications with functional moieties make aptamers excellent recognition motifs for cancer biomarker discovery and detection. Moreover, aptamers can be selected or engineered to regulate cancer protein functions, as well as to guide anti-cancer drug design or screening. This review summarizes their applications in cancer, including cancer biomarker discovery and detection, cancer imaging, cancer therapy, and anti-cancer drug discovery. Although relevant applications are relatively new, the significant progress achieved has demonstrated that aptamers can be promising players in cancer research.