A Novel Targeted Therapy System for Cervical Cancer: Co-Delivery System of Antisense LncRNA of MDC1 and Oxaliplatin Magnetic Thermosensitive Cationic Liposome Drug Carrier.

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to prepare a novel magnetic thermosensitive cationic liposome drug carrier for the codelivery of Oxaliplatin (OXA) and antisense lncRNA of MDC1 (MDC1-AS) to Cervical cancer cells and evaluate the efficiency of this drug carrier and its antitumor effects on Cervical cancer. METHODS: Thermosensitive magnetic cationic liposomes were prepared using thin-film hydration method. The OXA and MDC1-AS vectors were loaded into the codelivery system, and the in vitro OXA thermosensitive release activity, efficiency of MDC1-AS regulating MDC1, in vitro cytotoxicity, and in vivo antitumor activity were determined. RESULTS: The codelivery system had desirable targeted delivery efficacy, OXA thermosensitive release, and MDC1-AS regulating MDC1. Codelivery of OXA and MDC1-AS enhanced the inhibition of cervical cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo, compared with single drug delivery. CONCLUSION: The novel codelivery of OXA and MDC1-AS magnetic thermosensitive cationic liposome drug carrier can be applied in the combined chemotherapy and gene therapy for cervical cancer.

Alveolar Bone Density Reduction in Rats Caused by Unilateral Nasal Obstruction

Background: Oral breathing can cause morphological changes in the oral and maxillofacial regions. Aims: To investigate whether oral breathing affected structural changes in bone tissues. Study Design: Animal experimentation. Methods: A total of 48 8-day-old male Sprague−Dawley rats were divided into two groups: a breathing group and a sham (control) group. All Sprague−Dawley rats were killed at 7 weeks after unilateral nostril obstruction modeling. Then, structural changes in bone tissues were detected by micro-computed tomography, and the expression levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB, osteoprotegerin, and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand in the signal pathway of bone metabolism within the local alveolar bone and serum of rats were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Results: The results showed that receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB levels in bone tissues and serum in the oral breathing group were higher than those in the control group [Maxillary alveolar bone: receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (pRNA=0.009, pprotein=0.008), receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (pRNA=0.008, pprotein=0.009); Mandibular alveolar bone: receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (pRNA=0.047, pprotein=0.042), receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (pRNA=0.041, pprotein=0.007); Serum: receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (pRNA<0.001, pprotein<0.001), receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (pRNA<0.001, pprotein<0.001)], along with decreased osteoprotegerin expression (Maxillary alveolar bone: pRNA=0.038, pprotein=0.048; Mandibular alveolar bone: pRNA<0.001, pprotein<0.001; Serum: pRNA=0.009, pprotein=0.006) and elevated receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand/osteoprotegerin. Micro-computed tomography analysis indicated a significant difference in the level of bone volume fraction, as well as trabecular thickness in maxillary alveolar bone between the experimental and control groups (p=0.049, p=0.047). Meanwhile, trabecular thickness, and cortical thickness levels in mandibular alveolar bone also differed significantly between the experimental and control groups (p=0.043, p=0.024). Conclusion: Structural changes of the respiratory system affect the alveolar bone structure and unilateral nasal obstruction may lead to a change in regional specific bone density.

Fabrication and optical properties of Pr3+-doped Ba (Sn, Zr, Mg, Ta) O3 transparent ceramic phosphor.

To the best of our knowledge, we have successfully fabricated a novel transparent ceramic phosphor of Pr3+-doped Ba (Sn, Zr, Mg, Ta) O3 (Pr3+:BMT) via a high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The in-line transmittance of 59% at 650 nm was measured. The Pr3+:BMT ceramic phosphor can emit 650 nm red light excited by 447 nm blue light. The ceramic phosphor can still work at 383 K. The activation energy was calculated to be 0.17 eV. The efficiency of the ceramic phosphor is twice that of its powder phosphor. The Pr3+:BMT ceramic phosphor showed good thermal stability and enhanced the chromaticity of its white LEDs, which make it a promising red phosphor for lighting.

Strongly enhanced luminescence of Sr4Al14O25:Mn4+ phosphor by co-doping B3+ and Na+ ions with red emission for plant growth LEDs.

Development of a more cost-effective radiation source for use in plant-growing facilities would be of significant benefit for commercial crop production applications. A series of co-doped B3+ and Na+ ions Sr4Al14O25:Mn4+ inorganic luminescence materials which can be used for plant growth were successfully synthesized through a conventional high-temperature solid-state reaction. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to confirm the crystal structure and phase purity of the obtained samples. Then scanning electron microscopy elemental mapping was undertaken to characterize the distribution of the doped ions. Detail investigations on the photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra revealed that emission intensity of tetravalent manganese ions can be well enhanced by monovalent sodium ions and trivalent boron ions under near-ultraviolet and blue excitation. Additionally, crystal field parameters and energies of states are calculated and discussed in detail. Particularly we achieve a photoluminescence internal quantum yield as high as 60.8% under 450 nm blue light excitation for Sr4Al14O25:Mn4+, Na+, B3+. Therefore, satisfactory luminescence properties make these phosphors available to LEDs for plant growth.

M8MgSc(PO4)7:xDy3+ (M = Ca/Sr) Single-Phase Full-Color Phosphor with High Thermal Emission Stability.

Two series of phosphors of Ca8MgSc(PO4)7:Dy3+ and Sr8MgSc(PO4)7:Dy3+ single-phase white-emitting phosphors with high thermal emission stability are synthesized by the high-temperature solid-state reaction. The crystal structure, photoluminescence (PL), PL excitation (PLE), and thermal PL quenching spectra of Ca8MgSc(PO4)7:xDy3+ and Sr8MgSc(PO4)7:xDy3+ were investigated and compared in detail. Upon excitation at 387 nm, M8MgSc(PO4)7:xDy3+ (M = Ca/Sr) showed white emission centered at 480, 571, 660, and 754 nm. The white-emitting Dy-phosphor Ca8MgSc(PO4)7:Dy3+ (CMSP:Dy) had good terminal stability. The emission intensity of Ca8MgSc(PO4)7:Dy3+ still remained 95.2% of that at room temperature at 160 °C, and remained 77.3% at 300 °C under 387 nm excitation.

Enhanced Luminescence Performances of Tunable Lu3-xYxAl5O12:Mn4+ Red Phosphor by Ions of Rn+ (Li+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Sr2+, Sc3+).

A novel red-emitting Lu3Al5O12:Mn4+ (LuAG:Mn4+) phosphor was synthesized by a solid-state reaction. The emission-band position is shifted to red region by gradually increasing the amount of substitution of Lu3+ for Y3+, eventually yielding fully Y3Al5O12:Mn4+ (YAG:Mn4+). The compared structural and optical properties of the phosphors were investigated. From the experimentally measured spectroscopic data, crystal field parameter Dq and Racah parameters B and C are calculated to be 2127, 1464, and 3620 cm-1 in LuAG:Mn4+, respectively. In YAG:Mn4+, Dq, B, and C are calculated to be 2082, 1524, and 3740 cm-1, respectively. Impressively, Ca2+/Li+/Mg2+/Sr2+/Sc3+/Na+ dopants were found to be beneficial for enhancing Mn4+ luminescence, and the related mechanisms were systematically discussed.

Longitudinally diode-pumped planar waveguide YAG/Yb:LuAG/YAG ceramic laser at 1030.7 nm.

Composite YAG/15 at. % Yb:LuAG/YAG transparent ceramic planar waveguide was fabricated by a tape casting method and vacuum sintering technology. Under a 970 nm diode laser pumping, the absorbed efficiency of 85.4% was achieved, and efficient CW laser operation at 1030.7 nm was accomplished with a good beam quality with Gaussian spatial profile. A maximum output power of 288 mW was obtained under a pump power of 4.69 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 9% and an O-O conversion efficiency of 5%.

Defects dynamics during ageing cycles of InGaN blue light-emitting diodes revealed by evolution of external quantum efficiency--current dependence.

We report in detail the defect dynamics in the active region by monitoring the external quantum efficiency (EQE) - injection current curves, I-V curves, and electroluminescence spectra during the ageing test, under a forward current of 850 mA (85 A/cm2), room temperature. We apply a two-level model to analyze the EQE curves and the electroluminescence spectra. The results suggest that high injection density during the ageing may reduce the density of the Shockley-Reed-Hall nonradiative recombination centers and enhance the carrier mobility and diffusion length. The former effect would directly lead to initial surge of EQE, whereas the latter would enhance the effect of extended defects which leads to reduction in peak EQE and increase in EQE droop rate.

Optical enhancement brought by doping Gd(3+) ions into Ce: YAG ceramics for indoor white light-emitting diodes.

We dope Gd(3+) ions into Ce: YAG ceramics to induce red-shift in the photoluminescence, of which the degree is proportional to the Gd(3+) doping concentration. This kind of ceramic, when collaborating with InGaN blue chips, proves to be a promising fluorescent material of white light-emitting diodes, for not only its high in-line transmittance and decent quantum yield, but also the improvement in color rendering ability brought by the red-shift, which enhances the ratio of red portion in spectra. We demonstrate that 10% is the optimized value of Gd(3+) doping concentration, as it provides the maximum color rendering index of ~78 with luminous efficiency as high as 128 lm/W.

Study on the correlations between color rendering indices and the spectral power distributions: reply to comment.

We demonstrate the strong theory strength of our original article [Optics Express 22 (S4), A1029 (2014)] and the statements in the comment letter were wrong because it was based on misunderstanding of our article.

Diode-pumped tape casting planar waveguide YAG/Nd:YAG/YAG ceramic laser.

We demonstrated the efficient guided laser action in a diode-pumped YAG/Nd:YAG/YAG ceramic planar waveguide produced by tape casting and vacuum sintering technology for the first time to the best of our knowledge. In the regime of continuous wave operation, a maximum output power of 840 mW corresponding to the slope efficiency of 65% was achieved. During passively Q-switched operation, by replacing the dichroic mirror with graphene-oxide based output coupler, we obtained the stable pulse trains with the shortest pulse duration of 179 ns at a pulse repetition rate of 930 kHz which resulted in the single pulse energy of 221 nJ.

Introduction on the fabrication technique of phosphor in glass by tape-casting and investigation on the chromaticity property.

We introduce a new fabrication technique of phosphor in glass (PiG) for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) employing the tape-casting. Through the detailed process described herein and the measurement results, it is clear that the PiG-on-glass not only share the same characteristic of those obtained from other techniques or the bulk PiG, but with more precisely controlled width from a few to hundreds micrometers. The samples are mounted on blue InGaN LED chips to test the color properties of the white light. Besides, we established an empirical model that could predict the final color properties of LEDs solely by the phosphor concentration of phosphor glass under certain conditions. This model would greatly facilitate the design of PiG-based LEDs.

Study on the correlations between color rendering indices and the spectral power distribution.

The intrinsic spectrally resolved sensitivity (ISRS) of color rendering indices (CRIs) is investigated by using spectral loss simulations. It is demonstrated that R(a) exhibits large sensitivities around 444, 480, 564, and 622 nm, while for R(9) the sensitivity peaks are around 461, 581 and 630 nm, which all shift slightly with the correlated color temperature. If considering the ISRS as a bridge between the spectral power distribution of LED and its CRI, one could obtain a high CRI by minimizing the deviation between the shapes of the illuminant spectrum and the reference spectrum, both after modulations by the ISRS as a weighting function. This approach, recommended as a guideline for the spectra design aiming at a high CRI, is described and justified in depth via a mathematical model. This method is spectra-oriented and could largely facilitate the spectra design.

Highly efficient non-rare-earth red emitting phosphor for warm white light-emitting diodes.

Mn(4+)-activated fluoride compounds, as an alternative to commercial (oxy)nitride phosphors, are emerging as a new class of non-rare-earth red phosphors for high-efficacy warm white LEDs. Currently, it remains a challenge to synthesize these phosphors with high photoluminescence quantum yields through a convenient chemical route. Herein we propose a general but convenient strategy based on efficient cation exchange reaction, which had been originally regarded only effective in synthesizing nano-sized materials before, for the synthesis of Mn(4+)-activated fluoride microcrystals such as K2TiF6, K2SiF6, NaGdF4 and NaYF4. Particularly we achieve a photoluminescence quantum yield as high as 98% for K2TiF6:Mn(4+). By employing it as red phosphor, we fabricate a high-performance white LED with low correlated colour temperature (3,556 K), high-colour-rendering index (Ra=81) and luminous efficacy of 116 lm W(-1). These findings show great promise of K2TiF6:Mn(4+) as a commercial red phosphor in warm white LEDs, and open up new avenues for the exploration of novel non-rare-earth red emitting phosphors.

[Clinical features of antiviral therapy-induced thyroid disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features of thyroid disease occurring in response to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). METHODS: Eighty-two patients diagnosed with CHC were recruited for study from our hospital between 2009 and 2010. All patients were given a 48-week course of antiviral combination therapy with pegylated-interferon (Peg-IFN; 180 mug qw ih) and ribavirin (RBV; 15 mg/kg bw). Patient sera was collected prior to treatment (baseline), at treatment weeks 24 and 48, and post-treatment week 24, and used to detect changes in levels of thyroid function markers, thyroid-specific and other autoantibodies, complement factors, and immunoglobulins (Igs). Differential expression of biomarkers was assessed between patients who developed thyroid disorder and those who did not. RESULTS: At treatment week 48, 13.4% (11/82) of cases developed hypothyroidism, 3.7% (3/82) developed hyperthyroidism, 20.7% (17/82) tested positive for thyroglobulin antibody, and 22.0% (18/82) tested positive for thyroid peroxidase antibody. The patients who did not develop thyroid disease had significantly higher post-treatment levels (vs. baseline) of IgG (14.84 +/- 2.61 vs. 12.95 +/- 3.32 g/L, F = 10.458, P = 0.002) and C4 (0.26 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.22 +/- 0.08 g/L, F = 6.835, P = 0.011) and significantly lower IgM (0.86 +/- 0.48 vs. 1.00 +/- 0.42 g/L, F = 9.106, P = 0.003). The patients who developed thyroid disease showed no significant differences in the baseline and post-treatment levels of IgG, C4, or IgM. When the two groups of patients who did or did not develop thyroid disease were compared, there was no difference in the amount of patients who achieved sustained virological response. CONCLUSION: Antiviral-induced thyroid disease in patients with refractory hepatitis C manifests as clinically-detectable abnormalities in serum levels of thyroid autoantibody and markers of hypothyroidism. Levels of other autoantibodies and Igs do not correlate with the development of thyroid disease in these patients, and thyroid disease does not appear to affect the efficacy of Peg-IFN + RBV antiviral therapy.

A plasma sputtering decoration route to producing thickness-tunable ZnO/TiO(2) core/shell nanorod arrays.

We report a radio frequency magnetron sputtering method for producing TiO(2) shell coatings directly on the surface of ZnO nanorod arrays. ZnO nanorod arrays were firstly fabricated on transparent conducting oxide substrates by a hydrothermal route, and subsequently decorated with TiO(2) by a plasma sputtering deposition process. The core/shell nanorods have single-crystal ZnO cores and anatase TiO(2) shells. The shells are homogeneously coated onto the whole ZnO nanorods without thickness change. This approach enables us to tailor the thickness of the TiO(2) shell for desired photovoltaic applications on a one-nanometer scale. The function of the TiO(2) shell as a blocking layer for increasing charge separation and suppression of the surface recombination was tested in dye-sensitized solar cells. The enhanced photocurrent and open-circuit voltage gave rise to increased photovoltaic efficiency and decreased dark current, indicating successful functioning of the TiO(2) shell.