Comparison of ultrasound-guided closed reduction and percutaneous pinning fixation for unstable humeral lateral condylar fractures.

Objective: Ultrasound-guided techniques have become popular in severe humeral lateral condylar fractures (HLCFs). This study compared the results of ultrasound-guided closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (UG-CRPP) for Song types 4 and 5 and dislocation type of HLCFs. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in patients with HLCFs treated between January 2021 and October 2022 at three hospitals. The patients were divided into three groups according to Song's classification and elbow dislocation. The surgical time, reduction failure rate, and outcomes of the three groups were compared. Results: The mean surgical time of the 94 patients across the three groups (Song 4 group, 42 cases; Song 5 group, 38 cases; and dislocation group, 14 cases) was the longest for Song 4 (66.14 ± 23.05 min), followed by the dislocation group (59.71 ± 21.07 min) and Song 5 (52.16 ± 14.94 min) (for all, P = 0.009). The failure rate decreased in the following order: dislocation group (5/14), Song 4 group (7/42), and Song 5 group (2/38). The failure rate of closed reduction in Song 4 was 3.2-fold higher than that in Song 5, and for the dislocation group, it was 7.6-fold higher than that in Song 5. Significant differences were observed between the Song 4, Song 5, and dislocation groups in terms of shaft-condylar angle and supination (P = 0.015, P = 0.043). No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in the carry angle, flexion, extension, or pronation of the three groups. Two cases of delayed healing, four cases of superficial infection, one case of trochlear necrosis, and 39 cases of lateral spur in the Song 4 group were observed. In the Song 5 group, five had a superficial infection, one had re-displacement, and 26 had a lateral spur. In the dislocation group, there were two cases of superficial infection and 10 of lateral spurs. Conclusions: Song 4 HLCFs require longer surgical time and present more postoperative complications than Song 5 and dislocation-type HLCFs and can easily lead to lateral spurs. The failure rates of closed reduction in Song 4 and the dislocation type were higher than those in Song 5. Thus, UG-CRPP can be used to treat patients with unstable HLCFs.

Criteria of ultrasound-guided closed reduction with percutaneous pinning in unstable humeral lateral condylar fractures: a three-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Interventions using ultrasound-guided closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (UG-CRPP) of humeral lateral condylar fractures (HLCFs) have been increasingly applied; however, their effectiveness for unstable HLCFs and the criteria for ultrasound outcomes remain unclear. This study assessed the outcomes of UG-CRPP for HLCFs and evaluated the success criteria in children. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from 106 patients with unstable HLCFs admitted to three hospitals between January 2021 and August 2022. Fifty-five cases were left-sided and 51 cases were right-sided: 74 male patients and 32 female patients were included. Perioperative data, elbow function, complications, and criteria for UG-CRPP were analyzed. Results: The mean rate of UG-CRPP was 88%. The mean surgical time was 54.56 ± 21.07 min, and the mean fluoroscopy frequency was 9.25 ± 2.93 times. At the last follow-up, there were significant differences in elbow flexion between the affected side (135.82° ± 6.92°) and the unaffected side (140.58° ± 5.85°) (p = 0.01). The Mayo score of the affected side was 90.28° ± 4.97°, the Baumann angle was 71.4° ± 5.4°, condylar shaft angle was 39.9° ± 6.4°, and the carrying angle was 8.4° ± 3.6°. Seventy patients presented mild lateral spurs and 16 patients exhibited moderate spurs. Fourteen patients presented with pin infection, and one patient exhibited postoperative re-displacement. There was no premature physeal closure, varus, or valgus elbow deformity, delayed union, or non-union. Successful ultrasound-based outcome criteria for UG-CRPP were defined as follows: (i) absent or less than a cartilage thickness step on the cartilage hinge on coronal plane parallel articular surface scanning, (ii) no lateral displacement and intact distal end of the condylar and capitellum on coronal plane vertical articular surface scanning, (iii) no anteroposterior displacement and absent or less than a cartilage thickness step on sagittal plane vertical articular surface scanning, and (iv) intact posterior fracture line or less than a cortex step on posterolateral sagittal plane vertical articular surface scanning. Conclusion: UG-CRPP is a procedure with minimal blood loss, less invasive, cosmetic, and no radiation exposure. It yielded good outcomes in unstable HLCFs. The successful criteria make it suitable for clinical application.

Transient measurement of near-field thermal radiation between macroscopic objects.

The involvement of evanescent waves in the near-field regime could greatly enhance spontaneous thermal radiation, offering a unique opportunity to study nanoscale photon-phonon interaction. However, accurately characterizing this subtle phenomenon is very challenging. This paper proposes a transient all-optical method for rapidly characterizing near-field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) between macroscopic objects, using the first law of thermodynamics. Significantly, a full measurement at a fixed gap distance is completed within tens of seconds. By simplifying the configuration, the transient all-optical method achieves high measurement accuracy and reliable reproducibility. The proposed method can effectively analyze the NFRHT in various material systems, including SiO2, SiC, and Si, which involve different phonon or plasmon polaritons. Experimental observations demonstrate significant super-Planckian radiation, which arises from the near-field coupling of bounded surface modes. Furthermore, the method achieves excellent agreement with theory, with a minimal discrepancy of less than 2.7% across a wide temperature range. This wireless method could accurately characterize the NFRHT for objects with different sizes or optical properties, enabling the exploration of both fundamental interests and practical applications.

High glucose-induced imbalance of mitochondria-associated ER membranes function promotes RSC96 cell damage.

To investigate the effect of high glucose on mitochondrial-related ER membranes (MAMs) in rat Schwann cells (SCs) and the mechanism of cell injury. SCs (RSC96) cells were used as the control group, and RSC96 cells cultured in a high glucose environment for 48 h were set as the experimental group. The level of intracellular calcium was observed by flow cytometry, and ROS levels were detected by DCFH-DA fluorescent probe. The subcellular structure was observed by transmission electron microscopy, focusing on the morphology of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum as well as the formation of MAMs. The expression levels of MAMs-related proteins Mfn2, PERK, VDAC1, and IP3R were detected by Western blot. Compared with the control group, after high glucose-induced cells, the level of calcium ion was significantly increased (p<0.01), the level of ROS was significantly increased (p<0.01), mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum were damaged, and the number of MAMs was increased (p<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of Mfn2 was significantly decreased (p<0.01), and the expression levels of PERK, VDAC1, and IP3R were significantly increased (p<0.01). By inducing the imbalance of MAMs function in SCs, high glucose promotes intracellular calcium overload and leads to cell damage.

Influence of TPH2 and HTR1A polymorphisms on lifelong premature ejaculation risk among the chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is one of the most common ejaculatory dysfunctions in men. The serotonin (5-HT) synthesis rate-limiting enzyme (TPH2) and receptor (HTR1A) in the 5-HT regulatory system may play a key role in the pathogenesis of LPE. However, there are few studies on the effects of TPH2 and HTR1A polymorphisms on LPE risk. We speculated that TPH2 and HTR1A polymorphisms may affect the occurrence and development of LPE in the Chinese Han population. METHODS: In this study, 91 patients with LPE and 362 normal controls aged 18 to 64 years were enrolled in the male urology department of Hainan General Hospital in China from January 2016 to December 2018. The SNPs in HTR1A and TPH2, which are related to 5-HT regulation, were selected as indexes to genotype the collected blood samples of participants. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between SNPs of HTR1A and TPH2 with LPE susceptibility, as well as the relationship with leptin, 5-HT and folic acid levels. RESULTS: The results revealed that HTR1A-rs6295 increased LPE risk in recessive model. Rs11178996 in TPH2 significantly reduced susceptibility to LPE in allelic (odds ratio (OR) = 0.68, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.49-0.96, p = 0.027), codominant (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.35-0.98, p = 0.040), dominant (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.36-0.92, p = 0.020), and additive (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.52-0.98, p = 0.039) models. Grs11179041Trs10879352 could reduce the risk of LPE (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.22-0.90, p = 0.024) by haplotype analysis. CONCLUSION: HTR1A-rs6295 and TPH2-rs11178996 are associated with LPE risk in the Chinese Han population based on the finding of this study.

Modeling the Heating Dynamics of a Semiconductor Bridge Initiator with Deep Neural Network.

A semiconductor bridge (SCB) is an ignition device that provides a safe and efficient method widely used in civilian and military fields. The heating process of an SCB under electrical stimulation has a wide range of applications owing to its unique energy release process. However, the temperature variation of an SCB is challenging to obtain, both experimentally because of the rapid reaction on a microscale and with simulation due to its high demand in nonlinear calculations. In this study, we propose deep learning (DL) approach to study the electrothermal-coupled multi-physical heating process of the SCB initiator. We generated training data with multi-physics simulation (MPS), producing surface temperature distributions of SCBs under different voltages. The model was then trained with partial data in this database and evaluated on a separate test set. A generative adversarial network (GAN) with a customized loss function was used for modeling point-wise temperature dynamics. In the test set, our proposed method can predict the temperature distribution of an SCB under different voltages with high accuracy of over 0.9 during the heating process. We reduced the computation time by several orders of magnitude by replacing MPS with a deep neural network.

Genome-Wide Association Analysis to Search for New Loci Associated with Lifelong Premature Ejaculation Risk in Chinese Male Han Population.

PURPOSE: Genetic factors play an indispensable role in the pathogenesis of lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE). The susceptibility genes/SNPs that have been discovered are very limited and can only explain part of the genetic effects of LPE. Therefore, discovering more genetic polymorphisms associated with the occurrence and development of LPE will help reveal the pathogenesis of LPE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a genome-wide association study of LPE in 486 Chinese male Han people (cases and controls). We used Gene Titan multi-channel instrument and Axiom Analysis Suite 6.0 software for genotyping. Imputation was performed by IMPUTE2 software and the 1000 Genomes Project (Phase3) was used as reference for haplotype. Finally, logistic regression analysis was performed on all loci that passed the quality control. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated to determine the association between each SNPs and Chinese male Han population LPE risk. RESULTS: The results showed that a total of 33 genetic variants in 13 genes (LACTBL1, SSBP3, ACOT11, LINC02486, TMEM154, LINC01098, NONE, HCG27, HLA-C, TNFSF8, TNC, FAM53B, SULF2) have a suggestively significant genome-wide association with LPE risk (p<5×10-6). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to conduct a GWAS on LPE in Chinese male Han population 33 genetic polymorphisms have a suggestive genome-wide association with LPE risk. This study have provided data supplement for the genetic loci of LPE risk, and laid a scientific foundation for the pathogenesis and the targeted therapy of LPE.

Rs9303628 and rs2054847 of SLC6A4 are protective factors for the onset of lifelong premature ejaculation among the Chinese population.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the polymorphisms of SLC6A4 gene affect the occurrence of lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE). In this case-control study, Agena MassARRAY was used to genotype SLC6A4 polymorphisms of 91 LPE patients and 362 controls. Then, genetic model and haplotype analysis were utilised to explore the correlation between SLC6A4 polymorphisms and LPE risk. The results showed that allele T, genotype T/T and C/T-T/T of rs9303628 were significantly correlated with a decreased risk of LPE in allele (p = .009), co-dominant (p = .025) and dominant (p = .014) model respectively. Allele T and genotype C/T-T/T of rs2054847 reduced the risk of LPE in co-dominant (p = .015) and dominant (p = .030) models respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between Ars9303628 Crs2054847 haplotype and the decreased the risk of LPE (p = .010). In conclusion, this study firstly proved that the presence of rs9303628 and rs2054847 in SLC6A4 gene was a protective factor for the occurrence of LPE in the Chinese Han population.

Probing the reaction mechanism of Al/CuO nanocomposites doped with ammonium perchlorate.

The oxide shell of Al nanoparticles (Al NPs) prevents further reaction of Al/CuO nanothermites which reduces Al utilization efficiency and the performance of the nanothermites. However, the performance of Al/CuO nanothermites can be improved by adding ammonium perchlorate (AP). In this work, in order to confirm and explain the enhancement mechanism of AP on Al/CuO nanothermites, Al/CuO/NC and Al/CuO/NC/AP composites were prepared using the electrospray method. The composites were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetric, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy. Meanwhile, the ignition temperature and the time-resolved analysis of the rapid pyrolysis chemistry of the composites were tested using T-jump and time-of-flight mass spectrometry, respectively. The results show that Al NPs of Al/CuO/NC/AP composite are hollow compared to Al/CuO/NC composite after reaction. Al NPs and CuO NPs reduce the decomposition temperature and facilitate the rapid decomposition of the AP, and the decomposition products of the AP can destroy the oxidation layer of Al NPs. This result facilitates the further conduct of the thermite reaction. A mutually reinforcing relationship exists between the Al/CuO/NC composites and AP.

From nanoparticles to on-chip 3D nanothermite: electrospray deposition of reactive Al/CuO@NC onto semiconductor bridge and its application for rapid ignition.

Nanothermites composed of nano-fuels and oxidants are attractive energetic materials, which have potential applications in microscale energy-demanding systems. Herein, nano-Al/CuO with nitrocellulose (NC) binder have been bottom-up assembled on semiconductor bridge (SCB) chip by electrospray, from nanoparticles to three-dimensional (3D) deposited structure. The morphological and compositional characterization confirms the constituents in Al/CuO@NC are homogeneously mixed at nano scale and the 3D structure at micro scale is tunable. The as-deposited Al/CuO@NC exhibits excellent energy output and superior chemical reactivity. Specifically, the heat release of Al/CuO@NC (1179.5 J g-1) is higher than that of random mixed Al/CuO (730.9 J g-1). Benefiting from outstanding exothermic properties, the material integrated with SCB initiator chip (Al/CuO@NC-SCB) for potential ignition application was investigated. The Al/CuO@NC-SCB micro energetic initiator can be functioned rapidly (with delay time of 2.8 µs) and exhibits superb ignition performances with violent explosion process, high combustion temperature (4636 °C) and successful ignition of B/KNO3 propellant, in comparison to SCB initiator. The strategy provides promising route to introduce nano reactive particles into various functional energy-demanding systems for potential energetic applications.

miR-182-5p affects human bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion through regulating Cofilin 1.

BACKGROUND: Human bladder cancer is one of the common malignant tumors, and it mainly occurs in men. miR-182-5p, a member of miR-183 family, acts as tumor suppressor or oncogene in various kinds of tumors. In this study, we first investigate that the absence of miR-182-5p in human bladder cancer promotes tumor growth by regulating the expression of Cofilin 1, an actin modulating-protein. METHODS: Human bladder tumor tissue specimens were collected to detect the expression of miR-182-5p and Cofilin 1 by qRT-PCR. Luciferase activity assay was performed to demonstrate the regulation of Cofilin 1 mRNA 3'UTR by miR-182-5p. Then, cell experiments were performed to analysis the effect of miR-182-5p/Cofilin 1 pathway on tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony forming efficiency. Finally, xenograft tumor models were established to evaluate the role of miR-182-5p in tumorigenesis abilities in vivo. RESULTS: qRT-PCR and Western blotting analysis showed that Cofilin 1 expression was up-regulated in both bladder cancer tissues and cell lines compared with normal. Luciferase activity assay showed that miR-182-5p specifically targets Cofilin 1 mRNA 3'UTR and represses the expression of Cofilin 1. Also, miR-182-5p inhibited bladder tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony forming efficiency. Furthermore, xenograft tumor model assay showed that miR-182-5p plays a negative role in bladder cancer tumorigenesis abilities in vivo. CONCLUSION: Present results suggest that miR-182-5p could inhibit human bladder tumor growth by repressing Cofilin 1 expression. Our findings may provide a new horizon for exploring therapeutic target of bladder cancer.

The InR/Akt/TORC1 Growth-Promoting Signaling Negatively Regulates JAK/STAT Activity and Migratory Cell Fate during Morphogenesis.

Cell growth and cell differentiation are two distinct yet coupled developmental processes, but how they are coordinated is not well understood. During Drosophila oogenesis, we found that the growth-promoting InR/Akt/TOR pathway was involved in suppressing the fate determination of the migratory border cells. The InR/Akt/TOR pathway signals through TOR and Raptor, components of TORC1, to downregulate the JAK/STAT pathway, which is necessary and sufficient for border cell fate determination. TORC1 promotes the protein stability of SOCS36E, the conserved negative regulator of JAK/STAT signaling, through physical interaction, suggesting that TORC1 acts as a key regulator coordinating both cell growth and cell differentiation.

A case report of Rosai-Dorfman disease with kidney involvement.

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare histiocytic disorder of unclear etiology, which commonly presented with the enlargement of lymph nodes of the neck and the head. Here, we report an unusual case of 77-year-old male patient presenting with left kidney lesion with several small enlarged lymph nodes around the abdominal aorta. The diagnosis of left kidney cancer was suspected and the patient underwent left laparoscopic exploration and lymph node biopsy. Only saponification of the renal surrounding fat and enlargement of the left renal pedicle and 5 abdominal aortic lymph nodes were found; no kidney cancer was found. Surrenalectomy and lymphadenectomy dissection were then performed and the left kidney was retained. Intraoperative frozen and postoperative pathology indicates Rosai-Dorfman disease. RDD with kidney involvement is uncommon, and its x-ray imaging appearances are atypical, and often resemble kidney cancer leading to kidney loss. A systematic literature review was also performed to investigate the x-ray imaging and treatment features of this disease.

Cofilin 1 promotes bladder cancer and is regulated by TCF7L2.

Earlier reports demonstrated that Cofilin expression is increased in bladder cancer samples, though its function remains unknown. Here, we found that Cofilin 1 expression was higher in bladder cancer tissues than in paracancerous tissues. Overexpression of Cofilin 1 promoted, while Cofilin 1 knockdown inhibited, proliferation, migration, and invasion in the T24 and RT4 bladder cancer cell lines. In addition, Cofilin 1 overexpression increased, while Cofilin 1 knockdown decreased, bladder tumor volumes in mouse xenograft experiments. Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) targeted the promoter of the Cofilin 1 gene, and TCF7L2 knockdown or mutations in the Cofilin 1 promoter dramatically decreased Cofilin 1 transcription. TCF7L2 promoted cell proliferation and migration and increased Cofilin 1 protein levels in RT4 and T24 cells. Thus, TCF7L2 contributed to Cofilin 1-induced promotion of bladder cancer development by binding to the Cofilin 1 promoter and increasing its expression.

Tuning the Ignition Performance of a Microchip Initiator by Integrating Various Al/MoO3 Reactive Multilayer Films on a Semiconductor Bridge.

Reactive multilayer films (RMFs) can be integrated into semiconducting electronic structures with the use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology and represent potential applications in the advancement of microscale energy-demanding systems. In this study, aluminum/molybdenum trioxide (Al/MoO3)-based RMFs with different modulation periods were integrated on a semiconductor bridge (SCB) using a combination of an image reversal lift-off process and magnetron sputtering technology. This produced an energetic semiconductor bridge (ESCB)-chip initiator with controlled ignition performance. The effects of the Al/MoO3 RMFs with different modulation periods on ignition properties of the ESCB initiator were then systematically investigated in terms of flame duration, maximum flame area, and the reaction ratio of the RMFs. These microchip initiators achieved flame durations of 60-600 µs, maximum flame areas of 2.85-17.61 mm2, and reaction ratios of ∼14-100% (discharged with 47 µF/30 V) by simply changing the modulation periods of the Al/MoO3 RMFs. This behavior was also consistent with a one-dimensional diffusion reaction model. The microchip initiator exhibited a high level of integration and proved to have tuned ignition performance, which can potentially be used in civilian and military applications.

Study on the significance of Cofilin 1 overexpression in human bladder cancer.

PURPOSE: Cofilin 1 is a type of cytoskeletal protein. The overexpression of this gene has been regarded to hold a special relationship with the development and progress of some cancers. However, the detailed position of Cofilin 1 in human bladder cancer has not been investigated intensively. METHODS: In this study, we mainly explored the relationship between human bladder cancer and the expression of Cofilin 1. The expression of Cofilin 1 in bladder cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues of patients was evaluated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemical staining. Downregulation of Cofilin 1 expression model was established with siRNA in human RT4 bladder cancer cell line, and the changing cell viability was analyzed to determine the role of Cofilin 1 in human bladder cancer. RESULTS: Our results showed that the expression of Cofilin 1 was much higher in both RNA level and protein level in human bladder cancer tissues than paracancerous tissues for 3 patients. Downregulation of Cofilin 1 expression could inhibit cell proliferation, cell migration, cell adhesion, and colony formation ability, and increase the percentage of cell apoptosis in RT4 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that Cofilin 1 holds an important position in the development and progression of human bladder cancer, and this gene might become a novel target in the diagnosis and treatment of human bladder cancer.

[Role of renal sympathetic nerve and oxidative stress in foot shock-induced hypertension in rats].

The present study was aimed to investigate the roles of renal sympathetic nerve and oxidative stress in the development of foot shock-induced hypertension. Ninety rats were divided into 6 groups (the number of each group was 15): control group, foot shock group, denervation of renal sympathetic nerve group, denervation of renal sympathetic nerve + foot shock group, Tempol treatment + foot shock group, denervation of renal sympathetic nerve + Tempol treatment + foot shock group. Rats were received electrical foot shock for 14 days (2-4 mA, 75 V, shocks of 50-100 ms every 30 s, for 4 h each session through an electrified grid floor every day). Renal sympathetic ablation was used to remove bilateral renal sympathetic nerve in rats (rats were allowed to recover for one week before the beginning of the foot shock procedure). The antioxidant Tempol was injected intraperitoneally at 1 h before foot shock. Systolic blood pressure was measured at 1 h after foot shock on day 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14. Contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), renin, angiotensin II (AngII) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in plasma were measured by ELISA after 14-day foot shock. The results showed that systolic blood pressure of foot shock group was significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared with that of control group from day 7 to day 14 of foot shock. Denervation of renal sympathetic nerve and/or Tempol treatment significantly reduced the increase of systolic blood pressure induced by foot shock. Levels of TBARS, renin and AngII in plasma were increased significantly in foot shock group compared with that of control group (P < 0.05). Plasma GSH-Px concentration was decreased in foot shock group rats compared with that of control group (P < 0.05). Denervation of renal sympathetic nerve and/or tempol treatment significantly reduced the increase in TBARS, renin, AngII levels induced by foot shock in comparison with that of foot shock group (P < 0.05), but had no effects on the reduction of GSH-Px concentration. The results suggest that renal sympathetic nerve may play an important role in the development of foot shock-induced hypertension, and renal sympathetic nerve may influence oxidative stress and directly or indirectly activate renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, so the foot shock-induced high blood pressure may be maintained and hypertension may therefore be produced.

Role of the renin-angiotensin system, renal sympathetic nerve system, and oxidative stress in chronic foot shock-induced hypertension in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and renal sympathetic nerve system (RSNS) are involved in the development of hypertension. The present study is designed to explore the possible roles of the RAS and the RSNS in foot shock-induced hypertension. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: control, foot shock, RSNS denervation, denervation plus foot shock, Captopril (angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor, ACE inhibitor) plus foot shock, and Tempol (superoxide dismutase mimetic) plus foot shock. Rats received foot shock for 14 days. We measured the quantity of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), corticosterone, renin, and angiotensin II (Ang II) in plasma, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and renal noradrenaline content. RAS component mRNA and protein levels were quantified in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus. RESULTS: The two week foot shock treatment significantly increased systolic blood pressure, which was accompanied by an increase in angiotensinogen, renin, ACE1, and AT1a mRNA and protein expression in the cerebral cortex and hypothalamus, an increase of the plasma concentrations of renin, Ang II, corticosterone, and TBARS, as well as a decrease in plasma SOD and GSH-Px activities. Systolic blood pressure increase was suppressed by denervation of the RSNS or treatment with Captopril or Tempol. Interestingly, denervation or Tempol treatment both decreased main RAS components not only in the circulatory system, but also in the central nervous system. In addition, decreased antioxidant levels and increased TBARS and corticosterone levels were also partially restored by denervation or treatment with Tempol or Captopril. CONCLUSIONS: RAS, RSNS and oxidative stress reciprocally potentiate to play important roles in the development of foot shock-induced hypertension.

High-performance multi-megahertz optical coherence tomography based on amplified optical time-stretch.

As the key prerequisite of high-speed volumetric structural and functional tissue imaging in real-time, scaling the A-scan rate beyond MHz has been one of the major pursuits in the development of optical coherence tomography (OCT). Along with a handful of techniques enabling multi-MHz, amplified optical time-stretch OCT (AOT-OCT) has recently been demonstrated as a viable alternative for ultrafast swept-source OCT well above MHz without the need for the mechanical wavelength-tuning mechanism. In this paper, we report a new generation of AOT-OCT demonstrating superior performance to its older generation and all other time-stretch-based OCT modalities in terms of shot-to-shot stability, sensitivity (~90dB), roll-off performance (>4 mm/dB) and A-scan rate (11.5 MHz). Such performance is mainly attributed to the combined contribution from the stable operation of the broadband and compact mode-locked fiber laser as well as the optical amplification in-line with the time-stretch process. The system allows us, for the first time, to deliver volumetric time-stretch-based OCT of biological tissues with the single-shot A-scan rate beyond 10 MHz. Comparing with the existing high-speed OCT systems, the inertia-free AOT-OCT shows promises to realize high-performance 3D OCT imaging at video rate.