An ultrasensitive Fano resonance biosensor using two dimensional hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets: theoretical analysis

This study proposed a novel Fano resonance (FR) biosensor with ultrahigh detection sensitivity by integrating two dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets with a plasmonic silver film–silicon hybrid nanostructure. Owing to its ultralow-loss in surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), 2D h-BN nanosheets can act as a planar photon waveguide (PWG) for generating energy level splitting. Notably, both asymmetric FR sharp lines and plasmon induced transparency (PIT) can be produced by modulating the coupling strength between the planar PWG mode provided by h-BN nanosheets and the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode in the silver film–silicon hybrid nanostructure. Compared with conventional phase-modulation SPR biosensors, our proposed configuration based on Fano resonance can produce ultrahigh reflectivity of 0.934 and overcome the limitation of quasi-darkness reflectivity which is difficult for further phase extraction. More importantly, our proposed FR configuration can provide a promising phase detection sensitivity as high as 3.13 × 10⁶ degree per RIU (refractive index unit, RIU), which is enhanced by almost 100 times compared with conventional phase-modulation SPR biosensors. In addition, our proposed configuration has also shown the characteristics of multiple-order Fano resonances, largely depending on the partial coupling between the SPP mode and the different-order PWG mode. Our proposed FR biosensor can provide a highly promising candidate for designing a multiple-order FR platform for performing ultrasensitive detection.

This paper proposed an ultrasensitive FR biosensor with multiple-order characteristics using two dimensional hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets in the visible region.     

Branched polyethyleneimine-assisted 3-carboxybenzoboroxole improved Wulff-type boronic acid functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for the specific capture of cis-diol-containing flavonoids under neutral conditions

Flavonoids have shown a variety of biological activities such as antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiinflammatory, antitumor, antiatherogenic, and antihyperglycemic activities. A lot of important flavonoids contain cis-diols such as rutin (Ru), quercetin (Qu), luteolin (Lu), myricetin (Myr) and baicalein (Ba) and so on. It is necessary to establish a simple, low-cost and efficient purification method for cis-diol-containing flavonoids from plant extracts. Boronate affinity materials are able to reversibly bind the cis-diols via boronic acids by forming a five- or six-membered boronic cyclic ester in aqueous media. However, conventional boronate affinity materials have to be used in alkaline media, which can lead to the oxidation of cis-diols in compounds. In this study, the polyethyleneimine (PEI)-assisted 3-carboxybenzoboroxole-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared to achieve efficient capture of cis-diol-containing flavonoids under neutral conditions. Branched PEI was applied as a scaffold to amplify the number of boronic acid moieties, while 3-carboxybenzoboroxole, exhibiting high affinity and excellent water solubility toward flavonoids, was used as an affinity ligand. The prepared boronate affinity MNPs exhibited high binding capacity and fast binding kinetics (equilibrium in 3 min) under neutral conditions. In addition, the obtained boronate affinity MNPs exhibited high binding affinity (K_d ≈ 10⁻⁴ M), low binding pH (pH ≥ 6.0) and tolerance of the interference to abundant sugars.

Flavonoids have shown a variety of biological activities such as antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiinflammatory, antitumor, antiatherogenic, and antihyperglycemic activities.     

Transarterial chemoembolization with hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy plus S-1 for hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Transarterial chemoembolization(TACE) and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy(HAIC) have shown promising local benefits for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). S-1, a composite preparation of a 5-fluorouracil prodrug, has proven to be a convenient oral chemotherapeutic agent with definite efficacy against advanced HCC.AIM To evaluate the efficacy and safety of TACE followed by HAIC with or without oral S-1 for treating advanced HCC.METHODS In this single-center, open-label, prospective, randomized controlled trial, 117 participants with advanced HCC were randomized to receive TACE followed by oxaliplatin-based HAIC either with(TACE/HAIC + S-1, n = 56) or without(TACE/HAIC, n = 61) oral S-1 between December 2013 and September 2017. Two participants were excluded from final analysis for withdrawing consent. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival(PFS) and secondary endpoints included overall survival(OS), objective response rate, disease control rate and safety.RESULTS In total, 115 participants(100 males and 15 females; mean age, 57.7 years ± 11.9) were analyzed. The median PFS and OS were 5.0 mo(0.4–58.6 mo)(95% confidence interval(CI): 3.82 to 6.18) vs 4.4 mo(1.1–54.4 mo)(95%CI: 2.54 to 6.26; P = 0.585) and 8.4 mo(0.4–58.6 mo)(95%CI: 6.88 to 9.92) vs 8.3 mo(1.4–54.4 m)(95%CI: 5.71 to 10.96; P = 0.985) in the TACE/HAIC + S-1 and TACE/HAIC groups, respectively. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 30.9% vs 18.4% and 72.7% vs 56.7% in the TACE/HAIC + S-1 and TACE/HAIC groups, respectively. Grade 3/4 adverse events had a similar frequency in both treatment groups.CONCLUSION No improvements in tumor response rates, PFS or OS were observed with the addition of S-1 to TACE/HAIC in advanced HCC. Both treatment regimens had a similar safety profile.     

单节段颈前路椎间盘切除植骨融合术后颈椎椎间高度和整体曲率的影像学变化

目的 本研究旨在探讨单节段颈椎前路椎间盘切除减压植骨融合术(anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, ACDF)后颈椎椎间高度及颈椎整体曲度的变化。方法 回顾性分析接受单节段ACDF治疗的119名脊髓型颈椎病患者的病例及影像学资料。通过使用患者的颈椎X线平片测量融合前后椎间隙的高度。同时测量侧位片上第2颈椎至第7颈椎的Cobb角,以评估颈椎的整体曲度。通过比较术前和术后的影像学资料,以说明置入椎间融合器对颈椎椎间高度和整体曲度的影响。结果 术后神经功能JOA及Nurick评分较术前明显改善（P<0.01）。术前椎间前高度（anterior intervertebral height, AIH）和椎间后高度（posterior intervertebral height, PIH）均明显低于正常椎间高度（P<0.01）,术后AIH明显升高,恢复正常;术后PIH与术前相比同样明显增加。术后颈椎曲度[（22.36±5.07）°]较术前[（16.53±6.85）°]明显增加（P<0.01）,但是并未恢复至正常曲度。结论 ACDF手术能够完成有效的神经减压改善神经功能,并且该手术能够恢复颈椎退变节段的椎间高度及改善颈椎整体曲度。     

血浆置换和托珠单抗治疗六例2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)重型患者临床分析

目的分析血浆置换和托珠单抗治疗2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）重型患者的疗效。方法回顾性分析2020年1月25日至2月25日在蚌埠医学院第一附属医院感染应急病区接受治疗的6例COVID-19重型患者的临床资料（3例采用血浆置换治疗，3例采用托珠单抗治疗）。观察血浆置换和托珠单抗治疗对患者体内过度炎症反应的抑制作用。结果血浆置换治疗后，3例患者C反应蛋白和IL-6水平下降明显，淋巴细胞和凝血酶原时间均有改善；托珠单抗治疗后，3例患者炎症水平未见明显下降，淋巴细胞计数和凝血酶原时间也无明显改善。结论COVID-19重型患者采用血浆置换治疗后炎症因子水平明显降低或恢复正常，而托珠单抗治疗患者炎症因子下降不明显。因此对于炎症反应强烈的COVID-19重型患者，血浆置换可能是首选。     

Coronary-pulmonary artery fistula—multiple diagnostic imaging modalities

Coronary artery fistula is rare anomalies. Most adult patients are usually asymptomatic. A fistula is incidentally identified in the adult using echocardiography. Coronary angiography is considered the standard tool to confirm a coronary artery fistula. However, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography is considered a good alternative to coronary angiography.     

Phloroglucinol averts isoprenaline hydrochloride induced myocardial infarction in rats

Myocardial infarction (MI) is indicated by the symptoms like sharp chest pain, sweating, palpitations, and nervousness finally leading to heart attack. MI occurs mainly due to the risk factors like smoking, elevated blood pressure, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, decreased HDL level, elevated LDL level, hyperlipoproteinemia and aging consequently leads to demandable coronary blood supply, oxidative stress, and acute necrosis of the myocardium. Cardioprotective potential of the phloroglucinol (PG) was assessed by treating isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO; 85 mg/kg b.w., s.c.) induced MI model in rats. Pretreatment with PG in a dose of 30 mg/kg was done for 28 days and followed by ISO (for MI induction) on 29th and 30th days, exhibited decline in the abnormalities in the ECG patterns, cardiac marker enzymes, enzymic and nonenzymic antioxidants, lipid peroxidation, lipid profiles, and histopathological investigations compared to isoprenaline alone treated group. On the whole, the present investigations elucidate the significance of PG in alleviating the pathological process and appreciably prevent the induction of MI in experimental rats.     

Radiomics in liver diseases: Current progress and future opportunities

Liver diseases, a wide spectrum of pathologies from inflammation to neoplasm, have become an increasingly significant health problem worldwide. Noninvasive imaging plays a critical role in the clinical workflow of liver diseases, but conventional imaging assessment may provide limited information. Accurate detection, characterization and monitoring remain challenging. With progress in quantitative imaging analysis techniques, radiomics emerged as an efficient tool that shows promise to aid in personalized diagnosis and treatment decision‐making. Radiomics could reflect the heterogeneity of liver lesions via extracting high‐throughput and high‐dimensional features from multi‐modality imaging. Machine learning algorithms are then used to construct clinical target‐oriented imaging biomarkers to assist disease management. Here, we review the methodological process in liver disease radiomics studies in a stepwise fashion from data acquisition and curation, region of interest segmentation, liver‐specific feature extraction, to task‐oriented modelling. Furthermore, the applications of radiomics in liver diseases are outlined in aspects of diagnosis and staging, evaluation of liver tumour biological behaviours, and prognosis according to different disease type. Finally, we discuss the current limitations of radiomics in liver disease studies and explore its future opportunities.