Bi Fe O 3 (BFO), Ti(2%)-doped BFO (BFTO), Zn(2%)-doped BFO (BFZO), as well as Ti (1%) and Zn (1%) codoped BFO (BFTZO) films were deposited on Pt∕Ti∕SiO2∕Si substrates by using a metal organic decomposition process. Well saturated P-E hysteresis loops can be obtained in BFZO and BFTZO films due to their lower leakage currents compared to those of BFO and BFTO films. In comparison with BFZO film, BFTZO film exhibits a much larger remanent polarization (Pr∼84μC∕cm2), a lower coercive field (2Ec∼570kV∕cm), as well as stronger charge-retaining ability and fatigue resistance. These phenomena can be explained based on the formation of the defect complexes between the acceptors and oxygen vacancies in the films.

Bi Fe O 3 and Bi1−xGdxFeO3 (BGFO) (x=0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.10, and 0.15) thin films were deposited on Pt∕Ti∕SiO2∕Si substrates using a metal organic decomposition process. X-ray diffraction results show that a gradual phase transition from rhombohedral to pseudotetragonal structure may occur in BGFO films with the increase of Gd content. Due to the lower leakage currents resulting from the smaller grain sizes and smoother surfaces, well saturated P-E hysteresis loops, which show weak dependence of frequency in the range of 3–50kHz, can be observed in all BGFO films at room temperature. The remanent polarization for BGFOx=0.03 film is about 79μC∕cm2. In addition, no evident fatigue can be observed after 109 switching cycles.

A long ZnO nanorod array with good verticality and thin diameter is synthesized from a single solution by the hydrothermal route. Prior to the growth, a ZnO seed layer with the c-axis texturing and the monolayer distribution is deposited on the substrate by a modified sol-gel spin coating process. A molecule adsorption stabilization mechanism is proposed to explain the seed orientation. Factors affecting the ZnO nanorod growth are systematically investigated. The critical conditions for the rod growth are obtained by changing the polyethyleneimine amount and the pH. The results suggest that the verticality of the array depends heavily on the seed orientation. The atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the crystallinity and the initial strain relaxation determine the growth activation energy and the rod diameter size.

No abstract

ObjectiveAlthough nociceptive sensitisation is an important pathophysiological process in migraine and migraine chronification, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a pattern-recognition molecule, has a critical role in both neuropathic pain and morphine tolerance. The present study examined whether elements of the TLR4 pathway contribute to hyperalgesia induced by dural inflammation in rats.MethodsA rat model of migraine was established by infusing a dural inflammatory soup. A group pretreated with TAK-242 was used to inhibit the activation of TLR4. The protein levels of TLR4 and its downstream molecules in the trigeminal pathway were examined by Western blot and immunofluorescence. The expression of activated microglia and astrocytes was also analysed. Levels of interleukin-1 beta, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsAcute inflammatory soup infusion induced time-dependent facial mechanical hyperalgesia, which was blocked by TAK-242 pretreatment. The inflammatory soup stimulus increased the production of TLR4 downstream molecules and interleukin-1 beta. Higher levels of microglia activation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor release were observed following the administration of the inflammatory soup but were alleviated by TAK-242.ConclusionsThese data suggest that the TLR4 signalling pathway promotes hyperalgesia induced by acute inflammatory soup delivery by stimulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines and activating microglia.

BackgroundPancreatic cancer is considered as a chemoresistant neoplasm with extremely dismal prognosis. Gemcitabine is recommended as the standard agent for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. A series of trials have been conducted to improve the outcome of advanced pancreatic cancer with other anticancer drugs in combination with gemcitabine. Unfortunately, the designers of the clinical trials failed to improve the poor prognosis of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Erlotinib was the first additional drug that improved the overall survival of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer with gemcitabine. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the efficacy and safety of the combination of gemcitabine with erlotinib (GemErlo) for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer using the currently available evidence.MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and relevant abstracts of major conferences were comprehensively searched. Data results on objective response rate, disease control rate, and 1-year survival were pooled by using MetaAnalyst with a random-effects model. Results on progression-free survival and overall survival were only summarized descriptively.ResultsA total of 24 studies with 1,742 patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with GemErlo were included. Combined objective response rate was 14.4% (95% CI: 11.6%–17.7%), disease control rate was 55.0% (95% CI: 51.5%–58.5%), and 1-year survival rate was 28.5% (95% CI: 24.0%–33.4%). Progression-free survival ranged from 2.63 to 9.6 months, and overall survival varied from 6 to 10 months. As for the toxicity profile, the most common adverse events (AEs) were hematologic reactions, skin rash, and gastrointestinal reactions. Other severe AEs, which had low incidence, included treatment-induced death and interstitial lung disease.ConclusionOur study showed that GemErlo is associated with reasonable activity in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Most of the AEs were tolerable, while some severe AEs needed careful detection.

Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT), Ce-doped NBT (NBTCe), Fe-doped NBT (NBTFe), and (Ce,Fe)-codoped NBT (NBTCeFe) thin films were fabricated on LaNiO3(100)/Si substrates by metal organic decomposition. The leakage current density of NBTCeFe at 500 kV/cm is reduced by approximately two orders of magnitude by reducing the density of oxygen vacancies and forming the defect complexes, compared with NBT film. Enhanced ferroelectricity is achieved in NBTCeFe with a large remanent polarization of 24 μC/cm2 due to the reduced leakage current, extra A-site vacancies, and lattice distortion. The NBTCeFe also exhibits a dielectric constant of 585 and dielectric loss of 0.05 at 10 kHz.

Polycrystalline BiFeO3 and Bi1−xTbxFeO3 (BTFO) (x=0.05–0.16) thin films were deposited on indium tin oxide/glass substrates via a metal organic deposition method. The influence of Tb doping content on the structure and multiferroic properties was investigated. X‐ray diffraction results reveal that there may exist a structure transition around x=0.11 in the BTFO system. Well‐saturated and rectangular P–E hysteresis loops can be observed in all BTFO films. The BTFOx=0.11 film exhibits the maximum values of the remanent out‐of‐plane piezoelectric coefficient (d33=140 pm/V) and saturated magnetization (Ms=22.2 emu/cm3).