The electromagnetic characteristics of Ni/ZnO nanocapsules were studied at 2-18 GHz. The dual nonlinear dielectric resonance and strong natural resonance at 16.6 GHz contribute to excellent electromagnetic absorption. A reflection loss ͑RL͒ exceeding Ϫ20 dB was calculated in 14-18 GHz for an absorber thickness of 2.05 mm, and RL exceeds Ϫ10 dB in the whole X-band ͑10-12.4 GHz͒ and the whole Ku-band ͑12.4-18 GHz͒ for a thickness of 2.50 mm. The equivalent circuit model was used to explain the dual nonlinear dielectric resonance, which is ascribed to a cooperative consequence of the core/shell interfaces and the dielectric ZnO shells.

Microwave absorption properties of core double-shell FeCo/C/(x)BaTiO₃ nanocomposites were investigated in the 1-18 GHz frequency range. High resolution transmission electron microscopy studies reveal the core double-shell type nanocomposite with FeCo nanoparticles as the center, while carbon and BaTiO₃ are the inside and the outside shells, respectively. Enhanced relative permittivity made the core double-shell FeCo/C/(x)BaTiO₃ nanocomposites with better electromagnetic impedance matching than that of a FeCo/C and BaTiO₃ mixture. Reflection loss (RL) values of FeCo/C/(20 wt%)BaTiO₃-paraffin composite are almost double those of the FeCo/C-paraffin composite at the absorbent thickness from 2 to 7.5 mm due to enhanced interfacial effects. The RL value of the FeCo/C/(20 wt%)BaTiO₃-paraffin composite is -41.7 dB at 11.3 GHz at the absorbent thickness of 2 mm and a broad absorption bandwidth of 5.1 GHz (RL values exceeding -10 dB) covers the 9.4-14.5 GHz frequency range.

Background Recent studies indicated that females have a lower morbidity, severe cases rate, mortality and better outcome than those of male. However, it remained to be addressed why this was the case. Methods and findings To find the factors that potentially protect females from COVID-19, we recruited all confirmed patients hospitalized at three branches of Tongji Hospital (n=1902) from January 28 to March 8, 2020, and analyzed the correlation between menstrual status (n=509，including 68 from Mobile Cabin Hospital)/female hormones (n=78)/ cytokines related to immunity and inflammation(n=263), and the severity/clinical outcomes in female patients under 60 years of age.Non-menopausal female patients had milder severity and better outcome compared with age-matched men (p<0.01/p<0.01). Menopausal patients had longer hospitalization times than non-menopausal patients ( hazard ratio [HR], 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-3.46，p= 0.033). Both anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol (E2) showed a negative correlation with severity of infection (AHR=0.146/0.304, 95%CI = [0.026-0.824]/[0.092-1.001], p=0.029/0.05). E2 levels were negatively correlated with IL-2R, IL-6, IL-8 and TNFα in luteal phase (Pearson Correlation=-0.592, -0.558, -0.545, -0.623; p=0.033, 0.048, 0.054, 0.023), and with C3 in follicular phase (Pearson Correlation=-0.651; p=0.030). Conclusion Menopause is an independent risk factor for female COVID-19 patients. AMH and E2 are potential protective factors, negatively correlated with COVID-19’s severity, among which E2 is attributed to its regulation of cytokines related to immunity and inflammation. Hormone supplement might be a potential therapy for COVID-19 patients.

By supplying inorganic ferrite nanoparticles of different morphologies as nucleation sites, PANI/ferrite nanocomposites with novel coralloid structures were synthesized successfully through a simple, conventional, and inexpensive one-step in situ polymerization method without the aid of any surfactant, organic dopant, or template. As shown by XRD, FT-IR and UV-vis, there is no obvious chemical interaction between PANI and BaFe 12 O 19 (BF) nanoparticles; that is, ferrite nanoparticles served only as the nucleation centers for the growth of PANI nanofibers, whereas the nanoparticles have an effect in reducing the diameters of the produced PANI nanofibers. PANI/BF nanocomposites are hard magnetic properties with alternative electrical conductivities and magnetic properties. The reflection loss of BF nanoparticles in 2-18 GHz was essentially enhanced upon PANI coating, and the frequency relating to maximum reflection loss shifts to a higher value with the increase in BF content because of the higher anisotropy field. With controllable electrical, magnetic, and electromagnetic properties, the prepared nanocomposites may have potential applications in chemical sensors, gas separation, catalysis, microwave absorbing, and magnetoelectric devices.

IVIM-derived metrics are promising biomarkers in preoperative grading gliomas. IVIM imaging may be an additive method to ASL and ADC for evaluating tumor perfusion and diffusion. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:620-632.

Exosomal microRNAs have recently been studied as the potential diagnostic marker for various malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate serum exosomal microRNA profiles as HCC diagnostic marker. Transmission electron microscopy and Western blot were used to identify serum exosomes. Deep sequencing was performed to screen differentially expressed microRNAs between HCC (n = 5) and liver cirrhosis (LC, n = 5) groups. Three upregulated and two downregulated microRNAs were selected for qPCR analysis. The levels of selected microRNAs were normalized to Caenorhabditis elegans miR‐39 microRNA mimics. Serum exosomal level of miR‐122, miR‐148a, and miR‐1246 was further analyzed and significantly higher in HCC than LC and normal control (NC) groups (P < 0.001), but not different from chronic hepatitis group (P > 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of candidate microRNAs. Area under the curve (AUC) of miR‐148a was 0.891 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.809–0.947] in discriminating HCC from LC, remarkably higher than alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) (AUC: 0.712, 95% CI: 0.607–0.803). Binary logistic regression was adopted to establish the diagnostic model for discriminating HCC from LC. And the combination of miR‐122, miR‐148a, and AFP increased the AUC to 0.931 (95% CI, 0.857–0.973), which can also be applied for distinguishing early HCC from LC. miR‐122 was the best for differentiating HCC from NC (AUC: 0.990, 95% CI, 0.945–1.000). These data suggest that serum exosomal microRNAs signature or their combination with traditional biomarker may be used as a suitable peripheral screening tool for HCC.

thinning and only some thin B-lines. The woman was discharged. She is now at 29 weeks' gestation, asymptomatic, with normally progressing pregnancy. We believe that extensive training of physicians may be considerably helpful in case of an unfortunate but likely continuing increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Conventional diffusion imaging techniques are not sufficiently accurate for evaluating glioma grade and cellular proliferation, which are critical for guiding glioma treatment. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), an advanced non-Gaussian diffusion imaging technique, has shown potential in grading glioma; however, its applications in this tumor have not been fully elucidated. In this study, DKI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) were performed on 74 consecutive patients with histopathologically confirmed glioma. The kurtosis and conventional diffusion metric values of the tumor were semi-automatically obtained. The relationships of these metrics with the glioma grade and Ki-67 expression were evaluated. The diagnostic efficiency of these metrics in grading was further compared. It was demonstrated that compared with the conventional diffusion metrics, the kurtosis metrics were more promising imaging markers in distinguishing high-grade from low-grade gliomas and distinguishing among grade II, III and IV gliomas; the kurtosis metrics also showed great potential in the prediction of Ki-67 expression. To our best knowledge, we are the first to reveal the ability of DKI to assess the cellular proliferation of gliomas, and to employ the semi-automatic method for the accurate measurement of gliomas. These results could have a significant impact on the diagnosis and subsequent therapy of glioma.