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Flame-retardant cycloaliphatic epoxy systems have long been studied; however, the research suffers from slow and unsatisfactory advances. In this work, we synthesized a kind of phosphorus-containing difunctional cycloaliphatic epoxide (called BCEP). Then, triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC) was mixed with BCEP to achieve epoxy systems that are rich in phosphorus and nitrogen elements, which were cured with 4-methylhexahydrobenzene anhydride (MeHHPA) to obtain a series of flame-retardant epoxy resins. Curing behaviors, flame retardancy, thermal behaviors, dielectric performance, and the chemical degradation behaviors of the cured epoxy system were investigated. BCEP-TGIC systems showed a high curing activity, and they can be efficiently cured, in which the incorporation of TGIC decreased the curing activity of the resin. As the ratio of BCEP and TGIC was 1:3, the cured resin (BCEP1-TGIC3) showed a relatively good flame retardancy with a limiting oxygen index value of 25.2%. In the cone calorimeter test, they presented a longer time to ignition and a lower heat release than the commercially available cycloaliphatic epoxy resins (ERL-4221). BCEP-TGIC systems presented good thermal stability, as the addition of TGIC delayed the thermal weight loss of the resin. BCEP1-TGIC3 had high dielectric performance and outperformed ERL-4221 over a frequency range of 1 HZ to 1 MHz. BCEP1-TGIC3 could achieve degradation under mild conditions in an alkali methanol/water solution. Benefiting from the advances, BCEP-TGIC systems have potential applications as electronic packaging materials in electrical and electronic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Previous studies have revealed that gene polymorphisms of inflammatory factors may influence the development or progression of periodontitis, a main cause of tooth loss in adults; however, due to limitations of individual studies, inconsistent findings were reported. Objective. To meta-analytically investigate the relationship between periodontitis and the Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) gene polymorphisms. Methods. Databases were searched for relevant case-control studies. After study selection based on the predefined selection criteria, methodological quality assessment and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers, before subsequent statistical analyses. Results. 37 studies involving 4,385 patients and 5,168 controls were included. All the studied IL-4 polymorphisms were not significantly associated with periodontitis, except the -33C/T (CT versus CC: OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.28–0.88) associated with reduced AgP susceptibility. Positive association was found between IL-4R Q551 polymorphism and periodontitis susceptibility in three genetic models (R versus Q: OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.14–2.22; QR versus QQ: OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.21–2.80; RR + QR versus QQ: OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.22–2.72). Conclusions. A positive association exists between the IL-4R Q551R polymorphism and occurrence of CP. The IL-4 -33 CT genotype is negatively associated with the occurrence of AgP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inducible beige adipocytes are emerging as an interesting issue in obesity and metabolism research. There is a neglected possibility that brown adipocytes are equally activated when external stimuli induce the formation of beige adipocytes. Thus, the question is whether beige adipocytes have the same functions as brown adipocytes when brown adipose tissue (BAT) is lacking. This question has not been well studied. Therefore we determine the beneficial effects of beige adipocytes upon cold challenge or CL316243 treatments in animal models of interscapular BAT (iBAT) ablation by surgical denervation. We found that denervated iBAT were activated by cold exposure and CL316243 treatments. The data show that beige adipocytes partly contribute to the improvement of impaired glucose metabolism resulting from denervated iBAT. Thus, we further used iBAT-removal animal models to abolish iBAT functions completely. We found that beige adipocytes upon cold exposure or CL316243 treatments improved impaired glucose metabolism and enhanced glucose uptake in iBAT-removal mice. The insulin signaling was activated in iBAT-removal mice upon cold exposure. Both the activation of insulin signaling and up-regulation of glucose transporter expression were observed in iBAT-removal mice with CL316243 treatments. The data show that inducible beige adipocytes may have different mechanisms to improve impaired glucose metabolism. Inducible beige adipocytes can also enhance energy expenditure and lipolytic activity of white adipose tissues when iBAT is lacking. We provide direct evidences for the beneficial effect of inducible beige adipocytes in glucose metabolism and energy expenditure in the absence of iBAT in vivo. • Denervation or removal of iBAT leads to glucose intolerance. • Denervated iBAT are activated by cold exposure and CL316243 treatments. • Inducible beige cells directly improve glucose intolerance when iBAT is lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality Problem or Issue: Chinese medical institutions need clinical guidelines to improve healthcare quality. Unfamiliarity with clinical methodology and procedures leads to poor quality.Initial Assessment: This study examined 327 clinical guidelines made in China during the period of 2006-10 and found these clinical guidelines have many problems in terms of guideline making procedures-compliant process, conflicts of interest disclosure.Choice Of Solution: Chinese Medical Association organized a working group in 2014 to make a national [Guideline for Clinical Guidelines Constitution/Amendment] and invited multidiscipline experts to prove its possibility.Implementation: Experts investigated and reviewed numerous domestic and foreign published literature within the past 2 years, concluded that a clinical guideline should have following seven components: I. Objective; II. General Principle; III. Procedure and Methodology; IV. Confirmation, Publication and Dissemination; V. Update and Amendment; VI. Implementation and Outcome Validation; VII. Reference.Evaluation: The [Guideline for Clinical Guidelines Constitution/Amendment] will improve the quality of Chinese clinical guidelines and regulate applications, as well as outcome evaluations of clinical guidelines in China.Lessons Learned: Standardized methodology and procedures are important for constituting high-quality clinical guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the role of the migrant population in the transmission of tuberculosis (TB), we investigated the distribution and magnitude of TB in permanent residents and migrant populations of Beijing, People's Republic of China, from 2000 through 2006. An exploratory spatial data analysis was applied to detect the "hot spots" of TB among the 2 populations. Results, using the data obtained from 2004-2006, showed that people who migrated from the western, middle, and eastern zones of China had a significantly higher risk of having TB than did permanent residents. These findings indicate that population fluctuations have affected the rate of TB prevalence in Beijing, and interventions to control TB should include the migrant population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]