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A predictive model for postradical prostatectomy positive surgical margins (PSMs) in non-nerve-sparing cases was developed. Analyzes of clinical and MRI data from June 2017 to June 2021 identified prostate-specific antigen density, imaging characteristics, and apparent diffusion coefficient value as independent risk factors. A nomogram with a C-index of 0.78 demonstrated high predictive accuracy. The study underscores the significance of personalized surgical strategies. Introduction/Background: Positive surgical margins (PSMs) after radical prostatectomy (RP) can increase the risk of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. However, the prediction of the likelihood of PSMs in patients undergoing similar surgical procedures remains a challenge. We aim to develop a predictive model for PSMs in patients undergoing non-nerve-sparing RP. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed data from PCa patients who underwent minimally invasive non-nerve-sparing RP at our hospital between June 2017 and June 2021. We identified independent risk factors associated with PSMs using clinical and MRI-based parameters in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyzes. These factors were then used to develop a nomogram for predicting the probability of PSMs. The predictive performance was validated using calibration and receiver operating characteristic curve, area under the curve, and decision curve analysis. Results: Multivariate analyzes revealed prostate-specific antigen density, tumor size, tumor location at the apex, tumor contact length, extracapsular extension (ECE) level, and apparent diffusion coefficient value as independent risk factors. A nomogram was developed and validated with high accuracy (C-index = 0.78). Furthermore, we found that 44.2% of patients diagnosed with organ-confined disease had ECE after surgery, and 29.1% of patients with Gleason scores =7 had higher pathological scores. Interestingly, the tumor burden calculated from PCa biopsy cores was overestimated when compared to postoperative PCa specimens. Conclusion: We developed a reliable nomogram for predicting the risk of PSMs in PCa patients undergoing non-nerve-sparing RP. The study highlights the importance of incorporating these parameters in personalized surgical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study explored the molecular mechanisms by which dexmedetomidine (Dex) alleviates cisplatin (CP)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats. Methods: CP-induced AKI models were established, and Dex was intraperitoneally injected at different concentrations into rats in the model groups. Subsequently, rats were assigned to the control, CP, CP+Dex 10μg/kg, and CP+Dex 25μg/kg groups. After weighing the kidneys of the rats, the kidney arterial resistive index was calculated, and CP-induced AKI was evaluated. In addition, four serum biochemical indices were measured: histopathological damage in rat kidneys was detected; levels of inflammatory factors, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, in kidney tissue homogenate of rats were assessed through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and levels of NLRP-3, caspase-1, cleaved caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD), and GSDMD-N in kidney tissues of rats were determined via western blotting. Results: Dex treatment reduced nephromegaly and serum clinical marker upregulation caused by CP-induced AKI. In addition, hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that Dex treatment relieved CP-induced kidney tissue injury in AKI rats. ELISA analyses demonstrated that Dex treatment reduced the upregulated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the kidney tissue of AKI rats induced by CP, thereby alleviating kidney tissue injury. Western blotting indicated that Dex alleviated CP-induced AKI by inhibiting pyroptosis mediated by NLRP-3 and caspase-1. Conclusion: Dex protected rats from CP-induced AKI, and the mechanism may be related to NLRP-3/Caspase-1-mediated pyroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate how Guilu Erxian gum treats osteoporosis by using network pharmacology and related experiments. Methods: The TCMSP database, ETCM database, Chemical Specialties database, and DrugBank database were used to retrieve the potential active ingblueients and corresponding targets of Guilu Erxian gum. Therapeutic targets associated with osteoporosis were obtained from the OMIM and Genecards databases. The network was analyzed using Cytoscape 3.8.0 software to determine topological parameters and identify key active ingblueients and targets. Additionally, the effects of Guilu Erxian gum on osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were evaluated through alkaline phosphatase assay and alizarin blue calcium nodule staining. The expression of osteogenesis-related genes (Runx2, Osterix, OPN) was assessed using RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: The analysis revealed that Guilu Erxian gum contained 41 active ingblueients and 236 targets, while there were 5,262 known therapeutic targets for osteoporosis. A protein-protein interaction network diagram was constructed using the String database. Enrichment analysis suggested that Guilu Erxian gum may regulate osteoporosis through various signaling pathways and cellular metabolism. The experiments demonstrated that Guilu Erxian gum could promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, potentially contributing to the treatment of osteoporosis. Moreover, the results showed that Guilu Erxian gum could increase the expression of osteogenesis-related genes (Runx2, Osterix, OPN). Conclusion: Guilu Erxian gum may have anti-osteoporosis effects by stimulating the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. This study provides a theoretical basis for further understanding the pharmacological mechanism of Guilu Erxian gum in treating osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During seed germination, the cotton chaperone protein HSP24.7 regulates the release, from the mitochondrial electron transport chain, of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a stimulative signal regulating germination. The function of HSP24.7 during vegetative stages remains largely unknown. Here we propose that suppression of GhHSP24.7 in cotton seedlings increases tolerance to heat and drought stress. Elevation of GhHSP24.7 was found to be positively associated with endogenous levels of ROS. We identified a new client protein of GhHSP24.7, cotton lysine deacetylase (GhHDA14), which is involved in mitochondrial protein modification. Elevated levels of GhHSP24.7 suppressed deacetylase activity in mitochondria, leading to increased acetylation of mitochondrial proteins enriched in the subunit of Ftype ATPase, V-type ATPase, and cytochrome C reductase, ultimately reducing leaf ATP content. Consequently, in combination with altered ROS content, GhHSP24.7 transgenic lines were unable to coordinate stomatal closure under stress. The regulation circuit composed of GhHSP24.7 and GhHDA14 represents a post-translation level mechanism in plant abiotic stress responses that integrates the regulation of ROS and ATP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) reduction is an inherent requirement to promote the integrated development of ecological greenery in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and it has a significant driving effect and benchmarking significance for China to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Based on panel data of 41 cities in the YRD from 2001 to 2019, this study reveals the spatial and temporal evolution pattern of ACE and identifies the influencing factors through methods such as CV, SDE, ESDA and SDM. The results are summarized as follows: (1) the ACE in the YRD show a fluctuating downward trend, and the gap between cities tends to widen; (2) the YRD shows emission characteristics dominated by agricultural material input, with a proportion of over 50% over the years, followed by rice cultivation and livestock breeding with the lowest proportion. In addition, Jiangsu and Anhui have higher proportions, followed by Zhejiang, and Shanghai; (3) these cities with high ACE are mainly located in the northwest regions of the YRD, and those with low ACE are mainly located in the southeast regions of the YRD. Furthermore, cities in the YRD have a positive global spatial autocorrelation, and the local spatial agglomeration pattern has strong characteristics of stability and spatial dependence; (4) the agricultural economic development level has an inverted U-shaped effect on ACE in the YRD. Meanwhile, the total rural population, total power of agricultural machinery, and urbanization level have a significant positive impact, while the agricultural planting structure and trade openness level are not significantly affected, but the rural non-farm employment level have a significantly negative impact on ACE. SDM further supports the influence of various factors, and it can be found that the agricultural economic development level and trade openness level exhibit significant negative spillover effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embolic stroke (ES) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Its mortality predictors remain unclear. The present study aimed to use machine learning (ML) to identify the key predictors of mortality for ES patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Data were extracted from two large ICU databases: Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV for training and internal validation, and eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) for external validation. We developed predictive models of ES mortality based on 15 ML algorithms. We relied on the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) to address class imbalance. Our main performance metric was area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC).We adopted recursive feature elimination (RFE) for feature selection.We assessed model performance using three disease-severity scoring systems as benchmarks. Of the 1566 and 207 ES patients enrolled in the two databases, there were 173 (15.70%), 73 (15.57%), and 36 (17.39%) hospital mortality in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohort, respectively. The random forest (RF) model had the largest AUROC (0.806) in the internal validation phase and was chosen as the best model. The AUROC of the RF compact (RF-COM) model containing the top six features identified by RFE was 0.795. In the external validation phase, the AUROC of the RF model was 0.838, and the RF-COM model was 0.830, outperforming other models. Our findings suggest that the RF model was the best model and the top six predictors of ES hospital mortality were Glasgow Coma Scale, white blood cell, blood urea nitrogen, bicarbonate, age, and mechanical ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Myocardial arrhythmia is a major complication of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in patients with diabetes. Irisin has significant cardioprotective effects, while its role in the pathophysiology of I/R injury-induced myocardial arrhythmia in the presence of diabetes is not well identified. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential antiarrhythmic impacts and mechanisms (mitochondrial biogenesis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and pyroptosis) by which irisin reduces I/R injury-induced myocardial arrhythmia in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty high-fat diet-induced diabetic rats were subjected to I/R injury and myocardial arrhythmia. Irisin (0.5 µg/kg/day) was injected intraperitoneally before induction of I/R injury. Electrocardiography was used to measure the incidence and severity of ventricular arrhythmias. ELISA and western blotting analyses were employed to quantify the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis, ER stress, and pyroptosis-related proteins in ischemic myocardium. Results: Irisin treatment in diabetic rats significantly decreased the lactate dehydrogenase level and the number and severity of arrhythmia induced by I/R injury. Irisin up-regulated the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins while down-regulating the expression of ER stress and pyroptosis-related proteins. Furthermore, the inhibition of mitochondrial quality control by mdivi-1 significantly abolished the cardioprotective effect of irisin. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that irisin reduced myocardial arrhythmia induced by I/R injury in diabetic rats by modulating the interaction of mitochondrial biogenesis and ER stress proteins and inhibiting the pyroptosis pathway. These findings provide a promising strategy for managing myocardial arrhythmia in diabetic patients, but supplementary studies are needed to confirm the clinical efficacy of irisin in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heading is one of the most important agronomic traits for Chinese cabbage crops. During the heading stage, leaf axial growth is an essential process. In the past, most genes predicted to be involved in the heading process have been based on leaf development studies in Arabidopsis. No genes that control leaf axial growth have been mapped and cloned via forward genetics in Chinese cabbage. In this study, we characterize the inward curling mutant ic1 in Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis and identify a mutation in the OCTOPUS (BrOPS) gene by map-based cloning. OPS is involved in phloem differentiation in Arabidopsis, a functionalization of regulating leaf curvature that is differentiated in Chinese cabbage. In the presence of brassinosteroid (BR) at the early heading stage in ic1, the mutation of BrOPS fails to sequester brassinosteroid insensitive 2 (BrBIN2) from the nucleus, allowing BrBIN2 to phosphorylate and inactivate BrBES1, which in turn relieves the repression of BrAS1 and results in leaf inward curving. Taken together, the results of our findings indicate that BrOPS positively regulates BR signaling by antagonizing BrBIN2 to promote leaf epinastic growth at the early heading stage in Chinese cabbage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal state of permafrost in the present and future is fundamental to the ecosystem evolution, hydrological process, carbon release, and infrastructure integrity in cold regions. From 2011, we began to establish permafrost monitoring network along the China-Russia crude oil pipelines (CRCOPs) route at the eastern flank of the northern Da Xing'anling Mountains in Northeast China. Based on meteorological data near the southern limit of latitudinal permafrost (SLLP), ground temperature data in 20 boreholes with the depths of 10-60.6 m, soil volumetric liquid water contents and 2-D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data, we compiled an integrated dataset of the ground thermal state along the CRCOPs route. Study results demonstrate that permafrost in the vicinity of SLLP has experienced marked warming (2011-2020) to climate change, manifested as the rising permafrost temperatures depth. Local thermal disturbances triggered by the construction and operation of CRCOPs have resulted in significant permafrost warming and subsequent thawing on the right-of-way (ROW) of the pipeline. This permafrost thaw will persist, but it can be alleviated by adopting mitigative measures, such as insulation layer and thermosyphons. The in29 situ observational dataset is of great value for assessing the variability of permafrost under the linear disturbances of the CRCOPs and related environmental effects, for understanding hydro-thermal-mechanical interactions between the buried pipelines and permafrost foundation soils, and for evaluating the operational and structural integrity of the pipeline systems in the future. The dataset is available at the National Tibetan Plateau/Third Pole Environment Data Center (http://doi.org/10.11888/Cryos.tpdc.272357; Li, 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision turning with slow tool servo (STS) plays an increasingly important role in advanced manufacturing nowadays. However, it is difficult to promote machining quality for surfaces with local complex geometric features by the conventional global machining method. Hence, a subregional processing method in STS is proposed. First, the continuous equipotential line is taken to express the local geometric feature. Thus, a potential field is built, where the surface could be divided into subregions. Then, a subregional toolpath with variable feed rates is generated by the field and stitched to ensure the feeding motion stability of X-axis. Finally, the surface is subdivided for variable spindle speed planning, considering the feeding motion stability of Z-axis. It is found that the profile arithmetic average error reduces by 31.58% with the proposed method compared with that with the conventional method and the machining time is shortened by 41.00%. Thus, it is proved that the new processing method effectively promotes machining quality and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six hybrid models of cellulose amorphous region and water molecules were established by using a molecular dynamics software to simulate changes of cellulose and water molecules during bamboo hydrothermal treatment. The results indicated that in the range of hydrothermal treatment temperature of bamboo from 150 to 240 °C, the diffusion coefficient of water molecules increased with the increase of temperature, conducive to the processing efficiency of hydrothermal treatment. The mean square displacement (MSD) of the bamboo cellulose chain increased with the increase of temperature, not conducive to the thermal stability of cellulose. The energy change of the system predicts that a higher hydrothermal treatment temperature will result in faster material aging degradation. The comprehensive analysis of mechanical parameters showed that when the hydrothermal treatment temperature did not exceed 180 °C, bamboo cellulose had better plasticity and toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of peripheral nerve regeneration with stem cells (SCs) alone has some limitations. For this reason, we evaluate the efficacy of neurotrophic factors combined with stem cell transplantation in the treatment of sciatic nerve injury (SNI) in rats. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, WanFang, VIP and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were retrieved from inception to October 2021, and control experiments on neurotrophic factors combined with stem cells in the treatment of SNI in rats were searched. Nine articles and 551 rats were included in the meta-analysis. The results of meta-analysis confirmed that neurotrophic factor combined with stem cells for the treatment of SNI yielded more effective repair than normal rats with regard to sciatic nerve index, electrophysiological detection index, electron microscope observation index, and recovery rate of muscle wet weight. The conclusion is that neurotrophic factor combined with stem cells is more conducive to peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery than stem cells alone. However, due to the limitation of the quality of the included literature, the above conclusions need to be verified by randomized controlled experiments with higher quality and larger samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants resist infection through an innate immune response, which is usually associated with slowing of growth. The molecular mechanisms underlying the trade-off between plant growth and defense remain unclear. The present study reveals that growth/defense trade-offs mediated by gibberellin (GA) and salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathways are uncoupled during constitutive overexpression of transgenic AtRAN1 and AtRAN1Q72L (active, GTP-locked form) Arabidopsis plants. It is well known that the small GTP-binding protein Ran (a Ras-related nuclear protein) functions in the nucleus-cytoplasmic transport of proteins. Although there is considerable evidence indicating that nuclear-cytoplasmic partitioning of specific proteins can participate in hormone signaling, the role of Ran-dependent nuclear transport in hormone signaling is not yet fully understood. In this report, we used a combination of genetic and molecular methods to reveal whether AtRAN1 is involved in both GA and SA signaling pathways. Constitutively overexpressed AtRAN1 promoted both elongation growth and the disease resistance response, whereas overexpression of AtRAN1Q72L in the atran2atran3 double mutant background clearly inhibited elongation growth and the defense response. Furthermore, we found that AtRAN1 coordinated plant growth and defense by promoting the stability of the DELLA protein RGA in the nucleus and by modulating NPR1 nuclear localization. Interestingly, genetically modified rice (Oryza sativa) overexpressing AtRAN1 exhibited increased plant height and yield per plant. Altogether, the ability to achieve growth/defense trade-offs through AtRAN1 overexpression provides an approach to maximizing crop yield to meet rising global food demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study investigated the independent prognostic value of glycolysis-related long noncoding (lnc)RNAs in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods: A coexpression analysis of glycolysis-related mRNAs-long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in ccRCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was carried out. Clinical samples were randomly divided into training and validation sets. Univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses were performed to establish a glycolysis risk model with prognostic value for ccRCC, which was validated in the training and validation sets and in the whole cohort by Kaplan-Meier, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) and functional annotation by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed to evaluate the risk model. Results:We identified 297 glycolysis-associated lncRNAs in ccRCC; of these, 7 were found to have prognostic value in ccRCC patients by Kaplan-Meier, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and ROC curve analyses. The results of the GSEA suggested a close association between the 7-lncRNA signature and glycolysis-related biological processes and pathways. Conclusion: The seven identified glycolysis-related lncRNAs constitute an lncRNA signature with prognostic value for ccRCC and provide potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of ccRCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have successfully designed and formulated a doxorubicin-loaded polypeptide-based multilayer assembled gold nanorod (DH-GNR). We have hypothesized that near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation of DH-GNR will combine the benefits of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy. The GNR was surface functionalized with poly-glutamic acid (PGA) and poly-L-Lysine (PLL) with a final layer of hyaluronic acid (HA) that could also serve as a targeting ligand toward the overexpressed CD44 receptors in ovarian cancer cells. The zigzag ζ potential of nanoparticle is a proof of successful assembly of alternative polymers on the GNR surface. NIR irradiation exhibited a burst release of drug in pH 7.4 and pH 5.0 buffer conditions. The combination of doxorubicin (DOX)-based chemotherapy and GNR-based photothermal therapy exhibited a synergistic effect in killing the SKOV3 cancer cells. DH-GNR(+NIR) induced a 82.5% apoptosis (combined early and late apoptosis) compared with only 35.2 and 38.5% for DOX or DH-GNR(-NIR) treated cell group. Results clearly suggest that the excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in DH-GNR (+NIR) might be responsible for the cell apoptosis and cell death. The promising anticancer effect of DH-GNR will be of great potential in the treatment of ovarian cancers and worth further development for treating other malignant tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA-seq analysis was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the genetic level in the longissimus dorsi muscle from two pigs to investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying the difference in meat quality between Debao pigs and Landrace pigs. Then, these DEGs underwent functional annotation, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses. Finally, the expression levels of specific DEGs were assessed using qRT-PCR. The reference genome showed gene dosage detection of all samples which showed that the total reference genome comprised 22342 coding genes, including 14743 known and 190 unknown genes. For detection of the Debao pig genome, we obtained 14168 genes, including 13994 known and 174 unknown genes. For detection of the Landrace pig genome, we obtained 14404 genes, including 14223 known and 181 unknown genes. GO analysis and KEGG signaling pathway analysis show that DEGs are significantly related to metabolic regulation, amino acid metabolism, muscular tissue, muscle structure development etc. We identified key genes in these processes, such as FOS, EGR2, and IL6, by PPI network analysis. qRT-PCR confirmed the differential expression of six selected DEGs in both pig breeds. In conclusion, the present study revealed key genes and related signaling pathways that influence the difference in pork quality between these breeds and could provide a theoretical basis for improving pork quality in future genetic thremmatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium alloy plate is widely used in automotive, aerospace, medical and other fields. Ultrasonic testing is a highly efficient non-destructive testing method for the inspection of titanium alloy components. However, there are strong distortion and attenuation of sound wave propagation in titanium alloys due to the presence of anisotropy and inhomogeneities, making it difficult to detect tiny defects in such components. In addition, some configuration parameters, such as the water path depth also affect the distribution of the acoustic field in the detected components. It is necessary to predict the acoustic field distribution to achieve a better testing accuracy. An acoustic field simulation method based on a multi-Gaussian beam is proposed, which can model the focused acoustic field in a multilayer anisotropy medium. The relationship between the acoustic focused area and the water path depth was explored and optimised comprehensively. C-scan imaging of specimen with flat bottom holes was performed at different water path depths. The results show that the proposed method can optimise the configuration parameters to improve the accuracy of the flaw sizing. This study provides an effective method for testing titanium alloy plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a high fatality rate and poses a great threat to human health. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is proven to attenuate cigarette smoke (CS)- induced pulmonary inflammation, based on which this research focuses on the mechanism of AS-IV in COPD. Methods: To evaluate the effects of AS-IV, CD4+ T cells received different concentrations of AS-IV. CD4+ T cell viability, T helper 17 (Th17)/regulatory T (Treg) markers and CXCR4 expressions in CD4+ T cells or spleen/lung tissues were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. The proportions of Treg and Th17 cells were assessed by flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay was employed to determine cytokine contents in serum and lung tissues. Results: AS-IV with concentration exceeding 40 µM inhibited CD4+ T cell viability. In vitro, AS-IV suppressed the expressions of CXCR4, retinoid-related orphan receptor γt (RORγdt), and interleukin (IL)-17A as well as Th17 cells but promoted the expressions of forkhead box p3 (Foxp3) and IL-10 as well as Treg cells, while CXCR4 overexpression reversed the effects of AS-IV. In vivo, AS-IV alleviated COPD, and CS-induced Th17/Treg imbalance in mice and reduced CS-induced down-regulation of IL-10 in serum and lung tissues and Foxp3 and up-regulation of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, and IL-17A in serum and lung tissues and RORt. AS-IV mitigated CS-induced CXCR4 up-regulation. Above effects of AS-IV on mice were offset by CXCR4 overexpression. Conclusions: AS-IV restores Th17/Treg balance via impeding CXCR4 to ameliorate COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study was designed to investigate the roles of STAT3 and SMYD3 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and the regulatory relationship between STAT3 and SMYD3 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.Material and Methods: The expression of STAT3 and SMYD3 was determined by RT-qPCR and western blot in chronic lymphocytic leukemia samples and cells (MEC1, CLL). Small interfering RNA was used to knock down the mRNA level of STAT3 and the pcDNA3.1-SMYD3 plasmid was used to construct a SMYD3 overexpression model. An MTT assay was performed to evaluate cell proliferation. A transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion ability. Afterwards, a luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiment (ChIP assay) were applied to confirm the correlation between STAT3 and SMYD3.Results: STAT3 was highly expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia mononuclear cells and cancerous cell lines. STAT3 knockdown dramatically inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of SMYD3 in MEC1 and CLL cell lines. The luciferase reporter assay combined with the ChIP assay revealed that STAT3 bound to the promoter region of STAT3 and contributed to the transcription of SMYD3. Knockdown of STAT3 positively correlated with inhibition of cell proliferation and invasion abilities, while overexpression of SMYD3 negatively correlated with inhibition of cell proliferation and invasion.Conclusions: STAT3 may promote chronic lymphocytic leukemia progression through elevating SMYD3 expression. Targeting STAT3 and SMYD3 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the five-axis machining, the dual nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) interpolator performs better than the conventional linear interpolator in improving machining efficiency and quality. However, a successful dual NURBS interpolator faces with two aspects of issues. First, the feedrate should be reasonably scheduled according to axial drive constraints. Furthermore, the axial trajectories should be precisely and rapidly calculated according to the scheduled feedrate. To schedule the feedrate, existing methods use either overall constant speed or frequent time-varying speed. However, the former one is adverse to the motion efficiency, while the latter one is adverse to the motion stability. To deal with these issues, this study schedules feedrate-sensitive and nonsensitive regions and plans constant speed at the sensitive regions and smooth transition speed within the nonsensitive regions, thus balancing the motion stability and the efficiency. In addition, to calculate the axial trajectories, existing methods, using inverse kinematics, result in multiple solutions due to the existence of antitrigonometric functions, and this requires complicated selection of the solutions, otherwise the axial positions will be discontinuity. To deal with this issue, this study proposes a Jacobi matrix-based Adams prediction-correction numerical algorithm, which uses the incremental value of the tool pose to calculate the consecutive unique solution of the five-axis positions directly. By integrating above techniques, a systematic five-axis dual NURBS interpolator with the constant speed at feedrate-sensitive regions under axial drive constraints is presented. Experimental tests are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the contouring errors in computer-numerical-control (CNC) contour-following tasks, the cross-coupling controller (CCC) is widely researched and used. However, most existing CCCs are well-designed for two-axis contouring and can hardly be generalized to compensate three-axis curved contour following errors. This paper proposes an equivalent-plane CCC scheme so that most of the two-axis CCCs or flexibly designed algorithms can be utilized for equal control of the three-axis contouring errors. An initial-value regeneration-based Newton method is first proposed to compute the foot point from the actual motion position to the desired contour with a high accuracy, so as to establish the equivalent plane where the estimated three-dimensional contouring-error vector is included. After that, the signed contouring error is computed in the equivalent plane, thus a typical two-axis proportional-integral-differential (PID)-based CCC is utilized for its control. Finally, the two-axis control commands generated by the typical CCC are coupled to three-axis control commands according to the geometry of the established equivalent plane. Experimental tests are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the presented method. The testing results illustrate that the proposed equivalent-plane CCC performs much better than conventional method in both error estimation and error control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed germination is an energy demanding process that requires functional mitochondria upon imbibition. However, how mitochondria fine tune seed germination, especially in response to the dynamics of environmental temperature, remains largely unknown at the molecular level. Here, we report a mitochondrial matrix-localized heat shock protein GhHSP24.7, that regulates seed germination in a temperature-dependent manner. Suppression of GhHSP24.7 renders the seed insensitive to temperature changes and delays germination. We show that GhHSP24.7 competes with GhCCMH to bind to the maturation subunit protein GhCcmFc to form cytochrome C/C1 (CytC/C1) in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. GhHSP24.7 modulates CytC/C1 production to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which consequently accelerates endosperm rupture and promotes seed germination. Overexpression of GhHSP24.7's homologous genes can accelerate seed germination in Arabidopsis and tomato, indicating its conserved function across plant species. Therefore, HSP24.7 is a critical factor that positively controls seed germination via temperature-dependent ROS generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the tonic and nutritive virtues of sea cucumbers, increased commercial aquaculture has resulted in the expansion of breeding ponds, a primary form of sea cucumber production. Expansion of such production methods has led to increased settling of organic wastes onto the seabed, resulting in enriched sediments. Nitzschia sp. serves as an edible sea cucumber feed. Release characteristics of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from sediments in the presence of different biomass densities of Nitzschia sp. were studied via laboratory static cultures. pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) in the overlying water and biochemical components (i.e., protein, chlorophyll a) of Nitzschia sp. were assessed. When the biomass of Nitzschia sp. was more than (2–5) × 104 ind/cm2, the release of N and P nutrients was significantly promoted; additionally, the DO content of the overlying water was relatively high and the pH was relatively stable, which favoured the accumulation of proteins and chlorophyll a in Nitzschia sp. The results indicated that Nitzschia sp. promotes the release of N and P in sediments while absorbing them to maintain their own growth and promote the accumulation of nutrients, such as proteins, for the sea cucumbers. At the same time, the algae release oxygen, increasing the DO of the overlying water, providing a healthy breeding environment for the sea cucumbers. Application of Nitzschia sp. has the potential to reduce environmental harm caused by sea cucumber cultivation and thus achieve sustainable aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze-thaw action changes soil microstructure and thus has a great influence on physical and mechanical properties of soils, which is closely correlated to pore water pressure (PWP). Herein, the PWPs of sandy soil and silty clay were measured in laboratory during freeze-thaw cycles (FTC). Experimental results showed that PWP was influenced by temperature, freeze-thaw history (i.e., number of freeze-thaw cycle), soil type and others. The PWP experienced a periodical change as temperatures periodically changes during the FTC testing, the PWP decreased during freezing and increased during thawing. Soil type has a slight influence on the variation of PWP, both in character and extent. A theoretical analysis of PWP in frozen soil was given to explain the PWP changes. In addition, the PWP depression during freezing was a major driving force for water migration. The PWP variations are highly relevant to the changes in soil microstructure such as soil particle (grain size composition and mineral composition), pore structure, and particle arrangement, which will be the focus of further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term thermal effects of air convection embankments (ACEs) over 550-km-long permafrost zones along the Qinghai-Tibet railway were analyzed on the basis of 14-year records (2002-2016) of ground temperature. The results showed that, after embankment construction, permafrost tables beneath the ACEs moved upward quickly in the first 3 years and then remained stable over the next 10 years. The magnitude of this upward movement showed a positive correlation with embankment thickness. Shallow permafrost temperature beneath the ACEs decreased over a 5-year period after embankment construction in cold permafrost zones, but increased sharply concurrent with permafrost table upward movement in warm permafrost zones. Deep permafrost beneath all the ACEs showed a slow warming trend due to climate warming. Overall, the thermal effects of ACEs significantly uplifted underlying permafrost tables after embankment construction and then maintained them well in a warming climate. The different thermal effects of ACEs in cold and warm permafrost zones related to the working principle of the ACEs and natural ground thermal regime in the two zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mixture ratio of the three strains in the decomposition accelerator was 2:1:2. The experiment on the degradation of straw was carried out in field by using the self-made straw decomposition accelerator. The results showed that the straw decomposition accelerator has an obvious effect of promoting the degradation. The degradation rate was 8.038 at 10 d and 26.988 at 20 d, and reached 40.28 at 30 d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the photoinduced electron transfer properties of a single entity is of paramount importance for clarifying the link between the photoelectrochemical performance and the specific properties of an individual. Here, we successfully monitored the photoelectrochemical behavior of a single dyesensitized ZnO entity on a Au ultramicroelectrode with different TiO2 film thicknesses. Due to a trap-limited electron diffusion in TiO2 film, a sub-millisecond photocurrent transient was observed for an individual N719@ZnO associated with single-particle photocatalytic water splitting. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo random walk numerical simulation model was developed to simulate the photoinjected electron transport dynamics and recombination in a nanoparticulate TiO2 film. Our approach allowed the photocatalytic properties of N719 at the single-molecule level to be quantified, and electron diffusivity and electron collection efficiency as a function of the film thickness were estimated by simulation analyses. Excellent agreement was obtained between the experimental results and theoretical simulations, indicating that the underlying photoinduced electron transfer processes can be reliably explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the accuracy of classifying welding defects in ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT), a support vector machine-based radial basis function neural network (SVM-RBFNN) approach is presented in this paper. Based on the equivalence of a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) and a support vector machine (SVM) in terms of structure, a modified RBF neural network model is established. An artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is employed to optimise the parameters of the SVM-RBFNN model. The optimised SVM-RBFNN model is applied to classify welding defects from ultrasonic signals. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective and feasible for the classification of welding defects in ultrasonic testing (UT). Moreover, the results show that the proposed approach is superior to RBFNNs and SVMs in terms of the classification accuracy, computation speed and generalisation achieved [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curved surface parts with difficult-to-machine material are widely used in the industrial applications, and the three-axis NC machining with ball-end cutter is the commonly adopted method for some simple curved surface parts machining due to its high stiffness and simple operation. Due to the geometric feature variation for the curved surface and the bigger cutting force of the difficult-to-machine material, the cutting area and the cutting speed are changing all the time along the determined tool-path which results in a severe variation of cutting force and cutting vibration in high-speed milling process. This may not only affect the machining quality but also the tool life. In this way, the effect of the geometric feature of the curved surface and the cutting direction along the tool-path on the variation of force and vibration in high-speed milling of TC4 curved surface is studied. The experimental results show that both the cutting force and the cutting vibration increase when the tool-path curvature radius increases, while the cutting force decreases when the effective cutting radius increases and the cutting vibration will increase many times when the cutting area increases. Besides, the uphill cutting method for curved surface machining can obtain good machining quality and prolong milling cutter life. It can provide guidance for machining strategy selection especially for the cutting direction selection in the tool-path planning. The achievement, that can make both cutting force and cutting vibration small based on the geometric feature and the cutting direction, provides guidance for the machining planning of TC4 curved surface, which leads to improving machining quality and reducing tool wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to facilely achieve pretreatment and salt-free dyeing of greige knitted cotton fabrics, a combinative scouring, bleaching, and cationization pretreatment of the fabrics is designed in this study. The fabrics are first treated in a bath containing commercial scouring and bleaching agents, and then glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTA) is directly added into the bath to achieve cationization of the fabrics. Utilization of the alkaline and high-temperature conditions in scouring and bleaching process, cationization can facilely proceed in a short time. Optimal pretreatment conditions are as follows: greige knitted cotton fabrics are treated in a bath containing 4 g/L scouring agent and 6 g/L 30% hydrogen peroxide at 90 °C for 60 min, and then 30 g/L GTA and 3 g/L sodium hydroxide are added in the bath for another 15 min treatment. Fiber performances, including whiteness, water absorptivity, diffusion time, and capillary effect, are tested and evaluated. X-ray diffraction analysis, surface morphology, and thermal analysis of the pretreated cotton are also investigated and compared with that treated only with scouring and bleaching agents. Much higher dye fixation and color yield could be realized on the pretreated cotton in salt-free reactive dyeing. Colorimetric properties of the dyes are studied and good colorfastness of the dyes on the cationic fabrics are obtained. All of the above results show promising prospects of this combinative pretreatment in real application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elaidic acid, which is a major trans fatty acid, has been reported to be involved in neurotoxicity; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms underlying its neurotoxic effects remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying elaidic acid-induced neuronal damage in vitro. The SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line was used as a model in the present study. Following treatment of cells with various concentrations of elaidic acid or with vehicle for 24 h, cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) release were measured using flow cytometry. Cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double staining, and cellular redox status was determined using ELISA analysis. Furthermore, western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of factors associated with oxidative damage and components of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress/unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathways. The results demonstrated that elaidic acid treatment inhibited cell viability, elevated cell apoptosis and resulted in a loss of MMP. In addition, elaidic acid induced marked alterations in cellular redox status. Treatment with high doses of elaidic acid treatment also enhanced the release of ROS, and upregulated lipid peroxide and malondialdehyde levels; however, it reduced superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities. Furthermore, elaidic acid resulted in upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and downregulation of heme oxygenase 1, which are two key antioxidative factors. Elaidic acid treatment also induced or inhibited the expression of numerous ER stress/UPR-associated molecules. It induced glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) expression, whereas the expression levels of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) were upregulated and then downregulated following treatment with various doses of elaidic acid. These results indicated that elaidic acid inhibited SH-SY5Y cell growth and induced apoptosis by enhancing oxidative stress and activating the ER stress/UPR signaling pathway and the GRP78/ATF4/CHOP pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate whether bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) sheets combined with titanium implants enhanced implant osseointegration in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into a test group and control group. Allogenic BMSCs were collected from the rats, cultured and stored via cryopreservation. At 6 months post-ovariectomy, establishment of the OVX model was confirmed by micro-computed tomography (CT) measurements. BMSC sheets were subsequently layered and wrapped over titanium implants for implantation. Unmodified implants served as the control. At 8 weeks post-implantation, samples were observed by micro-CT reconstruction and histomorphometric evaluation. Micro-CT reconstruction identified a marked improvement in the surrounding bone volume following treatment, with data analyses indicating a significant increase in bone volume in the BMSC-implant group compared with the control implant group (P<0.05). In addition, histological staining identified new bone formation and an increased rate of bone-implant contact surrounding the BMSC-implant constructs. These results indicate that the use of BMSC sheets as a novel tissue engineering approach improves the osseointegration of titanium implants in an osteoporosis model. This method may expand the operative indications in patients with osteoporosis and improve the success rate of clinical dental implant treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Centriole is degenerated at the early stage of oogenesis. This work investigated the subcellular localization and function of centriolar structure components during the subsequent meiotic progression in mammalian oocytes. Methods: Mouse oocytes were processed with immunofluorescence, western blot, time-lapse imaging and microinjection of morpholino oligo or construct plasmid mRNA. Results: Centriolar core elements, SASS6 (SAS-6 centriolar assembly protein), δ-tubulin, ε-tubulin, CCDC41 (centrosomal protein 83) and ODF2 (outer dense fiber of sperm tails 2), expressed stably during meiotic progression in oocytes, and persistently present on chromosomes, MTOCs (microtubule organizing centers) and spindle, as well as GM130 (golgin subfamily a, 2) / Rab11a (RAB11A, member RAS oncogene family) positive vesicles. Golgi inhibitor destroyed centriolar components aggregation on vesicles, meanwhile, suppressed the cortical migration positioning of the spindle. δ-tubulin knockdown induced abnormalities in spindle structure and position, while CCDC41 loss also destroyed MTOC focusing and spindle assembly, inhibited vesicle fusion and anchoring to oolemma membrane, blocking cytoplasmic F-actin network docking to cell membrane, therefore impaired spindle cortical migration and oocyte asymmetric division, giving rise to the forming of large first polar body. Additionally, CCDC41 knockdown pronouncedly accelerated the transition from meiosis I to meiosis II, which is associated with the altered protein levels of CDC20 (cell division cycle 20) and APC2 (anaphase promoting complex subunit 2), two key components of anaphase promoting complex, responsible for anaphase onset. Conclusion: Centriolar components are still retained in multiple locations in oocytes and required for the orderly spindle assembly and asymmetrical positioning, as well as punctual anaphase onset in meiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to facilely increase the color yield of ink-jet prints using reactive inks, one-bath pretreatment of cotton fabrics with pretreatment formulation containing sodium alginate, glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride (GTA), sodium hydroxide, and urea is designed for realizing sizing and cationization at the same time. The pretreatment conditions, including the concentrations of GTA and alkali, baking temperature, and time are optimized based on the result of thecolor yield on cationic cotton for magenta ink. The mechanism for color yield enhancement on GTA-modified fabrics is discussed and the stability of GTA in the print paste is investigated. Scanning electron microscopey, tear strength, and thermogravimetric analysis of the modified and unmodified cotton are studied and compared. Using the optimal pretreatment conditions, color yield on the cationic cotton for magenta, cyan, yellow, and black reactive inks are increased by 128.7%, 142.5%, 71.0%, and 38.1%, respectively, compared with the corresponding color yield on the uncationized cotton. Much less wastewater is produced using this one-bath pretreatment method. Colorfastness of the reactive dyes on the modified and unmodified cotton is compared and boundary clarity between different colors is evaluated by ink-jet printing of colorful patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) have been shown to have an environmentally negative effect on humans’ health; however, its treatment effect is beneficial for patients suffering from neurological disorders. Despite this success, the application of ELF-EMF has exceeded in the understanding of its internal mechanism. Recently, it was found that on-line magnetic stimulation may offer advantages over off-line magnetic exposure and has proven to be effective in activating the prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons in vitro. Here, we perform computational simulations of the stimulation coils in COMSOL modeling to describe the uniformity of the distribution of the on-line magnetic field. Interestingly, the modeling data and actual measurements showed that the densities of the magnetic flux that was generated by the on-line stimulation coils were similar. The on-line magnetic stimulator induced sodium channel currents as well as field excitatory postsynaptic potentials of the rat hippocampal CA1 neurons and successfully demonstrated its extensive applications to activate neuronal tissue. These findings further raise the possibility that the instrument of on-line magnetic stimulation may be an effective alternative for studies in the field of bioelectromagnetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple clinical and experimental studies have suggested that epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) may be effective at treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, the molecular basis of primary resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC remains unclear. In the current study, the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene in the gefitinib-resistant human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line A549 (A549/GR) was silenced using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in order to determine the role of microRNA (miRNA) in the development of resistance against epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in lung adenocarcinoma. The relative gefitinib-resistant capacity in A549 and A549/GR cells was determined using a cell counting kit 8. A549/GR cells were transfected with chemically synthesized siRNA to silence the IGF-1R gene. A total of 48 h after siRNA transfection, IGF-1R expression in A549/GR cells was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. miRNA expression in A549/GR cells and A549/GR cells with silenced IGF-1R was analyzed using a miRNA microarray. The microarray results of 10 miRNAs were then compared with the results of RT-qPCR. The results demonstrated that the gefitinib-resistance capacity of A549/GR cells was six times higher than that of A549 cells. Additionally, RT-qPCR and western blotting demonstrated that the IGF-1R gene in A549/GR cells was successfully silenced by siRNA. The highest silencing rate (72%) of the IGF-1R gene was obtained using siRNA-2. The microarray identified 72 miRNAs with significantly different expression in A549/GR cells with silenced IGF-1R compared with A549/GR cells. Of the 72 differentially expressed miRNAs, 13 miRNAs (including miR-497-3p and miR-1273c) were up-regulated and 59 miRNAs (including miR-361-3p and miR-345-3p) were down-regulated in A549/GR cells with silenced IGF-1R compared with A549/GR cells. The changes in the expression of 10 different miRNAs were confirmed by RT-qPCR. Thus, the present study successfully established an A549/GR cell line with silenced IGF-1R. The results suggest that a number of miRNAs associated with the IGF-1R signaling pathway, including miR-497-3p and miR-144-5p, were involved in the development of resistance against EGFR-TKIs in A549 cells. These miRNAs may provide novel targets to treat lung adenocarcinoma exhibiting resistance against EGFR-TKIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a unique and universal strategy for the simultaneous quantification of different types of biomolecules (i.e., nucleic acids and proteins) in living cells is extremely challenging. Herein, a two-signal platform, based upon surfaceenhanced Raman scattering and upconversion, for the ultrasensitive and quantitative in situ detection of microRNA (miR)-21 and telomerase in living cells is reported. In the presence of miR-21 and telomerase, the hybridization of miR-21 with a molecular beacon leads to the separation of 3,3'-diethylthiocarbamyl cyanine iodide-modified Au NR dimers, resulting in a decrease in Raman signal. Also, the target telomerase triggers elongation of the telomerase primer strands, followed by substitutional hybridization and release of upconversion nanoparticles, leading to an increase in luminescence. A linear relationship between the Raman intensities and logarithmic concentration of intracellular miR-21 between 0.021 and 22.36 amol/ngRNA is observed, and the limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be 0.011 amol/ngRNA. The luminescence data show a linear response between 0.6 × 10-12 and 31 × 10-12 IU for logarithmic concentration of intracellular telomerase with a LOD of 3.2 × 10-13 IU. These results are in good agreement with Raman and confocal imaging. Importantly, the ultrasensitive detection of miR-21 was possible due to strong plasmonic "hot spots". This innovative two-signal approach can be utilized for the quantitative and precise detection of many types of signaling molecules in living cells and to understand the chemistry within cellular systems and its application in the diagnosis of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with acute limb ischemia, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary artery embolism may be treated with warfarin. The dose-response interaction of warfarin is associated with numerous factors, depending on which an uncommon life-threatening bleeding may occur. The present case study reported on a patient with acute limb ischemia and a history of warfarin-induced bleeding ten years previously and who again developed life threatening bleeding associated with warfarin treatment and received vascular surgery. In this patient, a cytochrome P450 3A4 loss-of-function mutation decreased the effective dose of warfarin. Although this was a rare case, clinicians should be alert to the bleeding risk associated with such rare genetic mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low haematocrit (Hct) is associated with a higher rate of post-operative complications, increased mortality, and additional medical costs following cardiac surgery. Predictors of post-operative Hct in lumbar fusion are unclear and may be beneficial in avoiding adverse surgical outcomes.Methods: A total of 704 lumbar disc herniation patients (385 males, 319 females) who underwent primary lumbar fusion surgery were reviewed in this retrospective study.Results: In the 687 patients who met the selection criteria, the pre-operative Hct was 41.23 ± 4.57%, the post-operative Hct was 32.61 ± 4.52%, the peri-operative Hct decline was 8.62 ± 4.07%, the estimated intra-operative blood loss was 586.76 ± 346.62 mL, and the post-operative drainage was 489.33 ± 274.32 mL. Pre-operative Hct, estimated blood volume, estimated intra-operative blood loss, post-operative drainage, allogeneic blood transfusion, and age showed significant correlations with post-operative Hct, and all factors were involved in the final multiple regression model. Patients who received intensive care had lower post-operative Hct values, and the length of post-operative hospital stay was negatively correlated with post-operative Hct.Conclusions: Dangerously low post-operative Hct is related to the length of ICU stay and post-operative hospital stay. Age, pre-operative Hct, intra-operative blood loss, post-operative drainage, and units of allogeneic blood transfusion are significant predictors of post-operative Hct and Hct decline. Hct variations during the operation make the calculation of total blood loss difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WRINKLED1 (WRI1) is a key transcriptional regulator of fatty acid biosynthesis genes in diverse oil-containing tissues. Loss of function of Arabidopsis WRI1 leads to a reduction in the expression of genes for fatty acid biosynthesis and glycolysis, and concomitant strong reduction of seed oil content. The wri1-1 loss-of-function mutant shows reduced primary root growth and decreased acidification of the growth medium. The content of a conjugated form of the plant growth hormone auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-Asp, was higher in wri1-1 plants compared with the wild-type. GH3.3, a gene encoding an enzyme involved in auxin degradation, displayed higher expression in the wri1-1 mutant. EMSAs demonstrated that AtWRI1 bound to the promoter of GH3.3. Specific AtWRI1-binding motifs were identified in the promoter of GH3.3. In addition, wri1-1 displayed decreased auxin transport. Expression of some PIN genes, which encode IAA carrier proteins, was reduced in wri1-1 plants as well. Correspondingly, AtWRI1 bound to the promoter regions of some PIN genes. It is well known that auxin exerts its maximum effects at a specific, optimal concentration in roots requiring a finely balanced auxin homeostasis. This process appears to be disrupted when the expression of WRI1 and in turn a subset of its target genes are misregulated, highlighting a role for WRI1 in root auxin homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcuma longa is a plant that belongs to the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It has been used in Siddha medicine for thousands of years in Asia. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that affects the motor system of the brain. Death of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra leads to PD. Exposure to salsolinol, which is an endogenous neurotoxin, has been associated with damage to dopamine-producing cells. The present study assessed the toxicity of salsolinol in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells and subsequently investigated the neuroprotective potential of C. longa extract in salsolinol-induced toxic conditions in SH-SY5Y cells. Sulphorhodamine-B assay showed the protective effect of the anti-apoptotic effect of treated SH-SY5Y cells. Fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope analysis indicated the anti-apoptotic impact of the C. longa extract. Mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species were reduced in C. longa extract-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Downregulated mRNA expression levels of p53, Bcl-2-associated X protein and caspase 3 were observed in the C. longa extract-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Caspase 3 activity was reduced in the C. longa extract-treated SH-SY5Y cells. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrated that solsolinol is neurotoxic to SH-SY5Y cells, and C. longa extract may be useful in the treatment of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral primary amine–squaramides have not been extensively studied to date in the field of organocatalysis. In this paper, novel chiral squaramides derived from natural product stevioside were developed. Both enantiomers of a series of γ-nitroaldehydes were generated by using these squaramide catalysts for the Michael addition reaction of isobutyraldehyde to nitroolefins. This asymmetric reaction proceeded well to afford the desired products in high yields (up to 98%) with high to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most previous studies of the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor (QTEC) have focused on the impacts of climate change on thaw-induced slope failures, whereas few have considered freeze-induced slope failures. Terrestrial laser scanning was used in combination with global navigation satellite systems to monitor three-dimensional surface changes between 2014 and 2015 on the slope of permafrost in the QTEC, which experienced two thawing periods and a freezing period. Soil temperature and moisture sensors were also deployed at 11 depths to reveal the hydrological–thermal dynamics of the active layer. We analyzed scanned surface changes in the slope based on comparisons of multi-temporal point cloud data to determine how the hydrological–thermal process affected active layer deformation during freeze–thaw cycles, thereby comprehensively quantifying the surface deformation. During the two thawing periods, the major structure of the slope exhibited subsidence trends, whereas the major structure of the slope had an uplift trend in the freezing period. The seasonal subsidence trend was caused by thaw settlement and the seasonal uplift trend was probably due to frost heaving. This occurred mainly because the active layer and the upper permafrost underwent a phase transition due to heat transfer. The ground movements occurred approximately in the soil temperature conduction direction between the top of the soil and the permafrost table. The elevation deformation range was mainly -0.20 m to 0.20 m. Surface volume increases with heaving after freezing could have compensated for the loss of thawing twice and still led to the upward swelling of the slope. Thus, this type of slope in permafrost is dominated by frost heave. Deformation characteristics of the slope will support enhanced decision making regarding the implementation of remote sensing and hydrological–thermal measurement technologies to monitor changes in the slopes in permafrost adjacent to engineering corridors, thereby improving the understanding and assessment of hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral primary amine-squaramides have not been extensively studied to date in the field of organocatalysis. In this paper, novel chiral squaramides derived from natural product stevioside were developed. Both enantiomers of a series of γ-nitroaldehydes were generated by using these squaramide catalysts for the Michael addition reaction of isobutyraldehyde to nitroolefins. This asymmetric reaction proceeded well to afford the desired products in high yields (up to 98%) with high to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbiota living in the human body has critical impacts on our health and disease, but a systems understanding of its relationships with disease remains limited. Here, we use a large-scale text mining-based manually curated microbe-disease association data set to construct a microbe-based human disease network and investigate the relationships between microbes and disease genes, symptoms, chemical fragments and drugs. We reveal that microbe-based disease loops are significantly coherent. Microbe-based disease connections have strong overlaps with those constructed by disease genes, symptoms, chemical fragments and drugs. Moreover, we confirm that the microbe-based disease analysis is able to predict novel connections and mechanisms for disease, microbes, genes and drugs. The presented network, methods and findings can be a resource helpful for addressing some issues in medicine, for example, the discovery of bench knowledge and bedside clinical solutions for disease mechanism understanding, diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explored an effective and low-cost catalyst and its adsorption capacity and catalytic capacity for Methyl Orange Fenton oxidation degradation were investigated. The catalyst was directly prepared by reuse of magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) after saturated adsorption of vanadium (V) from waste SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalyst. The obtained catalyst was characterized by FTIR, XPS and the results showed that vanadium (V) adsorption process of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was non-redox reaction. The effects of pH, adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherms of adsorption were assessed. Adsorption of vanadium (V) ions by Fe3O4 nanoparticles could be well described by the Sips isotherm model which controlled by the mixed surface reaction and diffusion (MSRDC) adsorption kinetic model. The results show that vanadium (V) was mainly adsorbed on external surface of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The separation-recovering tungsten (VI) and vanadium (V) from waste SCR catalyst alkaline solution through pH adjustment was also investigated in this study. The results obtained from the experiments indicated that tungsten (VI) was selectively adsorbed from vanadium (V)/tungsten (VI) mixed solution in certain acidic condition by Fe30 4 nanoparticle to realize their recovery. Tungsten (V) with some impurity can be obtained by releasing from adsorbent, which can be confirmed by ICP-AES. The Methyl Orange degradation catalytic performance illustrated that the catalyst could improve Fenton reaction effectively at pH = 3.0 compare to Fe3O4 nanoparticles alone. Therefore, Fe3O4 nanoparticle adsorbed vanadium (V) has a potential to be employed as a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst in the present contribution, and its catalytic activity was mainly evaluated in terms of the decoloration efficiency of Methyl Orange. Water Environ. Res., 88, 2219 (2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the noise of a defect electromagnetic signal of the steel cord conveyor belt used in coal mines, a new signal noise reduction method by combined use of the improved threshold wavelet and Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is proposed. Firstly, the denoising method based on the improved threshold wavelet is applied to reduce the noise of a defect electromagnetic signal obtained by an electromagnetic testing system. Then, the EMD is used to decompose the denoised signal and then the effective Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF) is extracted by the dominant eigenvalue strategy. Finally, the signal reconstruction is carried out by utilizing the obtained IMF. In order to verify the proposed noise reduction method, the experiments are carried out in two cases including the defective joint and steel wire rope break. The experimental results show that the proposed method in this paper obtains the higher Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) for the defect electromagnetic signal noise reduction of steel cord conveyor belts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient synthesis of α-acylphosphoranes by palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of aryl iodides with carbon monoxide and stabilized phosphonium ylides has been developed. Featuring 44 examples, the protocol displayed a wide substrate scope under mild reaction conditions, showcasing its potential in synthetic organic chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When machining the pocket of a mould in high-speed milling mode, the tool load at a pocket’s narrow area or corner may sharply increase because of the presence of a higher amount of material to be cut. A trochoidal machining method considering milling force, machining tool, and pocket geometry is proposed in this paper. First, a method for the geometric modeling of the engagement angle in trochoidal machining is proposed. Maximum and mean values of the milling force are analysed; meanwhile, the corresponding relationship between the milling force curve and the engagement angle curve during the trochoidal machining process is analysed. Based on fundamental experiments on trochoidal machining, results for the milling force and tool wear are obtained; then, a proper control strategy for cavity trochoidal milling machining is proposed. Based on this control strategy for trochoidal milling machining, two realisations of cavity trochoidal milling machining are proposed. Finally, comparison experiments on cavity machining are conducted. Compared with the feedrate adjustment method, trochoidal machining provides better control over the milling force and tool wear at corners and narrow slots. The milling force and machining vibrations are smaller, and the tool wear is substantially reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]