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In recent years, a growing body of research has confirmed that the gut microbiota plays a major role in the maintenance of human health and disease. A gut microbiota imbalance can lead to the development of many diseases, such as pregnancy complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, and cancer. Short-chain fatty acids are metabolites of specific intestinal bacteria and are crucial for maintaining intestinal homeostasis and regulating metabolism and immunity. Endometriosis is the result of cell proliferation, escape from immune surveillance, and invasive metastasis. There is a strong correlation between the anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects of short-chain fatty acids produced by gut microbes and the development of endometriosis. Given that the mechanism of action of gut microbiota and Short-chain fatty acids in endometriosis remain unclear, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the complex interactions between intestinal flora, short-chain fatty acids and endometriosis. In addition, we explored potential microbial-based treatment strategies for endometriosis, providing new insights into the future development of diagnostic tests and prevention and treatment methods for endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The functions of C-type lectin domain family 4 member D (CLEC4D), one member of the C-type lectin/C-type lectin-like domain superfamily, in immunity have been well described, but its roles in cancer biology remain largely unknown. Patients and Methods: This study aims to explore the role of CLEC4D in gastric cancer (GC). Bioinformatics preliminarily analyzed the expression of CLEC4D in gastric cancer. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression level and clinical pathological characteristics of CLEC4D in gastric cancer. The biological function of CLEC4D in gastric cancer cell lines was verified through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results: In this study, CLEC4D expression was found to be markedly increased in gastric cancer (GC) tissues compared with matched normal gastric tissues, and high CLEC4D expression independently predicted unfavorable overall survival in patients with GC. Knockdown of CLEC4D markedly inhibited GC cell proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, CLEC4D knockdown deactivated the Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways in GC cells. Conclusion: Together, these results demonstrate that aberrantly increased CLEC4D expression promotes cancer phenotypes via the Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways in GC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of the in-medium mass splitting between bosons and anti-bosons on their spectra and elliptic flow. The in-medium mass splitting may cause a separation in the transverse momentum spectra, as well as a division in the elliptic flow between bosons and anti-bosons. The magnitude of this effect becomes greater as the in-medium mass splitting increases. With the increasing rapidity, the splitting effect of the spectra increases and the splitting effect of the elliptic flow decreases. These phenomena may provide a way to differentiate whether the influences on boson and anti-boson in the medium are consistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been widely applicated in clinical therapy in recent years. Skin-related adverse reaction is one of the most common adverse events for ICIs. Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is one of the serious cutaneous reactions threatening the life. Here, we reported a case of 76-year-old male patient with poorly differentiated metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, after 9 weeks exposure of sintilimab (3 doses) combined with paclitaxel liposome after concurrent chemotherapy/radiotherapy, experienced Stevens-Johnson syndrome involving limbs, trunk, lip and the oral mucosa. Biopsy of the skin tissue showed infiltration of CD4 and CD8 positive T lymphocytes. We also found PD-L1 expression in the glands and the basal layer of the skin. This finding is distinct from the previously reported expression of PD-L1 on the surface of epidermal keratinocytes in patients with SJS due to immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. EDIL3, which contains epidermal growth factor-like repeats and dis- coidin I-like domains, is a secretory protein that plays an important role in embryonic development and various illnesses. However, the biological function of EDIL3 in gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear. The objective of this research was to explore the role and potential mechanism of EDIL3 in GC. Methods. In this study, we used the GEPIA, HPA, MethSurv, SMART, STRING, GeneMANIA, LinkedOmics TIMER, TIMER2.0, TISIDB, and RNAactDrug databases to comprehensively analyze the roles of EDIL3 in GC. To validate the in silico findings, EDIL3 expression was measured in our collected GC tissues. Meanwhile, several in vitro experiments were performed to test the function of EDIL3 in GC. Results. We found that EDIL3 was highly expressed in GC and associated with adverse clinical features. In vitro assays revealed that EDIL3 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. The functions of EDIL3 and co-expression genes were significantly associated with extracellular structure organization and matrix receptor interaction. EDIL3 expression was positively associated with numerous tumor- infiltrating immune cells and their biomarkers. Conclusion. This study determined that EDIL3 may function as an oncogene and is associated with immune infiltration in GC. EDIL3 could be used as a potential therapeutic target for GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the development of sequencing technology and the great reduction in sequencing costs, an increasing number of plant genomes have been assembled, and numerous genomes have revealed large amounts of variations. However, a single reference genome does not allow the exploration of species diversity, and therefore the concept of pan-genome was developed. A pan-genome is a collection of all sequences available for a species, including a large number of consensus sequences, large structural variations, and small variations including single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions/deletions. A simple linear pan-genome does not allow these structural variations to be intuitively characterized, so graph-based pan-genomes have been developed. These pan-genomes store sequence and structural variation information in the form of nodes and paths to store and display species variation information in a more intuitive manner. The key role of graph-based pan-genomes is to expand the coordinate system of the linear reference genome to accommodate more regions of genetic diversity. Here, we review the origin and development of graph-based pan-genomes, explore their application in plant research, and further highlight the application of graph-based pan-genomes for future plant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) replicate in the respiratory/oral mucosa, mimic natural infection, and can induce mucosal and systemic immune responses to the full repertoire of SARS-CoV-2 structural/nonstructural proteins. Generally, LAVs produce broader and more durable protection than current COVID-19 vaccines. We generated a temperature-sensitive (TS) SARS-CoV-2 mutant TS11 via cold-adaptation of the WA1 strain in Vero E6 cells. TS11 replicated at >4 Log10-higher titers at 32 °C than at 39 °C. TS11 has multiple mutations, including those in nsp3, a 12-amino acid-deletion spanning the furin cleavage site of the S protein and a 371-nucleotide-deletion spanning the ORF7b-ORF8 genes. We tested the pathogenicity and protective efficacy of TS11 against challenge with a heterologous virulent SARS-CoV-2 D614G strain 14B in Syrian hamsters. Hamsters were randomly assigned to mock immunization-challenge (Mock-C) and TS11 immunization-challenge (TS11-C) groups. Like the mock group, TS11-vaccinated hamsters did not show any clinical signs and continuously gained body weight. TS11 replicated well in the nasal cavity but poorly in the lungs and caused only mild lesions in the lungs. After challenge, hamsters in the Mock-C group lost weight. In contrast, the animals in the TS11-C group continued gaining weight. The virus titers in the nasal turbinates and lungs of the TS11-C group were significantly lower than those in the Mock-C group, confirming the protective effects of TS11 immunization of hamsters. Histopathological examination demonstrated that animals in the Mock-C group had severe pulmonary lesions and large amounts of viral antigens in the lungs post-challenge; however, the TS11-C group had minimal pathological changes and few viral antigen-positive cells. In summary, the TS11 mutant was attenuated and induced protection against disease after a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 challenge in Syrian hamsters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of low power consumption and high stability, chirp transform spectrometer (CTS) has become a powerful tool widely used in spectrum analysis today. In recent years, compared with other spectrum analyzers, CTS is limited by the lack of bandwidth, which severely restricts its application and development. In this article, a CTS system with a wide bandwidth is proposed. The chirp signal with 2 GHz bandwidth is generated by DAC and multiplier, and its dispersion characteristics are matched with a 1 GHz bandwidth surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter to build a spectrum analyzer with an analysis bandwidth of 1 GHz. Experimental results show that the system frequency resolution can reach up to 102 kHz, which is very close to the theoretical value (100 kHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Smart spring support is a kind of active damping device based on piezoelectric material. It can effectively suppress the vibration of a shaft system in an overly critical state by changing the stiffness and damping of the support. The support parameters have a significant impact on the vibration of the system. By studying the influence of the smart spring support parameters on the vibration characteristics of the transmission shaft system, the support parameters can be configured more reasonably so that the vibration of the transmission system can be reduced as much as possible. Based on the finite element method, this paper studies the influence of the stiffness, damping and mass of the smart spring support on the vibration characteristics of the three-support shafting. Firstly, the smart spring shafting test bed is built, and the vibration reduction performance test of the smart spring is carried out to verify the damping effect of the smart spring. Then, the shafting dynamic model is established by the finite element method, and the inherent characteristics of the system are analyzed. Finally, the influence of the stiffness, damping, mass and other parameters of the smart spring support on the dynamic response of the system is studied. The results show that increasing the stiffness of the smart spring support can effectively reduce the vibration amplitude of the system. The damping of the smart spring support has no obvious effect on the vibration of the shafting. The smaller the mass of the smart spring support, the more favorable the system is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart Spring is a kind of active vibration control device based on piezoelectric material, which can effectively suppress the vibration of the shaft system in an over-critical state, and the selection of control strategy has great influence on the vibration reduction effect of the Smart Spring. In this paper, the authors investigate the control of the over-critical vibration of the transmission shaft system with Smart Spring, based on the ADAMS and MATLAB joint simulation method. Firstly, the joint simulation model of three-support shafting with Smart Spring is established, and the over-critical speed simulation analysis of the three-support shafting under the fixed control force of the Smart Spring is carried out. The simulation results show that the maximum vibration reduction rate is 71.6%. The accuracy of the joint simulation model is verified by the experiment of the three-support shafting subcritical vibration control. On this basis, a function control force vibration control strategy with time-varying control force is proposed. By analyzing the axis orbit of the shafting, the optimal fixed control force at different speeds is obtained, the control force function is determined by polynomial fitting, and the shafting critical crossing simulation under the function control force is carried out. The simulation results show that the displacement response of the shafting under the function control force is less than that under the fixed control force in the whole speed range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a valuable issue to explore whether a flame can radiate microwaves, in spite of the electric field formed in the flame. Presented herein is an experimental study on a series of flames with millimeterwave radiation in the combustion of pyrotechnic films. The pyrotechnic films were composed of ultrafine red phosphorus (P), sodium nitrate (NaNO3), Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and some additives such as chopped carbon fibers (CFs) and aluminized glass fibers (GFs). The combustion temperatures and millimeter-wave radiation signals of the flames were measured, the millimeter-wave emissivity and spectral radiant exitance were calculated to describe the millimeter-wave radiation intensity. The results demonstrate that the flame of the pyrotechnic films based on P/NaNO3/CFs can radiate millimeter waves, and different materials and their proportion have a great effect on the millimeter-wave radiation intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A formation model of manned/unmanned aerial vehicle (MAV/UAV) collaborative combat can qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the synergistic effects. However, there is currently no effective and appropriate model construction method or theory, and research in the field of collaborative capability evaluation is basically nonexistent. According to the actual conditions of cooperative operations, a new MAV/UAV collaborative combat network model construction method based on a complex network is presented. By analyzing the characteristic parameters of the abstract network, the index system and complex network are combined. Then, a method for evaluating the synergistic effect of the cooperative combat network is developed. This method provides assistance for the verification and evaluation of MAV/UAV collaborative combat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the ALICE collaboration analyzed the three- and four-pion Hanbury–Brown–Twiss (HBT) correlations in Pb–Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. The measured suppressions of three- and four-pion correlations may originate from a substantial coherence of the particle-emitting sources. In this work we investigate the normalized three- and four-pion HBT correlation functions for evolving pion gas (EPG) sources with Bose–Einstein condensation. We find that the intercepts of the normalized correlation functions at zero relative momentum are sensitive to source condensation and particle momentum. The normalized correlation functions in low average-momentum regions of three and four pions decrease with decreasing temperature and increasing particle number of the source, indicating a dependence of the normalized correlation functions on source condensation. However, this dependence becomes weak in an intermediate average-momentum region because particles with high momenta are likely emitted from excited states incoherently in the EPG model, even if the source has a considerable condensation fraction. For a wide momentum range, the normalized correlation functions for low source temperatures are enhanced at larger relative momenta because of a rapid increase of two-pion chaoticity parameter with increasing particle momentum. We hope the significant enhancement of the normalized four-pion correlation function at high relative momentum will be identified through future analyses of experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed ultrasonic experiments in specimens from a tight oil reservoir. The P-wave attenuation of fluid-saturated specimens was estimated by the spectral ratio method. The results suggest that at ultrasonic frequencies, most specimens have stronger attenuation under gas-saturated conditions than at water- or oil-saturated conditions. The P-wave attenuation positively correlates with permeability. Scanning electron microscopy observations and the triple-porosity structure model were used to simulate the wave propagation. The P-wave velocity dispersion and attenuation are discussed on the basis of the Biot, Biot-Rayleigh double-porosity medium, and the triple-porosity structure models. The results suggest that the Biot and Biot-Rayleigh models cannot explain the attenuation, whereas the triple-porosity structure model is in agreement with the experimental data. Furthermore, we infer that microcracks are common in a porosity of 5%–10%, and the size of microcracks increases in samples with higher porosity. However, the volume ratios of microcracks and clay inclusions remain constant regardless of porosity variations. The size of microcracks is significantly larger than the clay inclusions, and the bulk modulus of microcracks is lower than the bulk modulus of clays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous study, it was demonstrated that the Stathmin1 (STMN1) is overexpressed in gastric cancer (GC) and that its high expression level is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has also been shown to be critically involved in GC invasion and metastasis. Certain studies have indicated that STMN1 may serve an important role in the EMT process. However, the association between STMN1 expression and EMT-associated markers, as well as clinicopathological characteristics of patients with GC, remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of STMN1 and EMT-associated markers in GC. The expression of STMN1 and the EMT-associated proteins E-cadherin (E-Cad) and vimentin (VIM) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry in GC and adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Associations between the expression of these markers and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed. The association between STMN1 expression and EMT-associated markers was investigated in the GC cell lines BGC-803 and SGC-7901. The results revealed that STMN1 was expressed in 63.5% of the 167 GC tissues, which was significantly higher than the percentage observed in the adjacent non-tumorous tissues (P=0.003). The STMN1 expression was demonstrated to be positively associated with the VIM levels (P=0.001) and negatively associated with the E-Cad levels (P=0.022) in GC tissues. The STMN1 expression was associated with Lauren's Classification, invasion depth, lymph node metastasis and pathological Tumor-Node-Metastasis (pTNM) stage (P<0.05). In the univariate analyses, the high E-Cad expression was a positive prognostic indicator for overall survival, whereas the high STMN1 and VIM expression was a negative indicator. COX multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the pTNM stage [hazard ratio (HR) 1.912, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.282–2.851, P=0.001] and E-Cad expression (HR 0.403, 95% CI: 0.249–0.650, P=0.000) were independent prognostic factors. It was also revealed that the expression level of E-Cad decreased, while the expression level of VIM increased by depleting STMN1 levels in GC cells. The present results suggest that the aberrant expression of STMN1 may promote tumor progression through EMT in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article overviews the scientific results of the microstructural features observed in 316 L stainless steel manufactured by the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) method obtained by the authors, and discusses the results with respect to the recently published literature. Microscopic features of the LPBF microstructure, i.e., epitaxial nucleation, cellular structure, microsegregation, porosity, competitive colony growth, and solidification texture, were experimentally studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, diffraction methods, and atom probe tomography. The influence of laser power and laser scanning speed on the microstructure was discussed in the perspective of governing the microstructure by controlling the process parameters. It was shown that the three-dimensional (3D) zig-zag solidification texture observed in the LPBF 316 L was related to the laser scanning strategy. The thermal stability of the microstructure was investigated under isothermal annealing conditions. It was shown that the cells formed at solidification started to disappear at about 800 °C, and that this process leads to a substantial decrease in hardness. Colony boundaries, nevertheless, were quite stable, and no significant grain growth was observed after heat treatment at 1050 °C. The observed experimental results are discussed with respect to the fundamental knowledge of the solidification processes, and compared with the existing literature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) contact model is established, the oil film stiffness is calculated based on Dowson-Higginson empirical minimum thickness equation. The vibration model of single-rotor three-input helicopter main reducer is proposed by lumped mass method, and nonlinear factors like oil film stiffness, dynamic meshing force are taken into account. The influence of oil film stiffness on system natural frequency is analyzed as well. The results show that oil film stiffness of the internal and external meshing pairs in the planetary gear system have greater impact on the natural frequency, which tends to destabilize the system. Therefore, the planetary gear train is the most crucial branch regarding the system splash lubrication. When all the oil film stiffness in the system are greater than 4x109 N/m, the natural frequencies tend to be stable. This study can provide the theoretical reference for the lubrication characteristics in the single-rotor multi-input helicopter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the preservation effectiveness of selected antistaling agents on lotus seeds (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn) status and the alteration of phenolic acids during their storage. Ascorbic acid (AA), benzoic acid (BA), sodium hydrogen sulfite (SHS), BA+ AA and SHS+ AA were identified as effective to keep lotus seeds fresh with the order of SHS+ AA > BA+ AA > AA > SHS > BA in terms of general performance on not-browning degree, microorganism contamination status, sensory evaluation, and the protection of polyphenols against being oxidized. The polyphenols determined by HPLC and HPLC-MS in lotus seeds were mainly gallic, chlorogenic, gentisic, caffeic, cinnamic, p-coumaric, ferulic, rosmarinic, and salicylic acids. Chlorogenic, gentisic, and caffeic acids were the main phenolic acids correlated with oxidative browning. SHS+ AA was found on inhibiting chlorogenic acid oxidized (p < 0.05) as well as SHS or AA did. BA+ AA also had protective effect on all these three phenolics. The increment of gallic, caffeic, chlorogenic, and p-coumaric acids at the beginning of storage, which was from the hydrolyzation of glycosides promoted by BA, had accordance with the deteriorate sensory of lotus seeds and led to worse anti-browning effect. Gallic acid was found to be relevant to the degree of microorganism contamination. The stronger antibacterial capacity antistaling agents had, the later regeneration of gallic acid appeared. In conclusion, the selected antistaling agents had different preservation effectiveness, which would synchronously indicate alteration of relevant phenolic acids profiles of lotus seed during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that keratinocytes act as non‑professional antigen‑presenting cells and support superantigen‑induced proliferation of resting T cells; however, it remains unknown whether keratinocytes function in situ with T cells via a non‑contact mechanism. The current study used a transwell co‑culture system and demonstrated, for the first time to the best of the authors' knowledge, that HaCaT cells (the human keratinocyte cell line) did induce T cell proliferation via indirect contact. The data further indicated that exosomes, small membrane vesicles that transfer antigens to recipient cells, are also involved in the superantigen‑associated immunity of keratinocytes. The current study provided experimental evidence that HaCaT‑exosomes contained MHC I and II, and could interact with T cells. In addition, following interferon γ stimulation, Staphylococcal aureus enterotoxin B‑loaded HaCaT cells secreted exosomes to induce the proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in vitro. This novel biological function of exosomes reveals a new mechanism of how keratinocytes participate in bacterial superantigen‑induced immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration model of four-stage main transmission system in helicopter was established through lumped mass method. In the model, many factors, including time-varying meshing stiffness and torsional stiffness of gear shaft were considered. The differential equation of the system was solved via Fourier method, and the influence of the torsional stiffness of shafts on the first five orders of the system's natural frequency was studied. Some theoretical results were summarized as guidelines for further research and design of four-stage deceleration helicopter at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Dysregulated lipid metabolism is a characteristic of malignancies. Sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1), a transcription factor playing a central role in lipid metabolism, is highly activated in malignancies. Here, we unraveled a link between miR-29 and the SCAP (SREBP cleavage-activating protein)/SREBP-1 pathway in glioblastoma (GBM) growth. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling enhances miR-29 expression in GBM cells via upregulation of SCAP/SREBP-1, and SREBP-1 activates miR-29 expression via binding to specific sites in its promoter. In turn, miR-29 inhibits SCAP and SREBP-1 expression by interacting with their 3′ UTRs. miR-29 transfection suppressed lipid synthesis and GBM cell growth, which were rescued by the addition of fatty acids or N-terminal SREBP-1 expression. Xenograft studies showed that miR-29 mimics significantly inhibit GBM growth and prolong the survival of GBM-bearing mice. Our study reveals a previously unrecognized negative feedback loop in SCAP/SREBP-1 signaling mediated by miR-29 and suggests that miR-29 treatment may represent an effective means to target GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine experimental diets at three protein (35%, 40% and 45% crude protein) and lipid (5%, 8% and 11% crude lipid) levels with variable digestible protein to digestible energy ( DP/ DE) ratios ranged from 21.9 to 27.8 g protein MJ−1 were fed to topmouth culter ( Culter alburnus Basilewsky) fingerlings (initial weight 6.5 ± 0.9 g) in triplicated groups (30 fish per replicated) for a period of 10 week to assess the optimum dietary DP/ DE ratio and the protein sparing effect by utilizing dietary lipid. 27 cages of 1.5 m3 capacity placed in a lake located in Wuhan were used for rearing the fish. At the end of the experiment, maximum weight gain and thermal-unit growth coefficient was found in fish fed diet D4 with 45% protein, 8% lipid and P/E ratio of 26.2 g protein MJ−1, but without a significant difference compared to fish fed diet D5 with 40% protein, 8% lipid and DP/ DE ratio of 25.3 g protein MJ−1. The best flesh quality evaluated by muscle collagen content was found in fish fed D5. High fat accumulation with increasing dietary lipid levels was observed in whole body but not in muscle tissue. Hence, it may be concluded that the optimum formulation for maximum growth and quality of topmouth culter is a diet containing 40% protein and 8% lipid with a resultant DP/ DE ratio of 25.3 g protein MJ−1. In addition, the protein sparing effect by inclusion lipid was observed but limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gualou Xiebai Decoction (GXD) is a well-known traditional Chinese recipe. It has been used to treat cardiovascular disorders for nearly two thousand years. But there is a lack of reports on cardiac fibrosis and underlying mechanism. Methods: Myocardial infarction was performed by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in male Wistar rats. Rats with myocardial infarction were treated with GXD (1.14 g/kg, 4.53 g/kg) daily for 4 weeks. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Hemodynamic parameters and infarct size were measured in each group. Myocardial enzymes were examined by biochemical tests. Inflammatory cytokines were assessed by ELISA, and interrelated proteins were detected by western blot. Results: Cardiac function was significantly improved in GXD-treatment rats after myocardial infarction (MI), which was accompanied with decreased infarct size. Administration of GXD to myocardial fibrosis rats significantly ameliorated the activities of AST, LDH and CK-MB in serum. The increase in inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β) were markedly reduced upon GXD treatment. Furthermore, the inflammatory mediators (NF-κB p65, TNF-α, MCP-1) were down-regulated by GXD in the myocardial fibrosis rats. Conclusions: Treatment with GXD improved cardiac function induced by myocardial fibrosis by inhibiting expression of inflammatory mediators associated with NF-κB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new oleanane-type saponins, named oleiferasaponins C4 (1) and C5 (2), were isolated from Camellia oleifera Abel. seed cake residue. Their respective structures were identified as 16a-hydroxy-22α-O-angeloyl-23α-aldehyde-28-dihydroxymethylene-olean-12-ene-3β-O-[β-D-galactopyranosyl-( 1→2)]-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-galactopyranosy-(1→3)]-β-D-glucopyranosid-uronic acid methyl ester (1) and 16a-hydroxy-22α-O-angeloyl-23α-aldehyde-28-dihydroxy-methylene-olean-12-ene-3β-O-[β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→2)]-[β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid methyl ester (2) through 1D- and 2D-NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and GC-MS spectroscopic methods. The two compounds exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against five human tumor cell lines (BEL-7402, BGC-823, MCF-7, HL-60 and KB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new non-linear transverse-torsional coupled model was proposed for 2K-H planetary gear train, and gear's geometric eccentricity error, comprehensive transmission error, time-varying meshing stiffness, sun-planet and planet-ring gear pair's backlashes and sun gear's bearing clearance were taken into consideration. The solution of differential governing equation of motion was solved by applying variable step-size Runge-Kutta numerical integration method. The system motion state was investigated systematically and qualitatively, and exhibited diverse characteristics of bifurcation and chaos as well as non-linear behavior under different bifurcation parameters including meshing frequency, sun-planet backlash, planet-ring backlash and sun gear's bearing clearance. Analysis results show that the increasing damping could suppress the region of chaotic motion and improve the system's stability significantly. The route of crisis to chaotic motion was observed under the bifurcation parameter of meshing frequency. However, the routes of period doubling and crisis to chaos were identified under the bifurcation parameter of sun-planet backlash; besides, several different types of routes to chaos were observed and coexisted under the bifurcation parameter of planet-ring backlash including period doubling, Hopf bifurcation, 3 T-periodic channel and crisis. Additionally, planet-ring backlash generated a strong coupling effect to system's non-linear behavior while the sun gear's bearing clearance produced weak coupling effect. Finally, quasi-periodic motion could be found under all above-mentioned bifurcation parameters and closely associated with the 3 T-periodic motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new non-linear bending-torsional coupled model for double-row planetary gear set was proposed, and planet's eccentricity error, static transmission error, and time-varying meshing stiffness were taken into consideration. The solution of differential governing equation of motion is determined by applying the Fourier series method. The behaviors of dynamic load sharing characteristics affected by the system parameters including gear eccentricities error, ring gear's supporting stiffness, planet's bearing stiffness, torsional stiffness of first stage carrier and input rotation rate were investigated qualitatively and systematically, and sun gear radial orbits at first and second stage were explored as well. Some theoretical results are summarized as guidelines for further research and design of double-row planetary gear train at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the clinical significance of the methylated status of CpG site count of PCDH10 promoter in the survival prediction in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: In the previous study, we demonstrated that the methylated CpG site count was significantly associated with the overall survival (OS) of GC patients by using the bisulfite genomic sequencing (BGS) with no less than five clones per sample. It was so complex and expensive for patients to undergo the BGS clones. In this study, we detected the different CpG site counts (hypermethylated and hypomethylated) of PCDH10 DNA promoter in GC samples of 471 patients by directly bisulfite genomic sequencing (D-BGS) without any clone. Furthermore, we evaluated the relationships between the methylated status of PCDH10 promoter and OS. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-seven of 471 (54.6%) GC patients were identified to present with PCDH10 promoter methylation by D-BGS. Patients who presented with 5 or more methylated CpG site counts of PCDH10 promoter had significantly poorer prognosis than patients who with less than 5 methylated CpG site counts of PCDH10 promoter (p = 0.039). With the multivariate survival analysis, we demonstrated that T stage, N stage and the hypermethylated CpG site counts of PCDH10 DNA promoter were the independent predictors of OS of GC patients. In addition, the hypermethylated CpG site counts of PCDH10 DNA promoter had smaller Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) values than the other two independent predictors of the OS, indicating the hypermethylated CpG site counts of PCDH10 DNA promoter as the best prognostic predictor of GC. CONCLUSIONS: Our present findings suggested that the hypermethylated CpG site counts of PCDH10 DNA promoter for evaluating the prognosis of GC was reasonable by using the D-BGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new nonlinear transverse-torsional coupled model with backlash and bearing clearance was proposed for planetary gear set. Meanwhile, sun gear and planet's eccentricity errors, static transmission error, and time-varying meshing stiffness were taken into consideration. The differential governing equations of motion were solved by employing variable step-size Rung-Kutta numerical integration method. The behavior of dynamic load sharing characteristics affected by the system parameters including input rate, sun gear's supporting stiffness and eccentricity error, planet's eccentricity error, sun gear's bearing clearance, backlashes of sun-planet and planet-ring meshes were investigated qualitatively and systematically. Some theoretical results are summarized at last which extend the current understanding of the dynamic load sharing behavior of planet gear train, enrich the related literature and provide references for the design of planetary gear train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to study the vibration transmissibility characteristics of the undamped and damped smart spring systems. The frequency response characteristics of them were analyzed by using the equivalent linearization technique, and the possible types of the system motion were distinguished by using the starting and ending frequencies. The influences of system parameters on the vibration transmissibility characteristics were discussed. The following conclusions may be drawn from the analysis results. The undamped smart spring system may simultaneously have one starting frequency and one ending frequency or only have one starting frequency, and the damped system may simultaneously have two starting frequencies and one ending frequency. There is an optimal control parameter to make the peak value of the vibration transmissibility curve of the system be minimum. When the mass ratio is far away from the stiffness ratio, the vibration transmissibility is small. The effect of the damping ratio on the system vibration transmissibility is significant while the control parameter is less than its optimal value. But the influence of the relative damping ratio on the vibration transmissibility is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behcet's disease (BD) accompanied by intestinal involvement is called intestinal BD. Although recent studies have attained positive feedback with the administration of anti-TNF-α agents in patients with BD, only a few reports on the study of etanercept in intestinal BD have been found. In this study, 35 cases of intestinal BD were treated with conventional therapy (prednisone or methotrexate) for a minimum period of 3 months (group 1). Another 19 patients who failed to respond to conventional therapy were then treated with etanercept (25 mg twice a week for 3 months). During each subsequent relapse, the patients were given the same treatment. The main outcome measures were the four criteria for diagnosis of BD (buccal ulcers, genital ulcers, ocular lesions, and skin lesions), the manifestation of intestinal involvement (abdominal symptoms, double-balloon enteroscopy), laboratory examinations of the acute phase reactants (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and C-reactive protein, and relapses. As a result of the administered therapy, the healing rate of buccal and genital ulcers, the remission rate of ocular lesions, skin lesions, and abdominal symptoms, the healing rate of intestinal ulcers, and the recovery rate of ESR and CRP were significantly higher in group 2 than those of group 1. The relapse rate in the etanercept therapy was reduced significantly when compared with conventional therapy group. In conclusion, etanercept treatment, in contrast to the conventional therapy, can result in better curative effect and less adverse reactions in intestinal BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of metastatic lymph node ratio (LNR) in patients having radical resection for stage III gastric cancer. Methods: A total of 365 patients with stage III gastric cancer who underwent radical resection between 2002 and 2008 at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital were analyzed. The cut-point survival analysis was adopted to determine the appropriate cutoffs for LNR. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and log-rank tests were used for the survival analysis. Results: By cut-point survival analysis, the LNR staging system was generated using 0.25 and 0.50 as the cutoff values. Pearson's correlation test revealed that the LNR was related with metastatic lymph nodes but not related with total harvested lymph nodes. Cox regression analysis showed that depth of invasion and LNR were the independent predictors of survival (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in survival between each pN stages classified by the LNR staging, however no significant difference was found in survival rate between each LNR stages classified by the pN staging. Conclusions: The LNR is an independent prognostic factor for survival in stage III gastric cancer and is superior to the pN category in TNM staging. It may be considered as a prognostic variable in future staging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the profiles change in proanthocyanidins (PAs) catalyzed by polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from lotus seedpod in a model wine system (MWS). Results showed that PAs from lotus seedpod consisted of dimer (74.00 %) and trimer (22.75 %). PPO could tolerate ethanol concentrations below 20 % (v/v). The optimum temperature of PPO activity was 80 °C, and the optimal pH was 9.0. Its molecular weight was approximately 31 kDa, and its secondary structures were α-helix (59.0 %), β-sheet (4.3 %), turns (14.1 %), and random coils (22.6 %). In the MWS, the trimers gradually increased from 22.55 % at 0 h (control) to 100 % at 10 h incubation, while the dimers decreased from 74.33 % (control) to 0 % at 10 h incubation. Moreover, the composition of the precipitate formed at different incubation time points was approximately 16.54 % of monomers, 21.03 % of dimers, and 62.43 % of trimers at 2 h incubation with PPO. The results from this study have provided in vitro evidence for a possible application of PPO in red wine aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constitutively activated oncogenic signaling via genetic mutations such as in the EGFR/PI3K/Akt and Ras/RAF/MEK pathways has been recognized as a major driver for tumorigenesis in most cancers. Recent insights into tumor metabolism have further revealed that oncogenic signaling pathways directly promote metabolic reprogramming to upregulate biosynthesis of lipids, carbohydrates, protein, DNA and RNA, leading to enhanced growth of human tumors. Therefore, targeting cell metabolism has become a novel direction for drug development in oncology. In malignant gliomas, metabolism pathways of glucose, glutamine and lipid are significantly reprogrammed. Moreover, molecular mechanisms causing these metabolic changes are just starting to be unraveled. In this review, we will summarize recent studies revealing critical gene alterations that lead to metabolic changes in malignant gliomas, and also discuss promising therapeutic strategies via targeting the key players in metabolic regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using one- and two-body density matrices, we calculate the spatial and momentum distributions, two-particle Hanbury-Brown-Twiss (HBT) correlation functions, and the chaotic parameter λ in HBT interferometry for the systems of boson gas within the harmonic oscillator potentials with anisotropic frequencies in transverse and longitudinal directions. The HBT chaotic parameter, which can be obtained by measuring the correlation functions at zero relative momentum of the particle pair, is related to the degree of Bose-Einstein condensation and thus the system environment. We investigate the effects of system temperature, particle number and the average momentum of the particle pair on the chaotic parameter. The value of λ decreases with the condensed fraction, f0. It is one for f0 = 0 and zero for f0 = 1. For a certain f0 between 0 and 1, we find that λ increases with the average momentum of the particle pair and decreases with the particle number of system. The results of λ are sensitive to the ratio, ν = ωz/ωρ, of the frequencies in longitudinal and transverse directions. They are smaller for larger ν when ωρ is fixed. In the heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) energy the large identical pion multiplicity may possibly lead to a considerable Bose-Einstein condensation. Its effect on the chaotic parameter in two-pion interferometry is worth considering in earnest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of the recombination model we determine the shower parton distri-butions (SPDs) with the fragmentation functions (FFs) for mesons and then predict the fragmentation functions for baryons. We get the fragmentation functions of gluon splitting into charmed hadrons. We show the relationship of fragmentation functions for mesons and baryons and find that they are not independent if the hadronization of the shower partons is taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, stathmin 1 has been proposed to function as an oncogene based on some relevant studies in multiple types of human cancers. However, the role of stathmin 1 in gastric cancer carcinogenesis has not been elucidated yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of stathmin 1 as well as its association with overall survival of gastric cancer patients. The expression of stathmin 1 was detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting in gastric cancer and adjacent nontumor tissues. In addition, stathmin 1 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in paraffin samples from 210 primary gastric cancer patients. The expression levels of stathmin 1 mRNA and protein in gastric cancer tissues were both significantly higher than those in adjacent nontumor tissues. In addition, the expression of stathmin 1 is correlated with Lauren's classification, depth of invasion, lymph node metastases, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (all P < 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that high stathmin 1 expression was associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients ( P = 0.040). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only lymph node metastasis and TNM stage were the independent prognostic indicators for gastric cancer. Stathmin 1 expression status is not an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer. Further subgroup analysis revealed that stathmin 1 expression was significantly correlated with prognosis in diffuse type gastric cancer. This research showed that the stathmin 1 overexpression might play an important role in the pathogenesis and subsequent progression of gastric cancer. Stathmin 1 could also be a potential therapeutic target in gastric cancer, especially for diffuse type gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore new noninvasive treatment options for depression, this study investigated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at the auricular concha region (ACR) of depression rat models. Depression in rats was induced by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) combined with isolation for 21 days. Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: normal, UCMS alone, UCMS with EA-ACR treatment, and UCMS with EA-ear-tip treatment. Rats under inhaled anesthesia were treated once daily for 14 days. The results showed that blood pressure and heart rate were significantly reduced in the EA-ACR group than in the UCMS alone group or the EA-ear-tip group. The open-field test scores significantly decreased in the UCMS alone and EA-ear-tip groups but not in the EA-ACR group. Both EA treatments downregulated levels of plasma Cortisol and ACTH in UCMS rats back to normal levels. The present study suggested that EA-ACR can elicit similar cardioinhibitory effects as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and EA-ACR significantly antagonized UCMS-induced depressive status in UCMS rats. The antidepressant effect of EA-ACR is possibly mediated via the normalization of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prokaryotic expression vectors pET32a (+)-hIL-2-Luffin P1 and pET32a(+)-Luffin P1 were constructed by gene engineering, followed by induced expression, purification and identification of hIL-2-Luffin P1 and Luffin P1. Hut-78 cells were treated with hIL-2-Luffin P1 and arotinoid ethylester at the different concentrations for the different time periods. The proliferation inhibition rate of Hut-78 cells was determined by MTT assay, and early apoptosis of Hut-78 cells was detected. The fusion protein hIL-2-Luffin P1 with high biological activity was obtained. Treatment of Hut-78 cells for 48 h with hIL-2-Luffin P1, and with hIL-2-Luffin P1 and arotinoid ethylester at different concentrations suggested that the cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis rates were time- and concentration-dependent. The recombinant immunotoxin hIL-2-Luffin P1 was successfully constructed, which provides an experimental basis for further study of the effect of this immunotoxin on cutaneous T cell lymphomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonlinear lateral-torsional coupled vibration model of a planetary gear system was established by taking transmission errors, time varying meshing stiffness and multiple gear backlashes into account. The bifurcation diagram of the system's motion state with rotational speed of sun gear was conducted through four steps. As a bifurcation parameter, the effect of rotational speed on the bifurcation properties of the system was assessed. The study results reveal that periodic motion is the main motion state of planetary gear train in low speed region when n<2 350 r/min, but chaos motion state is dominant in high speed region when n>2 350 r/min, The way of periodic motion to chaos is doubling bifurcation. There are two kinds of unstable modes and nine unstable regions in the speed region when 1 000 r/min n<3 000 r/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonlinear lateral-torsional coupled vibration model of a planetary gear system was established by taking transmission errors, time varying meshing stiffness and multiple gear backlashes into account. The bifurcation diagram of the system's motion state with rotational speed of sun gear was conducted through four steps. As a bifurcation parameter, the effect of rotational speed on the bifurcation properties of the system was assessed. The study results reveal that periodic motion is the main motion state of planetary gear train in low speed region when n<2 350 r/min, but chaos motion state is dominant in high speed region when n>2 350 r/min, The way of periodic motion to chaos is doubling bifurcation. There are two kinds of unstable modes and nine unstable regions in the speed region when 1 000 r/min n<3 000 r/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]