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Background: Given the rising prevalence of depression among older adults and the associated increase in caregiving responsibilities, understanding factors influencing caregiver burden is crucial. Previous research has not extensively explored the impact of caregivers' attributional styles, that is, how individuals interpret the causes of life events, on their care burden., Aim: This study examined the relationship between caregivers' attributional styles and their care burden for older patients with depression., Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled older adults aged ≥ 65 years diagnosed with depression and their caregivers. Depression was diagnosed according to the DSM-V criteria for Major Depressive Disorder or Persistent Depressive Disorder. Caregivers completed the Chinese Depression Caregiver Burden Scale (CDCBS) to assess care burden, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) to evaluate patient symptom severity, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for measuring caregivers' depression, and the Chinese Depression Patient Caregiver Attribution Style Scale (CDPCAS) to assess attributional styles. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to identify the factors independently associated with the caregiver's subjectively assessed care burden., Results: The sample included 146 caregivers of geriatric patients with depression. Most depression patients were women (74.7%) with a mean age of 74.3 years, whereas the mean age of caregivers was 57.7 years. Hierarchical regression analysis identified that caregivers' gender (β = - 0.14, p = .044), educational level (β = 0.19, p = .008), caregivers' own depression assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (β = 0.41, p < .001), and attributional styles, particularly manipulation (β = 0.29, p < .001) and illness/stress attributional style (β = 0.23, p = .002) as independent factors associated with care burden. Patient symptom severity assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale was not significantly correlated with care burden after controlling for attributional styles., Conclusions: Certain attributional styles, particularly the manipulation and illness/stress attributional styles, significantly increased self-reported care burden. These findings highlight the need for educational resources to change the attribution style, along with support systems and accessible mental health services for caregivers to potentially ease the care burden., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Exercise is an effective intervention for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the effects of exercise on objective sleep architecture in patients with OSA remain unknown. This meta-analysis aimed to collect data from randomized controlled trials of exercise interventions in patients with OSA, with a specific focus on objective sleep parameters derived from polysomnography., Methods: Randomized control trials that targeted patients with OSA aged >18 years, measured sleep using polysomnography after exercise programs, and reported the proportion of sleep stages were included for meta-analysis. Bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and funnel plots. The random effects model was applied., Results: Six studies with a total of 236 patients were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences in the total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, stage N1 sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep between the exercise and control groups. Participation in an exercise program lasting >12 weeks significantly decreased stage N2 and increased stage N3 sleep as observed in the subgroup analysis. Although this tendency did not reach statistical significance in the total-group analysis, it was significant after excluding the possible confounding effects of heart disease., Conclusions: The exercise program decreased N2 and increased N3 proportions over the TST among patients with OSA, which may correspond to subjective sleep quality. The beneficial effects were significant when the program lasted >12 weeks and after excluding the confounding effects of heart disease. Exercise program duration should be considered when providing clinical advice., Competing Interests: Declaration of interest statement JHC, JYC, and YCW declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Colletotrin A (1), a new 1,4-benzoxazine derivative, and eight known compounds, including two alkaloids ( 2-3 ), one acylamide ( 4 ), one benzaldehyde ( 5 ), and four sterols ( 6-9 ) were obtained from endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides B-142, which was isolated from Dracaena cochinchinensis . Among them, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline-4,8-diol ( 2 ) was reported for the first time as natural product. The structure of compound 1 was elucidated with help of spectroscopic data including IR, UV, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR (COSY, HSQC and HMBC). The antimicrobial activities were evaluated by disc diffusion method.

Al 6082 aluminum alloy has excellent corrosion resistance, strength, and formability. However, owing to the recrystallization effect of a hot working process, coarse grains form easily in this material, which reduces its strength and service life. The novel continuous casting direct rolling (CCDR) method can prevent the deterioration of this material. Thus, we used CCDR Al 6082 aluminum alloy as the research material in this study. By subjecting a CCDR Al 6082 aluminum alloy to heat treatment (T4 and T6) and cold rolling, the influence of recrystallization effect on its mechanical properties and on impact failure resistance were explored. The results demonstrated that the specimen subjected to T4 heat treatment had a higher elongation and that the specimen subjected to T6 heat treatment had a higher strength. After cold rolling, the hardness and strength of the specimens subjected to different heat treatments (coded T4R4 and T6R4) increased because of the work's hardening effect. Moreover, the elongations of both specimens decreased, but they were higher than the industrial standard (>10%). The strength of specimen T6R4 was higher (up to 400 MPa) than specimen T4R4. Moreover, relative to specimen T4R4, specimen T6R4 had greater tensile and Charpy impact failure toughness.

Backgroud: To investigate the effect of Luteinizing hormone (LH) level changes on the outcomes of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and embryo transfer (ET) in gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol., Methods: A total of 721 patients undergoing GnRH-ant protocol COH for the first IVF/ICSI cycles were retrospectively analyzed. COH process were divided into 2 stages, before (stage 1) and after (stage 2) the GnRH-ant initiation, and each with 5 groups basing on LH levels: LH decreased more than 50% (groups A1, A2), decreased 25-50% (groups B1, B2), change less than 25% (groups C1, C2), increased 25-50% (groups D1, D2), and increased more than 50% (groups E1, E2)., Results: There were no significant differences among groups of stage1 regarding COH and ET outcomes. For stage 2, the more obvious the decrease of LH level, the more the number of oocytes retrieved, mature oocytes, fertilized oocytes, embryos cleavaged and the numbers of embryo available (P < 0.05), but without significant differences regarding ET outcomes. We also found the freeze-all rate in Group A2 was higher (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: LH level changes before GnRH-ant addition were not related to COH and ET outcomes. LH level changes after the addition of GnRH-ant were related to the outcome of COH, and no significant differences were found relating to ET outcomes., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To analyze the prevalence, genotype distribution and hematological characteristics of α,β-thalassaemia carriers in Huizhou area of Guangdong Province., Methods: 10 809 carriers of simple β-thalassaemia and 1 757 carriers of α,β-thalassaemia were enrolled as our study cohort. The hematological parameters were detected by automated blood cell counters and automatic capillary electrophoresis. Suspension array technology, gap-polymerase chain reaction (gap-PCR) and PCR-reverse dot blot were used for the genotyping of thalassaemia carriers., Results: The prevalence of α,β-thalassaemia in Huizhou area of Guangdong Province was 1.99%. A total of 62 genotypes were detected, and the most prevalent genotype was -- SEA / αα , β CD41-42 / β N (19.29%), the next was -- SEA / αα , β IVS-II-654 / β N (16.73%). Significant differences in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were found between different genotype groups for simple β-thalassaemia and α,β-thalassaemia. Violin plots showed that carriers with co-inheritance of β-thalassaemia and mild α-thalassaemia expressed the lightest anemia, and carriers with co-inheritance of β-thalassaemia and hemoglobin H (Hb H) disease expressed the most severe anemia., Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of α,β-thalassaemia in Huizhou area of Guangdong Province. Because of the lack of specific hematological makers for diagnosis of α,β-thalassaemia, it is necessary to distinguish it from simple β-thalassaemia by genotyping of α- and β-thalassaemia in order to correctly guide genetic counseling and prenatal disgnosis.

Purpose: People's health-care-seeking behaviors considerably changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study evaluated the changes in self-harm- and violence-related urgent psychiatric consultation (UPC) in the emergency department (ED) during different stages of the pandemic and at different levels of hospitals., Patients and Methods: We recruited patients who received UPC during the baseline (2019), peak (2020), and slack (2021) periods of the same time window (calendar weeks 4-18) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic data such as age, sex, and referral type (by the police/emergency medical system) were also recorded., Results: We found female gender and younger age associated with higher risk of self-harm-related UPCs, whereas patients visiting regional hospitals, male patients, and patients referred by the policy/emergency medical system, had a higher risk of violence-related UPCs. After adjustment, the different pandemic stages were not significantly associated with self-harm- or violence-related UPCs., Conclusion: Patient's demographic data, but not the pandemic itself, may be responsible for the changes in self-harm- and violence-related UPCs during the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Yeh et al.)

Objective: Prevention, de-escalation, and management of violence in the acute psychiatric ward is essential. Few studies have focused on differences in the duration of high-violence risk between different profiles of high-violence risk. This study aimed to analyze the data of high-violence patients and duration of high-violence risk to provide a new perspective on violence prevention, de-escalation and management., Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study included 171 patients who were treated in the acute psychiatric ward of Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between January 2016 and June 2020, and who were assessed daily as having high violence risk. All patient data were collected from electronic hospital records (eg, age, gender, diagnosis, violence history, self-harm history, and admission condition (involuntary admission, discharged against medical advice). Between-group differences in disease severity, use of antipsychotics and benzodiazepine, and duration of high violence risk were analyzed using regression analysis., Results: Only patients' age was significantly associated with duration of high-violence risk (P = 0.028), making it predictive of longer duration of high-violence risk. In patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder, higher severity was significantly associated with longer duration of high-violence risk (P = 0.007, P = 0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: Only age is a predictor of longer duration of violence risk in psychiatric patients, although higher severity is associated with higher violence risk. Study results may help management and healthcare staff better understand how quickly or slowly violence risk will decrease and may improve efficient use of healthcare resources and individualized patient-centered care., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2023 Chang et al.)

We present a theoretical study of the orbital-resolved photoelectron momentum distributions (PMDs) of F - ions by a two-color counter-rotating circularly polarized field. We show that the PMDs of F - ions can be modulated from an isotropic symmetric distribution into a three-lobe one by adding a weak fundamental counter-rotating field to the intense second harmonic circularly polarized field, and this modulation strongly depends on the initial atomic orbital. The PMDs simulated by the strong-field approximation method show good agreement with those obtained by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Based on the strong-field approximation method, we find that the radial momentum shift of PMDs for different orbitals is the fingerprint of orbital-dependent initial momentum at the tunnel exit. More importantly, we demonstrate that the lobes in PMDs appear in sequential order, highlighting that the scheme can be viewed as controllable rotating temporal Young's two-slit interferometer.

Despite the fact that most hemoglobin (Hb) variants are clinically and hematologically silent, they can interact with thalassemias, which could sometimes give rise to complicated routine thalassemia diagnostics. Hb G-Siriraj [β7(A4)Glu→Lys; HBB : c.22G>A] alone is a benign condition, but its coinheritance with α-thalassemia (α-thal) may lead to misdiagnosis. We describe the case of a Chinese woman with an elevated Hb A 2 level who was assumed to carry heterozygous β-thalassemia (β-thal), but was later shown to be a double heterozygote for Hb G-Siriraj and Hb H disease. This study for the first time described hematological characteristics of a patient with a double heterozygosity for Hb G-Siriraj and Hb H disease. It is of great significance for technicians and clinicians to expand their knowledge as well as to help guide clinical diagnosis, population screening and genetic counseling.

Hedychin E ( 1 ), a novel labdane-type norditerpenoid, and hedychin F ( 2 ), a new labdane-type dinorditerpenoid, were isolated from the rhizomes of Hedychium forrestii . Their structures were determined through a combination of spectroscopic analysis and X-ray single-crystal diffractions. Hedychin E ( 1 ) is an unprecedented 6-norditerpenoid with a fused tetrahydrofuran-lactone motif, and a reasonable biosynthetic pathway for 1 was proposed. Compound 2 showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect against LPS-induced NO production in macrophage RAW264.7 cells with an IC 50 value of 21.0 μM.

Currently, it is still a huge challenge to prepare high performance eco-friendly poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with high thermal stability, good processability, excellent crystallization behavior, good transparency and highly-efficient fire safety. In this paper, a novel bio-based nucleation agent N-(furan-2-ylmethyl)-P,P-diphenylphosphinic amide (FPPA) was prepared and used for the fabrication of fire safety PLA/FPPA composites. The chemical structure of FPPA was measured by FTIR, NMR and MS. Further, the crystallization behavior, thermal stability, fire safety and mechanical properties of PLA/FPPA composites were performed by TGA, DSC, polarization microscope, LOI, UL94, cone calorimeter, DMA and, SEM, Raman, GC-MS, and TGA-FTIR. The results showed that the multifunctional FPPA not only had a high thermal stability and was a good nucleation agent for PLA. Moreover, only loading of 3 wt% FPPA increased the LOI of PLA from 19.0 to 33.8 % with UL-94 V-0 classification. Furthermore, the heat release rate and total heat release values of PLA/3%FPPA composite reduced by 6.3 % and 15.3 % in cone-calorimeter test. Such high fire safety was mainly attributed to specific fire safety radicals due to thermal degradation of FPPA to interrupt composites burning in gas phase. Besides, transparency and mechanical properties were almost not changed because of low loading of FPPA in PLA. This multifunctional bio-based fire-retardant for PLA with good comprehensive performance promises broad application in engineering electronics, automobiles, 3D printing and construction materials., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Two new cytochalasins, deacetyl-19 -epi- cytochalasin P1 ( 1 ), deacetyl-19,20-epoxycytochalasin D ( 2 ) were isolated from the endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. RJ-47, along with four known compounds deacetyl-5,6-dihydro-7-oxo-19,20-epoxycytochalasin C ( 3 ), 19,20-epoxycytochalasin Q ( 4 ), 19,20-epoxycytochalasin C ( 5 ) and deacetyl-19,20-epoxy cytochalasin C ( 6 ). Their structures were unambiguously elucidated on the basis of the comprehensive analysis of extensive spectroscopic data. The antimicrobial effects of these compounds were evaluated.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly affected emergency department (ED) visits and urgent psychiatric consultation (UPC) seeking behavior in EDs. Our study explored the changes in UPCs during and after the pandemic peak., Methods: This retrospective observational study evaluated UPCs in the ED of a referral medical center in Taiwan, where treated both physical and psychiatric complaints. We defined the COVID-19 pandemic peak period as calendar week 4-18, 2020. The corresponding baseline as calendar week 4-18, 2019, and the slack period as week 4-18, 2021. The total number of UPCs, patient demographic data such as sex and age of the patients seen, the referral system (whether police or emergency medical service [EMS] or other sources), and the chief complaint (self-harm or violence) were recorded., Results: Compared with the baseline period, a significant decline in UPCs was observed in the pandemic peak period, and a rebound was observed in the slack period, with the median [IQR] Q1, Q3 values of 22 [18, 26], 12 [10, 17]), and 16 [15, 23], respectively. We observed significantly few men (34.9% vs 45.2%) and less violence (10.2% vs 17.6%) in the peak period compared with in the baseline period, but no significant difference was found compared with the slack period. Throughout the pandemic, younger patients (41.8 ± 17.4 in 2019, 39.2 ± 18.5 [p = 0.121] in 2020, and 35.6 ± 17.2 [p < 0.001] in 2021), higher proportions of police/EMS referral (38.7% in 2019, 41.9% [p = 0.473] in 2020, and 51.9% [p = 0.001] in 2021) and self-harm-related complaints (57% in 2019, 62.4% [p = 0.233] in 2020, and 64.9% [p = 0.049] in 2021) was noted among UPC seekers during the pandemic. However, the proportion of violence-related UPCs (17.6% in 2019, 10.2% [p = 0.023] in 2020, and 12.3% [p = 0.072] in 2021) declined., Conclusions: This study found that UPCs changed throughout the pandemic. This result raises the concern that mental health needs are masked during the pandemic., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The present study aimed to explore the potential hub genes and pathways of ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and to investigate the possible associated mechanisms. Two microarray data sets (GSE5406 and GSE57338) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The limma package was used to analyse the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment, Disease Ontology (DO) and Gene Ontology (GO) annotation analyses were performed. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was set up using Cytoscape software. Significant modules and hub genes were identified by the Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) app. Then, further functional validation of hub genes in other microarrays and survival analysis were performed to judge the prognosis. A total of 1065 genes were matched, with an adjusted p < 0.05, and 17 were upregulated and 25 were downregulated with|log 2 (fold change)|≥1.2. After removing the lengthy entries, GO identified 12 items, and 8 pathways were enriched at adjusted p < 0.05 (false discovery rate, FDR set at <0.05). Three modules with a score >8 after MCODE analysis and MYH6 were ultimately identified. When validated in GSE23561, MYH6 expression was lower in patients with CAD than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). GSE60993 data suggested that MYH6 expression was also lower in AMI patients (p < 0.05). In the GSE59867 data set, MYH6 expression was lower in CAD patients than in AMI patients and lower in heart failure (HF) patients than in non-HF patients. However, there was no difference at different periods within half a year, and HF was increased when MYH6 expression was low (p < 0.05-0.01). We performed an integrated analysis and validation and found that MYH6 expression was closely related to ICM and HF. However, whether this marker can be used as a predictor in blood samples needs further experimental verification., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We theoretically investigate the atomic-orbital-resolved vortex-shaped photoelectron momentum distributions (PMDs) and ionization probabilities by solving the two-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation (2D-TDSE) of neon in a pair of delayed counter-rotating circularly polarized attosecond pulses. We found that the number of spiral arms in vortex patterns is twice the number of absorbed photons when the initial state is the ψ m=±1 state, which satisfy a change from c 2n+2 to c 2n (n is the number of absorbed photons) rotational symmetry of the vortices if the 2p state is replaced by 2p + or 2p - states. For two- and three-photon ionization, the magnetic quantum number dependence of ionization probabilities is quite weak. Interestingly, single-photon ionization is preferred when the electron and laser field corotate and ionization probabilities of 2p - is much larger than that of 2p + if the proper time delay and wavelength are used. The relative ratio of ionization probabilities between 2p - and 2p + is insensitive to laser peak intensity, which can be controlled by changing the wavelength, time delay, relative phase and amplitude ratio of two attosecond pulses.

The current research attempted to identify possible hub genes and pathways of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to detect the possible mechanisms. Array data from GSE90074 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Integrated weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to analyze the gene module and clinical characteristics. Gene Ontology annotation (GO), Disease Ontology (DO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed by clusterProfiler and the DOSE package in R. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established using Cytoscape software, and significant modules were analyzed using Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) to identify hub genes. Then, further functional validation of hub genes in other microarrays and population samples was performed, and survival analysis was performed to investigate the prognosis. A total of 660 genes were located in three modules and associated with CAD. GO functions identified 484 biological processes, 39 cellular components, and 22 molecular functions with an adjusted P < 0.05. In total, 38 pathways were enriched in KEGG pathway analysis, and 147 DO items were identified with an adjusted P < 0.05 (false discovery rate, FDR set at < 0.05). There was a total of four modules with a score > 10 after PPI network analysis using the MCODE app, and two hub genes ( TLR2 and CD14 ) were identified. Then, we validated the information from the GSE60993 dataset using the GSE59867 dataset and population samples, and we found that these two genes were associated with plaque vulnerability. These two genes varied at different time points after myocardial infarction, and both of them had the lowest prognosis of heart failure when they were expressed at low levels. We performed an integrated WGCNA and validated that TLR2 and CD14 were closely associated with the severity of coronary artery disease, plaque instability and the prognosis of heart failure after myocardial infarction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Qi, Chen, Tao, Zhu, Wang, Deng and Miao.)

Background: While observational studies show an association between serum lipid levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD), intervention studies that examine the preventive effects of serum lipid levels on the development of CKD are lacking., Methods: To estimate the role of serum lipid levels in the etiology of CKD, we conducted a two-sample mendelian randomization (MR) study on serum lipid levels. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which were significantly associated genome-wide with serum lipid levels from the GLGC and CKDGen consortium genome-wide association study (GWAS), including total cholesterol (TC, n = 187,365), triglyceride (TG, n = 177,861), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C, n = 187,167), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C, n = 173,082), apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1, n = 20,687), apolipoprotein B (ApoB, n = 20,690) and CKD (n = 117,165), were used as instrumental variables. None of the lipid-related SNPs was associated with CKD (all P > 0.05)., Results: MR analysis genetically predicted the causal effect between TC/HDL-C and CKD. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of TC within CKD was 0.756 (0.579 to 0.933) (P = 0.002), and HDL-C was 0.85 (0.687 to 1.012) (P = 0.049). No causal effects between TG, LDL-C- ApoA1, ApoB and CKD were observed. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that TC and HDL-C were significantly associated with CKD., Conclusions: The findings from this MR study indicate causal effects between TC, HDL-C and CKD. Decreased TC and elevated HDL-C may reduce the incidence of CKD but need to be further confirmed by using a genetic and environmental approach.

Background: Women are well known to be susceptible to developing affective disorders, yet little attention has been given to effects of ovariectomy-reduced hormones and links with depression. This population-based cross-sectional study aimed to investigate possible associations between ovariectomy-reduced hormones and depression symptom scores of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in ovariectomized women., Methods: Data of PHQ-9 scores, demographics and comorbidities of ovariectomized women were extracted from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2013-2016) and were analyzed retrospectively., Results: Among ovariectomized women in the NHANES database, serum estradiol levels were significantly positively associated with PHQ-9 scores (ß = 0.014, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.028, P = 0.040), whereas serum testosterone was negatively associated with PHQ-9 scores (ß = -0.033, 95% CI: - 0.048, - 0.018, P < 0.001) after adjusting for confounders. Further stratified analyses revealed that serum estradiol was positively associated with PHQ-9 only among women with history of estrogen use. Serum testosterone levels were negatively associated with PHQ-9 among women with or without prior estrogen use but this was only observed among women aged <  = 60 years (ß = - 0.057, - 0.076, - 0.038, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Serum estradiol and testosterone are associated with PHQ-9 scores indicative for depression in ovariectomized women. The associations are modified by age and history of estrogen use. Future prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings, carefully addressing possible confounding of age-related dementia.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of thymosin alpha-1 (Tα1) in anti-virus, immunological enhancement and anti-inflammation. However, it is controversial about the efficacy and safety of entecavir (ETV) plus Tα1 combination therapy versus ETV monotherapy in cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection., Methods: The systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ETV plus Tα1 combination therapy versus ETV monotherapy in HBV-related patients with cirrhosis. We performed a systematic literature search via PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Journals Database (VIP), and Chinese Biological Medicine database (CBM). Relative risk (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with a fixed- or random- effect model were calculated. Heterogeneity was assessed through a Cochrane Q-test and I 2 values., Results: Seven RCTs involving 1144 subjects were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with ETV monotherapy, ETV plus Tα1 combination therapy led to a higher complete response (RR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.07-1.30). In post treatment for 24 weeks, the HBV DNA undetectable rate and HBeAg loss rate were higher in ETV plus Tα1 group than in ETV alone group (RR = 1.91; 95% CI, 1.56-2.35; RR = 2.05; 95% CI, 1.62-2.60). However, after 48 and 52 weeks of treatment, there was no significant difference between the combination therapy and ETV monotherapy (RR = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.96-1.18; RR = 1.17; 95% CI, 0.89-1.55). At week 52 of treatment, the HBsAg loss rate of ETV plus Tα1 group was no significance with that of ETV alone group (RR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.15-7.26). In comparison with ETV alone, the some biochemical parameters and liver fibrosis were obviously improved by ETV plus Tα1, and there was significant heterogeneity. In addition, the number of adverse events was significantly reduced by ETV plus Tα1, compared to ETV alone (RR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24-0.95)., Conclusions: ETV plus Tα1 might lead to a higher clinical response and a lower comprehensive adverse reaction rate in HBV-related patients with cirrhosis, compared to ETV alone. However, the whole patients included in this meta-analysis were from Chinese mainland, so that more worldwide RCTs with a larger sample size are needed to verify the current findings.

The present study sought to identify potential hub genes and pathways of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We downloaded the dataset (GSE56045) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and analyzed weighted gene coexpression networks (WGCNA). Gene Ontology annotation, Disease Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using R software. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using Cytoscape, and the Molecular Complex Detection app was employed to identify significant modules and hub genes. The hub genes were then validated in other microarrays and patients by RT-PCR. Two modules were identified and associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and included 219 genes. After function and PPI analyses, 24 genes were identified to be potentially associated with CAD. Linear correlation was performed to calculate the relationship between the gene expression levels and coronary artery calcification score and found that CCR7 (R = -0.081, P = 0.0065), CD2 (R = -0.075, P = 0.0012), CXCR5 (R = -0.065, P = 0.029) and IL7R (R = -0.06, P = 0.043) should be validated in other dataset. By comparing the gene expression levels in different groups in GSE23561, GSE34822, GSE59867, GSE60993 and GSE129935, only two genes ( CCR7 and CXCR5 ) showed significance. The nomogram showed that CXCR5 showed the risk of ACS. Further analysis in chest patients found CXCR5 played a key role resulting in ACS. Our WGCNA analysis identified CXCR5 as a risk factor for ACS, and the potential pathogenesis may be associated with immune inflammation.

Background: Glomus tumors (GTs) are rare mesenchymal neoplastic lesions derived from cells of the glomus body. GTs rarely occurs in the visceral organs, where there may be few or no glomus bodies, and the majority of GTs are benign, rarely demonstrating aggressive or malignant behavior and histological features., Case Summary: We report a patient with malignant GTs of the intestinal ileum with multiorgan metastases who was admitted due to moderate anemia. Capsule endoscopy revealed a bleeding mass in the intestinal ileum, and the patient underwent segmental ileal resection through laparoscopic surgery. The histopathological and immunohistochemical diagnoses were consistent with malignant GT. Long-term follow-up showed that the GT had metastasized to multiple organs such as the colon, brain, and possibly the lung., Conclusion: This case was characterized by the highest degree of malignancy and by multiorgan metastases, and it was the first case of intestinal GT uncovered by capsule endoscopy., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the predictive value of the 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system for cervical cancer patients with surgical risk factors. Methods: Data of 662 cervical cancer patients (stages IB and IIA) with surgical risk factors treated at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between 2008 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate log-rank test and multivariate Cox regression models were adopted to evaluate the relationship between 2018 FIGO stage and survival. Results: On re-staging of patients, 17.3%, 44.5%, 25.4%, and 37.1% of the patients with FIGO 2009 stage IB1, IB2, IIA1, and IIA2, respectively, were upgraded to FIGO 2018 IIIC1P stage, and 2.1%, 3.0%, 3.1%, and 2.1% patients, respectively, were upgraded to IIIC2P stage. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of patients with FIGO 2018 stage IB1, IB2, IB3, IIA1, IIA2, IIIC1P, and IIIC2P were 95.3%, 95.1%, 90.4%, 92.4%, 86.4%, 81.9%, and 56.3%, respectively. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 94.0%, 91.0%, 88.5%, 91.4%, 86.4%, 79.5%, and 43.8%, respectively. The 5-year OS rates of patients with 1-2 positive pelvic lymph nodes (PLNs) and those with >2 positive PLNs were 86.0% and 73.7%, respectively, and the 5-year PFS rates were 84.2% and 70.2%, respectively. OS and PFS of patients with 1-2 positive PLNs in stage IIIC1P were similar to those of patients in stage IIA2 without lymph node metastasis, but significantly better than those of patients with >2 positive PLNs. Multivariate analysis showed FIGO 2018 stage to be an independent prognostic factor for OS and PFS. Conclusion: The 2018 FIGO staging system for cervical cancer appears to be useful for predicting prognosis of patients with risk factors after radical surgery. Survival of stage IIA1 patients is better than that of stage IB3 patients. Stage IIIC1 is not homogenous; survival in stage IIIC1P depends on the number of positive PLNs., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with positive pelvic lymph nodes (LNs) on the survival of patients with 2018 FIGO stage IIIC1p cervical cancer. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 155 patients with pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM) confirmed by pathology after radical resection of cervical cancer treated at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, China, between March 2008 and October 2011. We analyzed the influence of the factors associated with positive pelvic LNs on the survival of patients. Results: The 5-year progress-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients were 78.1% and 81.9%, respectively. The 5-year PFS and OS of patients with more than 2 LNM were worse compared with patients with 1 or 2 LNM (68.4% vs 83.7%, p =0.013; 72.4% vs 87.6%, p =0.017, respectively). The 5-year PFS and OS of patients with more than 2 LNM sites were worse than that of patients with 1 or 2 LNM sites (60.0% vs 82.4%, p =0.008; 70.0% vs 84.8%, p =0.045, respectively). The 5-year PFS and OS of patients with common iliac LNM was poorer than that of patients without common iliac LNM (60.7% vs 81.9%, p =0.008; 67.9% vs 85.0%, p =0.020, respectively). Compared with other patients, the survival of patients with these three factors (more than 2 LNM, more than 2 LNM sites, and common iliac LNM) was the worst ( p <0.05). Conclusion: More than 2 LNM, more than 2 LNM sites, and common iliac LNM were predictive factors of poor survival in stage IIIC1p cervical cancer patients. Survival of patients with stage IIIC1p cervical cancer declined with increasing presence of such factors. The combined evaluation of the factors associated with positive pelvic LNs is a more comprehensive and pragmatic approach in evaluating the prognosis of cervical cancer., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objective: To examine the effect of mindfulness-based training on performance and mental health among a group of elite athletes., Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE) on mental health, flow state, and competitive state anxiety using a 4-week workshop. We recruited an amateur baseball team (N=21) in Taiwan, and collected information by self-reported questionnaires administered before, immediately after, and at a 4-week follow-up. The primary outcome was to evaluate sports performance by flow state and competitive state anxiety, which included self-confidence, somatic anxiety, and cognitive anxiety. The secondary outcome was to explore whether MSPE intervention can improve anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and eating disorders., Result: After the workshop and follow-up 1 month later, we found improvements in flow state ( P =0.001; P =0.045), cognitive anxiety in competitive anxiety ( P =0.056; P =0.008), global eating disorder ( P =0.009; P <0.001), marked shape concern ( P =0.005; P <0.001), and weight concern ( P =0.007; P <0.001). Scores of sleep disturbance ( P =0.047) showed significant improvement at follow-up. We also found significant association between flow state and mindfulness ability ( P <0.001)., Conclusion: This is the first mindfulness intervention to enhance athletes' performance in Taiwan, and also the first application of MSPE for team sports. Our study results suggested that mindfulness ability is associated with flow state, and that MSPE is a promising training program for strengthening flow state and mental health., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

In this study, the adsorption behavior of different metal centers in analogous M-1,4-NDC frameworks (1,4-NDC=1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylate) towards guest molecules through simulation studies and experimental studies is reported. Simulation studies showed that the adsorption behavior of analogous M-1,4-NDC is affected by the atomic radius of the metal center, which was found to be in agreement with the experimental studies., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The two-dimensional photoelectron momentum distributions (PMD) of F - ions induced by a linearly polarized few-cycle laser pulse are analyzed with the saddle-point (SP) method. The validity of the SP method is confirmed by comparing the PMD with those obtained from direct numerical integration of the transition probability amplitude in the context of strong-field approximation (SFA). We analyze the intra- and inter-cycle interference patterns in the two-dimensional PMD and show that the two-dimensional PMD can be effectively monitored by changing the carrier-envelope phase of few-cycle laser pulse. In addition, by separately calculating the two-dimensional PMD formed in the different detachment steps, we find that the rich oscillatory patterns in the two-dimensional PMD can be mainly attributed to the interference effects of electronic wave packets in the classical propagation step after the ionization, and part of intra-cycle interference fringes' shape is affected by the sub-barrier phase.

Purpose: To determine if postoperative cisplatin concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) improves the outcome in stage IA/IIB cervical cancer patients with intermediate risk factors, when compared with radiation therapy (RT) alone, and identify the potential eligible populations for this treatment., Patients and Methods: We reviewed medical records of 1,240 patients with stage IA/IIB cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy in our hospital between January 2008 and December 2011. Of the 1,240 patients, 436 displayed 1 or more intermediate risk factors. Of these, we screened 306 patients who underwent RT only or CCRT. We analyzed the effects of CCRT on survival and prognosis., Results: The 5-year progress-free survival (PFS) in the CCRT group was superior to that in the RT-only group (96.0% vs 89.0%, respectively; P =0.031). The 5-year overall survivals (OSs) were not different between the 2 groups ( P =0.141). Compared with RT-only group, CCRT did not improve PFS or OS in patients with 1 risk factor, large tumor size, or deep stromal invasion ( P >0.05). Compared with RT-only group, CCRT improved PFS (97.9% vs 82.8%; P =0.017) but did not increase OS (97.9% vs 89.7%; P =0.109) in patients with lymphovascular space invasion plus deep stromal invasion/large tumor size. OS (92.3% vs 70.6%; P =0.048) and PFS (92.3% vs 64.7%; P =0.020) in the CCRT group were superior to those in the RT-only group with 3 risk factors. Compared with RT-only group, CCRT was an independent prognostic factor for favorable PFS (hazard ratio [HR] =0.238; 95% CI =0.0827-0.697, P =0.009) and OS (HR =0.192; 95% CI =0.069-0.533, P =0.002)., Conclusion: Postoperative CCRT improved survival in stage IA/IIB cervical cancer patients with intermediate risk factors. Patients with 2 or more intermediate risk factors, including lymphovascular space invasion, may benefit from CCRT., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Senile plaques consisting of Amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, in particular Aβ1-42, are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and have been the primary therapeutic targets. Passive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has shown initial success in mouse models of AD. However, the existing Aβ-directed mAbs mostly were tested on animal models or patients with advanced disease. The effects and mechanisms of mAbs on animals or human trial participants in the prodromal phase of AD are not fully clarified. In the current study, a novel mAb (3F5) directed against the 1-11 amino acids of Aβ1-42 was generated by immunizing mice with an emulsion of full length human Aβ1-42. The mAb (3F5) showed the ability to disrupt Aβ1-42 aggregation and prevent Aβ-mediated neurotoxicity in vitro. In a mouse model of AD, administration with 3F5 for 3 months in 6 months-old mice demonstrated that the mAb specifically bound with Aβ1-42 to promote the depolymerization of Aβ fibrils, facilitated endocytosis of Aβ1-42 by microglia, and attenuated the death and apoptosis of neuronal cells, accompanied by neurite outgrowth. APP/PS1 double-transgenic mice treated with 3F5 mAb showed reduced memory loss, cognitive decline, and decreased levels of amyloid deposits in the brain. Aβ1-42 levels in cerebral tissues were also significantly reduced, whereas serum Aβ1-42 was markedly increased. Interestingly, the concentration of 3F5 in peripheral circulation is much higher than that in the brain. These results indicate that 3F5 is able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to bind Aβ and initiates the phagocytosis of antibody/Aβ complexes by microglia in the amyloid depositing mice. 3F5 also promotes Aβ efflux from the brain. As a consequence, the antibody reduces plaques in the AD mouse brain, in association with reduction in the pathology of AD.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of combined directly acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of Chinese chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in a real-world setting., Methods: Hospitalized CHC patients who were treated with DAAs at Peking University First Hospital between January 2015 and December 2016 were enrolled. Samples and clinical data were collected at 0 wk, 2 wk, 4 wk, 8 wk, 12 wk, or 24 wk during DAAs treatment and at 4 wk, 12 wk, and 24 wk after the end of treatment., Results: Fifty-four patients who underwent DAAs treatment were included in our study, of whom 83.3% (45/54) achieved rapid virological response at 2 wk after treatment initiation (RVR 2) and 94.4% (51/54) achieved sustained virological response at 24 wk after the end of treatment (SVR 24). Serum creatinine and uric acid levels at the end of treatment were significantly increased compared with baseline levels (83.6 ± 17.9 vs 88.8 ± 19.4, P 01 < 0.001; 320.8 ± 76.3 vs 354.5 ± 87.6, P 01 < 0.001), and no significant improvements were observed at 24w after the end of treatment (83.6 ± 17.9 vs 86.8 ± 19.1, P 02 = 0.039; 320.8 ± 76.3 vs 345.9 ± 89.4, P 02 = 0.001). The total frequency of adverse events (AEs) during treatment was 33.3% (18/54), with major AEs being fatigue (16.7%), headache (7.4%), anorexia (7.4%), and insomnia (5.6%)., Conclusion: Though based in a small cohort of patients, the abnormal changes in renal function indices and relative high frequency of AEs during combined DAAs treatment should be taken as a note of caution., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that no conflict of interest exists.

A simple preparation method of N-doped PCM via direct carbonization of nitrogen containing metal-organic gel was demonstrated. The resultant N-PCM, with high surface area, mesoporosity, and high UV absorption ability, was used as a matrix to assist small-biomolecule sensing in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

Optogenetics has emerged as a revolutionary technology especially for neuroscience and has advanced continuously over the past decade. Conventional approaches for patterned in vivo optical illumination have a limitation on the implanted device size and achievable spatio-temporal resolution. In this work, we developed a fabrication process for a microfiber array platform. Arrayed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfibers were drawn from a polymer solution and packaged with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The exposed end face of a packaged microfiber was tuned to have a size corresponding to a single cell. To demonstrate its capability for single cell optogenetics, HEK293T cells expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) were cultured on the platform and excited with UV laser. We could then observe an elevation in the intracellular Ca 2+ concentrations due to the influx of Ca 2+ through the activated ChR2 into the cytosol. The statistical and simulation results indicate that the proposed microfiber array platform can be used for single cell optogenetic applications.

Background/aims: Preeclampsia is a complex multi-system obstetric syndrome and remains one of the leading causes contributing to maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Previous epidemiological studies regarding the association between chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection and the risk of preeclampsia have reported inconsistent results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between CHB infection and preeclampsia., Methods: The electronic database was searched until January 1st, 2016. Relevant studies reporting the association between CHB infection and the risk of preeclampsia were included and for further evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 10.0 (Stata Corp)., Results: Three observational cohort studies and eight case-control studies, including 11566 preeclampsia patients, were identified. A significant negative association between CHB infection and preeclampsia was observed (odds ratio = 0.77, 95% confidence interval, 0.65- 0.90, P=0.002, fixed-effect model)., Conclusions: Findings from our meta-analysis indicate that CHB infection may decrease the risk of preeclampsia in Asian population. Future prospective cohorts in different countries with larger sample sizes are warranted to ascertain the causality and pathophysiological studies are required to explore the possible biological mechanisms involved., (© 2016 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) acts as a negative regulator of NF-E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) by inducing Nrf2 degradation and nuclear export. Our previous study demonstrated that the flavonoid hyperoside elicits cytoprotection against oxidative stress by activating the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, thus increasing the expression of antioxidant enzymes, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. However, the role of GSK-3β in hyperoside-mediated Nrf2 activation is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that in a normal human hepatocyte cell line, (L02), hyperoside is capable of inducing the phosphorylation of GSK-3β at Ser9 without affecting the protein levels of GSK-3β and its phosphorylation at Thr390. Lithium chloride (LiCl) and short interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated inhibition of GSK-3β significantly enhanced the ability of hyperoside to protect L02 liver cells from H2O2-induced oxidative damage, leading to increased cell survival shown by the maintenance of cell membrane integrity and elevated levels of glutathione (GSH), one of the endogenous antioxidant biomarkers. Further study showed that LiCl and siRNA-mediated inhibition of GSK-3β increased hyperoside-induced HO-1 expression, and the effect was dependent upon enhanced Nrf2 nuclear translocation and gene expression. These activities were followed by ARE-mediated transcriptional activation in the presence of hyperoside, which was abolished by the transfection of the cells with Nrf2 siRNA. Furthermore, the siRNA-mediated inhibition of Keap1 also enhanced hyperoside-induced Nrf2 nuclear accumulation and HO-1 expression, which was relatively smaller than the effects obtained from GSK-3β siRNA administration. Moreover, Keap1 siRNA administration alone had no significant effect on the phosphorylation and protein expression of GSK-3β. Collectively, our data provide evidence that hyperoside attenuates H2O2 -induced L02 cell damage by activating the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway through both an increase in GSK-3β inhibitory phosphorylation at Ser9 and an inhibition of Keap1 and that hyperoside-mediated GSK-3β inhibition exhibits more significant effects.

Determination of chloride salt solution by near infrared spectrum plays a very important role in Biomedicine. The near infrared spectrum analysis of Sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride aqueous solution shows that the concentration change of chloride salt can affect hydrogen bond, resulting in the variation of near infrared spectrum of water. The temperature influence on NIR spectrum has been decreased by choosing reasonable wavelength range and the wavelength where the temperature effects are zero (isosbestic point). Chlorine salt prediction model was established based on partial least squares method and used for predicting the concentration of the chlorine ion. The impact on near infrared spectrum of the cation ionic radius, the number of ionic charge, the complex effect of ionic in water has also discussed in this article and the reason of every factor are analysed. Experimental results show that the temperature and concentration will affect the near-infrared spectrum of the solution, It is found that the effect of temperature plays the dominant role at low concentrations of chlorine salt; rather, the ionic dominates at high concentration. Chloride complexes are formed in aqueous solution, It has an effect on hydrogen bond of water combining with the cations in chlorine salt solution, Comparing different chloride solutions at the same concentration, the destruction effects of chloride complexes and catnions on the hydrogen bond of water increases in the sequences: CaCl2 >NaCl>KC. The modeling result shows that the determination coefficients (R2) = 99.97%, the root mean square error of cross validation (RM- SECV) = 4.51, and the residual prediction deviation (RPD) = 62.7, it meets the daily requirements of biochemical detection accuracy.

Gardeniae Fructus contains volatile ingredients, however, the species and proportions in different processed products of Gardeniae Fructus are different. In this experiment, volatile ingredients were separated by steam distillation with content of 1.2, 1.0, 0.9, 0.7 µL · g(-1) in Gardeniae Fructus, fried Gardeniae Fructus, stir-baked Gardeniae Fructus, Gardeniae Fructus fried into carbon respectively. One hundred and twenty-four kinds of volatile components were identified by GC-MS. Fifty-three kinds of volatile ingredients consisted in Gardeniae Fructus accounting for 93.85%, 54 kinds in fried Cardeniae Fructus accounting for 92.01%, 32 kinds in stir-baked Cardeniae Fructus accounting for 91.59% and 43 kinds in Gardeniae Fructus fried into carbon accounting for 90.81%. In this paper, analysis of Gardeniae Fructus by GC-MS provides a scientific basis for elucidating the mechanism of different processed products.

Backgrounds/aims: Preeclampsia was characterized by excessive thrombin generation in placentas and previous researches showed that thrombin could enhance soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) expression in first trimester trophoblasts. However, the detailed mechanism for the sFlt-1 over-production induced by thrombin was largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the possible signaling pathway of thrombin-induced sFlt-1 production in extravillous trophoblasts (EVT)., Methods: An EVT cell line (HRT-8/SVneo) was treated with various concentrations of thrombin. The mRNA expression and protein secretion of sFlt-1 in EVT were detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction and ELISA, respectively. The levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were determined by DCFH-DA., Results: Exposure of EVT to thrombin induced increased intracellular ROS generation and overexpression of sFlt-1 at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose dependent manner. Short interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against PAR-1 or apocynin (an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase) could decrease the intracellular ROS generation and subsequently suppressed the production of sFlt-1 at mRNA and protein levels., Conclusions: Our results suggested that thrombin increased sFlt-1 production in EVT via the PAR-1 /NADPH oxidase /ROS signaling pathway. This also highlights the PAR-1 / NADPH oxidase / ROS pathway might be a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of preeclampsia in the future., (© 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

To investigate the effects of subminimum inhibitory concentrations of cephalosporins on bacterial biofilm formation, the biofilm production of 52 Escherichia (E.) coli strains was examined following treatment with cephalosporin compounds at 1/4 minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Ceftazidime (CAZ) inhibited biofilm formation in seven isolates, while cefoperazone (CFP) enhanced biofilm formation in 18 isolates. Biofilm formation of E. coli E42 was inhibited by CAZ and induced by CFP. Therefore, using reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction, the expression of the biofilm‑modulating genes of this isolate was investigated. To monitor the production of the autoinducer of quorum sensing in E. coli, autoinducer‑2 (AI‑2) production was detected by measuring the bioluminescence response of Vibrio harveyi BB170. Antisense oligonucleotides (AS‑ODNs) targeting S‑ribosylhomocysteine lyase (luxS) inhibited the expression of the luxS gene in E. coli. CAZ at 1/4 MIC reduced luxS mRNA levels and the production of AI‑2, whereas CFP at 1/4 MIC had the opposite effect. AS‑ODNs targeting luxS significantly decreased the aforementioned inhibitory effects of CAZ and the induction effects of CFP on E. coli biofilm formation. Therefore, biofilm formation by the E. coli clinical isolate E42 was evoked by CFP but attenuated by CAZ at sub‑MICs, via a luxS/AI‑2‑based quorum sensing system.

Processed Chinese medicine is the core of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) industry chain,which directly affects the clinical efficacy and. safety of Chinese patent medicine and clinical formula Decoction pieces. Studied the variation of effective substance in vivo Chinese medicine processing before and after processed, clarifying the effective substance and processing principle is a top priority of the development of Chinese medicine processing. The traditional research method chiefly focus on the variation about chemicals in vitro of processed Chinese medicine, it cannot reveal that the integrity and complexity of processed Chinese medicine efficacy changes, so the change process is the focus of future research in vivo on the base of effective substance of TCM This paper described the research on the base of effective substance of TCM and Processed Chinese medicine research status in vitro, discussed the analytical methods (plasma chemistry, pharmacokinetics, metabonomics) of the dynamic process in vivo about processed Chinese medicine, and pointed out development and related problems in process in vivo on the base of effective substance of TCM, which could provided research ideas and methods for in-depth interpretation of Chinese medicine processing mechanism.

Adsorption tests of elemental mercury were carried out by using KI modified clay (bentonite) in simulated flue gas under different conditions. Brunauer-Emett-Teller measurement (BET), Fourier Transform Infraredspectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to analyze the physical and chemical properties of the materials. Compared with the original bentonite, Hg(0) removal efficiency and Hg(0) adsorption capacity were drastically improved by the KI treatment. The experiment results also indicated that temperature could enhance the property of Hg(0) adsorption. Chemical adsorption was the dominant part in the process of Hg(0) adsorption. O2 was a beneficial factor for Hg(0) adsorption. SO2 was found to have a slight promotional effect on Hg(0) adsorption. The existence of H2O exhibited a dramatic inhibitory effect on Hg(0) adsorption.

The carbapenemases have recently emerged as molecules implicated in one of the most feared bacterial resistance mechanisms because of their ability to hydrolyze virtually all lactamase agents and their highly mobile genes. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of carbapenemase and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn patients in Chongqing, China. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 111 isolates was determined by the disc agar diffusion test and the agar dilution method. Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed 111 P. aeruginosa 42 genotypes. Carbapenemase genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and the sequence verified by blast. Ninety-three of 111 (83.8%) isolates were resistant to imipenem; all of them had developed multidrug resistance and exhibited higher resistant rates compared with the imipenem-susceptible Pseudomonas. Ciprofloxacin was the most effective antipseudomonal agent. Thirty-three of the isolates were identified to contain the metallo-β-lactamase blaIMP-4 gene and belong to different Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reactiongenotypes. In conclusion, the high prevalence of multidrug resistance (94.6%) and the production of blaIMP-4 genes in P. aeruginosa isolates in burn patients highlight the necessity of considering these issues in burn hospitals.

The looped host defense peptide CLP-19 is derived from a highly functional core region of the Limulus anti-LPS factor and exerts robust anti-LPS activity by directly interacting with LPS in the extracellular space. We previously showed that prophylactic administration of CLP-19 even 20 h prior to LPS challenge might significantly increase the survival rate in a lethal endotoxin shock mouse model. Such an effect may be associated with immune regulation of CLP-19. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, peptide affinity chromatography, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting procedures were used to identify α- and β-tubulin as direct and specific binding partners of CLP-19 in the mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Bioinformatic analysis using the AutoDock Vina molecular docking and PyMOL molecular graphics system predicted that CLP-19 would bind to the functional residues of both α- and β-tubulin and would be located within the groove of microtubules. Tubulin polymerization assay revealed that CLP-19 might induce polymerization of microtubules and prevent depolymerization. The immunoregulatory effect of CLP-19 involving microtubules was investigated by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting, which showed that CLP-19 prophylactic treatment of RAW 264.7 cells significantly inhibited LPS-induced surface expression of TLR4. Taken together, these results suggest that CLP-19 binding to microtubules disrupts the dynamic equilibrium of microtubules, reducing the efficacy of microtubule-dependent vesicular transport that would otherwise translocate TLR4 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface.

Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is a chromosomal-instability syndrome. The NBS gene product, NBS1 (p95 or nibrin), is a part of the Mre11-Rad50-NBS1 complex. SIN1 is a component of the mTOR/Rictor/SIN1 complex mediating the activation of Akt. Here we show that NBS1 interacted with mTOR, Rictor, and SIN1. The specific domains of mTOR, Rictor, or SIN1 interacted with the internal domain (a.a. 221-402) of NBS1. Sucrose density gradient showed that NBS1 was located in the same fractions as the mTOR/Rictor/SIN1 complex. Knockdown of NBS1 decreased the levels of phosphorylated Akt and its downstream targets. Ionizing radiation (IR) increased the NBS1 levels and activated Akt activity. These results demonstrate that NBS1 interacts with the mTOR/Rictor/SIN1 complex through the a.a. 221-402 domain and contributes to the activation of Akt activity.

Objective: To explore relationship between volume of bone cement injection and concurrent of fracture after thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral fracture treated by percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP)., Methods: From January 2006 to December 2008,68 patients with thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral fracture treated by PKP were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 30 patients with less than 3 ml bone cement injection (mean 2.5 ml, low group), including 11 males and 19 females, with an average age of (85.0 +/- 8.5) years (ranging for 60 to 91); 38 cases with over 4 ml bone cement injection (mean 4.5 ml, large group), including 15 males and 23 females,with an average age of (86.0 +/- 9.2) years (ranging for 60 to 93). Factors of concurrent vertebral fractures were observed during follow-up., Results: All patients were followed up from 3.4 to 5.1 years with an average of 3.8 years. Thirteen patients (43.3%) co-occurred fracture in low group,among which strengthened concurrent vertebral fracture occurred in 1 case,upper and lower section adjacent vertebral fracture in 8 cases,distal segment of vertebral fracture in 4 cases; while 18 patients (47.3%) co-occurred fracture in large group,among which strengthened concurrent vertebral fracture occurred in 2 cases, upper and lower section adjacent vertebral fracture in 10 cases,distal segment of vertebral fracture in 6 cases. No significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Bone cement injection is not main influence factors for treating concurrent of fracture after thoracolumbar osteoporotic vertebral fracture by PKP. Concurrent fracture mainly relates with progress of osteoporosis, the volume of injection volume may appropriately over the volume of balloon.

The research on near infrared spectroscopy of sodium in biological and medicine is significant. Sodion is the main component of electrolytes in human blood and electrolytes help maintain the body's acid-base balance. In the present paper the concentration of sodium was determined with the use of NIR spectra. On the basis of NIR spectroscopic measurement mechanism of sodion, prediction models of the concentration of sodium were developed with linear regression using the absorbance at selected wavelengths. In order to reduce temperature perturbations to water bands with the measurement of sodium, Partial least squares regression (PLS) was adopted using select spectra area. The result shows that the determination coefficients (R2) = 99.82%, the root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) = 14.5, and the residual prediction deviation (RPD) = 23.7, for the calibration model. It meets the daily requirements of biochemical detection accuracy. This technique can be applied to quantitative analysis of sodion in the hospital laboratory.

Malfunctioned gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been thought associated with malignant transformation of normal cells. However, the role of GJIC-related proteins such as connexins in sustaining the malignant behavior of cancer stem cells remains unclear. In this study, we obtained tumorspheres formed by glioma stem cells (GSCs) and adherent GSCs and then examined their GJIC. All GSCs showed reduced GJIC, and differentiated glioma cells had more gap junction-like structures than GSCs. GSCs expressed very low level of connexins, Cx43 in particular, which are key components of gap junction. We observed hypermethylation in the promoter of gap junction protein α1, which encodes Cx43 in GSCs. Reconstitution of Cx43 in GSCs inhibited their capacity of self-renewal, invasiveness, and tumorigenicity via influencing E-cadherin and its coding protein, which leads to changes in the expression of Wnt/β-catenin targeting genes. Our results suggest that GSCs require the low expression of Cx43 for maintaining their malignant phenotype, and upregulation of Cx43 might be a potential strategy for treatment of malignant glioma., (Copyright © 2011 AlphaMed Press.)

The flavonoid hyperoside has been reported to elicit cytoprotection against oxidative stress partly by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Here, hepatic L02 cells exposed to H(2)O(2) (100 μM) were used to demonstrate that hyperoside protected cells by significantly inhibiting overproduction of intracellular ROS, depletion of the mitochondrial membrane potential and leakage of lactate dehydrogenase. Hyperoside further enhanced the cellular antioxidant defense system through increasing the activity of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and by up-regulating HO-1 expression. Meanwhile, real time PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence studies revealed that hyperoside stimulated nuclear translocation of the Nrf(2) transcription factor in a dose-dependent manner, and this effect was significantly suppressed by pharmacological inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) p38 and ERK. Collectively, our data provide the first description of the mechanism underlying hyperoside's ability to attenuate H(2)O(2)-induced cell damage, namely this compound interacts with the MAPK-dependent Keap(1)-Nrf(2)-ARE signaling pathway to up-regulate HO-1 expression and enhance intracellular antioxidant activity., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chemokines and their receptors are actively involved in inflammation, immune responses, and cancer development. Here we report the detection of CD133(+) glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) co-expressing a chemokine receptor CXCR4 in human primary glioma tissues. These GSCs were located in areas adjacent to tumour vascular capillaries, suggesting an association between GSCs and tumour angiogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we isolated CD133(+) GSCs from surgical specimens of human primary gliomas and glioma cell lines. As compared to CD133(-) cells, CD133(+) GSCs expressed significantly higher levels of CXCR4 mRNA and protein, and migrated more efficiently in response to the CXCR4 ligand CXCL12. In addition, CXCL12 induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production by CD133(+) GSCs via activation of the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. Furthermore, knocking down of CXCR4 using RNA interference or inhibition of CXCR4 function by an antagonist AMD3100 not only reduced VEGF production by CD133(+) GSCs in vitro, but also attenuated the growth and angiogenesis of tumour xenografts in vivo formed by CD133(+) GSCs in SCID mice. These results indicate that CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 promote GSC-initiated glioma growth and angiogenesis by stimulating VEGF production., (Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)