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In this letter, a low-profile tri-band filtering antenna based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technique is proposed. The proposed closed-loop stacking topology of the SIW cavities creates multiple paths for coupling among them to effectively excite high-order modes and achieve tri-band filtering response. The TE201, TE301, and TE401 modes are excited to produce three passbands. The three passbands can be flexibly controlled by manipulating the aspect ratios of the cavities and a pair of perturbation vias introduced in the SIW cavity. Moreover, a radiation slot etched at the bottom of the whole SIW cavity achieves stable tri-band radiation by cutting the currents of the passband modes. For demonstration, a prototype has been fabricated and measured. Experimental results show that the antenna has three working passbands centered at 24.1 GHz, 29.9 GHz, and 36.2 GHz, with a peak gain of 5.5 dBi, 5.8 dBi, and 9.7 dBi, respectively.

This letter proposes a compact and wideband self-oscillating active integrated antenna (AIA) with power enhancement. It consists of a dc-charged wideband antenna with large equivalent capacitance and a pulse-triggered network controlling its working states. In the design, a capacitively coupled region is created in the antenna, which not only improves the frequency bandwidth but also enhances the energy storage capacity. Consequently, the proposed design enables greater energy storage within the antenna in the charging state, thereby significantly increasing the radiated power in the radiation state. Measured results show that the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the proposed AIA is approximately 8 dB greater than the EIRP of the self-oscillating AIA employing a conventional dipole antenna, while the system size is only 0.1λ$ \,\times\, $ 0.1λ at the frequency that corresponds to the maximum output power.

A practical technique for creating dual-band dual-sense circular polarization is presented in this letter. On the ground plane, two identical slot radiators are etched out orthogonally and cascaded with a nonradiative resonator. Three coupled resonators produce three linearly polarized modes, resulting in dual-band dual-sense circularly polarized radiation. The operating mechanism is preliminarily investigated using the characteristic mode analysis. Furthermore, a quantitative design method based on an equivalent circuit model is proposed, which can predict the theoretical axial ratio (AR) response. To validate the proposed design method, an antenna prototype is fabricated and measured. Left-handed circular polarization and right-handed circular polarization are obtained in the low band and the high band, respectively. The measured impedance bandwidths in two operating bands are 35.48% and 25%, respectively, corresponding to 3 dB AR bandwidths of 7.1% [(2.31 to 2.48) GHz] and 5.06% [(3.08 to 3.24) GHz].

In this brief, a rectifier with wide input power dynamic range (WIPDR) is proposed for radio frequency energy harvesting (RFEH). It is composed of a quadrature coupler (QC) and two different sub-rectifiers ( ${R}$ ectH and ${R}$ ectL). Here, ${R}$ ectH and ${R}$ ectL have different optimal input power levels and they are connected to the two output ports of the QC. In the proposed topology, the reflected power of two sub-rectifiers can be recycled to sub-rectifiers and rectified again due to the feature of the QC. Besides, in each sub-rectifier, three transmission line sections are employed to further extend the dynamic range of input power. Theoretical analysis is carried out. To validate the proposed approach, we design and implement a 2.45 GHz WIPDR rectifier. The measurement results show that the dynamic range of input power for RF-DC power conversion efficiency (PCE) higher than 50% is from 3.7 to 30.7 dBm (27 dB). In addition, its bandwidth (for $S_{11}$ <−10 dB) is from 1.74 to 2.8 GHz with a 16 dBm input power $(P_{in})$ . These results indicate that the proposed rectifier not only achieves a broad operating band but also has a WIPDR.

A photocatalytic method for the ring-closing 1,7-enyne metathesis using the α-amino radical as an alkene deconstruction auxiliary is present. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer is the key to the generation and β-scission of the α-amino radical, while the dearomatization of arenes and ring opening of cyclopropanes are the key to construct spirocyclic quinolin-2-ones. This approach highlights the potential of ring-closing 1,7-enyne metathesis, providing a green, efficient, and step-economical way for the synthesis of spirocyclic quinolin-2-ones.

This article reported the application of wrist-ankle acupuncture with the ultrasound-guided interfascial plane block (Transversus abdominis plane block,TAPB; Rectus sheath block, RSB; Rhomboid intercostal and sub–serratus block, RISSB) in two emergency laparotomy in elderly frail patients. These cases were successfully completed with only a small dosage of narcotic analgesics, and the patient's spontaneous breathing was preserved and the vital signs of the patients were stable with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of 2 points and the oxygen saturation level over 95%. Both patients recovered soon after the surgery. The combination of wrist-ankle acupuncture and interfascial plane block to preserve spontaneous breathing during laparotomy in elderly frail patients in China had not been previously reported.

In this letter, a compact concurrent dual-band self-oscillating active integrated loop antenna is proposed. In the design, an active switching circuit is integrated and multiplexed into two RF channels of a modified loop radiator to achieve concurrent dual-band self-oscillation and pulse radiation in a small system size. Two capacitors are embedded in the loop radiator to block the dc paths without cutting off the RF oscillation and radiation channels, thereby ensuring that the dc power supply could charge the antenna. In this way, dc energy can be stored in the antenna during the charging phase and be converted to dual-band pulses during the radiation phase. Experiments are carried out to validate the proposed design. The overall circuit size is only 0.03$\lambda _{m}^{2}$ at the mean frequency of the two frequency bands.

An active-integrated antenna (AIA) system with a compact and scalable topology is proposed in this work. Two kinds of highly integrated AIA unit cells, i.e., the oscillating unit cell and the amplifying unit cell, are designed by integrating the active switching circuits into the modified monopole antennas. In each working cycle, the amplifying unit cell remains stable until it is triggered by the radiation wave from the oscillating unit cell for in-phase radiation, thereby amplifying the output power. In order to reduce the antenna spacing, the corners of the ground of the antennas are cut off and the threshold voltage of the amplifying unit cells is precisely controlled to offset the mutual coupling, consequently realizing a much compact system. The AIA systems with and without the amplifying unit cell are fabricated, and the measured results verify the power amplification characteristic of the compact and scalable system. Compared to the existing self-oscillating AIAs, this work provides one more degree of freedom for power enhancement with a compact topology.

Heart aging is characterized by structural and diastolic dysfunction of the heart. However, there is still no effective drug to prevent and treat the abnormal changes in cardiac function caused by aging. Here, we present the preventive effects of emodin and its derivative Kanglexin (KLX) against heart aging. We found that the diastolic dysfunction and cardiac remodeling in mice with D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging were markedly mitigated by KLX and emodin. In addition, the senescence of neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes induced by D-gal was also reversed by KLX and emodin treatment. However, KLX exhibited better anti-heart aging effects than emodin at the same dose. Dysregulated mitophagy was observed in aging hearts and in senescent neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes, and KLX produced a greater increase in mitophagy than emodin. The mitophagy-promoting effects of KLX and emodin were ascribed to their abilities to enhance the protein stability of Parkin, a key modulator in mitophagy, with different potencies. Molecular docking and SPR analysis demonstrated that KLX has a higher affinity for the ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain of Parkin than emodin. The UBL domain might contribute to the stabilizing effects of KLX on Parkin. In conclusion, this study identifies KLX and emodin as effective anti-heart aging drugs that activate Parkin-mediated mitophagy and outlines their putative therapeutic importance.

Many integral membrane proteins might act as indispensable coordinators in specific functional microdomains to maintain the normal operation of known receptors, such as Notch. Gm364 is a multi-pass transmembrane protein that has been screened as a potential female fertility factor. However, there have been no reports to date about its function in female fertility. Here, we found that global knockout of Gm364decreased the numbers of primordial follicles and growing follicles, impaired oocyte quality as indicated by increased ROS and γ-H2AX, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, decreased oocyte maturation, and increased aneuploidy. Mechanistically, Gm364 directly binds and anchors MIB2, a ubiquitin ligase, on the membrane. Subsequently, membrane MIB2 ubiquitinates and activates DLL3. Next, the activated DLL3 binds and activates Notch2, which is subsequently cleaved within the cytoplasm to produce NICD2, the intracellular active domain of Notch2. Finally, NICD2 can directly activate AKT within the cytoplasm to regulate oocyte meiosis and quality.

We report a facile preparation of nanosized mordenite (MOR) with different morphologies, i.e., nanosized crystals and nanoplatelets. Specifically, nanosized MOR crystals (30–80 nm) in three dimensions (3D) were synthesized in the absence of long-chain organic surfactant as a crystal growth-inhibiting agent by simply decreasing the mole ratio of Na2O/SiO2in synthesis gel. Furthermore, MOR nanoplatelets with 50–100 nm thickness were synthesized using the cooperation of structure-directing agents (SDAs) of tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) and hexamethyleneimine (HMI), where the latter was the SDA for the synthesis of 2D layered zeolite MCM-22. Our findings revealed that the introduction of HMI not only affected the morphology of MOR, but also had a considerable impact on the distribution of Brönsted acid sites. Consequently, the nanosized MOR crystals prepared in the absence of HMI exhibited the highest catalytic activity for the alkylation of benzene with benzyl alcohol compared with MOR nanoplatelets and commercial bulky MOR, which can be attributed to the shorter diffusion pathway along the c-axis and enriched Brönsted acid sites in the 12-membered ring (MR) of nanosized MOR crystals.

Large-sized precipitates are fatal to the thermal fatigue of H13 hot work die steel. Different amounts of Ti and/or rare earth (RE) were added in H13 steel during electroslag remelting to improve the element segregation and refine the large-sized precipitates. The results show that as Ti content increases from 0.0032 to 0.057 wt.%, the segregation of Cr, Mo and V becomes more severe. V-rich M(C, N) carbides are shorter, and their branches are denser in 3D observation. Moreover, the number density of V-rich M(C, N) carbides with a size less than 2 μm increases and that with other sizes decreases. In addition, Ti-rich MN nitrides with the size greater than 4 μm increases significantly at high Ti content. When RE content increases from 0.0051 to 0.036 wt.%, the segregation of main alloying elements is first weakened and then aggravated. Compared with that in RE-free H13 steel, V-rich M(C, N) carbides are less developed in 3D observation, and the change in number density is similar to that of Ti-modified alloys. After composite modification of 0.024 wt.% Ti and 0.011 wt.% RE, the segregation of alloying element and V-rich M(C, N) carbides are not significantly improved.

To observe whether wrist-ankle acupuncture can reduce propofol dosage in painless bronchoscopy of elderly patients or not and its potential effect mechanism.

Metabolic reprogramming is associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation in activated macrophages, contributing to inflammatory responses. Tanshinone IIA (Tan-IIA) is a major constituent from Salvia miltiorrhizaBunge, which exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we investigated the effects of Tan-IIA on inflammation in macrophages in focus on its regulation of metabolism and redox state. In lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), Tan-IIA (10 μM) significantly decreased succinate-boosted IL-1β and IL-6 production, accompanied by upregulation of IL-1RA and IL-10 release via inhibiting succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Tan-IIA concentration dependently inhibited SDH activity with an estimated IC50of 4.47 μM in LPS-activated BMDMs. Tan-IIA decreased succinate accumulation, suppressed mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, thus preventing hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) induction. Consequently, Tan-IIA reduced glycolysis and protected the activity of Sirtuin2 (Sirt2), an NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase, by raising the ratio of NAD+/NADH in activated macrophages. The acetylation of α-tubulin was required for the assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome; Tan-IIA increased the binding of Sirt2 to α-tubulin, and thus reduced the acetylation of α-tubulin, thus impairing this process. Sirt2 knockdown or application of Sirt2 inhibitor AGK-2 (10 μM) neutralized the effects of Tan-IIA, suggesting that Tan-IIA inactivated NLRP3 inflammasome in a manner dependent on Sirt2 regulation. The anti-inflammatory effects of Tan-IIA were observed in mice subjected to LPS challenge: pre-administration of Tan-IIA (20 mg/kg, ip) significantly attenuated LPS-induced acute inflammatory responses, characterized by elevated IL-1β but reduced IL-10 levels in serum. The peritoneal macrophages isolated from the mice displayed similar metabolic regulation. In conclusion, Tan-IIA reduces HIF-1α induction via SDH inactivation, and preserves Sirt2 activity via downregulation of glycolysis, contributing to suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. This study provides a new insight into the anti-inflammatory action of Tan-IIA from the respect of metabolic and redox regulation.

Ultrasonography offers a unique advantage in the clinical diagnosis of intussusception. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in pediatric intussusception. The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases, and African Journals Online database were searched for studies pertaining to ultrasonographic diagnosis of intussusception in children. Finally, 14 studies (combined n = 2367) were found eligible for inclusion. Pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.94 (95% confidence interval: 0.91–0.96) and 0.96 (95% confidence interval: 0.93–0.98), respectively. In conclusion, ultrasonography has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of intussusception.

Large-size primary MC carbides can significantly reduce the performance of M2 high-speed steel. To better control the morphology and size of primary MC carbides, the effect of melting rate on microsegregation and primary MC carbides of M2 steel during electroslag remelting was investigated. When the melting rate is decreased from 2 kg·min−1to 0.8 kg·min−1, the columnar dendrites are gradually coarsened, and the extent of segregation of Mo and V is alleviated, while the segregation of Cr becomes severe. At 2 kg·min−1, the number of primary MC carbides per unit area with the sizes in the range of 2 µm to 6 µm accounts for about 75% of all MC carbides, while the carbides are mainly concentrated on the size larger than 8 µm at 0.8 kg·min−1. Thermodynamic calculations based on the Clyne-Kurz (simplified to C-K) model shows that MC carbide can be precipitated in the final solidification stage and a smaller secondary dendrite arm spacing caused by higher melting rate (2 kg·min−1in this experiment) facilitates the refinement of primary MC carbides.

Accurate diagnosis of splenic diseases is important for timely and accurate treatment. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and conventional ultrasound (US) in detecting splenic lesions. A systematic literature search was undertaken, and 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of the consolidated results of CEUS were 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92–0.97) and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.90–0.99), respectively (I2= 27.4%; area under the curve [AUC] from a summary receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.97). The sensitivity and specificity of the consolidated results of conventional US were 0.70 (95% CI, 0.56–0.80) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.76–0.99; I2= 83.4%; AUC = 0.84). In this systematic review and meta‐analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of CEUS were higher than those of conventional US in diagnosing splenic lesions. Contrast‐enhanced US is a promising method for accurately diagnosing splenic lesions.

Sulfoxaflor, a sulfoximine insecticide, could efficiently control many insect pests of sap-feeding. Microbial degradation of sulfoxaflor and the enzymatic mechanism involved have not been studied to date. A bacterial isolate JW2 that transforms sulfoxaflor to X11719474 was isolated and identified as Aminobactersp. CGMCC 1.17253. Both the recombinant Escherichia colistrain harboring the Aminobactersp. CGMCC 1.17253 nitrile hydratase (NHase) gene and the pure NHase acquired sulfoxaflor-degrading ability. Aminobactersp. CGMCC 1.17253 NHase is a typical cobalt-containing NHase content of subunit α, subunit β, and an accessory protein, and the three-dimensional homology model of NHase was built. Substrate specificity tests showed that NHase catalyzed the conversion of acetamiprid, thiacloprid, indolyl-3-acetonitrile, 3-cyanopyridine, and benzonitrile into their corresponding amides, indicating its broad substrate specificity. This is the first report of the pure bacteria degradation of the sulfoxaflor residual in the environment and reveals the enzymatic mechanism mediated by Aminobactersp. CGMCC 1.17253.

Assembling complex hierarchical structures facilely to improve the accessibility of catalytic sites inside bulk catalysts has long been desired but remains challenging. Herein, we fabricate the hierarchical polyoxometalate-based metal-organic framework (POM@MOF) cuboctahedrons by solvent-assisted assembly, and propose a fractal growth mechanism. The great disparity in polarity of the dual solvents used endows them a different strength interaction with the POM. As a result, the polar enriched areas induced by the hydrophilic POM cause diffusion-limited aggregation along with the fractal growth. The obtained POM@MOF fractal crystallites possess an ordered layered surface and mesopores developed from the fractal growth and microscopic separation of the system. The cuboctahedron morphology is directed by the anisotropy of the Keggin units. This is of great significance in constructing hierarchical structures via fractal growth caused by diffusion limit by choosing some solvents with proper polarity disparity, which can be extended to other systems.

A comparison was made for the deformation, microstructure, mechanical properties and formability of SUS436L stainless steel in tandem and reversible cold rolling processes. At first, the thermophysical parameters and stress–strain curves of SUS436L steel were measured in temperature range of 293–573 K and a flow stress model was regressed from the data of these curves. An analytical model based on the elasto-plastic finite element method was then established to simulate the tandem and the reversible cold rolling processes of SUS436L stainless steel strip where the flow stress model was introduced. The difference in shear strain distribution, microstructure, mechanical properties and formability of SUS436L steel strip in the two rolling processes was analyzed. The results showed that the larger shear strain, the enhanced intensity of γ fiber texture and the excellent formability of the strip can be easily obtained in the tandem rolling process with the larger work roll rather than the reversible rolling process with the smaller work roll.

The electrode configuration determines the thermophysical field during the electroslag remelting (ESR) process and affects the final microstructure of the ingot. In this work, ingot with a diameter of 400 mm was prepared with two electrode configuration modes of single power ESR process, namely one electrode (OE) and two series-connected electrodes (TSCE). Finite element simulation was employed to calculate the electromagnetic field, flow field and temperature field of the ESR system. The results show that the temperature of the slag pool and the metal pool of the TSCE process is lower and more uniform than that of the OE process. The calculated temperature distribution of the ingot could be indirectly verified from the shape of the metal pool by the experiment. The experimental results show that the depth of the metal pool in the OE ingot is about 160 mm, while the depth of the TSCE ingot is nearly 40 mm shallower than that of the OE ingot. Microstructural comparisons indicate that coarse eutectic carbides are formed in the center of the OE ingot, whereas more even eutectic carbides appear in the center of the TSCE ingot. In general, compared with the OE process, the TSCE process is preferred to remelt high speed steel ingots.

Maker education is a dominant force in education reform and is viewed as a revolutionary way to learn. As innovative pedagogy is continuously explored in the field of nursing, the emerging role of maker education must be examined. This research aims to build a nursing bachelor education program based on maker education and to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.

According to the phase diagram of the CaO-SiO2-TiO2 drawn by FactSage software, the structure units of molten slag were confirmed. The activities of CaO, acid oxides and complex oxides in molten slag were calculated by the model. The effects of slag basicity and of temperature on activities of components were analyzed. The results show that slag basicity is the primary influencing factors.

In this study, 15 mycotoxins were detected in 233 nut and dried fruit samples from China. The 15 mycotoxins included aflatoxins (AFs: AFB1, AFB2, AFG1and AFG2), trichothecene toxins (TCs: T-2, ZEA, ENA, ENA1, ENB, ENB1and BEA), Alternariatoxins (ATs: TEN, AOH and AME) and ochratoxin A (OTA). The mycotoxins were detected in 47.6% of the samples and all 15 of the mycotoxins were found. Two samples were positive for AFB1and exceeded the maximum tolerable levels allowed in China. The contamination levels of the mycotoxins found in nuts, dried jujubes, raisins, dried figs and dried longans were in the ranges of 0.1–462.7, 0.2–247.3, 0.8–10.1, 0.2–384.1 and 0.1–89.2 µg kg−1, respectively. Dried figs (80.0%) had the highest incidence of mycotoxins, followed by dried longans (60.0%), dried jujubes (57.1%), nuts (43.6%) and raisins (26.7%). The estimated daily intake (EDI) values of each individual mycotoxin and all of the mycotoxins collectively were calculated by both the deterministic approach (DA) and the probability approach (PA). For risk characterization, dietary exposure to TCs, ATs and OTA through consumption of nuts and dried fruits according to both approaches, showed no health risk to Chinese adults by exposure to either individual mycotoxins or in combination. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in which risk assessment of multimycotoxins is performed, specifically including the emerging ENNs and BEA, in nuts and dried fruits of China.

The glide of basal plane dislocations (BPDs) during 150 mm 4H-SiC epitaxial growth by a hot-wall reactor is characterized, and its formation mechanisms are discussed. The reason for the glide of BPDs during 150 mm 4H-SiC epitaxial growth is believed to be due to the strain related to the strain originally in the 150 mm substrate and the strain generated during the epitaxial growth. After the epitaxial growth process is optimized, it is possible to suppress the glide of BPDs, as a result of the effective relaxation of the strain.

In order to establish grading standards of evaluation indices for sour flavor of apples, 10 indices of samples from 106 apple cultivars were tested, including: malic acid (Mal), oxalic acid (Oxa), citric acid (Cit), lactic acid (Lac), succinic acid (Suc), fumaric acid (Fum), total organic acids (ToA, the sum of the six organic acids tested), titratable acid (TiA), acidity value (AcV), and pH value. For most of the cultivars studied (85.8%), the order of the organic acid contents in apples was Mal>Oxa>Cit>Lac>Suc>Fum. Mal was the dominant organic acid, on average, accounting for 94.5% of ToA. Among the 10 indices, the dispersion of pH value was the smallest with a coefficient of variation of only 8.2%, while the coefficients of variation of the other nine indices were larger, ranging between 31 and 66%. There were significant linear relationships between Mal and two indices (ToA and AcV) as well as between ToA and AcV. There were significant logarithmic relationships between pH value and four indices: Mal, TiA, ToA, and AcV. All the equations had very high fitting accuracy and can be used to accurately predict related indices. According to this study, Mal, ToA, and AcV of apple were normally distributed, TiA was close to normally distributed, whereas pH value had a skewed distribution. Using the fitted normal distribution curves, the grading standards of Mal, TiA, ToA, and AcV were established. The grading node values of pH value were obtained using the logarithmic relationship between pH value and Mal. The grading standards of these five indices can be used to evaluate the sour flavor of apple. This study provides a scientific basis for evaluating apple flavor and selecting apple cultivars.

Augmented reality (AR) technology is used to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) images of hepatic and biliary structures from computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging data, and to superimpose the virtual images onto a view of the surgical field. In liver surgery, these superimposed virtual images help the surgeon to visualize intrahepatic structures and therefore, to operate precisely and to improve clinical outcomes.

Five plant growth regulators, uniconazole, 6-benzyladenine, kinetin, 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid and diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate, frequently used in apple, grape, strawberry, peach and orange, were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). A modified QuEChERS (Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) procedure was used in sample pretreatment, which involved extraction with acetonitrile containing 1% acetic acid and clean-up with a mixture of ODS and MgSO4. Mass spectrometric determination was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) using external standards for calibration. The results indicated that the calibration curves for the target analytes were linear in the range of 1–100 μg L−1with correlation coefficients greater than 0.999. The recoveries at three spiked levels ranged from 71.82% to 109.24% with RSDs from 0.57% to 12.43%. The respective limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.15–0.45 μg kg−1and 0.51–1.50 μg kg−1for uniconazole, 0.28–0.53 μg kg−1and 0.94–1.75 μg kg−1for 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), 0.15–69 μg kg−1and 0.51–2.29 μg kg−1for kinetin (6-KT), 0.22–0.60 mu;g kg−1and 0.74–2.01 μg kg−1for 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA), 0.88–1.89 μg kg−1and 2.89–6.29 μg kg−1for diethyl aminoethyl hexanoate (DA-6).

ABSTRACTMeiotic failure in oocytes is the major determinant of human zygote-originated reproductive diseases, the successful accomplishment of meiosis largely relay on the normal functions of many female fertility factors. Elmod2 is a member of the Elmod family with the strongest GAP (GTPase-activating protein) activity; although it was identified as a possible maternal protein, its actual physiologic role in mammalian oocytes has not been elucidated. Herein we reported that among Elmod family proteins, Elmod2 is the most abundant in mouse oocytes, and that inhibition of Elmod2 by specific siRNA caused severe meiotic delay and abnormal chromosomal segregation during anaphase. Elmod2 knockdown also significantly decreased the rate of oocyte maturation (to MII, with first polar body extrusion), and significantly greater numbers of Elmod2-knockdown MII oocytes were aneuploid. Correspondingly, Elmod2 knockdown dramatically decreased fertilization rate. To investigate the mechanism(s) involved, we found that Elmod2 knockdown caused significantly more abnormal mitochondrial aggregation and diminished cellular ATP levels; and we also found that Elmod2 co-localized and interacted with Arl2, a GTPase that is known to maintain mitochondrial dynamics and ATP levels in oocytes. In summary, we found that Elmod2 is the GAP essential to meiosis progression of mouse oocytes, most likely by regulating mitochondrial dynamics.

The aim of this study is to investigate Emodin on alleviating intrahepatic cholestasis by regulation of liver farnesoid X receptor (FXR) pathway. Cell and animal models of intrahepatic cholestatis were established. Biochemical tests and histomorphology were performed. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of FXR, small heterodimer partner (SHP), uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 2 family polypeptide B4 (UGT2B4), and bile salt export pump (BSEP) was detected. As a result, compared with the model group, the serum levels of biochemical test were significantly lower in the Emodin group (P<0.01). The histopathological changes were remitted significantly by Emodin treatment. In the model group, the mRNA and protein expression of FXR, SHP, UGT2B4, and BSEP was significantly lower than in the normal group in cell models (P<0.05). With Emodin intervention, the expression of FXR, SHP, UGT2B4, and BSEP was notably increased (P<0.05). In conclusion, Emodin plays a protective role in intrahepatic cholestasis by promoting FXR signal pathways.

To investigate the health value and self-care capabilities of the elderly living in urban-rural fringe area nursing homes and the factors that influence these variables.

To assess levels of contamination and human health risk, we analyzed the concentrations of the heavy metals lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) in China's main deciduous fruits — apple, pear, peach, grape, and jujube. The concentration order of the heavy metals was Ni>Cr>Pb>Cd. In 97.5% of the samples, heavy metal concentrations were within the maximum permissible limits. Among the fruits studied, the heavy metal concentrations in jujube and peach proved to be the highest, and those in grape proved to be the lowest. Only 2.2% of the samples were polluted by Ni, only 0.4% of the samples were polluted by Pb, and no samples were polluted by Cd or Cr. Compared with the other fruits, the combined heavy metal pollution was significantly higher (P<0.05) in peach and significantly lower (P<0.05) in grape. For the combined heavy metal pollution, 96.9% of the samples were at safe level, 2.32% at warning level, 0.65% at light level, and 0.13% at moderate level. In the fruits studied, the contribution of heavy metals to the daily intake rates (DIR) followed the order of Ni>Cr>Pb>Cd. The highest DIR came from apple, while the lowest DIR came from grape. For each of the heavy metals, the total DIR from five studied fruits corresponded to no more than 1.1% of the tolerable daily intake, indicating that no significant adverse health effects are expected from the heavy metals and the fruits studied. The target hazard quotients and the total target hazard quotients demonstrated that none of the analyzed heavy metals may pose risk to consumers through the fruits studied. The highest risk was posed by apple, followed in decreasing order by peach and pear, jujube, and grape. We suggest that the main deciduous fruits (apple, pear, peach, grape, and jujube) of China's main producing areas are safe to eat.