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Objective： Optimized the drying process of jujube slices and improved the product quality. Methods： Taking jujube slices as the research object, the correlation between conversion moisture content, infrared temperature and slice thickness and drying time and drying rate was studied, and the change rule of effective moisture diffusion coefficient of jujube slices in FD-IRD with conversion moisture content, infrared temperature and slice thickness was calculated, and the drying activation energy of jujube slices in FD-IRD was calculated according to the test data. Results： The lower the conversion moisture content is, the shorter the infrared drying time was. But the lower the conversion moisture content would greatly increase the freeze drying time. Proper increase of infrared drying temperature was beneficial to increase the effective diffusion coefficient of water. The thinner the slice is, the higher the drying rate was. Reducing the slice thickness can improve the effective water diffusion coefficient and shorten the drying time. The front and rear two stages were both speeds reducing drying processes. The effective moisture diffusion coefficients of freeze-drying and infrared drying under different drying conditions by solving Fick's second law were 3.39×10-9~9.47×10-9 and 3.34×10-9~2.01×10-8 m2/s, respectively; The drying activation energy of the infrared drying stage was 59.03 kJ/mol calculated by Anius formula. Conclusion： The conversion moisture content is 30%, and the infrared temperature is 60 ℃. Under the condition of slice thickness of 6 mm, the freeze infrared combined drying technology has short drying time and high efficiency.

Deep learning is a promising solution for computer vision at present. To solve the computer vision problem, it requires massive and high-quality image training datasets. Collecting and accurately labeling image datasets is a very time-consuming and expensive process. As computer vision applications become more widespread, it makes this problem even more pronounced. Image augmentation technologies are technical methods to effectively solve the problem of deep learning training under the condition of small-scale or low-quality training data. These technologies are continually accompanied with the development of deep learning and computer vision. This paper first reviews these image augmentation researches from the perspective of augmentation objects, operation spaces, label processing methods, and augmentation strategies and then concludes corresponding paradigms of current image data augmentation methods. After that, this paper proposes a taxonomy for current image data augmentation guided by the above paradigms, and reviews corresponding representative methods of each image data augmentation category. Finally, this paper makes conclusions on existing image data augmentation, points out the problems existing in the current image augmentation research and presents promising directions for future research.

鑑於金融機構之經濟重大影響性，本文自金融機構角度切入，介紹揭弊者保護理論及相關規範，以凸顯我國揭弊者保護仍為不足之現況，並援引美國法案例與制度，以對我國法務部廉政署研擬，並於 2020 年 4 月 8 日經立委提案之「公益揭弊者保護法草案」做一檢視。本文依據揭弊者與其他行為人間之身分關係，將揭弊者劃分為不同類型，因應各類型揭弊者所面臨之困境，提出相應之保護措施，並以金融機構之產業特性及現存弊病，說明金融機構中揭弊者保護制度建立之必要性。由於我國揭弊者保護相關法制闕漏，且美國法之金融機構吹哨者保護相關法制齊備，如沙賓法Sarbanes-Oxley Act）、華爾街改革與消費者保護法（Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act）即詳盡規範相關保護、獎勵措施，且相關案例繁多可供借鑑，因此本文援引美國法案例及制度，以輔助檢視揭弊者保護法草案，以期完善揭弊者保護制度，並對金融機構及主管機關於揭弊者法制建構後，提出相關應行作為建議。 This study focuses on the whistleblower protection policy in Taiwan and compares Taiwan’s policy with the U.S. laws. The financial industry in U.S. has a long history and developed successfully, which could provide Taiwan’s legal reform a reference model. In Taiwan, whistleblower bears unfair burdens and culture stigma. Lacking of sufficient protection forces whistleblower to take risks of personal safety and retaliation in workplace. On the contrast, the U.S. legal system provides whistleblower protection comprehensively including identity’s confidentiality, prevention from workplace retaliation and legal remedies. Corporations are required to establish compliant system and protection mechanism. Due to the insufficiency of current whistleblower protection policy, Taiwan’s Agency Against Corruption at Ministry of Justice proposed Whistleblower Protection Act in the end of 2018. The bill in now under the review at the Congress. This article will analyze and give comments to the bill as well. Hopefully, Taiwan could own its whistleblower protection law as soon as possible.

[Objectives] To clarify the toxicological effect of sublethal doses of avermectin on Hyphantria cunea, and thereby provide a theoretical basis for the rational use of this pesticide. [Methods] The growth and development of 4th to 6th instar H. cunea larvae were measured after these had consumed artificial diets containing sublethal concentrations of abamectin (LC10 or LC30) for 72 h. Control groups were fed an aqueous solution containing 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide. The reproductive ability of adults obtained from these treatment groups was also measured. [Results] The 4th instar LC30 treatment group grew 22% less than the respective control group (P<0.05), whereas there were no significant differences in growth between the 5th and 6th instar LC30 treatment groups and their respective control groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in growth between the LC10 treatment groups and their respective control groups (P>0.05). Development of the 4th, 5th and 6th larval instars in the LC30 treatment groups (3.4, 2.2 and 1.7 days, respectively) was significantly prolonged relative to the respective control groups (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the duration of development of the LC10 treatment groups (P>0.05) and the respective control groups. Adult longevity in the LC10 and LC30 treatment groups (1-1.7 and 2.3-2.7 days, respectively) was significantly shorter than that of the respective control groups (P<0.05). The pupation rate, emergence rate, fecundity and hatching rate of the LC10 and LC30 treatment groups were also significantly shorter compared to the respective control groups (P<0.05). Pupation and emergence rates, fecundity, and hatching rate in the LC30 treatment group were 36%-56%, 33%-66%, 49%-78% and 45%-62%, respectively, those of the respective control groups. The fecundity and hatching rate of the LC10 treatment groups were 66-88% and 62-82%, respectively, those of the respective control groups. Only the feeding, larvae period, emergence rates and pupation rates of 4th instar larvae, the larvae period and emergence rates of 5th instar larvae, and the emergence rates and egg hatching rate of 6th instar larvae, were significantly less in the LC10 and LC30 treatment groups than in the respective control groups; the differences were greater for the LC30 treatment group than for the LC10 treatment group. [Conclusion] Exposure of H. cunea larvae to sublethal concentrations of abamectin (LC10 and LC30) inhibits both larval growth and development and the reproductive capacity of larvae that survive to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyphantria cunea has many hosts, a broad distribution, caused serious economic damage, is difficult to control, and has seriously affected the development of forestry in China. Control of this pest mainly relies on a combination of chemical and biological methods, including the use of sex pheromones traps and monitoring population dynamics in combination with chemical and biological control. However, developing more sustainable and effective methods for controlling of H. cunea has always been a focus of research on this species. This paper reviews the current distribution of H. cunea in China, problems in the prevention and control of this pest, and progress in the application of ecological control. It also introduces new control technologies, such as genetically-modified sterile insect technology, RNAi and Bt transgenic insect-resistant tree species. Finally, it forecasts the future trends in the development of H. cunea control methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] To investigate the selection and feeding adaptability of Hyphantria cunea with respect to eight widely distributed and planted trees in Heilongjiang province. [Methods] The behavioral responses of 4th instar larvae and male and female adults to the leaf odors of Tilia amurensis, Phellodendron amurens, Populus simonii, Larix gmelinii, Quercus mongolica, Fraxinus mandshurica, Syringa oblata and Betula platyphylla were measured in a Y-type olfactometer. The leaves of a single tree species and 4th instar larvae of H. cunea were placed in the olfactometer and the feeding rate of larvae on the leaves was determined after 24 hours. [Results] Unmated female moths significantly preferred the leaves of all tree species, except of L. gmelinii, to the control (P<0.05). Mated female moths significantly preferred the leaves of T amurensis, P. .simonii, Q. mongolica and F mandshurica to the control (P < 0.05). However, unmated male moths showed no significant preference for the leaves of all eight tree species over the control. Fourth instar larvae significantly preferred the leaves of T. amurensis, P. amurense, P. simonii, Q. mongolica, F. mandshurica and B. platyphylla to the control (P < 0.05). Fourth instar larvae fed significantly more on T. amurensis leaves than they did on those of P. simonii, P. amurense, L. gmelinii, Q. mongolica, F. mandshurica or S. oblata (P < 0.05). They also fed significantly more on the leaves of B. platyphylla, P. .simonii, P. amurense, L. gmelinii, Q. mongolica and F. mandshurica than on those of S. oblata (P<0.05). [Conclusion] Female adults and 4th instar larvae of H. cunea preferred the odour of leaves T. amurensis, P. simonii, Q. mongolica and F. mandshurica to those of P. amurens, L. gmelinii, S. oblata or B. platyphylla, and fourth instar larvae also consumed significantly more of the leaves of these species than those of S. oblata. These results suggest that T. amurensis, P. simonii, Q. mongolica and F. mandshurica could be suitable hosts for the growth and development of H. cunea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the influence of umbilical cord milking versus delayed cord clamping on the early prognosis of preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Weipu Database, and SinoMed were searched for randomized controlled trials on umbilical cord milking versus delayed cord clamping in preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks published up to November 2021. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two researchers independently performed literature screening, quality evaluation, and data extraction. Review Manger 5.4 was used for Meta analysis. Results A total of 11 articles were included in the analysis, with 1 621 preterm infants in total, among whom there were 809 infants in the umbilical cord milking group and 812 in the delayed cord clamping group. The Meta analysis showed that compared with delayed cord clamping, umbilical cord milking increased the mean blood pressure after birth (weighted mean difference=3.61, 95%CI: 0.73-6.50, P=0.01), but it also increased the incidence rate of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (RR=1.83, 95%CI: 1.08-3.09, P=0.02). There were no significant differences between the two groups in hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood transfusion rate, proportion of infants undergoing phototherapy, bilirubin peak, and incidence rates of complications such as periventricular leukomalacia and necrotizing enterocolitis (P>0.05). Conclusions Compared with delayed cord clamping, umbilical cord milking may increase the risk of severe intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants with a gestational age of <34 weeks; however, more highquality large-sample randomized controlled trials are needed for further confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control surface is key component of supercavitating vehicle. Its basic function is that provides stable moment and steering moment. This paper based on SST (Shear Stress Transport)turbulence model of bo0model, the numerical simulation of cavititation flows about two dimensions control surface. According to the simulation results of the cavitation flow, the rules between cavitation shape, drag, and lift were obtained. The results showed that the simulation result was consistent with the empirical formulas, and description of the turbulence model and numerical methods to accurately forecast flow cavitation problems, which provided the reference for further investigating the cavitation problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic acids are the important secondary metabolites associated with induced plant responses. Taking the Larix gmelinii seedlings with their needles on 4 selected branches being partially cut off or fed by Dendrolimus superans (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) larvae as test objects, this paper quantitatively determined the phenolic acid concentrations in the undamaged needles by using HPLC. One day after 50% of the needles on the branches were cut off or fed by D. superans larvae, the concentrations of benzoic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, phenylaetic acid, cinnamic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, sylicylic acid, and chlorogenic acid in undamaged needles had significant difference with the control; and one day after 75% of the needles were cut off or fed by D. superans larvae, the concentrations of the 9 phenolic acids and ferulic acid changed significantly. These results implied that cutting off or feeding with 50% or 75% of the needles could cause the concentrations of phenolic acids in needles reach the damage thresholds to induce chemical defense of larch seedlings. On the first day after treatment, the concentrations of caffeic acid, phenylaetic acid, cinnamic acid, vanillic acid, and gallic acid in needles induced by 50% and 75% of cutting were all significantly higher than those induced by larvae feeding; on the 5th day after treatment, the concentrations of these 5 phenolic acids induced by 50% and 75% of cutting were significantly lower than those induced by feeding; while on the 10th day after treatment, the concentrations of the 5 phenolic acids had no significant difference between cutting and feeding. It suggested that the those induced by feeding, and the induced defense response intensity of phenolic acids was correlative with cutting degree. All of the results showed that it was possible to control the pest damage of L. gmelinii by using appropriate methods to induce the quantitative change of phenolic acids in needles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the air pollutant emission inventory of Jinan in 2020, the VOCs emission status and existing problems of typical industries including the chemical industry, industrial coating, printing, and furniture manufacturing were investigated and analyzed, and two emission reduction scenarios were designed to estimate the emission reduction potential according to the enterprise scales and the end-of-pipe treatment techniques. The results showed that the VOCs emissions of the typical industries from large to small were the chemical industry(7947.92 t), industrial coating(2383.29 t), printing(792.87 t), and furniture manufacturing(143.79 t). The chemical industry and industrial painting were dominated by large enterprises, accounting for 46.45% and 50.89% of VOCs emissions, whereas printing and furniture manufacturing were dominated by medium-sized enterprises, accounting for 51.76% and 42.37% of VOCs emissions, respectively. The end-of-pipe treatment was dominated by a single inefficient treatment technique, and the utilization rate of efficient treatment techniques such as combustion techniques and combination techniques was only 7.46%. The on-site investigation reported some problems in some enterprises, including incomplete source substitution, inadequate management of fugitive emissions, and unsuitable end-of-pipe treatment facilities. Therefore, VOCs emissions of typical industries had a certain reduction potential. Under the two designed emission reduction scenarios, the chemical industry had the greatest emission reduction potential, with emission reduction rates of 69.58%-84.99%, and the emission reduction rates of industrial coating, printing, and furniture manufacturing industries were 26.98%-34.74%, 36.96%-59.74%, and 8.55%-40.45%, respectively. Among the four industries, large and medium-sized enterprises had greater emission reduction potential, with average emission reduction rates of 70.00% and 44.23%, respectively. Under the scenario of a higher emission reduction target, the average emission reduction rates of small and micro enterprises were greatly increased, reaching 87.49% and 79.65%, respectively. The results of this study could provide scientific basis for developing VOCs governance in typical industries and enterprises.

Lignan is the main medicinal component of Eucommia ulmoides, and lignin is involved in the defense of plants against diseases and insect pests.They are synthesized from coniferyl alcohol with the help of dirigent(DIR) and peroxidase(POD), respectively.In this study, transcriptome assembly of stems and leaves of E.ulmoides was performed, yielding 112 578 unigenes.Among them, 70 459 were annotated in seven databases.A total of 59 unigenes encodes 11 key enzymes in the biosynthesis pathways of lignin and lignin, of which 11 encode POD and 8 encode DIR.A total of 13 unigenes encoding transcription factors are involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Compared with leaves of E.ulmoides, 7 575 unigenes were more highly expressed in stems, of which 462 were involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.Our results extend the public transcriptome dataset of E.ulmoides, which provide valuable information for the analysis of biosynthesis pathways of lignan and lignin in E.ulmoides and lay a foundation for further study on the functions and regulation mechanism of key enzymes in lignan and lignin biosynthesis pathways.

Objective: To observe the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the motor function and the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) in cerebral ischemic penumbra of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and explore the mechanism of taVNS in the improvement of motor function in MCAO rats., Methods: A total of 48 male SD rats were randomized into a sham-operation group, a model group, a transcutaneous auricular non-vagus nerve stimulation (tnVNS) group and a taVNS group, with 12 rats in each group. The suture-occluded method was adopted to prepare MCAO rat model. The auricular rim was stimulated in the tnVNS group and the concha stimulated in the taVNS group, 2 mA in intensity, 10 Hz in frequency, 30 min each time, once a day, for 14 days consecutively. The nerve functional assessment was recorded in each group. The expressions of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAchR) in the cerebral ischemic penumbra and the spleen were detected by using Western blot. With the immunofluorescence, the expressions of GFAP and MAP2 were detected., Results: After modeling, compared with the sham-operation group, the nerve functional score was increased in the model group, the tnVNS group and the taVNS group ( P <0.01), suggesting the success of modeling. After treatment, the score was increased in the model group ( P <0.01) as compared with the sham-operation group. Compared with the model group, the neurological deficit score was reduced in the taVNS group ( P <0.01). Compared with the sham-operation group, GFAP expression was increased and MAP2 expression was reduced remarkably in the cerebral ischemic penumbra in the model group ( P <0.05). In comparison with the model group, GFAP expression was reduced, while MAP2 expression was increased remarkably in the cerebral ischemic penumbra in the taVNS group ( P <0.05). There were no significant differences in the abovementioned indexes between the model group and tnVNS group ( P >0.05). The differences in the expression of α7nAchR in the cerebral ischemic penumbra and the spleen had no statistical significance among groups ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: TaVNS is effective on neuroprotection in MCAO rats, which may be related to its function of inhibition of GFAP expression and promotion of MAP2 expression in the ischemic penumbra.

Steroidal saponins, which are the characteristic and main active constituents of Polygonatum, exhibit a broad range of pharmacological functions, such as regulating blood sugar, preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and anti-tumor. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing(RNA-Seq) analysis for the flowers, leaves, roots, and rhizomes of Polygonatum cyrtonema using the BGISEQ-500 platform to understand the biosynthesis pathway of steroidal saponins and study their key enzyme genes. The assembly of transcripts for four tissues generated 129 989 unigenes, of which 88 958 were mapped to several public databases for functional annotation, 22 813 unigenes were assigned to 53 subcategories and 64 877 unigenes were annotated to 136 pathways in KEGG database. Furthermore, 502 unigenes involved in the biosynthesis pathway of steroidal saponins were identified, of which 97 unigenes encoding 12 key enzymes. Cycloartenol synthase, the first key enzyme in the pathway of phytosterol biosynthesis, showed conserved catalytic domain and substrate binding domain based on sequence analysis and homology modeling. Differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were identified in rhizomes as compared to other tissues(flowers, leaves or roots).The 2 437 unigenes annotated by KEGG showed rhizome-specific expression, of which 35 unigenes involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins. Our results greatly extend the public transcriptome dataset of Polygonatum and provide valuable information for the identification of candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins and other important secondary metabolites.

Objective: To investigate the mRNA, protein expression levels and the phosphorylation levels of key factors in rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinases (Raf/MEK/ERK) pathway, and to clarify the regulatory function of Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in myocardial hypertrophy., Methods: Twenty SD rats were divided into sham-operated group and model group. The myocardial hypertrophy model was established by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). At 12 weeks after TAC, blood samples were collected from the submandibular vein, and the serum was separated to detect the content of N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). After that, the rats were subjected to echocardiography and hemodynamic measurement. Then the pathological changes of myocardial tissue were observed. And the levels of mRNA, protein expression and the phosphorylation of key factors in Raf/MEK/ERK pathway were detected in myocardial tissue., Results: Compared with sham-operated group, left ventricular end-diastolic interventricular septal thickness (IVSd), left ventricular end-systolic interventricular septal thickness (IVSs), left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness (LVPWd) and left vebtricular end-systolic posterior wall thickness (LVPWs) in TAC model group were increased significantly (P＜0.05,P＜0.01), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVIDs) was decreased significantly (P＜0.01), LV Mass and LW(LV Mass/Weight)were increased significantly (P＜0.05, P＜0.01). The levels of heart rate (HR), left ventricular pressure maximal rate of rise (+dp/dtmax), left ventricular pressure maximal rate of fall (-dp/dtmax) were decreased significantly (P＜0.01). The serum level of NT-proBNP in TAC rat was increased significantly (P＜0.01). The myocardial cells in TAC model group were arranged disorderly, myocardial cell hypertrophy, cytoplasm were increased significantly, and inflammatory cells infiltrated. A large amount of collagen fibers were deposited and large area of myocardial cells were stained blue in TAC rat. The expression levels of phospho-c-Raf (Ser259) and phospho-c-Raf (Ser338) in myocardial tissue were significantly increased (P＜0.01), meanwhile the expression levels of phospho- MEK1/2(Ser217/Ser221) and phospho-ERK1/2 (Thr202/Tyr204) were also significantly increased (P＜0.01)., Conclusion: The regulatory role of Raf / MEK / ERK pathway in cardiac hypertrophy may be through the activation of phosphorylation of c-raf, MEK1, Mek2, ERK1 and ERK2 at specific sites.

Agkistrodon acutus is a traditional Chinese herb medicine which has immunological regulation,anti-tumor,anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects,which is mainly used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,ankylosing spondylitis,sjogren's syndrome and tumors. In order to excavate more important functional genes from A. acutus,the transcriptome of the venom gland was sequenced by the Illumina Hi Seq 4000,and 32 862 unigenes were assembled. Among them,26 589 unigenes were mapped to least one public database. 2 695 unigenes were annotated and assigned to 62 TF families,and 5 920 SSR loci were identified. The majority of mapped unigenes was from Protobothrops mucrosquamatus in the NR database,which revealed their closest homology. Three secretory phospholipase A&#95;2 with different amino acid sequences showed similar spatial structures and all had well-conserved active sites. The 3 D structural models of C-type lectin showed conserved glycosylation binding sites( Asn45). This study will lay the foundation for the further study of the function of snake venom protein,and promoting the development and utilization of genome resources from A. acutus.

To investigate the eco-physiological responses of phytophagous insects to host plants exposed to heavy metal stress, the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae were reared with leaves of Populus albaXP. berolinensis grown in Cd-contaminated soil to analyze their food utilization and mechanisms underlying Cd excretion. Our results showed that after feeding on Cd-stressed poplar leaves, Cd concentrations and contents in the 3rd-6th instar larvae were significantly higher than those in control. The Cd concentrations significantly decreased with the larval age, whereas it was reverse for Cd contents. Cd concentrations in the larval faces and exuvia were significantly higher than those in control. Food digestion/consumption rate and conversion rate of the 3rd-5th instar larvae in the Cd-treatment group were significantly higher and lower than those in the control, respectively. Food utilization rate of the Cd-stressed 3rd-4th instar larvae were not significantly different from that of the control larvae with the same age. In contrast, the Cd-stressed 5th instar larvae showed a significantly lower food utilization rate than the control. These results indicated that gypsy moth larvae could remove some Cd from their bodies through effective excretion (e.g. feces and exuvia), with the mature larvae being more effective than the juveniles. The increases of larval body mass seemed to have a "dilution effect" on its Cd concentration. Under Cd stress, the gypsy moth larvae might maintain a certain level of food utilization rate for growth and development via a modulation of food consumption/conversion rates, but Cd-stress would still reduce the larval food utilization rate when it was beyond a certain threshold.

Objective: To summarize and analyze the compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture in treating diabetic gastroparasis (DGP) in modern literatures of clinical researches., Methods: Retrieved were literatures related to treating DGP by acupuncture or acupuncture combined other therapies from PubMed, CNKI, and WF from 1982 to 2014. Analyzed were frequency of acupoint use, meridians selected acupoints belonged to, regions selected, association laws of selected compatible acupoints., Results: Retrieved were 35 with compatibility frequencies more than 15 listed as follows: compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Zhongwan (CV12) was 33 (94.29%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Neiguan (PC6) was 23 (65.71%), compatibility frequency of Zhongwan (CV12) and Neiguan (PC6) was 22 (62.86%), compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Neiguan (PC6) was 22 (62.86%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 16 (45.71%); compatibility frequency of Zhongwan (CV12) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 16 (45.71%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 15 (42.86%). Meridians selected acupoints belonged to were sequenced as Foot Yangming Stomach channel, Ren channel, Foot Taiyang Bladder channel, and so on. Acupoints selected were mainly in lower limbs, chest and abdomen, waist and back. The compatibility of Zusanli (ST36) and Zhongwan (CV12) was the most often used with the highest frequency., Conclusions: The compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture in treating DGP were mainly dominated as upper-lower selection, three regions selection, local selection, anterior-posterior selection. The compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture along meridians were mainly dominated as the convergence points and exterior-interior meridian points.

Though all the marketed drugs of dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors are structurally different, their inherent correlation is worthy of further investigation. Herein we rapidly discovered a novel DPP-IV inhibitor 8g (IC50 = 4.9 nmol.L-1) which exhibits as good activity and selectivity as the market drugs through scaffold hopping and drug splicing strategies based on alogliptin and linagliptin. This study demonstrated that the employment of classic medicinal chemistry strategy to the marketed drugs with specific target is an efficient approach to discover novel bioactive molecules.

Objective: To investigate the changes in plasma levels of thrombomodulin (TM) and D-dimer (DD) in children with different types of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), and their role in the pathogenesis of MPP in children., Methods: Fifty-two children with MMP were divided into lobar pneumonia (n=30) and interstitial pneumonia groups (n=22) and another 30 healthy children were selected as the control group. Plasma levels of TM and D-D were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay, respectively., Results: The lobar pneumonia, interstitial pneumonia and control groups had median plasma TM levels of 23.83, 15.56 and 8.78 μg/L respectively, with significant differences between the three groups (P<0.01). The lobar pneumonia and interstitial pneumonia groups had significantly higher plasma TM levels than the control group (P<0.01), and the lobar pneumonia group had a significantly higher plasma TM level than the interstitial pneumonia group (P<0.05). Median plasma D-D levels in the lobar pneumonia and interstitial pneumonia groups were significantly higher than the reference value (P<0.01). The lobar pneumonia group had a significantly higher plasma D-D level than the interstitial pneumonia group (0.35 μg/mL vs 0.13 μg/mL; P<0.01), and the percentage of patients with elevated plasma D-D levels was significantly higher in the lobar pneumonia group than in the interstitial pneumonia group (87% vs 59%; P<0.05)., Conclusions: Children with MPP, especially those with lobar pneumonia, have increased plasma levels of TM and D-D. This suggests that damage to vascular endothelial cells and blood hypercoagulability may be involved in the pathogenesis of MPP.

Objective: To study the changes in plasma substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels in children with acute asthma before and after gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment., Methods: Seventy-five children with asthma were randomly assigned to GABA treatment (n=36) and control groups (n=39). Both groups were given conventional treatment for asthma. Besides the conventional treatment, the treatment group was administered with oral GABA (25-30 mg/kg•d). Plasma content of SP and CGRP was measured using ELISA before treatment and after remission., Results: There were no significant differences in plasma content of SP and CGRP between the GABA treatment and control groups (P＞0.05) before treatment. Plasma content of SP and CGRP in the GABA treatment group was significantly lower than the control group (SP: 57±15 pg/mL vs 127±12 pg/mL; CGRP: 23±10 pg/mL vs 42±8 pg/mL) after remission (P<0.01). Plasma content of SP and CGRP after remission was significantly lower than before treatment (P<0.01) in both groups. There was a significantly positive correlation between plasma SP and CGRP content in asthmatic children (r=0.792, P<0.01)., Conclusions: GABA can significantly decrease plasma levels of SP and CGRP in children suffering from acute asthma.

Objective: To detect the expression of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), glucose transporter protein-1 (GLUT-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human laryngeal carcinoma tissue, and to study the relationship between hypoxia and HIF-1α, GLUT-1, VEGF in human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 cells and to explore the effect of HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and VEGF as endogenous hypoxic markers on laryngeal carcinoma., Methods: The expression levels of HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and VEGF were detected in 35 cases of laryngeal carcinoma by SP immunohistochemical methods and in Hep-2 cells by SP immunocytochemical methods. The relationship between HIF-1α and GLUT-1, VEGF protein expression was analyzed., Results: Of the 35 cases, 16 cases expressed HIF-1α, 16 cases expressed GLUT-1, 19 cases expressed VEGF. The expression of HIF-1α and VEGF were closely correlated with pathologic grading and lymphnode metastasis. GLUT-1 was correlated with lymphnode metastasis. The expression levels of HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and VEGF in Hep-2 cells under hypoxic condition were higher than those under normoxic condition., Conclusion: HIF-1α may promote the expression of GLUT-1 and VEGF in laryngeal carcinoma, furthermore promote tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis of the laryngeal carcinoma.

Objective: To explore the association between the polymorphisms of oncogenes H-ras and L-myc and colorectal cancer risk, and the interaction of those genes., Methods: The genotypes of H-ras and L-myc genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Stratified analysis and logistic model were used to detect the gene-gene interaction. The gene-gene interaction was validated by multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis., Results: The single SNP model showed that the polymorphisms of H-ras and L-myc genes were not significantly related with colorectal cancer risk (P > 0.05). Stratified analysis revealed that among the L-myc LS + SS genotype carriers, those with H-ras TC + CC genotype showed significantly increased risk of rectal cancer than those with TT genotype (OR = 1.81, P = 0.005). The positive interaction between L-myc and H-ras was detected by logistic regression model. The OR of the interaction effect was 2.74 (P = 0.024). This result was confirmed in the MDR model, with 54.83% testing balanced accuracy and 10/10 cross-validation consistency, and the model was still significant after the 1000 times permutation test (P = 0.001)., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the polymorphism of H-ras and L-myc genes is not related to colorectal cancer risk, but there is a synergy between H-ras and L-myc polymorphisms in the development of rectal cancer.

Objective: To investigate mRNA expression of caspase apoptosis pathway genes in colorectal cancer, polyps and normal mucosa., Methods: Nineteen patients with colorectal cancer, 86 patients with polyps and 10 normal controls were enrolled from 2008 to 2010. Fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expression of caspase apoptosis pathway genes (caspase-2,-3,-6,-7,-8,-9 and -10) in colorectal cancer, polyps and normal mucosa., Result: There were no statistically significant differences of demographic characteristics between patients with colorectal cancer, patients with polyps and normal controls. Compared with normal control group, the mRNA expression of all selected genes except for caspase-3 were lower; however, the P values did not reach statistic significance. Highly positive correlations were observed between mRNA expression of all selected genes except caspase-9., Conclusion: There are no significant changes in mRNA expression levels of caspase apoptosis pathway genes from normal mucosa to polyps to cancer. The mRNA expressions of most caspase pathway genes are highly correlated with each other.

Objective: To evaluate the inhibitory effect of statins on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) of pancreatic islet in rat and to explore its mechanisms., Methods: According to the average volume, freshly isolated or 24-hour cultured pancreatic islets were randomly divided into control group (incubated with Kreb-Ringer bicarbonate buffer), the atorvastatin group (incubated with 100 µmol/L atorvastatin), the fluvastatin group (incubated with 100 µmol/L fluvastatin) and the pravastatin group (incubated with 100 µmol/L pravastatin). Stimulated by 2.8, 5.5, 11.1, 16.7 mmol/L and 25.0 mmol/L glucose respectively, the effect of 100 µmol/L statins on ATP content and GSIS was compared in the four groups. GSIS was performed by the 37°C bath incubation method and ATP content was measured by chemiluminescence method., Results: Incubated with 100 µmol/L atorvastatin for 30 minutes, in the presence of 16.7 mmol/L glucose, the ATP content [(9.54 ± 1.64) pmol/islet vs (12.33 ± 1.89) pmol/islet] and GSIS (1.60 ± 0.21 vs 2.39 ± 0.30) were significantly reduced in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). Cultured with 100 µmol/L fluvastatin for 24 hours, the ATP content [(10.24 ± 2.01) pmol/islet vs (12.31 ± 2.16) pmol/islet] and GSIS (3.12 ± 0.32 vs 4.17 ± 0.37) were all significantly decreased at the higher glucose concentration of 16.7 mmol/L (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Atorvastatin and fluvastatin may inhibit GSIS by decreasing ATP content in pancreatic islet and the inhibitory effect is related to the strength of its lipophilicity.

Objective: To explore association of miR-149 and miR-605 polymorphisms with other risk factors of lung cancer susceptibility among Chinese population., Methods: Two hundred and forty-four patients with lung cancer and 243 cancer-free controls matched by age and sex were enrolled from 2002 to 2008. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from all subjects. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of miR-149 and miR-605 were genotyped by PCR-RFLP. Multiple-variable logistic regression model was used to assess the association of SNPs and cancer related risk factors for lung cancer., Result: There was not significant association of SNPs of miR-149 and miR-605 with lung cancer. A marginal significance was observed while the males with at least one G allele of miR-605 had higher risk of lung cancer (OR=1.5, 95% CI:1.0-2.3) than those with AA genotype. Increased frequency of smoking was associated with lung cancer risk. Compared with no-smoker, the subjects with <20 and >20 cigarettes/day had higher risk of lung cancer: OR (95%CI)=1.7(1.0-3.0) for <20 cigarettes, OR (95%CI)=4.2(2.3-7.6) for >20 cigarettes. There was no interaction between two genes and smoking on lung cancer., Conclusion: miR-149 polymorphisms may not affect lung cancer susceptibility. miR-605 gene mutant might be increase the risk of lung cancer among males. Cigarette smoking increased a risk of lung cancer, but there were not interactive effects between two gene and smoking on lung cancer.

Parthanatos is a form of cell death, which often occurs in many diseases such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, heart attack, diabetes, and ischemia reperfusion injury. In a cell, the activation of PARP-1 caused by excitotoxicity leads to Parthanatos, which is also known as PARP-1-dependent cell death. There are multiple cell signaling pathways involved in the process of Parthanatos, which have not been fully understood. The main focus of this article is underlying molecular mechanisms of Parthanatos.

This paper studied the behavioral responses of Dendrolimus superans larvae and adults to Z-jasmone, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and methyl salicylate (MeSA), and to Larix gmelinii seedlings treated with different elicitors including mechanic wounding, insect feeding, jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), Z-jasmone, MeJA, MeSA, and JA + SA. The results showed that D. superans larvae were repelled by MeJA and MeSA at the concentrations of 0.1%-10% V/V. L. gmelinii seedlings were induced resistance by wounding, JA, MeJA, Z-jasmone and MeSA, which decreased the feeding selection of D. superans larvae. D. superans adults exploited evident electroantennogram (EAG) responses to Z-jasmone and MeSA, and the sensitivity of the females was enhanced with the increasing concentration of Z-jasmone and MeSA. Significantly low amount of eggs was observed on the L. gmelinii seedlings treated with test elicitors.