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For further improving the tribological properties of magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating，a carbon film was deposited on such coating by magnetron sputtering (MS) technology under different sputtering power to prepare duplex MAO/MS coating with different carbon contents.The carbon structure in the coating was tested by Raman spectrometer.Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy spectrum (EDS) were employed to analyze the micro morphology and the elemental composition，distribution and content of coatings before and after friction and wear test.Additionally，the tribological properties of the coatings were studied by the ball-on-disk friction tester.Results showed that the carbon film deposited on the surface of the magnesium alloy MAO coating by MS technology partly sealed the micropores of MAO coating，and reduced the size and number of micro-pores as well as the coating’s surface roughness.During the friction and wear process，the duplex coatings exhibited a low friction coefficient，narrow and shallow wear scars，and a small wear rate，indicating that they possessed excellent tribological properties.Moreover，sputtering power had a significant effect on the duplex MAO/MS coatings.The duplex coating prepared under high sputtering power possessed better tribological properties due to lower friction coefficient，narrower and shallower wear scars as well as smaller wear rate，which were attributed to a smoother surface and a larger quantity of C with self-lubricating characteristic.The as-prepared coating could provide a better protection on the substrate especially under high load.

The deformation of slopes is comprehensively controlled by many factors, and the sensitivity and action rules of different factors are obviously different in the deformation process. This article takes the bedding landslide in Yangxin County, Hubei Province as the research object. Through orthogonal experimental design combined with 3DEC (distinct element method, DEM), the sensitivity of multiple influencing factors to the deformation of bedding landslides is studied, and the dominant factors are established. Then, based on the response surface method to fit the quantitative relationship between the dominant factors and the deformation degree of different parts of the landslide, the influence law of the interaction of dominant factors on the deformation and failure mode of landslides is revealed. The study of the slope in the Yangxin County area shows that the slope and the strata dip are the dominant and secondary dominant factors affecting the bedding landslide, and the interaction between the two has a significant impact on the slope deformation. In the medium-steep bedding landslide, when the slope is less than the angle of rock, the slope deformation mainly concentrates on the slope top, and the degree of deformation increases with increasing rock dip, showing the slip-bending deformation failure mode. In a gently dipping bedding slope, when the slope is larger than the angle of rock, the displacement of the slope toe is more significant than that of the slope top, and the deformation degree of the slope toe increases with increasing slope, showing the slip-rupture deformation failure mode. This study can provide guidances for the prevention and control of such landslides.

Objective To explore the effect of reducing bladder TGF-β1 expression with RNA interference(RNAi) on neurogenic bladder(NB). Methods Forty-eight female rats were evenly divided into sham, T10 transaction, LV-vector and LV-shTGF-β1 groups. The sham group underwent sham operation of T10 spinal cord transection, and the other three groups underwent spinal cord transection. The bladder wall was injected immediately after the operation. The first two groups were injected with 0.9% NaCl, the LV-vector group was the control lentivirus, and the LV-shTGF-β1 group was TGF-β1 RNAi lentivirus. On the 28th day after operation, cystometry and bladder weighing were performed, the bladder tissue was stained with HE and Masson, and the expression of detrusor TGF-β1 was detected by immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR and Western blot. Results In the three groups with spinal cord transection compared with the sham group, the frequency and amplitude of detrusor over activity were significantly increased (P＜0.01), the bladder capacity was significantly reduced (P＜0.05), and the bladder weight, the detrusor interstitial percentage and TGF-β1 expression were significantly increased (P＜0.05). The T10 transection group had no significant difference compared with the LV-vector group. In the LV-shTGF-β1 group compared with the T10 transection group, the frequency and amplitude of detrusor over activity were significantly reduced (P＜0.01), the bladder capacity was significantly increased (P＜0.01), and the bladder weight, the detrusor interstitial percentage and TGF- β1 expression were significantly reduced (P＜0.05). Conclusions Reducing bladder TGF-β1 expression with RNAi can improve detrusor over activity and bladder fibrosis in rats with spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND Polymetallic nodules are predominant in deep sea sedimentary mineral resources due to the enrichment of many critical metals. Polymetallic nodules are loose and porous, which is the critical material feature that contributes the adsorption of trace metals from seawater and pore water and then enrichment and mineralization. Therefore, specific surface area (SSA) is one of the key factors for studying the ore-forming process of polymetallic nodules. At present, the methods for SSA determination are well-developed. However, they are less applied in the analysis of the specific surface of polymetallic nodules, and the pretreatment conditions are not constant according to various research targets. OBJECTIVES In order to explore the pretreatment conditions for the BET SSA analysis of polymetallic nodules, and provide necessary parameters for the study of the enrichment of trace metals in polymetallic nodules. METHODS Polymetallic nodules from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans were collected. The pretreatment conditions including temperature, duration, and particle size for SSA analysis of polymetallic nodules were studies by applying temperature programming, heating accumulation, and particle size comparing methods. RESULTS The results showed that the analysis values of SSA reached plateau when the heating temperature ranged from 210℃to 350℃. The analysis values of SSA remained constant after heating for 3 hours by a step of 1 hour at 210℃. The SSA values of samples with a size of several millimeters were 1.027-28.535m2/g higher compared with those of the same samples crushed into microns. CONCLUSIONS Reliable SSA values can be obtained when the polymetallic nodules with sizes of several millimeters are heated in a vacuum system for 3 hours at 210℃, which is the pretreatment condition for analyzing SSA of mineralization-related polymetallic nodules.

In order to solve the problems of high energy consumption of condensation polymerization and small variety of monomers for ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters in the process of synthesizing polyesters, six polyester products were successfully synthesized using aminophenolic iron-based complexes to catalyze the copolymerization reaction of cyclic anhydride and epoxides. Nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (¹H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), contact angle meter, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) were used to characterize the structures and properties of polyester. The results showed that all the polyesters with hydrophilic properties were amorphous structures. The initial decomposition temperature (T5%) of polyesters was 250~300 °C and the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polyesters was 55~139 °C. Polyesters containing rigid cyclohexane structure showed higher Tg and better thermomechanical stability performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut is a high-yield economic crop with rich nutrition for both food and oil. It contains abundant nutrients as protein, sucrose, fructose and glucose. However, the evaluation of its taste characteristics still needs data support. The taste index data of 33 fresh edible peanut materals (including 9 cultirars and 24 advanced lines from Jihua 02-1-4 and Zhonghua 26 cross) were collected by Tastes Sensing System (TS-5000Z). Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to evaluate and identify 5 basic tastes (sourness, sweetness, bitterness, saltiness and umami) and astringency. Through the testing of peanut samples, it was found that bitterness, astringency, umami, saltiness and sweetness were effective taste indicators of peanut samples. Through PCA analysis of effective taste indexes, saltiness, umami and sweetness contributed more to the first principal component, and saltiness, umami and bitterness contributed more to the second principal component. Nine varieties, including Fuhua 1, were significantly different from TC strains. When TC1-24 was separated by PCA clustering, umami, bitterness and sweetness contributed more to the first principal component, saltiness contributed the most to the second principal component, followed by bitterness. The PCA clustering analysis of 9 peanut varieties showed that saltiness contributed the most to the first principal component, followed by astringency; and sweetness contributed the most to the second principal component, followed by astringency aftertaste and bitterness. About bitterness, TC20-24 had the highest value of bitterness between 6.5 to 7.0, and the bitterness of other varieties was below 6.5. About astringency, TC5 and TC6 had low astringency and aftertaste-A, cultivar HTH and HZZ had the highest aftertaste-A, and these of other varieties were between 3.0 to 4.5. About sweetness, SLH had the highest value, while HZZ had the lowest. There were 16 varieties with sweetness value above 21, and most samples of TC strain had higher sweetness value. About umami and saltiness, 9 varieties and TC17, TC18 and TC19 had low values, TC20 to TC24 had relatively low values, and other TC strains had higher values. The umami and saltiness of JH403, JH43, JTH1 and JTH2 were close, and their umami and saltiness were the lowest. Through electronic tongue technology, it could concluded that taste indexes of fresh edible peanut are mainly umami, sweetness, saltiness, bitterness and astringency (aftertaste). And it might be viable to quickly and truly evaluate the taste of fresh edible peanut without statistical analysis and modeling, for breeding new peanut varieties with high sugar and high protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective The epidemiology of lung cancer changes with time, region, and population. The pathological and clinical characteristics of patients with primary bronchial lung cancer were retrospectively analyzed to understand the epidemic trend of lung cancer in recent years. Methods We reviewed the clinical data of patients with primary bronchogenic carcinoma. These patients, who are permanent residents of Henan province, were treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2012 to 2014. The distributions of gender, age, urban/rural residency, smoking history, drinking history, operation history, and histological types of tumor were compared among the patients and analyzed. Results A total of 6,058 cases of lung cancer were collected, including 1,495 cases in 2012, 2,070 cases in 2013 and 2,493 cases in 2014. The proportions of male to female patients with lung cancer were 2.26:1, 2.29:1 and 2.20:1 in 2012 to 2014, respectively (χ²=0.367, P=0.832). The age of onset was 60-69 years old, which accounted for 35.72% of the patients, and exhibited statistically significant differences between male and female patients (χ²=109.848, P

Objective To observe the effect of early use of 0.25 MPa hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on pain behavior in model rat of neuropathic pain (NP) and explore the mechanism. Methods Fifty-four male Sprague⁃Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (18 rats per group) including sham operation, sciatic nerve ligation with chronic constriction injury (CCI) and HBO early⁃treatment groups. The rat model of neuropathic pain was established, and CCI + HBO group received 0.25 MPa HBO treatment for 60 min per day at early stage, continuing for 5 d. The changes in general state of health, the number of paw withdrawal responses, paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were assessed at different time points after operation. Results Compared with sham-operated group, the body weight of rats in CCI group decreased significantly (t = 4.772, P = 0.000) on the 14th day; the body weight of rats in CCI + HBO group was significantly higher than that in CCI group (t = 2.411, P = 0.029). Compared with sham-operated group, reduced PWL immediately after operation (t = 28.345, P = 0.000), and more paw withdrawal responses (t = 12.541, P = 0.000) and decreased PWT (t = 4.032, P = 0.001) from the 3rd day after operation were observed in CCI group. Compared with CCI group, the number of paw withdrawal responses decreased (t = 8.077, P = 0.000), and PWT and PWL increased (t = 2.114, P = 0.049; t = 7.715, P = 0.000) in CCI + HBO group. Conclusion 0.25 MPa HBO treatment at early stage can ameliorate the mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. HBO may provide a new convenient and effective way for the treatment of neuropathic pain in clinic.

To solve problems of low compensation precision of pre-adjusted type arc suppression coil and bigger residual current and slow compensation speed of grounding point of post-set arc suppression coil, the paper gave structure of a new type of arc suppression coil with full compensation combining with advantages of pre-adjusted and post-set arc suppression coil. It established a simulation model of characteristics of controlled reactor and 10 kV power network to ground with the new type of arc suppression coil. The simulation results showed that when 10 kV power network happened single-phase ground fault, the main arc suppression coil can quickly operate, and compensate most of capacitive current; subordinate arc suppression coil can compensate accurately with fine turning after response time. The new type of arc suppression coil can improve both speed and accuracy of compensation.

Objective To analysis the safety and outcome of intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt - PA) in patients with acute mild ischemic stroke. Methods From November 2017 to October 2018, 252 patients with acute mild ischemic stroke who were admitted into our hospital within 4.50 h after onset (84 patients in intravenous thrombolysis group, 108 patients in aspirin and clopidogrel group, and 60 patients in aspirin or clopidogrel group). The general condition, the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR) were compared among 3 groups. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were evaluated on 7 d after admission or at earlier discharge, and 21 and 90 d. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rates were compared among 3 groups. Results There were no significant difference in general clinical data, the initial level of hs-CRP and ESR between the intravenous thrombolytic group and the 2 non-thrombolysis groups. At 7 d after admission or earlier discharge, the descending range of hs-CRP and ESR in 3 groups were significant (P = 0.000, for all); there were significant differences among the 3 groups (P = 0.000, for all); pairwise comparison of 3 groups showed that the levels of hs-CRP and ESR in intravenous thrombolytic group at 7 d were significantly lower than aspirin and/or clopidogrel group (P = 0.000, 0.000; P = 0.000, 0.010). There was no significant difference in the rate of intracranial hemorrhage between thrombolytic group and other 2 groups at 24 h after treatment [1.19% (1/84) vs. 0 (0/168); χ² = 2.008, P = 0.366]. At 7 d after admission or earlier discharge, the intravenous thrombolytic group had better prognosis than aspirin and/or dopidogrel group (P = 0.043, 0.012); At 21 and 90 d, the intravenous thrombolytic group had better prognosis than aspirin or clopidogrel group (P = 0.021, 0.037); but compared with aspirin and clopidogrel group, there was no significant difference (P = 0.070, 0.053). Conclusions Patients with mild ischemic stroke, especially that may induce disability should be treated with rt-PA intravenous thrombolysis timely. If it impossible by any causes, aspirin and clopidogrel should be given within 24 h after onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficiency of mechanical thrombectomy with Solitaire AB stent in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke caused by large artery occlusion of anterior circulation. Methods Clinical data of 31 patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by large artery occlusion of anterior circulation, who underwent mechanical thrombectomy with Solitaire AB stent, were reviewed retrospectively. Recanalization results were assessed by immediate scale of thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) after thrombectomy. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate neurological function at one week after operation, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to evaluate outcomes at 3 months after operation. Complications related to the procedure, such as perioperative embolic events, intracranial hemorrhage or death within 3 months after operation, were recorded. Results A total of 33 Solitaire AB stents were used in 31 patients. The initial success rate of recanalization was 61.29% (19/31). Among the other 12 patients, one patient with TICI Grade 2a and favorable distal blood supply was not further freated, while 11 patients underwent stent implantation as a rescue treatment and 9 of them were successful. The final recanalization rate was 90.32% (28/31). The NIHSS score one week after operation was 8.81 ± 3.40, which was significantly lower than the score 16.06 ± 4.82 on admission (t = -7.104, P = 0.000). Three months after operation, there were 16 patients (51.61%) with good prognosis (mRS score ≤ 2). Perioperative embolization occurred in 3 patients. Intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients during the 3-month follow-up period, and 6 patients were dead. Conclusions The application of Solitaire AB stent in mechanical thrombectomy for treating acute ischemic stroke is efficient and safe. Stent implantation can be used as adjunctive treatment when initial recanalization with Solitaire AB stent is failed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The samples of different age (1-4 years old) Phyllostachys praecox plants and their organs (leaf, branch, and culm) were collected from their main production area in Lin'an County, Zhejiang Province of East China to study the contents and the uptake and accumulation characteristics of silicon and other nutritional elements, as well as the interrelations between Si and other nutrient elements. In the P. praecox plants, the C content in aboveground part was in the order of culm >branch>leaf, whereas the Si, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe and Mn contents were in the order of leaf>branch>culm. Mn was mainly accumulated in leaf, while the other nine nutrient elements were mainly accumulated in the culm of 1-year old plants. The average Si content in the aboveground part of 3-4 year old plants was 13. 66 g.kg-1, suggesting that P. praecox belonged to Si accumulation plant. The leaf N, P, K, and Mg contents decreased, while the C, Al, and Mn contents increased with increasing plant age. The Si uptake by the aboveground part was mainly occurred in the second year (57. 1%), while the N and K uptake was mainly in the first two years (67. 7% - 93. 7%). Thereafter, the N and K flowed out from the aboveground part, with the outflow rates reached 19. 1% -39. 1% of the total accumulated amounts. The Si in P. praecox was significantly correlated with Ca, Al, and Mn, and negatively correlated with N, P, K, and Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire is an important ecological factor in boreal coniferous forest, which directly affects plant taxonomic and functional diversity and consequently forest succession. We analyzed the changes of soil nutrient contents, leaf functional traits, taxonomic and functional diversity of a Larix gmelinii community under different fire intensity levels (low, medium, heavy). The forest stand had been naturally recovered for 12 years in Yakeshi area. The results showed that fire significantly reduced soil total nitrogen content, but did not affect soil total phosphorus content. Low and medium fire intensities could maintain higher species diversity and functional diversity of the community. Medium fire disturbance significantly increased species diversity of the community, with maximum species richness index, Shannon index, Simpson index and Pielou evenness index. Fire disturbance reduced functional richness and functional divergence of the community, which were the largest in medium and low fire intensity respectively (except unburned). Functional evenness and Rao qua-dratic entropy index increased after forest fire disturbance, and the largest was in the low intensity burned area. With the increases of fire intensity, leaf dry matter content, leaf tissue density and leaf total phosphorus content showed a significantly increased trend, while specific leaf area, leaf water content, leaf total nitrogen content and leaf N:P showed the trend unburned ＞ medium fire ＞ low fire ＞ heavy fire, leaf thickness increased first and then decreased. Fire intensity had significant effects on leaf functional traits and functional diversity of forest community. Moderate fire distur-bance could promote forest restoration.

Objective: To develop a florescent recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay for rapid detection of Schistosoma japonicum -infected Oncomelania snails and explore the optimal method for treatment of snail samples., Methods: Snail samples were divided into 3 groups, and each group consisted of 7 subgroups. There were 50 uninfected snails mixed with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 infected snails in the 6 subgroups, respectively, and the remaining subgroup contained 100 uninfected snails mixed with 1 infected snails. DNA was extracted from snails in the three groups using a genomic DNA extraction kit following snail crushing and snail shells removal, crude nucleic acid extraction assay following snail crushing and snail shells removal, and crude nucleic acid extraction assay following direct snail crushing with snail shells preserved, and subjected to florescent RAA and PCR as says. The detection results were compared between the two assays., Results: A florescent RAA assay was developed, which completed the detection of S. japonicum -infected snails at 39 ℃ within 30 min. Following DNA extraction from mass snail samples with a genomic DNA extraction kit following snail crushing and snail shells removal, the lowest detection limit of the florescent RAA assay was one infected snail mixed in 100 uninfected snails, while the lowest detection limit of PCR assay was one infected snail mixed in 50 uninfected snails. Following DNA extraction using crude nucleic acid extraction method following snail crushing and snail shells removal, the lowest detection limit of the florescent RAA assay was one infected snail mixed in 100 uninfected snails, while the lowest detection limit of PCR assay was 3 infected snails mixed in 50 uninfected snails. Following DNA extraction with a crude nucleic acid extraction assay following direct snail crushing with snail shells preserved, the lowest detection limit of the florescent RAA assay was 10 infected snails mixed in 50 uninfected snails, while the lowest detection limit of PCR assay was 10 infected snails mixed in 50 uninfected snails., Conclusions: A fluorescent RAA assay that is rapid to detect S. japonicum -infected snails in mass snail samples is successfully developed, which is fast, sensitive and easy to perform. Crude nucleic acid extraction following snail crushing and snail shells removal is the optimal method for the treatment of snail samples.

Objective: To study the differences of the phenoloxidase (PO) relative activity among ribbed shelled Oncomelania hupensis , smooth shelled O. hupensis and Cipangopaludina chinensis ., Methods: The crude PO fluid was extracted from the soft tissue of O. hupensis and C. chinensis by homogenation and centrifugation. The PO activity was detected with catechol as the substrate in the reaction systems., Results: The PO relative activities in the ribbed shelled O. hupensis , smooth shelled O. hupensis and C. chinensis were (25.72 ± 2.27), (14.56 ± 1.24) U / mL and (13.72 ± 1.06) U / mL. The PO relative activity in the smooth shelled O. hupensis was higher than that in the ribbed shelled O. hupensis ( q = 21.46, P < 0.05) and C. chinensis ( q = 12.00, P < 0.05), while the difference between the PO relative activities of the latter two was not statistically significant ( q = 1.62, P > 0.05) ., Conclusions: There is a difference in the relative PO activity between O. hupensis and C. chinensis , which may be related to the living environment of snails.

Objective: To establish a novel method for the detection of Schistosoma japonicum specific gene fragments by recombinase aided isothermal amplification (RAA)., Methods: The gene fragment SjG28 of S. japonicum was selected as the target gene fragment to be detected, and the primers were designed according to the mechanism of RAA reaction. The reaction of isothermal amplification of S. japonicum was established and optimized. Then this method was applied to amplify and detect the specific gene fragment in the gradient diluent SjG28-recombiant plasmids and different concentrations of S. japonicum genomic DNA to estimate the sensitivity of this method. The samples were also detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in parallel as control. This method was applied to detect the genomic DNA of S. mansoni , Ascaris lumbricoides , and Ancylostoma duodenale to evaluate the specificity., Results: The specific gene fragment was amplified from genomic DNA of adult worms and eggs of S. japonicum by recombinase aided isothermal amplification reaction established in this study. The reaction can be completed within 30 minutes and the minimum detectable template was 20 copies of plasmids or 0.5 ng of genomic DNA per microliter. Other parasites'genomic DNAs, such as S. mansoni , A. lumbricoides , An. duodenale and healthy human blood genomic DNA were not able to be detected by this method., Conclusions: A novel method for the detection of S. japonicum specific gene fragments by recombinase aided isothermal amplification is established in this study, which can be carried out conveniently and rapidly with a considerable sensitivity and specificity, showing the prospect for application in the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica.

Objective: To evaluate the pathogenic detection capacity of county - level organizations in Jiangsu Province, and to improve the field schistosomiasis detection capacity of professional personnel, thus to provide the technical support for the construction of quality control system of schistosomiasis field detection., Methods: The eggs of Schistosoma japonicum were obtained from rabbit schistosomiasis models and were produced into suspensions at four different concentrations. The county - level workers were invited to hatch the eggs, and the accuracy, detection error rate and omission rate were compared between the detection results and the standard results. The single - blind method was used in the capacity examination., Results: A total of 560 suspensions were detected by 28 counties (districts, cities), and 283 positive samples and 203 negative samples were detected. The total accuracy was 86.79%, total error rate was 9.38%, and total omission rate was 15.77%. The difference between the detection result and standard result was statistically significant ( χ 2 = 12.99, P < 0.01) . Twenty out of 28 counties (districts, cities) had omission detections, accounting for 71.43%; and 13 had fault detections, accounting for 46.43%. The error rates of workers from the river marshland, hilly areas, water networks, and lake marshland ranged from 4.55% to 43.75%, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ 2 = 30.34, P < 0.01). The omission rate ranged from 4.17% to 20.45%, and the difference was not statistically significant ( χ 2 = 5.09, P = 0.17) . The error rates and omission rates of workers from the transmission control areas and transmission interruption areas were 7.50%, 13.33% and 10.42%, 17.13%, respectively, and the differences were not statistically significant ( χ 2 = 0.229, 0.575, both P > 0.05) . The error rates and omission rates of workers from the areas with or without at least ten years history of transmission control were 11.81%, 5.00% and 16.67%, 14.17%, respectively, and the differences were not statistically significant ( χ 2 = 2.804, 2.848, both P > 0.05) . The error rates of workers from the areas with or without at least ten years history of transmission interruption were 11.54% and 10.00%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant ( χ 2 = 0.069, P = 0.792), while the correspondent omission rates were 10.90% and 35.00% respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ 2 = 17.364, P < 0.01) ., Conclusions: The detection error and omission exist in the schistosomiasis examinations in the county - level organizations in Jiangsu Province, and therefore, the field pathogen detection capacity of the professional personnel needs to be further improved.

Objective: To investigate the effect of the type of neighborhoods on the population structure and dynamics of mosquitoes., Methods: The adult population dynamics and larvae breeding of mosquitoes in four different types of neighborhoods were investigated in Yangzhou City., Results: The number of trapped mosquitoes was the largest in the urban villages, and more than 800 adult mosquitoes were trapped in each urban village, which was significantly higher than that of ordinary and high quality residences. Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens pallens were dominant species (D > 10%) in the four types of residential areas, and Ae. albopictus was the most dominant species (D > 57%). The peak occurrence of Ae. albopictus in different areas occurred in early June, and it occurred again in the urban village in the middle of September. The occurrence quantity of Cx. pipiens pallens was stable in the ordinary residence and high quality residence, while in the urban village and resettlement residential area, the peak occurred in mid-October. The orders of positive rates, densities and the numbers of mosquitoes in the different types of residential areas were：the urban villages> the resettlement residence> the ordinary residence> the high quality residence. The water vat had the highest positive rate in all kinds of larval habitats, followed by tires and green belt with garbage water., Conclusions: The main mosquito species in the four different types of residential areas are all Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens pallens , but the positive rate, density and the number of mosquitoes in the different types significantly change, especially in the urban villages, the number and the occurrence peak are significant different from those in the other types of residential areas.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films on soda-lime glass substrates were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using disilane and hydrogen as source gases. To study the influence of deposition pressure on the deposition rate, optical band gap and structure factor, a surface profilometer, an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the deposited thin films. It is found that the deposition rate firstly increased and then decreased and the optical band gap monotonically decreased with the increasing deposition pressure. Moreover, the formation of SiH bond was preferable to the formation of SH₂ or SiH₃ bond when the deposition pressure was less than 210 Pa, while it was opposite when the deposition pressure is higher than 210 Pa. Finally, the deposition pressure in the range of 110~210 Pa was found to be more suitable for the preparation of high quality a-Si:H thin films.

The silicon-rich SiN(x) films were fabricated on Si(100) substrate and quartz substrate at different substrate temperatures varying from room temperature to 400 degrees C by bipolar pulse ane RF magnetron co-sputtering deposition technique. After deposition, the films were annealed in a nitrogen atmosphere by rapid photothermal annealing at 1050 degrees C for 3 minutes. This thermal step allows the formation of the silicon quantum dots. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to analyze the bonding configurations, microstructures and luminescence properties of the films. The experimental results showed that: silicon-rich Si-N bonds were found in Fourier transform infrared spectra, suggesting that the silicon-rich SiN, films were successfully prepared; when the substrate temperature was not lower than 200 degrees C, the Raman spectra of the films showed the transverse optical mode of Si-Si vibration, while the significant diffraction peaks of Si(111) and Si(311) were shown in grazing incidence X-ray diffraction spectra, confirming the formation of silicon quantum dots; our work indicated that there was an optimal substrate temperature (300 degrees C), which could significantly increase the amount and the crystalline volume fraction of silicon quantum dots; three visible photoluminescence bands can be obtained for both 30 degrees C sample and 400 degrees C sample, and in combination with Raman results, the emission peaks were reasonably explained by using the quantum confinement effect and radiative recombination defect state of Si nanocrystals; the average size of the silicon quantum dots is 3.5 and 3.4 nm for the 300 degrees C sample and 400 degrees C sample, respectively. These results are useful for optimizing the fabrication parameters of silicon quantum dots embedded in SiN. thin films and have valuable implications for silicon based photoelectric device applications.

In the present paper, nanocrystalline silicon thin films on glass substrates were prepared by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of RF magnetron sputtered system and alpha-Si/Al films at a low temperature in Nz atmosphere. Optical metallographic microscope, confocal optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometer, Raman scattering and UV-Vis-NIR spectrometers were used to characterize the surface morphology and the phase and optical properties of nc-Si films. The influence of annealing process on the nc-Si films properties was studied. The results showed that nc-Si films were obtained after aluminum induced crystallization of the alpha-Si/Al films at 300 degrees C, withthe crystallization rate 15.56% and the grain size 1.75 nm. The surface uniformity and lattice distortion of nc-Si films reduced, while grain size, degree of crystallization and the optical band gap of the films increased with increasing annealing temperature from 300 to 400 degrees C. As the annealing temperature increased from 400 to 500 degrees C, although the degree of crystallization and grain size increased, the tendencies of all other characteristics were opposite. On the contrary, the surface uniformity and the lattice distortion increased, but the optical band gap of nc-Si films reduced. The optical properties of the resulting films were confirmed by the absorption model of nc-Si thin films, where the tendency of band gap changes is in consistent with the optical modeling.

Objective: To investigate the effect of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in heart ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat and on Akt mediated signaling pathway., Method: Rats were divided into sham, I/R, I/R+3,4-dihydro-5-[4-(1-piperidinyl)butoxy]-1(2H)- isoquinolinone (DPQ, 10 mg/kg, i.p.), an inhibitor of PARP, I/R + DPQ + Akt inhibitor LY294002, 10 mg/kg (n = 12 each). Cardiac function, apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes were measured, myocardial expression of PARP, Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and forkhead transcription factor FOXO3a were detected., Results: (1) The expression of PARP were significantly upregulated in I/R group compared to sham group which was significantly attenuated in I/R + DPQ group (P < 0.05 vs. I/R group). (2)PARP inhibition significantly reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis from (34.0 ± 6.2)% to (23.0 ± 3.8)% (P < 0.05). The LVDP, +dp/dt and -dp/dt were significantly higher in I/R + DPQ group compared to I/R group (all P < 0.05). (3) The expression of Akt, GSK-3β and FOXO3a were significantly upregulated in I/R + DPQ group compared to I/R group (P < 0.05) which were significantly attenuated in I/R + DPQ + LY294002 group compared to I/R + DPQ group (all P < 0.05)., Conclusion: PARP activation contributes to myocardial I/R injury in rats by modulating Akt mediated signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) induced myocardial injury in rat and related mechanisms., Method: Adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham-control (n = 18), I/R (60 min ischemia followed by 180 min reperfusion, n = 18) and I/R + PARP inhibitor 3,4-dihydro-5-[4-(1-piperidinyl)butoxy]-1(2H)-isoquinolinone (DPQ), 10 mg/kg, i.p. injection at 1 h before I/R (n = 18). Myocardial expression of PARP, infarct size, and cardiomyocytes apoptosis were determined. Additionally, myocardial NF-κB activity and the myocardial expressions of ICAM-1, COX-2 and MMP-9 at protein and mRNA level were detected., Result: (1) Myocardial expression of PARP was significantly upregulated in I/R group compared to sham-control group, which could be significantly reduced by pretreatment with DPQ (P < 0.05 vs. I/R group). (2) Infarct size [(31.45 ± 5.54)% vs. (45.97 ± 4.22)%] and cardiomyocytes apoptosis [(23.0 ± 3.8)% vs. (34.0 ± 6.2)%] were significantly reduced by pretreatment with DPQ (all P < 0.05 vs. I/R group). (3) Pretreatment with DPQ also significantly decreased the NF-κB activity and the myocardial expressions of ICAM-1, COX-2 and MMP-9 at both protein and mRNA level (all P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The expression of PARP, NF-κB activity and the myocardial expressions of ICAM-1, COX-2 and MMP-9 are upregulated in I/R induced myocardial injury. PARP inhibitor DPQ could attenuate I/R induced myocardial injury through reducing NF-κB activity and the myocardial expressions of ICAM-1, COX-2 and MMP-9.

Objective: To investigate the value of metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) levels in assessing efficacy of etanercept treatment in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS)., Methods: The serum and synovial fluid levels of MMP-3 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 48 patients with AS in week 0, 6 and 12; and also measured in 30 serum samples and 10 synovial fluid samples from healthy controls., Results: The serum levels of MMP-3 in AS patients were significantly higher than those in controls. In AS patients, the MMP-3 levels in synovial fluid were significantly higher than those in serum levels. The serum MMP-3 levels in AS patients with peripheral arthritis were higher than those with exclusively axial involvement; while C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) did not differ between these 2 groups of AS. At week 6 and week 12 of etanercept treatment, the serum MMP-3 levels were significantly decreased (p<0.01) with the declining trend of ESR, CRP, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) (all p<0.01). Before the etanercept treatment (week 0), serum levels of MMP-3 were correlated with ESR, CRP, BASDAI and BASFI (p<0.05). ESR was also correlated with CRP and BASFI, but not with BASDAI (r=0.361, P=0.071). At weeks 12, serum MMP-3 levels were still correlated with ESR, CRP and BASDAI (P<0.05), but not with BASFI (P=0.339); ESR was correlated with CRP, but not with BASDAI and BASFI. There was a significant correlation between BASDAI and BASFI (r=0.818,P=0.001)., Conclusion: Serum MMP-3 levels are closely related to disease activity and may serve as an useful indicator for efficacy of etanercept treatment in AS patients.

Objective: To study the effect of rapamycin in inducing naïve murine effector T cell (Teff) convert to regulatory T cell (Treg) in vitro., Methods: The forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3) negative Teff were isolated and purified from the spleen and lymph node of C57 BL/6 murines aged 6-8 weeks, then Teff were cultured in three groups with mature dendritic cells (mDC), B cells, and plate coated Anti-CD3. In addition, the control wells and the test wells were prepared in each group, rapamycin were not added in the control wells but added in the test wells with concentrations of 1, 10, 50, and 100 nmol/L. Percentages of FoxP3 positive Treg were examined by flow cytometry after 4 days in Anti-CD3 group and after 6 days in the other two groups., Results: As shown by the flow cytometry, the percentages of FoxP3 positive Treg were as follows in three group: in the mDC group, it was 0.01% in the control well and 0.39%, 0.47%, 0.34%, and 0.26% in test wells; in B cell group, it was 0.01% in the control wells and 5.56%, 5.89%, 7.15%, and 4.72% in the test wells; in Anti-CD3 group, it was 0.93% in the control wells and 1.35%, 1.07%, 1.02%, and 1.19% in test wells. No significant difference was found between the test wells and control wells in the mDC group and Anti-CD3 group; however, the percentages of FoxP3 positive Treg was significantly different between the test wells and control wells in the B cell group (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: When B cell is acted as the antigen-presenting cell, rapamycin can effectively induce Teff convert to Treg in vitro.

Objective: To observe the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting multidrug resistance-related protein (MRP) and bcl-2 genes in modulating drug resistance and apoptosis of K562 and K562/ADM cells., Methods: Two siRNA constructs targeting respectively bcl-2 and MRP genes, were synthesized and transfected either alone or in combination into K562 and K562/ADM cells via lipofectamine2000. MTT assay was used to evaluate the viability of the transfected cells at 24, 48 and 72 h Post-fransfection, and RT-PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of bcl-2 and MRP. The effects of MRP siRNA and bcl2 siRNA on the apoptosis and the protein expression of Bcl-2 and MRP were evaluated with flow cytometry., Results: In K562/ADM cells, the IC (50) decreased from 12.81 microg/ml (ADM group) to 3.74 microg/ml (ADM+MRP siRNA group), 6.82 microg/ml (ADM+bcl2 siRNA group) and 2.51 microg/ml (ADM+MRP siRNA+bcl2 siRNA). Similarly, in K562 cells, the IC50 decreased significantly from 6.75 microg/ml (ADM) to 3.22 microg/ml (ADM+MRP siRNA), 3.56 microg/ml (ADM+bcl2 siRNA) and 1.84 microg/ml (ADM+MRP siRNA+bcl2 siRNA) (P<0.05). Flow cytometry demonstrated significantly increased apoptosis of the cells following MRP siRNA and bcl2 siRNA transfection, which also resulted in significantly decreased expressions of MRP and bcl-2 proteins (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Treatment with both MRP and bcl-2 siRNAs inhibits the target gene expression, and increases the drug sensitivity and apoptosis of K562 and K562/ADM cells.

Objective: To investigate the effects of computer navigation in the treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures., Methods: 130 feet in 110 patients with intra-articular calcaneal fractures, 57 calcanei with fracture of Sander's type II, 45 of type III, and 28 cases of type IV, were treated with internal fixation under computer navigation, and were followed up for 16.3 months (6 - 24 months)., Results: According to the Maryland Foot Score system, excellent result was noted in 63 feet, good result in 57 feet, and fair result in 10 feet, with the excellent and good rates being 92.31% together., Conclusion: Using computer navigation to treat intra-articular calcaneal fractures is one of the best ways for treatment of calcaneal fractures.

Thirteen weathering profiles of typical rocks such as limestone, dolomitic limestone, dolomite, sillcalite, black shale and purple sandrock from Wujiang catchments were selected for discussing enrichment and release behavior of uranium (U) during rock weathering, and studying its impact on riverine U distribution in the catchments during weathering of these rocks with methods of correlation analysis and mass balance calculation. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding on biogechemical cycling of U and set a basis for catchment protection against U pollution. The results show that the enrichment extent of U in soils from the Wujiang catchments is usually higher than that of upper continental crust (UCC), China soil (CS) and world soil (WS). The ability of enrichment and release of U is partly controlled by content of U in bedrocks, contents and adsorption ability of clay minerals and Fe-oxides/hydroxides in weathering profiles. Our study also reveals that release of U mainly from weathering of limestone and partly from weathering of dolomite and clastic rocks exerts an important control on riverine U distribution.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of the software computer-assisted robot orthopaedic trauma surgery planning system (CAOTS)., Methods: The software CAOTS was developed and used on 85 cases of stereotactic operation, 24 model bones, 21 cadaveric extremity bones, and 40 patients. 307 groups of directional targets in these cases were randomly sampled. The distribution of error sources for evaluating system performance was embodied using Monte-Carlo method in order to derive the theoretic guarantees for further optimizing and enhancing the system performance, then the software SPSS 2.0 was used to analyze the errors., Results: The statistical area of deviation number was 0.0408 +/- 0.4578 mm, corresponding to the result by Monte-Carlo method. Punching succeeded at the first run for all 307 cases without wrong locking and other clinical complications., Conclusion: Accurate and reliable, CAOTS improves the intra-operative navigation techniques and facilitates the orthopedists to perform operation.

Objective: The aim of the study was to quest appropriate dose of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) on Chinese patients with acute myocardial infarction., Methods: All enrolled patients were randomized into weight-adjusted dose or low dose rt-PA group, and received a basal treatment with aspirin and heparin. Additionally, after an intravenous bolus of 8 mg rt-PA, patients in weight-adjusted dose group (n = 93) were given an intravenous infusion of 42-92 mg rt-PA (1 mg/kg body weight), while patients in the low dose group (n = 91) were treated with an intravenous infusion of 42 mg rt-PA over 90 minutes. The observational endpoint included reperfusion rate of the infarct-related artery by clinical criteria, left ventricular ejection fraction and major adverse cardiovascular events within 30 days in the two groups., Results: There were 74 patients diagnosed reperfusion by clinical criteria in weight-adjusted dose group and 59 patients in low dose group (79.6% vs 64.8%, P = 0.026). The left ventricular ejection fraction seemed to be better in weight-adjusted dose group than in low dose group (P = 0.259). The major adverse cardiovascular events within 30 days were less in weight-adjusted dose group than in low dose group (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: There was statistical significant superiority of weight-adjusted dose over low dose rt-PA in the treatment of Chinese patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of Chinese guidelines issued on December 2001 on in-hospital management and prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction., Methods: A retrospective study was carried out in patients hospitalized in our hospital with acute myocardial infarction from January 1994 to December 2004., Results: There were 1783 patients enrolled in our study. Reperfusion therapy was undergone in 21.7% of patients hospitalized between 1994 and 2001, and in 35.8% of patients hospitalized between 2002 and 2004 (P < 0.001). Beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers, lipid regulating agents and antithrombins were used more extensively between 2002 and 2004 than before (all P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the usage of nitrates and antiplatelets before and after the guidelines was issued (98.8% vs 97.9%, P = 0.172; 97.4% vs 98.6%, P = 0.113 respectively). After the guidelines issued, the incidence of angina pectoris, heart failure and death in hospital were lower than before (32.2% vs 41.2%, P < 0.001; 17.2% vs 26.2%, P < 0.001; 6.4% vs 9.4%, P = 0.038)., Conclusions: Chinese guidelines issued on December 2001 have great effect on the management and prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction. After the guidelines was issued the management became more standardized and the incidence of in-hospital complications was lower than before.

Objective: To construct the eukaryotic expression plasmid containing mouse vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP) gene with biological activities., Methods: VIP cDNA including the sequences of signal peptide was cloned from mouse thymus by RT-PCR, and then inserted into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1 between Hind III and EcoR I restriction sites. COS-7 cells were transfected with pcDNA3. 1-VIP using liposome, the expression of VIP was identified by Western blot and ELISA. Supernatant of transfected cell culture was added to LPS-stimulated macrophages and the TNF-alpha production in cell medium was observed by ELISA., Results: The cloned VIP cDNA was confirmed by enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. The expression of VIP was detected in the pcDNA3. 1-VIP transfected COS-7 cells by Western blot and ELISA. The VIP in culture supernatant potently inhibited TNF-alpha production by LPS-induced Macrophages in vitro., Conclusion: The eukaryotic expression plasmid that expresses biological active murine VIP has been constructed successfully.

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of the root of Paeonia sinjiangensis., Method: The constituents were isolated by silica column chromatography, and their structures were identified on the basis of spectral analysis and their physical-chemical constants., Result: Five compounds, paeoniflorin( I ), albiflorin (II), lactiflorin(III), daucosterol(IV), sucrose (V), were obtained., Conclusion: All of the compounds were obtained from this plant for the first time.

Objective: To study the usefulness of three-dimensional spiral CT (3DCT) in the diagnosis of advanced gastric cancer (AGC)., Methods: Between June 1999 and December 2000, 54 patients with AGC were consecutively examined. On the 3D Virtuoso workstation, source images were uploaded to create a 3DCT volume block that was then processed with volume rendering technology (VA30C) to achieve virtual-reality endoscopy (VE), clipped volume block (CVB), and ray sum (RS). After the above scanning, all the patients were examined by a two-phase enhanced spiral CT (2DCT). The visualization, manifestation, and Borrman's classification of lesions in VE, CVB, RS, and 2DCT were evaluated and correlated with gastroscopic, surgical, and pathological findings. Respiratory artifact and gastric residue were also observed., Results: (1) CVB showed the excellent visualization in 88.9% of cases, in contrast to VE and RS (50.0% and 38.9%) (P < 0.01). (2) The accuracy in evaluating mucous membrane, ulceration, lumen, wall, cardia, pylorus, and extension of the tumor were more than 90.0% except mucosa by RS (84.4%) and ulceration by VE (87.5%) or RS (81.6%) which was significantly different from CVB (96.0%) and 2DCT (96.1%) (P < 0.05). VE demonstrated an accuracy of 95.8% in diagnosis of mucosal abnormality. (3) The correct Borrman's classification was obtained in 83.3% cases by VE, 79.6% by CVB, 72.2% by RS, 88.9% by 2DCT and 85.2% by 3DCT with significant difference between 2DCT and RS (P < 0.05), but not between 3DCT and 2DCT (P > 0.05). (4) In addition to 2DCT which had no step-like artifacts, they were invisible in 53.7% of VE, 40.7% of CVB, and 81.5% of RS, with RS showing the least artifacts among 3DCT (P < 0.01). A few of gastric residues caused by pre-scanning intake of water to swallow effervescent agent could be found on 3DCT images which caused no evident influence on diagnosis., Conclusion: Additional information on the diagnosis of AGC can be obtained by use of 3DCT, especially the visualization of a lesion in clipped volume block and the observation of mucosa in virtual-reality endoscopy.

Degenerate PCR is introduced in this paper, including what is degenerate PCR, how to design degenerate primers, how to optimize degenerate PCR parameters, how to applying degenerate PCR to obtain full-length gene and which fields can apply degenerate PCR. The limits and recent advances of degenerate PCR are also discussed. Based on this introduction,strategies of gene cloning and applications of degenerate PCR in gene cloning are summarized in brief. Degenerate PCR is a very useful tool for searching and discovering new genes and new members of a protein family.

Objective: To explore the relationship between risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) and coronary artery lesions., Method: Potential risk factors were studied in 341 patients underwent coronary angiography., Results: (1) Coronary angiography showed coronary artery lesions in 214 patients (lesion group), and no lesion in 127 patients (non-lesion group). There was significant difference in age, past history of diabetes, family history of CHD, smoking history, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), lower-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C (TC/HDL-C), lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], fibrinogen (Fbg) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) between two groups (P < 0.05). (2) There was significant correlation between severity of coronary artery lesions and hs-CRP, Lp(a), TC/HDL-C, Fbg, hyperlipidemia, TC, LDL-C and TG (with coefficients of correlation of 0.338, 0.250, 0.241, 0.207, 0.167, 0.147, 0.140 and 0.139; respectively, P < 0.05). (3) Analysis of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve for patients with coronary angiography and risk factors for CHD showed that the areas under ROC curve were 0.810, 0.669, 0.626, 0.625, 0.619 and 0.618 for hs-CRP, TC/HDL-C, Lp(a), Fbg, LDL-C and past history of hyperlipidemia, respectively., Conclusions: Past history of hyperlipidemia was a predictor for occurrence of CHD. Ratio of TC/HDL-C and blood level of Lp(a) could be used as predictors in screening for high blood lipid, which were much stronger than others. It is suggested that hs-CRP had an excellent predictive value in current coronary inflammatory lesions.