Search

A novel strategy for the selective synthesis of β-boryl allyl-Bdan derivatives by employing Cu-catalyzed protoboration of allenyl-Bdan derivatives was developed.

Synergistic Pd/Cu catalysis was used to achieve regio- and stereoselective borylation of allenylic carbonates, offering a straightforward strategy to produce 2-boryl 1,3-butadienes.

In this letter a W -band small-size low sidelobe level (SLL) 6 × 16 microwaveguide slot array antenna is proposed based on the silicon micromachining technology. The feeding network within the limited available area consists of several stages of equal T-junctions and TE120-mode-cavity dual-layer power dividers able to build the desired tapering power distribution over a relatively wide bandwidth. The TE120-mode-cavity dual-layer power divider is at the end of the feeding network, which can implement the layer-to-layer transition and the power division simultaneously. Thus, the whole size of the array antenna can be reduced by about 25% compared with the conventional five-stage tree-like feeding network. The overall antenna size is 60 mm × 20 mm × 1.85 mm. The measured maximum gain is 26.1 dBi at 94 GHz, and the corresponding radiation efficiency is 69.2%. The measured SLL in E -plane is below than −18.5 dB within the frequency band from 92 to 96 GHz.

A THz 2-D frequency scanning planar integrated array antenna is developed in this letter. Eight THz leaky-wave antennas are combined with a true-time-delay (TTD) phase-shifting feeding network to steer the beam in two directions by sweeping the frequency. Several H-plane 90° bends with linearly increased length are adopted to achieve the scalable TTD phase shift. The feeding lines are closely spaced to reduce the phase-shifting network occupied area in this progressive phase-shifting scheme. Besides, the E-plane 180° bend is used to construct the double-layer phase-shifting network, maintain the number of multiple scanning sweeps and improve the aperture efficiency. Moreover, in the used microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication technique, the minimum height of the radiation slot is 0.2 mm, which is too thick and deteriorates the radiating performance. When the double-layer step-profiled radiating slot is used instead of the thick slot, a THz leaky-wave antenna with higher radiation efficiency and better gain flatness can be achieved. Finally, a prototype antenna is fabricated and experimentally validated. The operating frequency range is 325–400 GHz and the beam scanning range is 22.7° × 60° with a maximum radiation gain of 25.28 dBi.

The interfacial oxygen transfer rate is one of the main factors to control the composition of alloys. The commonly employed method of studying the interfacial oxygen transfer rate is the chemical composition analysis; however, it is difficult to be studied in situ. Here, a new method of measuring the oxygen transfer rate at the gas–slag and slag–metal interfaces was reported based on electrochemical analyses. The interfacial oxygen transfer rate in the smelting process of Inconel 718 superalloy was investigated at 1723, 1773, 1823, and 1873 K. The experimental results show that the electrochemical method can measure the real-time oxygen content; hence, this method is promising in controlling the oxygen content in alloys. As the temperature increased, both the equilibrium oxygen content and the rate of oxygen absorption increased significantly, and the increase was the most obvious when the temperature was 1873 K. The possible reason is that the increase in temperature weakens the mass transfer resistance of the electric double layer at the interface, thus accelerating the oxygen transfer rate.

A millimeter-wave near-field-focused (NFF) full 2-D frequency-scanning antenna array is presented in this article. The proposed antenna is achieved by combining an NFF ridged-waveguide slot array with a double-layer folded focused progressive feeding network. The linear ridged-waveguide slot array antenna is designed with a height-modulated ridge to focus on the power in one direction. The folded feeding line with different length is used to generate the desired focused phase and frequency-dependent progressive phase shift in the other direction. In this case, as the working frequency is swept in the considered range, the inherent frequency-dependent behavior of the linear NFF leaky-wave antenna (LWA) allows a single-scanning sweep in one direction, whereas the focused progressive feeding network ensures multiple-scanning sweeps in the other direction. A full 2-D electronic scanning with no coverage blindness in the scanning area is achieved. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed NFF antenna array is the first design to achieve the full 2-D scanning focus in the near-field (NF) region only by sweeping the frequency, which means that the testing information in the NF region can be directly obtained with a certain band of frequency. This type of antenna is a good candidate in NF fast-scanning applications, e.g., electromagnetic imaging/detecting systems.

To establish the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay for the detection of NPM1 type A mutation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and to evaluate its specificity, sensitivity and its value in clinical application.NPM1 mutant and wildtype plasmids were used to verify the performance of ddPCR. Both ddPCR and Sanger sequencing were used to detect the bone marrow samples of 87 AML patients, which were confirmed by next generation sequencing (NGS). Moreover, NPM1 mutation burden was dynamically monitored in five patients by ddPCR.The limit of blank (LOB) of ddPCR established for NPM1 mutation detection was 1.1 copies/μl, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 2.43 copies/μl, which had good linearity. Among the 87 newly diagnosed AML patients, ddPCR identified seventeen cases positive for NPM1 mutation (19.5%)， which was consistent with Sanger sequencing. NGS confirmed 12 positive cases, including 8 of type A mutations, 2 of type D mutations, and 2 of rare type mutations. The results of dynamic monitoring of NPM1 mutation burden in 5 patients showed that the NPM1 mutation burden decreased obviously even close to 0, when patients achieve complete remission after chemotherapy. However, the mutation burden was increased again at the time of relapse.In this study, we established a ddPCR method for detection of NPM1 mutation with good sensitivity and repeatability, which can be used for screening NPM1 mutation in newly diagnosed AML patients and for minimal residual disease monitoring after remission in positive AML patients to guide treatment.微滴式数字PCR检测急性髓系白血病NPM1基因突变及其临床应用价值.建立微滴式数字PCR（ddPCR）检测急性髓系白血病（AML）患者NPM1基因A型突变的方法，评价该方法的特异性、灵敏度及其临床应用价值.使用NPM1突变型及野生型质粒对该方法进行性能验证；ddPCR及Sanger测序法检测87例初诊AML患者骨髓标本，用二代测序验证；ddPCR动态监测5例NPM1 A型突变患者化疗后突变负荷水平.检测NPM1基因A型突变的ddPCR方法，空白限（LOB）为1.1拷贝/微升，最低检测下限（LOD）为2.43拷贝/微升，且线性良好；ddPCR及Sanger测序法检测87例初诊标本NPM1突变结果完全一致，阳性17例（19.5%）；二代测序验证12例突变阳性样本，结果显示，NPM1 A型突变8例、D型突变2例、罕见型突变2例。5例患者NPM1突变水平动态监测结果显示，化疗达完全缓解时NPM1突变水平明显下降甚至接近于0，但复发时再次明显增高.本研究建立了一个检测NPM1突变的ddPCR方法，具有良好的灵敏度和重复性，可用于AML初诊患者的NPM1突变筛选和阳性患者的缓解后微小残留病监测以指导治疗.

A W-band decoupling structure sandwiched between a pair of high-gain step-profiled horn array antennas using the silicon micromachining technology is proposed. To suppress the surface wave, 18 choke slots with a depth of one quarter wavelength at 94 GHz are arranged in a triangular-grid array and the isolation can be averagely improved by about 7 dB with a range of 2–20 dB. This decoupling structure and two W-band coplanar array antennas are fashioned and fully integrated together by the silicon micromachining technique. Five 400 μ m thick and one 650 μ m thick silicon wafers are utilized and the total thickness of the antennas is 2.65 mm. Thanks to this technology, light weight, compact size, and high integration of the decoupling structure and array antennas can also be achieved. Additionally, the two array antennas share a common ground plane within a small edge-to-edge spacing of 6.05 mm where TM surface waves exist. Experimental studies validate the performance of the proposed triangular-grid choke slot array.

A wideband air-filled plate array antenna with multistage impedance matching operated in $D$ -band is proposed in this article. To achieve the wide bandwidth, three stages of impedance matching are introduced in the $2\times 2$ subarray, including the step-profiled horn element, the step-profiled power divider cavity with two resonant points, and a modified E-plane bend transition. The integrated step-profiled horn with simple configuration can realize broadband matching. Wideband T-junctions are combined together to form a corporate feeding network. Essential matching pins are introduced to break through the upper bandwidth restriction of the feeding network. In addition, the square aperture shape of the horn element and the air-filled feeding structure contribute to the high radiation efficiency of the proposed array. To satisfy the fabrication tolerance, the MEMS micromachining technology with a high etching precision is utilized. The experimental results show a wide 1 dB down gain bandwidth of 23.54%. The maximum gain is 33.24 dBi and the peak efficiency is 70.91%.

Leukocyte immunoglobulin (Ig)-like receptor Bs (

Background Leukocyte immunoglobulin (Ig)-like receptor Bs (LILRBs), a family of type I transmembrane glycoproteins, are known to inhibit immune activation. Methods We comprehensively evaluated the transcriptional levels and prognostic significances of LILRB members in a broad spectrum of cancer types, focusing on its role in AML. In addition, we systematically characterized the genomic and immune landscape in AML patients with altered LILRBs expression. Results Here, we show that LILRBs were significantly dysregulated in a number of cancers, especially in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Clinically, high expression of LILRB1-LILRB4 predicted poor survival in six independent AML cohorts. Genetically, LILRB1 was associated with more mutational events than other LILRB members, and multiple genes involving in immune activation were deleted in LILRB1-high patients. Epigenetically, LILRB4 was significantly hypomethylated and marked by MLL-associated histone modifications in AML. Immunologically, LILRBs were positively associated with monocytic cells including M2 macrophages, but were negatively associated with tumor-suppressive CD8 T cells. Conclusions Our findings reveal critical immunological and clinical implications of LILRBs in AML, and indicate that LILRBs may represent promising targets for immunotherapy of AML.

BackgroundPapillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) concurrent with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) was associated with a better clinical prognosis. This study aimed to investigate a potential mRNA gene that affects the development of PTC, which helps PTC concurrent with HT patients have a better prognosis.Material/MethodsPTC data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. And the validation data of tissue specimens were collected from Guangzhou First People’s Hospital. The thyroid tissue sections were hybridized with deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 (DMBT1) probes by situ hybridization. Survival rates were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves, and the log-rank test was used to compare group survival rates. Prognosis clinicopathological factors were analyzed by Cox regression. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Gene and Genomic Encyclopedia (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). Finally, the correlation of deletion in DMBT1 expression with overall immune status, tumor purity, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene expression profile was analyzed.ResultsHT was significantly associated with sex, tumor foci, extrathyroidal extension (ETE), residual tumor, and tumor stage (T stage). Moreover, PTC concurrent with HT had a lower risk of recurrence versus non-HT groups. A total of 136 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) were identified between HT and non-HT groups. Among them, the expression level of DMBT1 in HT groups was statistically higher than that in non-HT groups. A significant association with ETE and recurrence was revealed in the high expression and the low expression of DMBT1. Furthermore, DMBT1 was an independent predictor of survival. The overall immune activity of high expression of DMBT1 was higher than that of the low-expression group.ConclusionsThe PTC patients with HT had better behavior features and prognosis than those with simple PTC. DMBT1 in PTC-HT patients was a potential possible factor that inhibits tumors. High expression of DMBT1 may improve PTC prognosis by immune-related pathways.

Background Accumulating studies have been made to understand the association between CXC chemokine ligand-12 (CXCL12)/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, large-scale data analysis of potential relationship between CXCL12 and AML remains insufficient. Methods We collected abundant CXCL12 expression data and AML samples from several publicly available datasets. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to quantify immune cell fractions and the online website of STRING was utilized for gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. The statistical analysis and graphical work were mainly performed via the R software. Results CXCL12 expression was extremely down-regulated in AML. Clinically, low CXCL12 expression was correlated with higher white blood cells (WBCs) (P < 0.0001), more blasts in bone marrow (BM) (P < 0.001) and peripheral blood (PB) (P < 0.0001), FLT3-internal tandem duplications (FLT3-ITD) (P = 0.010) and NPM1 mutations (P = 0.015). More importantly, reduced CXCL12 expression predicted worse overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in all AML, non-M3-AML, and cytogenetically normal (CN)-AML patients in three independent cohorts. As for immune cell infiltration, high CXCL12 expressed groups tended to harbor more memory B cells and plasma cells infiltration while low CXCL12 expressed groups exhibited more eosinophils infiltration. GO enrichment and KEGG pathways analysis revealed the potential biological progress the gene participating in. Conclusions CXCL12 is significantly down-regulated in AML and low CXCL12 expression is an independent and poor predictor of AML prognosis. CXCL12 expression level correlates with clinical and immune characteristics of AML, which could provide potential assistance for treatment. Prospective studies are needed to further validate the impact of CXCL12 expression before routine clinical application in AML.

A cold atomic gases system with parity-time (PT) symmetry is proposed to generate stable solitons. The Rydberg atomic gases and electromagnetically induced transparency are utilized in the interaction between the transmission of signals and atomic lattices. Two kinds of two-dimensional (2D) multipole solitons (MSs), two pole and four pole solitons, are found in this cold atomic system. We investigate the existence conditions and the stability of these solitons. The results show that these solitons can stably propagate in this system, and can be manipulated by the system parameters of nonlocal nonlinearity and PT potential.

The Condensate and Feedwater System of the Chinshan BWR units is used to provide reliable and high-quality water to maintain the reactor water level during operation. If a Loss of Feedwater Heating (LFWH) event occurs, the core inlet subcooling increases and then induces corresponding power excursion and the reactor pressure rise. In the Chinshan Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), a loss of the feedwater temperature of 55.6°C (100°F) is conservatively assumed in the event. This study analyzes the integral reactor system response with RETRAN. Furthermore, a partial vessel model (PVM) of CFD is used to acquire the conditions of the fuel channel inlet to compensate the weakness of the RETRAN system model to generate detailed thermal-hydraulic conditions. The evaluation shows that the feedwater temperature drop is about 40°C which is lower than the FSAR value. In addition, the sensitivity study shows that the hot channel method underestimates the ΔCPR about 0.025, and there is no direct relation between ΔCPR and either of inlet subcooling or power fraction in transient, which is quite different from the conclusion of the hot channel method. Finally, the sensitivity study also proves the ΔT of 55.6°C (100°F) used in FSAR analysis conservative enough to cover the worst channel with a margin of 0.015 in ΔCPR.

Background Accumulating studies have been made to understand the association between CXC chemokine ligand-12 (CXCL12)/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, large-scale data analysis of potential relationship between CXCL12 and AML remains insufficient. Methods We collected abundant CXCL12 expression data and AML samples from several publicly available datasets. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to quantify immune cell fractions and the online website of STRING was utilized for gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. The statistical analysis and graphical work were mainly performed via the R software. Results CXCL12 expression was extremely down-regulated in AML. Clinically, low CXCL12 expression was correlated with higher white blood cells (WBCs) (P < 0.0001), more blasts in bone marrow (BM) (P < 0.001) and peripheral blood (PB) (P < 0.0001), FLT3-internal tandem duplications (FLT3-ITD) (P = 0.010) and NPM1 mutations (P = 0.015). More importantly, reduced CXCL12 expression predicted worse overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in all AML, non-M3-AML, and cytogenetically normal (CN)-AML patients in three independent cohorts. As for immune cell infiltration, high CXCL12 expressed groups tended to harbor more memory B cells and plasma cells infiltration while low CXCL12 expressed groups exhibited more eosinophils infiltration. GO enrichment and KEGG pathways analysis revealed the potential biological progress the gene participating in. Conclusions CXCL12 is significantly down-regulated in AML and low CXCL12 expression is an independent and poor predictor of AML prognosis. CXCL12 expression level correlates with clinical and immune characteristics of AML, which could provide potential assistance for treatment. Prospective studies are needed to further validate the impact of CXCL12 expression before routine clinical application in AML.

BACKGROUND Asthma accounts for 0.4% of all deaths worldwide, a figure that increases annually. Ketamine induces bronchial smooth muscle relaxation, and increasing evidence suggests that its anti-inflammatory properties might protect against lung injury and ameliorate asthma. However, there is a lack of evidence of the usefulness and mechanism of ketamine in acute asthma exacerbation. This study aimed to analyze the therapeutic effects and mechanism of action of ketamine on acute ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine asthma. MATERIAL AND METHODS In vivo, BALB/c mice with OVA-induced asthma were treated with or without ketamine (25 or 50 mg/mL). Serum, lung sections, and mononuclear cell suspensions from the lung were collected for histological, morphometric, immunofluorescence, microRNA, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, regulatory T cell identification, cytokine, and Western blotting analyses. In vitro, bronchial epithelial cells were cultured to analyze the effect and mechanism of ketamine on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling. RESULTS The inhalation of ketamine 25 or 50 mg/mL markedly suppressed OVA-induced airway hyper-responsiveness and airway inflammation, significantly increased the percentage of CD4+CD25+ T cells, and significantly decreased OVA-induced up-regulation of TGF-β1 and the EMT. MiR-106a was present at higher amounts in OVA-induced lung samples and was suppressed by ketamine treatment. The in vitro results showed that TGF-β1-induced EMT was suppressed by ketamine via miR-106a level regulation. CONCLUSIONS Ketamine ameliorates lung fibrosis in OVA-induced asthmatic mice by suppressing EMT and regulating miR-106a level, while ketamine inhalation might be a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of allergic asthma.

The efficacy of a low-protein diet (LPD) on diabetic nephropathy is controversial. We aimed to investigate the renoprotective effects of an LPD and the underlying molecular mechanism in a rat model of type 2 diabetes and obesity.Diabetic male Wistar fatty (fa/fa) rats (WFRs) were treated with a standard diet (23.84% protein) or an LPD (5.77% protein) for 20 weeks from 24 weeks of age. We investigated the effect of the LPD on renal function, fibrosis, tubular cell damage, inflammation, mitochondrial morphology of proximal tubular cells (PTCs), apoptosis, autophagy and activation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1).Kidney weight, albuminuria, excretion of urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein, levels of plasma cystatin C and changes in renal histology, including fibrosis, tubular cell damage and inflammation, were aggravated in WFRs compared with non-diabetic Wistar lean rats (WLRs). Fragmented and swelling mitochondria accumulated in PTCs and apoptosis were enhanced in the kidney of WFRs. Immunohistochemical staining of p62 and p-S6 ribosomal protein (p-S6RP) in the tubular lesions of WFRs was increased compared with WLRs. The LPD intervention clearly ameliorated damage as shown by the assessment of renal function and histology, particularly tubulointerstitial damage in diabetic kidneys. Additionally, the 5.77% LPD, but not the 11.46% LPD, significantly suppressed p-S6RP levels and increased microtubule-associated protein light chain 3-II levels in the renal cortex. The LPD intervention partially decreased HbA1c levels in WFRs, and no differences in mean BP were observed among any of the groups.A very-low-protein diet improved advanced diabetic renal injuries, including tubulointerstitial damage, by restoring autophagy through the suppression of the mTORC1 pathway.

A W-band planar array antenna with high efficiency and wide impedance bandwidth using MEMS micromachining technology is designed and fabricated in this paper. The MEMS fabrication process of selectively etching and gold plating is employed to fabricate the precise structure with the similar property of the hollow waveguide. To satisfy the requirement of maximum thickness, the reduced-height waveguide is applied to design an H-plane equal-amplitude and in-phase power divider with the perturbed and septum structure to enhance its impedance bandwidth. A $\pmb{2}\times \pmb{2}$ -element sub-array is utilized to facilitate the layout of the feeding network in the lower layer. The wide-band-stepped horn is employed as the radiating element. Its simple configuration can guarantee good performance. Finally, an $\mathbf{8}\times \mathbf{8}$ array antenna is fabricated by the MEMS micromachining technology and measured. The total thickness is 2.65 mm, which is less than one free space wavelength. Measurement results indicate that the impedance bandwidth for $\vert \mathbf{S}_{11}\vert is 21.28%. The minimal gain can be up to 23.36 dBi within the whole operating frequency band. Total antenna efficiency is up to 75% covering the range from 86.5 GHz to 104 GHz.

A nanocomposite film of polyaniline blend poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)/multiwall CNT (PANI-PSS/MWCNT) and poly(diallydimethyl ammonium chloride)/multiwall CNT (PDADMAC/MWCNT) has been prepared as a highly-efficient catalytic material for the counter electrode (CE) of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The as-prepared CE is constructed by a nanoscale method of layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly based on the electrostatic interactions between negatively (PANI-PSS/MWCNT) and positively (PDADMAC/MWCNT) charged nanoparticles. The (CNT−/CNT+)4 multilayer CE displayed remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic activities toward the reduction reaction and low charge-transfer resistance (Rct) of 0.3 Ω at the CE/electrolyte interface. The DSSC with (CNT−/CNT+)4 multilayer-CE showed the highest fill factor (0.71) and cell efficiency (9.13%) compared to our other electrodes.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common types of solid carcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy. Taxane plus a platinum derivative is a combination therapy that is predominantly used in the treatment of ovarian cancer in non-pregnant women. Pregnancy adds various complexities to a course of treatment. In pregnant patients diagnosed with cancer during the first trimester, the risks of fetal malformations and fetal loss increase following the administration of cytotoxic drugs, and this is higher with multi-agent vs. single-agent chemotherapy (~ 25 vs. 10%). Exposure during the second and third trimester has little influence on teratogenic effects but increases the risk of intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, low birth weight, and bone marrow toxicity. The present study aimed to review the maternal and fetal safety of treatment with taxane plus platinum derivatives for ovarian cancer during pregnancy. Relevant literature was retrieved from the Embase and PubMed databases using the search terms "ovarian cancer", "pregnancy", "taxane", "paclitaxel", "docetaxel", "platinum", "cisplatin", and "carboplatin". All available data up until September 2016 was synthesized, with no language restrictions. A total of 11 articles (including 13 pregnancies and 14 newborns) were retrieved that reported on the use of standard-dose taxane and platinum chemotherapy, including 9 cases treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin, 3 cases treated with paclitaxel and cisplatin, and 1 case treated with docetaxel and cisplatin. In 13 of the 14 (92.9%) births included, a healthy neonate was born, with follow-up ranging from 2 to 160 months. The average weight of the neonates at the time of delivery was 2,442.1 g. In 7 of 9 the case reports that provided survival data, the mother was alive and disease-free at the end of follow-up (ranging from 2 to 40 months). In conclusion, combination therapy with taxanes and a platinum derivative may play a significant role in the management of pregnant patients with ovarian cancer during the second and third trimester. Exposure to this combination of agents during the second and third trimester does not appear to have a significant bearing on fetal mortality and abortion. .

DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box helicase 5 (DDX5) is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase that is overexpressed in various malignancies. Increasing evidence suggests that DDX5 participates in carcinogenesis and cancer progression via promoting cell proliferation and metastasis. However, the functional role of DDX5 in gastric cancer is largely unknown. In this study, we observed that DDX5 was significantly up-regulated in gastric cancer tissues compared with the paired adjacent normal tissues. The expression of DDX5 correlated strongly with Ki67 index and pathological stage of gastric cancer. In vitro and in vivo studies suggested that knockdown of DDX5 inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation, colony formation and xenografts growth, whereas ectopic expression of DDX5 promoted these cellular functions. Mechanically, DDX5 induced gastric cancer cell growth by activating mTOR/S6K1. Treatment of everolimus, the specific mTOR inhibitor, significantly attenuated DDX5-mediated cell proliferation. Interestingly, the expression of DDX5 and p-mTOR in gastric cancer tissues demonstrated a positive correlation. Taken together, these results revealed a novel role of DDX5 in gastric cancer cell proliferation via the mTOR pathway. Therefore, DDX5 may serve as a therapeutic target in gastric cancer.

S-layer proteins (Slps) are crystalline arrays of protein on bacterial cell surface layers. Owning to their capability to reassemble on the surface of lipid layers, Slps have been employed to modify liposomes for various profits. But the interaction information between Slps and positively charged liposomes are destitute, especially the gastrointestinal adhesion of Slps-coating liposomes is rarely reported. In the present work, the Slps extracted from Lactobacillus helveticus were reassembled on the surface of novel positively charged liposomes composed of soybean lecithin, Eudragit®RL100 and cholesterol. The particle size and remarkable changes of Zeta potential with various Slps/lipid weight ratios were determined by dynamic light scattering and phase analysis light scattering. Significant difference in fluorescence dequenching percentage of liposomes decorated by ODA-FITC confirmed Slps self-reassemble on the surface of liposomes. A higher integrity of vesicular membrane after the addition of Triton X-100 solution demonstrated the stability enhancement of Slps-coating liposomes. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy illustrated the interaction came from non-covalent bond. The mucoadhesion of Slps-coating liposomes was evaluated by the resident FITC-LP on the gastric and intestinal tract of mice at 7h and 12h after intragastrical administration, which proved that the Slps-coating improved the gastrointestinal adhesion significantly.

To investigate the toxic effect of oscillating high glucose (OHG) versus persistent high glucose (PHG) in inducing oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) in vitro.HCAECs were incubated for 72 h continuously in normal glucose (5.5 mmol/L glucose), PHG (25 mmol/L glucose), OHG (5.5 mmol and 25 glucose mmol/L alternating every 6 h) and mannitol, respectively. Cellular viability, concentration of oxidative stress biomarkers (MDA and GSH) in the supernatants of cell culture, and intracellular ROS level were quantitated after exposure to different concentrations of glucose for a total 72 h. Apoptosis of HCAECs cultured with various glucose levels was evaluated by annexin V-FITC and PI staining followed by analysis with flow cytometry. The expressions of HO-1 and Nrf2 were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blotting at the end of the experiment.HCAECs cultured with PHG showed decreased cellular viability compared to those with normal level of glucose (p0.05). The decrease was more pronounced under OHG condition (p0.05). Cellular oxidative stress was provoked in HCAECs exposed to PHG with marked increased MDA level, reduced GSH concentration and elevated ROS production (p0.05). The stress was further amplified in the setting of OHG (p0.05). The cellular apoptosis was enhanced by culturing with PHG, and to a greater extent when incubated with OHG. Both expressions of HO-1 and Nrf2 were suppressed in HCAECs in persistent hyperglycemia condition, while the inhibition was more intense in the fluctuating hyperglycemia condition (p0.05).These findings indicate that OHG could be more detrimental to HCAECs than PHG. This is probably due to the enhancement of oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis induced by frequent glucose swings through the inhibition of Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Head-on collisions of magnetoacoustic solitary waves (MASWs) are studied in magnetized pair ion–electron plasma. The extended Poincaré–Lighthill–Kuo perturbation method is used to derive the Korteweg – de Vries equations for MASWs in this three-component plasma. The effects of the magnetic field intensity B0, the ratio of negative ions to positive ions number density δ, and the plasma number density on the phase shift are investigated. It is found that these parameters can significantly influence the phase shifts of colliding MASWs. The present investigation should be useful for understanding the propagation and interaction between two MASWs that may occur in pair ion plasmas with electron impurities.

This article presents the first study of the head-on collision of two ion-acoustic solitary waves (IASWs) in magnetized plasmas with nonextensive electrons and positrons using the extended Poincare-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) method. The effects of the ion gyro-frequency to ion plasma frequency ratio, the positron to ion number density ratio, the electrons temperature to positrons temperature ratio, and the nonextensive parameter q on the phase shifts are investigated. It is shown that these factors significantly modify the phase shifts.

Yun-Chun Zhao,1 Li Zhang,2 Shi-Sen Feng,3 Lu Hong,3 Hai-Li Zheng,3 Li-Li Chen,4 Xiao-Ling Zheng,1 Yi-Qing Ye,1 Meng-Dan Zhao,1 Wen-Xi Wang,3 Cai-Hong Zheng1 1Pharmacy Department, Women’s Hospital, 2Pharmacy Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmaceutic Preparation, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 4Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China Abstract: A novel cationic cholesterol derivative-based small interfering RNA (siRNA) interference strategy was suggested to inhibit Notch1 activation in SKOV3 cells for the gene therapy of ovarian cancer. The cationic cholesterol derivative, N-(cholesterylhemisuccinoyl-amino-3-propyl)-N, N-dimethylamine (DMAPA-chems) liposome, was incubated with siRNA at different nitrogen-to-phosphate ratios to form stabilized, near-spherical siRNA/DMAPA-chems nanoparticles with sizes of 100–200 nm and zeta potentials of 40–50 mV. The siRNA/DMAPA-chems nanoparticles protected siRNA from nuclease degradation in 25% fetal bovine serum. The nanoparticles exhibited high cell uptake and Notch1 gene knockdown efficiency in SKOV3 cells at an nitrogen-to-phosphate ratio of 100 and an siRNA concentration of 50 nM. They also inhibited the growth and promoted the apoptosis of SKOV3 cells. These results may provide the potential for using cationic cholesterol derivatives as efficient nonviral siRNA carriers for the suppression of Notch1 activation in ovarian cancer cells. Keywords: siRNA, cationic cholesterol derivative, Notch1, ovarian cancer cells

The head-on collision of dust magnetoacoustic solitary waves (DMASWs) is studied in magnetized electron–ion–dust plasma. The extended Poincaré–Lighthill–Kuo perturbation method is used to derive the Korteweg de Vries equations for DMASWs in this three-component plasma. The effects of the magnetic field intensityB0, the number of electrons residing on dust surfaceZd, the ratio of electron to dust number density δ, the ratio of electron to ion temperature σ, and the ratio of dust acoustic velocity to dust Alfvén velocity β on the phase shift are investigated. It is found that these parameters can significantly influence the phase shifts of colliding DMASWs. The present investigation may be beneficial to understand the interaction between two DMASWs that may occur in plasma with dust impurities situations.

Nonlinear properties of magnetoacoustic waves are investigated in magnetized pair-ion plasmas with dust impurity. Three-fluid collisionless magneto-hydrodynamic model is considered and reductive perturbation method is employed to derive Korteweg-de Vries equation for magnetoacoustic solitary waves (MASWs). The effects of the charge number of dust particles, magnetic field intensity, and plasma number density are studied on MASWs. It is found that the variation of parameters causes significant changes in solitary structures. The present investigation may be useful to understand formation and propagation of MASW structures in dust pair-ion plasmas.

This article presents the first study of the head-on collision between two magnetoacoustic solitary waves (MASWs) in magnetized quantum plasma consisting of electrons, positrons, and ions, using the extended Poincare-Lighthill-Kou (PLK) method. The effects of the magnetic field intensity, the positron to ion number density ratio, the quantum parameter, the Fermi temperature ratio, and plasma number density on the solitary wave collisions are investigated. It is shown that these factors significantly modify the phase shift.

Fluctuating hyperglycemia exerts a more deleterious effect than constant hyperglycemia on cardiovascular outcome in diabetic patients. We investigated the inflammatory responses of human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) to constant and periodic high glucose in vitro.HCAECs were incubated for 72 h continuously either in normal glucose (5.5 mmol/L), constant high glucose (25 mmol/L glucose), periodic high glucose (5.5 and 25 mmol/L glucose alternating every 6 h) or mannitol.Concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 in the supernatants of cell culture were measured using ELISA kits. The mRNAs of IL-6, TNF-α and ICAM-1 were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR.Periodic high glucose caused a more intense inflammatory response than normal glucose and constant high glucose in HCAECs, with a marked increase in IL-6, TNF-α and ICAM-1 in supernatants of cell culture (P0.05). The concentrations of the three pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNAs were higher in cells exposed to periodic high glucose than those exposed to constant high glucose and normal glucose (P0.05).In cultured HCAECs, periodic high glucose evoked a more intense inflammatory response than constant high glucose.

The microstructures have been investigated in steel plates with different rolling processes to find the reasons of yield ratio overseted standard in few high strength building steel plates produced in Echeng Iron and Steel Corporation. The effects of rolling path, rolling path depress ratio on microstructure and properties. Some reasons of yield ratio overseted standard have been analyzed. The results show that decreasing rolling paths and increasing depress ratio refined grains but unchanged area ratio and interlamellar spacing of pearlite. Yield strength excessively increased but tensile strength unchanged increased yield ratio. So, excellent properties can be obtained by applying the optimization process.

The effects of controlled rolling and controlled cooling parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 550MPa grade engineering mechanism steel were investigated in the industrial trial conditions. The results show that the mechanical properties of 550MPa grade engineering mechanism steel are obviously improved by controlling finishing rolling temperature ranged from 780°Cto 850°C, and by using accelerate cooling after rolling, ferrite grains are refined markedly of the steel which possess excellent strength and toughness behaviors.

A drug-cyclodextrin complex in liposome system was prepared in order to make a comparison with conventional risperidone-loaded liposome. Thin film hydration, reverse phase evaporation and ethanol injection methods were taken as preparation means to obtain the two types of liposome. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate the thermal characters of inclusion complexes and morphology of liposome, respectively. Particle size, zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency were studied by light scattering analysis and ultrafiltration. In vitro release was carried out in the pH 7.4 phosphate buffer solution and samples were collected at the certain time. As a result, drug-cyclodextrin complex in liposome prepared by various methods displayed lower encapsulation efficiency than conventional liposome. However, size was larger and its stability was better than the latter. The second release phase of novel delivery system was slightly slower after initial burst release at the first phase, while the conventional liposome displayed a more regular trait. Thus, the novel liposome have potential to be developed as co-administration formulation with long-acting injection.

The purpose of this paper is to study the convergence of the Ishikawa and Mann iterative sequences with mixed errors to approximate solutions of nonlinear operator equations with perturbed m-accretive mappings in arbitrary Banach spaces. The results presented in this paper extend and improve some recent results in Jung and Morales [Nonlinear Anal. TMA 46 (2001) 231–243], Jung et al. [Applied Math. Comput. 133 (2002) 389–406] and Kartsatos and Liu [Nonlinear Anal. TMA 24 (1995) 469–492].

Objective: To investigate the effects of ligustrazine (Li) on myocardial fibrosis in rats with pressure overload.Methods: Pressure overload rat models were established by constricting the abdominal aorta. Sixty-three SD rats were divided into 3 groups: Sham operated group (SOG, n = 21), operated group (OG,n = 21) and operated combined with ligustrazine group (OG+Li,n = 21). Each group was randomly assigned to seven time points: The 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 14th, 21st and 30th day after operation. Three rats were included in each time point. Serial sections of cardiac tissues were examined and the morphological or morphometric analysis of the SOG, OG and OG+Li done by histopathological and computer image analyzer technique.Results: (1) It showed that there were reactive fibrosis (from the 4th day on after operation) and reparative fibrosis (from the 21st day on after operation) in the OG, while myocardial fibrosis in the OG+Li was alleviated. Though reactive fibrosis (from the 21st day on after operation) was shown, reparative fibrosis wasn’t seen. (2) Perivascular collagen area (PVCA) in the OG (2. 09 ± 0. 45) was significantly higher than SOG (0.83 ± 0.06) from the 1st day on after operation and then steadily increased, while in the OG+Li (1.16 ± 0.06), it was significantly lower than OG at the same time; collagen volume fraction (CVF) in the OG (3.08 ± 0. 56) significantly increased compared with the SOG (2. 78 ± 0. 64) from the 2nd day on after operation and showed a trend of rapid ascending from the 21st day on after operation; and in the OG + Li (4.69 ± 0.85), it was significantly decreased compared with the OG (7.56 ± 0.88) from the 21st day on after operation, with allP

CHF is a common cardiovascular complication, and also is a result of all kinds of cardiopathies. Common cardiotonic and diuretic treatment don’t have a good effect and patients could easily get digitalism because of poor tolerance of digitalis. Recently, good curative effects have been achieved by the therapy of integrative Chinese and western medicine. Especially in recent few years, Chinese medicine has reached a fairly depth and achieved positive results in studying CHF with the raising level of medical research. Even so, because of lacking n a great many controlled observation, further research of the effect on CHF with Chinese medicine is remained to be studied from biochemical and biomolecular level, or from clinical practice.

Background. Myocardial bridging (MB), a common benign coronary anomaly, may bring about some unwanted complications such as angina-like chest pain. The only way of MB detection is coronary arteriography or coronary computed tomographic angiography, which is costly and invasive. This study intended to profile a panel of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of MB. Methods. Using TaqMan Low-Density Array followed by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) validation, we analyzed the expression of miRNAs in serum samples from 90 MB patients and 50 non-MB controls. Results. The Low-Density Array data showed that 196 miRNAs were differentially expressed in MB patient sera in comparison with controls. After qRT-PCR validation and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, a list of five miRNAs (miR-29b, miR-151-3p, miR-126, miR-503-3p and miR-645) showed the ability to distinguish MB patients from controls. The area under curve (AUC) values range from 0.722–0.938. Conclusions. We have demonstrated that this panel of five serum miRNAs is expected to become potential non-invasive biomarkers for detection of MB.

A Comment on the Letter by P. K. Shukla and K. Avinash, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 135002 (2011).

Background Coronary atherosclerosis, the most common form of coronary artery disease (CAD), is characterized by accumulation of lipid in the walls of coronary arteries. Recent data from clinical trials have showed that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has causal role in the pathogenesis and development of coronary atherosclerosis. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is an important regulator of plasma HDL-C. Several genetic mutations in the CETP gene were found to be associated with HDL-C levels. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the association of HDL-C-related CETP polymorphisms and risk of coronary atherosclerosis. Methods We investigated the association of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (rs1800775, rs708272, rs5882, rs1532624, rs1864163, rs7499892, and rs9989419) in the CETP gene with the risk of coronary atherosclerosis and levels of HDL-C in a case–control study in China. Included in the study were 420 patients with coronary atherosclerosis and 424 healthy controls. SNP genotyping was performed by TaqMan allelic discrimination assay and serum lipid levels were measured by standard laboratory methods. Results Carriers of the AA and GA + AA genotypes of rs708272 had significant lower risks of coronary atherosclerosis (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.36-0.85, p = 0.003; OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.50-0.90, p = 0.007, respectively) compared to those with GG genotype. These relations remained significant after adjustment for confounding effects of age, smoking, diabetes and hypertension. The rs1800775 polymorphism was significantly associated with serum levels of HDL-C in healthy controls (p = 0.04). Besides, rs708272 was in close linkage disequilibrium (LD) with rs1800775 in this study. Conclusions Our findings indicated that CETP rs708272 may be associated with the risk of coronary atherosclerosis and rs1800775 may influence serum HDL-C levels in healthy controls in Chinese.

To predict the difficulty of testing a wire stuck-at fault, testability analysis algorithms provide an estimated testability value by computing controllability and observability. In most common previous work such as COP and SCOAP, signal correlation between controllability and observability is not well handled. As a result, the estimated values can be quite inaccurate, On the other hand, some previous work can take into account signal correlation but may require more CPU time. This paper discusses an efficient method for testability analysis improvement. Our algorithm starts with results obtained from conventional testability analysis such as COP. For each stuck- at fault, we gradually refine these results by recursively applying some simple signal correlation rules. Experimental results show that, with reasonable run-time overhead, significant improvement for testability analysis can be achieved.

Purpose: This study was to investigate whether high pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) volume is related to the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Consecutive patients (310 patients) who underwent both dual-source 64-slice CT and percutaneous coronary angiography were recruited into this study. Waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), blood biochemical variables, coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and Gensini score were measured. Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) volume was determined by dual-source CT. Results: PAT volume was positively correlated with BMI, WC, gender (male), hypertension, diabetes, age, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. PAT volume in CAD patients was significantly higher than that in patients without CAD (238.36 ± 81.21 cm3 vs. 200.13±72.34 cm3). PAT volumes in patients with multi-vessel lesions were significantly higher than those with one-vessel lesions (P < 0.001). A significant correlation between PAT volume and CAC score (r=0.305, P < 0.001) was found. PAT volume was an independent factor affecting Gensini score. Conclusion: PAT volume was significantly correlated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the severity of coronary atherosclerosis and the number of stenotic coronary vessels. Thus, PAT volume may be a reliable marker to evaluate the presence and severity of CAD.

Objective: To describe a case with acute myocardial infarction caused by gastric carcinoma-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: A 79-year-old man was admitted with abdominal pain and pyrexia. He later developed cardiac complications and microangiopathy that indicated worsening progression. Manifold evidence confirmed the diagnosis of myocardial infarction caused by thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. The patient was treated mainly with plasma transfusion incorporated with steroids. Conclusion: This case should remind physicians to consider microangiopathy as a differential diagnosis in patients with unexplained cardiac symptoms or atypical presentation. Early diagnosis and treatment are helpful in decreasing the sequelae of this syndrome.

The mechanism of the interaction of singlet excited dibenzoyl(methanato)boron difluoride (*DBMBF2 = *A) with olefins and substituted benzenes (SB) was investigated by the determination of effective quenching distances (Reff) from fluorescence monitors in acetonitrile as analyzed by the Smoluchowski−Collins−Kimball equation and by solvent effects on the dichotomy of the formation of cycloadducts and [4 + 2] dimers from 1,3-cyclohexadiene (CHD) and 1,3-cyclooctadiene (1,3-COD). The correlation of Reff with directly demonstrates that the reactants have to get closer to affect electron transfer from these substrates as the driving force become more positive and coalesce on exciplexes. Both photophysical and photochemical probes converge on the partition of encounter pairs to the SSRIP (the ket pathway which leads to radical ion reactions and nonfluorescent) and exciplexes (the kex pathway which leads to cycloadducts and fluorescent species); the former pathway was promoted by low redox energies of donor−accep...

The photolysis of dibenzoylmethanatoboron difluoride (DBMBF2) in the presence of vinyl ethers in acetonitrile gave dimers of the latter from acid catalysis or electron transfer sensitization, but, it contrast, gave cycloaddition products in an efficient reaction in less polar solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) and benzene.

Suicide attempts constitute a serious clinical problem. People who have attempted suicide are at an elevated risk for additional suicide attempts, but there is limited evidence regarding the predictors of suicidality of suicide attempters following case management services. In the present study the indicators of suicidality after case management were examined. A total of 1,056 subjects who had recently attempted suicide were recruited from January 1, 2011, to June 30, 2011. The suicide prevention center of Kaohsiung City in Taiwan provided case management services and followed up on suicide attempt cases for 6 months. The salient factors for repeat suicide attempts were estimated using a logistic regression analysis. The results showed that multiple factors, including a "willingness to receive mental health services during a crisis," "social support," "a history of mental disorders," and "a history of suicide," could predict repeat suicide attempts with hazard ratios (0.58, 0.54, 3.84, 1.51) and 95% confidence interval (0.39-0.86, 0.36-0.83, 2.41-6.10, 1.03-2.21). The four factors mentioned above were the most accurate predictors of subsequent suicidality when case management services were utilized after 6 months of follow-up. The findings of our study could help clarify future strategies for suicide prevention. Language: en

Background Suicide attempts constitute a serious clinical problem and have important implications for healthcare resources. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of case management using crisis postcards over a 6-month follow-up period. Method A randomised controlled trial was conducted in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Prevention of further suicide attempts was compared between two groups with and without the postcard intervention. The intervention group consisted of 373 participants (139 males, 234 females; age: 39.8 ± 14.0 yrs.). The control group consisted of 388 participants (113 males, 275 females; age: 40.0 ± 16.0 yrs.). A survival analysis was used to test the effectiveness of the crisis postcard intervention for the prevention of suicide reattempts. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat analyses were conducted. Results The intention-to-treat analysis indicated that the crisis postcard had no effect (hazard ratio = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.56 – 1.29), whereas the per-protocol analysis showed a strong benefit for the crisis postcard (hazard ratio = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.21 – 0.72). Conclusion Although the results of the present study indicated that the postcard intervention did not reduce subsequent suicide behaviour, our study provides an alteration to the postcard intervention. Further studies need to be conducted to clarify whether this type of intervention can reduce subsequent suicidal behaviour, with a particular focus on reducing the rate of loss to follow-up.