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This study aimed to compare the predictive value of six selected anthropometric indicators for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Males over 50 years of age who underwent health examinations at the Health Management Center of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (Changsha, China) from June to December 2020 were enrolled in this study. The characteristic data were collected, including basic anthropometric indices, lipid parameters, six anthropometric indicators, prostate-specific antigen, and total prostate volume. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for all anthropometric parameters and BPH were calculated using binary logistic regression. To assess the diagnostic capability of each indicator for BPH and identify the appropriate cutoff values, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the related areas under the curves (AUCs) were utilized. All six indicators had diagnostic value for BPH (all P ≤ 0.001). The visceral adiposity index (VAI; AUC: 0.797, 95% CI: 0.759–0.834) had the highest AUC and therefore the highest diagnostic value. This was followed by the cardiometabolic index (CMI; AUC: 0.792, 95% CI: 0.753–0.831), lipid accumulation product (LAP; AUC: 0.766, 95% CI: 0.723–0.809), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR; AUC: 0.660, 95% CI: 0.609–0.712), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR; AUC: 0.639, 95% CI: 0.587–0.691), and body mass index (BMI; AUC: 0.592, 95% CI: 0.540–0.643). The sensitivity of CMI was the highest (92.1%), and WHtR had the highest specificity of 94.1%. CMI consistently showed the highest OR in the binary logistic regression analysis. BMI, WHtR, WHR, VAI, CMI, and LAP all influence the occurrence of BPH in middle-aged and older men (all P ≤ 0.001), and CMI is the best predictor of BPH.

The jasmonate ZIM domain (JAZ) protein belongs to the TIFY ((TIF[F/Y]XG) domain protein) family, which is composed of several plant-specific proteins that play important roles in plant growth, development, and defense responses. However, the mechanism of the sorghum JAZ family in response to abiotic stress remains unclear. In the present study, a total of 17 JAZ genes were identified in sorghum using a Hidden Markov Model search. In addition, real-time quantification polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to analyze the gene expression patterns under abiotic stress. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis, the sorghum JAZ proteins were mainly divided into nine subfamilies. A promoter analysis revealed that the SbJAZ family contains diverse types of promoter cis-acting elements, indicating that JAZ proteins function in multiple pathways upon stress stimulation in plants. According to RT-qPCR, SbJAZ gene expression is tissue-specific. Additionally, under cold, hot, polyethylene glycol, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and gibberellin treatments, the expression patterns of SbJAZ genes were distinctly different, indicating that the expression of SbJAZ genes may be coordinated with different stresses. Furthermore, the overexpression of SbJAZ1 in Escherichia coli was found to promote the growth of recombinant cells under abiotic stresses, such as PEG 6000, NaCl, and 40°C treatments. Altogether, our findings help us to better understand the potential molecular mechanisms of the SbJAZ family in sorghum in response to abiotic stresses.

Objectives: This study aims to examine and explain the differences at city level in cumulative COVID-19 cases and time from first to last infection during the first 6 weeks of the epidemic in China. Methods: A quantitative study is conducted in China based on the multisource spatial data of 315 Chinese cities. Firstly, the spatial discrepancy of COVID-19 transmission was examined based on spatial autocorrelation analysis and hot pot analysis. Next, a comprehensive indicator framework was established by including a wide range of factors such as human mobility, geographical features, public health measures, and residents’ awareness. Finally, multivariate regression models using these variables were constructed to identify the determinants of COVID-19 transmission. Results: Significant spatial discrepancy of transmission was proved, and 10 determinants were identified. Conclusions: The transmission consequence (measured by the number of cumulative cases) was mostly correlated with the migration scale from Wuhan, followed by socioeconomic factors. Transmission duration (measured as the time from the first to last case within the city) was mostly determined by total migration scale and lockdown speed, which suggests that timely implementation of public health measures facilitated fast control of transmission. Residents’ attention to COVID-19 was proved to be not only helpful for reducing confirmed cases, but also in favor of rapid transmission control. Altitude produced slight but significant effect on transmission duration. These conclusions are expected to provide decision support for the local governments of China and other jurisdictions.

Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio are important for reservoir characterization and rock brittleness prediction in unconventional resource exploration and development. Conventional methods can estimate Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio by indirect calculations and direct inversion using approximate expressions, which have cumulative errors and limited accuracy of the estimated results, especially at large incident angles. In this study, we derived a new form of the Zoeppritz equation and P-to-P wave reflection coefficient in terms of density and Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio. It has the same accuracy as the original Zoeppritz equation over a wide range of incident angles. A robust non-linear inversion method based on the iteratively regularized Levenberg Marquardt (IRLM) algorithm, is used to invert all three parameters based on the new equation directly and simultaneously. Synthetic data and field data are used to test and verify the proposed direct inversion method, ensuring the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method and the high accuracy and stability of the inversion results. This study has a great potential and valuable guidance for “sweet spot” evaluation and subsequent horizontal well deployment and hydraulic fracturing.

Abstract Developing high‐quality electret layer is important for the fabrication of high‐performance nonvolatile organic field effect transistor memory devices (OFET‐NVMs). In this work, three representative aromatic diimide frameworks are employed for comparative studies as n‐type doping materials for the electret layers in OFET‐NVMs, which are naphthalene diimide (NDI), perylene diimide (PDI), and pyrene diimide (PyDI). When blended with polystyrene (PS) to prepare the electret layers, all the memory devices containing aromatic diimide dopants exhibited significantly improved performances compared with the undoped counterparts, indicating that low‐lying LUMO energy levels of these dopants are beneficial for charge injection. All the devices with n‐type dopants exhibited long retention times (more than 104 s) and good switching reliability in more than 400 continuous write‐read‐erase‐read cycles. Among them, the PyDI‐based memory device exhibited superior performance compared with other aromatic diimides, which achieved a memory window of 34.0 V, a trapping charge density of 1.98 × 1012 cm−2 along with an on/off ratio higher than 104. This work indicates that PyDI framework could be a new platform for the future design of n‐type dopant for high‐performance nonvolatile organic field‐effect transistor memory devices.

Accurate source event location is important in fracturing monitoring and characterization. Velocity anisotropy has a great influence on both events matching and events location. Failure to take into account the velocity anisotropy can lead to huge errors in locating events. In this article, we have presented an experimental study on lower Silurian shale from the Sichuan Basin. The experimental observations include ultrasonic measurements, acoustic emissions (AEs) in a three-point bend experiment, and CT scanning of the original sample and the fractured sample. The ultrasonic measurements show that the shale sample has strong velocity anisotropy. Initially, AEs are analyzed using the conventional event-matching method and event location method (Geiger’s method), and the detected events are compared to the X-ray image of the fracture. Event-matching aims to obtain AE signals from the same source event and thus assists in selecting valid AE signals that come from the same source and are received by at least four sensors, to determine the location of the source. Although many reliable signals are obtained by isotropic event-matching, fewer sources were located than expected, and the event location results did not match the fracture distribution. To address this problem, an improved event-matching method is proposed using a stricter matching threshold based on directional velocity rather than a single threshold same for all directions. In addition, we propose an improved Geiger’s method using the anisotropic velocity model. The new methods located more sources that better match fracture distribution than the results of the isotropic method. We have concluded that both event-matching and the source location of the fracturing are largely influenced by velocity anisotropy, and thus in practice, the velocity anisotropy information obtained from various measurements (e.g., laboratory measurements, well logs, VSP, and velocity analysis of reflected seismic surveys) should be involved in both processing procedures. This study can be useful to provide some background for monitoring and predicting dynamic geo-hazards in relation to the AE method.

Abstract Background Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) is an infrequent hematological malignancy with variable and often atypical presentations. The presence of dysproteinemia, autoantibodies and systemic involvement in AITL has often led to a delay in diagnosis or even misdiagnosis in practice. We herewith present a case of AITL that primarily presented with acute kidney injury associated with type II Cryoglobulinemia, the underlying cause was only identified 8 months after the emergence of initial symptoms. Case presentation A 67-year old woman presented with 2-month history of intermittent joint pain and a 3-day history of bilateral lower limb edema and acute kidney injury. Initial laboratory investigations showed marked hypocomplementemia with positive autoantibodies of ANA, anti-cardiolipin-IgM and direct antiglobulin. The serum and urinary Immunofixation and serum cryoglobulin tests were negative, while the serum free κ to λ light chain ratio was 0.231. A renal biopsy showed a diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis with intracapillary pseudothrombi formation. There were orderly arranged microtubular structures of 20–35 nm in diameter in the subendothelial and mesangial area on electron microscopy. Shortly afterwards, the patient developed tingling affecting her finger tips and weak hands and legs. A diagnosis of cryoglobulinemia complicated with cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis and polyneuropathy was made. She responded well to methylprednisolone, plasma exchange and rituximab. However, 3 months later, she presented with generalized pruritic rash, weight loss, and inguinal lymphadenopathy. A subsequent inguinal excisional lymph node biopsy at month 8 revealed AITL as the underlying disease. Conclusions AITL and its associated B cell dysregulation can give rise to autoimmunity and cryoglobulinemia which may conceal itself as the underlying disorder. In various clinical scenarios of auto-immune diseases, it is advisable that the clinicians should take into consideration the multi-faceted lymphoma.

Objectives: Older antimicrobials such as fosfomycin are being considered as alternative agents in the treatment of drug-resistant organisms. However, there are limited data on the usefulness of fosfomycin against carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of fosfomycin resistance and associated mechanisms in CRKP. Methods: A total of 99 clinical CRKP isolates were collected in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China) between January 2017 and June 2018. Fosfomycin susceptibility testing was performed by the agar dilution method. Carbapenemase and fosfomycin resistance genes were detected by PCR. Analysis of the murA, glpT, uhpT, uhpA, ptsI and cyaA genes was performed by PCR and sequencing of four fosfomycin-resistant fosA3-negative CRKP strains. Conjugation experiments were employed to determine the mobility of the fosA3 gene. Results: Of the 99 CRKP isolates, fosfomycin-non-susceptibility was detected in 48 (48.5%) isolates, among which the fosA3 gene was detected in 44. Among the four fosfomycin-resistant fosA3-negative CRKP isolates, one isolate possessed a single nucleotide insertion and deletion mutations as well as 219 nucleotide substitution mutations in murA, two isolates possessed deletion or mutation of large DNA fragments in glpT, and one isolate possessed a fragment insertion sequence in glpT. Transfection into Escherichia coli J53 via plasmid conjugation was successful for 19 (43.2%) of the 44 fosA3-positive CRKP isolates. Conclusion: The fosA3 gene is the primary mechanism of fosfomycin resistance in CRKP and can be transmitted widely by plasmid in hospitals. Mutations in murA and glpT were found in fosfomycin-resistant fosA3-negative CRKP.

As is well known, polymers commonly form lamellar crystals, and these assemble further into lamellar stacks and spherulites during quiescent crystallization. Fifty years ago, Vonk and Kortleve constructed the classical small-angle X-ray scattering theory (SAXS) for a lamellar system, in which it was assumed that the lamellar stack had an infinite lateral size [Vonk & Kortleve (1967), Kolloid Z. Z. Polym. 220, 19–24]. Under this assumption, only crystal planes satisfying the Bragg condition can form strong scattering, and the scattering from the lamellar stack arises from the difference between the scattering intensities in the amorphous and crystalline layers, induced by the incident X-ray beam. This assumption is now deemed unreasonable. In a real polymer spherulite, the lamellar crystal commonly has dimensions of only a few hundred nanometres. At such a limited lateral size, lamellar stacks in a broad orientation have similar scattering, so interference between these lamellar stacks must be considered. Scattering from lamellar stacks parallel to the incident X-ray beam also needs to be considered when total reflection occurs. In this study, various scattering contributions from lamellar stacks in a spherulite are determined. It is found that, for a limited lateral size, the scattering induced by the incident X-ray beam is not the main origin of SAXS. It forms double peaks, which are not observed in real scattering because of destructive interference between the lamellar stacks. The scattering induced by the evanescent wave is the main origin. It can form a similar interference pattern to that observed in a real SAXS measurement: a Guinier region in the small-q range, a signal region in the intermediate-q range and a Porod region in the high-q range. It is estimated that, to avoid destructive interference, the lateral size needs to be greater than 11 µm, which cannot be satisfied in a real lamellar system. Therefore, SAXS in a real polymer system arises largely from the scattering induced by the evanescent wave. Evidence for the existence of the evanescent wave was identified in the scattering of isotactic polypropylene. This study corrects a long-term misunderstanding of SAXS in a polymer lamellar system.

In order to study influence of tongue clearance on the hydraulic performance of double support vortex pump, three dimensional flow model with symmetric variable size tongue clearance was established by changing section parameter of tongue clearance, and applied to numerically simulate the steady inner flow in a vortex pump based on fixed working conditions and impeller through ANSYS FLUENT. The numerical results show the influence of tongue channel with two sections (non-uniform and uniform sections) on flow field characteristics in vortex pump. Firstly, the variation of tongue channel section changes the vortex structure distribution in circumferential flow channel. Specifically the spiral forward vortex structure in the circumferential direction shifts to large radius side with increasing tongue width. Secondly, the circumferential velocity gradient and axial pressure gradient both diminish with the increase of the tongue section, and the inlet/outlet pressure difference and velocity distribution also reduce with increasing tongue channel section. Finally, for vortex pump with non-uniform section of tongue channel, the head diminishes and the efficiency remains constant approximately with the increase of the tongue width, while the head and the efficiency both diminish for uniform section of tongue channel. Keywords: Vortex pump, Tongue clearance, Non-uniform flow passage, Numerical simulation

The autonomic nervous system has been studied for its involvement in the control of macrophages; however, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between the adrenergic receptors and alternatively activated macrophages (M2) remain obscure. Using FVB wild-type and beta 2 adrenergic receptors knockout, we found that β2-AR deficiency alleviates hepatobiliary damage in mice infected with C. sinensis. Moreover, β2-AR-deficient mice decrease the activation and infiltration of M2 macrophages and decrease the production of type 2 cytokines, which are associated with a significant decrease in liver fibrosis in infected mice. Our in vitro results on bone marrow–derived macrophages revealed that macrophages from Adrb2−/− mice significantly decrease M2 markers and the phosphorylation of ERK/mTORC1 induced by IL-4 compared to that observed in M2 macrophages from Adrb2+/+. This study provides a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the β2-AR enhances type 2 immune response through the ERK/mTORC1 signaling pathway in macrophages and their role in liver fibrosis.

Climate change agitates interactions between organisms and the environment and forces them to adapt, migrate, get replaced by others, or extinct. Marine environments are extremely sensitive to climate change that influences their ecological functions and microbial community including fungi. Fungi from marine habitats are engaged and adapted to perform diverse ecological functions in marine environments. Several studies focus on how complex interactions with the surrounding environment affect fungal evolution and their adaptation. However, a review addressing the adaptation of marine fungi to climate change is still lacking. Here we have discussed the adaptations of fungi in the marine environment with an example of Hortaea werneckii and Aspergillus terreus which may help to reduce the risk of climate change impacts on marine environments and organisms. We address the ecology and evolution of marine fungi and the effects of climate change on them to explain the adaptation mechanism. A review of marine fungal adaptations will show widespread effects on evolutionary biology and the mechanism responsible for it.

Isotactic polybutene (iPB) has a wide application in the water pipe field. However, the most valuable form I, needs 7 days to complete the transformation. In this study, the attapulgite (ATP), which produces lattice matching of the iPB form I, was selected to prepare an iPB/ATP composite. The Fischer–Tropsch wax (FTW) was grafted with maleic anhydride to obtain MAFT, and the ATP structure was reset by reactions with MAFT to the prepared FATP, which improved the interface compatibility of the ATP and iPB. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and the water contact angle test confirmed the successful synthesis of FATP. X-ray diffraction (XRD) verified that the graft of MAFT did not affect the crystal structure of ATP. The iPB + 5% FATP had the maximum flexural strength, which was 12.45 Mpa, and the flexural strength of the iPB + 5% FATP annealing for 1 day was much higher than others. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs verified that FATP and iPB had good interface compatibility. The crystal transformation behavior indicated that the iPB + 5% FATP had the fastest crystal transformation rate, which proved that the reset structure, ATP, greatly accelerated the crystal transformation of iPB. This was a detailed study on the effect of lattice matching, interfacial compatibility and internal lubrication of the reset structure, ATP, in the nucleation and growth stages of iPB form I. The result was verified by XRD, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Avrami kinetics and polarizing microscope (POM) analysis.

The pharmacokinetic characteristics of drugs were altered under high altitude hypoxia, thereby affecting the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drug. However, there are few literatures on the pharmacokinetic changes of antipyretic and pain-relieving drugs and cardiovascular system drugs at high altitude. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen and metformin hydrochloride in rats under simulated high altitude hypoxia condition. Mechanically, the protein and mRNA expression of uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) and organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2) were investigated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), respectively. Compared with the normoxia group, the t1/2 and AUC of acetaminophen were significantly increased, and the CL/F was significantly decreased in rats after exposure to simulated high altitude hypoxia. The t1/2 of metformin hydrochloride was significantly increased by simulated high altitude hypoxia. No significant differences in AUC and CL/F of metformin hydrochloride were observed when comparing the hypoxia group with the normoxia group. The protein and mRNA expression of UGT1A1 and OCT2 were decreased significantly under hypoxia in rats. This study found obvious changes in the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen and metformin hydrochloride in rats after exposure to simulated high altitude hypoxia, and they might be due to significant decreases in the expressions of UGT1A1 and OCT2. To sum up, our data suggested that the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen and metformin hydrochloride should be reexamined, and the optimal dose should be reassessed under hypoxia exposure.

The widely deployed WiFi APs and ZigBee devices make the coexistence for these two networks more pervasive than ever. Previous solutions focus on the contention resolution in time domain, but would lead to the underutilized frequency resources. However, for frequency domain schemes, to enable efficient coexistence for WiFi and ZigBee networks, the WiFi nodes or ZigBee nodes have to select the appropriate channel for transmission. Such scheme will need strict cooperations among these two independent systems, and could not work with the conventional legacy systems seamlessly. In this paper, we propose a frequency overlay approach named COFFEE (COexist wiFi For zigbEE networks), where subcarriers interfering with ZigBee transmissions are nullified by WiFi. According to our basic evaluations, due to the relatively robust feature in WiFi/OFDM design, nullifying small portion of subcarriers would affect the WiFi performance slightly, but could improve the capability for coexistence significantly. Thus by using COFFEE, WiFi and ZigBee nodes can transmit their packets concurrently without any coordination. Also, COFFEE and conventional legacy WiFi systems could work together seamlessly. Furthermore, we implement COFFEE with USRP software radio platform and evaluate the performance under real wireless network scenarios. The extensive evaluations show that compared to the coexistence schemes in time domain, COFFEE is able to increase the network throughput by more than 300%. Even when the ZigBee node never knows the transmission time of WiFi packet, it still can provide concurrent lossless transmission by using COFFEE with only 10% to 15% WiFi throughput reduction.

Little is known about what roles the pregnane X receptor (PXR) and constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) play in drug metabolism in high-altitude hypoxia. Likewise, the potential interaction of nuclear receptors and drug metabolism enzymes during drug metabolism of high-altitude hypoxia is not fully understood. In this work, we investigated the effects of high-altitude hypoxia on transcriptional regulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) genes mediated by PXR and CAR proteins. The protein and mRNA expressions of CYP450, UGT1A1, PXR, and CAR were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and qPCR in rats and HepG2 cell lines under hypoxia. Hypoxia potently inhibited the CYP450 isoforms, UGT1A1, PXR, and CAR protein and mRNA expression. To clarify whether PXR and CAR regulate various genes involved in drug metabolism of high-altitude hypoxia, we investigated the expression of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2E1, CYP3A4, and UGT1A1 using a dual-luciferase reporter assay after treatment with Ketoconazole (KCZ) and Retinoic acid (RA), or silenced PXR and CAR gene expression. In HepG2 cells, hypoxia, KCZ, and RA inhibited CYP450 isoforms and UGT1A1 expression. Activation of PXR and CAR in cells treated with 6-(4-chlorophenyl)-imidazo (2,1-b) thiazole-5-carbaldehyde (CITCO) and rifampicin (Rif) resulted in the enhancement of CYP450 isoforms, UGT1A1, PXR, and CAR. In contrast, this effect was not observed under hypoxia. Taken together, our results suggest that hypoxia inhibits CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2E1, CYP3A4, and UGT1A1 expression via the PXR and CAR regulatory pathway.

Objective To investigate drug resistance features and homology among penicillin-intermediate Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from Wenzhou City, China. Methods Fifty-one penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae isolates were obtained from respiratory samples of infants and children hospitalized with lung infections. An antimicrobial susceptibility test was used to assess drug resistance. Polymerase chain reaction and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to identify S. pneumoniae isolates and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to analyze molecular subtypes. Hierarchical cluster analysis of PFGE fingerprints was used to compare genetic diversity and relatedness of S. pneumoniae isolates. The Quellung test was used for serotyping. Results Fifty-one penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae isolates showed evidence of multi-drug resistance and polyclonal origins. The isolates were classified into 25 subtypes through hierarchical cluster analysis of PFGE fingerprints. Three of these subtypes formed a supertype (15/51, 16/51 and 8/51 isolates), while the remaining subtypes occurred sporadically (12/51 isolates). Conclusions Transmission of penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae is mostly vertical and to a lesser extent horizontal. Effective prevention strategies, including respiratory tract management and contact isolation, are essential to control nosocomial S. pneumoniae infection. Once susceptibility is confirmed, vancomycin, high-dose penicillin or third-generation cephalosporins (cefotaxime and ceftriaxone) may be used to treat penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae.

The objective of this study was to investigate the regulation of X-ray irradiation and its effect on the activity and protein and mRNA expression levels of CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 in rats. Rats were randomly divided into 0 Gy (control), 1 Gy (low-dose irradiation), and 5 Gy (high-dose irradiation) groups. CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 activity was evaluated from changes in pharmacokinetic parameters of caffeine and chlorzoxazone, respectively. The plasma concentrations of the probe drugs were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were used to analyze the protein and mRNA expression levels of CYP1A2 and CYP2E1, respectively. The AUC0-12 of caffeine was decreased by 1.7- and 2.5-fold, and the CL was increased by 1.8- and 2.6-fold in the 1 Gy and 5 Gy groups, respectively, compared to the 0 Gy group. The AUC0-10 of chlorzoxazone was 1.4- and 1.8-fold lower, and the CL was 1.4- and 1.9-fold higher in the 1 Gy and 5 Gy groups, respectively, compared to the 0 Gy group. The metabolism of caffeine and chlorzoxazone increased under X-ray irradiation as CL levels increased and AUC levels decreased, suggesting that CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 activity is enhanced in rats after X-ray irradiation. Compared to that of the 0 Gy group, the protein expression level of CYP1A2 was measured as 28.3% and 38.9% higher in the 1 Gy and 5 Gy groups, respectively. The protein expression level of CYP2E1 was 48.4% higher in the 5 Gy group compared to the 0 Gy group, and there was no statistically significant difference between 0 Gy and 1 Gy. Compared to the 0 Gy group, the mRNA expression level of CYP1A2 was 200% and 856.3% higher in the 1 Gy and 5 Gy group, respectively, whereas the mRNA expression level of CYP2E1 was 89.0% and 192.3% higher in the 1 Gy and 5 Gy groups, respectively. This study reveals significant changes in the activity and protein and mRNA expression levels of CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 in rats after exposure to X-ray irradiation.

Plant virus disease is one of the major causes of biological disasters in agriculture worldwide. Given the complexity of transmission media and plant disease infection mechanisms, the prevention and control of plant viral diseases is a great challenge, and an efficient green pesticide is urgently needed. For this reason, when developing candidate drug leads to regulate plant viruses, pesticide experts have focused on characteristics such as low pesticide resistance, eco-friendliness, and novel mechanism. Researchers have also theoretically investigated the molecular targets of viruses infecting agricultural crops. Antiviral screening models have been constructed based on these molecular targets, and the mechanisms of commercial drugs and high-activity compounds have been extensively investigated. After screening, some compounds have been applied in the field and found to have good commercial prospects; these drugs may be used to create new green antiviral pesticides to control plant viruses. This paper reviews the screening, mode of action, development and application of recently used plant-based antiviral agents.

Abstract Background Excretory-secretory products (ESPs) released by helminths are well-known to regulate T cell responses in the host. However, their direct influence in the differentiation of naïve T cells, and especially B cells, remains largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces ESPs (EgPSC-ESPs) on the differentiation of IL-10-producing B cells (B10), IL-17A-producing B cells (B17) and Th17 cells. Methods BALB/c mice injected with EgPSC were used to evaluate the in vivo profiles of B10, B17 and Th17 cells. In vitro purified CD19+ B and naïve CD4+ T cells were cultured in the presence of native, heat-inactivated or periodate-treated EgPSC-ESPs, and the differentiation of these cell subsets were compared. Results In contrast to the control group, infected mice showed higher frequencies of B10, B17 and Th17 cells, and higher levels of IL-10 and IL-17A in the sera. Interestingly, B17 cells were first identified to express CD19+CD1dhigh. In vitro, B cells cultured with native ESPs exhibited a higher percentage of B10 cells but lower percentage of B17 and Th17 cells compared to the PBS group. Moreover, the relative expression of IL-10 and IL-17A mRNA were consistent with the altered frequencies. However, ESPs subjected to heat-inactivation or periodate treatment exhibited an inverse effect on the induction of these cell subsets. Conclusions Our findings indicate that ESPs released by EgPSC can directly regulate the differentiation of B10, B17 and Th17 cells, which appear to be heat-labile and carbohydrate-dependent.

Abstract Pathogen-associated biliary fibrosis (PABF) is a type of liver fibrosis characterized by injuries of cholangiocytes and extra cellular matrix (ECM) deposition around bile ducts caused by various bacteria, fungi, virus and parasites. Recent studies show that TLR4 plays an important role in several other types of liver fibrosis, but the mechanism of TLR4 in PABF is yet really unclear. In the present study, a PABF mouse model was established by a trematode infection-Clonorchis sinensis which dwells in the bile ducts and causes severe biliary fibrosis of mice. The results showed that the levels of collagen depositions, α-SMA and hydroxyproline (Hyp) contents in TLR4 mut mice infected by C. sinensis were significantly lower than in those of TLR4 wild ones. Furthermore, we found that the activation of TGF-β signaling was impaired in the TLR4 mut mice, compared with wild mice when they were challenged to the same dose of C. sinensis metacercariae. Moreover, the mice with TLR4 mutation showed a decreased activation of hepatic stellate cells indicated by the expression of α-SMA, when compared with TLR4 wild mice. These data demonstrate that TLR4 contributes to PABF caused by C. sinensis and TLR4 signaling may be a potential medical target for treatment of PABF.

Abstract Background Liver fibrosis is a hallmark of clonorchiasis suffered by millions people in Eastern Asian countries. Recent studies showed that the activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway can potently regulate the hepatic fibrogenesis including Schistosoma spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis-caused liver fibrosis. However, little is known to date about the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and other molecules in TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway which may play an important role in hepatic fibrosis caused by C. sinensis. Methods A total of 24 mice were individually infected orally with 45 metacercariae, both experimental mice and mocked-infected control mice were anesthetized at 4 week post-infection (wk p.i.), 8 wk p.i. and 16 wk p.i., respectively. For each time-point, the liver and serum from each animal were collected to analyze histological findings and various fibrotic parameters including TGF-β1, TGF-β receptors and down-stream Smads activation, as well as fibrosis markers expression. Results The results showed that collagen deposition indicated by hydroxyproline content and Masson’s trichrome staining was increased gradually with the development of infection. The expression of collagen type α1 (Col1a) mRNA transcripts was steadily increased during the whole infection. The mRNA levels of Smad2, Smad3 as well as the protein of Smad3 in the liver of C. sinensis-infected mice were increased after 4 wk p.i. (P

Previous studies showed that CD4+T cells responses might be involved in the process of biliary fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism resulting in biliary fibrosis caused by Clonorchis sinensis remains not yet fully elucidated. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the different profiles of hepatic CD4+T cell subsets (Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells) and their possible roles in the biliary fibrosis of different strains of mice (C57BL/6, BALB/c and FVB mice) induced by C. sinensis infection. C57BL/6, BALB/c and FVB mice were orally gavaged with 45 metacercariae. All mice were sacrificed on 28 days post infection in deep anesthesia conditions. The leukocytes in the liver were separated to examine CD4+T cell subsets by flow cytometry and the left lobe of liver was used to observe pathological changes, collagen depositions and the concentrations of hydroxyproline. The most serious cystic and fibrotic changes appeared in FVB infected mice indicated by gross observation, Masson's trichrome staining and hydroxyproline content detection. In contrast to C57BL/6 infected mice, diffuse nodules and more intensive fibrosis were observed in the BALB/c infected mice. No differences of the hepatic Th1 subset and Th17 subset were found among the three strains, but the hepatic Th2 and Treg cells and their relative cytokines were dramatically increased in the BALB/c and FVB infected groups compared with the C57BL/6 infected group (P

Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is a commonly used thermoplastic polymer with many excellent properties. But high brittleness, especially at low temperatures, limits the use of iPP. The presence of transcrystallization of iPP makes it possible for fiber-reinforced iPP composites with higher strength. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a kind of cellulose with great potential to be used as a new filler to reinforce iPP due to its high crystallinity, biodegradability and efficient mechanical properties. In this study, the iPP/BC hamburger composite was prepared by a simple hot press and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was used to improve the interface compatibility of iPP and BC. The polarizing microscope (POM) photograph shows that BC successfully induces the transcrystallization of iPP. The differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) date proves that the addition of BC could improve the thermal properties and crystallization rate of the composite. Especially, this change is more obvious of the iPP/MAPP/BC. The mechanical properties of the iPP/BC composites were greatly increased. This DSC date is higher than BC; we used BC particles to enhance the iPP in our previous research. The scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis intuitively shows that the interface of the iPP/MAPP/BC is more smooth and flat than the iPP/BC. The fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis of the iPP/BC hamburger composites was shown that a new C=O group vibration appeared at 1743 cm−1, which indicated that the hydrogen bond structure of BC molecules was weakened and some hydroxyl groups were substituted after modification which can increase the lipophilicity of BC. These results indicated that the BC fiber can easily induce the transcrystallization of iPP, which has excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, the addition of MAPP contributes greatly to the interface compatibility of iPP and BC.

Unfortunately, we had mixed up the institution and address of author “Qiongzheng Lin” with others. The correct institution and address of author “Qiongzheng Lin” are given here.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a new kind of cellulose with great potential in enhancing preparation of isotactic Polypropylene (iPP) composites, which have been found with excellent performance. However, the interface compatibility between BC and iPP is poor. In this study, iPP/BC composites were prepared by solution mixing. Esterification modified BC (CO) and Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) added as a compatibilizer was both used to improve the interfacial compatibility of the iPP/BC composites. The rheology and isothermal crystallization behavior of the composites was tested and discussed. The result shows that the complex viscosity and storage modulus of the composite significantly increase in the rule iPP, iPP/BC2, iPP/CO2, and M-iPP/BC3, which indicates that the compatibility of the composite increases as this rule. According to the isothermal crystallization kinetics result, the crystal growth mode of iPP was not affected by the addition of BC and the interfacial compatibility. The spherulite growth rate of the iPP/BC composite increases with increasing crystallization temperature. Especially, the value decreases as the same rule with the complex viscosity and storage modulus of the composite at the same isothermal crystallization temperature. These results suggest that the interface compatibility of iPP/BC composites is greatly improved and the interface compatibility of the M-iPP/BC3 is better than the iPP/CO2.

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) offers great potential to improve the mechanical and crystallization properties of isotactic polybutene-1 (iPB) because of its low cost, biodegradability, renewability and excellent mechanical properties. However, the compatibility of polar MCC and non-polar iPB is poor. In this study, maleic anhydride grafted polybutene (MAPB) was prepared by the solution method and was used as a compatibilizer in the fabrication of iPB/MCC composites by using a twin screw extruder. The ultimate tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus of the iPB/MCC composites increased by 3.1%, 16.5%, 10.7%, 6.5%, respectively, compared with that of pure iPB. With MAPB addition, these values increased by 17.2%, 31%, 17.5% and 10%, respectively, compared with that of pure iPB. The heat-distortion temperature and thermal-decomposition temperature of all composites increased with an increased MCC content. The non-isothermal crystallization of the iPB/MCC composites shows that MCC addition can promote iPB crystallization, because the non-isothermal crystallization curve of the composites moves toward a higher temperature, especially after MAPB addition. Scanning electron micrographs indicate that the compatibility of the iPB/MCC has been enhanced significantly.

A simple and rapid method was described for the determination of cypermethrin in Ginkgo biloba leaves by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection. A mixture of hexane and acetone (99:1) was used to extract the samples. After the sample cleanup was carried out with a mixture of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate (9:1) cypermethrin in the sample was analyzed using a Phenomenex Luna 5 micron second-generation silica column packed with Florisil and active carbon. The recovery of cypermethrin was 81.0% and the relative standard deviation was 3.2%.

Clonorchiasis, caused by the liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis, is a chronic parasitic infection regulated by T cell subsets. An imbalance of CD4+CD25+ Foxp3+regulatory T (Treg) and interleukin (IL)-17-secreting T cells (Th17) may control inflammation and play an important role in the pathogenesis of immune evasion. In the present study, we assessed the dynamics of Treg/Th17 and determined whether the Treg/Th17 ratio is altered in C. sinensis-infected mice. The results showed that the percentages of splenic Treg cells in CD4+ T cells were suppressed on day 14 post-infection (PI) but increased on day 56 PI, while Th17 cells were increased on day 56 PI compared with normal control (NC) mice. The Treg/Th17 ratio steadily increased from day 28 to day 56 PI. The hepatic levels of their specific transcription factors (Foxp3 for Treg and RORγt for Th17) were increased in C. sinensis-infected mice from day 14 to 56 PI, and significantly higher than those in NC mice. Meanwhile, serum levels of IL-2 and IL-17 were profoundly increased in C. sinensis-infected mice throughout the experiment; while the concentrations of IL-6 and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) peaked on day 14 PI, but then decreased on day 28 and 56 PI. Our results provide the first evidence of an increased Treg/Th17 ratio in C. sinensis-infected mice, suggesting that a Treg/Th17 imbalance may play a role in disease outcomes of clonorchiasis.

By researching the synchronization motion of double hydraulic cylinders controlled by high-speed on-off valve, the paper aims to solve the shortage of current hydraulic synchronization system with low synchronization precision. The flow characteristic of high-speed on-off valve with pulse width-frequency modulation is researched compared with pulse width modulation. The mathematical equations of the double hydraulic cylinders are formulated with bulk-cavity-node method in MATLAB/Simulink. The collaborative synchronization control is analyzed and the compound algorithm of collaborative synchronization control and pulse width-frequency modulation is simulated compared with collaborative synchronization control. The hydraulic loop is set up to verify the simulation result with the proposed control algorithm on the FESTO platform. The research finds that (1) the pulse width-frequency modulation control can be linear to the flow of high-speed on-off valve on the duty bound of 0~100%; (2) the collaborative synchronization control is effective to eliminate the displacement error between the double cylinders which results from the different load environment and other disturbance.