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Highlights • Analytical analysis is presented for imperfect non-uniform shallow arch. • Criteria of occurrence of snap-through are derived by L'Hospital's rule for imperfect case. • Equal potential energy load is shown to coincide with buckle propation load of 3D shallow panel. • Asymptotical analysis reveals an interesting asymptotical structure for rigid end case when size of center region is small. Abstract This paper deals with analytical investigation of non-uniform circular shallow arch under a concentrated load considering imperfection effect under pinned-pinned boundary conditions. After characterizing the non-uniformity by three piecewise constant stiffness segments, governing equilibrium equations including imperfection effect are derived via least potential energy principle and criteria for possible occurrence of symmetric snap-through are explicitly presented by using L'Hospital's rule after identifying two modified slenderness parameters. The existence of an equal potential energy load is rigorously shown in a straightforward manner and its parametric dependence on imperfection and non-uniformity is discussed. The relationship between equal potential energy load and buckle propagation load is studied by 3D FEA of buckle propagation of corresponding non-uniform shallow panel. Moreover, two limiting cases including rigid end case and rigid center case are analyzed by employing augmented potential energy with Lagrangian multipliers. An asymptotical solution shows that a finite modified slenderness (independent of imperfection) is sufficient to ensure the occurrence of symmetric snap-through when dimension of center segment is approaching to zero in rigid end case and this conclusion holds when there is some rotational restraint at ends. For rigid center case, the closed-form criterion considering imperfection for symmetric snap-through occurrence is presented. Equal potential energy load for two limiting cases is derived and analyzed in detail. This paper is expected to enhance the understanding of stability of imperfect non-uniform shallow arch. Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (2011) adopted on the 36th UNESCO General Conference stressed that Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) was not a new type of world heritage, but an innovative method in urban heritage conservation. The paper discusses current efforts for applying the HUL Approach in the case of urban heritage conservation of Kulangsu in China, a project for World Heritage nomination in 2017. For Kulangsu, the World Heritage nomination provides an opportunity to rethink its values and characteristics in the global perspective. The HUL Approach also provides a new perspective for identifying the heritage components of the site, and thus changes the conservation system and strategies in order to improve the built environment, the quality of social life, and to enhance the interaction between the community and the site. The paper will introduce the outstanding universal values of the site, the identification of the elements of urban heritage, the understanding of its integrity, the practical challenges and conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is an important event in atherosclerosis. Recent studies have shown that ER stress deregulates cholesterol metabolism via multiple pathways. This study aimed to determine the relationship between ER stress and lipid metabolism and to verify that upregulation of miR-33 is involved in this process. Methods: An atherosclerosis model was established in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice fed a Western diet, and THP-1 derived macrophages were used in this study. Hematoxylin-eosin and Oil Red O staining were used to quantify the atherosclerotic plaques. 1,1'-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate labeled oxidized low-density lipoprotein binding assay and a Cholesterol Efflux Fluorometric Assay Kit were used to observe cholesterol uptake and efflux. The mRNA and protein levels of biomarkers associated with ER stress and cholesterol metabolism in atherosclerotic plaques and macrophages were evaluated by real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. Immunofluorescence was used to observe alterations of ABCA1 localization. Small interfering RNAs were used to knock down CHOP and miR-33 in macrophages to alter CHOP and miR-33 expression. Results: Atherosclerotic lesions and systemic lipid levels were ameliorated after inhibition of ER stress (tauroursodeoxycholic acid) in vivo. In vitro studies confirmed that ER stress regulated the lipid catabolism of macrophages by promoting cholesterol uptake, inhibiting cholesterol efflux, and modulating the expression of related transporters. CHOP contributed to lipid metabolism disorder following ER stress. Furthermore, over-expression of miR-33 was involved in ER stress that induced lipid metabolism disorder in macrophages. These findings support a model of ER stress induction by oxidized low-density lipoprotein that affects macrophage lipid catabolism disorder. Conclusion: Our data shed new light on the relationship between ER stress and lipid metabolism in vivo and in vitro, and confirm that upregulation of miR-33 is involved in this process. The relationship between ER stress and miR-33 represents a novel target for the treatment of atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some forms of gait analysis, it is important to be able to capture when the heel strikes occur. In addition, in terms of video analysis of gait, it is important to be able to localise the heel where it strikes on the floor. In this study, a new motion descriptor, acceleration flow, is introduced for detecting heel strikes. The key frame of heel strike can be determined by the quantity of acceleration flow within the region of interest, and positions of the strike can be found from the centre of rotation caused by radial acceleration. Our approach has been tested on a number of databases which were recorded indoors and outdoors with multiple views and walking directions for evaluating the detection rate under various environments. Experiments show the ability of our approach for both temporal detection and spatial positioning. The immunity of this new approach to three anticipated types of noises in real CCTV footage is also evaluated in our experiments. The authors acceleration flow detector is shown to be less sensitive to Gaussian white noise, whilst being effective with images of low-resolution and with incomplete body position information when compared with other techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • The aim in treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is to reduce patients’ symptoms, including pain, stiffness, and fatigue; to correct their posture; and to improve their quality of life. Currently, no definitive therapy is available for treating AS. Previous studies have reported positive results regarding the efficacy of exercise. Objective • This study aimed to assess the efficacy of ultrasound, combined with exercise, in patients with AS. Design • The research team designed a randomized, double-blind, 2-arm parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial. Setting • The study took place at the Affiliated Hongqi Hospital of Mudanjiang Medical University (Mudanjiang, China). Participants • Participants were 62 individuals with AS who were patients at the hospital. Intervention • Participants were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups: (1) the intervention group, who received exercise and ultrasound therapy; or (2) the control group, who received exercise and placebo ultrasound therapy, without an active probe, both for 8 wk. Outcome Measures • The outcome measures included (1) the numerical rating scale (NRS), (2) the Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index (BASMI), (3) the Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), (4) the Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), and (5) the ankylosing spondylitis quality of life (ASQoL) questionnaire. All outcomes were measured at baseline and at the end of 4 and 8 wk of treatment. Results • Fifty-seven patients fulfilled the requirements of the study. Ultrasound and exercise therapy showed greater efficacy than the placebo ultrasound and exercise in decreasing the scores for the NRS, daily and at night; the BASMI; the BASDAI; the BASFI; and the ASQoL, at the end of both 4 and 8 wk of treatment. No adverse events were noted in either group. Conclusions • The study demonstrated that 8 wk of ultrasound and exercise therapy was efficacious in patients with AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of molecular orientation of charged dipeptides and involved interactions by electrostatic repulsion from like-charged surfaces were studied using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that a charged surface can induce oriented alignment of like-charged peptides, and the oriented alignment leads to enhanced electrostatic repulsion between the peptide molecules. The findings are consistent with previous experimental results about the inhibition of charged protein aggregation using like-charged ion-exchange resin. Furthermore, the simulations provided molecular insights into this process, and demonstrated the distinct regulation effect of like-charged surfaces on the molecular interactions between peptides that possess an electric dipole structure. Both the charged surface and the electric dipole structure of peptides were confirmed to be crucial for the regulation. The research is expected to facilitate the rational design of surfaces or devices to regulate the behavior of amphoteric molecules such as proteins for both in vivo and in vitro applications, which would contribute to the regulation of protein-protein interactions and its application in life science and biotechnology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical investigation of collapse of a pinned non-uniform shallow circular arch under uniform radial pressure is presented in this paper. The non-uniformity is introduced by dividing the arch into three regions of constant stiffness. The equilibrium equations are obtained by using least potential energy principle. By proper nondimensionalization, the presented solution is independent of total length of the arch. And two modified slenderness parameters are identified which enables the result to be valid for any symmetric cross-section shape. Parametric study on different geometric parameters has been carried out on the snap-through buckling load and anti-symmetric bifurcation load. The validity of the analytical result is verified by comparison with FEA results. Criteria concerning four deformation modes are identified. We show there is an equal potential energy load for some non-uniform shallow arches by a straightforward deduction, the existence of which load is a necessary condition for the buckle propagation of a corresponding long shallow panel. Finally two limiting cases (rigid center case and rigid end case) with extreme non-uniformity are analytically studied by using augmented potential energy with Lagrangian multipliers. For rigid center case, closed-form condition for the possible occurrence of symmetric snap-through is presented. For rigid end case, an asymptotical analysis leads to a somewhat surprising critical value of slenderness which makes the snap-through buckling just possible. This paper intends to improve the understanding of the effect of non-uniformity on collapse of shallow arch under radial uniform pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collapse behavior of a non-uniform circular shallow arch is analytically studied for both fixed-fixed and pinned-pinned boundary conditions. The non-uniformity is characterized by three piecewise constant stiffness regions. The equilibrium equations are derived based on the least potential energy principle and the resulting solutions are presented by proper non-dimensionalization in a form independent of total length of the whole arch by identifying two modified slenderness parameters. Detailed parametric study of both stiffer center case and stiffer end case has been conducted to investigate the influence of various geometric parameters and distinctly different collapse behaviors are found for different boundary conditions. Some criteria are derived to identify the snap-through buckling. Moreover two limiting cases of extreme non-uniformity(rigid end case and rigid center case) are studied via the augmented potential energy with introduced Lagrangian multipliers. Through an asymptotical analysis, a finite modified slenderness parameter is shown to suffice to ensure the occurrence of snap-through buckling for rigid end case with pinned boundary conditions when the dimension of center region is approaching to zero. It is shown rigorously that the same conclusion holds even when there is some rotational restraint at the pinned ends. For rigid center case, closed-formed criteria are derived for snap-through buckling. Finally analysis has been carried out on the case where one part of the arch has large bending rigidity but moderate stretching rigidity. This paper aims to enhance the understanding of collapse behavior of non-uniform shallow arch under a central concentrated load for various boundary conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a kinetic and mechanistic study on the title reactions, in which 102 was generated by the reaction of H2O2 with Cl2 and bubbled into an aqueous solution of guanine and 9-methylguanine (9MG) at different pH values. Oxidation kinetics and product branching ratios were measured using online electrospray ionization mass spectrometry coupled with absorption and emission spectrophotometry, and product structures were determined by collision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometry. Experiments revealed strong pH dependence of the reactions. The oxidation of guanine is noticeable only in basic solution, while the oxidation of 9MG is weak in acidic solution, increases in neutral solution, and becomes intensive in basic solution. 5-Guanidinohydantoin (Gh) and spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) were detected as the major oxidation products of guanine and 9MG, and Sp became dominant in basic solution. A reaction intermediate was captured in mass spectra, and assigned to gem-diol on the basis of CID measurements. This intermediate served as the precursor for the formation of Gh. After taking into account solution compositions at each pH, first-order oxidation rate constants were extracted for individual species: that is, 3.2-3.6 × 107 M-1 s-1 for deprotonated guanine, and 1.2 × 106 and 4.6-4.9 × 107 M-1 s-1 for neutral and deprotonated 9MG, respectively. Guided by approximately spin-projected density-functional-theory-calculated reaction potential energy surfaces, the kinetics for the initial 1O2 addition to guanine and 9MG was evaluated using transition state theory (TST). The comparison between TST modeling and experiment confirms that 1O2 addition is rate-limiting for oxidation, which forms endoperoxide and peroxide intermediates as determined in previous measurements of the same systems in the gas phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyl xanthate (AX), a widely used reagent in sulfide mineral flotation, has caused serious environmental problems. Manganese dioxides (MnO2), ubiquitous in natural soils and sediments, are one kind of important oxidant or catalyst in facilitating organic pollutant decomposition. In this study, the oxidative degradation of AX by MnO2 was investigated in batch experiments. It was found that up to 90% AX was decomposed by MnO2 in 30 min and the removal efficiency of AX depended strongly on the loading of MnO2 and pH value in the solution where the reactions closely followed a pseudo-first-order model. The reaction orders with respect to the initial AX concentration, MnO2 concentration and pH value were 0.4573, 0.2034, and −0.1701, respectively. Coexisting metal ions, such as Mn2+, Fe3+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, displayed suppressive effects and the inhibitive capacity of the metal ions followed the order Mn2+ > Fe3+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+. However, the effect of humic acid (HA) on reaction rates was significant only at higher concentrations. This study provided meaningful information to elucidate the oxidative degradation of AX by MnO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain size and weight are important determinants of rice yield. The identification of beneficial genes from wild rice that have been lost or weakened in cultivated rice has become increasingly important for modern breeding strategies. In this study, we constructed a set of chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) of wild rice, Oryza rufipogon with the indica cultivar 9311 genetic background. Four grain-related traits, i.e., grain length (GL), grain width (GW), length-width ratio (LWR), and thousand grain weight (TGW), were screened across six environments. A total of 37 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified in these environments and mapped to 12 chromosomes. Sixteen QTLs were detected in at least two environments, and two QTL clusters were observed on Chr. 4 and Chr. 8. Based on a comparative analysis with QTLs identified in previous studies, the CSSLs between Oryza rufipogon accessions and 9311 had high genetic diversity. Among the sixteen stable QTLs, seven for TGW, LWR, GL, and GW were not previously identified, indicating potentially novel alleles from wild rice. These CSSLs provide powerful tools for functional studies and the cloning of essential genes in rice; furthermore, we identified elite germplasm for rice variety improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A generalized inhomogeneous coupled nonlinear Schrödinger system, which has certain applications in nonlinear optics or Bose-Einstein condensation, is investigated. The bilinear form and bilinear Bäcklund transformation are obtained via the Hirota method. N-soliton solutions are derived, and we graphically investigate the effects of the time-dependent coefficients on the solitons and their interactions. Physical quantities, such as the amplitude, width, velocity, and energy, are also derived. We see that the time-dependent coefficients have no influence on the amplitude of the soliton. With the changes in the amplitudes, the two solitons can, respectively, be enhanced and suppressed after the interaction. Interactions between the two cubic and two periodic solitons are also derived. The interactions are inelastic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal glucose metabolism is critical in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Expression of the pyruvate kinase (PK) M2 isoform, rather than the PKM1 isoform, serves important functions in reprogramming the glucose metabolism of cancer cells. Preferential expression of PKM2 is primarily driven by alternative splicing, which is coordinated by a group of splicing factors including heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP)A1, hnRNPA2 and RNA binding motif containing. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with cancer cell expression of PKM2, instead of PKM1, remain unknown. The mRNA levels of PKM isoform and glucose metabolism were analyzed in CRC cells. The results of the present study indicated that S6 kinase 2 (S6K2) promotes glycolysis and growth of CRC cells by regulating alternative splicing of the PKM gene. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that S6K2 phosphorylation of Ser6 of hnRNPA1 facilitated hnRNPA1 binding to the splicing site of the PKM gene. As a result, cancer cells preferentially expressed the PKM2 isoform, instead of the PKM1 isoform. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the phosphorylation of Ser6 of hnRNPA1 was a predictor of poor prognosis for patients with CRC. Therefore, the results of the present study revealed that the phosphorylation of Ser6 in hnRNPA1 by S6K2 was a novel mechanism underlying glucose metabolic reprogramming, and suggested that S6K2 is a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents analytical study of a non-uniform shallow arch under a central concentrated load. The non-uniformity is characterized by three constant stiffness regions. The least potential energy principle is used to obtain the equilibrium equations. The anti-symmetric buckling axial compression and buckling modes are shown to be identical with those of Euler-Bernoulli beam. The initial imperfection effect is also investigated theoretically and a parametric study on the different geometric parameters has been carried out on the snap-through symmetric buckling load and anti-symmetric buckling load. The comparison against the finite element analysis shows the accuracy of the theoretical model. We show that the stiffer center case is always economically better than the stiffer end case. The two limiting cases with largest degree of non-uniformity are analytically analyzed by using the augmented potential energy with the Lagrangian multiplier. The closed-form condition for the occurrence of symmetric snap-through buckling is presented for one limiting case. This paper serves to enhance the understanding of the effect of the non-uniformity of shallow arch on its load carrying capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the most extensively cultivated forage legume in the world, and salinity stress is the most problematic environmental factors limiting alfalfa production. To evaluate alfalfa tissue variations in response to salt stress, comparative physiological and proteomic analyses were made of salt responses in the roots and shoots of the alfalfa. Method: A two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE)-based proteomic technique was employed to identify the differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) from salt-treated alfalfa roots and shoots of the salt tolerance cultivars Zhongmu No 1 cultivar, which was subjected to a range of salt stress concentrations for 9 days. In parallel, REL, MAD and H2O2 contents, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes of shoots and roots were determinand. Result: Twenty-seven spots in the shoots and 36 spots in the roots that exhibited showed significant abundance variations were identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF MS. These DAPs are mainly involved in the biological processes of photosynthesis, stress and defense, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, second metabolism, protein metabolism, transcriptional regulation, cell wall and cytoskeleton metabolism, ion transpor, signal transduction. In parallel, physiological data were correlated well with our proteomic results. It is worth emphasizing that some novel salt-responsive proteins were identified, such as CP12, pathogenesis-related protein 2, harvest-induced protein, isoliquiritigenin 2'-O-methyltransferase. qRT-PCR was used to study the gene expression levels of the four above-mentioned proteins; four patterns are consistent with those of induced protein. Conclusion: The primary mechanisms underlying the ability of alfalfa seedlings to tolerate salt stress were photosynthesis, detoxifying and antioxidant, secondary metabolism, and ion transport. And it also suggests that the different tissues responded to salt-stress in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B-cell neoplasm with a high incidence of relapse. Bortezomib has been extensively studied for the maintenance treatment of MM. Here, we carried out a meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of maintenance therapy with bortezomib. We searched for clinical trials in PubMed (Medline), Embase (OVID), and the Cochrane Library. Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling a total of 1338 patients were included. Bortezomib maintenance statistically significantly improved both progression-free survival (PFS) (hazard ratio (HR) 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.51 to 0.87, P=0.003) and overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.75 therapy, 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.89, P=0.001) more than did non-bortezomib maintenance therapy. Our analysis revealed higher incidence of neutropenia (risks ratios (RR) = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.79), peripheral neuropathy (PN) (RR = 2.23; 95% CI = 1.38 to 3.61, P=0.001), and cardiologic events (RR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.12 to 3.28, P=0.02) in patients with bortezomib maintenance therapy. Our meta-analysis demonstrates OS and PFS benefits of bortezomib maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed MM. However, the therapy is associated with increased risk of adverse events. Additionally, more RCTs are needed for better understanding and determination of optimal bortezomib maintenance therapy in MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Ni60AA, Ni60AACu, Ni60AACuMo and Ni60AACuMoW composite coatings were prepared by laser cladding. The effects of alloying elements on the microstructure and properties of cladding coatings have been thoroughly investigated. The phases of the coatings are all composed of γ-FCC + Cr-rich phases+ Ni-based FCC phase/(Ni 3 B + Ni 2 Si) eutectics. The Cr-rich precipitates in the coating decreased and the eutectics became finer after the addition of 2 wt% Cu. The Ni60AACu coating has the best wear and corrosion resistance at room temperature and 600 °C. Adding 2 wt% Mo to Ni60AACu coating promotes the segregation of Cr and Mo elements, and the formation of coarse Cr-rich precipitates, all of which reduces the coating's wear and corrosion resistance. Adding 2 wt% W to Ni60AACuMo coating promotes the formation of the WC phase, which consumes C element in the γ-phase and inhibits the precipitation of carbides rich in Cr and Mo. At 600 °C, Ni60AACuMoW outperforms Ni60AA and Ni60CuMo in terms of wear resistance. • Ni60AACu coating has the best microstructure and element segregation is reduced. • Ni60AACu coating has the best wear and corrosion resistance. • Ni60AACuMoW has a better wear resistance than Ni60AA and Ni60CuMo at 600 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using interview data from a medium Chinese city collected in Dec. 2015, this paper assesses the impact of Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign on the Chinese public's perception of corruption and relatedly, regime legitimacy. We argue that the campaign has mixed effects: it has had more effects in cracking down on high-level officials and the “three public consumptions,” but it has had less effects in controlling the types of corruption that affect citizens' lives more directly. Thus the campaign has helped to enhance public satisfaction with anti-corruption at the national level, but less so at the local level or with anti-corruption mechanisms in general. The latter trends will continue to affect public perception of corruption and its associated impact on regime legitimacy, but serious damages will be mitigated by perceived anti-corruption success at the national level and expectations for trickle-down effects on anti-corruption at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upregulation of the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is involved in tumor progression. Cyclooxygenase (COX)‑2 is the key enzyme catalyzing prostaglandin synthesis and is involved in breast cancer progression and metastasis. However, the prognostic value of EpCAM and its putative correlation with COX‑2 in breast cancer have yet to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical relevance of the relationship between EpCAM and COX‑2, via examining the putative correlation between EpCAM and COX‑2 expression in various types of human breast cancer. A total of 134 breast cancer tissue samples was examined in the present study. Immunohistochemistry approach was used to detect EpCAM and COX‑2 expression in the tissue microarrays. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between the protein expression and clinicopathological parameters present in patients with various tumor subtypes, with the aim to potentially establish a relationship between EpCAM/COX‑2 and clinical prognosis. Expression of EpCAM and COX‑2 was revealed to be associated with tumor progression, and poor prognosis in breast cancer. The present findings demonstrated that EpCAM was involved in the regulation of COX‑2 expression, and a positive correlation between the proteins was associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The present results suggest that EpCAM and COX‑2 may have potential as prognostic biomarkers in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 3 (ORMDL3) has been previously implicated in asthma pathogenesis, its effect on airway remodeling remains to be elucidated. The present study examined the expression levels of ORMDL3 in a mouse model of asthma. Mice were divided into three groups: Asthmatic model (n=10), budesonide-treated (n=10) and a control group (n=8). Asthma was induced by sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide on day 1, 7 and 14. Subsequently mice were exposed to OVA three times per week from day 28. In order to investigate the mechanism of airway remodeling 100 µg/kg aerosol budesonide was administered to 6 animals prior to exposure to OVA. The condition of lung tissues was assessed through histology, and the expression levels of ORMDL3, phosphorylated-extracellular-signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) and matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) were quantified using immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. A severe inflammatory response and airway remodeling were pretreatment with budesonide. Expression levels of ORMDL3, phosphorylated (p)-ERK and MMP-9 were significantly greater in the asthma-model group; however, in the group pretreated with budesonide their expression was reduced. Expression levels of ORMDL3, p-ERK and MMP-9 were significantly positively correlated with bronchial wall thickness. ORMDL3 expression was significantly positively correlated with p-ERK and MMP-9. Therefore, increased ORMDL3 expression may induce the p-ERK/MMP-9 pathway to promote pathological airway remodeling in patients with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high magnetic field magneto-optical spectrum is utilized to study the A exciton of bulk 2H-MoTe2 single crystal. A clear Zeeman splitting of the A exciton is observed under high magnetic fields up to 41.68T, and the g-factor (-2.09±.08) is deduced. Moreover, a high magnetic field enables us to obtain the quadratic diamagnetic shifts of the A exciton (0.486 μeV T-2). Accordingly, the binding energy, reduced mass, and radius of the A exciton were obtained by using both two and three dimensional models. Compared with other transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), the A exciton of bulk 2H-MoTe2 has a relatively small binding energy and larger exciton radius, which provide fundamental parameters for comprehensive understanding of excitons in TMDs as well as their future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aryne insertion into "SO" bond has been validated recently. This technology is elusively applied to the synthesis of thioethers. In contrast to the reported cases, the reaction described furnished o-aryloxy triarylsulfonium salts, in lieu of thioethers, in good to excellent yields. The reaction is also featured by its exquisite regioselectivity, broad substrate scope, and mild conditions (25 °C). Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction probably proceeds in a sequential [2 + 2] cycloaddtion/O-arylation/protonation pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

8-Oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) is one of the most common DNA lesions resulting from reactive oxygen species and ionizing radiation, and is involved in mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and cell death. Notably, 8-oxodGuo is more reactive toward singlet (a¹Δg) O2 than the undamaged guanosine, and the lesions arising from the secondary oxidation of 8-oxodGuo are more mutagenic. Herein the ¹O2 oxidation of free base 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) was investigated at different initial conditions including protonated [8-oxoG + H]+, deprotonated [8-oxoG - H]-, and their monohydrates. Experiment was carried out on a guided-ion beam scattering tandem mass spectrometer. Measurements include the effects of collision energy (Ecol) on reaction cross sections over a center-of-mass Ecol range from 0.1 to 0.5 eV. The aim of this study is to quantitatively probe the sensitivity of the early stage of 8-oxoG oxidation to ionization and hydration. Density functional theory and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus calculations were performed to identify the intermediates and the products along reaction pathways and locate accessible reaction potential energy surfaces, and to rationalize reaction outcomes from energetic and kinetic points of view. No product was observed for the reaction of [8-oxoG + H]+·W0,1 (W = H2O) because insurmountable barriers block the addition of ¹O2 to reactant ions. Neither was [8-oxoG - H]- reactive with ¹O2, in this case due to the rapid decay of transient intermediates to starting reactants. However, the nonreactivity of [8-oxoG - H]- was inverted by hydration; as a result, 4,5-dioxetane of [8-oxoG - H]- was captured as the main oxidation product. Reaction cross section for [8-oxoG - H]-·W + ¹O2 decreases with increasing Ecol and becomes negligible above 0.3 eV, indicating that the reaction is exothermic and has no barriers above reactants. The contrasting oxidation behaviors of [8-oxoG + H]+·W0,1 and [8-oxoG - H]-·W0,1, which are relevant to the pH dependence of 8-oxoG oxidation in solution, are interpreted in terms of different ¹O2 addition pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Receptor interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2) is involved in a variety of signaling pathway to produce a series of inflammatory cytokines in response to a diverse of bacterial, viral and protozoal pathogens. However, the underlying regulating of RIPK2 remain unknown. Transcriptome alterations in chicken HD11 cells following RIPK2 overexpression or silencing by shRNA were analyzed by next-generation sequencing. Both overexpression and knockdown of the RIPK2 gene caused wide-spread changes in gene expression in chicken HD11 cells. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) caused by altered RIPK2 gene expression were associated with multiple biological processes linked with biological regulation, response to stimulus, cell communication, and signal transduction etc. KEGG analysis revealed that many of the DEGs were enriched in VEGF signaling pathway, ECM-receptor interaction, Focal adhesion, TGF-beta signaling pathway etc. Moreover, we show that initiation genes, TGFB1 and TGFB3, in the TGF-beta signaling pathway are biological targets regulated by RIPK2 in chicken HD11 cells. This is the first transcriptome-wide study in which RIPK2-regulated genes in chicken cells have been screened. Our findings elucidate the molecular events associated with RIPK2 in chicken HD11 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of highly efficient silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) catalysts supported on polyacrylamide (PAM)-modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) microspheres was reported herein, for where PAM was used as the robust anchors because of its abundant amide groups. Well-dispersed Ag NPs with an average diameter of 9.7 nm were obtained on the PGMA-PAM microspheres (Ag NPs@PGMA-PAM). Excellent catalytic activity of Ag NPs@PGMA-PAM was observed in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol using sodium borohydride in water at room temperature, indicated by an activity parameter that was 6-1725 times higher than those reported in the literature. In addition, easy regulation on the size of Ag NPs was achieved through the adjustment on the concentration of the Ag precursor, AgNO3. Therefore, the synthetic method proposed herein was confirmed as being effective for the synthesis of the highly efficient catalyst Ag NPs@PGMA-PAM. This would contribute to the preparation of highly efficient catalyst of supported noble metals and then facilitate their applications in environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In two studies, people were reluctant to trade items they own, but glad to accept upgrades with identical end states. The framing of the transaction makes a difference. A mediational analysis suggests that the relationship between the frame of the transaction and measures of value (willingness to accept, WTA) depends on perceived losses. Losses are perceived as greater when the transaction is a trade than as an upgrade. We manipulated perceptions of loss across descriptions of transactions and found that, when the difference in perceptions of losses with trades versus upgrades was large, framing effects were strong. But when the difference was small, framing effects disappeared. These framing effects with identical end states influence WTA because trades are associated with perceived losses, while upgrades are associated with perceived costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology based on the support vector machine (SVM) combined with a hybrid kernel function (HKF) for accurately modeling the resonant frequencies of the compact microstrip antenna (MSA) is presented and dedicated to reduce the number of samples and simplify the structure when predicting the resonant frequency of the compact MSA by artificial neural network. The parameters of the SVMs and weight coefficients of the HKF are optimized by means of particle swarm optimization algorithm. In addition, two different kernel functions (KFs), namely polynomial KF (a kind of global KF) and Cauchy KF (a kind of local KF), are employed to overcome the disadvantages of traditional KF. The proposed method is validated by the UCI database. The evaluation results show that the HKF can improve the learning ability and generalization ability of the SVM. Furthermore, the resonant frequencies of a planar inverted F-shaped antenna and an L-shaped MSA are modeled by the proposed method. Predictive results with high accuracy demonstrate that the particle swarm optimization-based SVM with the HKF can improve the prediction accuracy for a small dataset. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a high mortality in infants with right atrial isomerism (RAI). However, less is known about outcome in older children with RAI. This study sought to evaluate those patients with RAI who survived older than 3 years of age without surgical intervention. Results: A total of 33 consecutive patients (20 males) were enrolled in the study, mean age 6 years (range 3-32). None of the patients had surgical intervention for the RAI before age 3. Cardiac abnormalities include altered cardiac position (39 %), atrioventricular valve anomaly (87 %), single or functional single ventricle (55 %), pulmonary/subpulmonary obstruction (97 %), abnormal origin of the aorta (100 %), bilateral superior vena cava (67 %), and anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (66 %). Surgical intervention was performed after 3 years of age in 20 patients (61 %). None of them planned or had biventricular repair performed. 10 patients underwent the total cavopulmonary connection procedure, including four (40 %) who had atrioventricular valve (AVV) repair at the same time [all with common atrioventricular valve (CAVV)]. One patient died the day after the operation. A total of 69 % of patients with a CAVV had moderate or severe regurgitation, while 27 % with a single atrioventricular valve had moderate or severe regurgitation. Conclusion: Patients with RAI who have survived to early childhood without surgical intervention have complex cardiac abnormalities. Survival after single stage total cavopulmonary connection is good but AVV repair is common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimal residual disease (MRD) is one of the causes of leukemia recurrence. Previously, we developed anti-CD10 mAb conjugated to muramyl dipeptide immunoconjugate (MDP-Ab) for immune enhancement. The present study aimed to investigate anti-leukemia effect of MDP-Ab administered via different methods in leukemia ectopic graft nude mouse model. BALB/c nude mice were injected with Nalm-6 cells subcutaneously to establish leukemia xenografts in nude mice as a model. MDP-Ab or/and human lymphocytes (LYM) was injected into different sites of the nude mice. Immunohistochemistry staining of CDs in the bone marrow, liver and spleen was performed. IFN-γ was detected by ELISA. We detected the metastasis of leukemia cells to the liver, spleen and bone marrow in nude mouse leukemia model. MDP-Ab and LYM inhibited the growth of tumors, and simultaneous injection of MDP-Ab and LYM into the tumor inhibited the growth of tumors. IFN-γ levels in MDP-Ab (ca) + h-LYM (ca) group, MDP-Ab (ca) + h-LYM (ip) group, MDP-Ab (iv) + h-LYM (ip) group and PBS (ca) + h-LYM (ca) group were significantly higher than those in control group, while IFN-γ level in MDP-Ab (ca) + h-LYM (ca) group was the highest. Moreover, MDP-Ab and h-LYM promoted the expression of hCD4 and hCD8, with the highest expression in MDP-Ab (ca) + h-LYM (ca) group. In conclusion, MDP-Ab effectively promoted the production of IFN-γ, enhanced the antitumor immunity of T lymphocytes and inhibited leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential weight of accumulated snow on the roof of a structure has long been an important consideration in structure design. However, the historical approach of modeling the weight of snow on structures is incompatible for structures with surfaces and geometry where snow is expected to slide off of the structure, such as standalone solar panels. This paper proposes a "storm-level" adaptation of previous structure-related snow studies that is designed to estimate short-term, rather than season-long, accumulations of the snow water equivalent or snow load. One key development associated with this paper includes a climate-driven random forests model to impute missing snow water equivalent values at stations that measure only snow depth in order to produce continuous snow load records. Additionally, the paper compares six different approaches of extreme value estimation on short-term snow accumulations. The results of this study indicate that, when considering the 50-year mean recurrence interval (MRI) for shortterm snow accumulations across different weather station types, the traditional block maxima approach, the mean-adjusted quantile method with a gamma distribution approach, and the peak over threshold Bayesian approach tend to most often provide MRI estimates near the median of all six approaches considered in this study. Further, this paper also shows, via bootstrap simulation, that the peak over threshold extreme value estimation using automatic threshold selection approaches tend to have higher variance compared to the other approaches considered. The results suggest that there is no one-size-fits-all option for extreme value estimation of shortterm snow accumulations, but highlights the potential value from integrating multiple extreme value estimation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe content has a dramatic effect on the properties of laser cladding Ni60 coatings, but there is a lack of in-depth research at present. In this article, Ni60 coatings with different Fe content were prepared on Q235 substrate by laser cladding technology. The microstructure, phases, and electrochemical corrosion resistance were explored detailed. With the increase of Fe content, the phases of the coating changes from ellipsoidal γ-FCC+ massive chromium-rich phase + γ-FCC/(Ni 3 B + Ni 3 Si) ternary eutectics to γ-FCC/(Cr, Fe) 7 C 3 eutectics. The massive hard phases in the coating almost disappeared and the distribution of Cr in the coating becomes more uniform. The corrosion resistance becomes worse at first and then improves significantly. When the Fe content reaches to 25 wt%, the coating exhibits excellent corrosion resistance almost comparable to that of Ni60AA, which provides a new path for the low-cost application of Ni60 series coatings at abrasive occasions. • With the increase of Fe content, the massive hard phases in the coating almost disappeared and the distribution of Cr in the coating becomes more uniform • The corrosion resistance of the coating decreases first and then increases with the increase of Fe content • A coating with excellent corrosion resistance and low cost is obtained [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents analytical and numerical researches on the buckling or collapse of offshore pipelines under external hydrostatic pressure. Firstly the case of homogeneous ring model is investigated followed by a detailed study on corroded rings. The elastic-plastic collapse pressure could be treated as the least root of an elementary function. We prove that collapse pressure is a strictly increasing function of mode number in this paper and present some interesting structures of the roots. Partially corroded ring is parametrized by corrosion depth and angle extent. A comprehensive comparison shows that plasticity should not be neglected when the ring is thick-walled. Moreover, a study on large deflection deformation of 3D cylindrical shells quasi-statically dented under constant external pressure is carried out theoretically and numerically. The buckle propagation pressure is shown to be a meaningful value to normalize external pressure. This paper serves to enhance the understanding of destabilizing effect of external pressure mainly applicable and relevant to subsea offshore industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal development and physiology depend on beneficial interactions with microbial symbionts. In many cases, the microbial symbionts are horizontally transmitted among hosts, thereby making the acquisition of these microbes from the environment an important event within the life history of each host. The light organ symbiosis established between the Hawaiian squid Euprymna scolopes and the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri is a model system for examining how hosts acquire horizontally transmitted microbial symbionts. Recent studies have revealed that the light organ of wild-caught E. scolopes squid contains polyclonal populations of V. fischeri bacteria; however, the function and development of such strain diversity in the symbiosis are unknown. Here, we report our phenotypic and phylogenetic characterizations of FQ-A001, which is a V. fischeri strain isolated directly from the light organ of an E. scolopes individual. Relative to the type strain ES114, FQ-A001 exhibits similar growth in rich medium but displays increased bioluminescence and decreased motility in soft agar. FQ-A001 outcompetes ES114 in colonizing the crypt spaces of the light organs. Remarkably, we find that animals cocolonized with FQ-A001 and ES114 harbor singly colonized crypts, in contrast to the cocolonized crypts observed from competition experiments involving single genotypes. The results with our two-strain system suggest that strain diversity within the squid light organ is a consequence of diversity in the single-strain colonization of individual crypt spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new kind of adsorbent, graphene sheets (GS) possess large surface areas and excellent adsorption properties. To investigate the adsorption equilibria of C1-C4 from natural gas on GS and fit the isotherms by the Langmuir-Freundlich equation. GS were synthesized with a specific surface area of 805 m²/g and a specific pore volume of 1.03 cm³/g. The adsorption isotherms were measured using a volumetric method at five different temperatures between 263.15 and 303.15 K and at pressures of 0-6 MPa for CH4, 0-1.6 MPa for C2H6, 0-0.3 MPa for C3H8, and 0-0.05 MPa for C4H10. It was shown that, for all four hydrocarbons, the amount of adsorption decreased gradually as the temperature increased. The isotherms were described well by the Langmuir-Freundlich equation. The isosteric heat of adsorption values decreased in the order C4H10 > C3H8 > C2H6 > CH4 which was consistent with those of the extreme heats of adsorption. This suggests that the adsorption capacities of C1-C4 on GS decreased in the order C4H10 > C3H8 > C2H6 > CH4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC) is characterized by rapid progression and relapse, despite high initial response rates to chemotherapy. The primary objective of this trial was to demonstrate the non-inferiority of amrubicin and cisplatin (AP) combination therapy compared with the standard first-line regimen of etoposide and cisplatin (EP) for previously untreated ED-SCLC in a Chinese population. When non-inferiority was verified, the objective was switched from non-inferiority to superiority.Methods: From June 2008 to July 2010, 300 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to AP and EP groups. AP-treated patients received cisplatin (60 mg/m(2), day 1) and amrubicin (40 mg/m(2), days 1-3) once every 21 days. EP-treated patients received cisplatin (80 mg/m(2), day 1) and etoposide (100 mg/m(2), days 1-3) once every 21 days. Treatment was continued for four to six cycles, except in cases of progressive disease or toxicity, and patient refusal.Results: Median overall survival (OS) for AP vs. EP treatment was 11.8 vs. 10.3 months (p = 0.08), respectively, demonstrating non-inferiority of AP to EP (AP group: 95% confidence interval for hazard ratio 0.63-1.03 months). Median progression-free survival and overall response rates for AP vs. EP groups were 6.8 vs. 5.7 months (p = 0.35) and 69.8% vs. 57.3%, respectively. Drug-related adverse events in both groups were similar, with neutropenia being the most frequent (AP 54.4%; EP 44.0%). Leukopenia, pyrexia, and fatigue were more prevalent in the AP group, but all were clinically reversible and manageable.Conclusions: AP therapy demonstrated non-inferiority to EP therapy, prolonging OS for 1.5 months, but this difference was not statistically significant; thus we propose AP as a promising treatment option for ED-SCLC in China.Trial Registration: This trial was registered on 10 April 2008 (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00660504). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate whether grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has a protective effect on diabetic retinal function. A total of 30 Wistar rats were randomly divided into three equal groups, including the control, diabetic and GSPE-treated diabetic groups. Retinal tissue was harvested and subsequently stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) levels were evaluated using respective assay kits; whereas nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression levels were assessed by immunohistochemical and western blot analysis. Cell apoptosis in the retina was determined using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling method. The results showed that the structure of the retina was damaged in diabetic rats, as compared with the control rats. Notably, the structure of the retina improved in the GSPE-treated diabetic group, as compared with the diabetic group. SOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly increased in the retina of rats in the GSPE-treated diabetic group, as compared with the diabetic group (P=0.011 and P=0.001, respectively). Furthermore, a significant reduction in MDA was detected (P=0.013) and the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the bladders of rats in the GSPE-treated diabetic group were significantly increased, as compared with the diabetic group (P=0.038 and P=0.043, respectively). Apoptosis of retinal cells was significantly increased in the diabetic group, as compared with the control group (P<0.001); a significant reduction was also detected in the GSPE-treated diabetic group, as compared with the diabetic group (P=0.014). These results demonstrate that GSPE administration may protect the retina against hyperglycemic damage, possibly by ameliorating oxidative stress-mediated injury via the activation of the Nrf2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is considered to be a potent cell-damaging agent in various cell lineages; however, the effect of UV light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation on human cells remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of UV LED irradiation emitting at 280 nm on cultured HL-60 human leukemia cells, and to explore the underlying mechanisms. HL-60 cells were irradiated with UV LED (8, 15, 30 and 60 J/m2) and incubated for 2 h after irradiation. The rates of cell proliferation and apoptosis, the cell cycle profiles and the mRNA expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) were detected using cell counting kit-8, multicaspase assays, propidium iodide staining and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The results showed that UV LED irradiation (8-60 J/m2) inhibited the proliferation of HL-60 cells in a dose-dependent manner. UV LED at 8-30 J/m2 induced dose-dependent apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, and inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA, while UV LED at 60 J/m2 induced necrosis. In conclusion, 280 nm UV LED irradiation inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis and necrosis in cultured HL-60 cells. In addition, the cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and the downregulation of Bcl-2 mRNA expression were shown to be involved in UV LED-induced apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular smooth muscle (VSM) expresses calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-δ and -β isoforms. CaMKIIδ promotes VSM proliferation and vascular remodeling. We tested CaMKIIβ function in vascular remodeling after injury. CaMKIIβ protein decreased 90% 14 d after balloon injury in rat carotid artery. Intraluminal transduction of adenovirus encoding CaMKIIβC rescued expression to 35% of uninjured controls, inhibited neointima formation (>70%), inhibited VSM proliferation (>60%), and increased expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor p21 (>2-fold). Comparable doses of CaMKIIδ2 adenovirus had no effect. Similar dynamics in CaMKIIβ mRNA and protein expression were observed in ligated mouse carotid arteries, correlating closely with expression of VSM differentiation markers. Targeted deletion of CaMKIIβ in smooth muscle resulted in a 20-fold increase in neointimal area, with a 3-fold increase in the cell proliferation index, no change in apoptosis, and a 60% decrease in p21 expression. In cultured VSM, CaMKIIβ overexpression induced p53 mRNA (1.7 fold) and protein (1.8-fold) expression; induced the p53 target gene p21 (3-fold); decreased VSM cell proliferation (>50%); and had no effect on expression of apoptosis markers. We conclude that regulated CaMKII isoform composition is an important determinant of the injury-induced vasculoproliferative response and that CaMKIIβ and -δ isoforms have nonequivalent, opposing functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we combine the fuzzy customer information problem with the multicommodity multimodal routing with schedule-based services which was explored in our previous study [1]. The fuzzy characteristics of the customer information are embodied in the demanded volumes of the multiple commodities and the time windows of their due dates. When the schedule-based services are considered in the routing, schedule constraints emerge because the operations of block container trains should follow their predetermined schedules. This will restrict the routes selection from space-time feasibility. To solve this combinatorial optimization problem, we first build a fuzzy chance-constrained nonlinear programming model based on fuzzy possibility theory. We then use a crisp equivalent method and a linearization method to transform the proposed model into the classical linear programming model that can be effectively solved by the standard mathematical programming software. Finally, a numerical case is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The sensitivity of the best solution with respect to the values of the confidence levels is also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: FAS/FASL promoter variants are considered in altering transcriptional activity of those genes and consequently alter regulation of cell death. However, no studies have investigated whether tumor sites contribute to the association between FAS/FASL polymorphisms and risk for second primary malignancy (SPM).Method: In this study, FAS670 A > G, FAS1377 G > A, FASL124 A > G, and FASL844C > T polymorphisms were genotyped in 752 OPC and 777 non-OPC patients. Both univariate and multivariable cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the associations.Results: The univariate and multivariable analyses showed that patients with index OPC and FASL844 CT/TT genotype had significantly increased risk of SPM (cHR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.8, P = 0.043 and aHR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.0, P = 0.032) compared with those with FASL844 CC genotype as the reference group, while index non-OPC patients with FAS670 AG/GG and FasL844 CT/TT genotypes had significantly increased risk of SPM (cHR, 2.2 and 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-5.7 and 1.1-3.2; and P = 0.04 and 0.041, respectively and aHR, 2.4 and 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-5.1 and 1.0-3.0; and P = 0.043 and 0.049, respectively) compared with their corresponding AA and CC genotypes . Moreover, patients carrying more FAS/FASL variants significantly increased risk of SPM among index non-OPC patients. The stratified analysis showed that smoking status differently modified the associations between FAS/FASL polymorphisms and risk of SPM among index non-OPC from OPC patients.Conclusion: These results suggested that FAS/FASL polymorphisms might significantly modify SPM risk among patients with SCCHN in a tumor site-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cycloartane triterpenoids exhibited anticancer efects. This study aims to identify any potential novel anticancer cycloartane triterpenoids from Cimicifuga foetida L. rhizome (Sheng ma) and the mode of actions. Methods: Cycloartane triterpenoids were isolated from the C. foetida rhizome by a series of column chromatography and identiied by IR, MS and NMR. Their anticancer efects on several human cancer cell lines, MCF-7, HepG2, HepG2/ ADM, HeLa, and PC3, and normal human mammary epithelial cells MCF10A were investigated by colony formation and MTT assays. Morphological analysis of apoptosis induction was performed by acridine orange/ethidium bromide dual-staining and Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining. The cell-cycle proile and annexin V staining were evaluated by low cytometry. Apoptosis were investigated by measuring changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and analyzing expression of cell cycle- and apoptosis-related proteins in MCF-7 cells by Western blotting. Results: A novel cycloartane triterpenoid, 25-O-acetyl-7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-D-(2-acetyl)xylopyranoside (ADHC-AXpn), together with the known 7,8-didehydrocimigenol-3-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (DHC-Xpn) were isolated. MCF-7 growth was signiicantly inhibited by ADHC-AXpn in a dose- and time-dependent manner (IC50 : 27.81 µM at 48 h; P = 0.004 vs. control at 25 µM for 48 h treatment), and ADHC-AXpn was selectively cytotoxic for cancerous cells (MCF-7, HepG2/ADM, HepG2 and HELA cells) based on its higher IC50 values for normal cells MCF10A (IC50 : 78.63 µM at 48 h) than for tumor cells. In MCF-7 cells, ADHC-AXpn induced G2/M cell cycle arrest by mediating cyclin-B1, and CDK1 and its phosphorylation; and induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic pathway, with inhibition of Akt activation. As ADHC-AXpn suppressed phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Raf and Akt proteins in MCF-7 cells, its apoptotic efect might be associated with Raf/MEK/ERK signaling and Akt activation. Conclusions: ADHC-AXpn signiicantly suppressed the growth of MCF-7 cells, induced mitochondrial apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest, and inhibited Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and Akt phosphorylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Human murine double minute 2 protein (MDM2) is mainly a negative regulator of p53 tumor suppressor pathway. We aimed to investigate the association between MDM2 SNP309 polymorphism and bladder cancer risk. Methods: A total of 535 bladder cancer patients and 649 health controls were recruited for our study. MDM2 SNP309 T>G polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction method. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the genotype and susceptibility of bladder cancer. Kaplan–Meier estimates and log-rank test were obtained to analyze the association between the genotype and risk of recrudesce in nonmuscleinvasive bladder cancer patients. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to identify independent prognostic factors. To further investigate the association, we conducted a meta-analysis including six studies. Results: The frequency of the MDM2 SNP309 T>G polymorphism showed no significant difference between cases and controls (all P>0.05). In the stratification analysis, the results showed that G allele carriers were prone to have a significant decrease in risk of low-grade bladder cancer (adjusted odds ratio: 0.613, 95% confidence interval: 0.427–0.881), and G variant was associated with a significantly reduced risk of recurrence in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer patients with or without chemotherapy (P<0.05). The results of the meta-analysis showed that G allele and GG genotype of MDM2 SNP309 polymorphism were significantly associated with increased risk of bladder cancer in Caucasians (both P<0.05), and no association was observed in total populations and Asians (P>0.05). Conclusion: MDM2 SNP309 T>G polymorphism has no influence on bladder cancer risk in Asians, but this single nucleotide polymorphism may be associated with genetic susceptibility of bladder cancer among Caucasians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium crown rot of wheat has become more prevalent in China. To investigate the phylogenetic structure of Fusarium causing wheat crown rot in China, wheat basal stems with symptoms of the disease were collected from 2009 to 2013 in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong provinces. In total, 175 Fusarium isolates were collected and their mycotoxin chemotypes and distribution were identified. Among the 175 isolates, 123 were Fusarium asiaticum; 95 of these were the chemotype 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3-AcDON) and 28 were nivalenol (NIV). Thirty-seven isolates belonged to F. graminearum, which were all 15-AcDON. Smaller numbers of isolates consisted of F. acuminatum, F. pseudograminearum, and F. avenaceum. The virulence of F. asiaticum and F. graminearum isolates on wheat crowns and heads was comparable. The virulence of isolates of the DON and NIV chemotype were statistically similar, but DON tended to be more aggressive. The DON concentrations in grains from wheat heads inoculated with isolates causing either Fusarium head blight or crown rot were similar. In the five provinces, F. asiaticum of the 3-AcDON chemotype was the predominant pathogen causing crown rot, followed by F. graminearum. Recent changes in causal Fusarium species, chemotypes, and distribution in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scalableand low-cost methods to align and orient block copolymer(BCP) films and membranes are critical for their adaptation for nonlithographicapplications. Cold zone annealing (CZA) can align BCP microdomainsand is scalable via roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing. However, theefficacy of orientation by CZA is strongly dependent on the thermalzone velocity (Vcza). Optimization ofthis rate can be time-consuming and tedious. To address this shortcoming,we report rotational or radial CZA (RCZA) that provides a combinatorialapproach to efficiently determine how linear Vczarate impacts microdomain orientation. RCZA rapidly identifiesthe optimal CZA velocities for perpendicular orientation of cylindersin polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) filmsthat previously required tens of measurements [Macromolecules2012, 45, 7107], demonstratedhere with much finer velocity resolution using three overlapping radialregimes. Notably, the efficacy of CZA for perpendicular alignmentrapidly decays for Vcza> 10 μm/s.To overcome this limitation, the addition of 2 wt % 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazoliumbis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide sufficiently altersthe surface tension and segmental relaxations via reduced viscosityto increase the processing window for perpendicular cylinders, approximately75% at Vcza≈ 330 μm/s, approachingR2R speeds. Further increasing ionic liquid content to 5 wt % leadsto mostly parallel orientation due to surface wetting. Ionic liquidscan dramatically increase BCP processing speeds for applications,such as membranes, and RCZA can efficiently map out the optimal processingparameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD166, an adhesion molecule of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is one of the crucial effectors that traffic lymphocytes into tissues. Till now, the expression and role of CD166 in the chronic kidney disease remains unknown. Objectives: In the present study, we are to examine the expression of CD166 in the chronic kidney disease, and to explore its function with CD4+ T cells. Materials and Methods: CD166 expression was tested by Flow Cytometry (FACS) in the primary macrophages stimulated with LPS. In vivo, the expression of CD166 and CD4 were examined in the kidney tissues of adriamycin-induced nephropathy (AN) mice by immnohistochemistry. Macrophages and lymphocytes were co-cultured, the interaction between CD166 and CD4 was tested by immunofluorescent staining. Furthermore, the effects of CD166 on the activation and proliferation of T cells were explored. Results: In this study, CD166 expression was found to be upregulated on activated macrophages and glomerular endothelia in the adriamycin-induced nephropathy (AN) mice and CD4+ T cells were increased with CD166 expression in the AN mice. The interaction between macrophages and CD4+ T cells indicated that CD166 played a key role in the recruitment of lymphocytes in the chronic kidney disease, and neither proliferation nor activation of T cells was affected by CD166. Conclusions: CD166 expressed on macrophages and endothelia in AN kidney, and the function was related to the recruitment of CD4+ T cells into inflamed kidney, indicating that CD166 may be a potential target for reducing the inflammatory infiltrates in the chronic kidney disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Centipeda minima (Ebushicao) has been used for the treatment of various diseases, such as nasal allergies, rhinitis and sinusitis, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, cough, and headache. This study aims to investigate the anticancer activities of Centipeda minima ethanol extracts (CME) against nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell CNE-1 and their underlying mechanism. Methods: CNE-1 cells were treated with diferent concentrations (15-50 µg/mL) of CME for diferent time intervals (24, 48, and 72 h). Cytotoxicity of CME was determined by MTT assay. Cell morphological changes were observed by luorescence microscopy after HO 33258 staining. Cell cycle status was evaluated by low cytometry following propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was detected by low cytometry following annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The levels of apoptosis-associated and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling related proteins were measured by western blotting analysis. Results: CME (15-50 µg/mL) signiicantly inhibited the proliferation of CNE-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner (P = 0.026 for 15 µg/mL, P < 0.001 for 25, 30, 40, and 50 µg/mL, respectively); the IC50 values (µg/mL) were 41.57 ± 0.17, 30.34 ± 0.06 and 24.98 ± 0.08 for 24, 48 and 72 h treatments, respectively. Signiicant morphological changes of CNE-1 cells displaying apoptosis were observed after CME treatment. CME showed low cytotoxicity toward normal LO2 cells. CNE-1 cells were arrested in the G2/M phase while treated with 15, 25, 40 µg/mL of CME, respectively (P = 0.032, P = 0.0053, P < 0.001). CME (15, 25, 40 µg/mL) down-regulated Bcl-2 expression (P = 0.032, P = 0.0074, P < 0.001), and up-regulated Bax (P = 0.026, P = 0.0056, P < 0.001) with activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and PARP observed in CNE-1 cells (P = 0.015, P = 0.0067, P < 0.001 for caspase 3; P = 0.210, 0.028, < 0.001 for caspase 8; P = 0.152, 0.082, 0.0080 for caspase 9; P = 0.265, 0.0072, < 0.001 for PARP). CME suppressed the activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway (P = 0.03, 0.0007, 0.004, 0.006, 0.022 for p-PI3K, p-Akt-Ser473, p-Akt-Thr308, p-mTOR-Ser2448, p-mTOR-Ser2481, respectively after 40 µg/mL of CME treated for 24 h). Conclusion: CME inhibited the proliferation of CNE-1 cells and activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]