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CO2 flooding is recognized as an efficient method for enhancing shale oil recovery, while CO2-oil MMP (minimum miscibility pressure) in the micro-nanoscale is a crucial parameter. This paper presents a method for calculating the MMPs of pure hydrocarbons (C4H10, C6H14, C8H18, and C10H22) and CO2 systems in nanopores (3 nm to 10 nm) with temperature ranging from 290.15 K to 373.15 K. Firstly, we modify the Peng-Robinson equation of state (PR-EOS) by considering the influence of confinement effect and capillary pressure in nanopores. Secondly, the flash calculation algorithm is employed to determine whether the oil and gas phases in nanopores have reached an equilibrium state according to the equality of the fugacity of the two phases. Thirdly, we calculate the interfacial tension (IFT) between the two phases using the Macleod-Sugden equation. When the extrapolated IFT is zero, we treat the corresponding pressure as the MMP of the CO2-oil system in nanopores. Simulation results indicate that the calculated MMP using this method has a relative error of about 0.62% compared to the MMP calculated using the multiple mixing cell (MMC) method, indicating high reliability for MMP prediction. Moreover, the measured MMP at the nanoscale is generally smaller than that in the bulk phase due to the influence of the confinement effect. The MMP is positively correlated with the reservoir temperature, the carbon atom number in alkanes, and the nanopore radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given multiple material performance advantages, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material has become one of the most promising hot structural materials used for thermal protection system in hypersonic vehicles. Under harsh thermal exposure of vehicles in flight, the design of connection structure would be a critical issue in improving load-carrying efficiency and ensuring service safety of aircraft structures in service environments. However, little attention was paid on mechanical behavior and its factors affecting the mechanical property of CMC joining at elevated temperature. To address this concern, a 3D finite element model coupled with progressive damage analysis is carried out to predict high temperature tensile properties and failure behavior of single-lap, double-bolt CMC/superalloy joints assembled by two serial protruding-head bolts. In the implementation of progressive damage analysis of 2D plain-woven C/SiC composites, a user-defined subroutine UMAT including a nonlinear constitutive model, 3D Alvaro failure criterion and Tan's material degradation rule were embedded into the general package ABAQUS® through Fortran program interface. A parametric study considering geometries of joints was performed to evaluate their resultant influence on high temperature tensile behavior and the associated damage mechanisms for the CMC/superalloy double-bolt joint. New findings were provided for full exploitation of high performance through geometric design of ceramic matrix composite hot structure for hypersonic aircraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instant delivery is an intermediary bridge for same-city O2O services and an important part of urban short-distance logistics. The route planning and scheduling of instant delivery need to balance cost and customer satisfaction and consider the impact of traffic conditions on the distribution process. In this paper, we propose a vehicle routing problem model considering two types of customer time windows under time-dependent road networks and design a memetic algorithm combined with genetic algorithm and variable neighborhood search to solve the problem. By comparing the results of the different time periods and conducting sensitivity analysis for the two types of customer time windows, the effectiveness of the model and algorithm is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the difficulties associated with the preservation and transmission of religious cultural resources and the difficulties encountered in the new development environment and background. It does so in light of the current state of religious, cultural resources. The protection, growth, and use of religious and cultural resources against the backdrop of the digital era are elaborated upon and critically analyzed in this article. Based on the foregoing discussion, this article conducts a thorough analysis of the development of a digital platform for religious and cultural resources and its big data analysis, and it also suggests an image feature extraction algorithm based on DL. This article develops a clustering CNN based on the network with PCA vector as convolution kernel, which clusters small images and computes principal component vectors according to categories, generating multiple groups of convolution kernels to extract more features so that the input image can select feature extractors adaptively. Simulation and comparative analysis are used in this article to confirm the algorithm's effectiveness. Compared to the conventional NN algorithm, simulation results indicate that this algorithm is more accurate, with a maximum accuracy of about 95.14 percent. It has some reference value for the research that will be done in relation to the creation of the next digital platform for religious and cultural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turn of contemporary visual culture has led to the expansion of the connotation and scope of visual communication design (VCD) education, the generation of new artistic concepts and forms, and the great changes in the subject education system. VCD instruction now has an enhanced teaching environment and operational platform because of the rapid advancement of digital technology. Digital technology is expected to break through traditional learning methods in the future and will be more widely integrated into VCD courses. A topic that must be addressed and explored in the reform and growth of VCD education is how to build a fairer and more inclusive college art education subject system. Therefore, it is particularly important to design a complete VCD teaching evaluation system. In this paper, artificial intelligence technology is applied to the teaching quality evaluation (TQE) system, and a scientific and reliable TQE model is obtained. The main works of this paper are as follows: (1) analyze the background and significance of TQE research, and systematically expound the domestic and foreign research status of TQE, genetic algorithm, and neural network. (2) Using an adaptive mutation evolutionary method, this research builds a TQE system for the VCD course and produces a BPNN model. The adaptive mutation genetic algorithm's convergence speed is considerably faster than the regular genetic algorithms, the optimized neural network's performance is also superior, and the model has a faster convergence time and better prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of customized bus (CB) service intends to expand and elevate existing transit service, which offers an efficient and sustainable alternative to serve commuters. A probabilistic model is proposed to optimize CB service with mixed vehicle sizes in an urban setting considering stochastic bus arrival time and spatiotemporal demand, which minimizes total cost subject to bus capacity and time window constraints. The studied optimization problem is combinatorial with many decision variables including vehicle assignment, bus routes, timetables, and fleet size. A heuristic algorithm is developed, which integrates a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) and adaptive destroy-and-repair (ADAR) method. The efficiency of HGA-ADAR is demonstrated through numerical comparisons to the solutions obtained by LINGO and HGA. Numerical instances are carried out, and the results suggested that the probabilistic model considering stochastic bus arrival time is valuable and can dramatically reduce the total cost and early and late arrival penalties. A case study is conducted in which the proposed model is applied to optimize a real-world CB service in Xi'an, China. The relationship between decision variables and model parameters is explored. The impacts of time window and variance of bus arrival time, which significantly affect service reliability, are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To determine the role of sodium butyrate in intestinal inflammation via regulation of high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), we analyzed the potential mechanism in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in a neonatal mouse model. Methods. A NEC model was created with hypoxia and cold exposure and artificial overfeeding. C57BL/6 neonatal mice were randomized into three groups: the control, untreated NEC, and sodium butyrate (150 mM)-pretreated NEC groups. Pathological variations in ileocecal intestinal tissue were observed by HE staining and scored in a double-blind manner. The mRNA expression levels of HMGB1, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and inflammatory cytokines in intestinal tissues were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. The protein levels of HMGB1 and associated cytokines in intestinal tissues were evaluated using ELISA. The relative protein expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB in intestinal tissues were quantified by western blot. Results. Sodium butyrate administration improved the body weight and survival rate of NEC mice; relieved intestinal pathological injury; reduced the intestinal expression of HMGB1, TLR4, NF-κB, interleukin- (IL-) 1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α; and increased the intestinal expression of IL-10 (P < 0.05). Treatment with butyrate decreased the proportion of opportunistic Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Enterococcus and increased the proportion of beneficial Firmicutes and Lactobacillus in the NEC model. Conclusions. Sodium butyrate intervention relieves intestinal inflammation and partially corrects the disrupted intestinal flora in mice with NEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of generating units that abuse market power is an essential part of risk prevention in a spot market, especially in the early stage of the construction of the spot market. In this study, a model for identifying generating units that abuse market power is designed based on the AdaBoost-DT algorithm. It is targeted at the imbalance between samples of generating units that abuse market power and normal generating units in the spot market. First, the four main methods by which market power is abused by generating units in the spot market are described: collusion, economic withholding, physical withholding, and extreme quotation. Second, the specific characteristics of the four methods are analyzed, and the identification indexes for generating units that abuse market power are established. Thereafter, a sample set of generating units that abuse market power using different methods is constructed. Furthermore, a training set is formed with samples of normal generating units to construct a model based on the AdaBoost-DT algorithm, for identifying generating units that abuse market power. Finally, the spot market data of a certain region are used for an example analysis. The results show that the accuracy of model identification is 97%, which validates the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the relationship between body measures and the presence of two frailty‐related phenotypes, and the moderating effect of age on this relationship. This is a secondary data analysis of the baseline data of an interventional study. The participants were residents of seven districts in Hong Kong, aged 55 or older, able to ambulate independently and to function well cognitively. Pre‐frailty refers to the presence of two frailty‐related phenotypes: low physical activity or poor handgrip strength or both. Included in the study were 199 individuals with a mean age of 73.43 (SD 7.54). Regression models showed that body weight (OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.92–0.99, p <.05) was significantly associated with pre‐frailty, as was body height (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.83–0.94, p <.001). Age is a significant moderator of the relationship between pre‐frailty and body weight and body height. The effect of body weight (beta = −0.044, p <.05) and height (beta = −0.16, p <.001) on pre‐frailty was significant and negative in the younger age groups. The findings indicate that raw body measures (i.e. body weight, body height) are more predictive of pre‐frailty than BMI in older Chinese people. However, in the old‐old group, these measures are not significant predictors of pre‐frailty in Chinese community‐dwelling adults. Practitioners should consider adopting body measures as predictors of pre‐frailty in the younger‐old population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic process of circular water jets plunging into a quiescent pool was analyzed in this study based on the RNG k∼ε turbulence model and VOF method. The effects of jet velocity and inclination angles relative to horizontal on the cavity shapes and sizes were analyzed. The simulation successfully captured the formation, development, pinch-off, and disintegration phenomena of cavities. The shape of the cavity is mainly affected by the impact angle, while the impact velocity mainly affects the size of the cavity. The cavity pinch-off initially appears at a certain point in any direction for vertical jets, while the cavity in the opposite direction of flow pinch-off appears before the cavity in the direction of flow for inclined jets. Before cavity pinch-off, the maximum radial and axial sizes of the cavity generally increase with the impact velocity and the time after impingement. The axial penetration velocity of the cavity tip is approximately half of the impact velocity, which is consistent with previous research. Finally, based on the statistics of the cavity sizes, empirical formulas for predicting the maximum radial and axial sizes of the cavity were established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a large number of photovoltaic (PV) arrays in large-scale PV power plants or regional distributed PV power plants, and the output of different arrays fluctuates with the external conditions. The deviation and evolution information of the array output are easily covered by the random fluctuations of the PV output, which makes the fault diagnosis of PV arrays difficult. In this paper, a fault diagnosis method based on the deviation characteristics of the PV array output is proposed. Based on the current of the PV array on the DC (direct current) side, the deviation characteristics of the PV array output under different arrays and time series are analyzed. Then, the deviation function is constructed to evaluate the output deviation of the PV array. Finally, the fault diagnosis of a PV array is realized by using the probabilistic neural network (PNN), and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified. The main contributions of this paper are to propose the deviation function that can extract the fault characteristics of PV array and the fault diagnosis method just using the array current which can be easily applied in the PV plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the time-dependent effects of acupuncture on the excitability and long-term potentiation- (LTP-) like plasticity induced by paired-associative stimulation (PAS) over the primary motor cortex (M1). The present examination is the first to report the influence of acupuncture on the motor-evoked potential (MEP) throughout the treatment process, including baseline (before acupuncture), the needle in situ, and the needle removal. Subsequently, the LTP-like plasticity induced by paired-associative stimulation (PAS) was explored, which consisted of 200 pairs of electrical stimulation of the ulnar nerve at the first dorsal interosseous (FDI), followed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the bilateral M1. TMS-MEP amplitudes over the bilateral M1 in resting conditions were measured throughout the whole treatment process. Finally, we confirmed the behavioral measurements. Significant changes were found in both the contralateral and ipsilateral acupuncture sizes as compared to the baseline values. Our results indicated that acupuncture modulated the excitability of M1, and the synaptic plasticity was time-dependent. We concluded that acupuncture should be combined with rehabilitation techniques to improve the motor function in stroke patients. Therefore, we put forward the combined application of the acupuncture timing and rehabilitation for higher therapeutic effectiveness. This trial was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration no. ChiCTR-IPR-1900020515). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration signals extracted from rotating parts of machinery carry a lot of useful information about the condition of operating machine. Due to the strong non-linear, complex and non-stationary characteristics of vibration signals from working bearings, an accurate and reliable health assessment method for bearing is necessary. This paper proposes to utilize the selected chaotic characteristics of vibration signal for health assessment of a bearing by using self-organizing map (SOM). Both Grassberger-Procaccia algorithm and Takens' theory are employed to calculate the characteristic vector which includes three chaotic characteristics, such as correlation dimension, largest Lyapunov exponent and Kolmogorov entropy. After that, SOM is used to map the three corresponding characteristics into a confidence value (CV) which represents the health state of the bearing. Finally, a case study based on vibration datasets of a group of testing bearings was conducted to demonstrate that the proposed method can reliably assess the health state of bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD3+CD56+ natural killer T (NKT)-like cells have an immune function of T cells and NK cells, which play an important role in antitumor and antiviral immune responses. This study aims to establish a CD3+CD56+ NKT-like cell model by simulating the memory NK effect induced by cytokines IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18 (IL-12/15/18) and explore the formation mechanism. Our study found that the IL-12/15/18 preactivated CD3+CD56+ NKT-like cells exhibited enhanced IFN-γ production in response to restimulation with IL-12/15/18 for 6h on day 7. The intrinsic potential of these trained cells was significantly improved, showing an increase in IFN-γ, TNF-α, and cell proliferation potential. The IFN-γ release, granzyme B level, and proliferation ability significantly increased when stimulated by NK-cell-sensitive K562 tumor cells. Among these cytokines, the combination of IL-12/15/18 was particularly effective. After the preactivation of IL-12/15/18, some cell surface proteins related to function and differentiation, such as CD11b, CD62 L, NKp46, NKG2A, and CD127, showed an evident and consistent change trend. The CDK4/6 inhibitor can effectively weaken this effect, and the expression of cyclin D1, Rb protein phosphorylation, and E2F-1 decreased significantly. Our work revealed that cytokine IL-12/15/18 can induce CD3+CD56+ NKT-like cells to obtain enhanced training immunity, which was a memory-like phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

City image, as a public image, is the public's overall evaluation and cognition of the city, including concept image, behavior image, and visual image. The new media art is an interdisciplinary research field integrating art, informatics, and communication. It emerged and developed in the new media era and effectively reached the agreement of scientific and technological means and artistic expression. This paper expounds the concept and connotation of smart city informatization and then constructs a measurement model of smart city informatization construction level based on GCD_BPNN. The degree of satisfaction of city image communication in H city was measured, the index evaluation system of system satisfaction in H city was constructed, and the comprehensive satisfaction scale of cultural system in H city was formed. The research shows that the communication of city image in the future should focus on the virtual space and construct the cultural identity and psychological identity of city image from the user's point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workforce planning is an operation management problem in the delivery industry to improve service quality and reliability, and the working attitude and passion of drivers, as the direct implementors of delivery service, affect the service level. Consequently, assigning equal workload for drivers so as to improve drivers' acceptance is a reasonable and efficient workforce plan for managers. This paper investigates a periodic driver routing problem to explore the relationship between workload differential among drivers and total workload; the objective of the optimization problem is to minimize the total workload. To tackle this problem, we first propose a mixed-integer linear programming model, which can be solved by an off-the-shelf mixed-integer linear programming solver, and use the local branching based method to solve larger instances of the problem. Numerical experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model and solution method, as well as the effect of small workload differential among drivers on the total workload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl (Oleaceae) leaves are valuable sources of phillygenin. This study aimed to isolate phillygenin from F. suspensa leaves and examine its analgesic and anti‐inflammatory effects. Phillygenin was successfully extracted and isolated from F. suspensa leaves after fermentation. Phillygenin significantly reduced the number of writhing induced by acetic acid, prolonged the latency period in the hot plate test, and inhibited the xylene‐induced ear edema and carrageenan‐induced paw edema in mice. IL‐6, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, NO, and PGE2 levels in the carrageenan‐induced paw edema were notably reduced after pretreatment with phillygenin. Phillygenin significantly decreased the iNOS and COX‐2 protein expressions and the IκB‐α and NF‐κB p65 phosphorylation. This study demonstrated that phillygenin is a potential therapeutic candidate for managing pain and inflammation‐mediated disorders. The study contributes to the comprehensive development and utilization of F. suspensa leaves for economic and health care. Practical applications: Phillygenin is one of the major active ingredients in Forsythia suspensa. But the content of phillygenin in F. suspensa is very low which limits its application. Phillygenin has potential pharmacological activity and anti‐inflammatory properties. However, the potential effects of phillygenin on analgesic activity have not been clarified. Furthermore, the data on its anti‐inflammatory activity in vivo are relatively limited. This study evaluated the analgesic activity for the first time and the acute anti‐inflammatory effect of phillygenin from F. suspensa leaves by fermentation, which indicated phillygenin is a potential therapeutic candidate for managing pain and inflammation‐mediated disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This meta-analysis was performed to identify the prognostic value of SLNCR1 in multiple cancer types. Methods. Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Medline, BioMed Central, Springer, Science Direct, and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), were searched for relevant studies up to August 2021, and the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to assess the relationship between SLNCR1 expression and overall survival (OS). Results. 12 studies with a total of 1155 patients with 9 different types of cancers were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled HR indicates that high SLNCR1 expression represented poorer prognosis of cancer (HR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.59–2.80, I2 = 0%, P < 0.00001). Additionally, high SLNCR1 expression was correlated with TNM stage (odds ratio (OR): 1.72, 95% CI: 1.08–2.74, I2 = 62%, P = 0.02), lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR:2.42, 95% CI: 1.61–3.64, I2 = 55%, P < 0.0001), and distant metastases (DM) (OR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.50–3.55, I2 = 27%, P = 0.0002). However, no evidence was found for a relationship between SLNCR1 expression and clinical features such as tumor size (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 0.93–3.14, I2 = 71%, P = 0.09), age (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.68–1.08, I2 = 0%, P = 0.19), or gender (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.64–1.81, I2 = 55%, P = 0.79). Conclusion. Our findings found that high SLNCR1 expression was associated with poor OS, advanced tumor stage, tumor size, LNM, and DM in multiple cancers, indicating that SLNCR1 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for cancer patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the large-scale search and rescue (S&R) scenarios, the centralized and distributed multi-UAV multitask assignment algorithms for multi-UAV systems have the problems of heavy computational load and massive communication burden, which make it hard to guarantee the effectiveness and convergence speed of their task assignment results. To address this issue, this paper proposes a hierarchical task assignment strategy. Firstly, a model decoupling algorithm based on density clustering and negotiation mechanism is raised to decompose the large-scale task assignment problem into several nonintersection and complete small-scale task assignment problems, which effectively reduces the required computational amount and communication cost. Then, a cluster head selection method based on multiattribute decision is put forward to select the cluster head for each UAV team. These cluster heads will communicate with the central control station about the latest assignment information to guarantee the completion of S&R mission. At last, considering that a few targets cannot be effectively allocated due to UAVs' limited and unbalanced resources, an auction-based task sharing scheme among UAV teams is presented to guarantee the mission coverage of the multi-UAV system. Simulation results and analyses comprehensively verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed hierarchical task assignment strategy in large-scale S&R scenarios with dispersed clustering targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a diagnostic and prognostic marker of melanoma. However, whether ctDNA mutations can independently predict survival remains controversial. This meta-analysis assessed the prognostic value of the presence or change in ctDNA mutations in melanoma patients. Methods. We identified studies from the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. We estimated the combined hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using either fixed-effect or random-effect models based on heterogeneity. Results. Sixteen studies including 1,781 patients were included. Both baseline and posttreatment detectable ctDNA were associated with poor OS (baseline detectable vs. undetectable, pooled HR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.64–2.36, P < 0.00001 ; baseline undetectable vs. detectable, pooled HR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.11–0.36, P < 0.00001 ; posttreatment detectable vs. undetectable, pooled HR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.30–4.28, P = 0.005). For PFS, baseline detectable ctDNA may be associated with adverse PFS (baseline detectable vs. undetectable, pooled HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 0.84–2.37, P = 0.19 ; baseline undetectable vs. detectable, pooled HR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.19–0.95, P = 0.04) and baseline high ctDNA and increased ctDNA were significantly associated with adverse PFS (baseline high vs. low/undetectable, pooled HR = 3.29, 95% CI = 1.73–6.25, P = 0.0003 ; increase vs. decrease, pooled HR = 4.48, 95% CI = 2.45–8.17, P < 0.00001). The baseline BRAFV600 ctDNA mutation-positive group was significantly associated with adverse OS compared with the baseline ctDNA-negative group (pooled HR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.58–2.29, P < 0.00001). There were no significant differences in PFS between the baseline BRAFV600 ctDNA mutation-detectable group and the undetectable group (pooled HR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.72–1.44, P = 0.92). Conclusion. The presence or elevation of ctDNA mutation or BRAFV600 ctDNA mutation was significantly associated with worse prognosis in melanoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious and frequent complication with poor prognosis, and disruption in circadian rhythm shall adversely influence cardiovascular and renal functions via oxidative stress mechanisms. However, the role of circadian clock genes (circadian locomotor output cycle kaput (CLOCK) and brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like protein-1 (BMAL1)) and its interaction with nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in AKI following myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MIR) in the diabetic rat has not yet been explored. In this study, rats were divided into the sham (S) group, MIR (M) group, diabetic (D) group, and diabetic+MIR (DM) group. At light (zeitgeber time (ZT) 0) and dark time points (ZT12), rat MIR model was established by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by 2 -hour reperfusion, and then renal injury was evaluated. The renal histological changes in the DM group were significantly high compared to other groups; serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels, as well as malondialdehyde and 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α levels in renal tissues of M ZT12 and DM ZT12 subgroups, were significantly higher than those of M ZT0 and DM ZT0 subgroups, individually indicating increased oxidative stress at a dark cycle. Further, Nrf2 protein accumulated in a circadian manner with decreasing levels at night in the DM and M groups. In conclusion, renal injury following MIR was exacerbated in the diabetic rat at night through molecular mechanisms involving transcriptional control of the circadian clock on light-dark activation of Nrf2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is the most common neoplasm of the central nervous system (CNS); the progression and outcomes of which are affected by a complicated network of genes and pathways. We chose a gene expression profile of GSE66354 from GEO database to search core biomarkers during the occurrence and development of glioma. A total of 149 samples, involving 136 glioma and 13 normal brain tissues, were enrolled in this article. 1980 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) including 697 upregulated genes and 1283 downregulated genes between glioma patients and healthy individuals were selected using GeoDiver and GEO2R tool. Then, gene ontology (GO) analysis as well as Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were carried out using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Moreover, Cytoscape with Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) plug-in was employed to imagine protein-protein interaction (PPI) of these DEGs. The upregulated genes were enriched in cell cycle, ECM-receptor interaction, and p53 signaling pathway, while the downregulated genes were enriched in retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, glutamatergic synapse, morphine addiction, GABAergic synapse, and calcium signaling pathway. Subsequently, 4 typical modules were discovered by the PPI network utilizing MCODE software. Besides, 15 hub genes were chosen according to the degree of connectivity, including TP53, CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2, the Kaplan-Meier analysis of which was further identified. In conclusion, this bioinformatics analysis indicated that DEGs and core genes, such as TP53, might influence the development of glioma, especially in tumor proliferation, which were expected to be promising biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. HTRA2 has already been nominated as PARK13 which may cause Parkinson’s disease, though there are still discrepancies among these results. Recently, Gulsuner et al.’s study found that HTRA2 p.G399S is responsible for hereditary essential tremor and homozygotes of this allele develop Parkinson’s disease by examining a six-generation family segregating essential tremor and essential tremor coexisting with Parkinson’s disease. We performed this study to validate the condition of HTRA2 gene in Chinese familial essential tremor and familial Parkinson’s disease patients, especially essential tremor. Methods. We directly sequenced all eight exons, exon-intron boundaries, and part of the introns in 101 familial essential tremor patients, 105 familial Parkinson’s disease patients, and 100 healthy controls. Results. No exonic variant was identified, while one exon-intron boundary variant (rs2241028) and one intron variant (rs2241027) were detected, both with no clinical significance and uncertain function. There was no difference in allele, genotype, and haplotype between groups. Conclusions. HTRA2 exonic variant might be rare among Chinese Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor patients with family history, and HTRA2 may not be the cause of familial Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutamate is an important excitatory neurotransmitter in mammalian brains, but excessive amount of glutamate can cause “excitotoxicity” and lead to neuronal death. As bipolar neurons, spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) function as a “bridge” in transmitting auditory information from the ear to the brain and can be damaged by excessive glutamate which results in sensorineural hearing loss. In this study, edaravone, a free radical scavenger, elicited both preventative and therapeutic effects on SGNs against glutamate-induced cell damage that was tested by MTT assay and trypan blue staining. Ho.33342 and PI double staining revealed that apoptosis as well as necrosis took place during glutamate treatment, and apoptosis was the main type of cell death. Oxidative stress played an important role in glutamate-induced cell damage but pretreatment with edaravone alleviated cell death. Results of western blot demonstrated that mechanisms underlying the toxicity of glutamate and the protection of edaravone were related to the PI3K pathway and Bcl-2 protein family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study has investigated the effect of isoflavone attenuates the caspase-1 and caspase-3 level in cell model of Parkinsonism. The subjects were PC12 cells. They were randomly divided into six groups: control, MPP+ (250 μmol/L), isoflavone (10 μM), isoflavone (10 μM) + MPP+ (250 μmol/L), Z-YVAD-CHO (10 nM) + MPP+ group, and Z-DEVD-CHO (10 nM) + MPP+ group. Cell viability was measured by MTT methods; the content of tyrosine hydroxylase was measured by immunocytochemistry method of avidinbiotin peroxidase complex; apoptosis ratio was measured by flow cytometry. The results showed that cell viability in the MPP+ group was lower than in all other five groups. There was no difference in cell viability between isoflavone + MPP+ and control group. Optical density of TH positive cells in isoflavone group was higher than in control, isoflavone + MPP+, and MPP+ only groups. The apoptosis ratio in the isoflavone + MPP+ group and control group and the Z-YVAD-CHO + MPP+ and Z-DEVD-CHO + MPP+ group was similar, which was lower than in the MPP+ group. The lowest apoptosis ratio was found in the isoflavone only group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]