Search

Summary: Modal frequencies are widely used for vibration‐based structural health monitoring (SHM) and for capturing the dynamics of a monitored structure to reveal possible failures. However, changing environmental and operational conditions (i.e., temperature, humidity, wind load, and traffic load) may submerge the modal variability induced by structural damage, thereby falsely identifying damage of interest. This paper presents a comprehensive summary review of SHM for the prediction of modal frequency and the elimination of environment‐induced masking effects based on the data normalization method. The influence mechanisms of external variations on modal frequencies extensively reported in the literature are first described. Next, the research progress in predicting and eliminating the operational modal variability is reviewed emphatically; this progress can be primarily divided into an input–output method that focuses on the establishment of the relationship model between structural frequency and environmental conditions and an output‐only method that separates the embedded environmental variable‐induced changes depending on whether the environmental measurements are measured. Finally, the conclusions and future studies are summarized and discussed. As an overview, the major contribution of this paper is to provide objective technical references for engineers and owners and to further evaluate structural safety conditions more effectively and in a timely manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Supercritical heat transfer loops are widely used in large‐scale thermal equipment, which development is restricted by the thermal‐hydraulic characteristics, especially the safety and thermal efficiency under high‐heat fluxes. This study is focused on numerical simulation for a 4‐m test section of the loop and further analyzes the flow transitions and heat transfer mechanisms from subcritical to supercritical. The heat transfer characteristics of supercritical water in the vertical loop were simulated for conditions: P = 24 MPa, Tin = 320°C, 340°C, mass flux (G) = 1000 kg/m2s, 1500 kg/m2s, and heat fluxes varied from 100 to 1200 kW/m2. The heat transfer transitions are analyzed from the perspective of local parameters that affect the status of both core flow and boundary layers. The empirical correlation and the error backpropagation (BP) neural network prediction model are proposed and compared with experimental and numerical results. The results show that transitions of both boundary layer and core flow from subcritical to supercritical contribute to the heat transfer behaviors: normal heat transfer, heat transfer deterioration, and heat transfer enhancement. The zero‐velocity gradient (∂u/∂r = 0) on the M‐shaped velocity curve causes the turbulent shear stress near the wall to be close to zero, which leads to the suppression of the turbulence. At the same time, the thickness of the thermal boundary layer reaches the maximum, resulting in a large thermal resistance, which affects the heat transfer from the wall to the core area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: As critical components that transmit internal forces laterally in multigirder bridges, joint degradation can destroy the cooperative working mechanism of a multigirder system and seriously reduce bridge bearing capacity. This research aims to reveal the joint damage effects on lateral internal force transmission and propose a joint damage detection and location method. A spring‐jointed plate model is established to analyze the effects of joint damage, based on which the relationship between the shear forces in the joints and the shear stiffness of the joints can be obtained. Furthermore, a joint damage index is deduced based on the lateral deflection influence lines, and a bridge load testing method is proposed to obtain such influence lines. By using multiple influence lines to jointly solve the damage index, the joint damage in the lateral bridge direction can be accurately detected and located. In addition, by carrying out the damage detection process at several cross sections of the bridge, the joint damage position in the longitudinal bridge direction can also be determined. Finally, a numerical model of an adjacent box girder bridge is illustrated as an example to verify the effectiveness of the damage detection. It can be concluded that the proposed method can effectively identify and locate single or multiple joint damage locations under noise interference, and the joint damage degree can be quantitatively evaluated. This study can provide an effective method to identify the joint damage for adjacent box girder bridges with high accuracy and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM1) has been implicated as an oncogene in several types of cancer. However, the potential role of ESM1 in esophageal carcinogenesis (ESCA)/esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still unclear. Methods. The expression, function, and survival data of ESM1 were observed using a bioinformatics approach. Subsequently, the expression level of ESM1 in surgical esophageal tumors and adjacent normal tissues was detected by qRT–PCR and immunofluorescence. We further revealed protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC), which is related to the prognosis of patients with ESCC using survival analysis. In vitro, knockdown of ESM1 in KYSE150 and KYSE510 cell lines, colony formation assays, wound healing assays, and Transwell assays were performed. Results. ESM1 is significantly elevated in 12 of 20 types of human cancer. ESM1 is highly expressed in tumor tissue compared with adjacent normal tissue and was identified as a hub gene in ESCA. Clinical outcome endpoints of overall survival (OS), progression-free interval (PFI), and disease-specific survival (DSS) curves showed that patients whose ESM1 expression was high had a lower clinical survival rate. The ESM1 high-expression group has a certain correlation with clinical stage and grade. The IHC of ESM1 further demonstrated that the higher the expression was, the worse the N classification and pTNM stage in patients with ESCC, which had a distinctly poorer overall 5-year survival rate. Univariate analysis showed that age, N classification, pTNM stage, and ESM1 expression were all prognostic factors, although multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that only pTNM stage was an independent prognostic factor. In vitro, silencing ESM1 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of KYSE150 and KYSE510 cells. Conclusions. ESM1 is a hub gene in the initiation and progression of ESCA/ESCC that promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of esophageal cancer cells and may be a promising therapeutic target and prognostic indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is particularly prevalent in Guangdong and Guangxi (southern China); the economic burden of nasopharyngeal cancer patients is heavy in China. This study is aimed at retrospectively analyzing the basic features and economic burden of newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and at providing a scientific basis for nasopharyngeal carcinoma prevention and control strategies. Methods. The data of 3,727 nasopharyngeal carcinoma inpatients diagnosed from January 2012 to December 2020 were extracted from the Guangxi Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Healthcare Big Data Management Information Platform. Basic demographic characteristics, duration of hospital stay, and hospitalization cost of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were collected and analyzed statistically. Results. The incidence period of nasopharyngeal carcinoma was primarily from 30 to 69 years of age, with the 40–49-year age group comprising the largest proportion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, accounting for 34.18% of the patients with newly diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the hospital. The male-to-female ratio was 2.87 : 1. There were 2,223 cases from rural areas, 2,153 from the Han ethnic group, and 1,460 from the Zhuang ethnic group, accounting for 59.65%, 55.77%, and 39.17% of the total number of cases, respectively. The average duration of hospitalization decreased whereas the average hospitalization cost increased annually. Multivariate analysis of hospitalization cost showed that the duration of hospital stay, rural/urban, and ethnicity was the main influencing factors: the longer the duration of hospital stay, the higher the hospitalization cost; patients from rural incurred lower costs than from urban; ethnic Zhuang patients incurred significantly lower costs than patients from other ethnicities. Conclusion. Early diagnosis and treatment should be actively carried out to reduce the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, especially for rural, ethnic Zhuang, and males in the 40–49-year age group patients. The future research on nasopharyngeal carcinoma will focus on exploring the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, improving the screening system, and reducing the burden on patients, in order to further improve the survival rate and quality of life of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Weipu, and Wanfang databases were searched to evaluate the effects of probiotics supplements on gastric cancer‐related inflammatory factors. Parallel randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of prebiotics supplement on gastric cancer patients were included in the review. Compared with routine nutrition, meta‐analysis shows that probiotics supplements reduce gastric cancer‐related inflammation levels by mostly increasing the levels of cluster of differentiation 4+ and greatly reducing the levels of interleukin‐6. Probiotics supplements can control the inflammatory response in cancer patients and may be a potential approach for controlling inflammatory levels in the patients. However, a larger population is needed for further study because of a certain degree of heterogeneity in this review. Practical applications: The effects of probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus species) on the gastric cancer‐related inflammation were investigated.Probiotics can reduce gastric cancer‐related inflammation levels more effectively by increasing the levels of cluster of differentiation 4+ and greatly reducing the levels of interleukin‐6.The study provides some theoretical basis for controlling cancer‐related inflammation responses in the patients using probiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess whether professional endoscopists need additional training on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis. Methods. This retrospective study was conducted in patients with IBD, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which were diagnosed and treated for the first time in our hospital between January 2005 and December 2020. Doctors including gastroenterologists (group G) and professional endoscopists (group E) participated in the study. The data divided into CD or UC and group G or group E were compared. Results. Patients with CD exhibited higher rates of terminal ileal lesions, reexamined colonoscopy within 6 months, and intestinal stenosis than patients with UC (P < 0.001). The positive endoscopic IBD diagnosis rate was significantly higher in group G than in group E (89.6% vs. 74.0%, P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis for patients with CD, the positive endoscopic IBD diagnosis rate was significantly higher for group G than for group E (81.5% vs. 41.8%, P < 0.001). However, the two groups exhibited no significant difference in the subgroup analysis for patients with UC (94.1% vs. 86.5%, P = 0.060). Group G exhibited a higher rate of terminal ileal intubation (83.1% vs. 65.3%, P < 0.001) and standard pathological biopsy (72.7% vs. 26.0%, P < 0.001) than Group E. Conclusion. Professional endoscopists showed lower rates of terminal ileal intubation, positive endoscopic diagnosis, and standard pathological biopsy than gastroenterologists. Hence, additional training on IBD, particularly on CD, must be provided to professional endoscopists to increase their efficiency for terminal ileal intubation and positive endoscopic diagnosis and to enhance their awareness regarding standard biopsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The purpose of the current study was to analyze the influence of radiological "disappearing liver metastasis" (DLM) on the efficacy and prognosis of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) undergoing conversion therapy. Methods. Patients with CRLM by the multidisciplinary team (MDT) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were retrospectively enrolled from January 2014 to January 2021. The relationship between the occurrence and recurrence of DLM and different clinical factors was analyzed. Results. Thirty-five of the 113 patients (31.0%) with initially unresectable CRLM developed DLM, and of the 361 lesions, 177 disappeared (49.0%). Within 6 months, 6-12 months, and 12-24 months groups, the recurrence rate was 3.4%, 16.8%, and 34.8%, but there is no recurrence in after 24 months group. There was a statistical difference between chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy combined with the targeted therapy group on the occurrence of DLM (58.3% vs. 37.1%, P < 0.001). There were significant differences between <5 mm group and >10 mm group on occurrence of DLM（76.7% vs. 30.4%, P < 0.001) and between 5-10 mm group and >10 mm group also (70.0% vs. 30.4%, P < 0.001). Through univariate and multivariate analyses, it was concluded that age (P = 0.026 , 95 % CI = 3.690) and treatment regimens (P = 0.033 , 95 % CI = 2.703) had a significant influence on the progression-free survival (PFS) time of DLM. Conclusion. Younger patients, who use chemotherapy alone to achieve a therapeutic effect, might have better survival benefits when the lesions do not progress within 2 years after the appearance of DLMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Recurrence of endometrial cancer after initial treatment can be complex and difficult to treat. The current main treatment modalities for patients with recurrent endometrial cancer (REC) include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, which vary according to the individual patient. However, REC is often associated with a poor prognosis, and it is therefore important to investigate the risk factors affecting REC prognosis and to explore appropriate treatment modalities to improve the prognosis and treatment strategies for patients with REC. Methods. Totally, 100 patients with REC admitted to our hospital from January 2013 to January 2018 were chosen to be research objects. Their pathological data were analyzed, including age, disease-free interval (DFI), recurrence site, and treatment plan after relapse (definitive local therapy (DLT) and palliative chemotherapy (PC)). According to these parameters, univariate and multivariate factors affecting the prognosis of REC patients and the curative effect of PC were analyzed, and the 3-year overall survival (OS) curve and progression-free survival (PFS) curve were drawn. Results. After 3 years of follow-up, 30 patients had a poor prognosis and 70 had a good prognosis, according to which a single multifactorial analysis was performed for different prognoses, where the results of the single-factor analysis showed significant differences between patients with different prognoses in terms of pathomorphology, pathological grading, TFI, and treatment modality after relapse. Further multifactorial analysis showed that TFI and treatment modality after recurrence were independent factors affecting poor prognosis in REC patients. The 3-year OS and 3-year PFS of REC patients were 74.00% and 70.00%, respectively. Patients whose DFI was less than 12 months or treated with PC after relapse were notably associated with lower levels of 3-year OS and 3-year PFS. In addition, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, DFI, and chemotherapy plan after primary surgery were independent risk factors that affected the PC efficacy of REC patients. Conclusion. DFI and treatment mode after relapse are independent factors affecting the prognosis of REC patients. DLT can obviously improve the prognosis of REC patients. For patients who can only choose PC, chemoradiotherapy and DFI after primary surgery are helpful to predict the chemotherapy effect, and the combination of paclitaxel and platinum drugs should be the first choice for chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although common variants in a large collection of patients are associated with increased risk for bipolar disorder (BD), studies have only been able to predict 25%‐45% of risks, suggesting that lots of variants that contribute to the risk for BD haven't been identified. Our study aims to identify novel BD risk genes. Methods: We performed whole‐exome sequencing of 27 individuals from 6 BD multi‐affected Chinese families to identify candidate variants. Targeted sequencing of one of the novel risk genes, SERINC2, in additional sporadic 717 BD patients and 312 healthy controls (HC) validated the association. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed to evaluate the effect of the variant to brain structures from 213 subjects (4 BD subjects from a multi‐affected family, 130 sporadic BD subjects and 79 HC control). Results: BD pedigrees had an increased burden of uncommon variants in extracellular matrix (ECM) and calcium ion binding. By large‐scale sequencing we identified a novel recessive BD risk gene, SERINC2, which plays a role in synthesis of sphingolipid and phosphatidylserine (PS). MRI image results show the homozygous nonsense variant in SERINC2 affects the volume of white matter in cerebellum. Conclusions: Our study identified SERINC2 as a risk gene of BD in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microarray cancer data obtained by DNA microarray technology play an important role for cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. However, predicting the different types of tumors is a challenging task since the sample size in microarray data is often small but the dimensionality is very high. Gene selection, which is an effective means, is aimed at mitigating the curse of dimensionality problem and can boost the classification accuracy of microarray data. However, many of previous gene selection methods focus on model design, but neglect the correlation between different genes. In this paper, we introduce a novel unsupervised gene selection method by taking the gene correlation into consideration, named gene correlation guided gene selection (G3CS). Specifically, we calculate the covariance of different gene dimension pairs and embed it into our unsupervised gene selection model to regularize the gene selection coefficient matrix. In such a manner, redundant genes can be effectively excluded. In addition, we utilize a matrix factorization term to exploit the cluster structure of original microarray data to assist the learning process. We design an iterative updating algorithm with convergence guarantee to solve the resultant optimization problem. Experimental results on six publicly available microarray datasets are conducted to validate the efficacy of our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Bridge influence surface is an important tool to study the bridge responses under the moving loads, which contains tremendous structural information. The structural deterioration during the service life would induce the variation of the bridge influence surface, which makes it essential to identify the influence surface exactly from the field measured data under moving vehicle loads. This paper firstly summarizes current development of bridge influence surface identification methods and classifies the methods in which the vehicle is respectively equivalent to line loads and concentrated loads. After that, the actual spatial distribution of the vehicle load is considered, based on which a new identification method is presented to solve the boundary problem of current influence surface identification methods. Then a numerical slab model with two fixed ends is illustrated to prove the validity of the method, and the accuracy and identifiable region of different methods in this condition are compared with the other methods. Influence factors of identification accuracy including noise level, axle number of vehicle and loading point are analyzed. Finally, laboratory verification using the same slab model is prepared to verify the effectiveness of the proposed identification method. Results of this study provide an effective identification method of bridge influence surface with very high identification accuracy, which can be used to full bridge influence surface test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare the effects of sevoflurane inhalation and intravenous anesthesia on hemodynamics, serum myocardial enzymes, and myocardial markers in elderly patients undergoing hysterectomy. Methods. Group A and group B were established randomly regarding a total of 126 elderly patients who underwent an elective hysterectomy. Patients in group A were given full anesthesia with sevoflurane, and patients in group B were given anesthesia with intravenous anesthesia. The operation time, anesthesia time, and recovery time in Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) were compared; plasma cortisol concentration, hemodynamics, serum myocardial enzymes, and myocardial markers were detected and compared between the two groups of patients before anesthesia ( T 0 ), after anesthesia ( T 1 ), and after surgery ( T 2 ). Results. Group A observed a longer extubation time and recovery time in PACU than group B (P < 0.05). Results show a lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and plasma cortisol concentration of T 1 by comparison with those of T 0 (P < 0.05), but no significant difference remains in terms of intergroup SBP, DBP, and HR (P > 0.05), and there was no interaction effect of groups and time (P > 0.05). The two groups showed no great disparity in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), and CK-MB as a subtype of CK before surgery between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). After surgery, LDH, AST, CK, and CK-MB levels in both groups were witnessed a surge, in which group A obtained higher levels of LDH, AST, CK, and CK-MB (all P < 0.05). Conclusion. Total intravenous anesthesia will not increase the hemodynamic fluctuation of elderly patients undergoing hysterectomy and can reduce the damage to the myocardium of patients with surgical trauma, which can protect the myocardium of elderly patients to a certain extent, so it can be adopted as the optimal anesthesia protocol for surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cardiac troponin I-interacting kinase (TNNI3K) on sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD) and further explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, a lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced myocardial injury model was used. qRT-PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expression of TNNI3K. Western blot was conducted to quantitatively detect the expression of TNNI3K and apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3). ELISA was performed to detect the content of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK). TUNEL assay was used to detect the apoptosis of H9C2 cells. In LPS-induced H9C2 cells, TNNI3K was up regulated. Besides, the CK activity, the content of LDH, and the apoptosis of H9C2 cells were significantly increased after treatment with LPS. Silencing TNNI3K decreased the LDH release activity and CK activity and inhibited apoptosis of H9C2 cell. Further research illustrated that si-TNNI3K promoted the protein expression of Bcl-2 and decreased the protein expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3. The study concluded that TNNI3K was upregulated in LPS-induced H9C2 cells. Importantly, functional research findings indicated that silencing TNNI3K alleviated LPS-induced H9C2 cell injury by regulating apoptosis-related proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic pneumoperitoneum has an unknown etiology despite exploratory laparotomy. However, it may occur without definite abdominal symptoms; thus, adequate management could be in clinical dilemma. We experienced three cases of idiopathic nonsurgical pneumoperitoneum in healthy individuals during a health check-up. Their cases were not accompanied by any relevant etiology or definite abdominal symptoms. All of the three cases exhibited a benign clinical course. The three patients underwent an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan as part of a health check-up program, which incidentally revealed free air in the right paracolic gutter without evidence of visceral perforation or inflammation. Among the three cases, two patients underwent colonoscopy before abdominal CT, whereas one patient did not. Two cases were completely asymptomatic and were observed without any treatment in the outpatient clinic. Only the third case with minimal symptoms was treated conservatively for a short time. If a small amount of free air typically located in the right paracolic gutter is detected in the absence of perforation during colonoscopy, close observation without unnecessary treatment would be sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low profile circularly polarized (CP) antenna with reconfigurable polarization is designed and presented, which can radiate omnidirectional patterns that can be switched between left‐hand circularly polarized (LHCP) and right‐hand circularly polarized (RHCP). A pair of arc‐shaped complementary dipoles is acted as reconfigurable elements by bridging four pin diodes at the dipole arced arms. A meander phase shift line is employed to connected the arc dipole arms and plate cavity to adjust the phase relationship of two sources. The proposed antenna exhibits the omnidirectional radiation pattern by combining six identical elements placed in a circular array configuration. 24 p‐i‐n diodes are exploited to six elements, by manipulating the dc bias voltage across the diodes, the polarization state of the antenna can be switched. The patterns of the antenna are similar to that of a dipole, but its size is only about Φ0.87 × 0.029λ0 at 5.8 GHz. The overlapped bandwidth of measured 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) and 10‐dB return loss is 5.724‐5.87 and 5.738‐5.91 GHz for two polarization states, which are right on the target of ISM band. It can be well adapted to medical diagnosis systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reconfigurable, planar, and end‐fire circularly polarized (CP) antenna with wide beamwidth is presented, which exhibits the bidirectional radiation with the same sense by combining two pairs of identical CP elements placed in a back‐to‐back configuration. The design of the element includes a meandering phase delay line, which connects a printed electric dipole and a quarter‐wavelength shorted microstrip patch. Then, eight p‐i‐n diodes are employed in the two dipoles arms to realize either left‐handed CP (LHCP) or right‐handed CP (RHCP) by manipulating the DC bias voltage across p‐i‐n. The prototype is designed to operate at a center frequency of 5.8 GHz with a size of 0.61 × 0.50 × 0.029 (λ03), where λ0 is the wavelength of the center frequency. Also, its end‐fire beam is in parallel with its plane. Experimental results show that the overlapped bandwidth for 10‐dB return loss and the 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) of the bidirectional end‐fire antenna is from 5.72 to 5.89 GHz for the two CP states. The half‐power beamwidth (HPBW) in the horizontal and vertical plane are 95°/115° at the 5.8 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seepage of gas-liquid two-phase flow in fracture is a commonly found phenomenon in nature. To reveal the underlying mechanism and the critical condition of the chaos occurrence, a stochastic gas-liquid two-phase flow seepage model is established, and then investigated through a numerical simulation and a horizontal Hele-Shaw experiment. The numerical simulation and laboratory experiment results show that the seepage chaos of gas-liquid two-phase flow takes place when the relative saturation is in the range of gas relative saturation 44%-70%, and the occurrence probability can be expressed in polynomials. The chaos probability exceeds 80% when the relative saturation of gas is 47%-65%, and the chaos probability is 100% when the relative gas saturation is 57%-60%. It is found that the stochastic variation of gas connection cluster and the compressibility of gas lead to a remarkable change of pressure gradient of the gas-liquid flow both in magnitude and direction. Therefore, the turbulent flow is formed, the kinetic energy of fluid transport decreases gradually, and the flow is stopped at last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To identify the most effective laxative for bowel preparation in unsedated colonoscopy. Methods. Between April 2019 and April 2020, a total of 586 outpatients scheduled for unsedated colonoscopy at the First Hospital of Jilin University (Changchun, China) were randomized into one of two groups, namely, the polyethylene glycol (PEG) group or the oral sodium phosphate solution (OSP) group. The cleaning efficiency and other relevant clinical parameters were compared between the two groups. Results. Each group consisted of 293 patients. There were no significant differences in gender, body mass index, and history of abdominal surgery between the two groups. There were more cases of laxative intolerance in the PEG group than in the OSP group (7.5% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.05). After tube insertion, we found that the cleaning efficiency of OSP was better than that of PEG (P < 0.05). After cleaning, there was no significant difference in bowel cleanliness between the two groups (P > 0.05). The colonoscopic insertion time of the PEG group was significantly shorter than that of the OSP group (10.0 vs. 12.0 min, P = 0.002), and colonoscopic insertion was more difficult in the OSP group than in the PEG group (P = 0.036). The VAS score of the PEG group patients was significantly lower than that of OSP group patients (4.0 ± 1.3 vs. 5.2 ± 1.7 , P ≤ 0.001). There were no significant differences in the cecal intubation rate and the detection rate of polyps and ulcers/erosion between the two groups. Conclusion. The cleaning efficiency and tolerability of OSP were preferable to those of PEG, but there was no significant difference in bowel cleanliness after washing the colon and suctioning the fluid. Compared with patients of the OSP group, those of the PEG group required a shorter colonoscopic insertion time and reported a more comfortable experience. Therefore, for cases that are tolerant of PEG, PEG is a better choice for unsedated colonoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The bridge influence line can reflect the structural behavior under moving vehicle loads, which is becoming a proposing tool to study the bridge behavior during service life. A high‐speed vehicle will induce dynamic effect on the bridge, which will significantly change the shape of response curve. It is essential to consider the dynamic response for the accurate identification of the bridge influence line. This paper firstly summarizes current research activities for bridge influence line identification and components of the bridge dynamic responses. A dynamic fluctuation part elimination method based on empirical mode decomposition is proposed, based on which the bridge static influence line is identified by static bridge influence line identification method. Finally, a vehicle–bridge coupling model of a simply supported beam excited by passing vehicles with three different speeds is introduced to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed identification method. The result of this study provides an effective identification method of the bridge static influence line, which can lead to a satisfactory identification results based on the dynamic responses induced by high‐speed vehicle loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Sliding bearings of a bridge are important sliding elements that accommodate the bridge movement caused by temperature action and vehicle/wind load. The sliding life of sliding bearings is determined by the wear of the sliding materials in the bearing. However, the wear of sliding bearings primarily results from a large amount of cumulative sliding displacement experienced by the sliding bearing, even if the movement of the bridge under the vehicle/wind load is far less than the allowable design displacement of the sliding bearing. In general, bearing displacement is monitored using displacement gauges with a low sampling frequency, which cannot accurately capture the relatively high‐frequency displacement component caused by vehicle/wind loads. For predicting the sliding life of sliding bearings, this paper provides a mode rotation angle superposition approach to estimate cumulative sliding displacement. The estimation approach incorporates the combination of the rotation angles of bridge ends and the modal parameters of bridges. The feasibility and advantage of the estimation approach are illustrated by a numerical example; then, the influence factors of the error are analysed. Finally, sliding life prediction of sliding bearings is applied to an actual bridge using the estimation approach of cumulative sliding displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual‐mode patch antenna with pattern diversity that is beam‐tilted in a specific direction is presented. By placing a rectangular metal cavity below the circular patch and simultaneously shorting one end of the patch, the antenna produces tilted beams for dual‐mode radiation patterns. One pattern is excited using a proximity‐fed L‐shaped probe that generates a beam with a tilt angle of 25° from the broadside direction. The second pattern is excited using a coplanar waveguide (CPW)‐based feeding network that generates two beams with a tilt angle of θmax = ±45° in the directions of ϕmax = 70° and − 70°. The tilt angle can be varied by adjusting the metal cavity's length. A prototype antenna for operation at 2.38 GHz was fabricated and measured. The results indicate that the overlapped bandwidth (|S11| < −10 dB) for the two patterns is 330 MHz (2.22‐2.55 GHz). The measured peak gains for the two patterns are 6.74‐6.94 dBi and 5.82‐6.74 dBi, respectively. The isolation between the two ports is 18 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotating shaft is the key part of rotating machinery, which directly affects the performance of the whole machine. Field test is an easy and quick way to obtain the load data in engineering practice. However, because of various reasons, the load data are often mixed with many noise components. Based on the autocorrelation function, the CEEMD (complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition) denoising method is proposed in this paper. The AGA (adaptive genetic algorithm) is adopted to solve parameter optimization problems in CEEMD. A new similarity function is proposed as the fitness function. Lastly, the proposed denoising method is applied to a feed mixer's load which is obtained by field test. The result shows that the CEEMD-AGA method has good robustness, noise components of small stress amplitude and large stress mean are removed, and there is a high correlation between the original data and the reconstructed data, which demonstrate that the CEEMD-AGA method can reduce the influence of noise components effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mulberry is known to have pharmacological effects against cholesterol, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Many studies have revealed that mulberry leaf possesses hepatoprotective properties against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, mulberry fruit is less studied in this context. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of mulberry fruit against high fat diet- (HFD-) induced NAFLD. To evaluate the effects of mulberry fruit on NAFLD, two doses of mulberry fruit ethanol extracts [MB, 100, and 200 mg/kg BW (body weight)] were given to HFD-fed rats for 10 weeks. MB dramatically prevented liver damage as shown by biochemical analysis of the liver injury markers, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase. MB treatment significantly inhibited the increased levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol but restored the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in HFD-fed rats. Notably, histological analysis of liver tissues demonstrated that MB substantially ameliorated lipid accumulation. Expression of cholesterol-regulating genes was also suppressed by MB treatment. For its underlying mechanisms, MB suppressed hepatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and mitochondrial oxidative stress in HFD-fed rats. MB potentially protects liver tissue against NAFLD by inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative stress, suggesting its possible use as a therapeutic agent for treatment of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The kinetic mechanism of the co‐combustion of sewage sludge (SS) and bituminous coal (BC) is studied. The separate combustion process of the SS can be divided into four stages, as follows: moisture precipitation, volatile precipitation, non‐volatile substance precipitation, and fixed carbon burnout. During the co‐combustion of the mixture, SS and BC maintained their respective combustion properties. The SS can significantly improve the ignition and combustion performance of BC. Through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, we found that the main combustible component in the SS is the volatile organic matter, and the main emission product is CO2. These results provide a theoretical basis for the new technology of combined power generation of SS energy recycling. Co‐combustion synergies can be achieved.Provide theoretical support for new CFB combined power generation technology.Gas emission products are alkane and CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of cardiac diseases, including ischemia/reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Growing evidence indicates that cabbage has various pharmacological properties against a wide range of diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hepatic diseases, and cancer. However, little is known about its effects on oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes or the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the present study examined the effects of cabbage extract on oxidative stress in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, apoptosis, mitochondrial functions, and expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins were analyzed to elucidate the antioxidant effects of this extract. Cabbage extract protected against H2O2-induced cell death and did not elicit any cytotoxic effects. In addition, cabbage extract suppressed ROS production and increased expression of antioxidant proteins (SOD-1, catalase, and GPx). Cabbage extract also inhibited apoptotic responses and activation of MAPK proteins (ERK1/2, JNK, and p-38) in oxidative stress-exposed H9c2 cells. Notably, cabbage extract preserved mitochondrial functions upon oxidative stress. These findings reveal that cabbage extract protects against oxidative stress and suggest that it can be used as an alternative therapeutic strategy to prevent the oxidative stress in the heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the effect of different setting conditions on surface microhardness and setting properties of calcium silicate-based sealers. Methods. Three sealers, EndoSequence Bioceramic (BC; Brasseler USA, Savannah, GA, USA), Endoseal MTA (ES; Maruchi, Wonju, Korea), and Well-Root ST (WR; Vericom, Chuncheon, Korea), were compared. Specimens were exposed to either butyric acid (pH 5.4) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS [pH 7.4]) for 48 h and stored at 100% humidity for 12 days. The control specimens were stored at 100% humidity for 14 days. Surface microhardness was measured, topographic changes were observed, and phase analysis was performed using X-ray diffraction. Microhardness according to storage conditions was compared using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s multiple comparison tests (P<.05). Results. The BC and ES sealers exhibited decreased microhardness when stored in acid or PBS compared with control (P<.05). In the WR group, acid exposure lowered microhardness of the specimens compared with control (P<.05). Scanning electron microscopy revealed different topographies in specimens from all tested sealers exposed to acid or PBS. Conclusion. The surface microhardness of calcium silicate-based sealers was reduced by exposure to either acid or PBS. Acid solutions, however, had a more detrimental effect than PBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although thermal esophageal injuries caused by hot food or tea have been reported, thermal esophageal injury due to sodium picosulfate with magnesium citrate (PSMC) used for bowel preparation is rarely reported. We report the case of a 56-year-old man who presented with esophageal injury after ingestion of PSMC. Instead of dissolving the PSMC in water before ingestion, he drank water immediately after swallowing PSMC powder. As soon as he drank water, he developed severe chest pain and hematemesis. Upper endoscopy revealed severe hemorrhagic, ulcerative mucosal change from upper to mid-esophagus. He was hospitalized for nine days, received conservative treatment (fasting and parenteral nutrition), and recovered without complications. When PSMC is used as a colonic cleansing agent, patients should be educated to take it after dissolving it sufficiently in 150 mL of water to avoid esophageal thermal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new restoration algorithm for partial blurred image which is based on blur detection and classification is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a new blur detection algorithm is proposed to detect the blurred regions in the partial blurred image. Then, a new blur classification algorithm is proposed to classify the blurred regions. Once the blur class of the blurred regions is confirmed, the structure of the blur kernels of the blurred regions is confirmed. Then, the blur kernel estimation methods are adopted to estimate the blur kernels. In the end, the blurred regions are restored using nonblind image deblurring algorithm and replace the blurred regions in the partial blurred image with the restored regions. The simulated experiment shows that the proposed algorithm performs well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crohn’s disease (CD) is an idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease involving the small and/or large intestine. More than 50% of Western CD patients and up to 88% of Asian CD patients may have small intestinal involvement. Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) has a higher diagnostic yield than small bowel barium radiography and computed tomography enterography for the detection of small intestinal involvement of CD. VCE also provides diagnostic yields comparable to magnetic resonance- (MR-) based enterography or enteroclysis and may have several advantages over MR-based tests for the detection of early small intestinal lesions. Several studies have suggested the use of VCE-based disease activity scoring systems to evaluate small intestinal mucosal disease activity, although their clinical relevance needs to be further studied. A possible indication for VCE is recurrence monitoring after complete surgical excision of CD-involved segments but its usefulness and efficacy compared with conventional endoscopy should be evaluated. The capsule retention rate ranges from 0 to 5.4% in suspected CD patients and from 0 to 13.2% in established CD patients. If VCE is necessary, significant small bowel stricture should be ruled out before VCE by performing a patency capsule study and/or small bowel radiological study in suspected or established CD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To establish and validate a nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving radiotherapy by integrating multiple independent prognostic factors. Materials and Methods. Data from 5663 patients with NPC who received definite radiotherapy between 2004 and 2018 were included and divided into training and validation cohorts. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the independent prognostic factors of patients with NPC after radiotherapy. Thereafter, the predictive accuracy of the nomogram model was evaluated. Results. Age, race, marital status, pathological type, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, and chemotherapy were independent factors affecting the prognosis of patients with NPC receiving radiotherapy. Nomograms with a concordance index of 0.726 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.675–0.777) and 0.732 (95% CI: 0.680–0.785) were able to predict OS and CSS, respectively. The area under the curve showed excellent predictive performance. Additionally, the calibration curve indicated that the predicted survival rate was consistent with the actual survival rate, and the decision curve indicated its clinical value. The established risk stratification system was able to accurately stratify patients receiving radiotherapy for NPC into three risk subgroups with significant differences in prognosis (P < 0.05). Conclusions. The constructed nomogram had good prognostic performance and could be used as an effective tool to evaluate the prognosis of patients with NPC after radiotherapy. This nomogram could be further used to guide clinical decisions and personalized treatment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgrids allow energy exchange among multiple interconnected microgrids for greater energy efficiency and collective economic interest. However, in some cases, the benefit of some microgrids within the network may not be uncertain. In view of the increasing development of electric vehicles (EVs), a multiobjective model is proposed to improve the performance of microgrids by integrating electric vehicles-to-grid (V2G) and vehicles-to-building (V2B) based on global and individual benefit balance. Two reference models are built to verify the validity of the proposed method, and models are formulated as mixed integer linear programming formats solved by the weighting method. A set of parameters of microgrids are adopted to model the driver behaviors (e.g., available hours of EV), energy transactions (e.g., electricity), performance factor (e.g., emission factor), distributed energy (e.g., solar panel), and energy load of five commercial buildings (e.g., hotel) located in Shanghai. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the operation decision models in the energy management of microgrids under neutral, proeconomic, proenvironmental, and proenergy weighting scenarios. The case study results specify that the proposed method can achieve operational cost, CO2 emission, and primary energy consumption reductions for each microgrid, with total benefits declining slightly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate associations between country of birth, parental country of birth, and education with respect to incidence rate and time trends of type 1 diabetes mellitus ( T1DM) among children and young adults. Methods We followed a nation-wide cohort of 4 469 671 males and 4 231 680 females aged 0-30 yr between 1969 and 2008. Incidence rate ratios ( IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals ( CIs) for T1DM were calculated using Poisson regression models. We further calculated age-standardized rates ( ASRs) of T1DM, using the world population as standard. Results During the study period, the ASR of T1DM increased among children younger than 15 yr, but not among young adults (15-30 yr). Compared with Swedish-born children, male and female immigrant children had 44 and 42% lower IRR of TIDM, respectively. Among offspring to immigrants, corresponding decreases in IRRs were 27 and 24%, respectively. Compared with children to parents with high education, male children to parents with low education had a 10% decreased IRR of T1DM, while no effect was observed among females. The IRR of T1DM increased with increasing age and calendar time of follow-up in both sexes (p-for trend <0.0001). In young adults, the IRR among immigrants decreased by 32% in males and 22% in females, while corresponding reductions in IRRs were less in offspring to immigrants. Conclusions We found a lower IRR of T1DM among offspring to immigrants, but especially among young immigrants compared with Sweden-born individuals. The findings show that environmental factors are important in the etiology of T1DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the correlation between presbycusis and kidney deficiency as defined by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its material basis from the perspective of metabolism. Methods. Pure-tone audiometry was used to test auditory function. A kidney deficiency symptoms coring table was used to measure the kidney deficiency accumulated scores of the research subjects. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to measure the metabolites in the urine samples from 11 presbycusis patients and 9 elderly people with normal hearing. Results. Hearing loss in the elderly was positively correlated with kidney deficiency score in TCM. There were significant differences in urine metabolite profile between the presbycusis patients and the controls. A total of 23 differentially expressed metabolites were found. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that these metabolites were related to glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor pathway, and the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor pathway. Conclusion. Glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, NMDA receptors, and GABA receptors may be related to the pathogenesis of presbycusis and may be the material basis underlying the correlation between presbycusis and kidney deficiency in TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have become a promising therapeutic approach against skin aging. Recent studies confirm that exosomes partially mediate the therapeutic effect of stem cells. This study successfully isolated exosomes from the ADSC culture medium and discovered that ADSC-derived exosomes (ADSC-Exos) could alleviate human dermal fibroblast (HDF) senescence and stimulate HDF migration. Moreover, ADSC-Exos increased the type I collagen expression level and reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) activity in HDFs. In addition, we demonstrated that ADSC-Exos significantly inhibited senescence-related protein expression levels of p53, p21, and p16. In conclusion, our results have revealed the antisenescence effects of ADSC-Exos on HDFs and ADSC-Exos may be a novel cell-free therapeutic tool for antiaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Pancreatic cancer patients were particularly predisposed to develop Escherichia coli (E. coli) bloodstream infection (BSI); however, little information is currently available. We set out to find E. coli BSI's risk factors in pancreatic cancer to provide valuable experience. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of pancreatic cancer patients (31 cases with E. coli BSI and 93 cases without BSI) by a case-control study. SPSS 17.0 was adopted to perform univariate and multivariate analyses. Bacterial resistance analysis was performed by Whonet 5.6. Results. Hospitalization days ≥7 days, number of admissions ≥2 times, surgery, chemotherapy, the type of antibiotics used ≥2 species, albumin<40.0 g/L, and prealbumin < 0.2 g/L were the potential risk factors for pancreatic cancer patients with E. coli BSI (P < 0.1). Multivariate logistic regression showed hospitalization days ≥7 days (OR = 11.196, 95% CI = 0.024–0.333, P < 0.001), surgery (OR = 32.053, 95% CI = 0.007–0.137, P < 0.001), and chemotherapy (OR = 6.174, 95% CI = 0.038–0.688, P = 0.014) were the independent risk factors for E. coli BSI of pancreatic cancer patients. E. coli resistant to carbapenems was rare; they were susceptible to cephamycin and piperacillin/tazobactam. The 90-day mortality rate of the infected group was significantly higher than the control group (41.9% versus 8.6%, P < 0.001). Conclusions. Hospitalization days ≥7 days, surgery, and chemotherapy are the independent risk factors for E. coli BSI of pancreatic cancer patients, which allows us to identify patients at potential risk and perform preventive treatment in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to reveal the potential relationship between personal characteristics of e-bike riders and illegal occupation of motor vehicle lane. To this end, a questionnaire survey was conducted and 350 valid copies of responses were retrieved from the e-bike riders. Depending on the number of motor vehicle lanes occupied, the risky behavior of illegal occupation was divided into four intervals: intervals A, B, C, and D. The disaggregate theory has high adaptability to the analysis of individual traffic behavior. In this study, the multinomial logit model was used, and eight personal characteristics of e-bike riders were selected. The aforementioned four intervals were the four selection limbs, and a measurement model calculating the influence of personal characteristics on the behavior of illegal occupation was built. The theory of elasticity was employed to analyze the sensitivity degree of each influence factor. The results showed that the absolute values of elasticity of all tested influence factors, including age, educational level, and eye vision, were less than 1.000. However, on the four intervals, the elasticity of riders' temperament was 1.203, 1.656, 1.554, and 1.355, respectively, and elasticity of riding proficiency was 2.782, 3.883, 3.453, and 2.932, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibratory compaction of bridge deck pavement impacts the structural integrity of bridges to certain degrees. In this study, we analyzed the dynamic response of different types of concrete-beam bridges (continuous beam and simply supported beam) with different cross-sectional designs (T-beam and hollow-slab beam) under vibratory compaction of bridge deck asphalt pavement. The dynamic response patterns of the dynamic deformation and acceleration of bridges under pavement compaction were obtained by performing a series of field experiments and a three-dimensional finite element simulation. Based on the finite element model, the dynamic responses of bridge structures with different spans and cross-sectional designs under different working conditions of vibratory compaction were analyzed. The use of different vibration parameters for different bridge structures was proposed to safeguard their structural safety and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on disruptive innovation and Stackelberg noncooperative game theory, the paper focuses on supply chain coordination under the combined effects of block chain technology and random demand. Firstly, both a decentralized and a centralized supply chain decision models are built in a single-cycle newsvendor random demand situation. Then, through revenue sharing contract the study designs a brand-new supply chain coordination model which is Del trust, decentralized, and traded anonymously. Furthermore, the numerical comparative analysis on the optimal decision and supply chain coordination are conducted. It is found that the whole supply chain revenue can achieve and even beyond the performance level of the centralized supply chain with effectively expanding sales market and reducing supply chain risk. When the retail price is stable and supply chain is coordinated with revenue sharing mechanism, decentralized supply chain can achieve minimum optimal revenue. Coordination results have effect on short-term revenues of block chain members only. Implications and suggestions for future research in supply chain coordination are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GINS2 is overexpressed in several cancers, but little is known about its role in osteosarcoma (OS). A series of in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to explore the role of GINS2 in OS. In this study, we demonstrated that GINS2 was found to be highly expressed in OS tissues and cell lines, which was associated with poor outcomes in OS patients. GINS2 knockdown hindered the growth and induced apoptosis in OS cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, GINS2 knockdown effectively inhibited the growth of a xenograft tumor in vivo. By using an Affymetrix gene chip and intelligent pathway analysis, it was demonstrated that the GINS2 knockdown could reduce the expression of several targeted genes and reduce the activity of the MYC signaling pathway. Mechanically, LC-MS, CoIP, and rescue experiments revealed that GINS2 promoted tumor progression through the STAT3/MYC axis in the OS. Moreover, GINS2 was associated with tumor immunity and may be a potential immunotherapeutic target for OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is a common respiratory disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation. Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a highly selective α2 adrenergic receptor agonist, has been shown to participate in regulating inflammatory states and thus exert organ protective actions. However, the potential of DEX in asthma is still unknown. This study is aimed at investigating the role of DEX in a mouse model of house dust mite- (HDM-) induced asthma and exploring its underlying mechanism. Here, we found that DEX treatment significantly ameliorated airway hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation, and airway remodeling in the asthmatic mice, which were similar to the efficacy of the reference anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone. In addition, DEX reversed the increased expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its downstream signaling adaptor molecule nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the lung tissue of asthmatic mice. Furthermore, these protective effects of DEX were abolished by yohimbine, an α2 adrenergic receptor antagonist. These results indicate that DEX is capable of ameliorating airway inflammation and remodeling in asthmatic mice, and this protective effect is associated with the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The aim of this study is to observe the effect of Peony-Glycyrrhiza Decoction (PGD) on hyperprolactinemia in women with schizophrenia induced by Amisulpride. Material and Methods. A total of 41 female schizophrenia patients receiving Amisulpride were randomly divided into placebo (n=20) and PGD groups (n=21). Maintaining the original Amisulpride dose, the two groups were given placebo and PGD, respectively. The levels of Prolactin (PRL) and other hormones were measured on the initial day and at weeks 4 and 8 after treatment. Changes of clinical symptoms in patients with hyperprolactinemia were observed. The PANSS scores were recorded to assess the psychotic symptoms. Results. Compared with placebo group, level of PRL decreased while Progesterone increased remarkably in the PGD group at weeks 4 and 8 (p<0.01), and level of Estradiol in the PGD group increased significantly at week 8 (p<0.05). There were no differences in PANSS scores and biochemical indexes between two groups at weeks 4 and 8. Conclusion. PGD can improve symptoms of hyperprolactinemia and hormone levels in women with schizophrenia caused by Amisulpride, without affecting their mental symptoms and biochemical indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new moving target adaptive image segmentation algorithm is proposed. On the basis of setting the adaptive tracking wave gate to track the moving target, the adjustment coefficient is adaptively calculated according to the criterion of maximum interclass variance function, and then, the adaptive segmentation of the image is completed by setting the threshold segmentation method. Compared with algorithm, iteration method, and maximum entropy method, the proposed algorithm can not only adapt to a variety of complex backgrounds but also has high precision and high speed. Therefore, it is a practical and effective image segmentation method. As a kind of nonparametric density estimation algorithm, automatic programming optimization algorithm of moving target vector graphic combination and resolution has been widely used in video moving target tracking. The algorithm has fast calculation efficiency and is not sensitive to target deformation and rotation; in the case of a partial shade, it has certain robustness. However, the algorithm moves too fast under clear conditions without considering the direction and speed of the target information, so it is easy to lose tracking when tracking fast moving targets. To solve this problem, a new method based on motion vector analysis and automatic programming optimization of moving target vector graphics combination resolution tracking algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the probability and statistics analysis of motion vectors generated in the process of video coding is carried out to obtain the estimated value of target motion direction and speed. Then, the center position of the candidate region can be split by correcting the combination of moving object vector graphics optimized by automatic programming so that the candidate center position is closer to the actual target center position at the beginning of each search. Compared with the traditional automatic programming optimization algorithm, the new algorithm not only improves the tracking accuracy of the fast-moving target but also reduces the number of search iterations, thus improving the operation efficiency. The algorithm can be applied to the case that video coding and target tracking are calculated simultaneously in the intelligent video surveillance equipment, and the experimental results show that the algorithm is effective and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powered by the development of the fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G), the Internet of things (IoT) has been widely applied in people's life. Due to the limitation of storage and computing power, the data transmission of IoT devices faces challenges in terms of security and privacy. Therefore, many researchers provide the conjunction of blockchain and mobile edge computing (MEC) to make up for the lack of computing and security. MEC can meet the storage and computing requirements for IoT devices. Blockchain can provide a decentralized, antitamper solution that can help devices overcome security deficiencies, whereas the speed of blockchain communication is not fast enough because of the consensus mechanism. In this article, we focus on the permissioned blockchain and propose an optimized bandwidth allocation algorithm to promote the performance of consensus communication. The algorithm contains an In-Network control ideology and supports deployment on MEC servers. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is employed to perform the computation of available bandwidth in our scheme. We implement a prototype system in the testbed and perform a simulation, and the results show the advantages compared with the current widely used algorithm. By applying our method, the Internet of things devices can transmit data safely and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) are involved in cancer development, but the roles of most lncRNAs are undocumented. In this study, we identified lncRNAs that were abnormally expressed in bladder cancer. We found that lncRNACASC9 plays an important role in the progression of bladder cancer. CASC9 was highly expressed in bladder cancer cells and tissues, and the prognosis of bladder cancer patients with high expression of CASC9 was poor. The results of colony formation assays, CCK-8 assays, EdU assays, transwell assays, mouse xenograft models, and tail vein injection lung metastasis model showed that CASC9 could promote bladder cancer cells growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, through FISH experiments, luciferase reporter experiments, and RIP experiments, we proved that CASC9 regulated the expression of TK1 by adsorbing miR-195-5p, thereby exerting an oncogenic effect in bladder cancer. Taken together, our findings support that the CASC9/miR-195-5p/TK1 axis is a critical pathway in the tumorigenesis and progression of bladder cancer, implicating a new therapeutic direction for the treatment of bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated in energy depletion conditions, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a cellular energy sensor and regulator in both central nervous system and peripheral organs. Hypothalamic AMPK restores energy balance by promoting feeding behavior to increase energy intake, increasing glucose production, and reducing thermogenesis to decrease energy output. Besides energy state, many hormones have been shown to act in concert with AMPK to mediate their anorexigenic and orexigenic central effects as well as thermogenic influences. Here we explore the factors that affect hypothalamic AMPK activity and give the underlying mechanisms for the role of central AMPK in energy homeostasis together with the physiological effects of hypothalamic AMPK on energy balance restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the progression of laryngeal cancer (LC). In this study, we aimed to investigate whether miR-149 is associated with the prognosis of patients with LC. A total of 97 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent tumor resection were included in our follow-up study. In vitro studies was performed in cancer cell line Hep-2 to explore the antitumor role of miR-149 in LC. We found that the expression of miR-149 was significantly lower in tumor tissues, compared with vocal cord polyp tissues (P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that miR-149 expression status is significantly associated with survival duration (log rank test, P<0.05), and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that patients with low miR-149 expression had shorter survival times compared with patients with high miR-149 expression. In vitro studies revealed that the exogenous expression of miRNA-149 inhibits the proliferation of human Hep-2 cells and induces cell apoptosis. Our study suggests that miR-149 expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues is critically associated with the prognosis of patients, and the ectopic expression of miR-149 in Hep-2 cells inhibits proliferation and cell cycle progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that a number of research efforts in the area of Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs) exist, there is a lack of really practical IWSN implementations, deployments, and in-field applications. This paper presents the design and implementation of an IWSN for welder machine systems, called WirelessCAN which is based on WirelessHART to replace wired CAN fieldbus. Although the implementation and challenges are application-specific, we believe that the problems we encountered will be faced by many IWSN designers. In this paper, selected challenges exposed in our implementation and the potential solutions are introduced, which have not been addressed previously. Specifically, communication resource constraint, real-time rescheduling, integrated knowledge for IWSN applications, centralized control architecture, reliable and immediate message delivery for human and equipment safety, and differential QoS requirements are discussed in detail and in depth. The goal of this paper is to make the design and implementation of IWSNs more efficient and applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignant tumor of the male urinary system and ranks the second in the causes of tumor-related deaths. Differential display code 3 (DD3) is a noncoding gene that is specifically expressed in PCa. High expression of sperm-associated antigen 9 (SPAG9) is closely related to tumorigenesis of PCa, and SPAG9 is a therapeutic target for PCa. In this study, a new oncolytic adenovirus DD3-ZD55-SPAG9 was constructed by using DD3 promoter to enhance the efficacy and safety of adenovirus. The combined use of DD3-ZD55-SPAG9 and docetaxel showed that DD3-ZD55-SPAG9 significantly improved the anti-tumor efficacy of docetaxel in PCa both in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism was related to the induction of tumor cell apoptosis and the inhibition of tumor cell invasion. In conclusion, DD3-ZD55-SPAG9 combined with docetaxel is an effective strategy for PCa therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the overpressure distribution law of a shock wave under the dynamic explosion of a cylindrical charge and the influence of the charge speed on the overpressure distribution law, a trinitrotoluene (TNT) cylindrical bare charge was selected. Additionally, a numerical simulation of a cylindrical charge explosion under different motion speeds was carried out using the AUTODYN finite element software. The results showed that during the static explosion of a cylindrical charge, the shock wave propagates outward in the form of an ellipsoid, whereas under the dynamic explosion, the shock wave overpressure field is an irregular ellipsoid, and the shock wave overpressure zone shifts to the velocity direction. With an increase in the charge velocity, the peak value of the shock wave overpressure increases gradually in the moving direction. The simulation data were analyzed, revealing that the calculation model of the dynamic explosion shock wave overpressure field of a cylindrical charge with a scaled distance of 1 m·kg−1/3 ≤ R ¯ ≤ 1.5 m kg−1/3 can provide a reference basis for the study of dynamic explosion shock waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]