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Multiple infections are a key component of HPV pathogenesis and have a direct impact on how an infection turns out. It's crucial to look at the associations between HPV multiple infections and both age and HPV genotypes in the Chinese population, searching for the causative factors of multiple infections with a view to providing new ideas for the treatment and prevention of multiple infections. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the data of HPV infections among outpatients from the 2019 year to the 2021 year of Shandong Maternal and Child Health Hospital. Analyzed the correlation between HPV multiple infections and age using logistic regression. Differences in the percentage of multiple infections between age groups were compared using the chi-square test. The chi-square test compared the differences in the distribution of 15 common HPV genotypes in mono- versus multiple infections. A two-dimensional matrix presented the frequency of HPV genotype combinations. Logistics regression analysis showed that age was significantly associated with the occurrence of multiple infections, with a dominance ratio OR 1.026 (95% CI 1.02–1.04). Interestingly, the proportion of HPV multiple infections among HPV-positive individuals increases with age in people older than 30 years of age. The chi-square test showed there was a difference in the distribution of HPV genotypes between multiple infections and mono- HPV infection (χ2 = 76.4; p = 0.000), a difference in the composition of HPV genotypes for dual versus single infections (χ2 = 90.6; p = 0.000) and a difference in HPV genotypes for triple versus single infections (χ2 = 56.7; p = 0.000). A 2 × 2 matrix showed that the combination of HPV52/HPV58 (30; 6.4%) was the combination of the highest frequency of infection for dual infections; The HPV52/HPV58 (21; 4.8%) combination was the highest frequency of HPV triple infection combination. HPV multiple infections were positively correlated with age; increasing age was positively correlated with the proportion of HPV multiple infections in the total infected population; the distribution of the 15 common genotypes of HPV differed between multiple infections and single infections; and HPV52:58 was a common type of infection combination in the Shandong population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jianpi Jieyu Decoction (JJD) for treating patients with mild-to-moderate depression of Xin (Heart)-Pi (Spleen) deficiency (XPD) syndrome. Methods: In this multi-center, randomized, controlled study, 140 patients with mild-to-moderate depression of XPD syndrome were included from Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Botou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2017 to December 2019. They were randomly divided into JJD group and paroxetine group by using a random number table, with 70 cases in each group. The patients in the JJD group were given JJD one dose per day (twice daily at morning and evening, 100 mL each time), and the patients in the paroxetine group were given paroxetine (10 mg/d in week 1; 20 mg/d in weeks 2–6), both orally administration for a total of 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the change of 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score at week 6 from baseline. The secondary outcomes included the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score, Traditional Chinese Medicine Symptom Scale (TCMSS), and Clinlcal Global Impression (CGI) scores at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th weekends of treatment, HAMD-17 response (defined as a reduction in score of >50%) and HAMD-17 remission (defined as a score of ⩽7) at the end of the 6th week of treatment. Adverse events (AEs) were also recorded. Results: From baseline to week 6, the HAMD-17 scores decreased 10.2 ± 4.0 and 9.1 ± 4.9 points in the JJD and paroxetine groups, respectively (P=0.689). The HAMD-17 response occurred in 60% of patients in the JJD group and in 50% of those in the paroxetine group (P=0.292); HAMD-17 remission occurred in 45.7% and 30% of patients, respectively (P=0.128). The differences of CGI scores at the 6th week were not statistically significant (P>0.05). There were significant differences in HAMD-17 scores between the two groups at 2nd and 4th week (P=0.001 and P=0.014). The HAMA scores declined 8.1 ± 3.0 and 6.9 ± 4.3 points from baseline to week 6 in the JJD and paroxetine groups, respectively (P=0.905 between groups). At 4th week of treatment, there was a significant difference in HAMA between the two groups (P=0.037). TCMSS decreased 11.4 ± 5.1, and 10.1 ± 6.8 points in the JJD and paroxetine groups, respectively (P=0.080 between groups). At the 6th week, the incidence of AEs in the JJD group was significantly lower than that in the paroxetine group (7.14% vs. 22.86%, P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared with paroxetine, JJD was associated with a significantly lower incidence of AEs in patients with mild-to-moderate depression of XPD syndrome, with no difference in efficacy at 6 weeks. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR2000040922) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and preliminarily test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Orbach & Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP). Methods: Psychometric investigation was performed on 240 depressed patients. The reliability of the Chinese version of the OMMP scale was expressed by internal consistency reliability and test–retest reliability (2-week interval), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the 8-factor, 31-item OMMP was conducted to examine the construct validity. Results: The CFA showed that the modified model with 31 items had good reliability (Cronbach's α range = 0.691–0.871; ICC = 0.818). Criterion-related validity was also supported by significant and positive correlations between the eight factors and worst-ever suicidal ideation as well as depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The results indicated the usefulness of the OMMP-31 for Chinese depressed patients. It is necessary to estimate psychological pain to improve suicide management in the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The impact of individual patient variables on drug metabolism is particularly important for antiseizure medication, and lacosamide has not been studied in Chinese pediatric patients with epilepsy. This study evaluated the effects of dose, age, sex, medication time, seizure type, and concomitant enzyme-inducing antiseizure medications (EIASMs) on the plasma concentration of lacosamide. Methods: A total of 500 pediatric patients from two hospitals in China were enrolled in this study. Lacosamide plasma concentration was processed using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography assay. Efficacy was evaluated based on the four-grade therapeutic effect criteria developed by the first National Epilepsy Academic Conference of the Chinese Medical Association. Results: The responder rate to lacosamide therapy was 72.2% (361/500). There was a weaker relationship between the lacosamide daily dose and lacosamide plasma concentration (r = 0.238). Lacosamide plasma concentrations of patients ranged from 1.5 to 19.7 µg/mL, with a mean of 6.9 ± 3.2 µg/mL. The study results showed a significant contribution of age, body mass index, epilepsy duration, medication time, and EIASMs to the lacosamide plasma concentration (p < 0.05). Patients taking concomitant EIASMs with lacosamide had a significantly lower mean lacosamide plasma concentration (5.9 ± 2.6 µg/mL) than patients taking concomitant non-EIASMs (7.5 ± 3.5 µg/mL, p < 0.001). Conclusion: To ensure the clinical efficacy and safety of lacosamide therapy in pediatric patients, it is necessary to monitor the plasma concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Periodical silver nanoparticle (NP) arrays were fabricated by magnetron sputtering method with anodic aluminum oxide templates to enhance the UV light emission from ZnO by the surface plasmon resonance effect. Theoretical simulations indicated that the surface plasmon resonance wavelength depended on the diameter and space of Ag NP arrays. By introducing Ag NP arrays with the diameter of 40 nm and space of 100 nm, the photoluminescence intensity of the near band-edge emission from ZnO was twofold enhanced. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurement and energy band analysis indicated that the UV light emission enhancement was attributed to the coupling between the surface plasmons in Ag NP arrays and the excitons in ZnO with the improved spontaneous emission rate and enhanced local electromagnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CH SB 2 sb Cl SB 2 sb -soluble fraction was subjected to column chromatography (CC, silica gel, the gradient of CH SB 2 sb Cl SB 2 sb -MeOH, 100:1-0:100) to afford nine fractions (Frs. The I n i -BuOH-soluble fraction was separated by CC (ODS, the gradient of MeOH-H SB 2 sb O, (20:80-100:0)) to yield six fractions (Frs. Fraction B3 (7.3 g) was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel (CH SB 2 sb Cl SB 2 sb -MeOH, 10:1-0:1), Sephadex LH-20 (MeOH), and MCI (MeOH-H SB 2 sb O, 2:5-1:0) to afford compounds B 3 b (9.2 mg), B 4 b (6.1 mg), B 5 b (4.8 mg), B 6 b (4.2 mg), B 9 b (11.2 mg), B 10 b (21.6 mg), B 11 b (3.61 mg), B 12 b (14.3 mg), and B 19 b (8.6 mg). [Extracted from the article]

Aerobic composting of anaerobic digested residue (DR) is an effective post-treatment method to develop a zero emission process; however, there are knowledge gaps in the understanding of this process. Microbial succession is a critical parameter for examining the principle of material transformation and maturity throughout the composting process. This study compared the total (DNA level) and active (RNA level) microbial community succession during the DR composting process by using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. A significantly higher richness and diversity for the microbial community on the RNA level compared with the DNA level was observed. Beta-diversity analysis revealed significant differences in community composition and dynamics between the DNA and RNA of microbes. Moreover, DNA analysis exhibited large parts of anaerobic microbes in composting samples, indicating its bias to assess the metabolically active microbial community succession. The RNA dataset showed that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes predominated in the phylum level, while Crenarchaeota was distinctive. This indicated that the members in these phyla are crucial to material transformation and product maturity during the aerobic composting of DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave processing techniques have been extensively used in the food industry due to its significant reduction in time and energy consumption, but its effect on the potential degradation of the extracted target compounds cannot be ignored. In this paper, experiments were carried out to establish a model system of closed magnetic stirring and controlled temperature cooling microwave irradiation (CMCC-MI system); the model extraction solutions were constructed with the standards gallic acid and resveratrol as target compounds to be extracted; its type of free radicals were detected during microwave irradiation extraction, and its changes were monitored under different microwave extraction conditions, namely, solvent types, organic extractant concentrations, microwave irradiation power, extraction temperature, and extraction time, in order to understand the effect of microwave irradiation and provide an objective evaluation polyphenols under different microwave extraction conditions. The degradation and fragment ion peaks of gallic acid and resveratrol owing to hydroxyl free radicals imply that the extraction yield should not be over-focused in actual extraction applications of microwave irradiation; more attention should be paid to the potential degradation of the extracted target compounds induced by microwave irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms and studies on colorectal NETs are relatively few compared to other tumors. To better understand the pathogenesis of this tumor, we performed whole-genome sequencing and follow-up verification using Sanger sequencing of the colorectal NETs and paired para-tumor tissue. We analyzed the features of the gene mutation spectrum and mutation signature patterns, and analyzed the four pathways that were altered by gene mutation in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, including DNA damage and repair, chromatin remodeling, telomere maintenance and mTOR signaling activation. We found that PARP4 which is related to the DNA damage and repair pathway; TSC2, which is related to the mTOR signaling activation pathway; and SLX1A, which is related to telomere maintenance, were mutated in colorectal NETs. Our data analyzed characteristics of gene mutation in colorectal NETs at the whole-genome level, and may help to better understand the pathogenesis of colorectal NETs and may be helpful for potential tumor therapy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) is a life-threatening respiratory complication of extremely low-birth-weight infants (ELBWIs). However, the risk factors for PH are controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the perinatal risk factors and short-term outcomes of PH in ELBWIs. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of live born infants who had birth weights that were less than 1000 g, lived for at least 12 hours, and did not have major congenital anomalies. A logistic regression model was established to analyze the risk factors associated with PH. Results: There were 168 ELBWIs born during this period. A total of 160 infants were included, and 30 infants were diagnosed with PH. Risk factors including gestational age, small for gestational age, intubation in the delivery room, surfactant in the delivery room, repeated use of surfactant, higher FiO2 during the first day, invasive ventilation during the first day and early onset sepsis (EOS) were associated with the occurrence of PH by univariate analysis. In the logistic regression model, EOS was found to be an independent risk factor for PH. The mortality and intraventricular hemorrhage rate of the group of ELBWIs with PH were significantly higher than those of the group of ELBWIs without PH. The rates of periventricular leukomalacia, moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia and severe retinopathy of prematurity, and the duration of the hospital stay were not significantly different between the PH and no-PH groups. Conclusions: Although PH did not extend hospital stay or increase the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, it increased the mortality and intraventricular hemorrhage rate in ELBWIs. EOS was the independent risk factor for PH in ELBWIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The cluster head of LEACH algorithm was selected randomly in WSNs. It effects the distribution of clusters for the shadowing effect of obstruction in real scenarios. The network consumption is increased because of poor communication between nodes. A new selection method is presented to solve those problems in this paper. The logarithmic function is adopted to eliminate the shadowing effect of obstruction. The most suitable cluster is sorted out because the density of nodes is defined as the new threshold value. Simulation results show that the performances of new algorithm are obviously better than LEACH, ALEACH and Kost-LEACH algorithms. Compared with classical algorithms, the nodes utilization could enhance more than 2.0%, average energy consumption of the nodes is reduced by 9.1 J at least, and the probability of nodes failure to join the cluster could be decreased great than 3.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop an improved version of the Quality-of-Life Assessment instrument for Lung Cancer Patients Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (QLASTCM-Lu) and to evaluate its psychometric property. Methods: The structured group method and the theory in developing rating scale were employed to revise the preliminary scale. The psychometric property (reliability, validity, and responsiveness) of the established QLASTCM-Lu (modified) were evaluated by quality of life data measured in 100 lung cancer patients. Statistical analyses were made accordingly by way of correlation analysis, factor analysis and paired t-test. Results: The internal consistency reliability of the overall scale and all domains was from 0.80 to 0.94. Correlation and factor analyses demonstrated that the scale was good in construct validity. The criterion validity was formed with European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life Questionnaire-Lung Cancer (EORTC QLQ-LC43) as the criterion. Statistically significant changes were found apart from such domain as "mental condition" and "social function", with the standardized response means being close to those of QLQ-LC43. Conclusion: QLASTCM-Lu (modified) could be used to measure the quality of life of lung cancer patients with good reliability, validity and a certain degree of responsiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonates have been known to act as hydrocarbon source rocks, but their basic geochemical and associated hydrocarbon generation characteristics remain not well understood as they occur with argillaceous source rocks in most cases, and the hydrocarbon generation from each rock type is difficult to distinguish, forming one of puzzling issues within the field of petroleum geology and geochemistry. To improve the understanding of this critical issue, this paper reviews recent advances in this field and provides a summary of key areas that can be studied in future. Results show that carbonate source rocks are generally associated with high-salinity environments with low amounts of terrestrial inputs and low dissolved oxygen contents. Petrographically, these source rocks are dark gray or black, fine-grained, stratified, and contain bacterial and algal bioprecursors along with some other impurities. They generally have low organic matter contents, although these can vary significantly in different cases (e.g., the total organic carbon contents of marine and lacustrine carbonate source rocks in China are generally 0.1%–1.0% and 0.4%–4.0%, respectively). These rocks contain type I and type II kerogen, meaning there is a lack of vitrinites. This means that assessment of the maturity of the organic matter in these sediments needs to use non-traditional techniques rather than vitrinite reflectance. In terms of molecular geochemistry, carbonate source rocks have typical characteristics indicative of generally reducing and saline environments and lower organism-dominated bioprecursors of organic matter, e.g., high contents of sulfur compounds, low Pr/Ph ratios, and dominance of n-alkanes. Most of the carbonate source rocks are typically dominated by D-type organic facies in an oxidized shallow water mass, although high-quality source rocks generally contain A- and B-type organic facies in saline lacustrine and marine-reducing environments, respectively. The hydrocarbon generation model for the carbonate source rocks can involve early, middle, and late stages, with a diversity of hydrocarbons within these rocks, which can be aggregated, adsorbed, enclosed within minerals, or present as inclusions. This in turn implies that the large-scale hydrocarbon expulsion from these rocks is reliant on brittle deformation caused by external forces. Finally, a number of aspects of these source rocks remain unclear and need further study, including the effectiveness of carbonates as hydrocarbon source rocks, bioprecursors, and hydrocarbon generation models of carbonate source rock, and the differences between marine and lacustrine carbonate source rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of liquid biopsies for cancer detection and management is rapidly gaining prominence1. Current methods for the detection of circulating tumour DNA involve sequencing somatic mutations using cell-free DNA, but the sensitivity of these methods may be low among patients with early-stage cancer given the limited number of recurrent mutations2-5. By contrast, large-scale epigenetic alterations—which are tissue- and cancer-type specific—are not similarly constrained6 and therefore potentially have greater ability to detect and classify cancers in patients with early-stage disease. Here we develop a sensitive, immunoprecipitation-based protocol to analyse the methylome of small quantities of circulating cell-free DNA, and demonstrate the ability to detect large-scale DNA methylation changes that are enriched for tumour-specific patterns. We also demonstrate robust performance in cancer detection and classification across an extensive collection of plasma samples from several tumour types. This work sets the stage to establish biomarkers for the minimally invasive detection, interception and classification of early-stage cancers based on plasma cell-free DNA methylation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the hotspot problem in wireless sensor networks, a type of virtual region based data gathering method (VRDG) with one mobile sink is proposed. Network is divided into several virtual regions consisting of three or less data gathering unit. One or more leaders are selected in each region according to their residual energy as well as the distance to all of the neighbors. Only the leaders upload data to sink in data gathering phase that effectively reduce energy consumption and end-to-end delay. Moreover, the “maximum step distance” could be calculated out by nodes to find out the best transmission path to the leader which further balance energy consumption of the whole network. Simulation results show that VRDG is energy efficient in comparing with MSE, SEP and LEACH. It also does well in prolonging network lifetime as well as in enhancing the efficiency of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avibacterium paragallinarum is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes infectious coryza in chicken. It was reported that the capsule polysaccharides extracted from Av. paragallinarum genotype A contained chondroitin. Chondroitin synthase of Av. paragallinarum (ApCS) encoded by one gene within the presumed capsule biosynthesis gene cluster exhibited considerable homology to identified bacterial chondroitin synthases. Herein, we report the identification and characterization of ApCS. This enzyme indeed displays chondroitin synthase activity involved in the biosynthesis of the capsule. ApCS is a bifunctional protein catalyzing the elongation of the chondroitin chain by alternatively transferring the glucuronic acid (GlcA) and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GalNAc) residues from their nucleotide forms to the non-reducing ends of the saccharide chains. GlcA with a para-nitrophenyl group (pNP) could serve as the acceptor for ApCS; this enzyme shows a stringent donor tolerance when the acceptor is as small as this monosaccharide. Then, UDP-GalNAc and GlcA-pNP were injected sequentially through the chip-immobilized chondroitin synthases, and the surface plasmon resonance data demonstrated that the up-regulated extent caused by the binding of the donor is one possibly essential factor in successful polymerization reaction. This conclusion will, therefore, enhance the understanding of the mode of action of glycosyltransferase. Surprisingly, high activity at near-zero temperature as well as weak temperature dependence of this novel bacterial chondroitin synthase indicate that ApCS was a cold-active enzyme. From all accounts, ApCS becomes the fourth known bacterial chondroitin synthase, and the potential applications in artificial chondroitin sulfate and glycosaminoglycan synthetic approaches make it an attractive glycosyltransferase for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distilled grain waste (DGW) eluted from the Chinese liquor making process poses potential serious environmental problems. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of converting DGW to biogas by thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion. To improve biogas production, the effects of dilute HSO and thermal pretreatment on DGW were evaluated by biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. The results indicate that 90 °C thermal pretreatment provided the highest methane production at 212.7 mL/g-VTS. The long-term thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion process was conducted in a 5-L separable flask for more than 3 years at a volatile total solid (VTS) loading rate of 1 g/kg-sludge/d, using synthetic waste, untreated and 90 °C thermal pretreated DGW as the feedstock, respectively. A higher methane production, 451.6 mL/g-VTS, was obtained when synthetic waste was used; the methane production decreased to 139.4 mL/g-VTS when the untreated DGW was used. The 90 °C thermal pretreated DGW increased the methane production to 190.5 mL/g-VTS, showing an increase of 36.7% in methane production compared with that using untreated DGW. The microbial community structure analysis indicates that the microbial community in the thermophilic dry anaerobic digestion system maintained a similar structure when untreated or pretreated DGW was used, whereas the structure differed significantly when synthetic waste was used as the feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsule of Escherichia coli O5:K4:H4 is formed of a chondroitin-repeat disaccharide unit of glucuronic acid (GlcA)- N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). This polysaccharide, commonly referred to as K4CP, is a potentially important source of precursors for chemoenzymatic or bioengineering synthesis of chondroitin sulfate. KfoA, encoded by a gene from region 2 of the K4 capsular gene cluster, shows high homology to the UDP-glucose-4-epimerase (GalE) from E. coli. KfoA is reputed to be responsible for uridine 5′-diphosphate- N-acetylgalactosamine (UDP-GalNAc) supply for K4CP biosynthesis in vivo, but it has not been biochemically characterized. Here, we probed the substrate specificity of KfoA by a capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based method. KfoA could epimerize both acetylated and non-acetylated substrates, but its k / K value for UDP-GlcNAc was approximately 1300-fold that for UDP-Glc. Recombinant KfoA showed a strong preference for acetylated substrates in vitro. The conclusion that KfoA is a higher efficiency UDP-GalNAc provider than GalE was supported by a coupled assay developed based on the donor-acceptor combination specificity of E. coli K4 chondroitin polymerase (KfoC). Furthermore, residue Ser-301, located near the UDP-GlcNAc binding pocket, plays an important role in the determination of the conversion ratio of UDP-GlcNAc to UDP-GalNAc by KfoA. Our results deepen the understanding of the mechanism of KfoA and will assist in the research into the metabolic engineering for chondroitin sulfate production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumour suppressor protein 53 ( p53) plays a central role in apoptosis, cell proliferation and death. Previously studies found contribution of functional p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism ( TP53 rs1042522G/C polymorphism) in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains controversial. In this study, for the first time, we evaluated its association with SLE in a Chinese Han population. This case-control study enrolled 1470 SLE patients and 2283 healthy controls. The genotyping of TP53 rs1042522 polymorphism was determined by Sequenom Mass ARRAY technology. Statistical analysis was conducted by Chi-square test ( χ test). Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using unconditional logistic regression with adjusting age and sex. Allele and genotype frequencies of TP53 rs1042522G/C polymorphism showed statistically significant difference between the SLE patients and the normal controls (C vs. G: OR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.89-0.97, p = 0.01; (GC + CC) vs. GG using recessive model: OR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.96, p = 0.01; GC vs. GG using co-dominant model: OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-0.99, p = 0.04; CC vs. GG using co-dominant model: OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.66-0.96, p = 0.02; GC vs. GG using co-dominant model: OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-0.99, p = 0.02). In addition, there was weak association between discoid rash and distribution of TP53 rs1042522G/C polymorphism in SLE patients (C vs. G: OR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.00-1.55, p = 0.04; CC vs. GG using co-dominant model: OR = 1.54, 95% CI 1.10-2.36, p = 0.04). Our finding suggests a significant relationship between the TP53 rs1042522G/C polymorphism and SLE. TP53 rs1042522G/C polymorphism would be promising as an indicator of SLE as well as the therapeutic target if its functions and mechanisms could be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermophilic dry methane fermentation is advantageous for feedstock with high solid content. Distillation residue with 65.1 % moisture content was eluted from ethanol fermentation of kitchen waste and subjected to thermophilic dry methane fermentation, after adjusting the moisture content to 75 %. The effect of carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio on thermophilic dry methane fermentation was investigated. Results showed that thermophilic dry methane fermentation could not be stably performed for >10 weeks at a C/N ratio of 12.6 and a volatile total solid (VTS) loading rate of 1 g/kg sludge/d; however, it was stably performed at a C/N ratio of 19.8 and a VTS loading rate of 3 g/kg sludge/d with 83.4 % energy recovery efficiency. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that the number of bacteria and archaea decreased by two orders of magnitude at a C/N ratio of 12.6, whereas they were not influenced at a C/N ratio of 19.8. Microbial community analysis revealed that the relative abundance of protein-degrading bacteria increased and that of organic acid-oxidizing bacteria and acetic acid-oxidizing bacteria decreased at a C/N ratio of 12.6. Therefore, there was accumulation of NH and acetic acid, which inhibited thermophilic dry methane fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a simple solid-phase extraction (SPE) approach by using activated attapulgite as sorbent was successfully developed for the determination of melamine in milk formula samples. Crucial factors impacting the extraction efficiency, including sample solvent, elution solvent, and sample loading volume, were investigated. Under the optimal extraction conditions, the sample loading volume was up to 200 mL and the adsorption capacity of the melamine gave rise to 1154 μg g. Excellent linear calibration curves ( r > 0.999) were achieved, and then the limit of detection (S/N = 3) and the limit of quantification (S/N = 10) were found to be 0.15 and 0.5 ng mL, respectively. The recoveries of the melamine spiked in four milk formula samples at three concentration levels ranged from 83.5 to 111.0 % with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 10.2 %. Furthermore, RSDs of batch to batch ( n = 4) of the acidified attapulgite used in this developed method were in the range of 2.3∼7.3 %. In comparison to the commercial Oasis MCX, the acidified attapulgite sorbent even outperformed (at least in terms of reproducibility) for melamine analysis in real food samples. Because of its simplicity, the newly developed SPE method based on acidified attapulgite nanoparticles should provide a promising tool for daily monitoring of doped melamine in milk formula or other complex matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of KLDS 1.8701 and AD1 administrations by gavage on intestinal microflora and mucosal immunity in diarrhea mice infected by Escherichia coli O157:H7 compared to normal mice. The levels of E. coli, Enterobacteria, and Enterococcus decreased significantly ( P < 0.05), while viable counts of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium increased in diarrhea mice. Moreover, KLDS 1.8701 and AD1 improved secretion of secretory immunoglobulin A and enhanced the levels of interferon- γ and interleukin. Results indicate that KLDS 1.8701 and AD1 could effectively alleviate diarrhea in mice via modulation of intestinal microflora and improve the function of immune system. The study on the effect of KLDS1.8701 and AD1 supplementation in human flora-associated animal models was recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the premature convergence problem of traditional shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA), this paper proposed a normal cloud mutation shuffled frog leaping algorithm (NCM-SFLA) by mixing the cloud model algorithm (NCM) with SFLA algorithm, NCM is used to overcome the shortage of SFLA which is easy to fall into local optimal solution. The proposed NCM-SFLA has a good parallel characteristic, and the parallel computing can be implemented easily in multi core environment. In case study, this paper takes the Li Xianjiang cascade reservoirs in China as an instance to solve the cascade reservoirs operation optimization problem by the proposed NCM-SFLA. The results show that, compared with the Multi- dimensional Dynamic Programming (MDP), NCM-SFLA has the better global search ability and faster convergence speed, and the corresponding parallel computing can effectively shorten the run-time of NCM-SFLA. Therefore, the feasibility and rationality of the proposed NCM-SFLA and its parallel computing are effectively proved by the case study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sorption behavior of chlorantraniliprole (CAP) by biochar and effect of soil extracts on sorptivity in soil-biochar systems were examined. The results showed that biochar amendment could enhance the sorption of CAP in soils. The values of K increased significantly when the soils were amended with 0.5 % BC850, which were from 1.54 to 196.5. The indigenous sorptivity of biochar was suppressed after it was applied to the soils. The degree of biochar sorptivity attenuation in different soil-biochar systems varied with the properties of soil water soluble matters. Sorption of CAP by biochar from the five soil extracts was found to be lower than that from a CaCl solution. The calculated K values at C of 0.01 mg kg for biochar sorption of CAP from CaCl solution were 21.4-26.6 times of that from soil extracts. Aging of biochar in soil extract reduced CAP sorption by up to 85 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the associations between three smoking-related constructs (pros and cons of smoking, temptation to smoke, and self-efficacy of resisting smoking) and stage of change (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action) based on the transtheoretical model among smokers attending a community-based screening program. We also assessed their effects on long-term all-cause mortality. A prospective cohort study, with an average of 7 years of follow-up, was conducted by enrolling 454 male smoking screenees. The comparisons of the mean score of each variable pertaining to three smoking-related constructs across four stages of smoking cessation were assessed by analysis of variance. The impacts of both smoking-related constructs and smoking cessation stage measured at baseline on 7-year mortality were assessed by using proportional hazards regression model. The differences in the mean scores of pros and cons of smoking, temptation to smoke, and self-efficacy of resisting smoking across four stages of smoking cessation were statistically significant ( P < 0.01). The precontemplation group and the contemplation group as opposed to the action group increased the risk for all-cause mortality, but the size of effect was not statistically significant ( P = 0.39) when age, duration of smoking, and three smoking- related constructs were controlled. Those with a lower social aspect of self-efficacy were approximately threefold [adjusted hazard ratio = 3.22 (95 % CI 1.26-8.21)] risk for all-cause death compared with those with a higher one. Three smoking-related constructs were highly associated with smoking cessation stage, and low self-efficacy was independently predictive of long-term mortality among male smokers attending a community-based screening program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) is one of the most prominent member of the NOD-like receptors protein family that functions as intracellular pattern recognition receptors. Numerous studies have suggested the importance of NOD2 in defensing against microbial infections, regulation of the inflammatory process. It is shown that NOD2 contributes to the pathogenesis of various autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study is to summarize our current understandings of NOD2 function and the role of NOD2 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The following databases were searched: Pubmed, EMBASE and Web of Science for English-language sources, using the terms 'lupus,' 'systemic lupus erythematosus,' ''SLE,' 'immunity,' 'inflammatory' and 'NOD2.' Emerging data evidences that NOD2 has important biological effects in autoimmunity and inflammatory and might take part in the pathogenesis of SLE. Studies exploring the relationship between NOD2 and SLE are very limited. Whether NOD2 could be a potentially valuable therapeutic target for treatment for SLE, more understanding of the mechanism of NOD2 is needed in the future in SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel ionic liquid-modified organic-polymer monolithic capillary column was prepared and used for in-tube solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of acidic food additives. The primary amino group of 1-aminopropyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was reacted with the epoxide group of glycidyl methacrylate. The as-prepared new monomer was then copolymerized in situ with acrylamide and N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-8000 and PEG-10,000 as porogens. The extraction performance of the developed monolithic sorbent was evaluated for benzoic acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 3-(trifluoromethyl)-cinnamic acid. Such a sorbent, bearing hydrophobic and anion-exchange groups, had high extraction efficiency towards the test compounds. The adsorption capacities for the analytes dissolved in water ranged from 0.18 to 1.74 μg cm. Good linear calibration curves ( R > 0.99) were obtained, and the limits of detection ( S/ N = 3) for the analytes were found to be in the range 1.2-13.5 ng mL. The recoveries of five acidic food additives spiked in Coca-Cola beverage samples ranged from 85.4 % to 98.3 %, with RSD less than 6.9 %. The excellent applicability of the ionic liquid (IL)-modified monolithic column was further tested by the determination of benzoic acid content in Sprite samples, further illustrating its good potential for analyzing food additives in complex samples. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-optic Fabry-Perot (F-P) sensors are widely investigated because they have several advantages over conventional sensors, such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, ability to operate under bad environments, high sensitivity and the potential for multiplexing. A new method to fabricate micro-cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer is introduced, which is fusion splicing a section of conventional single-mode fiber (SMF) and a section of hollow core or solid core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) together to form a micro-cavity at the splice joint. The technology of fusion splicing is discussed, and two miniature optical fiber sensors based on Fabry-Perot interference using fusion splicing are presented. The two sensors are completely made of fused silica, and have good high-temperature capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes have been detected in tumors. However, the distribution, phenotypic features, and regulation of these cells in gastric cancer remain unknown. Methods: The levels of CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, tumor-draining lymph nodes, non-tumor tissues, and tumor tissues of patients with gastric cancer were detected by flow cytometry. Foxp3 induction in CD8Foxp3 T cells was investigated in vitro. The suppressive function of CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes was analyzed by their effect on CD4 T-cell proliferation and IFN-γ production. The percentages of CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes were evaluated for the association with tumor stage. Results: The frequency of CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in non-tumor tissues, and similar results were also observed in tumor-draining lymph nodes compared with peripheral blood. Most intratumoral CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes were activated effector cells (CD45RACD27). TGF-β1 levels were positively correlated with the frequency of CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes in tumor tissues, and in vitro TGF-β1 could induce the generation of CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, intratumoral CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes suppressed the proliferation and IFN-γ production of CD4 T cells. Finally, intratumoral CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes were significantly increased with tumor progression in terms of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. Conclusions: Our data have shown that increased intratumoral CD8Foxp3 T lymphocytes are associated with tumor stage and potentially influence CD4 T-cell functions, which may provide insights for developing novel immunotherapy protocols against gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pumilio protein is the founding member of the PUF family of RNA-binding proteins, which contains 8 repeat Puf domains and plays important roles during embryogenesis and post-embryogenesis by binding the Nanos response element (NRE) of specific target genes in eukaryotes. In addition, many other proteins containing the Puf domain were identified but with different functions from the Pumilio protein in various species. Taking advantage of the newly assembled genome sequences, in this study we performed a genome-wide analysis of PUF genes in silkworm and other 27 species. In the silkworm, three PUF genes were identified, named Bmpumilio, Bmpenguin and Bmnop by homology analysis. In fungi and animals, four evolutionarily conservational PUF gene families were identified, Group-A, -B, -C and -D. While Group-A, -C, and -D are present in all fungi and animals, Group-B was only identified in fungi. Interestingly, the number and features of the Puf domains are distinct in each group, suggesting different roles for these proteins in every group. The EST and microarray data showed that the mRNA of the three PUF genes can be widely detected in all tissues of the silkworm. Our results provide some new insights into the functions and evolutionary characteristics of PUF proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation and optimization of the traditional contour generation algorithms are always proposed for the common processor. When processing high resolution images, the performance often exists low efficiency. A new graphics processing unit (GPU)-based algorithm is proposed to get the clear and integrated contour of leaves. Firstly we implement the classic Sobel operator of edge detection in GPU. Then a simple and effective method is designed to remove the fake edge and a heuristic algorithm is used to repair the broken edge. It is proved by the experiments that the results of our algorithm are natural and realistic in terms of morphology and can be good materials for the virtual plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aidi injection is a clinical medicine used in China for the treatment of cancer. Calycosin-7- O-β- d-glucoside is the main effective components of the formulas. In this study, a high performance liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to quantify calycosin-7- O-β- d-glucoside in rat plasma using a liquid–liquid extraction and ultraviolet (UV) absorbance detection. LC analysis was performed on a Diamonsil C18 column (200 × 4.6 mm i.d., 5 μm particle size) with isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–0.05% phosphoric acid (19.5:80.5, v/v) of a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1. The linear range was 0.11–17.6 μg mL−1 and the low quantification limit was 0.11 μg mL−1 (S/N = 10). The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSD) in the measurement of quality control (QC) samples 0.11, 0.22, 1.32 and 8.80 μg mL−1 ranged from 4.1 to 6.3 and 4.3 to 6.2%, respectively. The accuracy was from −6.7 to 4.3% in terms of relative error (RE). Calycosin-7- O-β- d-glucoside was stable in storage at −20 °C for 2 weeks and stable after three freeze–thaw cycles in rat plasma. This method was validated for specificity, accuracy, precision and was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of calycosin-7- O-β- d-glucoside in rat plasma after intravenous administration of Aidi lyophilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time simple, rapid, and systematic methods have been established for preparative isolation and purification of coumarin compounds in an important traditional Chinese Medicine, Radix Angelica dahurica, and for simultaneous determination of several of the compounds in the medicine. Bergapten, imperatorin, and cnidilin, three of the biologically active coumarin compounds, were isolated from the chloroform-soluble fraction of the ethanol extract of Radix Angelica dahurica. After further purification by open column ODS chromatography the purified components were simultaneously determined, with two other coumarins (osthole and isoimperatorin), by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) on a C18 column, with methanol–water, 66:34 ( v/ v), as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min−1. The compounds were detected by UV absorption at 310 nm. Calibration plots for all the coumarins had correlation coefficients close to unity. Limits of detection ( S/ N = 3) were <92 ng mL−1 and limits of quantification ( S/ N = 10) were <259 ng mL−1. Mean recovery of the coumarins was in the range 96.7–101.9% and the intra-day and inter-day precision, as relative standard deviation, was <2.3 and <2.9%, respectively. This simple, sensitive, and reproducible method can be used for quality control of Radix Angelica dahurica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship between matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) and autolysis of sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus, the dermis homogenate was incubated at 25°C to induce autolysis. EDTA Na and 1,10-phenanthroline were used to verify the effect of MMPs on autolysis, which was measured by soluble protein and protein pattern. Soluble protein level increased during a 6-h autolysis process. SDS-PAGE demonstrated obvious protein degradation with the concomitant occurrence of degradation products. The above two indicators could be inhibited significantly by EDTA Na and 1,10-phenanthroline, indicating that MMPs might play a significant role in autolysis of sea cucumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we explore a sample of 362 flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) to investigate the jet formation. We find that the fundamental plane for our FSRQs can be expressed as $L_{\rm 5~GHz}\propto M_{\rm bh}^{-0.19}L_{\rm 2~keV}^{1.08}$. We also find that the 5 GHz luminosities are tightly related to both black hole mass and Eddington ratio, which is established as $L_{\rm 5~GHz}\propto M_{\rm bh}^{0.67}(L_{\rm bol}/ L_{\rm EDD})^{1.32}$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we isolated a spermidine synthase gene from Antheraea pernyi (ApSpds) using expressed sequence tag method. The obtained cDNA sequence of 1483 bp contains an open-reading frame of 864 bp encoding a polypeptide of 287 amino acids. Sequence analysis revealed that ApSpds belonged to class I of AdoMet-MTase family, and exhibited 30% identity to those from bacteria, 45–48% identity to fungi, 36–47% identity to plants, 52–54% identity to vertebrates and 53–80% identity to invertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis found that the used Spds protein sequences were well divided into five groups corresponding to bacteria, fungi, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, respectively. These results further confirmed that Spds is highly conserved through evolution of life organisms. The ApSpds mRNA is expressed during all four developmental stages and is present in all examined tissues with the highest abundance in the muscle, in which the relative mRNA expression level was 1.6 times higher than in the fat body. Although not significant, the mRNA level decreased after high-temperature exposure suggesting that the Spds gene may not be involved in temperature stress tolerance in A. pernyi. Taken together, our results suggested that ApSpds play an important role in development of silkworm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]