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Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes, and it is also the main cause of chronic renal failure. Physiological/pathological changes mediated by high glucose are the main factors causing injury of DN, including the enhancement of polyol pathway, the accumulation of advanced glycation products (AGEs), and the activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signals. In addition, the abnormal activation of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and oxidative stress are also involved. Melatonin is a physiological hormone mainly secreted by the pineal gland which has been proved to be related to diabetes. Studies have shown that exogenous melatonin intervention can reduce blood glucose and alleviate high glucose mediated pathological damage. At the same time, melatonin also has a strong antioxidant effect, and can inhibit the activation of RAS. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the therapeutic effect and value of melatonin on DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic slotting is a technique to enhance coal bed methane (CBM) recovery and prevent gas disasters. The drilling fields are usually arranged in floor roadway rather than roof roadway, but submerged jet effects caused by hydraulic slotting in roof roadway have not been carried out extensively. Concerning this issue, this paper conducted a series of numerical simulation and physical experiments on hydraulic slotting in roof roadway. It is shown that when the impact load of middle- and high-pressure water jet is applied to the sample, downlink borehole slotting can cause much stronger disturbance than uplink slotting due to the submerged jet. The fracture characteristics of samples also reflect that cavitation erosion caused by submerged jet promotes the fracture formation under middle and high impact load conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs), used in some diesel fuel additives to improve fuel combustion efficiency and exhaust filter operation, have been detected in ambient air and concerns have been raised about their potential human health impact. The majority of CeO2NP inhalation studies undertaken to date have used aerosol particles of larger sizes than the evidence suggests are emitted from vehicles using such fuel additives. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of inhaled CeO2NP aerosols of a more environmentally relevant size, utilizing a combination of methods, including untargeted multi-omics to enable the broadest possible survey of molecular responses and synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy to investigate cerium speciation. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed by nose-only inhalation to aerosolized CeO2NPs (mass concentration 1.8 mg/m3, aerosol count median diameter 40 nm) for 3 h/d for 4 d/week, for 1 or 2 weeks and sacrificed at 3 and 7 d post-exposure. Markers of inflammation changed significantly in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which, combined with results from lung histopathology and gene expression analyses suggest an inflammatory response greater than that seen in studies using micron-sized ceria aerosols. Lipidomics of lung tissue revealed changes to minor lipid species, implying specific rather than general cellular effects. Cerium speciation analysis indicated a change in Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio within lung tissue. Collectively, these results in conjunction with earlier studies emphasize the importance of aerosol particle size on toxicity determination. Furthermore, the limited effect resolution within 7 d suggested the possibility of longer-term effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental modeling to identify specific inhalation hazards for nanomaterials has in the main focused on in vivo approaches. However, these models suffer from uncertainties surrounding species-specific differences and cellular targets for biologic response. In terms of pulmonary exposure, approaches which combine ‘inhalation-like’ nanoparticulate aerosol deposition with relevant human cell and tissue air-liquid interface cultures are considered an important complement to in vivo work. In this study, we utilized such a model system to build on previous results from in vivo exposures, which highlighted the small airway epithelium as a target for silver nanoparticle (AgNP) deposition. RNA-SEQ was used to characterize alterations in mRNA and miRNA within the lung. Organotypic-reconstituted 3D human primary small airway epithelial cell cultures (SmallAir) were exposed to the same spark-generated AgNP and at the same dose used in vivo, in an aerosol-exposure air-liquid interface (AE-ALI) system. Adverse effects were characterized using lactate, LDH release and alterations in mRNA and miRNA. Modest toxicological effects were paralleled by significant regulation in gene expression, reflective mainly of specific inflammatory events. Importantly, there was a level of concordance between gene expression changes observed in vitro and in vivo. We also observed a significant correlation between AgNP and mass equivalent silver ion (Ag+) induced transcriptional changes in SmallAir cultures. In addition to key mechanistic information relevant for our understanding of the potential health risks associated with AgNP inhalation exposure, this work further highlights the small airway epithelium as an important target for adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeast China, an important part of the circum–Pacific magmatic–metallogenetic belt, was characterized by late Mesozoic extensive magmatism and related metallogenesis. It is now generally accepted that this magmatism was related to subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific plate, and a series of tectonic models such as normal subduction, shallow subduction, and flat-slab subduction have been suggested. Here we propose a new tectonic model involving repeated slab advance–retreat of the Palaeo-Pacific plate on the basis of new geochronological and geochemical data of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic mafic rocks and Early Jurassic A-type granites in southern Jiangxi and western Fujian provinces. The results indicate that Late Triassic (ca. 228 Ma) mafic rocks are shoshonitic, formed in a post-collisional regime of the Tethyan tectonic domain. Early Jurassic (ca. 197–191 Ma) mafic rocks are sodic, emplaced in a continental arc setting coupled with the subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific plate. Early Jurassic (ca. 189 Ma) granites, occurring as a NNE-trending belt, belong to the A2group and formed in an extension setting caused by slab break-off. There are an other four A-type granite belts in southeast China, i.e. the Late Triassic, Late Jurassic, Early Cretaceous, and Late Cretaceous A-type granite belts, respectively. Late Triassic (229–221 Ma) A-type granites occur as an ENE-trending belt and were coincident with the Late Triassic mafic magmatism. Late Jurassic (163–153 Ma), Early Cretaceous (136–124 Ma), and Late Cretaceous (101–91 Ma) A-type granite belts, together with the Early Jurassic (189 Ma) A-type granite belt, are all NNE-trending, parallel to the present coastline. The Late Jurassic belt is located further inland, on the west side of the Early Jurassic belt. The Early Cretaceous belt almost overlaps the Early Jurassic belt and the Late Cretaceous belt is located at the coastal area of southeast China. Integrating these observations, we propose a repeated slab-advance–retreat model for the late Mesozoic magmatic evolution of southeast China. Palaeo-Pacific plate subduction underneath southeast China initiated in the Late Triassic Rhaetian and reached southern Jiangxi by ca. 197 Ma, followed by slab rollback during 197–191 Ma and by slab break-off at ca. 189 Ma. Then slab advance was reestablished with the northwestward subduction approaching southern Hunan at ca. 178 Ma. From ca. 174 Ma, slab rollback reinitiated and gradually migrated from inland to the coastal area. This repeated slab-advance–retreat model is helpful to further understand the geodynamic mechanism of the late Mesozoic tectono-magmatism and related metallogenesis of southeast China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)/poly(butyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) (PBLG/Poly(BA-co-MMA)) blend films were prepared by casting the polymer blend solution in dichloroethane. Surface morphology of the polymer blend film was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer blend film were studied using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and tensile tests. It was revealed that the introduction of Poly(BA-co-MMA) into PBLG could exert marked effects on the surface morphology and the properties of the PBLG film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate whether rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) alters intraocular soluble syndecan-1 levels. Methods: In all, 39 samples of subretinal fluid (SRF) and 10 samples of vitreous fluid from RRD patients were collected. Using ELISA, soluble syndecan-1 levels were detected, and potential correlations between syndecan-1 levels with clinical parameters were analyzed. Results: Soluble syndecan-1 in the vitreous fluid (2.577 ± 0.578 ng/ml) and in the SRF (1.499 ± 0.184 ng/ml) from eyes with RRD enhanced significantly compared to that of the controls (0.224 ± 0.095 ng/ml) (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.006). An increase in the syndecan-1 concentrations in SRF samples correlated with a longer duration of retinal detachment (r = 0.716, p < 0.0001) and a younger age (r = -0.341, p = 0.017). Conclusions: RRD was found to be associated with a significant increase of soluble syndecan-1 in the vitreous fluid and SRF. In SRF, an enhanced soluble syndecan-1 concentration correlated positively with the duration of retinal detachment and inversely with the age of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The constant development of electronic inverter technology has played a key role in promoting the exploration and development of solar ships. For the large-scale ocean-going ship platform, the critical issue of applying solar photovoltaic (PV) system is integrating PV equipment into the ship power system (SPS) without changing its original structure. This paper compares the existent technical differences for applying the off-grid and grid-connected PV system in the SPS and proposes the basic design principles for marine integration applications. The 5000 PCTC ro-ro ship is set as the application object, on which a hybrid PV system with large-capacity lithium battery storage device is designed and installed as an independent subsystem. The typical feature of this hybrid PV system is that it can implement operation mode switching between off-grid and grid-connected, according to the evaluation on solar radiation resource, power load requirement and state of charge in the lithium battery. The test results show that this PV system has a stable operation characteristic under different operation modes. In addition, this ship-based PV power system has automatic and reliable operation management capability, which could effectively reduce manual control frequency and maintenance workload of a marine engineer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wilms' tumor is one of the most common solid tumors of childhood; however, the genetic basis underlying the majority of cases remains largely unknown. HACE1 is a putative Wilms' tumor susceptibility gene. We investigated the association between five HACE1 gene polymorphisms and Wilms' tumor susceptibility in a Chinese population consisting of 145 patients and 531 controls. We found a significant association between HACE1 rs9404576 polymorphism and decreased Wilms' tumor risk. No significant association was detected for other polymorphisms in the overall analysis. Our results indicated that HACE1 rs9404576 polymorphism may be associated with Wilms' tumor susceptibility in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics, excretion, and metabolic fate of cycloastragenol (CA) in rats. 2. An LC-MS method was developed and used to quantify CA in biological samples. Rats were orally administrated with CA at 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg or intravenously administrated at 10 mg/kg to determine pharmacokinetic parameters of CA. For excretion experiment, urine, feces, and bile were collected at 24 h after oral administration (40 mg/kg), also at 12 h after intravenous administration (10 mg/kg). An LC-MS/MS method was developed to identify the metabolites of CA. 3. The results showed that the oral bioavailability of CA was about 25.70% at 10 mg/kg. CA was excreted through bile and feces and eliminated predominantly by the kidney in rats. It also might exist an enterohepatic circulation of CA in rats. CA could be metabolized widelyin vivoin rat, seven, six, and one phase I metabolites were found in feces, urine, and bile samples respectively, but no phase II metabolite was found. 4. In summary, this study defined pharmacokinetics characteristics of CA, described its excretion, and established itsin vivometabolism in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Oxine-copper, which is used as a disinfectant for vegetables, was determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultraviolet detector. The calibration relationship was linear from 0.025 µg mL−1to 20 µg mL−1and good precision was obtained. The recovery was between 72.8 and 113.8%. The limits of quantification were 0.1 mg kg−1in soil and 0.05 mg kg−1in pears. The half-lives of oxine-copper in pears in 2011 and 2012 were 7.1 days and 7.8 days in Hebei, 10.1 days and 10.4 days in Shandong, and 4 days and 8.9 days in Henan. The half-lives of oxine-copper in soil in 2011 and 2012 were 8.1 days and 9.1 days in Hebei, 6.8 days and 8.6 days in Shandong, and 9.7 days and 8.9 days in Henan. The maximum residue of oxine-copper in pears was 1.64 mg kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about the potential health effects of exposure to nanomaterials have led to a growing number ofin vivoinhalation toxicity studies using nanoparticle aerosols. Estimates of aerosol deposition within the respiratory tract are important for these studies to enable: (a) the interpretation of the results, in particular, the evaluation of dose–response relationships; (b) comparison with the results of other related studies; and (c) the extrapolation of results from animal models to human. Unfortunately, only a limited number of studies have been undertaken to investigate respiratory tract deposition efficiencies for nano-sized aerosol particles. This is of particular importance as deposition efficiencies are predicted to vary significantly over the nano-size range for some elements of the respiratory tract. In this study, female Wistar-Kyoto rats were exposed in a new design nose-only inhalation exposure system to spark generated radioactive iridium-192 nanoparticle aerosols of four particle sizes chosen to cover the majority of the nano-size range (nominal sizes: 10, 15, 35, and 75 nm). The content of iridium-192 in the lung, head, gastrointestinal tract, and various other organs and tissues was measured. Aerosol deposition efficiencies in the whole respiratory tract and components (head airways, lung, alveolar region, and tracheobronchial region) were estimated and compared with the predictions of the Multiple Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) model (v2.11). The experimentally derived deposition efficiencies were broadly consistent with, but typically higher than, model predictions and the results of comparable studies in the literature. Copyright © 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cells and scaffolds play a very important role in tissue engineering. Here, we isolated synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) from synovial membrane tissue and characterized stem-cell properties. Gelatin nanoparticles (NP) were prepared using a two-step desolvation method and then pre-mixed into different host matrix (silk fibroin (SF), gelatin (Gel), or SF–Gel mixture) to generate various 3D printed nanocomposite scaffolds (NP/SF, NP/SF–Gel, NP/Gel-1, and NP/Gel-2). The microstructure was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Biocompatibility assessment was performed through CCK-8 assay by coculturing with SMSCs at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days. According to the results, SMSCs are similar to other MSCs in their surface epitope expression, which are negative for CD45 and positive for CD44, CD90, and CD105. After incubation in lineage-specific medium, SMSCs could differentiate into chondrocytes, osteocytes and adipocytes. 3D printed nanocomposite scaffolds exhibited a good biocompatibility in the process of coculturing with SMSCs and had no negative effect on cell behavior. The study provides a strategy to obtain SMSCs and fabricate 3D printed nanocomposite scaffolds, the combination of which could be used for practical applications in tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no report available to date on somatic embryogenesis or even callus formation and plant regeneration in Scutellaria baiclensis (Huang qin). Ours is the first report on somatic embryo development in Scutellaria baicalensis. Plant growth regulators Thidiazuron [TDZ: N-phenyl N'- (1,2,3-thidiazol-5-ylurea)], 6-benzyladenine (BA), and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were tested alone or in combination for their capacity to induce indirect somatic embryogenesis from leaf, internode, nodal portion, and root explants of Scutellaria baicalensis. The TDZ (4 mg/l) showed the highest percentage of calli-induction frequency in various explants, viz., leaf (42.2%), nodal stem portion (62.9%), and root (63.4%). The TDZ-derived calli were incubated on MS salt + B5 vitamin medium containing glutamine (1.5mM) (MSE) and fortified with various combinations of TDZ, BA, and 2,4-D for induction of somatic embryos. No somatic embryogenesis was recorded in any culture at this stage. On transferring the above friable calli onto hormone-free MSB medium and after 12 days of culture, several globular and heart-shaped embryos appeared over the surface of green compact callus. The mature somatic embryos were dissected out and cultured on hormone-free MS medium for germination. Plantlets were hardened in a growth chamber and, after 30 days, transferred to greenhouse and subsequently to pots and field. There was no morphological difference in plantlets regenerated by this procedure and normal seed-grown plant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Conclusions. Sleep position in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) did not affect the sleep architecture. Supine position had a significant influence on respiratory parameters and gas exchange. Lateral position did not affect respiratory parameters in children aged 3-5 years and little affected gas exchange except right lateral decubitus (RLD) position in children aged 11-13 years. Children with OSA breathe best when in the left lateral decubitus (LLD) position. Objective. To analyze the relationship between OSA and body position during sleep in children. Subjects and methods. A total of 45 consecutive children (age class A: 3-5 years, n=15; B: 6-10 years, n=14; C: 11-13 years, n=16) with OSA were studied. The following variables were evaluated: apnea hypopnea index (AHI) in supine, LLD, and RLD positions, sleep architecture, respiratory parameters, and oxygen saturation. Results. There were no no significant differences in AHI between LLD AHI, RLD AHI, and supine position in age class A, LLD AHI was significantly lower than supine AHI in age classes B and C. There was no correlation between position AHI and sleep architecture. There was no correlation between lateral position AHI and the parameters of respiratory disturbance in age class A. The parameters of respiratory disturbance were related to LLD and RLD position in age class B; supine and RLD position in age class C were similar. Position AHI was related to some of the parameters of gas exchange except for RLD AHI in age classes A and B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]