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To investigate the efficacy of direct computed tomography venography (CTV) in early and accurate detection of lower extremity venous (LEV) abnormalities. Cross-sectional research was conducted in Hebei General Hospital of China. A total of 211 CTV reports of both lower extremities from January 2017 to September 2019, 75 color Doppler ultrasound (DUS) examinations, and eight intravascular angiography records of these patients over the same period were collected from the hospital. Comparisons were made for the reported number and percentage of LEV abnormalities (thrombosis, stenosis including severe stenosis, and varicosities). Chi-square test and t-test were applied to compare the rates and means, respectively. Significance level α was 0.05. Individual interviews were performed to understand the perceptions of medical staff and patients on the application of CTV, and the interview results were analyzed. Of the 75 cases with both CTV and DUS reports, 159 abnormalities occurring in the lower extremity deep veins (LEDV) were reported, among which 125 (79%) and 18 (11%) were reported by CTV and DUS on a single basis, respectively, whereas 16 (10%) were reported by CTV and DUS simultaneously. A statistically significant greater number of abnormalities in LEDV were identified by CTV than DUS in both males and females (χ2males = 78.449, χ2females = 27.574, χ2total = 104.164, p <.05). In the 211 CTV reports, among the 383 abnormalities reported in total, the common iliac vein (CIV) had the highest number of reported abnormalities (132, 34.5%), followed by the femoral vein (93, 24.3%). The ratios between LEDV abnormality and patient numbers were 1.055 and 0.688 for left and right sides in males, and 0.892 and 0.461 for left and right sides in females, respectively, with that for the left side statistically significantly higher than the right one (tmale = 2.896, tfemale = 4.347, p <.05). The incidence of thrombosis was 10.9% (95% CI = 6.7 ∼ 15.1%). Reported abnormities in CIV by CTV were in agreement with those by intravascular angiography. The medical staff believed that CTV could guide the performance of surgeries for LEV and the patients perceived CTV acceptable. Application of CTV for early and accurate detection of LEDV abnormalities including thrombosis has been proven to be efficient. Corresponding benefit in early intervention and reduction of severe complications of such abnormalities is of important value. CTV earned good recognition from medical staff and patients. Hence, it could be considered as part of global health assistance cooperation with developing countries to facilitate enhanced medical services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is a common hematological disorder in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of Southern China. Heterozygous β-thal is usually associated with reduced hematological indices and increased Hb A2 levels. However, the preventive program of the regional government only conducts the screening of hematological indices [complete blood count (CBC)] especially at primary hospitals. In this study, we describe a male β-thal patient presenting normal hematological indices but with a high Hb A2 level. We proposed that hemoglobin (Hb) analysis and CBC should be performed together in the preventive screening program in regions with a high thalassemia incidence to avoid misdiagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study systematically assessed the inactivation mechanism on Staphylococcus aureus biofilms by a N2 atmospheric-pressure plasma jet and the effect on the biofilm regeneration capacity from the bacteria which survived, and their progenies. The total bacterial populations were 7.18 ± 0.34 log10 CFU ml−1 in biofilms and these were effectively inactivated (>5.5-log10 CFU ml−1) within 30 min of exposure. Meanwhile, >80% of the S. aureus biofilm cells lost their metabolic capacity. In comparison, ∼20% of the plasma-treated bacteria entered a viable but non-culturable state. Moreover, the percentage of membrane-intact bacteria declined to ∼30%. Scanning electron microscope images demonstrated cell shrinkage and deformation post-treatment. The total amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species was observed to have significantly increased in membrane-intact bacterial cells with increasing plasma dose. Notably, the N2 plasma treatment could effectively inhibit the biofilm regeneration ability of the bacteria which survived, leading to a long-term phenotypic response and dose-dependent inactivation effect on S. aureus biofilms, in addition to the direct rapid bactericidal effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wintertime variations and distributions of sea surface temperature (SST) and thermal fronts associated with the spatial distribution of ichthyoplankton were investigated in the continental shelf waters of the southern East China Sea (ECS) by using 10 year (2005-2015) satellite SST images with an entropy-based edge detection method. The Mainland China Coastal Front and Kuroshio Front (KF) in winter (December to March) were examined with SST gradient magnitudes (GMs) of 0.20-0.40 and 0.30-0.45°C Km−1, respectively, along the 50 m and 100-200 m isobaths in the southern ECS. These two fronts coincided with isotherms of 14-16°C and 21-22°C, respectively. The Mainland China Coastal Front pattern remained fairly stable along the 50 m isobaths, and the coexisting SST front and upwelling were shifted seaward or shoreward with the recession or intrusion of the KF during the winters. Notably, the SST GMs of the KF showed a significant strengthening that was higher than those of the past two decades. Moreover, the total abundance of the nearshore waters of the KF (which was occupied by approximately 75% neritic species) was 23 times higher than that of the offshore waters (which was occupied by approximately 63.60% oceanic species). We suggest that the generation of the KF in winter may act as the biological barrier of oceanic organisms and larval fishes in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the associations between HLA-A/B/DRB1 polymorphisms and aplastic anemia (AA), we carried out the meta-analysis. Methods: In this meta-analysis, all publications in English and Chinese were considered up to 30 September 2015. The electronic databases we searched were Pubmed, Science Direct, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP. We conducted all statistical data analyses in the Stata11.0 software. Results: A total of 17 studies including 9164 subjects (containing 1372 cases and 7792 controls) were retrieved, which studied the relationship between HLA-A/B/DRB1 and AA. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the comparisons between cases and controls were calculated. The result revealed that HLA-A*02 and HLA-DRB1 (*0407, *15 and *1501) polymorphisms might increase the risk of AA. Otherwise, HLA-DRB1 (*0301, *04, *0406, *0802, *1301, *1302 and *14) were protective against AA. But, other sites of HLA-A/B/DRB1 in our study had no correlations with AA (all Pc > 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, HLA-A/B/DRB1 polymorphisms may play an important role in AA, but higher quality and larger sample studies are needed to confirm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have demonstrated that the molecules secreted from microglias play important roles in the cell fate determination of neural stem cells (NSCs), and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist treatment could reduce neuroinflammation in some neurodegenerative disease models, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is not clear how nicotine plays a neuroprotective role in inflammation-mediated central nervous diseases, and its possible mechanisms in the process remain largely elusive. The aim of this study is to improve the survival microenvironment of NSCs co-cultured with microgliasin vitroby weakening inflammation that mediated by accumulation of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ). The viability, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis of NSCs and underlying mechanisms associated with Wnt signaling pathway were investigated. The results showed that Aβ could directly damage NSCs. Furthermore, concomitant to elevated levels of TNF-α, IL-1β derived from microglias, the NSCs had been damaged more severely with the upregulation of Axin 2, p-β-catenin and the downregulation of β-catenin, p-GSK-3β, microtubule-associated protein-2, choline acetyltransferase. However, addition of 10 μmol/L nicotine before microglias treated with Aβ was beneficial to protect the NSCs against neurotoxicity of microglial-derived factors induced by Aβ, which partially rescued proliferation, differentiation and inhibited apoptosis of NSCs via activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Taken together, these data imply that low concentration nicotine attenuates NSCs injury induced by microglial-derived factors via Wnt signaling pathway. Thus, treatment with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist provides a promising research field for neural stem cell fate and therapeutic intervention in neuroinflammation diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, quantitative evaluation for biosimilarity has been taken seriously due to the development of biosimilar products. The concept for assessment of biological products is very different from that of small-molecule drug products because of the variability with respect to the manufacturing process and environmental factors of the biological products. In this article, we propose an estimate method for a biosimilar index and the related lower bound based on the concept of reproducibility probability by assessing power. In addition, some approximations are proposed and compared in regard to simplicity and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isomeric polyphenolic glycosides that possess regioisomericO-acylated saccharide residues can be found in many medicinal plants and their preparations as well as some synthetic intermediates. The need for a pure and sufficient quantity of compounds for nuclear magnetic resonance measurements calls for a microanalytical method for their rapid differ entiation. In the current investigation, an electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometric method was developed for rapid differentiation of two pairs of regioisomeric acylated monosaccharides, quercetin-3-O-(3″-O-galloyl)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-(2″-O-galloyl)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside as well as quercetin-3-O-(3″-O-galloyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-(2″-O-galloyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside; the mechanisms governing their similar or differential fragmentations are also discussed. The work may facilitate the structural determination of these regioisomers and their analogs in pure form or in complex matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical research, it is not uncommon to modify a trial procedure and/or statistical methods of ongoing clinical trials through protocol amendments. A major modification to the study protocol could result in a shift in target patient population. In addition, frequent and significant modifications could lead to a totally different study that is unable to address the medical questions that the original study intended to answer. In this article, we propose a logistic regression model for statistical inference based on a binary study endpoint for trials with protocol amendments. Under the proposed method, sample size adjustment is also derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new phenolic glycosides, syringic acid-4-O-α-L-rhamnoside (1) and ( - )-hydnocarpin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (2), were isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Inula cappa. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods such as 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four solid cryptates of a cage‐type N 2 O 6 ‐heteroatom cryptand (L) with Ln(III) nitrates (Ln=Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, thermogravimetric analyses, fluorescence spectra and molar conductance measurements. The obtained data indicate the formation of 2&ratio;1 (Ln:L) ratio with the general formula Ln 2 (NO 3 ) 6 · L · nH 2 O (n=2 or 5) and the structure [Ln(L)(NO 3 )(H 2 O)][Ln(NO 3 ) 5 ] · (n-1)H 2 O (n=2 or 5) has been suggested. The TG analyses indicate the presence of hydrated and coordinated water molecules. The fluorescence properties of these complexes show that all cryptates have strong fluorescence intensity. That the Eu(III) complex has the strongest fluorescence intensity shows that the triplet state energy of the cryptand matches with the Eu(III) vibration energy level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome stability requires a set of RecQ-Top3 DNA helicase-topoisomerase complexes whose sole budding yeast homolog is encoded by SGS1-TOP3. RMI1/NCE4 was identified as a potential intermediate in the SGS1-TOP3 pathway, based on the observation that strains lacking any one of these genes require MUS81 and MMS4 for viability. This idea was tested by confirming that sgs1 and rmi1 mutants display the same spectrum of synthetic lethal interactions, including the requirements for SLX1, SLX4, SLXS, and SLX8, and by demonstrating that rmi1 taus81 synthetic lethality is dependent on homologous recombination. On their own, mutations in RMI1 result in phenotypes that mimic those of sgs1 or top3 strains including slow growth, hyperrecombination, DNA damage sensitivity, and reduced sporulation. And like top3 strains, most rmi1 phenotypes are suppressed by mutations in SGS1. We show that Rmi1 forms a heteromeric complex with Sgs1-Top3 in yeast and that these proteins interact directly in a recombinant system. The Rmi1-Top3 complex is stable in the absence of the Sgs1 helicase, but the loss of either Rmi1 or Top3 in yeast compromises its partner's interaction with Sgs1. Biochemical studies demonstrate that recombinant Rmi1 is a structurespecific DNA binding protein with a preference for cruciform structures. We propose that the DNA binding specificity of Rmi1 plays a role in targeting Sgs1-Top3 to appropriate substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]