Search

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most serious complications of diabetes and has become the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, causing serious health damage and a huge economic burden. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis play important role in the development of DKD. Itaconate, a macrophage-specific metabolite, has been reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory effects. However, it is unknown whether it perform anti-fibrotic effect in renal tubular epithelial cells. In this current study, we observed that in human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK2), high glucose induced an increase in transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) production, and upregulated the expressions of fibronectin and collagen I through the TGF-β receptor as verified by administration of TGF-β receptor blocker LY2109761. Treatment with 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI), a derivant of itaconic acid, reduced the TGF-β production induced by high glucose and inhibited the pro-fibrotic effect of TGF-β in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we found that 4-OI exerted its anti-fibrotic effect by inhibiting the excessive production of ROS induced by high glucose and TGF-β. In summary, 4-OI could ameliorate high glucose-induced pro-fibrotic effect in HK2 cell, and blocking the expression of TGF-β and reducing the excessive ROS production may be involved in its anti-fibrotic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cordyceps fumosorosea is an important species in the genus of Cordyceps, containing a variety of bioactive compounds, including fumosorinone (FU). This study was a ground-breaking assessment of FU levels in liquid and solid cultures. The present study focused on the impacts of solid-state fermentation (SSF) using solid substrates (wheat, oat, and rice), as well as the effects of fermentation parameters (pH, temperature, and incubation period), on the generation of FU. All the fermentation parameters had significant effects on the synthesis of FU. In a study of 25 °C, 5.5 pH, and 21 days of incubation period combinations calculated -to give maximal FU production, it was found that the optimal values were 25 °C, 5.5 pH, and 21 days, respectively. In a solid substrate medium culture, FU could be produced from SSF. At 30 days, a medium composed of rice yielded the most FU (798.50mg/L), followed by a medium composed of wheat and oats (640.50 and 450.50mg/L), respectively. An efficient method for increasing FU production on a large scale could be found in this approach. The results of this study might have multiple applications in different industrial fermentation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objects in remote sensing images are typically characterized with various appearances composed of complex spatial and spectral information, making the stable feature representation of objects a difficult task. To address the above issues, we propose a new remote sensing object detection method by combining CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) and Swin Transformer. Specifically, we first propose the SCCA (Spatial-Channel Coordinate Attention) module to highlight the essential features of objects in an image by fusing spatial, channel, and location information. Then, we design a new remote sensing object detection network called SCCA-YOLOv5. SCCA-YOLOv5 integrates the advantages of CNN and Transformer, with the former being able to learn local features of objects and the latter capturing global information. Next, we add a light detection head of different scales, where the accuracy of object detection can be significantly improved especially for tiny objects. Finally, extensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed object detection method. The experimental results show that the proposed model can better highlight the object region of interest, and the proposed method can improve the average accuracy by 0.82%, 1.57% and 7.47% compared with CBAM, TPH-YOLOv5 and YOLOv5, respectively, which confirms the superiority of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the clinical efficiency of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal chromosomal aneuploidy screening in twin pregnancies. A total of 1650 women with twin pregnancies were enrolled in the study, which underwent NIPT at the Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China from January 2013 to June 2022. Fetal karyotyping analysis was conducted in high-risk patients, with subsequent follow-up on pregnancy outcomes. In 1650 pregnancies, NIPT results showed ten cases of the fetal chromosome aneuploidy, of which six cases were true positive and four cases were false positive. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and false-positive rate (FPR) of trisomy 21 were 100%, 99.79%, 57.14%, and 0.18%, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and FPR of trisomy 18 were 100%, 99.94%, 50%, and 0.06%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and FPR of trisomy 13 were 100%, 100%, 100%, and 0%, respectively. No false negatives were detected and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 100% of the total. Eleven pregnancies failed the NIPT test with no-call due to the low fetal fraction (< 4%). NIPT is a high-performing routine primary prenatal screening test in twin pregnancies, with high sensitivity and specificity in screening for fetal aneuploidy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographical origin has great influence on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. This work reported an application of geographical origin traceability of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. based on chemometrics classification methods combined with data fusion of synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The classification model was built by principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis and random forest. The cross-validation showed that the correct classification rate could achieve 91.0% for partial least squares discriminant analysis based on low-level data fusion and the classification model based on low-level data fusion could achieve accurate classification of 14 new Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. samples. The results demonstrated that the synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy complemented each other, and better classification results can be obtained based on data fusion strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the discounted Gerber-Shiu type function for a perturbed actuarial risk model with interest and periodic dividend strategy. Under the assumption of exponentially distributed inter-observation times, some integro-differential equations of the discounted Gerber-Shiu type function at ruin are presented. For exponential claim amounts, explicit expressions satisfied by the Laplace transforms of ruin time are provided and some numerical examples are investigated to demonstrate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, have retracted the following article: Wencui Wan, Weiwei Wan, Yang Long, Qiuming Li, Xuemin Jin, Guangming Wan, Fengyan Zhang & Yong Lv. (2020). Physcion 8-O-β-glucopyranoside exerts protective roles in high glucose-induced diabetic retinopathy via regulating lncRNA NORAD/miR-125/STAT3 signalling. Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 48(1), 463–472, DOI: Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. When approached for an explanation, the authors checked their data and confirmed there are fundamental errors associated with the figures presented. In addition, the corresponding author of the article, Qiuming, has informed us they were not aware of the submission made under their name. The authors have agreed to the retraction of this article, and we have also informed the institution about the authorship issues related to this article. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as 'Retracted'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Findings: Low-socioeconomic status (SES) (intervention group, n = 31; control group, n = 32) and middle/high-SES (reference group, n = 33) 5-year-old Chinese kindergartners were screened through SES and IQ test. Their number sense was examined over five time points. The pretest was conducted at the beginning of the fall semester, followed by three immediate posttests monthly. Math play training was administrated to the intervention group and story reading to the other two groups during this time. Lastly, a delayed posttest was conducted two months later after the last immediate posttest. All the interventions were carried out in small groups, 15–30 minutes sessions, 2 days per week for 12 weeks. The promotion effect of math play training was monitored based on response to intervention (RtI) paradigm. Utilizing latent growth modeling, we found that the intervention group got significant improvement in number sense and almost caught up with the middle/high-SES group after training, and the intervention effects persisted for two months. The control group had the slowest rate of progress and significantly lower scores than the other two groups. Practice or Policy: RtI-based mathematical game intervention could improve the number sense level and growth rate of preschoolers in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of primary metabolites such as amino acids, carbohydrates along with the secondary metabolites is important for the quality control of herbal. Therefore, a simple amino acid analysis method was investigated for the quality control of Protaetia brevitarsis. Six batches of P. brevitarsis collected from different feeding batches were used to analyze the amino acid composition and content. The amino acid composition was consistent in the six batches of P. brevitarsis, and the amino acid content of six batches of P. brevitarsis was also relatively stable. Under these conditions, the six batches of P. brevitarsis also possessed stable antioxidant activity. The stable composition and content of the amino acids could guarantee the stable antioxidant in batch-to-batch of P. brevitarsis. So, the amino acid-activity relationship as an effective method can be used to assess the quality of P. brevitarsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-phenylmaleimide (N-PMI) and its precursor, (Z)-4-oxo-4-(phenylamino)but-2-enoic acid, were synthesized from aniline and maleic anhydride. Copolymerization between N-phenylmaleimide and styrene was initiated in micropores and outside surface of porous polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin suspended in aqueous phase. The modified PVC was characterized with Gel Permeation Chromatography, thermal gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The result of high performance liquid chromatography shows that the purity of N-PMI reached 97.3%. Thermal gravimetric analysis indicated that the introduction of N-PMI could clearly affect the thermal degradation behavior of PVC, and when PMI was at 6.25% of the PVC mass, the decomposition temperature T0.5 of modified polymer was increased to 314.2°C. The glass transition temperature of modified polymer was increased from 70°C to 80°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many techniques have been applied for quality inspection but none is currently suitable for on-line bond quality inspection of uncured adhesive joined polymeric composites. A newly nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique based on the interaction between ultrasonic oscillation and mediums (i.e., workpieces and adhesive) for inspecting the quality of uncured adhesive joined carbon fiber/nylon six composites has been developed. Ultrasonic oscillation was applied to adhesively joined carbon fiber/nylon six composites with various uncured bond discrepancies under a given static force. The interaction between ultrasonic oscillation and mediums led to the formation of internal friction heat, which softened the mediums and resulted in downward movement of horn. The horn displacements of workpieces with various bond discrepancies (i.e., lack of adhesive and air gap) were measured and compared with that of sound adhesively joined joint. Test results revealed that the horn displacement was closely correlated with volume of bond discrepancy (i.e., lack of adhesive and air gap), and therefore could be used to differentiate quantitatively the differences between a sound bond and a discrepant bond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portulaca oleracea L. (P. oleracea) has been used as a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of antipyretic, anti-scorbutic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, diuretic, anthelmintic, and urinary disorders. However, pharmacological studies are necessary to provide a scientific basis to substantiate its effectiveness. In this study, the antimicrobial effect and its mechanism of the flavonoids extract from P. oleracea. (POFE) were investigated. The antibacterial effects of POFE were tested on Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica and Micrococcus luteus, and the results showed that some bacteria, especially Staphylococcus aureus, were sensitive to POFE. At the tested concentrations, POFE-treated cells displayed various apoptotic markers, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, membrane depolarisation, phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, DNA fragmentation, and caspase-like protein, in a dose-dependently manner. Based on these data, we concluded that POFE entered the cytoplasm through the membrane pores of Staphylococcus aureus, and subsequently, two parallel reactions took place, namely increase in the level of ROS and DNA fragmentation, which caused cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been reported to be associated with increased risk to hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, etc. 2,3′,4,4′,5-Pentachlorobiphenyl, known as PCB-118, is a member of coplanar PCBs which renders their structure similar to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and has dioxin-like activity. In our current study, we investigated the effect of PCB-118 exposure on nitric oxide (NO) production and the underlying mechanismsin vitro. Exposure of PCB-118 impaired insulin-induced NO production and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with no significant effect on cell viability. Furthermore, PCB-118 treatment induced oxidative stress. In addition, scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 10 μMN-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) partly rescued impaired insulin-induced eNOS activities and NO productions induced by PCB-118 in HUVECs. Taken together, these results indicate that PCB-118 mediates lower eNOS activity and impairs insulin-induced NO production partly through excessive ROS production in endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial cell apoptosis, which may alter the integrity of the endothelium and lead to plaque instability, plays a critical role in the development and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Exposure of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. In our present study, we explored whether exposure to PCB 118 influences endothelial cell apoptosisin vitroand the underlying mechanisms involved. As expected, exposure to PCB 118 increased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in HUVECs. Increases in apoptosis and Bax/Bcl-2 ratios were observed in PCB 118-treated HUVECs. N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, partially reduced PCB 118-induced apoptosis and Bax/Bcl-2 ratios in HUVECs. Taken together, PCB 118-induced endothelial cell apoptosis was partially initiated by excessive ROS production. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current study was conducted to identify Botrytis spp. isolated from symptomatic broad bean plants grown in Hubei Province, China. Among 184 Botrytis strains, three distinct species, B. cinerea, B. fabae and a previously undescribed Botrytis sp., were identified based on morphology of colonies, sclerotia and conidia. The novel Botrytis sp. is described herein as a new species, Botrytis fabiopsis sp. nov. At 20 C B. fabiopsis grew on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 12-13 mm d-1 similar to B. fabae (13 mm d-1), but slower than B. cinerea (17-19 mm d-1). It formed pale gray colonies with short aerial mycelia and produced gray to black sclerotia in concentric rings on PDA. B. fabiopsis produced greater numbers of sclerotia than B. cinerea but fewer than B. fabae. Conidia produced by B. fabiopsis on broad bean leaves are hyaline to pale brown, elliptical to ovoid, wrinkled on the surface and are larger than conidia of B. fabae and B. cinerea. Phylogenetic analysis based on combined DNA sequence data of three nuclear genes {G3PDH, HSP60 and RPB2) showed that B. fabiopsis is closely related to B. galanthina, the causal agent of gray mold disease of Galanthus sp., but distantly related to B. fabae and B. cinerea. Sequence analysis of genes encoding necrosis and ethylene-inducing proteins (NEPs) indicated that B. fabiopsis is distinct from B. galanthina. Inoculation of broad bean leaves with conidia of B. fabiopsis caused typical chocolate spot symptoms with a similar disease severity to that caused by B. fabae but significantly greater than that caused by B. cinerea. This study suggests that B. fabiopsis is a new causal agent for chocolate spot of broad bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to determine water-assisted dissemination of conidia of Coniothyrium minitans (Cm), a mycoparasite of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Ss), in four soils (yellow-brown soil, red-clay soil, fluvo-aquic soil and black soil) and one sand. Conidial suspensions (1×107 conidia mL-1) of Cm were applied to sieved (2 mm screen) soil or sand in glass tubes to test vertical dissemination (VD) and in aluminum boxes to test horizontal dissemination (HD) of conidia. Results showed that conidia of Cm could be disseminated with water and spread in soil or sand for 16-20 cm vertically and for 5-10 cm horizontally. The conidial concentration of Cm was logarithmically reduced with the increase in depth of VD or the distance of HD. Dissemination of Cm conidia in sand was better than that in four soils. Potting experiments were done to further understand the potential of water-assisted dissemination of Cm conidia in suppression of Ss carpogenic germination. Results showed that more apothecia were produced by Ss sclerotia located at the soil surface than those at 5 and 10 cm in depth. The minimum Cm concentration for suppression of Ss carpogenic germination was 1000 conidia g-1 soil. Two-season field trials indicated that water-assisted application of Cm was an effective strategy used at the time for transplanting oilseed rape seedlings to suppress Ss carpogenic germination, thereby reducing the primary infection source for sclerotinia diseases of oilseed rape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new catalytic solid substrate-room temperature phosphorimetry (SS-RTP) for the determination of trace arsenic(V) has been established. It is based on the fact that fullerenol (F-ol) emitted strong and stable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) on nitric acid cellulose membrane (NCM) substrate. H2O2 could oxidise F-ol to cause the quenching of RTP. As(V) could catalyse H2O2 to oxidise F-ol and decrease the RTP signal of F-ol sharply. After adding tween-80 in the system, its ΔIp enhanced 7.7 times compared with the without-tween-80 levels. Under the optimum conditions, the linear dynamic range of this method was 0.016-11.2 ag spot-1 with a detection limit (LD) of 9.3 zg spot-1 (corresponding concentration: 2.3 × 10-17 g mL-1). This sensitive, simple and selective method has been successfully applied to the determination of trace As(V) in human hair and tea samples. The reaction mechanism for SS-RTP is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which investigated CD34+/CD38 cell correlation in pediatric patients with B-cell precursor (BCP) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Topics explored include the enrollment of BCP-ALL patients at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in the study, the treatment course administered including prednisone, dexamethasone, and vincristine, and the results of the flow cytometry analysis performed.

A letter to the editor is presented about the effect of pre-heating in the false-twist draw-texturing process.