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This paper details the invention of a tensioning and anchoring device based on the "wedge‐cutting effect" that can tension and anchor multi‐layer carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric. To achieve a high active confinement effect on an RC column, the device is characterized by its capability to lift the applied prestress to the greatest extent and minimize prestress loss. All eight RC columns with identical structural dimensions were designed and fabricated, including three unstrengthened and five strengthened columns. The seismic performance test and finite element simulation were conducted under a low cyclic reciprocating load. The test parameters include active confinement force and axial compression ratio, with active confinement force varying as a function of the number of layers of CFRP fabric. The results indicate that the seismic performance of RC columns with high active confinement can be significantly improved. Under a high axial compression ratio, the maximum displacement ductility coefficient and ultimate drift ratio of specimens strengthened with four layers of prestressed CFRP fabrics can increase by 87% and 152%, respectively, while the energy consumption can increase by 4.3 times. Additionally, the ultimate horizontal bearing capacity can be raised by 41%. The seismic performance of strengthened columns increases with the increase of active confinement, particularly under high axial compression. The finite element model is in good accord with the experiment. With an increase in active confinement force, the properties of confined concrete and CFRP are utilized to a greater extent, and more energy is dissipated by the opening and closing of numerous micro cracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melatonin (MEL) is an indole hormone synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland at night, which is involved in the regulation of body mass and thermogenesis in small mammals. To test the effects of exogenous MEL on body mass and thermogenic ability in two different red‐backed vole (Eothenomys miletus) populations from two different regions (Kunming [KM] and Dali [DL]) with different annual variation in climatic variables, such as temperature, sunshine and rainfall. we traced the changes of energy balance in E. miletus from KM and DL, which were placed at 25 ± 1°C with photoperiod of 12 L:12 D, intraperitoneal injection of MEL was performed daily for 28 days. The results showed that body mass and food intake were significantly decreased, while resting metabolic rate (RMR) and nonshivering thermogenesis (NST) were significantly increased after MEL injection; Contents of total protein, mitochondrial protein, the activities of cytochrome C oxidase (COX) and α‐glycerophosphate oxidase (α‐PGO) in liver and brown adipose tissue (BAT) were enhanced; the activity of thyroxin 5′‐deiodinase (T45′‐DII) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in BAT were also increased. Serum leptin, triiodothyronine (T3) levels and T3/T4 ratio were significantly increased, thyroxine (T4) levels was significantly decreased. Moreover, body mass and food intake in E. miletus from KM were higher than those from DL, but RMR and NST were lower than those from DL. Changes of body mass, food intake and thermogenic activity of KM were higher than those of DL when exposed to injection of MEL, indicating that E. miletus in KM were more sensitive to MEL. Furthermore, MEL was involved in the regulation of body mass and thermogenesis in E. miletus between KM and DL. Highlights: Melatonin (MEL) reduced food intake and body mass of Eothenomys miletus in Kunming (KM) and Dali (DL) areas.MEL enhanced the thermogenic capacity of liver and brown adipose tissue in E. miletus between KM and DL areas.There were regional differences in body mass regulation and thermogenic capacity of E. miletus Compared with DL, E. miletus in KM were more sensitive to MEL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a deep‐learning model to evaluate knee osteoarthritis using Kellgren–Lawrence grading in real‐life knee radiographs. A deep convolutional neural network model was trained using 8964 knee radiographs from the osteoarthritis initiative (OAI), including 962 testing set images. Another 246 knee radiographs from the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital were used for external validation. The OAI testing set and external validation images were evaluated by experienced specialists, two orthopedic surgeons, and a musculoskeletal radiologist. The accuracy, interobserver agreement, F1 score, precision, recall, specificity, and ability to identify surgical candidates were used to compare the performances of the model and specialists. Attention maps illustrated the interpretability of the model classification. The model had a 78% accuracy and consistent interobserver agreement for the OAI (model‐surgeon 1 К = 0.80, model‐surgeon 2 К = 0.84, model‐radiologist К = 0.86) and external validation (model‐surgeon 1 К = 0.81, model‐surgeon 2 К = 0.82, model‐radiologist К = 0.83) images. A lower interobserver agreement was found in the images misclassified by the model (model‐surgeon 1 К = 0.57, model‐surgeon 2 К = 0.47, model‐radiologist К = 0.65). The model performed better than specialists in identifying surgical candidates (Kellgren–Lawrence Stages 3 and 4) with an F1 score of 0.923. Our model not only had comparable results with specialists with respect to the ability to identify surgical candidates but also performed consistently with open database and real‐life radiographs. We believe the controversy of the misclassified knee osteoarthritis images was based on a significantly lower interobserver agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer. Prognosis evaluation is of great significance in guiding individualized treatment and monitoring of GBM. By integrating different prognostic variables, nomograms simplify the statistical risk prediction model into numerical estimates for death or recurrence, and are hence widely applied in prognosis prediction. In the past two decades, the application of high‐throughput profiling technology and the establishment of TCGA database and other public data deposits have provided opportunities to identify cancer‐related molecules and prognostic biomarkers. As a result, both molecular features and clinical characteristics of cancer have been reported to be the key factors in nomogram model construction. This article comprehensively reviewed 35 studies of GBM nomograms, analyzed the present situation of GBM nomograms, and discussed the role and significance of nomograms in personalized risk assessment and clinical treatment decision‐making. To facilitate the application of nomograms in the prognostic prediction of GBM patients, a website has been established for the online access of nomograms based on the studies of this review, which is called Consensus Nomogram Spectrum for Glioblastoma (CNSgbm) and is accessible through https://bioinfo.henu.edu.cn/nom/NomList.jsp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed to examine the axial compression performance of reinforced concrete (RC) base column specimens strengthened by fiber‐reinforced high‐performance concrete (FRHPC) jackets using the enlarged cross‐section method. For this purpose, the axial compression performance test is performed on one un‐strengthened column and four strengthened columns to assess the effects of FRHPC jacket thickness, whether the jacket was configured with stirrup and the spacing of stirrup were considered. Based on the theory of confined concrete and the FRHPC principal structure relationship, a theoretical calculation model is also established to explore the axial load‐carrying capacity of the columns. The test results indicate that an increase of the cross‐sectional reinforcement of the FRHPC jacket can enhance the axial compression load capacity and ductility of the columns. Furthermore, an increase in the FRHPC jacket thickness leads to the growth of the load capacity; however, there is no significant increase on the ground of its ductility. The addition of stirrup in the FRHPC jacket can improve both load capacity and ductility of the columns such that the smaller the spacing of the stirrup, the greater the increase of both load capacity and ductility. The predicted results by the proposed model are in good agreement with those of the tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roses are among the most economically important ornamental plants worldwide. But prickles on the stem and leaves cause difficulties for cultivation or inconveniences during harvest and transportation, thus are an undesirable horticultural character. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of prickle development. In this study, we sought to develop Rosa multiflora (in the family Rosaceae) as a model plant to study prickle formation. The morphology, structure, and ontogeny of prickles were characterized, and transcriptome analysis of prickly and prickleless R. multiflora genotypes was performed. Morphological observation and microscopic analyses revealed that prickles of R. multiflora were non‐glandular prickles (NGPs) and their maturation went through five developmental stages, which was accompanied by the accumulation of secondary metabolites such as lignin and anthocyanins. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified key pathways and hub genes potentially involved in prickle formation. Interestingly, among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), several notable development and secondary metabolism‐related transcription factors (TFs) including NAC, TCP, MYB, homeobox, and WRKY were up‐regulated in prickly internodes. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs were enriched in the pathways related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, flavonoids, and phenylpropanoids in the prickly R. multiflora. Our study provides novel insights into the molecular network underlying the regulation of prickle morphogenesis in R. multiflora, and the identified candidates might be applied to the genetic improvement of roses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Emperipolesis is a pathological feature for the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We have previously found that CD8+ T cells participated in the emperipolesis in AIH. In this study we aimed to clarify the characteristics and molecular mechanisms of emperipolesis in patients with AIH in vitro and in mice with α‐Galactosylceramide (α‐GalCer)‐induced acute hepatitis. Methods: The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with various chronic liver diseases and healthy controls were co‐cultured with hepatic cell lines to induce emperipolesis in vitro. Confocal staining was performed to illustrate the cellular types and potential mechanisms of emperipolesis in AIH. In addition, a murine model of α‐GalCer‐induced acute hepatitis that mimics human AIH was used to confirm the role of CD44/p‐ERM/F‐actin in the emperipolesis process in vivo. Results: In the co‐cultured system of PBMC and hepatic cell line, emperipolesis was observed most commonly in patients with AIH. The main cells participating in emperipolesis were CD8+ T cells, and they penetrated hepatic cells actively via the CD44/p‐ERM/F‐actin pathway. As a result, most CD8+ T cells engulfed by hepatic cells underwent apoptosis. In the α‐GalCer‐induced acute hepatitis model, emperipolesis was observed around the inflammatory foci and was inhibited by the ezrin phosphorylation inhibitor NSC668394. Similarly, activated murine CD8+ T cells penetrated primary hepatocytes via the CD44/p‐ERM/F‐actin pathway in vitro. Conclusions: CD8+ T cells penetrate hepatic cells actively via the CD44/p‐ERM/F‐actin signaling pathway and undergo apoptosis. This may be a compensatory mechanism to attenuate the overwhelming immune attack in AIH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, four‐point bending tests of six prestressed reactive powder concrete (RPC) sound barrier unit panels were performed, the flexural behavior, deflection, and failure modes of both in situ and prefabricated panels were studied. The results show that the major failure modes for in situ panels were bending failure. Prestressing the panels can effectively increase the cracking loads and improve the stiffness of the in situ panels, but it cannot improve the ultimate flexural capacities. The ductility of the in situ panels decreased with the increase of prestressing degree. The stiffness of the prefabricated panels was improved by prestressing. Increasing the thickness of back and front plates, the ductility of the panels decreased accordingly, and the ductility of the prefabricated panels decreased more obviously than that of in situ panels. Based on the test results, considering tensile strength of RPC and prestressing stress, a modified formula for flexural capacity of in situ panels was established. In the meantime, considering the "bridge" effect of steel fiber, the formulae to calculate the crack width and deflection at service limit state were also developed for future design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and is a clinical, pathological, and molecular heterogeneous disease with highly variable clinical outcomes. Currently, valid prognostic biomarkers in DLBCL are still lacking. To optimize targeted therapy and improve the prognosis of DLBCL, the performance of proposed biomarkers needs to be evaluated in multiple cohorts, and new biomarkers need to be investigated in large datasets. Here, we developed a consensus Online Survival analysis web server for Diffuse Large B‐Cell Lymphoma, abbreviated OSdlbcl, to assess the prognostic value of individual gene. To build OSdlbcl, we collected 1100 samples with gene expression profiles and clinical follow‐up information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. In addition, DNA mutation data were also collected from the TCGA database. Overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), disease‐specific survival (DSS), disease‐free interval (DFI), and progression‐free interval (PFI) are important endpoints to reflect the survival rate in OSdlbcl. Moreover, clinical features were integrated into OSdlbcl to allow data stratifications according to the user's special needs. By inputting an official gene symbol and selecting desired criteria, the survival analysis results can be graphically presented by the Kaplan‐Meier (KM) plot with hazard ratio (HR) and log‐rank p value. As a proof‐of‐concept demonstration, the prognostic value of 23 previously reported survival associated biomarkers, such as transcription factors FOXP1 and BCL2, was evaluated in OSdlbcl and found to be significantly associated with survival as reported (HR = 1.73, P <.01; HR = 1.47, P =.03, respectively). In conclusion, OSdlbcl is a new web server that integrates public gene expression, gene mutation data, and clinical follow‐up information to provide prognosis evaluations for biomarker development for DLBCL. The OSdlbcl web server is available at https://bioinfo.henu.edu.cn/DLBCL/DLBCLList.jsp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Ischaemia‐reperfusion (I/R) induces distant organ injury (DOI) via inflammation and oxidative stress. Statins have anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant effects independent of their cholesterol‐lowering properties. To clarify whether statins could suppress DOI, we investigated the effect of rosuvastatin (RO) on the contralateral kidney following unilateral renal I/R. Methods: Dahl salt‐sensitive rats (6 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups: sham, sham with RO, I/R, and I/R with RO. All rats were fed a high‐salt (8%) diet for 6 weeks. RO (10 mg/kg per day) was pre‐administered by supplementation to the drinking water for 2 weeks before I/R. The rats then underwent unilateral renal I/R (ischemia for 45 min). Three days after I/R, laboratory data, histological changes and protein expression levels of the contralateral kidney were assessed. Results: I/R significantly elevated serum creatinine and malondialdehyde levels and induced a significantly higher glomerular sclerosis index and tubular dilation area of the contralateral kidney, with about 2‐fold infiltration of ED‐1‐positive cells. In the I/R group, protein expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) of the contralateral kidney was reduced to about 50% of the sham group. RO‐pretreatment significantly suppressed all of these changes following I/R. Conclusion: RO‐pretreatment diminished contralateral kidney injury with the suppression of ED‐1‐positive cell infiltration and SOD reduction after I/R. RO appears to have a protective effect on DOI by its anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant effects. Summary at a Glance: This study investigated the therapeutic effects of the statin, rosuvastatin on distant organ injury in Dahl salt‐sensitive rats subjected to ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury. I/R injury significantly elevated serum creatinine and malondialdehyde levels and induced a significantly higher glomerular sclerosis index and tubular dilation area of the contralateral kidney. Rosuvastatin suppressed all of these changes induced by I/R, suggesting that rosuvastatin can protect from distant organ injury via its anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated oxidative stress ( OS) is associated with severe cardiovascular disease and premature death among patients treated with hemodialysis ( HD). Oxidative stress is enhanced by contact between blood and dialysis membranes during HD sessions. This study aimed to clarify whether hydrogen ( H2), which is a known antioxidant, is capable of suppressing increased OS induced during HD sessions. Eight patients on regular HD treatment were studied. Two HD sessions were performed in a cross-over design trial using standard and hydrogen-enriched solutions (mean of 50 p.p.b. H2; H2- HD). Blood samples were obtained from the inlet and outlet of the dialyzer during HD to determine changes in plasma levels of glutathione, hydrogen peroxide, and albumin redox state as a marker of OS. Comparison of inlet and outlet blood revealed significant decreases in total glutathione and reduced glutathione, as well as significant increases in hydrogen peroxide in both HD treatments. However, the mean proportion of reversibly oxidized albumin in outlet serum was significantly lower than that in inlet serum following the H2- HD session, whereas no significant changes were found in the standard solution session, suggesting that 'intra-dialyzer' OS is reduced by H2- HD. In conclusion, the application of H2-enriched solutions could ameliorate OS during HD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pep-1-K (PK) is a good cell-selective antimicrobial peptide designed from cell-penetrating peptide Pep-1. To develop novel short antimicrobial peptides with higher cell selectivity and shorter length compared with PK, several PK analogs were designed by the deletion, addition and/or substitution of amino acids. Among these analogs, PK-12-KKP (KKPWWKPWWPKWKK) showing the sequence and structure homology with a Trp/Pro-rich natural antimicrobial peptide, indolicidin (IN), displayed a 20-fold higher cell selectivity as compared to IN. Circular dichroism analysis revealed that PK-12-KKP adopts a folded structure combined with some portions of unordered structure. PK-12-KKP selectively binds to negatively charged bacterial membrane-mimetic vesicles, and its high phospholipid selectivity corresponds well with its high cell selectivity. Moreover, it showed very weak potential in depolarization of the cytoplasmic membrane of Staphylococcus aureus at 8 µ M (4× minimal inhibitory concentration) and dye leakage from negatively charged liposomes. These results suggest that the ultimate target of our designed PK-12-KKP maybe the intracellular components (e.g. protein, DNA or RNA) rather than the cytoplasmic membranes. Collectively, our designed short Trp/Pro-rich peptide, PK-12-KKP, appears to be an excellent candidate for future development as a novel antimicrobial agent. Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cell-penetrating peptide Tat (48-60) (GRKKRRQRRRPPQ) derived from HIV-1 Tat protein showed potent antibacterial activity (MIC: 2-8 µ M). To investigate the effect of dimerization of Tat (48-60) analog, [Tat(W): GRKKRRQRRRPWQ-NH2], on antimicrobial activity and mechanism of bactericidal action, its dimeric peptides, di-Tat(W)-C and di-Tat(W)-K, were synthesized by a disulfide bond linkage and lysine linkage of monomeric Tat(W), respectively. From the viewpoint of a weight basis and the monomer concentration, these dimeric peptides displayed almost similar antimicrobial activity against six bacterial strains tested but acted more rapidly against Staphylococcus aureus on kinetics of bactericidal activity, compared with monomeric Tat(W). Unlike monomeric Tat(W), these dimeric peptides significantly depolarized the cytoplasmic membrane of intact S. aureus cells at MIC and induced dye leakage from bacterial-membrane-mimicking egg yolk L-α-phosphatidylethanolamine/egg yolk L-α-phosphatidyl- DL-glycerol (7:3, w/w) vesicles. Furthermore, these dimeric peptides were less effective to translocate across lipid bilayers than monomeric Tat(W). These results indicated that the dimerization of Tat analog induces a partial change in the mode of its bactericidal action from intracellular target mechanism to membrane-targeting mechanism. Collectively, our designed dimeric Tat peptides with high antimicrobial activity and rapid bactericidal activity appear to be excellent candidates for future development as novel antimicrobial agents. Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, we designed a novel cell-selective antimicrobial peptide (TPk) with intracellular mode of action from Pro → Nlys (Lys peptoid residue) substitution in a noncell-selective cathelicidin-derived Trp/Pro-rich antimicrobial peptide, tritrpticin-amide (TP; VRRFPWWWPFLRR-NH2) ( Biochemistry 2006; 45: 13007-13017). In this study, to elucidate the effect of Pro → Nlys substitution on therapeutic index and mode of action of other noncell-selective cathelicidin-derived Trp/Pro-rich antimicrobial peptides and develop novel short antimicrobial peptides with high cell selectivity/therapeutic index, we synthesized Nlys-substituted antimicrobial peptides, TPk, STPk and INk, in which all proline residues of TP, symmetric TP-analogue (STP; KKFPWWWPFKK-NH2) and indolicidin (IN; ILPWKWPWWPWRR-NH2) were replaced by Nlys, respectively. Compared to parent Pro-containing peptides (TP, STP and IN), Nlys substituted peptides (TPk, STPk and Ink) had 4- to 26-fold higher cell selectivity/therapeutic index. Parent Pro-containing peptides induced a significant depolarization of the cytoplasmic membrane of intact Staphylococcus aureus at their MIC, whereas Nlys-substituted antimicrobial peptides did not cause visible membrane depolarization at their MIC. These results suggest that the antibacterial action of Nlys-substituted peptides is probably not due to the disruption of bacterial cytoplasmic membranes but the inhibition of intracellular components. Taken together, our results showed that Pro → Nlys substitution in other noncell-selective Trp/Pro-rich antimicrobial peptides such as STP and IN as well as TP can improve the cell selectivity/therapeutic index and change the mode of antibacterial action from membrane-disrupting to intracellular targeting. In conclusion, our findings suggested that Pro → Nlys substitution in noncell-selective Trp/Pro-rich antimicrobial peptides is a promising method to develop cell-selective antimicrobial peptides with intracellular target mechanism. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, C7H5N3OS, the dihedral angle between the pyridyl and oxadiazole rings is 9.32 (2) Å. In the crystal structure, a combination of inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking inter­actions forms a two-dimensional network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title crystal structure, C12H10N4O, inter­molecular C—H⋯O and N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules into two-dimensional layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The asymmetric unit of the title structure, C10H8O2·C3H4N2, contains two independent naphthalene-2,7-diol mol­ecules and two independent imidazole mol­ecules. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular O—H⋯N, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming one-dimensional chains propagating along [100]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cell penetrating peptide, penetratin (RQIKIWFQNRRMKWKK-NH2) showed potent antimicrobial activity (MIC: 0.5-4 microM) without any cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. This study investigated the effect of linking together two peptide chains of penetratin on antimicrobial and cytolytic activities and plausible mode of bactericidal action. Two-stranded penetratin was prepared by a simultaneous solid-phase synthesis of the two strands of a single lysine residue attached to the solid support. Two-stranded penetratin markedly increased cytolytic activity against human erythrocytes and NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblast cells without a significant effect on antimicrobial activity. This finding suggested that penetratin is active as a monomer to bacterial cells but as an oligomer to mammalian cells. Circular dichroism analysis revealed that the alpha-helical content of the membrane-bound penetratin was unaffected by two-stranded Lys-linkage. Penetratin had very weak ability in the depolarization of membrane potential of intact Staphylococcus aureus cells and the fluorescent dye leakage of calcein-entrapped negatively charged bacterial membrane-mimicking vesicles. In contrast, two-stranded penetratin significantly caused membrane depolarization and dye leakage. These results suggest that the two-stranded penetratin induces a significant change in its mode of bactericidal action from the intracellular-target mechanism to the membrane-targeting mechanism.