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Background. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the most important promoter of allergic inflammation. However, there are few systematic studies on IgE in age range, genders, disease spectrum, and time regularity. Aim. To screen the common allergens, allergen spectrum, and IgE difference between type 2 inflammatory allergic diseases and other allergic diseases in Weifang, China. Methods. A retrospective study was performed by estimating patients’ clinical data suffering from allergic diseases (urticaria, pollinosis, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma) between May 2019 and April 2020 using an allergen detection kit of Macro-Union Pharmaceutical. Results. 732 of the 1367 patients showed different antigen positive, and the positive rate was 53.5%. The most common allergens were dust mites, mixed fungi, Artemisia pollen, cat/dog dander, and cockroaches. There were 27.0% (369/1367) of the patients with single positive allergen-specific IgE (sIgE), 26.5% (363/1367) with multiple-positive IgE. The total immunoglobulin E (tIgE) levels varied with gender, age, and type of disease. There was a difference in the distribution of allergens between children and adults. A positive correlation between the serum-specific IgE and the corresponding local inhaled allergen density was observed. Conclusions. In this study, we found that type 2 inflammatory allergic diseases have higher serum IgE and a higher probability of inhaled sIgE positive. According to age, gender, and condition, serological IgE detection of allergens provides new insight into the early diagnosis and prevention of allergic diseases.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most malignant tumors in southern China and Asia, and lymph node metastasis is an important cause for treatment failure. Lymphangiogenesis is a crucial step in lymphatic metastasis of NPC, while little is known about lymphangiogenesis in NPC. Similar to angiogenesis, lymphangitic neovascularization is a process of balance between pro-lymphangiogenesis and anti-lymphangiogenesis factors, but there are few studies on endogenous lymphangiogenesis inhibitors. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a well-known effective endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor. However, the relationship between PEDF and lymphangiogenesis remains unknown. Our present study reveals that PEDF is lowly expressed in human NPC tissues with poor prognosis and is negatively correlated with lymphatic vessel density (LVD). Consistently, PEDF inhibits lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis of NPC in vivo experiments. Mechanistically, PEDF inhibits the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells and promotes cell apoptosis. On the other hand, PEDF reduces the expression and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) of NPC cells through the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Our findings indicate that PEDF plays a vital role in lymphatic metastasis by targeting both lymphatic endothelial cells and NPC cells, and PEDF may represent a novel therapeutic target for NPC.

In nuclear power plant (NPP), the digital control system introduced nuclear safety software, whose fault tolerance and reliability directly affect the safety of nuclear power plant facilities. Current manual, simulation and testing strategies all have limitations. An effective method to test the system with software plays an important role to ensure the safe operation of NPP. In this paper, a digital control system software test strategy based on real platform is proposed. Taking the RPS system as an example, this strategy analyzes the system function and software logic path characteristics, then identifies the system state by threshold boundary analyzing, and designs a test method based on the random combination of logical combination paths and parameter value intervals, and builds a real platform test environment. This paper has tested the typical functions of Pressurized water reactor (PWR) protection system. The test results show that the test strategy has significantly improved the coverage of paths and parameters. Compared with manual testing, test efficient has been improved obviously in this test platform. At present, this strategy solves the problem of the low efficiency in manual testing, low real-level in simulation testing, and the insufficient coverage in simple automated testing strategy. This strategy also provides good practice for the control system testing and lays the foundation for the reliability evaluation of the system and software.

Objective: Patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) typically suffer from short stature due to early exposure to adrenal-derived androgen. The aim of this study was to investigate whether adding aromatase inhibitor (AI) to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue (GnRHa) and recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy would increase the height of patients with 21OHD. Methods: This retrospective study included 15 patients with 21OHD. The AI/GnRHa/rhGH group consisted of 9 patients, who were treated with AI for at least 12 months in addition to GnRHa/rhGH therapy. The other 6 patients, who received GnRHa/rhGH therapy only, were defined as the GnRHa/rhGH group. Results: Patients were 6.3 ± 1.7 years old, and 7/15 of patients were male. Among them, 12 patients exhibited simple virilization type, and 3 patients were salt-wasting type. In the AI/GnRHa/rhGH group, patients were 6.6 ± 2.0 years old when AI therapy was initiated. Their bone age was 5.9 ± 2.2 years ahead of their chronological age. They received the AI letrizole for an average of 25.1 months (range, 12 to 37 months). In the GnRHa/rhGH group, the patients were 5.9 ± 0.9 years old when they started GnRHa/rhGH therapy, and their bone age was 6.2 ± 1.7 years ahead of their chronological age. Patients received GnRHa/rhGH therapy for an average of 24.5 months (range, 12 to 41 months). The predicted final height increased from 145.9 ± 7.9 to 158.0 ± 8.4 cm in the AI/GnRHa/rhGH group (P = .001, compared with the baseline) and from 141.7 ± 2.7 to 150.7 ± 4.7 cm in the GnRHa/rhGH group (P = .001, compared with the baseline). Bone age progression was 0.15 ± 0.05 per year versus 0.44 ± 0.13 per year in the two groups, respectively (P = .032). Conclusion: Addition of letrizole to GnRHa/rhGH therapy significantly delays bone maturation and may increase the final height.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the awareness of fertility protection among male patients and their healthcare providers in the treatment process of cancer.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, we applied a questionnaire survey among patients and healthcare providers who were selected randomly: the physician group consisted of oncologists and hematologists, and the patient group included participants with cancer from 15 to 45 years old, who were recruited from hos-pitals in Qingdao. Meanwhile, data from male cancer patients, who received sperm cryopreservation in our hospital, were also analyzed.ResultsData collected from healthcare provider group showed that more than 80% of clinicians warned patients of the fertility impairment along with chemotherapy or other treatments, whereas a few clini-cians recommended specific methods for reproductive protection to patients with special attention be paid to the follow-up fertility result. In patient group, more than 50% indicated they would accept the loss of fertility caused by cancer therapies. The rate of awareness of sperm cryopreservation, as an effective way of reproductive protection, was low among both physician and patient groups. In the past 3 years, only 63 samples of semen from 54 cancer patients were cryopreserved in our hospital. ConclusionThe awareness of reproductive protection in both physicians and cancer patients was not satisfied in Qingdao, China, and this finding indicates a need for comprehensive health education and practical protocols for both patients and healthcare providers in terms of reproductive protection for male patients with cancers.

Distribution of SARS-CoV-2 virus and pathological features of multiple organs in COVID-19 patients remains unclear, which interferes with the improvement of COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. In this article, we summarize the pathological findings obtained from systematic autopsy (37 cases) and percutaneous multiple organ biopsy (“minimally invasive autopsy”, 54 cases). These findings should shed light on better understanding of the progression of COVID-19 infection and the means of more effective intervention.

Integrating personal thermoregulation technologies into wearable textiles has enabled extensive and profound technological breakthroughs in energy savings, thermal comfort, wearable electronics, intelligent fabrics, and so forth. Nevertheless, previous studies have suffered from long-standing issues such as limited working temperature, poor comfort, and weak reliability of the textiles. Here, we demonstrate a skin-friendly personal insulation textile and a thermoregulation textile that can perform both passive heating and cooling using the same piece of textile with zero energy input. The insulation textile material is composed of biomaterial microstructured fibers that exhibit good thermal insulation, low thermal emissivity, and good dyeability. By filling these microstructure fibers with biocompatible phase-change materials and coating them with polydimethylsiloxane, the insulation textile becomes a thermoregulation textile that shows good water hydrophobicity, high mechanical robustness, and high working stability. The proposed thermoregulation textile exhibits slow heating/cooling rates with improved thermal comfort, offering feasible and adaptive options for personal cooling/heating scenarios and enabling scalable manufacturing for practical applications.

Icing brings a significant harm for renewable energy installations and in aviation. Wind turbine blades, high voltage transmission lines, photovoltaic panels, airplane wing and helicopter blades often suffer from icing, which causes considerable losses of energy due to performance deterioration. Energy efficiency is a pivotal issue for wind turbines. Active ice mitigation system for wind turbines has not yet been commercialized due to the difficulty in overcoming the higher costs associated with a decrease in turbine power output. Ultrasonic de-icing as a new and potential energy-efficient de-icing technique has raised the increasing interest with its energy-saving effect, low running costs, good applicability and environmental conservation. Basic parameters of semi-hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT-4), lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) and lithium niobate (LiNbO3) materials are compared in this paper in terms of ultrasonic de-icing feasibility and efficiency. The theoretical models with applied ultrasonic guided wave propagation theory are established and the following simulations are carried out. The experiments with aluminum and composite plates are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of ultrasonic de-icing and correspondence with simulations. Comparing with the lead zirconate titanate transducer, lithium niobate actuator shows the advantages both in performance and in environmental concern.

37. International Cosmic Ray Conference, ICRC 2021, Berlin, Germany, 15 Jul 2021 - 22 Jul 2021; Proceedings of Science 395, 1194 (2022). doi:10.22323/1.395.1194 special issue: "37th International Cosmic Ray Conference : ICRC2021 : 12-23 July 2021 : Berlin, Germany - Online / Editorial Board: Alexander Kappes, Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany ; Bianca Keilhauer, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics (IAP)", Published by SISSA, Trieste

Activin A secreted by epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) plays a major role in the progress of atrial fibrosis. However, the potential of Activin A in predicting the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) has yet to be elucidated. We aimed to investigate the predicable value of Activin A expression in EAT on POAF.A total of 89 patients receiving cardiac surgery without atrial fibrillation (AF) history were enrolled in this study, including 49 patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) and 40 patients with non-valvular heart disease (NVHD). Activin A expression in EAT was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), while the thickness of EAT (EATT) was estimated by echocardiography. New onset POAF before discharge was documented.Eventually 32 patients (36.0%) developed POAF, including 20 patients with VHD (40.8%) and 12 patients with NVHD (30.0%). Activin A expression was higher in POAF than sinus rhythm (SR) patients, whether for VHD or NVHD group (All p0.001). In general, Activin A expression predicted the occurrence of POAF with a sensitivity of 65.6% and specificity of 91.2% (AUC: 0.795; 95%CI: 0.693-0.897, p0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that EATT was not significant for the VHD group in predicting POAF (p=0.07), while Activin A expression demonstrated a sensitivity of 60.0% and specificity of 89.7% (AUC: 0.745; 95%CI: 0.601-0.889, p0.001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that Activin A expression in EAT was an independent risk factor for POAF (OR: OR=1.067, 95%CI:1.002-1.136, p=0.042).Activin A expression in EAT is an independent risk factor for POAF, which can be used for prediction of POAF, especially for patients with VHD.

The audit of waste materials can reduce the loss of state assets and strengthen the construction of clean government. With the construction of large data platform in power grid, the generation of massive data has provided convenience for audit supervision, but the identification and extraction of key information has also brought difficulties to the traditional audit work. Fistly,the article classified the waste materials of electricity, and used data mining technology to carry out important data association and processing for the equipment after classification, got the state information before abandonment, and made reasonable audit for scrap. Then, got the information of volume and weight under normal condition, compared with the scrapped, carried out the audit of “accounts and things” consistency after scrapping. The engineering practice shows that the use of digital audit can effectively improve audit efficiency and discover problems in time, and is worthy of further popularization and application.

ImportanceFibromyalgia (FM) is a common clinical chronic disease, mainly manifested as generalized chronic muscle pain and discomfort throughout the body, often accompanied by various emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment and sleep disorder, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. However, there has not been adequately good treatment methods in clinically, so it is urgent to seek a better treatment method. In this study, duloxetine combined with ozone pain point injection was used to treat FM patients, and the clinical efficacy of the patients was observed.ObjectiveTo determine whether duloxetine combined with ozone pain point injection is safe and efficacious in the treatment of Fibromyalgia.MethodsAccording to the final treatment plan selection, the patients diagnosed with FM in the Pain Department of Shiyan Taihe Hospital, were selected from July 2017 to July 2020. After communication and written consent, 66 patients were injected with drugs and ozone pain point. Actually 60 cases finished the study procedure and follow-up. The age ranged from 22 to 57 years, and the course of the disease ranged from 2 to 8 years. In this study, a crossover design was adopted, and random number table method was used to enter the group. The patients were randomly divided into duloxetine group (group D), ozone injection group (group O) and duloxetine-ozone injection group (group D+O), with 20 patients in each group. Each group was given corresponding treatment. VAS, FIQ, PSQI and HAMD scales were used to evaluate and calculate the number of pain points, so as to observe and evaluate the clinical efficacy of patients.ResultsIn terms of pain, there was no significant difference among the groups before treatment. After 2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment, the VAS scores in each group were significantly lower than before intervention (F=324.365 P < 0.05). The number of pain points in each group was significantly lower than before intervention, and the difference was statistically significant (F=514.046 P < 0.05). It was observed that the analgesic effect of duloxetine combined with ozone pain point injection in the treatment of fibromyalgia was better than that of single therapy. There was no significant difference in quality of life among the groups before treatment. After 2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment, the FIQ of each group was significantly lower than that before intervention, and the difference was statistically significant (F = 324.365, PConclusionThis study confirmed that duloxetine combined with ozone pain-point injection can effectively relieve pain in patients with FM, significantly improve the accompanying symptoms of sleep disorder and depression, and improve the quality of life of patients, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Negroponte once asserted in “Digital Survival”: “Bits as the DNA of information are rapidly replacing atoms to become the basic element of human society.” With the development of science and technology, contemporary information dissemination and media propaganda are moving towards the era of electronic media. The development of the three major technologies of mobile Internet, smart portable terminals, and cloud computing services has enabled people to create a new digitally civilized world and establish a new propaganda order through new media. The popularization of new media has brought new challenges and opportunities for college student work. As an important team for colleges and universities to carry out student work, counselors shoulder new responsibilities and missions.

As it is known to all, it is difficult for any single teaching model to achieve a desired teaching effect. Based on this, this paper combines the local Production Oriented Approach (POA) with the foreign flipped classroom model, and tries two rounds of English intensive reading teaching practices. With data analyzed by SPSS, the new teaching mode is proved to be effective.

Since the world entered the Internet age, various industries have developed rapidly, as has the industry of artificial intelligence. Moreover, there is a wide range of application areas in artificial intelligence, including industry, computer, education, and intelligent robots. With the rapid development of science and technology, it is believed that the artificial intelligence may develop towards the "artificial intelligence +" era and strong artificial intelligence, which will be comprehensively analyzed in terms of definition, development, and application areas. Especially the analysis of intellectual property rights is of reference significance to the intellectual property planning of domestic enterprises.

To evaluate the effects of gastric coronary venous embolization with TH glue (developer-containing octyl-α-cyanoacrylate) in combination with splenectomy for the treatment of cirrhotic portal hypertension and gastroesophageal varices.

Background A drug-coated balloon (DCB) has been designed as a new device for the treatment of coronary artery disease. The data regarding DCB-treated lesions in large coronary artery are limited. The purpose of our study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of DCB in large coronary artery. Methods We prospectively analyzed all patients treated with DCB in de novo lesions consistent with inclusion criteria between May 2015 and April 2017. The observed outcomes included target lesion revascularization (TLR), myocardial infarction, cardiac death and non-cardiac death, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Results There were 92 patients including 94 coronary de novo lesions treated in all. The most often utilized DCB diameters were 3.0 mm (41.5%) and 3.5 mm (39.4%). Two acute closures occurred in hospital. Six bailout drug-eluting stents were used in the percutaneous coronary interventions (6.4%). Quantitative coronary angiography measurement at follow-up showed late lumen loss was -0.02 ± 0.49 mm. The TLR rate and overall MACE rates were 4.3% and 4.3% during the follow-up period in the whole patient population, respectively. Conclusions Our study showed that the “DCB only” strategy is safe and efficient in large vessel lesions of patients whose predilation achieved an acceptable result.

The number of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing, and for HFpEF, no therapies have clinical benefit. It has been hypothesized that PKG attenuates pathological remodelling, and increasing cGMP would be beneficial for patients with HF. However, neither the RELAX nor NEAT-HFpEF trial showed benefit. But there is still enthusiasm for increasing cGMP in patients with HF, which highlight the need to determine the expression of PDEs in cardiac muscle. This study used immunoblotting to examine the expression of the PDEs that have been suggested to be targets for therapy of HF in both canines (normal and HFpEF) and humans (normal and HFrEF). Our results demonstrate PDE1C and PDE3A are expressed in cardiac muscle, but we could not detect the expression of PDE2A, PDE5A, PDE7A and PDE9A in cardiac tissue lysates from either normal or failing hearts. Thus, one should not expect a clinical benefit for a therapy targeting these PDEs in heart failure, which highlights the importance of rigorous demonstration of the target of therapy prior to undertaking a clinical trial.

As the nerve center of nuclear power plant, the control system ensures the safety and economy of power plant operation, and its software test is very important. With the development of digital nuclear power and the wide application of embedded system software in the world, more and more embedded software has been applied to the control system and intelligent equipment of nuclear power plant. This paper analyzes the characteristics of embedded system software of control system in nuclear power plant and the difference between embedded system software and general application software from the perspective of test, and the impact on test. It puts forward a unit test method of embedded software, which realizes the separation of application software and underlying hardware by means of software structure analysis, program piling, syntax modification, hardware simulation, etc. in nuclear power plant based on ARM architecture. The successful application of V&V project unit test of plant control system software provides reference for unit test of embedded and similar hybrid programming software.

Background: Homocysteine (Hcy) is one of the main factors leading to arteriosclerosis, which is closely related to cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have found that serum Hcy levels are increased in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and it is speculated that Hcy may be a risk factor for CHF, but evidence-based medicine evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between serum Hcy levels and CHF by means of systematic review. Methods: The databases of PubMed, Embase, The Cochrance Library, Web of Science, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), VIP (China Science and Technology Journal Database), Wanfang and China Biology Medicine disc were searched by computer. In addition, Baidu Scholar and Google Scholar were manually searched to collect all case–control studies related to serum Hcy and CHF. The search time limit was from database establishment to November 2020. Two reviewers independently screened the literatures, extracted the data and evaluated the risk of bias of the included literatures. Results: In this study, we evaluated the correlation between serum Hcy levels and CHF by the levels of serum Hcy in CHF patients and non-CHF patients. Conclusions: This study will provide reliable evidence for the clinical value of serum Hcy in the field of CHF disease. OSF Registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/QMPRC.

International audience; Generative models for images, audio, text, and other low-dimension data have achieved great success in recent years. Generating artificial human movements can also be useful for many applications, including improvement of data augmentation methods for human gesture recognition. The objective of this research is to develop a generative model for skeletal human movement, allowing to control the action type of generated motion while keeping the authenticity of the result and the natural style variability of gesture execution. We propose to use a conditional Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (DC-GAN) applied to pseudo-images representing skeletal pose sequences using tree structure skeleton image format. We evaluate our approach on the 3D skeletal data provided in the large NTU_RGB+D public dataset. Our generative model can output qualitatively correct skeletal human movements for any of the 60 action classes. We also quantitatively evaluate the performance of our model by computing Fréchet inception distances, which shows strong correlation to human judgement. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first successful class-conditioned generative model for human skeletal motions based on pseudo-image representation of skeletal pose sequences.

Background The clinical efficiency of routine oxygen therapy is uncertain in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) who do not have hypoxemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between oxygen therapy and clinical outcomes in normoxemic patients hospitalized with AHF using real-world data. Methods Normoxemic patients diagnosed with AHF on ICU admission from the electronic ICU (eICU) Collaborative Research Database were included in the current study, in which the study population was divided into the oxygen therapy group and the ambient-air group. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to create a balanced covariate distribution between patients receiving supplemental oxygen and those exposed to ambient air. Linear regression and logistic regression models were performed to assess the associations between oxygen therapy and length of stay (LOS), and all-cause in-hospital as well as ICU mortality rates, respectively. A series of sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to further validate the robustness of our findings. Results A total of 2922 normoxemic patients with AHF were finally included in the analysis. Overall, 42.1% (1230/2922) patients were exposed to oxygen therapy, and 57.9% (1692/2922) patients did not receive oxygen therapy (defined as the ambient-air group). After PSM analysis, 1122 pairs of patients were matched: each patient receiving oxygen therapy was matched with a patient without receiving supplemental oxygen. The multivariable logistic model showed that there was no significant interaction between the ambient air and oxygen group for all-cause in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR) 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92–1.82; P = 0.138] or ICU mortality (OR 1.39; 95% CI 0.83–2.32; P = 0.206) in the post-PSM cohorts. In addition, linear regression analysis revealed that oxygen therapy was associated with prolonged ICU LOS (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.06–1.15; P OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.01–1.10; P = 0.009) after PSM. Furthermore, the absence of an effect of supplemental oxygen on mortality was consistent in all subgroups. Conclusion Routine use of supplemental oxygen in AHF patients without hypoxemia was not found to reduce all-cause in-hospital mortality or ICU mortality.

BackgroundPhelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS, OMIM#606232), or 22q13 deletion syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder caused by deletion of the distal long arm of chromosome 22 with a variety of clinical features that display considerably heterogeneous degrees of severity. TheSHANK3gene is understood to be the critical gene for the neurological features of this syndrome.Case presentationWe describe one pair of boy-girl twins with a 22q13 deletion not involving theSHANK3gene. Interestingly, the clinical and molecular findings of the two patients were identical, likely resulting from germline mosaicism in a parent. The boy-girl twins showed intellectual disability, speech absence, facial dysmorphism, cyanosis, large fleshy hands and feet, dysplastic fingernails and abnormal behaviors, and third-generation sequencing showed an identical de novo interstitial deletion of 6.0 Mb in the 22q13.31-q13.33 region.ConclusionsOur case suggests that prenatal diagnosis is essential for normal parents with affected children due to the theoretical possibility of parental germline mosaicism. Our results also indicated that other genes located in the 22q13 region may have a role in explaining symptoms in individuals with PMS. In particular, we propose that four candidate genes,CELSR1,ATXN10,FBLN1andWNT7B, may also be involved in the etiology of the clinical features of PMS. However, more studies of smaller interstitial deletions with 22q13 are needed to corroborate our hypothesis and better define the genotype-phenotype correlation. Our findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of PMS.

Neuron apoptosis in ischemic penumbra was proved to be involved in ischemic stroke (IS) development and contributed to the poor prognosis of IS. Recent studies showed that aberrant trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) level was associated with cell apoptosis. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of neuron apoptosis in ischemic penumbra via histone methyltransferase (HMT) mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) mediated epigenetic pathway. Mouse IS model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Mouse primary cortical mixed cells were cultured and treated with oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) to simulate IS process. The expressions of apoptosis signal regulating kinase-1 (ASK-1), pASK-1, cleaved caspase-3, ASK-1/serine–threonine kinase receptor-associated protein (STRAP)/14-3-3 complex, ASK-1/tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) complex, and MLL1 in mouse brain tissue and mouse primary cortical mixed cells were analyzed. The function of MLL1 was investigated using small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting MLL1 and vector overexpressing MLL1. In vivo inhibition of MLL1 was conducted to explore its value as a therapeutic target. The prognostic value of MLL1 was investigated in IS patients. Results showed that the expressions of ASK-1, pASK-1, cleaved caspase-3, ASK-1/TNF-α complex, and MLL1 increased significantly in ischemic penumbra compared to brain tissue from the control group (P < 0.05). MCAO and OGD significantly upregulated the H3K4me3 level in ASK-1 promoter region and promoted the recruitment of MLL1 to this region (P < 0.05). siMLL1 significantly reversed the proapoptosis effects of OGD in primary cortical mixed cells, while MLL1 overexpression induced apoptosis of cells (P < 0.05). In vivo inhibition of MLL1 significantly reduced the infarct volume and the neurological score of MCAO mice (P < 0.05). Serum MLL1 level had a positive association with that in ischemic core and penumbra in mouse model and was positively correlated with the infarct volume and neurological score (P < 0.05). Besides, serum MLL1 level was also significantly correlated with the severity of IS (P < 0.05), and high serum MLL1 level indicated poor prognosis of IS patients (P < 0.05). These results revealed that MLL1 contributed to neuron cell apoptosis in ischemic penumbra after IS onset by promoting the formation of ASK-1/TNF-α complex, and its serum level was associated with poor prognosis of IS.

A novel die sorter based on mechanical gripper was developed for picking and placing diced terahertz Schottky barrier diodes (SBD). The designing and working principle of die sorter are based on flexible hinge and linear-actuator. Dimensions of dies gripped by the sorter can be as small as 100 µm * 50 µm* 15 µm without damage to its air-bridge. For flipping upside down dies, the rotation motion was obtained by rotating linear actuator about its shaft. It is demonstrated that the placement accuracy of the sorter can achieve less than 9.5 µm and 3.0 µm in x-y direction respectively.

Dimensions of high frequency dies are typically less than 50 µm * 200 µm. It requires a micron scale adhesive dots dispensing method to the bonding area for micro assembly. In this paper, electrochemical-polishing and picosecond laser micro-machining were used to prepare such novel dispensing head. These needle-like dispensing heads with tip diameter of 5 µm can achieve 20 µm adhesive dot far smaller than 100 µm produced by standard industry equipment. The dispensing module was integrated into a custom-made motion stage with microscopy system to achieve higher dispensing accuracy.

We design a comprehensive monitoring system of intelligent warehouse. The system architecture is mainly divided into four parts: software monitoring, wireless sensor acquisition, water leakage detection and alarm, data curve display and query export. Through wireless sensor network technology and Java Web, real-time monitoring of warehouse temperature and humidity data is realized, and data visualization is realized through large screen.

Whether the benefits of early prophylactic anticoagulation by low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) would outweigh its possible harms in patients after minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) remains contentious. The aims of this study were to define the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and to assess whether early prophylactic anticoagulation by LMWH postoperatively was indeed effective in reducing VTE without increasing risk of complications after MICS.This investigation was a single-center, retrospective, propensity score-matched analysis study. A total of 473 patients underwent MICS, of whom 257 received prophylactic anticoagulation with LMWH (LMWH group) in the early postoperative period and 216 were not treated with LMWH (Control group). The main outcome measurements included the incidence of embolism events and major bleeding events, the volume of erythrocyte transfusion, the volume of drainage and the duration of drainage after MICS. In addition, the incidence of poor wound healing, the mechanical ventilation time, ICU stay time and postoperative hospitalization time were also documented.There were fewer embolic events (P=1.000) and a higher rate of major bleeding events (P=0.008) in the LMWH group than the Control group, and their magnitude and significance were maintained in the propensity matched analysis. In the matched cohorts, there was no significant difference in the total volume of red blood cell transfusion (P=0.552), assisted mechanical ventilation time (P=0.542), and the ICU stay time (P=0.166) between the two groups; while the volume of drainage (P0.001) and the duration of drainage (P0.001) in the LMWH group were significantly more than the Control group, and the incidence of poor wound healing (P=0.009) and the postoperative hospitalization time (P0.001) were significantly increased in the LMWH group.Early prophylactic anticoagulation with LMWH could not reduce the incidence of embolism events after MICS. Instead, it might increase postoperative major bleeding events and prolong drainage tube indwelling time and the length of hospital stay.

Objective To explore the influence of desmopressin on gonadotropin-induced spermatogenesis in patients with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS). Methods A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted. All patients with PSIS had both gonadotropin and growth hormone (GH) deficiency. Patients were divided into desmopressin and nondesmopressin groups. The desmopressin and nondesmopressin groups were defined by the presence or absence of central diabetes insipidus, which determined whether the patient received desmopressin or not. Results The average age of gonadotropin therapy was 24.3 and 26.1 in the desmopressin and nondesmopressin groups, respectively. The rate of successful spermatogenesis in the 2 groups was 31.58% and 77.27%, respectively. The period for first sperm appearance was 13.62 ± 5.95 and 13.48 ± 6.69 months, respectively. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model found that the adjusted hazard ratio for desmopressin was 0.260, indicating a “possible” detrimental effect of desmopressin on spermatogenesis. Central diabetes insipidus would be expected to show a similar detrimental effect. The spermatogenesis rate decreased with increased dosage of desmopressin. In the nondesmopressin group, the rate of spermatogenesis was similar between the GH group and the non-GH subgroup. The GH group had higher sperm count and concentration than the non-GH group. Conclusion A minority of patients with PSIS had mild diabetes insipidus and received desmopressin therapy. The spermatogenesis rate decreased with increasing desmopressin dosage. In addition, GH supplementation did not affect the spermatogenesis rate.

By the study of the pattern book Ying Zao Fa Shi (building regulations of Song Dynasty, 1103 AD), while analyzing the combining and dimensioning rule of timber framework and tile work, a model self-generating program has been compiled for the first time. The operating framework has been firstly defined, while solving the issues of clustering principle, connecting method, output classification, etc. with the detailed description of algorithm theory. Taking the corner bracket set and nine-ridge roof for example, after the compilation and debug by Grasshopper, according to various input parameters, various models have been generated automatically by the plugin, proving the velocity and the veracity of the algorithm.

In view of large heat inertia and time lag of district heating systems, the terminal thermostat control mechanism and characteristics are examined through theoretical analysis and field investigation. First, the thermal behavior of space heating systems controlled by radiator thermostat valves in multi-family buildings is analyzed and compared with that of the air conditioning system. Then, several district heating systems in Beijing and Tianjin were investigated, where the room variations under different terminal control strategies were monitored. Results indicate that the regulating capacity of terminal valves for room temperature is poor in the short term, but is mainly reflected in historical accumulated influence in the long term. From this point of view, a longer control period is more appropriate for room temperature regulation. In addition, it is not sufficient to rely on terminal control to conquer overheating problems, and it is necessary to implement an effective strategy for combining the source control and terminal control.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) facilitates atrial fibrosis and increases the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). The underlying mechanism of DM in causing AF remains mostly unknown and potential therapeutic targets for DM‑induced AF are rarely reported. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has drawn considerable attention in recent years for its potential as a cardiovascular protector. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of H2S on DM‑induced AF and the mechanism of action. Sprague‑Dawley rats were divided into four groups, including the control group, the DM group, the H2S group and the DM+H2S group. The DM group and the DM+H2S group were administered streptozotocin to induce DM, whereas the other two groups were given citrate buffer as a control. The H2S group and the DM+H2S group were administered with an intraperitoneal injection of sodium hydrosulfide (precursor of H2S). AF inducibility, AF duration, atrial fibrosis and vital protein expression of oxidative stress were compared among the four groups. The DM group showed significantly higher AF incidence rates and duration (P

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been demonstrated to be a strong risk factor for development and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, how DM and glycemic control affect the pathogenesis of AF has not been sufficiently investigated, especially for the atrial structural remodeling. Methods A total of 86 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery were enrolled in this study, with atrium sample collected in the operation. The patients were divided into the DM group (n = 40) and the control group (n = 46) accordingly. Demographics, clinical data were collected and compared. Echocardiography, Masson staining and Western blotting were conducted to evaluate atrial structural remodeling. Results There was no significant difference between the two groups in baseline characteristics (all P > 0.05). Fast blood glucose and HbA1c of DM group were significantly higher than the control group (P P P = 0.03). Western blot results indicated that the Collagen I of DM group was more expressed in the DM group than the control group (P P 2 = 0.291) and CVF (Y = 0.444X + 29.648, P = 0.009, R2 = 0.078). Conclusions DM was associated with atrial structural remodeling, including atrium enlargement and atrial fibrosis, which might be attributed to poor glycemic control.

Background YKL-40 (CHI3L1) is a novel biomarker for inflammation, tissue remodeling, and fibrosis, as well as cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the association between YKL-40 expression in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and atrial fibrosis in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Blood samples, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), paracardial adipose tissue (PAT), EAT, and adjacent atrial myocardium were acquired from patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafts. The patients were divided into the AF group (n = 28) and the sinus rhythm (SR) group (n = 36). Results We did not detect a significant difference in the serum YKL-40 levels in the SR and AF groups (P = 0.145). Quantitative real-time PCR showed that YKL-40 (CHI3L1) mRNA levels in the EAT were significantly higher than in the SAT or PAT of AF patients, or the EAT of SR patients (All P

To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of cranial suture acupuncture plus paroxetine in treating depression, and to discuss the action mechanism of this acupuncture method. One hundred depression patients were allocated to an observation group and a control group according to the random number table, with 50 cases in each group. The control group was intervened by oral administration of paroxetine tablets, 20 mg each time, once a day for successive 6 weeks; the observation group was additionally given cranial suture acupuncture, once a day for 6 weeks. They were scored by Hamilton depression scale-17 (HAMD-17) before the treatment and respectively after 1-week, 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment. The clinical efficacy and safety were also observed. After 6-week treatment, the total effective rate was 94.0% in the observation group versus 78.0% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P

Owing to the great influence of surface passivation on DC and RF performance of InP-based HEMTs, the DC and RF performance of InAlAs/InGaAs InP HEMTs were studied before and after passivation, using an ultra-thin 15 nm atomic layer deposition Al2O3 layer. Increase in Cgs and Cgd was significantly limited by scaling the thickness of the Al2O3 layer. For verification, an analytical small-signal equivalent circuit model was developed. A significant increase in maximum transconductance (gm) up to 1150 mS/mm, drain current (IDS) up to 820 mA/mm and fmax up to 369.7 GHz was observed, after passivation. Good agreement was obtained between the measured and the simulated results. This shows that the RF performance of InP-based HEMTs can be improved by using an ultra-thin ALD-Al2O3 surface passivation.