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Objective: To investigate the effect of PCNL (Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy) in the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi in oblique supine lithotomy position and prone position. Methods: Retrospectively collected data from 184 patients and 80 patients who underwent PCNL in prone and oblique supine lithotomy position respectively in our hospital from 2016 to 2019. The intraoperative and postoperative observation indicators were compared to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of oblique supine lithotomy position. Results: A total of 264 patients were recruited, PCNL in the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi in oblique supine lithotomy position (n=80) compared to prone position (n=184) had significantly shorter operation time (49.03±12.64min, 62.14±14.82min, P=0.032), higher stone removal rate in first week (82.5%>69.0%,P=0.023), lower Hb (Hemoglobin) reduction (9.94±3.62,12.83±4.01,P

Background and purpose The chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to investigate whether urinary MCP-1 can distinguish patients with AD, patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and cognitively normal (CN) subjects. Methods A total of 754 participants, including 97 patients with AD, 50 patients with aMCI and 84 age- and sex-matched CN controls as well as a cohort of 523 CN subjects of different ages, were enrolled from five hospitals located in different areas of China. Urinary MCP-1 levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The correlations between urinary MCP-1 levels and cognition test scores or age were analysed. The optimal diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results In the cohort of CN subjects of different ages, urinary MCP-1 levels increased with ageing and were correlated with age. The urinary MCP-1 levels were higher in females than in males. In the cohort composed of patients with AD, aMCI and age- and sex-matched CN controls, urinary MCP-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with AD and aMCI than in CN controls. There were no differences in urine MCP-1 levels between the AD group and the aMCI group. The urinary MCP-1 levels were correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination scores and age, and were able to differentiate patients with AD and aMCI from CN subjects. Conclusions Urinary MCP-1 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of AD and aMCI.

There are increasing concerns on heavy metals in animal derived foods. We analyzed the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb in 1066 fresh meat samples including pork, beef, mutton, chicken and duck from Zhejiang province, southeast China. The average levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb were 0.018, 0.002, 0.061, 0.801, 0.0038, 0.055, and 0.029 mg/kg wet weight respectively. There are significant positive correlations among Cd, Hg and Pb (PP

Environmental pollution with toxic metals can lead to the possible contamination of the marine fish. We investigated the levels of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb in 652 marine fish samples (15 species) collected from coastal areas of Zhejiang, China and estimated their health risk. Mean concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb were 0.783, 0.009, 0.114, 0.031, 0.043 mg/kg wet weight. The average estimated daily intakes (EDIs) for As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb were 1.214, 0.014, 0.177, 0.048 and 0.067 μg/kg bw/day. The risk assessment at mean exposure level showed that there was no health risk associated with these elements through consumption of marine fish. However, potential health risk may exist for high exposure consumers considering the possible contamination of As and Hg. Given that the different levels of certain elements in marine fish in China, this study provides a scientific basis for food safety assessment and suggestions for risk management.

Background Sleep disorder-associated cognitive impairments are often accompanied by impaired synaptic plasticity. In the pathological process of sleep deprivation, microglia, as an important innate immune cell in central nervous system, are involved and mediate the synaptic pruning, in which the CX3C-chemokine receptor 1 receptor (CX3CR1) plays an indispensable role. In this study, the potential role of CX3CR1 in modulating the cognition decline during sleep deprivation was evaluated in terms of microglial neuroinflammation and synaptic pruning. Methods Middle-aged wild type C57BL/6 mice (WT) (13 months) and age-matched CX3CR1 -/- mice were either subjected to sleep deprivation (SD) or allowed normal sleep (S) for 8 h to mimic the pathophysiological changes of middle-aged people after staying up all night in real life. The hippocampus-dependent cognition was assessed by fear conditioning test. Mice brains were extracted for neuroinflammation and synaptic pruning studies. Data were analyzed by Student’s t-test and one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA). Results The CX3CR1 deficiency mice differed from WT mice in many measures. CX3CR1 deficiency prevented SD-induced cognitive impairments, in which the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element binding protein (p-CREB) were markedly increased in the hippocampus. Compared with the CX3CR1 -/- -S group, the CX3CR1 -/- -SD mice reported a markedly decreased microglial density in the dentate gyrus, notably-decreased levels of cellular oncogene fos (c-fos), and pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus, and a significant increase in the density of spines of the dentate gyrus area. Furthermore, the CX3CR1 -/- -SD group also showed a decreasing expression of microglial phagocytosis-related factors. Conclusion These findings suggest that CX3CR1 deficiency leads to different cerebral behaviors and responses to sleep deprivation. CX3CR1 deletion can alleviate the sleep deprivation-induced cognitive impairment. The inflammation-attenuating activity and the related modification of synaptic pruning are possible mechanism candidates, which indicate CX3CR1 as a candidate therapeutic target for the prevention of the sleep loss-induced cognitive impairments.

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) and PI3K-AKT are both important for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) development and progression. SF2523 is a BRD4 and PI3K-AKT dual inhibitor. The present study demonstrated that SF2523 was cytotoxic and anti-proliferative to established RCC cell lines (786-O and A498) and primary human RCC cells. SF2523 induced activation of caspase and apoptosis in RCC cells. Further, SF2523 disrupted RCC cell cycle progression and inhibited cell migration in vitro. At the signaling level, SF2523 in-activated PI3K-AKT-mTOR, and downregulated BRD4-dependent proteins, Bcl-2 and Myc, in RCC cells. Remarkably, SF2523 was more efficient than Wortmannin (the PI3K inhibitor) and JQ1 (the BRD4 specific inhibitor) in killing RCC cells. In vivo, SF2523 administration at well-tolerated doses suppressed 786-O xenograft tumor growth in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Together, our results suggest that concurrent blockage of BRD4 and PI3K-AKT signalings by SF2523 efficiently inhibits RCC cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

// Dong-Hua Gu 1, * , Jia-Hui Mao 3, * , Xiao-Dong Pan 1, 2, * , Hua Zhu 2 , Xinfeng Chen 2 , Bing Zheng 2 , Yuxi Shan 1 1 The Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China 2 The Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China 3 Department of Pathophysiology, Nantong University School of Medicine, Nantong, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Bing Zheng, email: bingzhengnantong@163.com Yuxi Shan, email: drshanyuxisd@163.com Keywords: renal cell carcinoma (RCC), Grb2-associated binding 2 (Gab2), microRNA-302c-3p, Akt and cell proliferation Received: January 10, 2017 Accepted: February 02, 2017 Published: February 17, 2017 ABSTRACT The expression and biological function of Grb2-associated binding 2 (Gab2) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells was tested here. We showed that Gab2 expression was significantly elevated in human RCC tissues and RCC cells. It was correlated with over-activation of Akt and downregulation of microRNA-302c-3p (“miR-302c-3p”), a putative Gab2-targeting microRNA. Knockdown of Gab2 inhibited Akt activation and 786-O RCC cell proliferation. Reversely, forced over-expression of Gab2 led to Akt hyper-activation to facilitate 786-O cell proliferation. Exogenous expression of miR-302c caused Gab2 downregulation, Akt inhibition and 786-O cell proliferation inhibition. On the other hand, miR-302c-3p depletion by expressing its anti-sense (“antagomiR-302c”) led to Gab2 upregulation, Akt activation and increased 786-O cell proliferation. Significantly, miR-302c-3p failed to affect the proliferation of 786-O cells with shRNA-depleted Gab2. Together, we suggest that miR-302c-3p depletion in human RCC cells leads to Gab2 over-expression, Akt hyper-activation and cell proliferation.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Ligusticum wallichii has been used to treat renal diseases for thousands of years in China. Ligustrazine (Lig) is the active ingredient of Ligusticum wallichii that possesses a variety of biological activities against kidney disease. Aim of the study The purpose of this review is to further evaluate whether the supplementation with Lig has an effect on improving renal pathology, renal function indexes and blood glucose levels in animal model of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Potential mechanisms of Lig for DN as well as the existing problems regarding the modeling method and limitations in this area of research were also summarized. Materials and methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist was used to organize the search of eight databases from inception to June 2019. We used Cochrane Collaboration's 10-item checklist and Rev-Man 5.3 software to analyze the data as well as risk of bias. Results The study quality scores ranged from 2 to 6 points with an average of 4.471. Compared with the control group, Lig significantly improved pathological changes of kidney including glomeruli and tubules, and induced significant decreases in levels of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, 24-h urinary albumin and HbA1c, as well as increasing creatinine clearance rates. In subgroup analysis, the groups of high-dose STZ (≥60 mg/kg) and longer period of Lig treatment (>8 w) showed better results than those of the control group. No difference was seen between the high (>150 mg/kg, QD) and low (≤150 mg/kg, QD) dose of Lig treatment groups. Conclusion Lig exerts renoprotective functions in an animal model of DN mediated by antioxidant action, inhibition of apoptosis, anti-inflammatory action, reduction of renal fibrosis, reduction of the proliferation of mesangial cells, inhibition of endotheliosis, inhibition of atherosclerosis and promotion of renal autophagy. The positive conclusion should be treated cautiously because of various methodological flaws. Further studies are recommended according to ARRIVE guidelines. The method of modeling with high-dose STZ should be avoided and improved STZ modeling schemes are recommended. Considering the large dosage range of Lig used clinically and in animals, the future studies on the basis of animal renal histology are urgently needed to determine the optimal dosages to delay histological changes. Nevertheless, together, our findings suggest that Lig is a renoprotective candidate drug for treatment of DN.

Single-shot X-ray phase-contrast imaging can simplify acquisition processes and reduce the dose delivered to a patient, and also reduce the imaging time, which increases the usability of the system for computed tomography (CT) and dynamic planar imaging. Edge illumination (EI) is a promising method of X-ray phase-contrast imaging that is expected to be implemented in compact devices using conventional X-ray sources. EI-based single-shot X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) has attracted much attention in recent years. Although single-shot XPCT is possible, further studies are needed before this method is translated into real-world applications. In this paper, a simulation model was built to study EI-baesd single-shot XPCT, including the main hardware conditions (such as the source, mask, detector, objects, and geometric conditions) and some key factors (such as photon statistics, X-ray spectrum, pixel crosstalk, and X-ray absorption). The extraction of information and reconstruction in the absorption, phase, and differential phase signals were implemented, and the effects of pixel crosstalk, photon statistics, and mask thickness on the imaging results were studied. The results suggest that XPCT has significant potential for improving imaging quality and reducing the radiation dose compared to traditional absorption-based CT techniques. The effects of pixel crosstalk are negligible when σ c , the standard deviation of the Gaussian function, is much smaller than the detector pixel as a considerable top width remains in the pixel point spread function. Besides, a mask of considerable thickness is required to ensure the reconstruction accuracy of the quantitative information.

Currently the settlement and deformation of factory building structure is monitored using total stations and other more conventional measuring instruments, it is difficult to reflect the health of the structure timely and accurately. In order to change the situation, we establish a set of system for real-time monitoring of deformation and safety warning. The system is formed of sensing layer, transport layer and application layer. Sensing layer is composed of static force level and biaxial inclinometer. The system can be used in dynamic real-time factory structure safety monitoring, also applied to other similar structural monitoring. This paper will study the system components and principle, early warning systems grading, calculation of real-time deformation of roof frame, laboratory test scheme and verification. Experiments showed that the system is suitable for the actual factory structure monitoring, while the choice of static force level and biaxial inclinometer of precision to meet the requirements.

Analyzer-based imaging is one of X-ray phase-contrast imaging techniques, which generate improved contrast compared to the conventional absorption radiography. The refraction images of an investigated object can be yielded using a given number of raw images measured at different positions of analyzer crystal along its rocking curve. When applying the multiple-image radiography (MIR) method to retrieve the refraction-angles, the calculated values always underestimate the actual ones (particularly for high refraction angles). An improved method of MIR is proposed and developed in this paper. The computer simulation experiment is performed to draw comparison of the proposed method and the original MIR method. The findings suggest that under the same sampling condition, the proposed method can produce more accurate refraction images. Besides, the difference of computation time between them can be negligible. The proposed method may be useful in practical application of extracting refraction images as a valid alternative to the original MIR method.

a Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, The Key Laboratory of Remodeling-related Cardiovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Department of Atherosclerosis, 2 Anzhen Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing 100029, China b Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Qiaokou District, Wuhan 430030, China c University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China d North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063000, China e Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, 2 Anzhen Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing 100029, China f Beijing AnZhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Department of Imaging, 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China

a Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Heart Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, The Key Laboratory of Remodeling-related Cardiovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Department of Atherosclerosis, 2 Anzhen Road, ChaoYang District, Beijing 100029, China b Department of Radiology, The China–Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China c Department of Cardiac Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China d Department of Imaging, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China e Department of Emergency, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100029, China f National Engineering Laboratory for Druggable Gene and Protein Screening, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, Jilin, China g Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China

Considering the environmental pollution, food safety is of great concern to the consumers. The present study was conducted to assess the health risk of cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) through the dietary intake in Zhejiang, China. Eight hundred and sixty two food samples including aquatic products, meat, vegetables, milk and dairy products, and cereal grains were analyzed. Only 2.44 % (Cd), 1.39 % (Hg), and 1.51 % (Pb) of the samples exceeded the maximum allowable concentration set by Chinese Ministry of Health. The average dietary intakes of Cd, Hg, and Pb were estimated to be 0.26, 0.14, and 0.55 μg/kg bw/day, respectively. Compared with the reference doses, the mean exposure of Cd, Hg, and Pb was all less than the tolerable intake value. Only at the 95th percentile level, Cd and Hg exposure exceeded the values of tolerable intakes by 40 and 277 %, respectively. It indicates that there is low health risk to the dietary exposure of Cd, Hg, and Pb for general people in Zhejiang province, China.

According to the correlation characteristics of risk factors in highway tunnel engineering construction, based on the risk identification and analysis of accidents, the interactive correlations among these risk factors are analyzed by Delphi Method. This paper adopts the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to analyze the risk of tunnel engineering construction. Then, a comprehensive influencing coefficient of various risk factors is calculated by a comprehensive influencing matrix, the reason-result chart for these risk factors is made, and the key risk factor influencing the tunnel engineering construction is obtained. The result shows that DEMATEL method is effective for the risk analysis of tunnel engineering construction via the case study of Wulong Tunnel construction in China.

A real-time information management system for building construction (RIMBC), which is supported by the network technology, geographical information technology and office automation technology, is designed. This management system integrated the design data, survey data and test data can be used for the real-time search, management and update of design, survey documents by technical sections of functional departments in the field of construction engineering. This study gives a comprehensive and detailed depiction for the logical structure, entity structure, system process planning, database structure, subsystem structure and personnel training of RIMBC.

Taking a project of Hangzhou as the example, a new management method named oppression construction method was proposed in soft soil of deep foundation pit engineering management. This method was based on the foundation pit excavation by layer and section. Through timely supporting of foundation pit and construction information management, the foundation pit supporting exposure time and exposed to the breadth and height was decreased. Thus the excavation process to the periphery environment influence was effectively reduced. It provided beneficial reference for the future of deep foundation pit engineering construction management.

By using imbalance thrust force method, the slope stability factor based on three-dimensional slide block was deduced. According to the borehole data of highway, the TIN data layer and grid data layer for three-dimensional slope stability analysis were carried out by use of ArcMap. The value of each gird cell of different layers are picked up as slide block, it makes convenience in the slope stability analysis. Considering the property of bedding landslide, the three-dimensional slope stability analysis program based on VBA of ArcGIS is put forward in this paper. Taking one of the large rocky landslides as an example, the results of the three-dimensional stability analysis with slope before and after excavation, as well as the different water level conditions are compared. Furthermore, the directive significance of the three-dimensional method in landslide harness engineering was discussed.

This paper describes both the development and the mechanism of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), through Abaqus finite element software simulations to complete before and after joining the CFRP plate bending performance in two cases of RC beams, as well as in the loads of the load-displacement relations and stress-strain relationship, through the control of different pre-split value of working conditions, and the comparison of the data of the actual concrete beam experimental results prove that the Abaqus finite element of the feasibility and effectiveness in CFRP research, provide a reference for the actual project.

Engineering bridge construction is a very complicated system work. The potential risk would occur frequently in the process from construction preparation to completion. The bridgework has fundamental features in huge investment, complex technology, broad engineering, long project life cycle and big impact if an accident happened. Compared to other highway construction process,there are more risks in the process of the bridgework. According to the method of steel tube concrete composite column bridge pier construction on bridge engineering, this thesis identifies the bigger risk factors in the procedure with the analytic hierarchy process. Combined with the technology of the MIDAS/CIVIL and imitating upper structure construction of actual construction process, it quantificationally analyses the construction risk. This could be for the reference to risk analysis on bridge project construction.

In this paper, according to the characteristics of near-fault earthquakes, combined with the strong ground motion attenuation law in China, the nonstationary power spectrum of bidirectional ground motion input is obtained through random vibration analysis. By introducing the pseudo excitation algorithm, the evolutionary power spectral density (PSD) of acceleration at the engineering bedrock is handled as the nonstationary pseudo input, and the Hardin-Drnevich hyperbolic model is utilized to take into account the nonlinearity of soil layer. On this basis, finite element method in the time domain and frequency domain are used for seismic response analysis of soil profile. Values including various time-varying power spectral density of the dynamic response, time varying RMS and time-dependent reliability at different threshold can be obtained by calculating, which provides a basis for the analysis of the foundation dynamic reliability assessment.

The subway in a city of China is located in an alluvial plain. There are many universities and residential distribution districts. The vibration influence in corresponding zone of the subway should be made evaluation before construction. Based on the parameters of dynamic soil test, the one-dimensional elastic column is used to simulate for computation of the vertical vibration of the subway site. Considered the nonlinear and pseudo-damping of soil, the ground accelerations calculated are shown in this paper. Finally, according to the results of computation of the vibration response and comparing with the interrelated code authors present the relevant conclusion for environmental assessment for moving vibration of subway in this city.

A new technology of initiative protection for lightning stroke based on electric field cancellation theory is presented in this paper. The real time lightning detection system and the active protection equipment are adopted. By using this new method, the protection technology of direct lightning stroke can be changed from little current triggering to weakening the electric field near the weapon system, and the down leader of charged thundercloud can be repulsed by the artificial opposed field. So the lightning discharge condition in this protection region can be destructed, and the lightning hazard to the protected equipment is eliminated radically. It effectively reduces the electromagnetic radiation, ground potential reaction and step voltage caused by the high current along conducting wire in the conventional lightning rod protection technology.

Objective. Postoperative fatigue syndrome (POFS) is a general and main complication after surgery. However, there is no stable and standardized animal model for POFS. The aim of the present study was to establish a rodent model of POFS by small intestinal resection, with POFS evaluated by acknowledged physical and behavioral methods. Material and Methods. Forty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups according to the length of a "middle" small intestinal resection: 0% (sham group; i.e., laparotomy alone), 10%, 40% and 70% groups, with corresponding lengths of small intestinal resections. Following surgery, the general state of health was evaluated. Tail suspension test, open field test and Morris water maze test were used to evaluate the degree of POFS. Serum albumin, transferrin, prealbumin and fibronectin were measured to assess the nutritional status, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were also measured. Results. As compared with the other three groups, the 70% small intestinal resection group showed the worst general state of health, decreased strength of the tail suspension test and decreased score of Morris water maze test (p < 0.05) after operation. All rats in whom the small intestinal resection was done demonstrated a certain degree of malnutrition and behavior of depression, and the 70% resection group had the lowest levels of transferrin, prealbumin and fibronectin as compared with the other groups (p < 0.05), as well as decreased SOD and increased MDA in serum (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Resection of 70% of the small intestine resulted in typical characteristics of POFS. As this procedure is simple, stable and easily reproducible, it may serve as a model for research on POFS.

The ion implantation technique was employed to study the structural, magnetic, and optical properties of Co-doped crystalline ZnO. The photoluminescence measurements indicated that the center of green emission of implanted samples shifts gradually from 510 nm to 531 nm with an increase of Co concentrations. All implanted samples are ferromagnetic at room temperature with a saturation magnetization from 6.89×10−5 to 2.31×10−4 emu. The possible mechanisms on the observed ferromagnetism were discussed.

Background Apolipoprotein E (apoE) induces the uptake of vitamin K-rich lipoproteins by the liver, which likely affects inter-individual variation of warfarin dosing requirements. Associations between APOE polymorphisms and warfarin dosing were previously reported inconsistently among different ethnic groups, so the present study investigated this association in northern Han Chinese patients with mechanical heart valve prosthesis. Methods A total of 186 patients who underwent mechanical heart valve replacement and attained a stable warfarin dose were included. APOE single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs7412 and rs429358 were genotyped using Illumina SNP GoldenGate Assay. Genotyping results were confirmed by direct sequencing. PHASE v2.1 software was used to construct rs7412 and rs429358 haplotypes. The effects of different APOE genotypes on warfarin dose were analyzed statistically. Results The mean warfarin maintenance dose was 3.10 ± 0.96 mg/day, and the mean international normalized ratio (INR) was 2.09 ± 0.24. APOE E2, E3, and E4 allele frequencies were 11.6 %, 82.5 %, and 5.9 %, respectively. No E2/E2 or E4/E4 genotypes were detected in this population. E2/E3, E3/E3, E2/E4, and E3/E4 genotype frequencies were 21.0 %, 67.2 %, 2.2 %, and 9.7 %, respectively. Significant differences in warfarin dose requirements were observed among patients with E2/E3, E3/E3, and E3/E4 genotypes (p 0.05). Patients were divided into low-intensity anticoagulant treatment group (1.6 ≤ INR

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is involved in a variety of biological processes, including tumorigenisis. Previous studies have demonstrated that RAGE regulates the neo-angiogenesis related downstream molecule - vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Here, we investigated the potential relationship between RAGE, VEGFR-2 and angiogenesis in 80 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients. Real-time quantitative PCR and ELISA analysis were used to explore the RAGE and VEGFR-2 gene expression levels and the protein of VEGFR-2 expression. Meanwhile, angiogenesis was detected by the semi-quantification of endothelial cell marker CD34 combined with caldesmon, which was detected by microvessel density (MVD) technique and immunohistochemistry. Tumors were classified as low or high RAGE-expressing using the median as the cut-off. Immunofluorescence staining for RAGE protein was performed as well. Additionally, the median gene expression levels of VEGFR-2 in the tumors were significantly lower expressing low levels of RAGE expression, 0.34 (95% CI, 0.28-0.39) compared to the expressing high levels of RAGE expression, 0.45 (95% CI, 0.29-0.61), (P=0.03). The median MVD was significantly lower in the tumors expressing low levels of RAGE, 6.5 (95% CI, 6.21-7.43), compared to the expressing high levels, 7.9 (95% CI, 6.25-8.93), (P0.01). Further, a positive association was certified with VEGFR-2 protein levels, P=0.07. Besides, RCC with high levels of RAGE expression are associated with high VEGFR-2 mRNA/protein levels and a higher density of microvessels; conversely, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis suggests that a significant correlation of elevated RAGE expression with decreased overall survival and metastasis-free survival. Our results establish that RAGE was identified as a potential prognostic biomarker for disease prognosis of RCC.

Oxymatrine is an alkaloid, which is derived from the traditional Chinese herb, Sophora flavescens Aiton. Oxymatrine has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties. The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of oxymatrine in human pros- tate cancer cells, and the underlying molecular mechanisms of these effects. An MTT assay demonstrated that oxymatrine significantly inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells in a time‑ and dose‑dependent manner. In addition, flow cytometry and a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-medi- ated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling assay suggested that oxymatrine treatment may induce prostate cancer cell apop- tosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, western blot analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of p53 and bax, and a significant decrease in that of Bcl-2, in prostrate cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo analysis demonstrated that oxymatrine inhibited tumor growth following subcutaneous inoculation of prostate cancer cells into nude mice. The results of the present study suggested that the antitumor properties of oxymatrine, may be associ- ated with the inhibition of cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis, via the regulation of apoptosis-associated gene expression. Therefore, the results may provide a novel approach for the development of prostate cancer therapy using oxymatrine, which is derived from the traditional Chinese herb, Sophora flavescens

Background Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia is a rare life-threatening disease characterised by markedly elevated LDL cholesterol concentrations and accelerated atherosclerosis. Few studies have focused specifically on this group of patients, especially in China. We set out to investigate the phenotypical characteristics and the genotype–phenotype correlations of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia in China. Methods In this analysis of cross-sectional data, we collected data from patients with suspected homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia from ten clinical hospitals in mainland China from 2003 to 2015. Inclusion criteria included total cholesterol greater than 10 mmol/L, presence of xanthomas, and a family history of premature coronary heart disease. Clinical data and DNA sequence of LDLR, APOB , and PCSK9 were obtained in all patients. All participants gave written informed consent using consent forms approved by the research ethics committee of Beijing Anzhen Hospital, China. Findings We collected data from 64 probands with suspected unrelated homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (mean age 13 years [range 2–37]). Molecular diagnosis showed that 15 had homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, 34 had compound heterozygous disease, nine had heterozygous disease, and six were mutation-negative. 66 LDLR mutations were found, and no APOB or PCSK9 mutations were found. Of the LDLR mutations, 26 were novel, and the most common mutation, occurring in 11 (17%) of 64 patients, was Trp462X (c1448G→A). The mean total cholesterol concentration was 16·6 mmol/L (SD 3·84; range 10·4–25·9), and the mean LDL cholesterol concentration was 13·86 mmol/L (SD 3·50; range 7·1–23·5). Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations did not significantly differ between patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, compound heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, or those who were mutation-negative. Interpretation This research provides important clinical and genetic information about suspected homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia in mainland China. Our data suggest that diagnostic criteria need to be developed to screen patients with potential homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China (number 81471098).

Background Recent guidelines suggest that more attention should be focused on children with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). China may have 3.8 million potential FH patients, but there are limited data focused on HoFH children. Objective We systematically analyzed the characteristic phenotype and the relationship between the genotype and the phenotype in HoFH children with the unique Chinese W483X mutation in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL)–receptor gene. Methods A systematic retrospective analysis of the lipid and cardiovascular characteristics of HoFH patients in the atherosclerosis clinic of Beijing Anzhen Hospital was performed. The W483X mutation was confirmed using DNA sequencing of the patients and their parents. Results Two HoFH and 9 compound heterozygous patients (mean age = 14.7 years) with 2 novel mutations, Q254X and c.1363delC, were found. In total, 81.8% of the patients were from southern China. All the patients had xanthoma, and the average TC and LDL-C levels were 16.8 and 14.4 mmol/L, respectively. Echocardiography showed that 63.6% of the patients had aortic calcification, and 54.5% had mild regurgitation of the aortic valve. The coronary flow velocity reserve had a mean value of 2.12, and the cIMT was 0.17 cm. The follow-up period was between 3 months and 8 years. Although all the patients began the lipid-lowering treatment, 2 patients died because of severe cardiovascular disease. The LDL-C levels of 6 patients were slightly decreased by approximately 21% and remained far from the target values, and the other 3 patients' LDL-C levels increased by 13%. Conclusions The results suggest that younger HoFH patients with W483X mutations had a severe phenotype and should receive more aggressive treatment.

The spatial non-uniformity in the photo-response of the detectors strongly influences the quality of infrared image. There was no one effective means to evaluate the quality of infrared imaging systems and the performance of the NUC algorithms. A real-time testing system was designed and implemented, which could be used to acquire the data from infrared imaging system, measure the system and analyze the data, and provide researching platform both on software and hardware for developing the infrared processing system. The experimental results show that the system implemented acquiring infrared data in real-time with high speed and high precision. The system has been applied and it was helpful for the researcher to exploit and improve the NUC algorithms.

Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), caused by low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDL-R) gene mutations, is associated with increased risk of premature coronary heart disease. Until now, limited molecular data concerning FH are available in China. The present study described the clinical profiles and cell biological defects of a Chinese FH kindred with novel LDL-R gene mutation. Methods The patient's LDL-R gene coding region was sequenced. The patient's lymphocytes were isolated and the LDL-R expression, binding and up-take functions were observed by immunohistochemistry staining and flow cytometry detection. The patient's heart and the major large vessels were detected by vessel ultrasound examination and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Results The patient's LDL-R expression, LDL binding and up-take functions were significantly lower than normal control (39%, 63% and 76% respectively). A novel homozygous 1439 C-->T mutation of the LDL-R gene was detected in the patient and his family. ECG showed atypical angina pectoris. Echocardiogram showed stenosis of the coronary artery and calcification of the aortic valve and its root. Blood vessel ultrasound examination showed the thickness of large vessel intima, and the vessel lumen was narrowed by 71%. MPI showed ischemic changes. Conclusions The LDL-R synthesis dysfunction of FH patients leads to arterial stenosis and calcification, which are the major phenotype of the clinical disorder. The mutation of the LDL-R gene is determined. These data increase the mutational spectrum of FH in China.

Room-temperature photoluminescence and optical transmittance spectroscopy of Co-doped (1 × 1014, 5 × 1016, and 1 × 1017 cm−2) and Cu-doped (5 × 1016 cm−2) ZnO wafers irradiated by D—D neutrons (fluence of 2.9 × 1010 cm−2) have been investigated. After irradiation, the Co or Cu metal and oxide clusters in doped ZnO wafers are dissolved, and the wurtzite structure of ZnO substrate for each sample remains unchanged and keeps in high c-axis preferential orientation. The degree of irradiation-induced crystal disorder reflected from the absorption band tail parameter (E0) is far greater for doped ZnO than the undoped one. Under the same doping concentration, the Cu-doped ZnO wafer has much higher irradiation-induced disorder than the Co-doped one. Photoluminescence measurements indicate that the introduction rate of both the zinc vacancy and the zinc interstitial is much higher for the doped ZnO wafer with a high doping level than the undoped one. In addition, both crystal lattice distortion and defect complexes are suggested to be formed in doped ZnO wafers. Consequently, the Co- or Cu-doped ZnO wafer (especially with a high doping level) exhibits very low radiation hardness compared with the undoped one, and the Cu-doped ZnO wafer is much less radiation-hard than the Co-doped one.