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Purpose: Osteosarcoma is one of the most common malignant bone tumours in early adolescence. The incidence rate of osteosarcoma has stagnated over the past 30 years, highlighting the need to develop novel therapies. In osteosarcoma cells, Notch1 expression is absent, and the Notch1 pathway is related to cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy. Our study aimed to investigate the role of Notch1 in osteosarcoma development. Methods: We measured NICD1 expression induced by doxycycline treatment at various concentrations. The viability of human osteosarcoma cells (MG-63) induced by doxycycline was measured. Flow cytometry and cell apoptosis analysis were conducted to measure the effect of Notch1 on the cell cycle of human osteosarcoma cells. We also used a GFP-LC3 plasmid to detect Notch1-induced autophagy in MG-63 cells. Western blotting was conducted to analyse expression of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway through Notch1 induction by doxycycline. Results: In this study, we demonstrated that Notch1 activation by doxycycline potently suppressed cell proliferation by inducing S phase arrest in osteosarcoma cells. Doxycycline-induced Notch1 activation also induced apoptosis and autophagy in osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, we found that Notch1 inhibited PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling to induce apoptosis and autophagy. Conclusion: In summary, our results revealed that Notch1 activation by doxycycline induces S phase arrest, apoptosis and autophagy by blocking PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling in human osteosarcoma cells. Notch1 may be a potential clinical antitumour target for osteosarcoma therapy.

Hybrid energy storage system has been widely studied as an important technology for electric vehicles. Since the hybrid energy storage system is a nonlinear and complex system, the modeling of the system and the high-precision nonlinear control strategy are technical difficulties for research. The establishment of a high-precision mathematical model of the hybrid energy storage system is the basis for the study of high-quality nonlinear control algorithms. Fortunately, the theory of fractional calculus can help build accurate mathematical models of hybrid energy storage systems. In order to obtain the high-quality nonlinear control strategy of this complex system, this paper, respectively, carried out fractional-order modeling and analysis on the three basic equivalent working states of the hybrid energy storage system of electric vehicles. Among them, the fractional-order average state space model is carried out for the equivalent Buck and Boost mode. Also, the steady-state analysis of the equivalent Dual-Boost mode is carried out by combining the fractional-order calculus theory with the equivalent small parameter variable method. Finally, the effectiveness and precision of the fractional-order model are proved by simulation and experiment.

Background Sepsis is one of the most dangerous syndromes, has extremely high mortality, and is caused by the body's extreme responses to an infection. The pathogenesis of sepsis is very complex and remains largely unknown and thus the treatments for sepsis are limited. Here, we evaluated the treatment results of two potential drugs, glutamine and ulinastatin, on sepsis. Methods CLP rat model was used to study sepsis. Gastrostomy was performed to deliver the drugs. Flow cytometry was employed to measure CD4 and CD8 levels. May-Grunwald-Giemsa staining was used to count the numbers of monocytes and neutrophils in the blood. ELISA assay was performed to assess the levels of PCT, IL-6, TNFα, and IL-1β. Results Sepsis was successfully induced with the standard CLP rat model. Both glutamine and ulinastatin treatments greatly improved the outcomes of sepsis, but the combination of both treatments had the maximum therapeutic effect. Mechanistically, PCT, IL-6, TNFα, and IL-1β levels were significantly diminished following glutamine and ulinastatin treatments, suggesting an inhibition of inflammatory responses. Further, CD4 and CD4/CD8 ratio, and the numbers of monocytes and neutrophils were greatly up-regulated by glutamine and ulinastatin, indicating an enhanced immunity. Conclusion Glutamine and ulinastatin treatments largely mitigate sepsis shock by suppressing the inflammatory responses of the body and strengthening the immune system. Combination of these two drugs could serve as a potential treatment for sepsis.

Deep cross-modal retrieval methods have shown their competitiveness among different cross-modal retrieval algorithms. Generally, these methods require a large amount of training data. However, aggregating large amounts of data will incur huge privacy risks and high maintenance costs. Inspired by the recent success of federated learning, we propose the federated cross-modal retrieval (FedCMR), which learns the model with decentralized multi-modal data. Specifically, we first train the cross-modal retrieval model and learn the common space across multiple modalities in each client using its local data. Then, we jointly learn the common subspace of multiple clients on the trusted central server. Finally, each client updates the common subspace of the local model based on the aggregated common subspace on the server, so that all clients participated in the training can benefit from federated learning. Experiment results on four benchmark datasets demonstrate the effectiveness proposed method.

Aim: The role of plasma heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90α) in colorectal cancer patients remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between HSP90α and the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer through diagnosis and prognosis value.Methods: 635 colorectal cancer patients and 295 healthy controls were recruited. The HSP90α was measured by using the ELISA kit in all objects and the immune cells and common biomarkers as CEA, AFP, CA125, CA153 and CA199 were measured in all colorectal cancer patients. The relationship between plasma HSP90α with clinical features, common tumor markers and immune cells were also conducted. The survival analysis endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).Results: The levels of plasma HSP90α were significantly higher in colorectal cancer patients compared to healthy controls [51.4 (ng/ml) vs. 43.7 (ng/ml), p < 0.001]. In additional, the levels of plasma HSP90α were associated with gender and disease progress as stage, lymphatic and distant metastasis. Furthermore, plasma HSP90α was closed correlation with CEA, CA125, CA199 and percentage of B cells. However, the initial expression level of plasma HSP90α failed to show a prognostic value for progression-free survival in colorectal cancer.Conclusion: The plasma Hsp90α was remarkable higher in colorectal cancer and correlated with common tumor biomarkers and immune cells. Plasma Hsp90α levels were associated with disease progress but a poor diagnosis performance and also failed to show a prognostic value in colorectal cancer.

Most of the high-performance electronic devices are based on donor–acceptor (D–A) structured molecules, which usually require complex reaction conditions and long-time synthesis periodicity, limiti...

Efficient light harvesting is essential for advanced photonic devices. Complex micro/nano surface relief structures can be produced via light-triggered mechanical movement, but limited in organic active molecular units. In this Letter, we propose to embed noble-metal particles into light-inactive polyvinyl alcohol matrix to construct a light harvesting system driven by plasmon for inscription of surface relief gratings. Ultra-small-sized silver nuclei are generated in the polymer by pre-thermal treatment, acting as an accelerator for the subsequent photoinduced particle growth, hydrogen group cleavage, and matrix softening. Based on such properties, a complex plasmonic array carrying ultra-high-density information is achieved with peristrophic multiplexing holography. This Letter paves a bright way to realize data storage, information encryption, and optical microcavity.

Myocardial ischemia is a high-risk disease among middle-aged and senior individuals. After thrombolytic therapy, heart tissue can potentially suffer further damage, which is called myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). At present, the treatment methods and drugs for MIRI are scarce and cannot meet the current clinical needs. The mechanism of MIRI involves the interaction of multiple factors, and the current research hotspots mainly include oxidative stress, inflammation, calcium overload, energy metabolism disorders, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has multiple targets and few toxic side effects; clinical preparations containing Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, Aralia chinensis L., cardioprotection, and other Chinese herbal medicines have been used to treat patients with coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and other cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that saponins are the main active substances in TCMs containing Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, Aralia chinensis L., and Radix astragali. In the present review, we sorted the saponin components with anti-MIRI effects and their regulatory mechanisms. Each saponin can play a cardioprotective role via multiple mechanisms, and the signaling pathways involved in different saponins are not the same. We found that more active saponins in Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. are mainly dammar-type structures and have a strong regulatory effect on energy metabolism. The highly active saponin components of Aralia chinensis L. are oleanolic acid structures, which have significant regulatory effects on calcium homeostasis. Therefore, saponins in Chinese herbal medicine provide a broad application prospect for the development of highly effective and low-toxicity anti-MIRI drugs.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a serious complication following anesthesia and operations in aged patients undergoing surgical intervention. It is characterized by temporary or permanent cognitive decline, memory impairment and deterioration in language comprehension and social adaption ability. Therefore, the development of POCD prevention and treatment tools has become an area of interest. The current study assessed the therapeutic effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on POCD in aged rats and explored the underlying mechanisms. Model rats underwent splenectomy under 1.5-2% isoflurane and mechanical ventilation. IGF-1 (50 µg/kg) was diluted in normal saline and administered by abdominal hypodermic injection daily from the operation to day 7 post-operation. Following splenectomy, the animals showed marked cognitive impairment as determined by the Morris water maze test. Hippocampal protein levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP), β-site APP-cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE-1), amyloid-β (Aβ), capase3, Bax and Bcl-2 were assessed by immunoblotting. Neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus was analyzed using a TUNEL assay. The results demonstrated that the levels of APP, BACE-1, Aβ, caspase3 and Bax were increased following splenectomy, while the levels of Bcl2 were reduced at days 1, 3 and 7 post-operation in aged rats. However, IGF-1 downregulated APP, BACE-1, Aβ, capase3 and Bax, and upregulated Bcl2 at these time points following splenectomy. TUNEL staining revealed that administration of IGF-1 significantly reduced neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampal CA1 region following splenectomy. These results indicated that IGF-1 decreased Aβ-protein production and inhibited neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus following splenectomy, subsequently alleviating POCD.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that inflammatory response biomarkers are predictive factors that can improve the accuracy of colorectal cancer (CRC) prognoses. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of C-reactive protein (CRP), the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), and the CRP-to-albumin ratio (CAR) in CRC.Methods: Overall, 307 stage I–III CRC patients and 72 colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) patients were enrolled between October 2013 and September 2019. We investigated the correlation between the pretreatment CRP, GPS, and CAR and the clinicopathological characteristics. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for univariate or multivariate analysis to assess potential prognostic factors. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to evaluate the predictive value of each prognostic score. We established CRC survival nomograms based on the prognostic scores of inflammation.Results: The optimal cutoff levels for the CAR for overall survival (OS) in all CRC patients, stage I–III CRC patients, and CRLM patients were 0.16, 0.14, and 0.25, respectively. Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank tests demonstrated that patients with high CRP, CAR, and GPS had poorer OS in CRC, both in the cohorts of stage I–III patients and CRLM patients. In the different cohorts of CRC patients, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of these three markers were all high. Multivariate analysis indicated that the location of the primary tumor, pathological differentiation, and pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CRP, GPS, and CAR were independent prognostic factors for OS in stage I–III patients and that CRP, GPS, and CAR were independent prognostic factors for OS in CRLM patients. The predictors in the prediction nomograms included the pretreatment CRP, GPS, and CAR.Conclusions: CRP, GPS, and CAR have independent prognostic values in patients with CRC. Furthermore, the survival nomograms based on CRP, GPS, and CAR can provide more valuable clinical significance.

For energy management of new energy vehicles, different dynamic characteristics of different onboard power sources should be taken into consideration. In this paper, a real-time predictive energy management strategy is proposed for the fuel cell/battery/ultra-capacitor hybrid energy storage system in fuel cell electric vehicles. A LSTM neural network velocity predictor is developed to predict future velocity of the vehicle and then the future power requirement can be calculated. On this basis, the wavelet transform algorithm is adopted to protect the fuel cell and battery from fast-variation transients and peak power demand conditions; and a rule-based strategy is introduced for the control of the power sources’ SOC. Simulation results show that the LSTM based predictor has an acceptable accuracy for energy management usage. The proposed energy management strategy can not only successfully reduce the power frequency of the fuel cell and battery, but also ensure the vehicle performance by keeping the SOC of the ultra-capacitor in reasonable range.

Background COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), swept through China in 2019–2020, with over 80,000 confirmed cases reported by end of March 2020. This study estimates the economic burden of COVID-19 in 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China between January and March 2020. Methods The healthcare and societal cost of COVID-19 was estimated using bottom-up approach. The main cost components included identification, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, compulsory quarantine and productivity losses for all affected residents in China during the study period. Input data were obtained from government reports, clinical guidelines, and other published literature. The primary outcomes were total health and societal costs. Costs were reported in both RMB and USD (2019 value). Outcomes The total estimated healthcare and societal cost associated with the outbreak is 4.26 billion RMB (0.62 billion USD) and 2,647 billion RMB (383 billion USD), respectively. The main components of routine healthcare costs are inpatient care (41.0%) and medicines (30.9%). The main component of societal costs is productivity losses (99.8%). Hubei province incurred the highest healthcare cost (83.2%) whilst Guangdong province incurred the highest societal cost (14.6%). Interpretation This review highlights a large economic burden of the recent COVID-19 outbreak in China. These findings will aid policy makers in making informed decisions about prevention and control measures for COVID-19. Funding The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Research in context Evidence before this study We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Global Health on April 4th, 2020, using key words and medical subject headings including (“coronavirus” OR “SARS-CoV-2” OR “COVID-19”) AND (“cost” OR “Economics” OR “resource” OR “productivity loss”). No restrictions on language or publication dates were applied. Our search did not identify any studies which reported the cost of COVID-19. Cost of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is an infectious disease caused by another type of coronavirus – the SARS coronavirus – has been assessed by seven studies. The reported healthcare cost of managing SARS per case ranged from $4,151 USD in mainland China to $362,700 USD in Canada. The total healthcare cost and societal cost of the 2013 SARS outbreak in China took up 0.20% and 1.05% of China’s GDP, respectively. The global cost of SARS was estimated to be US $40 billion, the majority of which was caused by reduced consumer demand for goods and services due to fear associated with SARS. Two studies reported a reduction in total healthcare resource use during the peak of the SARS epidemic in Taiwan, due to people’s fears of SARS. Added value of this study To our knowledge, this study presents the first cost-of-illness study of COVID-19. The main cost components considered include identification, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of COVID-19, compulsory quarantine and productivity loss for all affected residents in China during the study period. The total societal cost of COVID-19 was estimated to be 383 billion US dollars, which is equivalent to 2.7% of China’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. Healthcare costs accounted for only 0.2% of societal cost for COVID-19, while productivity losses accounted for 99.8%. The majority of productivity losses (99.7%) were attributable to people who were not considered to have had COVID-19 but experienced lost working time due to the government policies in controlling population movement. Implications of all the available evidence Our findings suggest that the cost of COVID-19 is much larger than the cost of SARS or MERS. Productivity losses far exceeded the healthcare cost of managing COVID-19 patients. Future research is urgently required on the cost-effectiveness of different control measures of COVID-19 (e.g. policies regarding reducing working days, travel restrictions, quarantine and isolation), and development of interventions which can help to maintain the productivity of healthy population during the pandemic.

During spinal cord injury (SCI), a quick and sustained decline of Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) has been observed, exerting a significant positive effect in modulating the proliferation of astrocytes and the formation of glial scars within the damaged spinal cord. In this study, we revealed the abnormal downregulation of lncRNA Ftx and Nrg1 and upregulation of miR-382-5p after SCI, which contributed to the inflammatory response in microglial cells and affected SCI repair. Ftx overexpression was significantly reduced, and Ftx knockdown further promoted LPS effects on the inflammatory factors, indicating that lncRNA Ftx might affect the microglial inflammatory response. miR-382-5p targeted both lncRNA Ftx and Nrg1, and lncRNA Ftx competed with Nrg1 for miR-382-5p binding to act as a ceRNA, therefore counteracting miR-382-5p-mediated inhibition of Nrg1. miR-382-5p overexpression was significantly enhanced, and Nrg1 overexpression attenuated LPS effects on inflammatory factors within the microglia. Under LPS stimulation, the effects of Ftx overexpression were significantly reversed by overexpression of miR-382-5p, and the effects of miR-382-5p overexpression were significantly reversed by Nrg1 overexpression. In summary, the lncRNA Ftx/miR-382-5p/Nrg1 axis improves the inflammation response of the microglia, which might improve SCI repair.

The severity of climate change and the urgency of ecological environment protection make the transformation of coal power imperative. In this paper, the relevant policies of coal-biomass co-firing power generation are combed, and the technical and economic evaluation of coal-biomass co-firing power generation technology is carried out using Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) model. The result is that the LCOE of coal-biomass indirect co-firing power generation project is significantly higher than that of the pure coal-fired unit, with the LCOE rising by nearly 8%. Through sensitivity analysis, the LCOE will increase by 10.7% when it combusts 15% biomass, and increase by 19.1% when it combusts 20% biomass. The LCOE corresponding to wood chips increased by 5.71% and the LCOE to rice husks decreased by 6.06%. Finally, this paper puts forward some relevant policy suggestions, hoping to provide some reference for the promotion of coal-biomass co-firing power generation in China.

Background To explore the effect and mechanism of miR-16-5p on neuron apoptosis and inflammatory response induced by spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods Allen's weight-drop method and Basso Bcattie Bresnahan (BBB) rating scale were used to establish SCI rat model and assess locomotor function, respectively. Histopathology of SCI rats and Sham-operated rats was validated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. After intravenous injection of miR-16-5p agomir, miR-16-5p antagomir, pcDNA3.1-Apelin-13 or negative controls into SCI rat tails, neuron apoptosis and the expression of miR-16-5p, Apelin-13, apoptotic proteins, inflammatory response-related proteins and ERK1/2 pathway-related protein were detected. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was applied for identifying the binding between miR-16-5p and Apelin-13. Results SCI rats had locomotor impairment with markedly edema and hemorrhage. Upregulated miR-16-5p expression and downregulated Apelin-13 expression were presented in SCI rats. Intravenous injection of miR-16-5p antagomir or/and pcDNA3.1-Apelin-13 could increase the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Mcl-1) and p-ERK1/2 expression while decrease the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (cleaved caspase-3 and Bax) and inflammatory response-related proteins (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6). The reverse pattern was shown in rats injected with miR-16-5p agomir. MiR-16-5p targeted Apelin-13. Promotion of miR-16-5p agomir on SCI was attenuated by injection of agomir + pcDNA3.1-Apelin-13. Conclusions Downregulation of miR-16-5p could upregulate Apelin-13 expression to activate ERK1/2 pathway, thus alleviating SCI-induced neuron apoptosis and inflammatory response.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of the bone, and macrophages play a promotional role during osteosarcoma development and progression. TIPE1 is known to function as a tumor suppressor in diverse cancers by inducing cell arrest and apoptosis. However, the biological function of TIPE1 in osteosarcoma is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and function of TIPE1 in osteosarcoma. In the present study, TIPE1 expression in osteosarcoma cancer cells was determined by qPCR and western blotting. A subcutaneous tumor model was established to investigate the potential anti-tumor activity of TIPE1 in osteosarcoma. Further, flow cytometry, western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and ELISA were performed to clarify the underlying mechanism by which TIPE1 regulates growth of osteosarcoma. Our results suggest that TIPE1 is downregulated in osteosarcoma cancer cells, and ectopic expression TIPE1 significantly inhibited osteosarcoma tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, TIPE1 inhibits the infiltration of macrophages in osteosarcoma tumor by suppressing MCP-1 expression in osteosarcoma cells. Further in vivo study revealed that inhibition of MCP-1/CCR2 axis by Bindarit blocked the inhibitory effect of TIPE1 on osteosarcoma growth. Collectively, our results demonstrate the anti-tumor role of TIPE1 in osteosarcoma and reveal a novel therapy target for osteosarcoma.

Polymeric materials have been widely used in the fabrication of data-storage devices, owing to their unique advantages and defined conduction mechanisms. To date, the most-functional polymers that have been reported for memory devices were synthesized through random copolymerization, whilst there have been no reports regarding the memory effect of block polymers. Herein, we synthesized a random copolymer (PMCz8 -co-PMBNa2 ) and its corresponding block copolymer (PMCz8 -b-PMBNa2 ) to study the effect of the method of polymerization on the memory properties of the corresponding devices. Interestingly, both devices (ITO/PMCz8 -co-PMBNa2 /Al and ITO/PMCz8 -b-PMBNa2 /Al) exhibited ternary memory performance, with threshold voltages of -1.7 V/-3.3 V and -2.7 V/-3.8 V, respectively. However, based on comprehensive measurements, the memory properties of PMCz8 -co-PMBNa2 and PMCz8 -b-PMBNa2 were found to be owing to the operation of different conduction mechanisms, which resulted from different molecular stacking in the film state. Therefore, we expect that this work will be helpful for improving our understanding of the conduction mechanisms in polymer-based data-storage devices.

Permanent preservation of data is essential for massive information recording. Combination of semiconductor with plasmonic nanoparticles has been applied in multicolor display and high-density optical storage. However, bidirectional electron transfer occurs at the Schottky interface under UVA irradiation, resulting in reversible photochemical reaction, information erasure, low recording efficiency and writing rate. To address these issues, a novel Schottky heterostructure of Ag/Ta2O5 modified with alkali halide is developed to realize photoinduced one-directional electron transfer from metal to semiconductor. The recorded information in such a medium of KCl-Ag/Ta2O5 presents excellent holographic storage stability even under exposure of a strong UVA ray (360 nm, 385 mW/cm2). Meanwhile, grating growth rate and efficiency are significantly enhanced by optimizing Ag particle distance and Cl− anion loading amount. This work provides an important strategy for fast and persistent data storage.

Background: Shuxuening injection (SXNI) has a good effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Here, our study aims to investigate whether SXNI have the protective effect on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) and elucidate the mechanism of SXNI’s cardiac protection. Methods: In this experiment, the coronary arteries of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were ligated for the induction of a MIRI model. TTC staining and haematoxylin-eosin (HE), as well as troponin I (TnI), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MB levels, were used to detect the protective effect of SXNI. In rat cardiac tissue, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione and malondialdehyde (MDA) activities and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), calreticulin (CRT), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) and caspase-12 expression levels were detected. In rat serum, the levels of inflammatory factors, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β, were measured by Elisa. In the rat arterial tissue, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) expression was measured by western blot. In the rat plasma, ELISA was used to assay the levels of coagulation and plasmin system indicators, including platelet activating factor, endothelin, tissue factor (TF), plasminogen inhibitor, thromboxane B2, plasma fibrinogen. Results: The results showed that SXNI can reduce the infarct size of myocardial tissue, decrease the myocardial enzyme and TnI levels and decrease the degree of myocardial damage compared with the model group. Additionally, SXNI can increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes, reduce the MDA level and decrease the GRP78, CRT, CHOP and caspase-12 expression levels. SXNI also decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines in rat serum, lowered the level of procoagulant molecules in plasma and reduced the TLR4/NF-κB expression. Conclusions: SXNI has protective effect on MIRI mainly by inhibiting oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), thereby regulating TLR4/NF-κB pathway to reduce inflammation, and lowing procoagulant-related factors levels to reduce the risk of thrombosis.

Background Although incidence rates of postoperative neurocognitive disorder (PND) in aged individuals following noncardiac major surgery are rising as individuals are living longer, the mechanism of PND remains poorly understood. We wondered if mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling might be associated with PND since mTOR controls some essential intracellular events. Objective To investigate whether surgery activates the mTOR signaling pathway in aged rats, leading to PND, and whether the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, can be used to alleviate PND. Methods We randomly assigned aged rats to four groups: normal control (C), isoflurane (I), surgery (S), and rapamycin (R). Then, we anesthetized Groups I, S, and R, following which, Groups S and R underwent a splenectomy. After surgery, Group R was administered rapamycin. We used the Morris water maze to test the rats' spatial learning and memory after surgery. Results In Group S, escape latency (ie, the time to find the platform) was markedly higher, and the ratio of swimming time in the target quadrant was lower, compared to the other groups. In Group R, escape latency was markedly lower as compared with Group S, and the ratio of swimming time in the target quadrant was higher. Conclusions Our results indicate that an altered mTOR signaling pathway after a splenectomy causes PND in aged rats, which can be alleviated by rapamycin.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of adjacent segment degeneration (RASP) and the variation of cervical curvature and vertebral height after Anterior Cervical Corpectomy and Fusion (ACCF). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 80 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) who had been followed up for at least 1 year after ACCF. The patients were divided into RASP group and no RASP group according to whether the RASP occured after surgery. On the standing cervical lateral radiograph of all patients before and after surgery at the short-term and final follow-up, the C2-7 Cobb angle of the cervical vertebrae, the Cobb angle of the surgical segment and the height of the fusion segment for the anterior and posterior segments of the vertebral body were measured. The difference between the two groups of patients before and after surgery was calculated, as well as its correlation with the occurrence of RASP. Result: there were 37 patients in the RASP group and 43 patients in the no-RASP group. In RASP group, the short-term average curvature of cervical vertebra was significantly reduced after surgery. However, there was no significant difference in no RASP group. The height of the anterior and posterior fusion segments in two groups was significantly higher than that before surgery, however, which was significantly lower during the final follow-up than that in the short-term after surgery. Cox regression analysis showed that only the variation of postoperative C2-7Cobb angle was associated with RASP. Conclusion: The reduction of cervical curvature after ACF may be related to postoperative RASP. Maintaining good cervical curvature after operation may be expected to reduce the occurrence of RASP after ACF.

Effective utilization of light energy is essential for the storage and conversion of optical information. Plasmonic nanoparticles are regarded as an optical energy antenna for their spectrum-tuning ability, while the multi-wavelength response and interface electron flow, in turn, weaken the stability in reading information. Herein, we propose a smart route of carbon dot/hydrogel co-modified silver nanoparticles in titania to construct a large-area Schottky heterojunction. The diffraction efficiency is increased by three times, and the readout stability is even increased by 240 times, compared with those for undecorated Ag/TiO2 heterostructures. The readout fluctuation ratio of the holographic signal is less than 3% in the area of 1.5 × 1.5 cm2. The enhanced performance benefits from the interface electron regulation by carbon dots and the high stability of Ag+ ions in hydrogel. Based on such properties, an 8-cm plasmonic holographic disk is fabricated, opening a bright way to the application of high-density information memory.

// Jiahui Zhou 1 , Zunnan Huang 1 , Ziyou Wang 1 , Shumin Liu 1 , Alf Grandien 3 , Ingemar Ernberg 2 , Zhiwei He 1 and Xiangning Zhang 1 1 Department of Pathophysiology and China-America Cancer Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Diagnostics, Dongguan Scientific Research Center, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong, China 2 Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 3 Center for Haematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Correspondence to: Zunnan Huang, email: zn_huang@yahoo.com Zhiwei He, email: Zhiweihe688@yahoo.com Xiangning Zhang, email: zhangxn_2006@126.com Keywords: nasopharyngeal carcinoma, tumor suppressor gene, BLU/ZMYND10, TRAIL, NF-κB Received: September 14, 2016 Accepted: November 19, 2016 Published: December 23, 2016 ABSTRACT A putative tumor suppressor BLU mapped on the chromosomal 3p21 region, is frequently lost in human tumors including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To explore the underlying mechanism of tumor suppression by BLU , its potential to promote apoptosis induced by TRAIL, an effector molecule elaborated by natural killer-T (NKT) cells was investigated. BLU was re-expressed in NPC-derived HNE1 cells by recombinant adenoviral infection and the cells were challenged with recombinant TRAIL. The growth inhibition of BLU was assayed and apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry-based tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) and annexin V staining, cleavage of pro-caspase-8 and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP). The modulation of NF-κB pathway by BLU was evaluated by the reporter activity and estimation of the level of the molecules involved such as IKKalpha, p65 NF-κB, as well as NF-κB induced anti-apoptotic factors cFLIP L and cIAP2. The expression of BLU exerted in vitro and in vivo growth inhibitory effect and promoted TRAIL-induced apoptosis. This phenomenon was validated by FACS-based assays of mitochondrial membrane potential (BLU vs. Vector 87.8% ± 7.7% and 72.1%±6.7% at 6h exposure to TRAIL) and phosphatidylserine turnover ( BLU vs. vector: 28.7%±2.9% and 22.6%±2.5%), as well as, enhanced caspapse-8 cleavage. Similar with the findings that BLU promotes chemotherapeutic agent-induced apoptosis, it also augmented death receptor-induced pathway through NF-κB pathway inhibition. In conclusion, BLU suppressed tumor formation by strengthening the antitumor immunity.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization in infants worldwide. It is recognized by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4) and cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) in the innate immune response. Previous case-control studies reported the influence of TLR4 Asp299Gly, TLR4 Thr399Ile, and CD14 C-159T polymorphisms on the risk of severe RSV infection. However, a decisive conclusion has not been achieved. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to examine the association between these three polymorphisms and the development of RSV bronchiolitis. A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, EMbase, Google Scholar Search, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biological Medicine, and Wanfang Databases. The data were extracted and pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated under six genetic models. A total of six studies with 1009 cases and 1348 controls, three studies with 473 cases and 481 controls, or four studies with 325 cases and 650 controls relating to each of the three polymorphisms were included in this meta-analysis. The analyzed data indicated that all of these polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of severe RSV infection. This is the first meta-analysis to investigate the relationship of TLR4 Asp299Gly, TLR4 Thr399Ile, and CD14 C-159T polymorphisms with the risk of severe RSV infection. Although the results of this retrospective analysis indicated a lack of the association, more extensive multicentric studies with large sample sizes are necessary to provide a more reliable estimation of the association between these three polymorphisms and RSV bronchiolitis susceptibility.

Inadequacy of posterior osteophyte resection in anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) surgery has long been a clinical concern as it may influence surgical outcome. There has been no agreement on the prognosis in the presence of remnant posterior osteophytes. This study retrospectively investigated 26 cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients after ACDF in whom a remnant posterior osteophyte was identified by long-term follow-up CT scans (minimum of 2 years). Remnant posterior osteophytes and osseous spinal canal were measured and compared between pre-operation CT and long-term post-operation CT. The post-operative clinical outcomes were also studied. The remnant osteophytes did not obviously decrease in size in any patient and significantly enlarged in 10 patients, with a new posterior osteophyte developing in one patient. In patients whose remnant osteophyte is enlarged, the incidence of pseudoarthrosis, as well as clinical deterioration during follow-up was significantly higher than patients with stable osteophytes. Contrary to previous reports, none of the remnant posterior osteophytes decreased obviously in size during follow up. Despite the persistence of posterior osteophytes, ACDF is still effective in CSM treatment. Posterior osteophyte enlargement at fused segment appears to be associated with symptomatic pseudoarthrosis and clinical deterioration after surgery.

Choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) rs3810950 and rs2177369 polymorphisms have been implicated in susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Due to the inconsistent results from previous studies, a meta-analysis was performed to estimate the association between these polymorphisms and AD risk more precisely. Pooled results of our meta-analysis indicated CHAT rs2177369 polymorphism was correlated with decreasing AD risk in one of five genetic models (dominant: OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.62–0.96), while rs3810950 mutant was associated with AD development in three models (allelic: OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.01–1.37, homozygous: OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.09–2.42, and recessive: OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.20–2.26). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the association between CHAT rs3810950 polymorphism and AD risk was just found in the recessive model (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.05–2.07) among Caucasians, while four genetic models (allelic: OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01–1.48; homozygous: OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.48–3.39; dominant: OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06–1.40; and recessive: OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.45–3.29) assumed this association in Asians. In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated CHAT rs2177369 polymorphism might play a protective role in AD, while rs3810950 variant was a risk factor for AD but its single heterozygous mutations might not influence susceptibility to AD.

In this paper, matlab programs were written to efficiently process the experiment data for buckling and post-buckling of delaminated composite beams. In the experiments, data collected from 810 Material Test System (MTS) and from dial indicator were sampled at different frequencies, thus were not matched with each other in time. To solve this problem matlab programs were developed. It shows that using the developed program, the experiment data from the two testing systems are corresponding and truly reflect the changes of mechanical parameters in the buckling and post-buckling process of specimens in the experiments.

This study contains 2 arms: (1) the ASIR-V technique combined with low-tube-voltage in lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnosis was investigated; and (2) CT venography and ultrasound results in DVT diagnosis were compared. For arm 1, 90 patients suspected of DVT were randomly divided into 3 groups (30/group): groups A and B were scanned under 100-kV with pre-set ASIR-V weights of 30% and 50% respectively; group C were scanned under 70-kV with a 50% weight. For arm 2, 75 patients were divided into 3 groups (25/group), each group was CT scanned as in arm 1 and then all subjects were examined by ultrasound. Groups A, B and C had 16, 14 and 17 patients diagnosed with DVTs, respectively. There was no significant difference in subjective ratings of image quality among all groups. The 70-kV protocol remarkably increased venous attenuation value while all groups had similar DVT attenuation value. Higher noise was observed in group C, the CNR however, was actually augmented due to elevated venous attenuations. More importantly, group C had significantly lower CTDIvol and DLP values. In conclusion, the 70-kV protocol is superior to the 100 kV protocols, which was supported by findings from the second arm study.

Previous studies have investigated the association between MTHFR A1298C (rs1801131) polymorphism and susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nevertheless, an ultimate conclusion remains obscure. We then executed this meta-analysis to estimate this association more precisely.Related studies were systematically searched on PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Google scholar, and AlzGene databases. The association was evaluated by reviewing the odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Publication bias, sensitivity analysis, and cumulative meta-analysis were performed to help draw a more definite conclusion.Ten eligible studies were finally enrolled in this meta-analysis. Lack of association between MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and AD risk was observed in five genetic models (allelic: OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.88-1.56; homozygous: OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.87-1.53; heterozygous: OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.76-1.86; dominant: OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.81-1.87; recessive: OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.89-1.52). The result of cumulative meta-analysis sorted by publication year was also detected a dynamic tendency of no correlation between MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and AD.This meta-analysis reveals that MTHFR A1298C polymorphism may not be associated with AD risk.

A 45 nm high In component metamorphic In0.7Ga0.3As/In0.6Ga0.4As composite-channel high electron-mobility transistor (mHEMT) on GaAs substrate with good DC and RF performance has been developed. The structure was grown by molecular beam epitaxy and exhibits a superior electron mobility of 10200 cm2/(V.s) and a sheet density of 3.5 × 1012 cm−2 at a room temperature. A combined optical and e-beam lithography technology was used to achieve the nanometre mHEMT device. The mHEMT device shows an extrinsic transconductance of up to 990 mS/mm and a maximum current density of 910 mA/mm. The unity current gain cutoff frequency fT and the maximum oscillation frequency f max are 187.94 and 258.62 GHz, respectively. These performances make the device well suited for millimetre-wave applications.

Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors with atomic layer deposited (ALD) various Al 2 O 3 thicknesses are investigated for radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) applications. For 20 nm Al 2 O 3 , the fabricated capacitor exhibits a high capacitance density of 3850 pF/mm2 and acceptable voltage coefficients of capacitance (VCCs) of 681 ppm/V2 and 134 ppm/V at 1 MHz. An outstanding VCCs of 74 ppm/V2 and 55 ppm/V is obtained by 100 nm thickness Al 2 O 3 MIM capacitors. The impact of various dielectric thicknesses on RF characteristics such as Q factors and resonance frequency is also investigated. Moreover, a simplified small signal model of the MIM capacitors is described. Excellent agreement between measured and simulated data demonstrates the validity of this model.

In this paper, MOS capacitors and Mg-implanted source and drain p-channel GaSb MOSFETs are fabricated. The effects of post-metallization annealing (PMA) on the performance of these devices have been studied. The 30sec 300 °C PMA in N 2 ambient is found to improve the quality of the Al 2 O 3 /n-GaSb interface. After PMA, for a device with a gate length of 2µm, a maximum drive current of 10.8 mA/mm, and an I on /I off ratio of 2×103 are achieved.

In this paper, a novel InGaAs metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) radio frequency (RF) switch device is demonstrated. The MOSFET RF switch device with 0.3 µm gate length and 10 nm Al 2 O 3 as gate dielectric shows insertion loss of 0.3 dB and isolation of more than 50 dB. A maximum drain current of 250 mA/mm, a peak transconductance of 370 mS/mm, a turn-on resistance of 2.4 O·mm and a drain current on-off (I on /I off ) ratio of over 1×106 are obtained. The small signal models of this MOSFET switch device are also described. Excellent agreement between measured and simulated demonstrates the validity of this model.

A method of surface roughening is introduced to the InGaN/GaN LED chip fabrication process by self-assembled Ag nano-particles. 10nm silver film is deposited by E-beam evaporation (EBV) on SiN x passivation layer and the silver nano-scale particles self-assemble after 400°C Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA), which are used as the mask for SiN x Reactive Ion Etching (RIE), and the surface roughness varies with different duration of etching. Test results show that it's easy and effective to achieve the light output promotion; after RTA for 3min and RIE for 3min, the light output (LOP) is increased by 77.6% under 20mA injection current.

Modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) coupled with helium turbine is considered as one of the leading candidates for future nuclear power plants. This paper analyzes the thermodynamic process of the precooled, intercooled and regenerated HTGR gas turbine cycle, presents the effects of various parameters on the efficiency, and derives an optimum pressure ratio. In addition, the turbine cascades performances of different working fluids, say helium and air, are numerically simulated with CFD software. Comparisons between the two cascades are made in this paper.Copyright © 2006 by ASME