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There are no validated systems for characterizing long-term risk of severe sepsis in community-dwelling adults. We tested the ability of the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke-Severe Sepsis Risk Score (REGARDS-SSRS) to predict 10-year severe sepsis risk in separate cohorts of community-dwelling adults. We internally tested the REGARDS-SSRS on the REGARDS-Medicare subcohort. We then externally validated the REGARDS-SSRS using (1) the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and (2) the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohorts. Participants included community-dwelling adults: REGARDS-Medicare, age ≥65 years, n = 9522; CHS, age ≥65 years, n = 5888; ARIC, age 45⁻64 years, n = 11,584. The primary exposure was 10-year severe sepsis risk, predicted by the REGARDS-SSRS from participant sociodemographics, health behaviors, chronic medical conditions and select biomarkers. The primary outcome was first severe sepsis hospitalizations, defined as the concurrent presence of ICD-9 discharge diagnoses for a serious infection and organ dysfunction. Median SSRS in the cohorts were: REGARDS-Medicare 11 points (IQR 7⁻16), CHS 10 (IQR 6⁻15), ARIC 7 (IQR 5⁻10). Severe sepsis incidence rates were: REGARDS-Medicare 30.7 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 29.2⁻32.2); CHS 11.9 (10.9⁻12.9); ARIC 6.8 (6.3⁻7.3). SSRS discrimination for first severe sepsis events were: REGARDS-Medicare C-statistic 0.704 (95% CI: 0.691⁻0.718), CHS 0.696 (0.675⁻0.716), ARIC 0.697 (0.677⁻0.716). The REGARDS-SRSS may potentially play a role in identifying community-dwelling adults at high severe sepsis risk.

Theoretical investigation of the reaction of graft maleimide to polyethylene in the UV radiation cross-linking process is accomplished at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level for high-voltage cable insulation materials. The reaction potential energy surface of the nine reaction channels is identified. The results show that the N,N′-ethylenedimaleimide can connect two 4-methylheptane molecules and act as the cross-linking agent. The calculated reaction potential barrier of forming 4-methylheptane radical by maleimide is higher than that of maleic anhydride. The study is expected to provide a basis for optimizing the UV radiation cross-linking polyethylene process and development more than 500 kV high-voltage cable insulation materials in practical applications.

Researches of the theories and application of polymer composites with nonlinear conductivity are useful for dealing with the nonuniform electrical fields widely existing in the cable accessory insulation. In the present work, we fabricated CCTO (CaCu3Ti4O12)/EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) composites and investigated their breakdown strength, dielectric and nonlinear conductivity properties in detail; the microstructures of fillers and composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction. CCTO particles are uniformly dispersed in CCTO/EPDM composites, and the composites showed nonlinear conductivity with electric field changes. When the CCTO particle content is low, the conductivity of CCTO/EPDM composites does not present obvious nonlinearity. However, when CCTO content exceeds 2 vol %, the conductivity experiences a nonlinear change with increasing electric field strength and the threshold field (Eth) of nonlinear conductivity declines with the increase of CCTO contents. In addition, it can be found from experiment and simulation results that 8 vol % CCTO/EPDM exhibit significant nonlinear conductivity and dielectric properties as expected, and homogenizing the electrical field much more effectively. Therefore, this paper offers a preliminary discussion about the variation trend of nonlinear conductivity CCTO/EDPM composites, providing an effective reference to solve the application of nonlinear conductivity materials for cable accessories.

Involvement of the renal parenchyma in the acute phase of brucellosis is very rare. Only two cases of renal brucelloma have been reported in the English language literature to date. We report a case of renal abscess caused by Brucella in the acute phase. A 45-year-old Chinese man presented with a high fever, urine occult blood, and a low density lesion in the right kidney. Ultrasound-guided aspiration was done. Brucella melitensis was isolated from both blood and puncture fluid culture. Minocycline combined with moxifloxacin was prescribed for 4 months. The infection relapsed at 6 months after discontinuation. Minocycline combined with rifampin was administered for another 2 months. The brucellosis had not relapsed at more than 20 months later. It is possible to cure renal brucelloma with antibiotics and ultrasound-guided aspiration. Treatment should not be discontinued until the abscess has disappeared and two consecutive blood cultures taken 1 month apart are negative.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumour activities and genotoxic effects of isoliquiritigenin (ISL) combined with cyclophosphamide (CP) in vitro and in vivo. U14 cells were treated with either of ISL (5–25 μg/mL) or CP (0.25–1.25 mg/mL) alone or with combination of ISL (5–25 μg/mL) and CP (1.0 mg/mL) for 48 h. The proliferation inhibitory effect in vitro was evaluated by MTT and colony formation assays. KM mice bearing U14 mouse cervical cancer cells were used to estimate the antitumour activity in vivo. The genotoxic activity in bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes was assayed by frequency of micronuclei. The DNA damage in peripheral white blood cells was assayed by single cell gel electrophoresis. The results showed that ISL enhanced antitumour activity of CP in vitro and in vivo, and decreased the micronucleus formation in polychromatic erythrocytes and DNA strand breaks in white blood cells in a dose-dependent way.

The importance of self-regulation in e-learning has been well noted in research. Relevant studies have shown a consistent positive correlation between learners’ self-regulation and their success rate in e-learning. Increasing attention has been paid to developing learners’ self-regulated abilities in e-learning. For students, what and how to learn are largely predetermined by the learning environment provided by their institutions. Environmental determinants play a key role in shaping self-regulation in the learning process. This paper reports a study on the influences of the e-learning 2.0 environment on self-regulation. The study identified the factors that influence self-regulation in such an environment and determine the relationships between the factors and self-regulation. A theoretical model to categorize the success factors for self-regulated learning was proposed for this kind of environment. Based on the model, a questionnaire was designed and administered to more than two hundred and fifty distance learning students in Beijing and Hong Kong. Through structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, relationships between environmental factors and self-regulation were analyzed. Statistical results showed that several factors affect self-regulation in the e-learning 2.0 environment. They include system quality, information quality, service quality, and user satisfaction. L’importance de la maîtrise de soi en cyberapprentissage a été bien étudiée. Les études pertinentes ont démontré une corrélation positive uniforme entre la maîtrise de soi des apprenants et leurs taux de réussite en apprentissage en ligne. Une attention croissante a été portée au développement des aptitudes de maîtrise de soi des élèves en cyberapprentissage. Pour les élèves, quoi apprendre et comment sont des questions principalement prédéterminées par l’environnement d’apprentissage qu’offrent leurs établissements. Les déterminants environnementaux jouent un rôle clé pour modeler la maîtrise de soi dans le processus d’apprentissage. Cet article rapporte une étude sur les influences de l’environnement de cyberapprentissage 2.0 sur la maîtrise de soi. L’étude a cerné les facteurs qui, dans un tel environnement, influencent la maîtrise de soi et déterminent les relations entre les facteurs et la maîtrise de soi. Un modèle théorique de catégorisation des facteurs de réussite pour l’apprentissage autogéré a été proposé pour ce type d’environnement. Un questionnaire a été conçu selon ce modèle et plus de deux cent cinquante élèves en téléapprentissage à Beijing et à Hong Kong y ont répondu. À l’aide d’une technique de modélisation par équation structurelle, les relations entre les facteurs environnementaux et l’autogestion ont été analysées. Les résultats statistiques ont démontré que plusieurs facteurs affectent l’autogestion dans l’environnement de cyberapprentissage 2.0. Ceux-ci comprennent la qualité du système, la qualité de l’information, la qualité du service et la satisfaction de l’usager.

OBJECTIVES:To analyze the occurrence, risk factors, treatment and prognosis of postoperative pleural effusion after spinal deformity correction surgery. METHODS:The clinical and imaging data of 3325 patients undergoing spinal deformity correction were collected from the database of our hospital. We analyzed the therapeutic process of the 28 patients who had postoperative pleural effusion, and we identified the potential risk factors using logistic regression. RESULTS:Among the 28 patients with postoperative pleural effusion, 24 (85.7%) suffered from hemothorax, 2 (7.1%) from chylothorax, and 2 (7.1%) from subarachnoid-pleural fistula. The pleural effusion occurred on the convex side in 19 patients (67.9%), on the concave side in 4 patients (14.3%), and on both sides in 4 patients (14.3%). One patient with left hemothorax was diagnosed with kyphosis. The treatment included conservative clinical observation for 5 patients and chest tube drainage for 23 patients. One patient also underwent thoracic duct ligation and pleurodesis. All of these treatments were successful. Logistic regression analysis showed that adult patients(≥18 years old), congenital scoliosis, osteotomy and thoracoplasty were risk factors for postoperative pleural effusion in spinal deformity correction surgery. CONCLUSIONS:The incidence of postoperative pleural effusion in spinal deformity correction surgery was approximately 0.84% (28/3325), and hemothorax was the most common type. Chest tube drainage treatment was usually successful, and the prognosis was good. Adult patients(≥18 years old), congenital scoliosis, and had undergone osteotomy or surgery with thoracoplasty were more likely to suffer from postoperative pleural effusion.

The unique characteristics of wireless sensor networks make them susceptible to the attacks. The secure scheme is considered in designing the routing protocol and algorithm. The cryptography and authentication secure technology can defend the external attacks but have no way to protect the network when the internal attacks occur. However, the trust management scheme with attack-resistance and robustness can efficiently detect the internal attack. On the condition of defending the attacks, it is also an issue that the trust management scheme aids routing algorithm to improve the security and performance. In this paper, we proposed a Trusted Tree-based trust management for secure routing in wireless sensor networks. The common attacks are firstly analyzed. And then the dynamic time window is designed in the distributed trust model with the detection of direct trust and indirect trust. Based on the trusted nodes, Trusted Tree is constructed. And the path quality of nodes in Trusted Tree is used as the gradient for routing. Finally, we add Trusted Tree-based trust management into the QoS based routing protocol and algorithm. Experimental results show that the QoS based routing algorithm with Trusted Tree has better performance and security.

Although Myanmar is among the world’s oldest oil-producing countries, Chinese oil and gas companies did not start their oil and gas exploration projects there until recently. The most recent and significant China–Myanmar energy cooperation project is the oil and gas pipelines which got started in 2009. This paper will discuss the reasons and driving forces for this pipeline project and its broader objectives, and testify whether pipelines can deepen regional economic integration and strengthen bilateral relations. This paper concludes by saying that China might use the China–Myanmar pipeline construction as an opportunity to play a more constructive role in Myanmar’s domestic reforms, thus improving its image in Southeast Asia and strengthening its relations with Myanmar.

In this report, we present a new method for visual detection of Pb2+. Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were synthesized in one step at room temperature, using gallic acid (GA) as reducer and stabilizer. Pb2+ is added during the gold nanoparticle formation. Analysis of Pb2+ is conducted by a dual strategy, namely, colorimetry and spectrometry. During Au-NPs synthesis, addition of Pb2+ would lead to formation of Pb-GA complex, which can induce the aggregation of newly-formed small unstable gold nanoclusters. Consequently, colorimetric detection of trace Pb2+ can be realized. As the Pb2+ concentration increases, the color turns from red-wine to purple, and finally blue. This method offers a sensitive linear correlation between the shift of the absorption band (Δλ) and logarithm of Pb2+ concentration ranging from 5.0 × 10−8 to 1.0 × 10−6 M with a linear fit coefficient of 0.998, and a high selectivity for Pb2+ detection with a low detection limit down to 2.5 × 10−8 M.

Soil moisture is an essential variable in Earth surface modeling. Two dedicated satellite missions, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), are currently in operation to map the global distribution of soil moisture. However, at the longer L-band wavelength of these satellites, the emitting behavior of the land becomes very complex due to the unknown deeper penetration depth. This complexity leads to more uncertainty in calibration and validation of satellite soil moisture product and their applications. In the framework of zeroth-order incoherent microwave radiative transfer model, the soil effective temperature is the only component that contains depth information and thus provides the necessary link to quantify the penetration depth. By means of the multi-layer soil effective temperature (Lv’s T e f f ) scheme, we have determined the relationship between the penetration depth and soil effective temperature and verified it against field observations at the Maqu Network. The key findings are that the penetration depth can be estimated according to Lv’s T e f f scheme with the assumption of linear soil temperature gradient along the optical depth; and conversely, the soil temperature at the penetration depth should be equal to the soil effective temperature with the same linear assumption. The accuracy of this inference depends on to what extent the assumption of linear soil temperature gradient is satisfied. The result of this study is expected to advance understanding of the soil moisture products retrieved by SMOS and SMAP and improve the techniques in data assimilation and climate research.

Abstract In the publication of this article [1], there is an error in the Methods section at paragraph Cell culture and reagents and the Additional file2: Fig. S1 was erroneous linked.

We study the impacts of thermal expansion, arising from the asymmetric interparticle potential, on thermal conductance in the FPU-α-β model. A nonmonotonic dependence of the temperature gradient and thermal conductance on the cubic interaction parameter α are shown, which corresponds to the variation of the coefficient of thermal expansion. Three domains with respect to α can be identified. The results are explained based on the detailed analysis of the asymmetry of the interparticle potential. The self-consistent phonon theory, which can capture the effect of thermal expansion, is developed to support our explanation in a quantitative way. Our result would be helpful to understand the issue that whether there exist normal thermal conduction in the FPU-α-β model.

The effect of different cropping systems on CO2 fixation by soil microorganisms was studied by comparing soils from three exemplary cropping systems: continuous cropping of paddy rice (rice-rice), rotation of paddy rice and rapeseed (rice-rapeseed), and rotated cropping of rapeseed and corn (rapeseed-corn). Soils from different cropping systems were continuously labeling with 14C-CO2 for 110 days. The CO2-fixing bacterial communities were investigated by analyzing the cbbL gene encoding ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (RubisCO). Abundance, diversity and activity of cbbL-carrying bacteria were analyzed by quantitative PCR, cbbL clone libraries and enzyme assays. After 110 days incubation, substantial amounts of 14C-CO2 were incorporated into soil organic carbon (14C-SOC) and microbial organic carbon (14C-MBC). Rice-rice rotated soil showed stronger incorporation rates when looking at 14C-SOC and 14C-MBC contents. These differences in incorporation rates were also reflected by RubisCO activities. 14C-MBC, cbbL gene abundances and RubisCO activity were found to correlate significantly with 14C-SOC, indicating cbbL-carrying bacteria to be key players for CO2 fixation in these soils. The analysis of clone libraries revealed distinct cbbL-carrying bacterial communities for the individual soils analyzed. Most of the identified operational taxonomic units (OTU) were related to Nitrobacter hamburgensis, Methylibium petroleiphilum, Rhodoblastus acidophilus, Bradyrhizobium, Cupriavidus metallidurans, Rubrivivax, Burkholderia, stappia and Thiobacillus thiophilus. OTUs related to Rubrivivax gelatinosus were specific for rice-rice soil. OTUs linked to Methylibium petroleiphilum were exclusively found in rice-rapeseed soil. Observed differences could be linked to differences in soil parameters such as SOC. We conclude that the long-term application of cropping systems alters underlying soil parameters, which in turn selects for distinct autotrophic communities.

Lysine acetylation has recently emerged as an important post-translational modification in diverse organisms, but relatively little is known about its roles in mammalian development and stem cells. Bromodomain- and PHD finger-containing protein 1 (BRPF1) is a multidomain histone binder and a master activator of three lysine acetyltransferases, MOZ, MORF and HBO1, which are also known as KAT6A, KAT6B and KAT7, respectively. While the MOZ and MORF genes are rearranged in leukemia, the MORF gene is also mutated in prostate and other cancers and in four genetic disorders with intellectual disability. Here we show that forebrain-specific inactivation of the mouse Brpf1 gene causes hypoplasia in the dentate gyrus, including underdevelopment of the suprapyramidal blade and complete loss of the infrapyramidal blade. We trace the developmental origin to compromised Sox2+ neural stem cells and Tbr2+ intermediate neuronal progenitors. We further demonstrate that Brpf1 loss deregulates neuronal migration, cell cycle progression and transcriptional control, thereby causing abnormal morphogenesis of the hippocampus. These results link histone binding and acetylation control to hippocampus development and identify an important epigenetic regulator for patterning the dentate gyrus, a brain structure critical for learning, memory and adult neurogenesis.

Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies, such as 454-pyrosequencing, allow for the identification of variants in sequence populations at lower levels than consensus sequencing and most single-template Sanger sequencing experiments. We sought to determine if the greater depth of population sampling attainable using MPS technology would allow detection of minor variants in HIV founder virus populations very early in infection in instances where Sanger sequencing detects only a single variant. We compared single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) during acute HIV-1 infection from 32 subjects using both single template Sanger and 454-pyrosequencing. Pyrosequences from a median of 2400 viral templates per subject and encompassing 40% of the HIV-1 genome, were compared to a median of five individually amplified near full-length viral genomes sequenced using Sanger technology. There was no difference in the consensus nucleotide sequences over the 3.6kb compared in 84% of the subjects infected with single founders and 33% of subjects infected with multiple founder variants: among the subjects with disagreements, mismatches were found in less than 1% of the sites evaluated (of a total of nearly 117,000 sites across all subjects). The majority of the SNPs observed only in pyrosequences were present at less than 2% of the subject's viral sequence population. These results demonstrate the utility of the Sanger approach for study of early HIV infection and provide guidance regarding the design, utility and limitations of population sequencing from variable template sources, and emphasize parameters for improving the interpretation of massively parallel sequencing data to address important questions regarding target sequence evolution.

Flavonoids are important components of 'functional foods', with beneficial effects on cardiovascular function. The present study was designed to investigate whether licochalcone D (LD) could be a cardioprotective agent in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and to shed light on its possible mechanism. Compared with the I/R group, LD treatment enhanced myocardial function (increased LVDP, dp/dtmax, dp/dtmin, HR and CR) and suppressed cardiac injury (decreased LDH, CK and myocardial infarct size). Moreover, LD treatment reversed the I/R-induced cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP, resulting in a significant decrease in proinflammatory factors and an increase in antioxidant capacity in I/R myocardial tissue. The mechanisms underlying the antiapoptosis, antiinflammation and antioxidant effects were related to the activation of the AKT pathway and to the blockage of the NF-κB/p65 and p38 MAPK pathways in the I/R-injured heart. Additionally, LD treatment markedly activated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and reduced nitric oxide (NO) production. The findings indicated that LD had real cardioprotective potential and provided support for the use of LD in myocardial I/R injury.

We present two methods to extract the chemical potentials of quarks in high energy collisions. The first method is based on the ratios of negatively/positively charged particles, and the temperatures extracted from the transverse momentum spectra of related hadrons are needed. The second method is based on the chemical potentials of some particles, and we also need the transverse momentum spectra of related hadrons. To extract the quark chemical potentials, we would like to propose experimental collaborations to measure simultaneously not only the transverse momentum spectra of p-, p, K-, K+, π-, and π+, but also those of D-, D+, B-, and B+ (even those of Δ++, Δ-, and Ω-) in high energy nuclear collisions.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements define a subgroup of lung cancer which is eligible to targeted kinase inhibition. The aim of this study is to observe the incidence rate of ALK fusion in a large cohort of Chinese digestive tract cancer patients.Tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed from 808 digestive tract cancer cases, including 169 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 182 gastric cancer and 457 colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. We tested all cases for ALK expression via a fully automated immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. The IHC-positive cases were subjected to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), target gene enrichment and sequencing for confirmation of ALK gene rearrangement and discovery of novel fusion partner.Among the tested cases, 2 (0.44%) CRC cases showed positive both by IHC and FISH. By qRT-PCR, EML4-ALK fusion was found in one IHC-positive CRC case. In another IHC-positive CRC case, target gene enrichment and sequencing revealed ALK was fused to a novel partner, spectrin beta non-erythrocytic 1 (SPTBN1). One gastric cancer case showed partially positive IHC result, but no fusion was found by FISH and gene sequencing.The incidence rate of ALK gene fusion in Chinese CRC patients was 0.44%,but not detectable in gastric and esophageal cancers. The novel SPTBN1 -ALK fusion, together with other ALK fusion genes, may become a potential target for anti-ALK therapy.

Aims. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) and corticosteroids in inducing remission in pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD) and the effects of the treatment on growth improvements. Methods. Data was retrospectively collected for children and adolescents newly diagnosed with CD in a referral center. Patients who were followed up for more than 2 months with mild to moderate disease were included. Basic demographics, history, physical examination, the pediatric Crohn disease activity index (PCDAI), laboratory findings, endoscopic findings, and adverse effects were recorded. Remission was defined as PCDAI < 10 points. Results. Ten subjects received EEN and 18 patients received corticosteroids. The median follow-up in EEN group and steroid group was 9.2 weeks and 9.6 weeks, respectively. The remission rate in EEN group was significantly higher than that in steroid group (90.0% versus 50.0%, resp., P

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important member of the cytokine superfamily, exerting pleiotropic actions on many physiological processes. Over-production of IL-6 is a hallmark of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as Castleman's Disease (CD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Antagonism of the interleukin IL-6/IL-6 receptor (IL-6R)/gp130 signaling complex continues to show promise as a therapeutic target. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against components of this complex have been approved as therapeutics for both CD and RA. To potentially provide an additional modality to antagonize IL-6 induced pathophysiology, a peptide-based antagonist approach was undertaken. Using a combination of molecular design, phage-display, and medicinal chemistry, disulfide-rich peptides (DRPs) directed against IL-6 were developed with low nanomolar potency in inhibiting IL-6-induced pSTAT3 in U937 monocytic cells. Targeted PEGylation of IL-6 binding peptides resulted in molecules that retained their potency against IL-6 and had a prolongation of their pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles in rodents and monkeys. One such peptide, PN-2921, contained a 40 kDa polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety and inhibited IL-6-induced pSTAT3 in U937 cells with sub-nM potency and possessed 23, 36, and 59 h PK half-life values in mice, rats, and cynomolgus monkeys, respectively. Parenteral administration of PN-2921 to mice and cynomolgus monkeys potently inhibited IL-6-induced biomarker responses, with significant reductions in the acute inflammatory phase proteins, serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP). This potent, PEGylated IL-6 binding peptide offers a new approach to antagonize IL-6-induced signaling and associated pathophysiology.

Poor performance and network congestion are commonly observed in the streaming media single server system. This paper proposes a scheme to construct a streaming media server cluster system based on FFMpeg. In this scheme, different users are distributed to different servers according to their locations and the balance among servers is maintained by the dynamic load-balancing algorithm based on active feedback. Furthermore, a service redirection algorithm is proposed to improve the transmission efficiency of streaming media data. The experiment results show that the server cluster system has significantly alleviated the network congestion and improved the performance in comparison with the single server system.

Vibrio vulnificus is a common gram-negative bacterium, which might cause morbidity and mortality in patients following consumption of seafood or exposure to seawater in Southeast China. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of patients with laboratory confirmed V. vulnificus infection. Twenty one patients were divided into a survival group and a non-surviving (or death) group according to their clinical outcome. Clinical data and measurements were statistically analyzed. Four patients (19.05%) died and five patients gave positive cultures from bile fluid, and 16 other patients gave positive culture from blood or blisters. Ten patients (47.62%) had an underlying liver disease and marine-related events were found in sixteen patients (76.2%). Patients with heavy drinking habits might be at increased mortality (p = 0.028). Clinical manifestations of cellulitis (47.6%), septic shock (42.9%) and multiple organ failure (28.6%) were statistically significant when comparing survivors and non-survivors (p = 0.035, p = 0.021 and p = 0.003, respectively). The laboratory results, including hemoglobin < 9.0 g/L (p = 0.012), platelets < 2.0 × 109 /L, prothrombin time activity (PTA)

It is well known that chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of hepatitis B virus (HBV) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the causes behind aberrant expression of inflammation-related genes occurred in HCC remain unclear.We performed array-based analyses to comprehensively investigate the contributions of DNA methylation and somatic copy number aberration (SCNA) to the aberrant expression of 1,027 inflammation-related genes in 30 HCCs and paired non-tumor tissues. The results were validated in public datasets and an additional sample set of 47 paired HCCs and non-tumor tissues.We identified 252 differentially expressed, 125 aberrantly methylated and 287 copy number changed inflammation-related genes. Despite reasonable statistical power, among them, only 11 genes and 56 genes whose aberrant expression was associated with DNA methylation or SCNA, respectively. DNA methylation and SCNA together contributed to less than 30% aberrant expression of inflammation-related genes.These results suggest that molecular mechanisms other than DNA methylation and SCNA might play major role in the regulation of aberrant expression of inflammation-related gene in HBV-related HCCs.

The definite prognostic role of p-STAT3 has not been well defined. We performed a meta-analysis evaluating the prognostic role of p-STAT3 expression in patients with digestive system cancers.We searched the available articles reporting the prognostic value of p-STAT3 in patients with cancers of the digestive system, mainly including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, esophagus cancer and pancreatic cancer. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were used to assess the prognostic role of p-STAT3 expression level in cancer tissues. And the association between p-STAT3 expression and clinicopathological characteristics was evaluated.A total of 22 studies with 3585 patients were finally enrolled in the meta-analysis. The results showed that elevated p-STAT3 expression level predicted inferior OS (HR = 1.809, 95% CI: 1.442-2.270, P < 0.001) and DFS (HR = 1.481, 95% CI: 1.028-2.133, P = 0.035) in patients with malignant cancers of the digestive system. Increased expression of p-STAT3 is significantly related with tumor cell differentiation (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.895, 95% CI: 1.364-2.632, P < 0.001) and lymph node metastases (OR = 2.108, 95% CI: 1.104-4.024, P = 0.024). Sensitivity analysis suggested that the pooled HR was stable and omitting a single study did not change the significance of the pooled HR. Funnel plots and Egger's tests revealed there was no significant publication bias in the meta-analysis.Phospho-STAT3 might be a prognostic factor of patients with digestive system cancers. More well designed studies with adequate follow-up are needed to gain a thorough understanding of the prognostic role of p-STAT3.

Breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) may experience musculoskeletal adverse events (MS-AEs). Several studies have confirmed that the RANKL/RANK/OPG signaling pathway plays a dominant role in bone health. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between the serum levels of RANKL, OPG and their SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) with AI-related MS-AEs.Patients with early stage, hormone-sensitive breast cancer who were receiving AI therapy were enrolled. We included 208 cases with AI-related MS-AEs and 212 without (controls). The levels of estradiol, bone-turnover markers, multiple inflammatory cytokines, RANKL,OPG and lumbar spine BMD were measured, and questionnaires were completed. We analyzed 29 SNPs of RANKL, RANK and OPG using Sequenom MassARRAY assays and PCR-based TaqMan assays. The levels of bone-turnover markers and RANKL and the ratio of RANKL/OPG were higher in patients with AI-related MS-AEs than controls (all p < 0.05). A genetic assay showed that the RANKL SNP rs7984870 and OPG SNP rs2073618 were associated with AI-related MS-AEs. In patients with AI-related MS-AEs, rs7984870 CC and rs2073618 CC were risk genotypes. Carriers of the rs7984870 CC genotype were more likely to have a higher RANKL level and RANKL/OPG ratio than carriers of the GG genotype, and carriers of the rs2073618 CC genotype were more likely to have a lower OPG level and a higher RANKL/OPG ratio than carriers of the GG genotype (all p < 0.05). Moreover, risk genotypes were associated with higher levels of serum CTX and PINP and a lower lumbar spine BMD (all p < 0.05).In conclusion, the RANKL and OPG risk genotypes synergize to negatively impact bone health and predispose breast cancer patients to AI-related MS-AEs.

Metarhizium robertsii is a plant root colonizing fungus that is also an insect pathogen. Its entomopathogenicity is a characteristic that was acquired during evolution from a plant endophyte ancestor. This transition provides a novel perspective on how new functional mechanisms important for host switching and virulence have evolved. From a random T-DNA insertion library, we obtained a pathogenicity defective mutant that resulted from the disruption of a sterol carrier gene (Mr-npc2a). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Metarhizium acquired Mr-npc2a from an insect by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Mr-NPC2a binds to cholesterol, an animal sterol, rather than the fungal sterol ergosterol, indicating it retains the specificity of insect NPC2 proteins. Mr-NPC2a is an intracellular protein and is exclusively expressed in the hemolymph of living insects. The disruption of Mr-npc2a reduced the amount of sterol in cell membranes of the yeast-like hyphal bodies that facilitate dispersal in the host body. These were consequently more susceptible to insect immune responses than the wild type. Transgenic expression of Mr-NPC2a increased the virulence of Beauveria bassiana, an endophytic insect-pathogenic fungus that lacks a Mr-NPC2a homolog.

Given its importance, the problem of secure data aggregation in wireless multimedia sensor networks has attracted great attention in the literature. Wireless multimedia sensor networks present some challenges that are common to wireless sensor networks, such as the existence of limited resources, like sensors memory, energy consumption, and CPU performance. Many methods have been proposed to attempt to solve the problem. However, the existing data aggregations do not take into account the redundancy of the multimedia data. In order to improve the energy efficiency for multimedia data, we propose a similarity model and power model. The proposal scheme divides multimedia data into multiple different pieces, and transmits the effective pieces to the selected sensor nodes. Through theoretical justifications and empirical studies, we demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves substantially superior performances over conventional methods in terms of energy efficiency and data transmission under the resource-constrained wireless multimedia sensor networks.

In the framework of a multisource thermal model, the transverse momentum distributions of charged particles produced in nucleus-nucleus (A-A) and deuteron-nucleus (d-A) collisions at relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) energies are investigated by a two-component revised Boltzmann distribution. The calculated results are in agreement with the PHENIX experimental data. It is found that the source temperature increases obviously with increase of the particle mass and incident energy, but it does not show an obvious change with the collision centrality. Then, the values of chemical potentials for up, down, and strange quarks can be obtained from the antiparticle to particle yield ratios in a wide transverse momentum range. The relationship between the chemical potentials of quarks and the transverse momentum with different centralities is investigated, too.

Na+,K+/H+ antiporters are H+-coupled cotransporters that are crucial for cellular homeostasis. Populus euphratica, a well-known tree halophyte, contains six Na+/H+ antiporter genes (PeNHX1-6) that have been shown to function in salt tolerance. However, the catalytic mechanisms governing their ion transport remain largely unknown. Using the crystal structure of the Na+/H+ antiporter from the Escherichia coli (EcNhaA) as a template, we built the three-dimensional structure of PeNHX3 from P. euphratica. The PeNHX3 model displays the typical TM4-TM11 assembly that is critical for ion binding and translocation. The PeNHX3 structure follows the 'positive-inside' rule and exhibits a typical physicochemical property of the transporter proteins. Four conserved residues, including Tyr149, Asn187, Asp188, and Arg356, are indentified in the TM4-TM11 assembly region of PeNHX3. Mutagenesis analysis showed that these reserved residues were essential for the function of PeNHX3: Asn187 and Asp188 (forming a ND motif) controlled ion binding and translocation, and Tyr149 and Arg356 compensated helix dipoles in the TM4-TM11 assembly. PeNHX3 mediated Na+, K+ and Li+ transport in a yeast growth assay. Domain-switch analysis shows that TM11 is crucial to Li+ transport. The novel features of PeNHX3 in ion binding and translocation are discussed.

No recent studies have analyzed the rates of or reasons for unanticipated revision surgery within 30 days of primary surgery in spinal deformity patients. Our aim was to examine the incidence, characteristics, reasons, and risk factors for unplanned revision surgery in spinal deformity patients treated at one institution. All patients with a diagnosis of spinal deformity presenting for primary instrumented spinal fusion at a single institution from 1998 to 2012 were reviewed. All unplanned reoperations performed within 30 days after primary surgery were analyzed in terms of demographics, surgical data, and complications. Statistical analyses were performed to obtain correlations and risk factors for anticipated revision. Of 2758 patients [aged 16.07 years (range, 2-71), 69.8% female] who underwent spinal fusion surgery, 59 (2.1%) required reoperation within 30 days after primary surgery. The length of follow up for each patient was more than 30 days. Of those that required reoperation, 87.0% had posterior surgery only, 5.7% had anterior surgery, and 7.3% underwent an anteroposterior approach. The reasons for reoperation included implant failure (n = 20), wound infection (n = 12), neurologic deficit (n = 9), pulmonary complications (n = 17), and coronal plane imbalance (n = 1). The risk factors for reoperation were age, diagnosis, and surgical procedure with osteotomy.

Cultivars of rice (Oryza sativa L.), especially of the type with large spikelets, often fail to reach the yield potential as expected due to the poor grain-filling on the later flowering inferior spikelets (in contrast to the earlier-flowering superior spikelets). The present study showed that the size and grain weight of superior spikelets (SS) was greater than those of inferior spikelets (IS), and the carbohydrate supply should not be the major problem for the poor grain-filling because there was adequate amount of sucrose in IS at the initial grain-filling stage. High resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in combination with Coomassie-brilliant blue (CBB) and Pro-Q Diamond phosphoprotein fluorescence stain revealed that 123 proteins in abundance and 43 phosphoproteins generated from phosphorylation were significantly different between SS and IS. These proteins and phosphoproteins were involved in different cellular and metabolic processes with a prominently functional skew toward metabolism and protein synthesis/destination. Expression analyses of the proteins and phosphoproteins associated with different functional categories/subcategories indicated that the starch synthesis, central carbon metabolism, N metabolism and cell growth/division were closely related to the poor grain-filling of IS. Functional and expression pattern studies also suggested that 14-3-3 proteins played important roles in IS poor grain-filling by regulating the activity of starch synthesis enzymes. The proteome and phosphoproteome obtained from this study provided a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of the IS poor grain-filling. They were also expected to be highly useful for improving the grain filling of rice.