Search

Background Sexual frequency is associated with the quality of life. China’s internal migrants that are sexually active are more likely to participate in sexual behavior. However, less work has been undertaken to assess the sexual frequency and its predictors in migrants. Aim This study seeks to explore which factors were related to sexual frequency in migrants and how the association varies with different levels of sexual frequency. Methods A total of 10,834 men and 4,928 women aged 20–49 years from 5 cities in China were enrolled by multi-stage sampling during August 2013–August 2015. Outcomes Sexual frequency among migrants was determined by asking: How many times have you had sexual intercourse with a man/woman in the past 30 days? Results In this study, sexual frequency with an average age of 38.28 years was 5.06 (95% CI 5.01–5.11) time per month. Negative binomial showed that male gender, younger age, earlier age of sexual debut, masturbation, more knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, longer time together with a spouse, and higher school education and incomes were predictors of increased sexual frequency in migrants. Communicating with sexual partners frequently had the largest effect on sexual frequency compared with occasional communicating (β = 0.2419, incidence rate ratio = 1.27, 95% CI 1.23–1.31). In the quantile regression, months of cohabitation (β = 0.0999, 95% CI 0.08–0.12), frequent sexual communication (β = 0.4534, 95% CI 0.39–0.52), and masturbation (β = 0.2168, 95% CI 0.14–0.30) were positively related to lower levels of sexual frequency. Interestingly, migrants who had low and high sexual frequency would be affected in opposite directions by the knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Clinical Translation Clinicians can more understand the relationship between sexual frequency and its factors that can as the symptom basis of sexually-related diseases. Conclusions The present findings indicate that specific demographic, socioeconomic, and epidemiological characteristics influenced sexual frequency among migrants. Sexual communication as the largest effect predictor to sexual frequency should be paid more attention to, to improve sexual activity of migrants.

In this paper, the flow ripple equation is derived to analyze the effect of working condition on pressure pulsations of an internal gear pump. Results indicate that working pressure has a significant effect on pressure fluctuation of the internal gear pump, while the rotating speed has a complex influence on the pressure pulsation behavior. Then, pressure pulsations of the internal gear pump under different working conditions are discussed by experimental investigations. Results show that the internal gear pump taken for analysis has a low-pressure pulsation at a high working pressure and a relatively high rotational speed. Regarding the frequency spectrum of the pressure pulsation, the dominant frequency is Z* fn, i.e. the product of the tooth number of the driving gear (gear shaft) and its rotational frequency for many working conditions, caused by the inevitable unsteady discharge process of gear pumps. It transforms to the rotational frequency of the gear shaft ( fn) for a high rotational speed or a high operating pressure, but to the rotating frequency of the internal gear ring (2/3 fn) only for a high operating pressure. The occurrence of the two frequencies (2/3 fn and fn) may result from the deformation of the gear ring and the gear shaft under the unbalanced radial forces caused by a high working pressure. Moreover, the frequency spectrum of the inlet pressure pulsation presents some differences from that of the outlet pressure pulsation. This is because the inlet pressure may be influenced by cavity generated at the suction side of the pump.

Friction is common in human’s daily life and production that may be either detrimental or beneficial. The friction law at microscale or even smaller scales nevertheless is lacking. In the present work, on the basis of JKR model for adhesive contact and by analogy with the emission of dislocations at a crack tip, the critical tangential force has been obtained for the onset of sliding. When the tangential force in adhesive contact induces a torque at the interface, a mechanical model for rolling adhesion has been presented on the basis of the assumption that it is governed by adhesion hysteresis. The critical torque and tangential force for rolling onset have been determined, which may be taken as measure for the rolling friction force. Comparisons with relevant experiments and models have been made to support the present concept. A kind of friction duality in small sized particles can thus be predicted.

Background Genital tract infections with ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and chlamydia trachomatis (CT) are the most frequent sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The aim of this study is to understand the prevalence of UU and CT among general internal married migrants and to explore some possible influencing factors, so as to provide some evidences for STIs prevention in China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in three cities of China from March 2016 to February 2017. A total of 3180 internal-married migrants were included. The structured questionnaire survey, gynecological or andrology examination and laboratory detection were conducted by the trained research fellow s. The prevalence of UU and CT was laboratory-confirmed in this study. Results The prevalence of laboratory-confirmed UU and CT were 45.41%, 5.75%, respectively. The co-infection rate was 4.09%. The rates of UU and CT of Shanghai participants (54.01%, 7.35%) were the highest, and the lowest were that of Yinchuan (37.74%, 4.52%). In Urumqi, the prevalence of UU and CT were 44.77%, 5.42%, respectively, but it has the highest co-infection rate. The multiple stepwise logistic regressions found that the prevalence of UU among three cities were different, and the male’s UU infection was lower than that of women (OR=0.71, 95%CI:0.61-0.83), and the 20-34 age group participants had lower UU and CT risk, compared with that of 45-49 age group. Moreover, the white-collar workers had lower risk of UU infection (OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.49-0.83), compared with laborer, and using condom could reduce the UU infection (OR=0.74, 95%CI: 0.63-0.87). Compared with urban migrants, the rural participants had higher risk of CT infection (OR=1.68, 95%CI: 1.12-2.52), and sex behavior during menstruation could increase the prevalence of CT (OR=1.49, 95%CI: 1.05-2.11). Conclusion The prevalence of UU and CT were high and the co-infection was also serious among general internal married migrants. More health promotion measures about UU and CT should be taken to help general migrants of China, especially women and those with lower social-economic status (laborers from rural area), risky sexual behaviors such as having sex during menstruation should be warned of and condom-use should be promoted.

The configuration of film-substrate structure is widely involved in many aspects of technologies. To ensure high reliability and sound performance, it is of importance to understand the stress distribution and the adhesion at the interface. In the present work, within mind the film of finite width, a mechanical model has been proposed to analyze the traction at the interface between the film and an elastic substrate that may be subjected to either uniaxial stretching or bending. For incompressible substrates, the problem may be reduced to the solution of singular integral equations of Cauchy type and the tractions at the film’s edges have been revealed to exhibit the square-root singularity. Mode mixity has been calculated. By comparing the strain in the film when the system is subjected to uniaxial stretching with that from experiments on the adhesion between graphene and substrates, an agreement has been found and the implications of the present model in the measurement of adhesion energy have been discussed.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) share common risk factors. We assessed renal function and the prevalence of CKD in patients with PAD and investigated the characteristics of the risk factors for CKD in this population. Renal function of 421 patients with PAD was evaluated. Among the participants, 194 (46.1%) patients had decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The prevalence of CKD was much higher among patients with PAD. Hypertension (odds ratios [ORs] 2.156, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.413-3.289, P < .001), serum uric acid (OR 3.794, 95% CI 2.220-6.450, P < .001), and dyslipidemia (OR 1.755, 95% CI 1.123-2.745, P = .014) were significantly associated with CKD and the independent risk factors for CKD in patients with PAD. CKD is common and has a high prevalence in a population with PAD. Patients with PAD may be considered as a high-risk population for CKD. Recognition and modification of risk factors for CKD might beneficially decrease CKD incidence and improve prognosis in patients with PAD.

Soybean, an important source of many bioactive compounds, is of interest because of the health benefits it confers. We compared the contents of different bioactive components, such as peptides, amino acids, isoflavones, saponins, and oligosaccharides, in five commonly used soymilk types in China, using an amino acid analyzer, high-performance liquid chromatography, and an ultraviolet spectrophotometer. The concentrations of almost all bioactive compounds, except for stachyose and raffinose, were significantly higher in homemade soymilk (HSM) samples than in ready-made soymilk (RSM) samples. HSM created using non-genetically modified soybeans contained the most amino acids (21.7%), water-soluble proteins (25.6%), peptides (11.90%), and water-soluble isoflavones (1175 μg/mL). HSM made using genetically modified soybeans contained the most saponin (36.7 mg/mL). RSM samples contained the most stachyose and raffinose. These findings provide basic information for evaluating the function of soymilk with regard to its bioactive ingredients.

Migraine is a disabling neurovascular disorder, which increases risk of cardiovascular events and is a social burden worldwide. The present first-line anti-migraine medications can cause overwhelming side-effects, of which one includes the onset of cardiovascular disease. As one of the marketed Tibetan drugs, Ru-yi-Zhen-bao Pills (RYZBP) have been clinically used to treat cardiovascular disorders and as anti-migraine medication. However, there is currently no research exploring the anti-migraine actions of RYZBP.The current research was designed to assess the anti-migraine roles of RYZBP and explore the underlying mechanisms in a nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced migraine rat model trial.120 rats were randomly divided into the following six groups of 20 rats each: normal control group, model control group, positive control group, and RYZBP high/medium/low-dose groups (Ru-yi-Zhen-bao Pills; TH 1.00 g/kg, TM 0.50 g/kg and TL 0.25 g/kg). All rats were administered intragastrically for 7 consecutive days, which were subcutaneously injected with the NTG (10 mg/kg) after the last gavage (except in the normal control group). 3min after NTG treatment, 30 rats (5 rats from each group) were anesthetized and devoted to electroencephalogram(EEG) testing, which was used to evaluate the analgesic effect of RYZBP. One hour after NTG treatment, the rest of the 90 rats (15 rats from each group) were anesthetized and midbrain tissue sample was dissected. The dissection was then washed with physiological saline and collected. The histopathological changes in the periaqueductal gray(PAG) of 5 tissue samples were determined by aematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, as well as an estimation of substance P (SP) and neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) expression through immunohistochemically staining(IHC). Another 5 midbrain preparations were carried out to evaluate calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), proenkephalin (PENK), SP, and cholecystokinin (CCK) expressions by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The rest of the 5 brainstem tissues were then used to measure CCK, CGRP, and opioid peptide receptor (DORR) levels by western blotting(WB).In the EEG test, RYZBP (TM 0.50 g / kg) treatment transformed the EEG pain-wave of the NTG-induced migraine model rats in different time period. In the mechanism assay, compared with the model control group, RYZBP pretreatment reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, fibrosis and vacuolation of neuronal cells of PAG tissue seen by HE staining. IHC experiments further showed that RYZBPTM up-regulated SP expression levels and enhanced NK1R levels in the NTG-induced migraine rats (P 0.05). Therapeutic administration of RYZBP also increased PENK mRNA expression and DORR protein level. Both RT-qPCR and western blotting trials indicated that RYZBP treatment significantly decreased CCK and CGRP expression levels (P 0.01 or P 0.05) in the NTG-induced migraine rats.RYZBP has the potential to be an effective anti-migraine treatment through suppressing the EEG pain-wave, increasing the levels of SP, PENK, DORR and reducing expression of CCK and CGRP. Mediating the PAG anti-nociceptive channel and inhibiting central sensitization were the two potential mechanisms, which offers further evidence for clinical therapy.

ObjectiveWith the increased population mobility and the transition in population policy, scholars are quite concerned about family planning/sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and related factors among internal migrant population of reproductive age. Therefore, the proposed study was designed to explore the association between factors related to family planning/SRH and contraceptive use as well as consistent condom use among the above-described population in China.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingThree municipalities in China, namely Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing.ParticipantsAmong the 6545 participants, 2099, 2414 and 2031 subjects came from Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, respectively.ResultsA total of 6545 eligible participants were included as the full sample, 6188 of whom who had intercourse in the last 3 months were selected as the subsample. Among the subsample, 80.88% (5005/6188) adopted any form of contraceptive methods and 49.14% (3041/6188) consistently used condom in the last three sexual intercourses. Meanwhile, the involved participants had a better mastery of knowledge on SRH than on contraception (pConclusionsIn the current study, we revealed a high-level contraceptive prevalence, a relatively low-level consistent condom use and a poor mastery of knowledge on contraception and SRH. The Heckprobit selection model specified the existence of selection bias, providing evidence on the association between the factors on family planning/SRH and contraceptive use as well as consistent condom use, respectively. Our findings indicated that health institutions should offer appropriate technology and high-quality family planning/SRH services for the internal migrant population in China.

Hyperbeanols F-Q, which are twelve undescribed monoterpenoid polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, and four known analogues were isolated from the dried flowers of Hypericum beanii. Their structures were elucidated by detailed HRESIMS and 1D and 2D NMR data analyses. The absolute configurations of hyperbeanols F H were established by the circular dichroism (CD) exciton chirality method. The plausible biosynthetic pathway speculation of hyperbeanols F-Q indicated that diverse reactions, including prenylation, 1,6-ene reaction, rearrangement, epoxidation and dehydration, contributed to their diverse skeletons. Hyperbeanols F I, O and hypercalin B exhibited moderate nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activities in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages, with IC50 values in the range of 17.11–28.74 μM.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between gastrointestinal dysfunction (GD) and cirrhosis severity in cirrhotic patients, to provide evidences for the prevention and treatment of GD in cirrhotic patients. A total of 95 cirrhotic inpatients and outpatients, who were treated in the Department of Gastroenterology of Xinqu Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, were enrolled in the present study, and assigned as the experimental group (cirrhosis group). According to Child–Pugh classification, these patients were divided into 3 groups: group A (n = 45), group B (n = 23), and group C (n = 27). Forty healthy adults who received health check-ups during the same period served as the control group. The gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of cirrhotic patients were scored, and the fasting serum gastrin (GAS), motilin (MTL), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels were measured in all subjects. The potential correlations of GI symptom scores of patients in these cirrhosis groups with GI hormone levels and cirrhosis severity were analyzed. In cirrhotic patients, the GI symptom scores significantly increased. Furthermore, the symptom scores gradually increased along with the aggravation of liver damage. Moreover, serum GAS and VIP levels were significantly higher in the cirrhosis groups than in the control group, whereas MTL levels were significantly lower. These changes were significantly correlated with cirrhosis severity. The linear correlation analysis revealed that the GI symptom score was positively correlated with GAS and VIP levels, and negatively correlated with MTL level. In addition, the linear correlation analysis revealed that GI symptom score and GAS and VIP levels were positively correlated with cirrhosis severity, whereas MTL level was negatively correlated with cirrhosis severity. Cirrhotic patients have more obvious GI symptoms and higher GI hormone levels, which are closely correlated with the progression of liver cirrhosis and the degree of liver function damage.

To solve the existent stability difficulties in the long term storage of the silver nanoparticle hydrocolloids (AgNPs) , this paper makes a comprehensive investigation on the effects of different synthetic methods which influence the stability of AgNPs. The controlled AgNPs are prepared by two kinds of precursors: silver diamminohydroxide ([Ag (NH3)2]OH ) and silver nitrate (AgNO3 ) respectively precursors;in addition the stability of the AgNPs hydrocolloid is studied by UV-vis; A discovery was found after contrast :the particle sizes of the [Ag (NH3)2]OH precursor based AgNPs hydrocolloid are more uniformed,well controlled and of better dispersibility.this kind of AgNPs exhibits higher stability compared to the AgNO3 precursor based AgNPs hydrocolloid.

Objective To discover critical genes contributing to the stemness and maintenance of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and provide new insights into the function of the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) family member Lrrc34 (leucine-rich repeat-containing 34) in SSCs from mice. Methods Bioinformatic methods, including differentially expressed gene (DEG), gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, were used to uncover latent pluripotency-related genes. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence analyses were utilized to verify the mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. RNA interference of Lrrc34 using siRNA was performed to detect its transient impact on SSCs. Results Eight DEGs between ID4-EGFP+ (G) and ID4-EGFP+/TSPAN8High (TH), eight DEGs between G and ID4-EGFP+/TSPAN8Low (TL) and eleven DEGs between TH and TL were discovered, and eleven protein-protein interaction (PPI) modules were found to be significant in the PPI network of DEGs. One of the DEGs, Lrrc34, was selected as a potential pluripotency-related gene due to its differential expression among ID4-EGFP+ spermatogonia subsets and its interaction with fibroblast growth factor 2 in the fifth module. Immunofluorescence experiments exhibited specific expression of Lrrc34 in a subpopulation of undifferentiated spermatogonia marked by LIN28A, and RT-PCR experiments confirmed the high expression of Lrrc34 in SSCs from P7 and adult mice. The transient knockdown of Lrrc34 in SSCs resulted in reduced colony sizes and significant changes in the transcriptome and apoptotic pathways. Conclusion Lrrc34 is highly expressed in mouse SSCs and is required for SSC proliferation in vitro through effects on transcriptome and signaling transduction pathways.

The removing effectiveness of U(VI) in leaching process wastewater by Zero-valent iron (ZVI)(iron powder and waste scrap) has been studied. The effects of the dosage of ZVI, pH, shaking time and temperature on treatment effiency are investigated. The results showed that: ZVI has very good removal effect on U (VI), and when pH value of solution is 6, the dosage of ZVI is 1.5 g, the shaking time is 80 min, the removal rate reached 98.6%.The removing efficiency of iron powder is sightly better than waster scrap.Acorrding to the experiment, the optimum experiment conditions and the influence of these parameters are obtained. The removal mechanism of U(VI) in leaching process wastewater by ZVI is discussed.

Measuring grounding resistance is the only basis to judge the grounding of electrical equipment is good or not. Aim at the trouble on retracting and releasing of the current lead wire and voltage lead wire;the insecure connection Lead wire and grounding resistance tramegger、grounding crooked chisel and so on;The hectic trouble such as placing or picking the grounding resistance testing equipment, we developed the integrational measurement device of grounding resistance. It mainly introduces the structure and design principle of the device, and provides the related technical essentials. Combined with the actual application,and demonstrates its convenience and flexibility by the force of contrast; Through the case analysis, fully demonstrates the device is feasible、creative and rationality.

Starter is an important component of auto engine, its service life can be reflected by the durability test. According to the running conditions, requirements of the starter durability test were analyzed. So, an electrical control test system based CP1H PLC was established. The system includes PC monitor module achieved by configuration software, control module build by Omron CP1H PLC and actuator module with four engine test rigs. Then, the PLC hardware circuit was designed and the flow of control program was given. The test system has characteristics of versatility, automated control and high testing precision.

In the FFT harmonic detection, the detection accuracy is reduced because of asynchronicity between the sampling frequency and the signal of base wave frequency. In order to improve the detection accuracy, a harmonic detection algorithm based on the fundamental frequency tracking is proposed. Firstly windowed interpolation FFT algorithm is used to detect signal of base wave frequency, then the fundamental frequency is tracked and the sampling frequency is dynamically adjusted. Finally, the signal sequence is obtained by quasi synchronous sampling with frequency multiplication technology, and amplitudes and phases of the signal are received with the FFT analysis. Because the sampling frequency synchronization error and the influence of frequency spectrum leakage are reduced, the detection accuracy is improved. This algorithm is applied to the electrical energy harmonic analysis with simple implementation and high accuracy.

Objective: Our aim was to assess the changes in induced abortion in different migrant groups in China between 2007 and 2014 and the contraceptive methods used prior to induced abortion. Methods: The studies of two population-based cross sections were conducted in urban China, involving 9146 sexually active migrant women. Within the selected sociodemographic subgroups, the changes in the percentage of women who had induced abortions, the proportion of pregnancies ending in induced abortions, the causes of induced abortions, and the methods of contraception were identified. A chi-squared test was used to calculate the differences in induced abortion in the subgroups. Results: Between 2007 and 2014, in the study groups from the major cities of China, the percentage of sexually active migrant women who had induced abortions increased 10.1%, from 21.8% to 24.0%. The proportion of pregnancies ending in induced abortions increased 23.7%, from 21.5% to 26.6%. Both of the aforementioned statistics increased significantly within most of the selected sociodemographic subgroups, especially in the 18&ndash, 19 and 45&ndash, 49 age groups. Over 50% of pregnancies were aborted in the cohabiting group, although this figure declined by 12.3% over the course of the seven-year study period. Contraceptive failure was the primary cause of induced abortion, although its contribution to induced abortion declined from 51.3% to 42.4%. The proportion of women not using contraception prior to induced abortion increased from 30.9% to 41.2%. Conclusion: The prevalence of induced abortion is high and continues to increase among sexually active migrant women in China. An increasing trend is forecasted over the next few decades. Special attention should be paid to the younger cohort of migrant women, especially 18&ndash, 19-year-olds, and unmarried cohabitants, who are increasingly seeking induced abortions.

Recent advances in vitrification technology have markedly improved the efficacy of oocyte cryopreservation in terms of oocyte survival and pregnancy, as well as live birth rates. However, there still remains room for improvement in terms of vitrification techniques.The remaining challenges include the development of a less cytotoxic vitrification solution and of a safe vitrification device in order to have vitrification techniques considered as a standard clinical laboratory procedure.A systematic electronic literature search strategy has been conducted using PubMed (Medline) databases with the use of the following key words: oocyte, vitrification, cryoprotectant, preservation, pregnancy, and live birth. A list of published papers focused on the improvement of vitrification techniques to have the vitrification protocol standardized have been evaluated in full text for this review. Only key references were cited.Vitrification technology has made significant advancements and holds great promise, but many issues remains to be addressed before it becomes a standardized procedure in clinical laboratories such as the fact that oocyte vitrification may not require a high concentration of cryoprotectant in the vitrification solution when it has a suitable cooling and warming rate. There is also no consistent evidence that indicates the absence of risk to the vitrified oocytes when they are stored for a prolonged period of time in direct-contact with liquid nitrogen. The long-term development of infants born as a result of this technology equally remains to be evaluated.

Benzene is a common occupational hazard as well as a widespread pollutant. Its metabolites play important roles in its toxicity to the hematopoietic system, but little is known about how benzene metabolites affect erythropoiesis. Our previous study demonstrated that benzene metabolites, including phenol and hydroquinone, inhibited hemin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. In present study, to elucidate the role of DNA methylation in benzene metabolites-induced inhibition on erythroid differentiation, it was investigated whether DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR), was able to prevent benzene metabolites inhibiting hemin-induced erythroid differentiation in K562 cells, and the methylation levels of erythroid-specific genes in benzene metabolites-treated K562 cells were analyzed by Quantitative MassARRAY methylation analysis platform. It was found that treatment of K562 cells with 5-aza-CdR completely prevented phenol and hydroquinone inhibiting hemin-induced hemoglobin synthesis and hemin-induced expression of erythroid specific genes, including α- and β-globin, erythroid porphobilinogen deaminase and GATA binding protein 1 (GATA-1). Consistently, the exposure to benzene metabolites caused an increase in DNA methylation levels at a few CpG sites in some erythroid specific genes, including α-globin gene and α-cluster HS40 element, β-globin gene and HS core sequence in LCR of β-globin gene cluster, erythroid porphobilinogen deaminase gene, and GATA-1 gene. These results indicated that DNA methylation played a role in benzene metabolites inhibiting hemin-induced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells via down-regulating transcription of some erythroid related genes.

Benzene-induced erythropoietic depression has been proposed to be due to the production of toxic metabolites. Presently, the cytotoxicities of benzene metabolites, including phenol, catechol, hydroquinone, and 1,2,4-benzenetriol, to erythroid progenitor-like K562 cells were investigated. After exposure to these metabolites, K562 cells showed significant inhibition of viability and apoptotic characteristics. Each metabolite caused a significant increase in activities of caspase-3, -8, and -9, and pretreatment with caspase-3, -8, and -9 inhibitors significantly inhibited benzene metabolites-induced phosphatidylserine exposure. These metabolites also elevated expression of Fas and FasL on the cell surface. After exposure to benzene metabolites, K562 cells showed an increase in reactive oxygen species level, and pretreatment with N-acetyl-l-cysteine significantly protected against the cytotoxicity of each metabolite. Interestingly, the control K562 cells and the phenol-exposed cells aggregated together, but the cells exposed to other metabolites were scattered. Further analysis showed that hydroquione, catechol, and 1,2,4-benzenetriol induced a decrease in the cell surface sialic acid levels and an increase in the cell surface sialidase activity, but phenol did not cause any changes in sialic acid levels and sialidase activity. Consistently, an increase in expression level of sialidase Neu3 mRNA and a decrease in mRNA level of sialyltransferase ST3GAL3 gene were detected in hydroquione-, catechol-, or 1,2,4-benzenetriol-treated cells, but no change in mRNA levels of two genes were found in phenol-treated cells. In conclusion, these benzene metabolites could induce apoptosis of K562 cells mainly through caspase-8-dependent pathway and ROS production, and sialic acid metabolism might play a role in the apoptotic process.

To determine expression of G-protein estrogen receptor (GPER) in mouse oocyte membrane during maturation.The expression of GPER from different maturation stages of oocytes, in vivo and in vitro matured oocytes as well as aging oocytes was examined by immune-fluorescence GPR30 antibody and the images were analyzed by laser scanning confocal microscope. Further confirmation was performed by Western blots for cell fractionation.Significant fluorescent signal was observed on the surface of mouse oocytes. The image expression was lower in germinal vesicle (GV) stage than mature metaphase-II (M-II) stage oocytes. There was high expression in in-vivo matured oocytes compared to in vitro matured oocytes. The highest expression was observed in aging oocytes compared with other oocytes.The changes of expression of GPER on mouse oocytes plasma membrane confirm oocyte membrane maturation, suggesting that those changes of GPER may be related to the functional role of oocyte maturation.

This study attempted to explore how informed choice on contraceptive methods influenced induced abortions among reproductive-age immigrant women in China. A total of 3230 participants were recruited in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing. Information on informed choice was collected by questionnaires. The annual incidence rate (spells) of induced abortions was 0.46 (1500/3230) among the participants. The sequence from the highest score to the lowest was long-term, short-term and natural contraceptive methods (p < 0.0001). Significant differences of rates in induced abortions were found in region, occupation, length of the first immigration up to now (year), purpose for immigration, number of children, marital status, sex preference, contraceptive methods, deciders of contraceptive methods and side effects. In the zero-inflated negative binomial model, the joint impacts showed when a participant with one child employed condoms or family planning service providers as the deciders of contraceptive methods introduced intrauterine devices, the occurrence of induced abortions was more likely to be reduced. Women who underwent side effects using pills were more likely to have had induced abortions.

Oxymatrine, one kind of alkaloids extracted from Sophora flavescens Ait, has been demonstrated to attenuate bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. The mechanisms of this action are poorly known. This study aimed to use proteomics to provide new insights into the mechanisms of the pharmacological effects. Proteins from murine lung fibroblasts exposed to oxymatrine were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using mass spectrometry. A two-dimensional cell migration assay was used to study the effects of oxymatrine on fibroblast migration activity. Among these detectable protein spots on the 2-DE gel 9 protein, spots were signii¬cantly altered in oxymatrine treated cells. 5 proteins were successfully identii¬ed. All were down-regulated by oxymatrine. Mass spectrometer analysis indicated that one of these proteins is a metabolic enzyme, while others are related to cytoskeleton or involved in cellular transcription and translation. The attenuated expressions of mRNA and protein of the cytoskeleton-related protein, HSP27, were confirmed by Western blotting and RT-PCR analysis. Besides these, the migration activity of fibroblast was reduced by oxymatrine. It is suggested that regulation of HSP27 expression by oxymatrine is associated with its inhibitory effects on motility of lung fibroblasts, which contributes to the protective action of this drug against lung fibrosis. Key words: Oxymatrine, fibroblasts, proteomics, heat shock protein 27, motility.

In this paper, active disturbance rejection control method is used to implement the steering angle following control of steer-by-wire system for the simplification of controller designing. The dynamic model of steering performing system is established, and then a second order active disturbance rejection controller is designed to control the steering angle. On the electric vehicle with steer-by-wire system, the angle following test of steering performing system is carried out under the control of the second order active disturbance rejection controller. The results show that the designed active disturbance rejection controller can restrain the effect of system resistant force on the accuracy of angle following and meet the requirement of steer-by-wire system to the steering angle following function. At the same time, there isn’t necessary to get the accurate data of steering system and the design process of controller becomes simple with adopting active disturbance rejection control method.

The cables in 66 kV and 220 kV systems are used in single-phase style, and it must be grounded between the cables. The connection ways between different lengths of cables are in different ways, thus, it may occur influence to circuit parameters, especially to zero sequence impedance. In order to clarify the situation from theory analysis to calculate impedance under all kinds of connection modes, the paper gives an actual cable measured value, and introduces the correct measuring method, together, points out the matters needing attention in the measurement.

This study aims to investigate the gastrointestinal functions of patients with liver failure (LF) based on gastrointestinal dysfunction (GD) scores and serum gastrointestinal hormone levels. The GD in LF patients was scored using the gastrointestinal dysfunction scoring criteria. Serum gastrin (GAS), cholecystokinin (CCK), and motilin (MTL) levels were determined in LF patients. In addition, liver function and prothrombin activity were detected, and ultrasonography was performed. The GD score was significantly higher in the LF groups than in the control group. Compared with the control group, serum GAS, CCK, and MTL levels significantly increased in the LF groups, and was positively correlated with the severity of LF. Furthermore, in the LF groups, GD was positively correlated with the severity of LF. However, the GD score and serum GAS, CCK, and MTL levels in the acute LF group were not statistically different, when compared with those in the subacute LF group, acute-on-chronic LF group and chronic LF group. LF plays a key role in the development of GD, and may be the main cause of obvious gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting and anorexia, in LF patients. The severity of GD is not associated with LF type, but is positively correlated with the severity of LF, suggesting that GD in LF patients may have complicated mechanisms.

Animal experiments indicate that repeated exposure to ketamine adversely affects the developing brain. Whether it has the same effect on infants remains unclear. We recruited infants who were scheduled for 1 to 3 outpatient laser surgery treatments of benign facial growths with ketamine anesthesia. Patients were assigned to the Ket1, Ket2, or Ket3 group, according to the number of treatments. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development–Second Edition (BSID-II) was used to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes before the first and after the last therapy. Levels of S-100β were also measured. Bayley Scales of Infant Development–Second Edition scores after the last procedure were lower than those before the first surgery in the Ket3 group ( P < .05). S-100β levels after the last procedure were significantly higher than those before the first surgery in all groups ( P < .05). Our results suggest that 3 or more exposures to anesthetic ketamine have the potential to adversely affect neurodevelopment in infants.

This study examined the prevalence and the determinants of risky sexual behavior (defined as having multiple sex partners and paying for sex) among male rural-to-urban migrants in China. An anonymous questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and behavior associated with increased risk of risky sexual behavior from 4,069 subjects. In total 1,132 (27.8%) participants reported two or more sex partners and 802 (19.7%) participants paid for sex. A considerable proportion (29.6%–41.5%) did not use a condom during risky sexual behavior. Logistic regression analysis revealed that unmarried status (OR: 0.62, CI: 0.42–0.85 for married), earlier age at first sexual experience (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.31–0.91 for ≥22 years old), poor perception of risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.33–1.96 for unlikely, OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.61–3.70 for impossible), frequent exposure to pornography (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.60–0.81 for sometimes, OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.11–0.43 for never), attitudes toward legalization of commercial sex (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21–0.59 for no), peer influence (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27–0.88 for no), and not knowing someone who had/had died from HIV/AIDS (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.20–0.53 for yes) were all significantly associated with having multiple sex partners. Those who paid for sex showed similar findings.

Background: The commercial sexual behaviorual behavior maybe a high risk factor for STD/ HIV spread. To understand the commercial sexual behaviorual behavior and some potential influencing factors among migrants in Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqin, Chengdu, Shanxi and Hanzhou, we conducted this epidemiology survey. Methods: This study was an epidemiological cross-sectional survey that was conducted in Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqin, Chengdu, Shanxi and Hanzhou. During October 2011 to Feb. 2012, quantitative data was collected by the trained investigators using designed questionnaires through face to face anonymous in-depth questionnaire survey. Results: Total 783 migrants were enrolled in this study by multi-phrase sampling in 6 provinces and cities, 704 of whom had sexual behavior. The proportion of subjects who had commercial sexual behaviorual behavior was 4.60%. The results of uni-variate analysis showed that 8.20% of male subjects and 2.15% of women had commercial sexual behaviorual behavior. Multi-logistic regression showed that gender, sex partner for the first sexual lives were potential influencing factors of commercial sexual behaviorual behavior. Compared with men, women had lower commercial sexual behavior (OR=0.28, 95% CI: 0.13-0 .63). Those whose first sexual partner were not the spouse had slightly higher commercial sexual behavior (OR=2.26, 95%CI:0.91-5.65), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.081). Conclusions: The commercial sexual behavior has played the "bridge" role on the spread of RE|TI/STD/HIV/AIDS from high-risk groups to the general population. Male migrants have higher risks of commercial sexual behavior, and those who had a non-spouse sex partners for the first time also had a higher commercial sexual behavior. To advocate safe sex and to reduce commercial sexual behavior, especially for male migrants should be put more emphasis on.

The role of ROS in hydroquinone-induced inhibition of K562 cell erythroid differentiation was investigated. After K562 cells were treated with hydroquinone for 24 h, and hemin was later added to induce erythroid differentiation for 48 h, hydroquinone inhibited hemin-induced hemoglobin synthesis and mRNA expression of γ-globin in K562 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The 24-h exposure to hydroquinone also caused a concentration-dependent increase at an intracellular ROS level, while the presence of N- acetyl-L-cysteine prevented hydroquinone- induced ROS production in K562 cells. The presence of N-acetyl-L-cysteine also prevented hydroquinone inhibiting hemin-induced hemoglobin synthesis and mRNA expression of γ-globin in K562 cells. These evidences indicated that ROS production played a role in hydroquinone-induced inhibition of erythroid differentiation.

Catechol is widely used in pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Catechol is also one of phenolic metabolites of benzene in vivo. Our previous study showed that catechol improved erythroid differentiation potency of K562 cells, which was associated with decreased DNA methylation in erythroid specific genes. Catechol is a substrate for the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)-mediated methylation. In the present study, the role of COMT in catechol-enhanced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells was investigated. Benzidine staining showed that exposure to catechol enhanced hemin-induced hemoglobin accumulation and induced mRNA expression of erythroid specific genes in K562 cells. Treatment with catechol caused a time- and concentration-dependent increase in guaiacol concentration in the medium of cultured K562 cells. When COMT expression was knocked down by COMT shRNA expression in K562 cells, the production of guaiacol significantly reduced, and the sensitivity of K562 cells to cytotoxicity of catechol significantly increased. Knockdown of COMT expression by COMT shRNA expression also eliminated catechol-enhanced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. In addition, the pre-treatment with methyl donor S-adenosyl-L-methionine or its demethylated product S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine induced a significant increase in hemin-induced Hb synthesis in K562 cells and the mRNA expression of erythroid specific genes. These findings indicated that O-methylation catalyzed by COMT acted as detoxication of catechol and involved in catechol-enhanced erythroid differentiation of K562 cells, and the production of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine partly explained catechol-enhanced erythroid differentiation.

During in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment, most women require controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). COH with gonadotropins results in an increase in steroid hormonal levels; however, it is unclear what impact these high concentrations of steroid hormones have on cardiac heart function. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of high levels of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) during COH treatment on cardiac function in women undergoing IVF-ET. A total of 34 women with infertility due to tubal or male factors treated with COH and 28 women with normal menstrual cycles who underwent ovulation monitoring only were enrolled in this study. The serum levels of steroid hormones and the parameters of echocardiography at different time points during the natural menstrual cycles of the control group and the corresponding time points during COH treatment of the study group were compared. The independent sample with the t test, the paired sample with t test, χ(2) test, and Pearson correlation analysis were applied. The steroid hormonal levels were significantly different between natural menstrual cycles and COH treatment cycles. Left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) reached the highest level on day 7 after oocyte pickup; in contrast, ejection fraction (LVEF) was the lowest level on the same day. On day 16 after ET, E2 and P levels were maintained in the pregnant women in the study group; however, the levels of those hormones returned to those of a natural menstrual cycle in non-pregnant women. The parameters of LVEF and LVEDV significantly correlated with E2 concentrations. High levels of E2 during COH treatment may temporarily affect cardiac function, suggesting that COH intervention is relatively safe; however, a certain level of risk might exist.

We realized a polarization-independent split-ratio-tunable optical beam splitter supporting two input and output ports through a stable interferometer. By adjusting the angle of a half-wave plate in the interferometer, we can tune the beam splitter reflectivities for both input ports from 0 to 1, regardless of the input light polarization. High-fidelity polarization-preserving transmission from input to output ports was verified by complete quantum process tomography. Nearly optimal interference effects at the beam splitter with various split ratios were observed by two-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel interference for different input polarization states. Such a beam splitter could find a variety of applications in classical and quantum optical technologies.

Benzene-induced erythropoietic depression has been proposed to be due to the production of toxic metabolites. Presently, the cytotoxicities of benzene metabolites, including phenol, catechol, hydroquinone, and 1,2,4-benzenetriol, to erythroid progenitor-like K562 cells were investigated. After exposure to these metabolites, K562 cells showed significant inhibition of viability and apoptotic characteristics. Each metabolite caused a significant increase in activities of caspase-3, -8, and -9, and pretreatment with caspase-3, -8, and -9 inhibitors significantly inhibited benzene metabolites-induced phosphatidylserine exposure. These metabolites also elevated expression of Fas and FasL on the cell surface. After exposure to benzene metabolites, K562 cells showed an increase in reactive oxygen species level, and pretreatment with N-acetyl-l-cysteine significantly protected against the cytotoxicity of each metabolite. Interestingly, the control K562 cells and the phenol-exposed cells aggregated together, but the cells exposed to other metabolites were scattered. Further analysis showed that hydroquione, catechol, and 1,2,4-benzenetriol induced a decrease in the cell surface sialic acid levels and an increase in the cell surface sialidase activity, but phenol did not cause any changes in sialic acid levels and sialidase activity. Consistently, an increase in expression level of sialidase Neu3 mRNA and a decrease in mRNA level of sialyltransferase ST3GAL3 gene were detected in hydroquione-, catechol-, or 1,2,4-benzenetriol-treated cells, but no change in mRNA levels of two genes were found in phenol-treated cells. In conclusion, these benzene metabolites could induce apoptosis of K562 cells mainly through caspase-8-dependent pathway and ROS production, and sialic acid metabolism might play a role in the apoptotic process.

Biological nitrogen removal system is a significant source of nitrous oxide (N2O). The effect of temperature (10, 20, 25, 30, 35 degrees C) on the pollutant removal efficiencies and N2O emission characteristics of lab-scale A/O SBRs wastewater treatment process was evaluated. Results showed that temperature have no significant effect on the removal of COD while have a significant effect on the removal of nitrogen. During a certain range, as the temperature increasing the nitrogen removal rate increased. The nitrogen removal increased with the increase of temperature when it was below 25 degrees C and decreased with the increase of temperature when it was above 25 degrees C. Significant impact of temperature on the N2O emission was also observed. N2O emission decreased with the increase of temperature (N2O emission: 530.1, 260.8, 218.3, 104.7, 57.7 microg x g(-1)). For a lab-scale A/O SBRs treating wastewater, most of the N2O was produced during the aerobic phase, while no significant N2O emission can be detected during the oxide phase.

A 16bit audio ΣΔ modulator is designed, with only 360µw power dissipation under 0.9V supply. A feedforward third-order single loop architecture is adopted to decrease the power dissipation. A novel double-boost switch is proposed in the design to decrease the on-resistance. A low power class-AB operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) with proposed self-adapted bias circuit is applied in the modulator, which make OTA can tolerate higher common mode input voltage than that with traditional bias circuit. The modulator is designed and fabricated in SMIC 0.18µm 1P6M CMOS technology, with the core area of 0.46 mm2. The test results show that the modulator achieves SNR 91db in 22KHz audio bandwidth.

A continuous-time sigma-delta modulator with 12 bits of resolution over a signal bandwidth of 5 MHz is presented. The simulation results show that it consumes 20 mW from a 1.8 V power supply, utilizing SMIC 0.18-um CMOS process.