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We profiled the circulating immune cells in COVID-19 patients during the active disease and recovery phases via single cell RNA, TCR and BCR sequencing in order to elucidate the key anti-virus adaptive immune responses, and explore potential immunomodulatory therapeutic strategies. T cell competence plays a dominant role in anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity. Clonally expanded CD4 T effector cells averted CD8 T cell exhaustion, and expansion of multiple CD8 T effector/memory clones was correlated with rapid virus clearance. In contrast, the patients lacking CD4 TEFF cell clonal expansion harbored exhausted CD8 TEFF cells co-expressing multiple co-inhibitory molecules. In addition, more than 90% of the exhausted cells expressed at least 2 and more than half of exhausted cells expressed at least 4 inhibitory molecules. Furthermore, co-expression of LAG3, Galectin-9, and SLAMF6 is the inhibitory molecule expression signature of exhausted T cell population in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings indicate that LAG3-based immune checkpoint blockade is a promising strategy for treating COVID-19.

Nano-carriers (NCs) provide drugs with protective and oriented strategies. Despite their success in parenteral administration, NCs still need to be optimized to meet the more serious obstacles encountered in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The main defense mechanisms include renewing mucus, epithelial obstacles and digestion by GIT segments. These hurdles pose challenges even before NCs target molecules or proteins, which has often led to unsatisfactory delivery efficiency. Therefore, a critical focus is the exemption from negative effects of GIT. A series of adapted NCs have been designed based on surface strategies to form an expected distribution and increase gastrointestinal utilization. In this paper, we review the strategies and efforts of NCs to adapt to gastrointestinal defense components, including the mucus, epithelium and gastrointestinal segments; the related gastrointestinal mechanisms and functions are also summarized synchronously. Last, we discuss the delivery challenges in terms of physiopathological GIT and surface properties of the NCs.

Limited data are available for clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside Wuhan. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 and identify the risk factors for severe illness of COVID-19 in Jiangsu province, China. Clinical data of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were retrospectively collected in 8 hospitals from 8 cities of Jiangsu province, China. Clinical findings of COVID-19 patients were described and risk factors for severe illness of COVID-19 were analyzed. By Feb 10, 2020, 202 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The median age of patients was 44.0 years (interquartile range, 33.0–54.0). 55 (27.2%) patients had comorbidities. At the onset of illness, the common symptoms were fever (156 [77.2%]) and cough (120 [59.4%]). 66 (32.7%) patients had lymphopenia. 193 (95.5%) patients had abnormal radiological findings. 11 (5.4%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit and none of the patients died. 23 (11.4%) patients had severe illness. Severe illness of COVID-19 was independently associated with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR], 9.219; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.731 to 31.126; P, Author summary We reported the epidemiology, clinical laboratory, radiological characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes of 202 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 8 hospitals from 8 cities of Jiangsu province, China. In this case series in Jiangsu Province, COVID-19 patients had less severe symptoms and had better outcomes than the initial COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. The BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2 and a known history of type 2 diabetes were independent risk factors of severe illness in patients with COVID-19. Sustained intensive control efforts remain urgently needed to minimize the risk of COVID-19.

An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), started in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The real‐time reverse‐ transcriptase polymerase ‐ chain ‐ reaction (RT ‐ PCR) method can be used for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in oral swabs1. Now, results have confirmed the presence of the live virus in stool samples from patients with COVID‐ 192. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Southern China is a hot spot of emerging infectious diseases, in which diverse species of bats dwell, a large group of flying mammals considered natural reservoirs for zoonotic viruses. Recently, divergent filoviruses (FiVs) have been identified in bats within this region, which pose a potential risk to public health, but the true infection situation in bats remains largely unclear. Here, 689 archived bat serum samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting, and neutralization assay to investigate the seroprevalence and cross-reactivity of four divergent FiVs and two other viruses (rabies virus and Tuhoko pararubulavirus 1) of different families within the order Mononegavirales. Results showed no cross-antigenicity between FiVs and other mononegaviruses but different cross-reactivity among the FiVs themselves. The total FiV seroreactive rate was 36.3% (250/689), with infection by the indigenous Chinese FiV DH04 or an antigenically related one being the most widely and the most highly prevalent. Further viral metagenomic analysis of fruit bat tissues also identified the gene sequence of a novel FiV. These results indicate the likely prevalence of other so far unidentified FiVs within the Chinese bat population, with frugivorous Rousettus leschenaultii and Eonycteris spelaea bats and insectivorous Myotis horsfieldii and Miniopterus schreibersii bats being their major reservoirs. IMPORTANCE Bats are natural hosts of many FiVs, from which diverse FiVs were serologically or virologically detected in Africa, Europe, and East Asia. Recently, very divergent FiVs were identified in the Chinese bat population, but their antigenic relationship with other known FiVs remains unknown. Here, we conducted serological characterization and investigation of Chinese indigenous FiVs and prototypes of other viruses in bats. Results indicated that Chinese indigenous FiVs are antigenically distant to other FiVs, and infection of novel or multiple FiVs occurred in Chinese bats, with FiV DH04 or an antigenically related one being the most widely and the most highly prevalent. Additionally, besides Rousettus leschenaultii and Eonycteris spelaea bats, the insectivorous Myotis horsfieldii and M. schreibersii bats are highly preferential hosts of FiVs. Seroreactive and viral metagenomic results indicated that more as yet unknown bat-borne FiVs circulate in Southern China, and to uncover them further, investigation and timely surveillance is needed.

In this study, we investigated the temporal association between carbapenems usage and antimicrobial resistance among major Gram-negative bacteria, using the data of quarterly carbapenems consumptions and percentages of antibiotic resistance for Gram-negative bacteria from inpatients from 2013 to 2017 in a tertiary hospital from Jiangsu Province, China. First, carbapenems consumption showed an increasing trend in the past 5 years, accompanied with the rising rates of A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa resistance against imipenem. In A. baumannii, we identified correlations between carbapenems consumption and antimicrobial resistance against piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin and imipenem, respectively. Additionally, close correlations were observed between carbapenems consumption and antimicrobial resistance against ceftazidime and ciprofloxacin in E. coli. Our data indicated that a significant positive correlation between the usage of carbapenems and the rate of antimicrobial resistance among A. baumannii and E. coli, respectively. Carbapenems should be cautiously prescribed to prevent antimicrobial resistance outbreak in A. baumannii and E. coli.

Simultaneous electrochemical reduction of CO2 and partial oxidation of CH4 in a solid oxide cell (CO2/CH4 redox SOC) with Ag-based cathode and Ni-based anode is compared with CO2 reduction in a solid oxide electrolysis cell (CO2-SOEC) and CH4 oxidation in a solid oxide fuel cell (CH4-SOFC). Overpotential losses from different sources and gases products from each electrode are analyzed. Results show that the process of a CO2/CH4 redox SOC is exactly a combination of the cathode process of a CO2-SOEC and the anode process of a CH4-SOFC. With the same CO and syngas obtained, a CO2/CH4 redox SOC consumes less energy because it avoids oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of a CO2-SOEC and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of a CH4-SOFC. At 500 mA cm−2, the overall resistance of an electrolyte-supported CO2/CH4 redox SOC is only half of that for separately reducing CO2 in an SOEC and oxidizing CH4 in an SOFC. The conversion of CH4 and yield of H2 in the SOC approach 81% and 63%, respectively. An anode-supported CO2/CH4 redox SOC is operated stably for 110 h at 1 A cm−2 under an applied voltage of ∼0.9 V. Sufficient current density may prevent high performance Ni-based anode from coking.

Curcumin has been reported to have anti-fibrotic effect. However, the anti-fibrotic mechanism of curcumin for liver fibrosis remains obscure. In the presenting study, we aimed to investigate whether curcumin reduce chemokines secretion by inhibiting kupffer cells (KCs) activation to decrease Ly6Chi monocyte infiltration in the treatment of liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-injection in mice. Mice in curcumin group received curcumin treatment by gavage. Pretreatment with curcumin significantly protected mice from liver inflammation and fibrosis. Compared to CCl4 group, mice in the curcumin group showed significantly less intrahepatic infiltration of Ly6Chi monocytes, but no difference of other leucocyte subtypes. Moreover, curcumin significantly reduced Ly6Chi monocytes associated pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic cytokines, which was in line with the decreased numbers of intrahepatic Ly6Chi monocytes. Further study found that curcumin is able to decrease KCs activation and monocyte chemokines, which explains why curcumin can reduce Ly6Chi monocytes infiltration during liver fibrosis. In vitro, we discovered that curcumin prevents the polarization of macrophages toward M1 and reduces monocyte chemokines secretion, which is involved with ERK1/2 and p38 pathways. Taken together, for the first time, we verified that curcumin can reduce chemokines secretion by inhibiting KCs activation to decrease Ly6Chi monocyte infiltration in the treatment of liver fibrosis. These results suggested that curcumin may be considered a promising candidate in the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis.

Emodin, as a major active component of Rheum palmatum L. and Polygonum cuspidatum, has been reported to have antifibrotic effect. However, the mechanism of emodin on antifibrotic effect for liver fibrosis was still obscure. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether emodin can alleviate carbon tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced liver fibrosis through reducing infiltration of Gr1hi monocytes. Liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal CCl4 injection in mice. Mice in the emodin group received emodin treatment by gavage. Pretreatment with emodin significantly protected mice from liver inflammation and fibrosis revealed by the decreased elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), as well as reduced hepatic necrosis and fibrosis by analysis of hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and collagen-I immunohistochemistry staining. Further, compared to CCl4 group, mice in the emodin group showed significantly less intrahepatic infiltration of Gr1hi monocytes. Moreover, emodin significantly inhibited hepatic expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), granulin (GRN), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), and chemokine ligand 7 (CCL7), which was in line with the decreased numbers of intrahepatic Gr1hi monocytes. In conclusion, emodin can alleviate the degree of liver fibrosis by reducing infiltration of Gr1hi monocytes. These results suggest that emodin is a promising candidate to prevent and treat liver fibrosis.

The gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) is a novel index to estimate liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Few studies compared diagnostic accuracy of GPR with other non-invasive fibrosis tests based on blood parameters. We analyzed diagnostic values of GPR for detecting liver fibrosis and compared diagnostic performances of GPR with APRI (aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index), FIB-4 (fibrosis index based on the four factors), NLR (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio), AAR (aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio) and RPR (red cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio) in HBeAg positive CHB and HBeAg negative CHB. We found AUROCs of GPR in predicting significant liver fibrosis, advanced liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis were 0.732 (95% CI 0.663 to 0.801), 0.788 (95% CI 0.729 to 0.847) and 0.753 (95% CI 0.692 to 0.814), respectively. Further comparisons showed the diagnostic performance of GPR was not significantly different with APRI, FIB-4 and RPR in identifying significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, but it was significantly superior to AAR and NLR in both HBeAg positive CHB and HBeAg negative CHB. In conclusion, GPR does not show advantages than APRI, FIB-4 and RPR in identifying significant liver fibrosis, advanced liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis in both HBeAg positive CHB and HBeAg negative CHB in China.

// Jian Wang 1 , Xiaomin Yan 2 , Yue Yang 1 , Haiyan Chang 1 , Bei Jia 2 , Xiang-An Zhao 3 , Guangmei Chen 4 , Juan Xia 2 , Yong Liu 5 , Yuxin Chen 5 , Guiyang Wang 2 , Li Wang 2 , Zhaoping Zhang 2 , Weimao Ding 6 , Rui Huang 2 and Chao Wu 1, 2 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 2 Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 3 Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 4 Department of Infectious Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing, University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 5 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 6 Department of Hepatology, Huai’an No. 4 People’s Hospital, Huai’an, Jiangsu, China Correspondence to: Chao Wu, email: dr.wu@nju.edu.cn Rui Huang, email: doctor_hr@126.com Keywords: chronic hepatitis B, liver biopsy, liver fibrosis, serum biomarkers, non-invasive fibrosis model Received: June 01, 2017 Accepted: June 28, 2017 Published: July 22, 2017 ABSTRACT Objectives: Noninvasive models have been established for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB). However, the predictive performance of these established models remains inconclusive. We aimed to develop a novel predictive model for liver fibrosis in CHB based on routinely clinical parameters. Results: Platelets(PLT), the standard deviation of red blood cell distribution width(RDW-SD), alkaline phosphatase(ALP) and globulin were independent predictors of significant fibrosis by multivariable analysis. Based on these parameters, a new predictive model namely APRG(ALP/PLT/RDW-SD/globulin) was proposed. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves(AUROCs) of APRG index in predicting significant fibrosis(≥F2), advanced fibrosis(≥F3) and liver cirrhosis(≥F4) were 0.757(95%CI 0.699 to 0.816), 0.763(95%CI 0.711 to 0.816) and 0.781(95%CI 0.728 to 0.835), respectively. The AUROCs of the APRG were significantly higher than that of aspartate transaminase(AST) to PLT ratio index(APRI), RDW to PLT ratio(RPR) and AST to alanine aminotransferase ratio(AAR) to predict significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. The AUROCs of the APRG were also significantly higher than fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) (0.723, 95%CI 0.663 to 0.783) for cirrhosis(P=0.034) and better than gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT) to PLT ratio(GPR) (0.657, 95%CI 0.590 to 0.724) for significant fibrosis(P=0.001). Materials and Methods: 308 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy were enrolled. The diagnostic values of the APRG for liver fibrosis with other noninvasive models were compared. Conclusions: The APRG has a better diagnostic value than conventionally predictive models to assess liver fibrosis in CHB patients. The application of APRG may reduce the need for liver biopsy in CHB patients in clinical practice.

Prussian blue and its analogues have been intensively studied as potential electrode materials for sodium ion batteries. In this work, a prussian blue sample was prepared by a simple precipitation method and the electrochemical performance of the prussian blue (PB) cathode was investigated at various temperatures and in different voltage ranges. When cycled in the voltage range of 2.0 − 4.0 V vs. Na/Na+, the PB cathode exhibited initial discharge capacities of 135.4 mAh g−1 (55 °C), 128.5 mAh g−1 (25 °C) and 99.2 mAh g−1 (-10 °C) at 10 mA g−1. The PB cathode showed good cycling stability at low temperature, however the cycling capacity degraded remarkably at elevated temperature. CV test indicated that the capacity fade was mainly due to the side reactions on the electrode-electrolyte interface at near 4.0 V vs. Na/Na+. XPS and FTIR analyses revealed several types of compounds formed on the cathode surface which indicated the complexity of the side reactions. Controlling the high cut-off voltage at 3.8 V vs. Na/Na+ significantly improved the cycling stability of the PB electrode. The PB cathode delivered 1C rate reversible capacity of 100.0 mAh g−1 in 2.0 − 3.8 V vs. Na/Na+ with outstanding capacity retention of 98.2% after 300 cycles.

Wingless-types/beta-catenin (Wnt/β-catenin) signaling pathway is one of the most extensively studied transcriptional cascades involved in various types of organogenesis including embryonic and postnatal development. Downy feather quantity is primarily affected by follicular development and gene regulations. This research was aimed to investigate the role of catenin beta-1(CTNNB1) and lymphoid enhancerbinding factor-1 (LEF1) on feather follicles development at different developmental stages. Fluorescence quantitative PCR, Western-blot and immunohistochemical methods were used in Anser cygnoides and Anser anser embryos (E12, E13 E18, and E28) and after birth gosling stages (G18, G48, G88) for gene expression analysis. CTNNB1 and LEF1 genes were expressed in Anser cygnoides and Anser anser at different embryonic and after-birth gosling developmental stages and the expression levels were significantly different in different stages (p

Background Accurately evaluate the stages of liver fibrosis are critical for the management of patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We evaluated the accuracy of red cell distribution width (RDW) to platelet (PLT) ratio (RPR) in predicting liver fibrosis in AIH patients.Methods One hundred and nineteen AIH patients with liver biopsy was retrospectively enrolled. Scheuer scoring system was used to stage liver fibrosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of RPR.Results The median RPR values were 0.10, 0.10 and 0.14 for AIH patients with S2-S4, S3-S4 and S4, which were significantly higher than patients with S0-S1 (0.07, P

Ethnopharmacological relevance Aucklandiae Radix (AR) and Vladimiriae Radix (VR), as traditional Chinese medicine, have been included in many editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia with similar efficacy such as promoting qi and relieving pain, which are used to treat chest, hypochondriac, abdominal fullness and pain, diarrhea and tenesmus. In most conditions, VR is used to be a substitute of AR or a local habit. However, whether VR could substitute for AR to play a same role in the formulation and clinical applications needs further study. Aim of the study In this study, similarities and differences between AR and VR would be assessed, and possible reasons that may influence the efficacy of the AR and VR would be explained from the perspective of chemical composition. Materials and methods HPLC-PDA was used to obtain the data of 10 batches of AR and VR, and to establish chemical fingerprint and chemometric analysis. UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS was used to identify the structure of chemical compounds which contributed to the differences between AR and VR. Results The chemical fingerprint analysis results showed that 20 peaks in common for AR and 26 peaks in common for VR both presented a good similarity (>0.9), and 15 peaks in common for AR and VR also showed a good similarity (>0.9). Nevertheless, chemometric showed AR was distinct from VR and three chemical compounds, which leading to their differences, were identified by UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS. The three chemical compounds were 3β-acetoxy-11β-guaia-4 (15),10 (14)-diene-12,6α-olide, 10α,14-epoxy-11β-guaia-4 (15)-ene-12,6α-olide and costunolide, respectively. Conclusion In general, AR and VR were highly similar, but their differences were deserved to be paid attention to. This research could provide reference for quality control and set a foundation for clinical applications of AR and VR.

Fibrous chitin dressing (FCD) prepared from a NaOH-urea aqueous solution of chitin via a physical process was used to study its effect on wound healing using a full-thickness cutaneous wound model in rats and mice. It was demonstrated that wounds in rats covered with the FCD showed faster collagen (especially type I collagen) growth and speedier healing than those with Gauze (12 days versus 16 days). The ability of FCD to promote wound healing was also observed on wild-type (WT) mice. For MyD88-knockout mice, however, FCD displayed no beneficial but an adverse effect on wound healing: the healing time for wounds treated with FCD was even longer than those treated with gauze. Importantly, in vivo studies indicated that FCD-treated mice, compared to gauze-treated ones, exhibited markedly higher expressions of MyD88, IKBα, TGF-β, P-TβR II, TβR II and P-Smad2/3 in wild-type mice. For MyD88 knockout mice, however, the expressions of those molecules were inhibited and lowered in FCD-treated ones than those treated with gauze. In vitro studies confirmed that chitin increased the expression of TGF-β, P-TβRII and P-Smad2/3 while the expressions of those molecules were significantly inhibited with CD14 antibody (p < 0.05). These results indicated that FCD accelerated wound healing through a MyD88-dependent pathway, followed by a TGF-β/Smad pathway. This work not only demonstrated the superior wound healing effect of chitin-derived dressing, but also provided for the first time the underlying molecular mechanism, further establishing chitin as an important biomedical material for potential clinical applications.

BACKGROUND Soluble programmed death-1 (sPD-1) and soluble programmed death-ligand 1 (sPD-L1) play a role in immune regulation of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. AIM To investigate the profiles of serum sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in chronic HBV-infected patients with different disease phases and after anti-viral treatment. METHODS A total of 99 chronic HBV-infected patients were enrolled and divided into HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection (EPI) group, HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (EPH) group, HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (ENH) group and HBeAg-negative chronic HBV infection (ENI) group. Eleven healthy subjects were included as healthy controls (HCs). Thirty-two EPH patients received anti-viral treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues and were followed up to 5 years. Serum sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels were detected by Multiplex Immunoassays. RESULTS Serum sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels of chronic HBV infected patients were significantly higher than that of HCs (P

Background Pneumonia is an infectious lung inflammation in children with high mortality and morbidity rates. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) has been verified to accelerate the progression of acute pneumonia. However, the role of SNHG16 in acute pneumonia has not yet been fully elucidated. The study was aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of SNHG16 in LPS-induced acute pneumonia in A549 cells. Methods The levels of SNHG16, miR-370-3p and IGF2 in serum samples and LPS-induced A549 cells were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The cell viability and apoptosis of A549 cells were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometer, respectively. The levels of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The binding relationships among SNHG16, miR-370-3p and IGF2 were predicted by online database and verified by Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. The protein levels of IGF2 were tested by Western blot. Results SNHG16 and IGF2 were upregulated while miR-370-3p was downregulated in serum of acute pneumonia patients and LPS-induced A549 cells. SNHG16 regulated proliferation, apoptosis and inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting miR-370-3p in LPS-induced A549 cells. MiR-370-3p targeted IGF2 and inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory injury via IGF2 in A549 cells. Furthermore, SNHG16 was verified to promote IGF2 expression by sponging miR-370-3p in A549 cells. Conclusion SNHG16 impeded cell viability and promoted apoptosis, inflammatory injury by targeting IGF2 mediated by miR-370-3p in LPS-induced A549 cells.

BACKGROUND Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) was reported to be associated with the severity of liver diseases. We aimed to investigate the association between RDW and severity of liver inflammation in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). PATIENTS AND METHODS Ninety-two consecutive AIH patients who underwent liver biopsy during 2016-2017 were included. Liver histology was evaluated using the Scheuer scoring system. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors for significant inflammation. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS The RDW level was higher in AIH patients with significant inflammation (14.6%, interquartile range: 13.2-16.3%) than in patients with mild inflammation (13.2%, interquartile range: 12.6-13.8%). The RDW level was correlated positively with the grades of liver inflammation (r=0.356, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of RDW in predicting significant inflammation was 0.739 (95% confidential interval: 0.634-0.843, P < 0.001), with 67.80% sensitivity and 75.76% specificity. The diagnostic performance of RDW for significant inflammation was better than alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.003) and immunoglobulin G (P = 0.049). RDW (odds ratio = 1.702, P = 0.001) was identified as an independent predictor for significant inflammation by logistic multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION The RDW level was correlated positively with the severity of liver inflammation in AIH patients. RDW can be a promising indicator for predicting significant liver inflammation in AIH.

An anode-supported tubular protonic ceramic fuel cell with BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.2O3-δ electrolyte is fabricated using dip-coating technique. Electrochemical performances of the cell are tested at temperatures from 600 to 200 °C, utilizing humidified H2 (3 vol% H2O) as fuel and ambient air as oxidant. With an effective area of 2.3 cm2, the cell yields a peak power density of 465 mW cm−2 at 600 °C and 118 mW cm−2 at 450 °C. Even when the temperature is as low as 200 °C, there is still an output power of 3 mW. Stability of the cell under 600 °C is tested by operating the cell at a constant voltage of 0.7 V. The test lasts for 30 h during which the operating power density decreases rapidly in the first 10 h, then tend to be stable at 300 mW cm−2.

On the 16th of June 2013, a small-magnitude, shallow-source seismic activity just occurred at a karst mining area. No serious ground damage occurred, but it induced a secondary geological hazard. The wastewater and sludge leaked from the mining water reservoir which caused a great economic loss and groundwater contamination through multilevel underground karst channels. The seismic swarm was located along the Youjiang fault, an active fault zone whose kinematics is controlled by the regional tectonic stress field with NW300° compression and NE30° extension. The tectonic fractures are sealed by calcite, and stylolites have permeabilities of less than 0.01 mD. The localized intensive karstification occurred at the core of Yalang anticline, which is the result of a local extension stress environment and hydrogeological conditions. The seismic activity in the study area is not strong enough to cause ground destruction, but did alter the flow dynamics of groundwater. The seismic activity may have caused a temporary high pressure fluid in the fault zone. The karst system blocked by sediments can be dredged by the fluid pressure. Then, the karstification of limestone massif could be re-activated.

In this study, the effects of concentrations 0, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg kg(-1) of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) on germination, seedlings growth, physiology and toxicity mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that nZVI had no effect on germination, but inhibited the rice seedlings growth in higher concentrations (>500 mg kg(-1) nZVI). The highest suppression rate of the length of roots and shoots reached 46.9% and 57.5%, respectively. The 1000mg kg(-1) nZVI caused the highest suppression rates for chlorophyll and carotenoids, at 91.6% and 85.2%, respectively. In addition, the activity of antioxidant enzymes was altered by the translocation of nanoparticles and changes in active iron content. Visible symptoms of iron deficiency were observed at higher concentrations, at which the active iron content decreased 61.02% in the shoots, but the active iron content not decreased in roots. Interestingly, the total and available amounts of iron in the soil were not less than those in the control. Therefore, the plants iron deficiency was not caused by (i) deficiency of available iron in the soil and (ii) restraint of the absorption that plant takes in the available iron, while induced by (ⅲ) the transport of active iron from the root to the shoot was blocked. The cortex tissues were seriously damaged by nZVI which was transported from soil to the root, these were proved by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). This current study shows that the mechanism of iron deficiency in rice seedling was due to transport of active iron from the root to the shoot blocked, which was caused by the uptake of nZVI.

The remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil has become a great concern because Cd will bring high health risk. Three kinds of iron phosphate nanoparticles, Fe3(PO4)2, FeHPO4 and Fe(H2PO4)2, were synthesized to reduce the leachability and bioaccessibility of soil-bound Cd. The Cd leachability was evaluated by a toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and in vitro bioaccessibility was evaluated by physiological based extraction test (PBET). After equilibrating for 42 days, the concentrations of TCLP were reduced from 4.43 to 0.99, 1.42 and 1.63 mg L−1 at a dosage of 4.5 mg PO4 g−1 soil with Fe3(PO4)2, FeHPO4 and Fe(H2PO4)2, respectively. Meanwhile the bioaccessibility of Cd was reduced by 22.4, 10.6 and 20.7%. The results showed that the nanoparticles were highly effective at amending Cd in soils and the best material for immobilizing Cd was Fe3(PO4)2. Results from sequential extraction procedures (SEP) showed a great decrease in exchangeable Cd and a concomitant increase in Cd residual fraction, suggesting that the formation of cadmium phosphate through precipitation was responsible for the decrease of Cd availability in soils. Moreover, because stable ferrous phosphate nanoparticles would bring less P residue than other soluble phosphate, they can be further optimized to prepare for practical application.

Prussian blue compounds (PBs) have been intensely studied as promising cathode materials for sodium ion batteries due to their rigid open framework which benefits Na+ insertion/extraction. However, the existence of Fe(CN)(6) vacancies occupied by coordinating H2O in the framework has great influence on the electrochemical performance. In this work, we prepared PB compounds using simple solution precipitation method at 0 degrees C, 40 degrees C and 80 degrees C, respectively. The obtained Na1.73Fe[Fe(CN)(6)](0.98)square(0.02) (PB0), Na1.27Fe[Fe(CN)(6)](0.94)square(0.06) (PB40) and Na1.12Fe[Fe(CN)(6)](0.92)square(0.08) (PB80) samples were investigated to clarify the effects of Fe(CN) 6 vacancies and the coordinating H2O molecules on the electrochemical behavior. CV tests indicated that coordinating H2O could be gradually extracted and attend side reaction at near 4.0V, which led to impedance growth and caused capacity decrease during cycling. Dehydrated PB samples showed increased reversible capacities. However, the cycling stability of the PBs mainly depended on the perfection of the lattice structure. Low defect structure Na1.73Fe[Fe(CN)(6)](0.98)square(0.02) exhibited superior cycling stability with initial reversible capacity of 105 mAh g(-1) (100 mA g(-1)) and intact cubic phase lattice structure during long term cycling. Dehydrated Na1.73Fe[Fe(CN)(6)](0.98)square(0.02) showed further improved reversible capacities of 123 mAh g(-1) (100 mA g(-1)) with 73% capacity retention after 200 cycles. (C) 2016 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

Fe-doped La0·3Sr0·7TiO3 (LSFT) is synthesized and systematically characterized towards application as an anode material for direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs). The structural, electrical and electrochemical properties of LSFT under the operation conditions of DC-SOFCs have been evaluated. High structural stability, improved ionic conductivity, electrocatalytic activity, and electrochemical performance are demonstrated. Electrolyte-supported DC-SOFC with LSFT anode provides a maximum power density of 292 mW cm−2 at 850 °C, which is comparable to those state-of-the-art Ni-YSZ anode for DC-SOFC. In addition, it shows excellent long-term operational stability (over 110 h) in H2S-containing CO atmosphere. It thus promises as a novel anode candidate for DC-SOFCs with whole-solid-state configuration.

The direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell is a potential technology that efficiently and cleanly converts the chemical energy of solid carbon into electricity. Its superiority of all-solid-state configuration and unique operating mechanism indicate that it has a good application prospect in high energy density portable or backup power supplys. It can also be used to convert coal into electrical power. Here, for the first time, we report a compact direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell stack with 12 cells fabricated on a single 10 × 10 cm electrolyte plate. The plate covers a container filled with solid carbon-rich fuel to form a stack. No sealant and pipelines are needed and the carbon-rich fuel can be reloaded. Both activated carbon and sawdust of bauhinia tree branch are used as the fuel. The output power of such a stack approaches more than 10 W at 800 °C. Using 15 g of 5 wt% Fe-loaded activated carbon as the fuel, a stack discharging at a constant current of 1.5 A outputs an energy of 29 Wh, correspongding to an energy desnity of carbon of ∼2000 Wh kg−1. This work shows the feasibility of developing direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell into a compact electricity generator using readily available carbon-rich fuels. It also shows promise of using this technology in clean and efficient conversion of coal to electricity.

In practical applications of cylindrical explosive-filled casing, non-explosive materials or structures need to be filled at two ends, which make the ends of the casing have no corresponding explosive charge drive. If the non-explosive materials or structures are regarded as air, it is called cylindrical casing with air parts at two ends. The casing of air parts at two ends will be accelerated by the shock waves and detonation products generated from explosive charge, which cannot be predicted by Gurney formula because the mass ratio of explosive charge to metal casing is 0. In the present work, according to theoretical analysis and simulation, it was found that the existence of air parts at two ends would have no effect on the velocity distribution of fragments generated from the casing with explosive charge. In addition, the fragment velocities generated from air parts decreased exponentially with the increase of the distance from two ends, and the fragment velocities generated from air part at non-detonation end would also present an exponential decay with the increase of the length of air part at non-detonation end. A new formula was proposed to predict the axial distribution of fragment velocities of cylindrical casing with different length of air parts at two ends, which was detonated at one end. The proposed formula was further validated by experimentally verified numerical simulations, and the results showed that the average relative error was no more than 6.28%, RMSE was no more than 60.23 m/s, and R a d j 2 was more than 0.958, which indicated that the new formula could predict the axial distribution of fragment velocities very well. This work could provide reference for the theoretical analysis and the design of similar warhead.

Background Vladimiriae Radix (VR) is the dry root of Vladimiria souliei (Franch.) Ling or Vladimiria souliei (Franch.) Ling var. cinerea Ling. Costunolide (CO) and dehydrocostus lactone (DE) are the two most effective active ingredients of VR. Raw Vladimiriae radix (rVR) and processed Vladimiriae radix (pVR) are the two most common forms. They have been used for hundreds of years to treat gastritis, gastric ulcer and gastrointestinal pain, but their protective effects on gastric mucosa have been widely considered to be different, and the mechanism is not clear. Purpose A comparative study of in vivo process and efficacy difference of raw and processed Vladimiriae Radix was carried out to explore the treatment mechanism and to provide reference for the rationality of clinical usage. Methods In this study, multi-batch rVR and pVR were used to establish the characteristic chromatograms through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to control the qualities of their extracts. A rapid and accurate ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) method was established and verified, and the concentrations of CO and DE in plasma of rats after oral administration were determined to analyze the pharmacokinetics. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosa injury (AGMI) in rats were quantitatively analyzed by ELISA and Westernblot methods. Results Characteristic chromatograms study showed that there were 9 common characteristic peaks between the chromatograms of rVR and pVR, and there was a high level (> 0.90) of the similarity between batches (only one batch less than 0.90). The increased levels of Tmax, T1/2 and MRT were found in rats treated with the pVR. Animal model studies indicated that both the two forms of VR could relieve AGMI, but pVR could more effectively reduce the content of ethanol in blood and lower the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, NO, iNOS and MDA, and increase the level of SOD. Results of Westernblot proved that pVR also could inhibit the expression of NF-κB p65, IκBα and up-regulate the expression of HO-1 and NRF2 more operatively to protect gastric mucosa through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant stress mechanisms. Conclusion Compared with rVR, pVR has an accelerated absorption in vivo and its effect time was prolonged, and the observed improvement of anti-AGMI effect was achieved through anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation regulation.

We aimed to analyze serum antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) level during different immunological phases in the natural history of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Serum anti-HBc levels in the immune tolerant (IT), immune clearance (IC), low replicative (LR), and HBeAg negative hepatitis (ENH) phases from 634 treatment-naïve CHB patients were measured and compared between phases and with other serum markers.Median serum anti-HBc levels were different between the phases of CHB. Serum anti-HBc level was highest in the ENH phase and lowest in the IT phase. Serum anti-HBc level correlated only with ALT in the IC phase (r = 0.248, p0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of anti-HBc at a cutoff value of 9.03 S/CO for differentiation of IT and IC phases was 0.689 (sensitivity 74.03%, specificity 60.23%). The AUC for differentiation of LR and ENH phases was 0.751 (sensitivity 68.32%, specificity 70.53%) at a cutoff value of 9.74 S/CO for anti-HBc.Serum anti-HBc levels were significantly different across different phases of CHB and were associated with hepatitis activities.

The Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score was developed to predict the long-term prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We aimed to investigate the performance of ALBI for predicting severity and long-term prognosis of chronic hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis (CHB-LC).CHB-LC patients were enrolled from two medical centers between 2011 and 2017. The prognostic performance of ALBI was evaluated and compared with Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) and MELD integrating sodium (MELD-Na) scores.This study enrolled 398 CHB-LC patients and patients were followed up for a median of 33.9 (IQR 21.6-48.8) months. The ALBI (HR: 3.151, 95% CI: 2.039-4.869,P 0.001) was identified as an independent predictor of liver-related mortality. The receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs) analysis revealed that ALBI score (0.756, 0.745, 0.739, 0.767 and 0.765) was superior to MELD score (P 0.05) and comparable with CTP score (P 0.05) for predicting 2-year, 3-year, 4-year, 5-year and global mortality. The AUROCs of ALBI score were significantly higher than MELD-Na score(P 0.05) for predicting 2-year, 3-year and 5-year mortality. Patients with lower ALBI grade had a significantly lower mortality than patients with higher ALBI grade (P 0.05).ALBI score accurately predicts the severity and long-term prognosis of patients with CHB-LC. The prognostic performance of ALBI score was superior to MELD and MELD-Na score.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a life-threatening infectious disease identified in 2009. SFTS is mainly transmitted by contact with ticks or animals; however, sporadic reports suggested that SFTS could be transmitted among humans.We aimed to comprehensively characterize clinical features and disease progression of SFTS acquired by human-to-human transmission.A retrospective study of 90 SFTS patients was performed in a tertiary hospital of Nanjing, China, from October 2010 to October 2016. Seven cases of secondary SFTS were identified based on their epidemic timeline. Their clinical presentations, dynamic laboratory results and clinical outcome were analyzed.First, 20 out of 83 primary SFTS patients were deceased, leading to a case-fatality ratio of 24.1%, while all secondary patients survived, suggesting a superior clinical outcome for secondary infection. Moreover, clinical symptoms and laboratory tests in primary and secondary SFTS patients were analyzed, respectively. Secondary SFTS patients developed milder clinical manifestation in the absence of neurological disorder and multiple organ failure. Further, clinical laboratory tests revealed that secondary patients had less disturbed key laboratory parameters, compared to those in primary SFTS patients. During day 7-13 post illness onset, most of the clinical laboratory results of secondary patients went back to normal range. They also had significantly lower level of viral load than primary patients.Secondary SFTS acquired through human-to-human transmission leads to milder clinical representations and superior prognoses compared to primary SFTS, suggesting that the transmission route makes a difference in disease progression and clinical outcome of SFTS disease.

A thin-film composite ultrafiltration (UF) membrane grafted with amine-functionalized MCM-41 was prepared and used for removing heavy metals from aqueous solution. The porous NH 2 -MCM-41 nano-particles formed a uniform hydrophilic and adsorptive layer on the thin-film which endowed the composite membrane with affinity to heavy metals and better anti-fouling performance. The adsorption capacity of Cr (VI) and Cu (II) on membrane were 2.8 mg Cr/g and 3.7 mg Cu/g, respectively, and their adsorption processes reached equilibrium around 5 min. The continuous UF experiments demonstrated that the membrane can be used as an effective filter medium to purify the water containing trace heavy metals. The metals concentration in filtrates was maintained below initial concentration of 1 mg/L (Cu) and 0.5 mg/L (Cr) during the 7-hour filtration. The membrane’s adsorption capacity could be regenerated by being immersed in 0.5 M HNO 3 . Besides, to examine its anti-fouling performance, the model NOM (natural organic matter) water was used as a feed solution. The composite membrane showed not only slower irreversible fouling evolution but also higher rejection of NOM compared with that without grafting NH 2 -MCM-41. The method reported in this study was efficient to enhance the rejection and anti-fouling performance of UF membrane, what’s more, endowed the membrane with affinity to heavy metals.

This study investigated thermal liquefaction of cotton seed in an autoclave. The effects of solvent (ethanol/water, water and ethanol), temperature and some additives on product distribution were investigated. The results showed that using ethanol/water as solvent could get higher total conversion. The highest liquid oil yield (38.4%) was obtained at 300°C, 2MPa and 30min in ethanol/water with Mo/MS (medical stone). The highest hydrogen content in gas also was obtained when adding Mo/MS, and then followed by that when adding Co-Mo/MS. (1)H NMR analysis indicated that the use of additives (except MS) could increase the aliphatic content in liquid oil. (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR showed that the liquefied oil from liquefaction of cotton seed mainly obtained aliphatic compounds, and adding the additives only changed the amount of compounds and did not alter the type of compounds obtained in the oil.

The aim of this study was to determine the role of ALDH2 in the injury of liver from brain-dead donors. Using brain-dead rabbit model and hypoxia model, levels of ALDH2 and apoptosis in tissues and cell lines were determined by Western blot, flow cytometry (FCM), and transferase (TdT)-mediated biotin-16-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays. After the expression of ALDH2 during hypoxia had been inhibited or activated, the accumulations of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and molecules involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway were analyzed using ELISA kit and Western blot. The low expression of phosphorylated ALDH2 in liver was time-dependent in the brain-dead rabbit model. Immunohistochemistry showed ALDH2 was primarily located in endothelial, and the rates of cell apoptosis in the donation after brain-death (DBD) rabbit groups significantly increased with time. Following the treatment of inhibitor of ALDH2, daidzein, in combination with hypoxia for 8 h, the apoptosis rate and the levels of 4-HNE, P-JNK, and cleaved caspase-3 significantly increased in contrast to that in hypoxic HUVECs; however, they all decreased after treatment with Alda-1 and hypoxia compared with that in hypoxic HUVECs (P < 0.05). Instead, the levels of P-P38, P-ERK, P-JNK, and cleaved caspase-3 decreased and the ratio of bcl-2/bax increased with ad-ALDH2 (10(6) pfu/ml) in combination with hypoxia for 8 h, which significantly alleviated in contrast to that in hypoxic HUVECs. We found low expression of ALDH2 and high rates of apoptosis in the livers of brain-dead donor rabbits. Furthermore, decreased ALDH2 led to apoptosis in HUVECs through MAPK pathway.