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To explore the optimal storage method, antioxidant activities of fresh Cistanche deserticola fleshy stem were studied in response to the types of packaging and storage temperature during storage. Furthermore, this research will provide theoretical guides to preserve Cistanche deserticola fleshy stem.The fresh fleshy stem of Cistanche deserticola was stored at 4 ℃ and 25 ℃using polyethylene( PE) film, vacuum packaging and vacuum packaging with nitrogen( N2) respectively, and the antioxidant enzyme activities were assayed regularly.The preservation temperature of Cistanche deserticola fleshy stem was better at 4 ℃ than that at25 ℃. Under 4 ℃ condition,vacuum packaging with N2 was conducive to maintaining antioxidant capacity.The combination of vacuum packaging with N2 and lower temperature can keep better quality in fresh Cistanche deserticola fleshy stem during storage.

Summary Locomotion relies on the coordinated activity of rhythmic neurons in the hindbrain and spinal cord and depends critically on the intrinsic properties of excitatory interneurons. Therefore, understanding how ion channels sculpt the properties of these interneurons, and the consequences for circuit function and behavior, is an important task. The hyperpolarization-activated cation current, Ih, is known to play important roles in shaping neuronal properties and for rhythm generation in many neuronal networks. We show in stage 42 Xenopus laevis frog tadpoles that Ih is strongly expressed only in excitatory descending interneurons (dINs), an important ipsilaterally projecting population that drives swimming activity. The voltage-dependent HCN channel blocker ZD7288 completely abolished a prominent depolarizing sag potential in response to hyperpolarization, the hallmark of Ih, and hyperpolarized dINs. ZD7288 also affected dIN post-inhibitory rebound firing, upon which locomotor rhythm generation relies, and disrupted locomotor output. Block of Ih also unmasked an activity-dependent ultraslow afterhyperpolarization (usAHP) in dINs following swimming, mediated by a dynamic Na/K pump current. This usAHP, unmasked in dINs by ZD7288, resulted in suprathreshold stimuli failing to evoke swimming at short inter-swim intervals, indicating an important role for Ih in maintaining swim generation capacity and in setting the post-swim refractory period of the network. Collectively, our data suggest that the selective expression of Ih in dINs determines specific dIN properties that are important for rhythm generation and counteracts an activity-dependent usAHP to ensure that dINs can maintain coordinated swimming over a wide range of inter-swim intervals., Highlights • Ih is strongly expressed in Xenopus locomotor-rhythm-generating dIN interneurons • Ih is active at rest in dINs, contributing to their distinct electrical properties • dINs normally lack a Na pump-dependent ultra-slow afterhyperpolarization (usAHP) • Ih counterbalances dIN usAHPs to preserve tadpole rhythm generating capacity, Picton et al. reveal that a hyperpolarization-activated current, Ih, selectively affects the electrical properties of locomotor rhythm generating interneurons in the Xenopus tadpole spinal motor circuit. By counterbalancing a dynamic hyperpolarizing Na pump current, Ih preserves rhythm generating capacity at short inter-swim intervals.

Vegetation phenology is a good indicator of climate change, because of the close correlation between vegetation and climate. The Daxing'an Mountains, located in Chinese northernmost region, are more sensitive to climate change. Researching the spatio-temporal variation of vegetation phenology in this region is of great significance for assessing the influence of global change on terrestrial ecosystem. According to the eco-geographical zoning of China, the Daxing'an Mountains can be divided into for four eco-geographical regions. In this study, the spatial distribution and dynamics of vegetation phenology in the Daxing'an Mountains were analyzed using 8-km resolution GIMMS NDVI 3g dataset from 1982 to 2012. Results showed that the start of growing season in all partitions exhibited an advancing trend, and the end of growing season in all partitions had an extending trend. Vegetation phenology which was sensitive to the change of meteorological factors had a stronger correlation with temperature than with precipitation for all four eco-geographical regions. There was a significant negative correlation between the start of growing season in the northern region and spring temperature. Except for the south of the Daxing'an Mountains, the ending days of growing season in the other three eco-geographical regions had significant negative correlations with summer precipitation. The change of vegetation phenology in the whole study was obvious along with altitude and latitude.植被与气候的关系十分密切,植被物候可作为全球气候变化的指示器.大兴安岭位于我国最北部,对气候变化较为敏感,研究该区植被物候的时空变化对评估全球变化对陆地生态系统的影响具有重要意义.依据中国生态地理区划图,将大兴安岭划分为4个生态研究区域,本文利用GIMMS NDVI 3g遥感数据集分析1982—2012年大兴安岭整体及各生态地理分区植被物候变化.结果表明: 研究期间,所有分区植被生长季开始日期均表现为提前趋势,生长季结束日期均表现为推迟趋势.植被物候对气候因子变化敏感,尤其是对气温的敏感程度高于降水,其中,北段山地落叶针叶林区植被生长季开始日期与春季温度呈显著负相关;除南段草原区外,其他3个分区植被生长季结束日期均与秋季降水呈显著负相关.从整体来看,植被物候随海拔、纬度的变化趋势明显.

Hongyan Zhang,1 Huafang Li,2 Yanning Liu,3 Cathy Wu,3 Qingqi Wu,3 Isaac Nuamah,4 Jianguo Shi,5 Shiping Xie,6 Gang Wang,7Srihari Gopal4 1Peking University 6th Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 2Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 3Janssen Research & Development, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Titusville, NJ, USA; 5Xian Mental Health Center, Xian, 6Department of Psychiatry, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing, 7Mood Disorders Center, Beijing Anding Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China Objectives: The long-term safety, tolerability, and efficacy of paliperidone extended-release (ER) were evaluated in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.Methods: Patients (aged ≥18 years) with schizophrenia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria) who had completed run-in (8-week), stabilization (6-week), and double-blind (DB) phases (variable) of a phase-3, placebo-controlled study entered this 24-week, open-label extension (OLE) study. These patients, who had either experienced a relapse or remained relapse-free through DB phase of the study, were treated with flexible-dose paliperidone-ER (3–12 mg/day) during the OLE phase. Major safety evaluations included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and extrapyramidal symptoms. Efficacy endpoints included changes in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score, Clinical Global Impression-Severity scale, and Personal and Social Performance scale from OLE baseline to OLE endpoint.Results: Out of 106 patients who entered the OLE phase (placebo: 59, paliperidone-ER: 47), a total of 85 (80%) completed it. Thirty-five (33%) patients experienced at least one TEAE; most common were akathisia, somnolence, nasopharyngitis, and constipation (3.8% each). Serious TEAEs were noted in two patients (completed suicide; schizophrenia worsening). No TEAEs with an onset during the OLE phase led to discontinuation. Extrapyramidal symptoms related-TEAEs were reported in eight (7.5%) patients. Mean (standard deviation) changes in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total scores (–10.4 [13.2]), Clinical Global Impression-Severity scores (–0.6 [0.96]) and Personal and Social Performance scores (7.4 [13.2]) from OLE baseline to OLE endpoint showed patients who had been treated with placebo during the DB phase experienced more pronounced improvements.Conclusion: In this OLE study, flexibly dosed paliperidone-ER (3–12 mg/day) was tolerable and efficacious in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Keywords: CGI-S score, paliperidone, PANSS score, PSP score

Exogenous substance P accelerates wound healing in diabetes, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we established a rat model by intraperitoneally injecting streptozotocin. Four wounds (1.8 cm diameter) were drilled using a self-made punch onto the back, bilateral to the vertebral column, and then treated using amniotic membrane with epidermal stem cells and/or substance P around and in the middle of the wounds. With the combined treatment the wound-healing rate was 100% at 14 days. With prolonged time, type I collagen content gradually increased, yet type III collagen content gradually diminished. Abundant protein gene product 9.5- and substance P-immunoreactive nerve fibers regenerated. Partial nerve fiber endings extended to the epidermis. The therapeutic effects of combined substance P and epidermal stem cells were better than with amniotic membrane and either factor alone. Our results suggest that the combination of substance P and epidermal stem cells effectively contributes to nerve regeneration and wound healing in diabetic rats.

An online steady-state load identification method is proposed to solve the problems related to frequency drift, system robustness deterioration, difficulties in controller design due to the uncertainties in load and mutual inductance variations of an inductive power transfer (IPT) system. Take a Series-Series-type IPT system as an example, an additional capacitor is added into the system to make the system work in two operating modes, and a mathematical model is established according to the two modes for the system identification. Simulation and experimental results have verified the proposed online load identification method. It has demonstrated that the method is accurate and reliable for identifying uncertain loads and magnetic coupling variations if other system parameters are known. The method can be used to improve the system performance with precise control.

In this work, we investigated the functional role of microRNA 137 (miR-137) in regulating osteosarcoma both in vitro and in vivo.Quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine the gene expressions of miR-137 in osteosarcoma cell lines and osteosarcoma tumors. 143B and Saos-2 cells were infected with lentivirus expressing miR-137 mimics (miR-137-mimic) to ectopically upregulate miR-137. In vitro cancer proliferation and migration were examined by MTT assay and transwell assay, respectively. Viral infected Saos-2 cells were also subcutaneously inoculated into null mice to evaluate the effect of miR-137 upregulation on in vivo tumor growth. The interaction between miR-137 and its downstream target, FXYD6, was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter assay and quantitative real-time PCR. FXYD6 was then subsequently upregulated in osteosarcoma cells to evaluate its effect on miR-137 regulation in osteosarcoma.We found that miR-137 was significantly downregulated in both osteosarcoma cell lines and osteosarcoma tumors. Lentiviral infection of miR-137-mimic upregulated miR-137 gene expression, reduced in vitro proliferation and migration and inhibited in vivo osteosarcoma tumor growth. FXYD6 was verified to be directly interacting with miR-137, and its subsequent upregulation reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-137 upregulation in osteosarcoma.We revealed novel functional role of miR-137 in osteosarcoma regulation, likely through FXYD6 binding.

High-quality 100 mm 4H-SiC boules were grown using the physical vapor transport (PVT) method with optimized growth parameters. Micro-Raman spectroscopy measurement shows that the 4H-SiC polytype of the entire wafer is uniform. The micropipe density is measured to be less than 1cm-2. The 1c threading screw dislocation (TSD) density can be suppressed to the magnitude of 102 cm-2. After chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), it is found that the warp of the substrate is less than 10 μm, and the surface roughness (Ra) is as low as 0.063 nm.

Grasshopper plagues have posed a severe threat to grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China. How to predict and control grasshopper infestations has become an urgent issue. We sampled 293 plots in Xianghuangqi County, measured the density of the most dominant grasshopper species, Oedaleus decorus asiaticus, and the latitude, longitude, and certain habitat factors at each plot. We estimated the grasshopper habitat suitability using a fuzzy evaluation model combined with 3S technology, and evaluated the grasshopper climatic suitability during the period 2001–2010. The integrated suitability ranks can indicate the corresponding ranks of potential occurrence of grasshoppers (POG) well. The spatial pattern of POG was closely associated with that of habitat suitability. O. decorus asiaticus was most likely to be found at flat sites or southern/eastern slopes with elevations of 1300–1400 m, typical chestnut soil with sand content of 60–80% in the topsoil, and medium vegetation coverage of 30–50% on temperate bunchgrass steppe. The annual variations in spatial pattern of POG were mainly due to variations in climatic suitability. Spring drought and spring high temperature might cause grasshopper plagues. This study provides an effective means for predicting the locations where grasshoppers might occur using relatively stable habitat factors and a few climatic factors.

Purpose The gut is in direct contact with BDE-99 (2,2′,4,4′,5-pentabromodiphenyl ether), one of the most abundant PBDE congeners in the environment and in human tissues. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of BDE-99 on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Methods The effects of BDE-99 on cell proliferation were measured by CCK-8 assay in the CRC cell line HCT-116. Wound healing and transwell migration/invasion assays were used to test the migration and invasion of CRC cells. Factors related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis for mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Results BDE-99 was found to increase migration and invasion and trigger EMT in HCT-116 cells; EMT was characterized by cells acquiring mesenchymal spindle-like morphology and by increased expression of N-cadherin with a concomitant decrease in E-cadherin. BDE-99 treatment also increased the protein and mRNA levels of the transcription factor Snail, but not Slug, Twist, and ZEB1. Knockdown of Snail by siRNA significantly attenuated BDE-99-induced EMT in HCT-116 cells, suggesting that Snail plays a crucial role in BDE-99-induced EMT. The PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002 completely blocked BDE-99-induced Snail and invasion of HCT-116 cells. Conclusions Our results revealed that BDE-99 can trigger the EMT of colon cancer cells via the PI3K/AKT/Snail signaling pathway. This study provides new insight into the tumorigenesis and metastasis of CRC stimulated by BDE-99 and possibly other PBDE congeners.

A facile and general route to a new generation of polyaniline (PANI)-citric acid (CA) crystals such as 2D nanoplates, 2D nanosheets and 3D microrods self-assembled by the π-π stacking interaction is reported. Dramatic, 3D rectangular shaped microrods and 2D nanosheets are single crystals indicated by SAED patterns and HRTEM images. Moreover, the method does not depend on any specific equipment or heating, cooling and complex procedures. The novel polyaniline crystals will be useful for next generation organic electronics such as nano-transistors.

Scientific Reports 5: Article number: 16188; published online: 06 November 2015; updated: 22 December 2017. In this Article, ‘Centre for Neuroregeneration, University of Edinburgh, Chancellor’s Building, 49 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB’ is incorrectly listed as a present address for Hong-Yan Zhang and should be listed as a second affiliation.

The intrinsic factors (IF) influencing visual attention performance (VAP) might cause potential human errors, such as "error/mistake", "forgetting" and "omission". It is a key issue to develop a systematic assessment of IF in order to distinguish the levels of VAP. Motivated by the Stimulus-Response (S-R) model, we take an interactive cancellation test-Neuron Type Test (NTT)-to explore the IF and present the corresponding systematic assessment. The main contributions of this work include three elements: a) modeling the IF on account of attention span, attention stability, distribution-shift of attention with measurable parameters by combining the psychological and statistical concepts; b) proposing quantitative analysis methods for assessing the IF via its computational representation-intrinsic qualities (IQ)-in the sense of computational model; and c) clustering the IQ of air traffic control (ATC) students in the feature space of interest. The response sequences of participants collected with the NTT system are characterized by three parameters: Hurst exponent, normalized number of decisions (NNoD) and error rate of decisions (ERD). The K-means clustering is applied to partition the feature space constructed from practical data of VAP. For the distinguishable clusters, the statistical inference is utilized to refine the assessment of IF. Our comprehensive analysis shows that the IQ can be classified into four levels, i.e., excellent, good, moderate and unqualified, which has a potential application in selecting air traffic controllers subject to reducing the risk of the inadequacy of attention performances in aviation safety management.

To observe the clinical effect of pulpotomy for cariously exposed permanent teeth with closed apices and provide guidance for clinical application.Sixty-two cariously exposed permanent teeth with closed apices and vital pulps were included. Preoperative pulpal and periapical diagnosis was established. The teeth were divided into two groups, the experimental group was treated with pulpotomy(32 cases), and the control group was treated with one-visit root canal therapy (one-visit RCT) (30 cases). Clinical and radiographic evaluation was completed at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months postoperatively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18.0 software package.After 1 year, the success rate of pulpotomy was 93.75%, and the success rate of root canal therapy was 93.10%. There was no significant difference between pulpotomy and root canal therapy(P=0.665).The advantages of pulpotomy are less invasive and less tooth destruction. It is a successful treatment option for cariously exposed pulps in mature permanent teeth.

Xue Bai,1 Yun-yun Li,1,2 Hong-yan Zhang,1 Feng Wang,1 Hong-liu He,1 Jin-chao Yao,1 Ling Liu,1 Shan-shan Li1 1Department of Pathology, Basic Medical College of Zhengzhou University, 2Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be a crucial event during the early metastasis of tumor cells. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is involved in the process of EMT in a variety of human malignancies. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis, and its expression is regulated by various growth factors, including TGF-β1, in different cell types. To date, the role of MMP-9 in TGF-β1-induced EMT in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying MMP-9-mediated TGF-β1 induction of EMT in ESCC. We analyzed the expression of MMP-9, E-cadherin, and vimentin, in ESCC cells (EC-1), before and after the treatment with exogenous TGF-β1 or a broad spectrum MMP inhibitor, GM6001. Additionally, we analyzed the activity of MMP-9 in these cells and performed MMP-9 knockdown experiments. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that the treatment of EC-1 cells with TGF-β1 can induce EMT, together with the upregulation of vimentin and downregulation of E-cadherin expression in a time-dependent manner. The treatment with GM6001 was shown to attenuate TGF-β1-induced EMT. Furthermore, the exposure of EC-1 cells to TGF-β1 increased the expression and activity of MMP-9, while MMP-9 knockdown blocked TGF-β1-induced EMT and inhibited cell invasiveness and migration. Additionally, treatment with the recombinant human MMP-9 was shown to induce EMT and enhance ESCC cell invasion and metastasis. The obtained data suggest that the regulation of MMP-9 by TGF-β1 may represent a novel mechanism underlying TGF-β1-induced EMT in ESCC. Keywords: epithelial–mesenchymal transition, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, matrix metalloproteinase-9, transforming growth factor-β1

This paper defines the SIFT-like features by analogy and proposes a novel method to accelerate its matching process. The acceleration strategy is to compute a characteristic value for each key point descriptor and divide a key point set into different subsets making use of this value. The approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) search method is applied to improve the efficiency of matching. The performance and accuracy of the proposed algorithm have been tested on various data and compared with the normal ANN search. The experimental results show the new method is, on average, twice faster than ANN search when it is applied to SIFT features' matching.

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the BBSRC (grant numbers: BB/M024946/1 and BB/JO1446X/1), the Carnegie Trust and the University of St Andrews. Sodium pumps are ubiquitously expressed membrane proteins that extrude three Na+ ions in exchange for two K+ ions using ATP as an energy source. Recent studies have illuminated additional, dynamic roles for sodium pumps in regulating the excitability of neuronal networks in an activity-dependent fashion. Here we review their role in a novel form of short-term memory within rhythmic locomotor networks. The data we review derives mainly from recent studies on Xenopus tadpoles and neonatal mice. The role and underlying mechanisms of pump action broadly match previously published data from an invertebrate, the Drosophila larva. We therefore propose a highly conserved mechanism by which sodium pump activity increases following a bout of locomotion. This results in an ultraslow afterhyperpolarisation (usAHP) of the membrane potential that lasts around 1 minute, but which only occurs in around half the network neurons. This usAHP in turn alters network excitability so that network output is reduced in a locomotor interval-dependent manner. The pumps therefore confer on spinal locomotor networks a temporary memory trace of recent network performance. Postprint

Upon viral infection, retinoic acid–inducible gene I–like receptors (RLRs) recognize viral RNA and trigger a series of signaling events, leading to the induction of type I interferons (IFNs). These processes are delicately regulated to prevent excessive and harmful immune responses. In this study, we identified G patch domain-containing protein 3 (GPATCH3) as a negative regulator of RLR-mediated antiviral signaling pathways. Overexpression of GPATCH3 impaired RNA virus- triggered induction of downstream antiviral genes, whereas its knockdown had opposite effects and attenuated viral replication. In addition, GPATCH3-deficient cells had higher IFNB1 mRNA level compared with control cells after RNA virus infection. Mechanistically, GPATCH3 was recruited to VISA in a viral infection dependent manner and the assembly of VISA/TRAF6/TBK1 signalosome was impaired in GPATCH3-overexpressing cells. In contrast, upon viral infection, the recruitment of TRAF6 and TBK1 to VISA was enhanced in GPATCH3 deficient cells. Taking together, our findings demonstrate that GPATCH3 interacts with VISA and disrupts the assembly of virus-induced VISA signalosome therefore acts as a negative regulator of RLR-mediated innate antiviral immune responses., Author summary Virus infection triggers the host cells to produce type I IFNs and proinflammatory cytokines, which are secreted proteins important for the host to clear viruses. Previously, we identified VISA (also named as MAVS, IPS-1 and Cardif) as a critical adaptor of virus-triggered, RLR-mediated induction of innate antiviral responses. In this study, we further found that GPATCH3, a functionally uncharacterized protein, interacted with mitochondria-localized VISA upon virus infection and disrupted the assembly of VISA-signalosome. Therefore, GPATCH3 acts as a negative regulator of VISA and functions as a brake of RLR-mediated antiviral innate responses. This discovery helps to understand how the innate antiviral responses are delicately regulated.

Objective To find out if the failure in immunotolerance of myasthenia gravis (MG) is a possible aspect of deduction in Breg cells and to characterize B cell subsets in MG. Methods Flow cytometry detection and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in peripheral blood films of 10 MG patients and 10 healthy controls (HCs) were performed after isolation of B cells. The CD19+CD5+CD1d+ Breg cells percentages were measured to complement a B cell phenotype assay and frequencies of B cell subsets. The clinical outcome measures and immunological variables of patients with MG were compared with HCs. Results Patients with MG had relatively lowered percentages of CD19+CD5+CD1d+ Breg cells as compared to HCs. The production of interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 was relatively lesser in patients with MG than HCs, which were linked with more severe of MG disease status according to Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) clinical classification. The reduction of cytokine production was more significant for IL-10 than TGF-β1 when compared to HCs. Conclusion It has been observed that the reduced number of B cells is able to produce IL-10 in MG patients but lesser than compared to HCs. The Bregs reduction mainly was regarded by the severity of disease status, which was highly significant and also by disease duration which was statistically significant as well. The findings of the measurement of B cell phenotype assay and frequencies of B cell subsets between MGs and HCs give us new ideas to develop B cell-mediated therapies of MG such as (1) isolated B cells of MGs could be cultured with steroids, e.g., dexamethasone in vitro to see if it induces the CD19+CD5+CD1d+ Breg cells, (2) it may observe whether induced CD19+CD5+CD1d+ Bregs have higher production of IL-10 and TGF-β1, as both are linked with disease severity, and (3) after completion in vitro steps, through further research in vivo to observe whether it improves the function of MG disease status.

A coarse-grained Cu–36Zn–2Pb alloy with an initial grain size of ~54 μm was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature under an applied pressure of 6.0 GPa through 1–10 turns, and the evolution of microstructure and microhardness was investigated. Analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that in HPT processing the β′-phase transforms to an α-phase and a {111} texture is formed. Microscopic examination showed that dislocations were first formed at equivalent strains of not more than ~25 and when the equivalent strain increased to ~40 there was evidence for twins and secondary twinning. Fine grains were formed with an increase in equivalent strain to ~100 and with further straining these refined grains acted as precursors for additional grain refinement. The refined equiaxed grain size was ~250 nm after HPT through an equivalent strain of ~100 and the results show the microhardness reached a saturation value of ~220 Hv.

In this paper the interactions between DNA and anti-cancer drug oxaliplatin were investigated by using magnetic tweezers. The dynamics of DNA condensation due to oxaliplatin was traced under various forces. It is found that torsion constraint in DNA enhances the ability of oxaliplatin for shortening DNA. The transplatin helps oxaliplatin combine to DNA and increase the rate of DNA condensation. All these results are consistent to the previously proposed model and are helpful for further investigation of interaction between DNA and oxaliplatin.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial step for the invasive and metastatic properties of malignant tumor cells during tumor progression. Numerous signaling pathways are involved in the process of EMT in cancer, such as the EMT-inducing signal transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and the recently demonstrated PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway. To date, no data have been reported concerning the influence of PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway on EMT in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and how TGF-β1 and PTEN/PI3K act through multiple interconnected signaling pathways to trigger events associated with EMT and tumor progression. Our data showed that the PTEN/PI3K pathway was active in human ESCC tissues in vivo, particularly in ESCC with decreased E-cadherin and increased vimentin protein expression, poor differentiation, deep invasion and lymph node metastasis, which are responsible for EMT and tumor progression. In addition, in the human ESCC cell line (EC-1) in vitro, TGF-β1 treatment markedly induced EMT, including morphological alterations, a decrease of E-cadherin and an increase of vimentin levels and enhanced mobility and invasiveness. Furthermore, the PTEN/PI3K pathway was also activated in the process of TGF-β1-induced EMT in EC-1 cells in vitro, whereas inhibition of the PTEN/PI3K pathway by using pcDNA3.1 PTEN partially blocked TGF-β1-induced EMT and reduced mobility and invasiveness. These studies suggest that TGF-β1 and the PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway contribute to EMT and the PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway is a key regulator of TGF-β1‑induced EMT in ESCC. Disruption of the PTEN/PI3K pathway involved in TGF-β1-induced EMT may provide possible routes for therapeutic intervention to ESCC.

In this paper, we report the obtention of two copper (I) metal–organic complexes [Cu(LH)2Cl] 1 and [Cu2L2]n 2 (LH = 2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10] phenanthroline) by hydrothermal processing and structural characterization by elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and theoretical calculations in Gaussian 09. The pH value of the reaction plays a key role in controlling the structures of the metal–organic complexes. Based on the structures of 1 and 2, we found that the pH influence on the structure of the complexes is, in fact, high pH value will favor the complex 2 produced.

Background A high expression of squalene epoxidase (SQLE) is related to tumor occurrence, development, and prognosis in a variety of cancers. In this study, the expression and significance of SQLE was analyzed in patients with squamous lung cancer and pericarcinoma tissues. Methods The SQLE mRNA and protein expression were separately examined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot in 65 cases of squamous cell lung carcinoma tissues and adjacent non-cancerous lung tissues. Results The expression of SQLE mRNA and protein in lung squamous cancerous tissues was significantly higher than in pericarcinoma tissues (63.07% vs. 44.61%, P = 0.0348; 67.69% vs. 38.46%, P = 0.0008). The positive expression rate of SQLE mRNA was not associated with gender, age, smoking, or tumor size (P > 0.05). The expression of SQLE mRNA was closely correlated with poor differentiation, clinical stages, and lymphatic metastasis (P < 0.05). The expression of SQLE mRNA was negatively associated with overall survival rate (P < 0.05). Conclusion A high expression of SQLE was found in squamous lung cancer tissues. The high expression of the SQLE gene may be closely related to the occurrence and development of squamous cell lung carcinoma. SQLE expression predicts a poor prognosis and may serve as a novel lung carcinoma molecule marker.

Objective: Aroma is the core factor in aromatherapy. Sensory evaluation of aromas differed among three sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) cultivar groups. The purpose of this study was to investigate the aroma-active compounds responsible for these differences. Methods: Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to analyze the aroma-active compounds and volatiles of creamy-white (‘Houban Yingui’, HBYG), yellow (‘Liuye Jingui’, LYJG), and orange (‘Gecheng Dangui’, GCDG) cultivars. Results: Seventeen aroma-active compounds were detected among 54 volatiles. trans-β-Ocimene, trans-β-ionone, and linalool, which were major volatiles, were identified as aroma-active, while cis-3-hexenyl butanoate, γ-terpinene, and hexyl butanoate were also aroma-active compounds, although their contents were low. Analysis of the odors was based on the sum of the modified frequency (MF) values of aroma-active compounds in different odor groups. HBYG contained more herb odors, contributed by cis-β-ocimene and trans-β-ocimene, while LYJG had more woody/violet/fruity odors released by trans-β-ionone, α-ionone, and hexyl butanoate. In GCDG, the more floral odors were the result of cis-linalool oxide, trans-linalool oxide, and linalool. Conclusions: Aroma-active compounds were not necessarily only the major volatiles: some volatiles with low content also contributed to aroma. The aroma differences among the three cultivars resulted from variation in the content of different odor groups and in the intensities of aroma-active compounds.

The actual supercharged boiler is reasonably simplified and the geometric model of the furnace and the mathematical model of steady-state three-dimensional turbulent reaction are built in this paper. Numerical simulation of the thermal NOx emission under three different loads in the furnace of a supercharged boiler is conducted with FLUENT software. The thermal NOx emission increases in the furnace when the load increases and the largest mole fraction of the thermal NOx mainly exists at the back edge of high temperature.

According to the basic mechanism of the supercharged boiler superheater, a superheater simulation model was established. The simulation about a whole superheater system including the flue gas,steam and tube wall was conducted according to the simulation model.Therefore, the internal working laws of superheater system are revealed by the simulation results.

A new fluorescent boron dipyrromethene (Bodipy) derivative 1 containing a di(2-picolyl)amine group as a binding site for Cu2+ was synthesized and characterized. Compound 1 behaves as an “on–off” fluorescent sensor for highly selective and sensitive detection of Cu2+ ions. The selective interaction between compound 1 and Cu2+ leads to formation of a 1·Cu2+ complex, associated with quenching of the fluorescence of 1. An investigation into the detection of biothiols shows that the 1·Cu2+ complex has better recognition for glutathione than cysteine and homocysteine in CH3OH–HEPES (1:1, v/v) buffer solution at pH 7.4 (HEPES = 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid). In addition, fluorescence images obtained via confocal microscopy reveal that compound 1 exhibits excellent selectivity and high sensitivity for Cu2+ under physiological conditions and in living cells.

A model for diffusion is applied to the nickel-chromium-aluminum (Ni-Cr-Al) system to optimize the mobility parameters for the B2 phase by fitting the experimentally obtained inter-diffusivities. In the model, the activation energy for diffusion is expressed as a function of the degree of ordering which is evaluated from thermodynamic data. These data are used to evaluate the thermodynamic factors of the B2 phase in the Ni-Cr-Al ternary system. The interdiffusivities from the model are used to simulate diffusion experiments. The results are generally agreed with the experimental data.

Although the molecular mechanism has not yet been clarified until now, it is very interesting that Alzheimer's disease (AD), hypertension (HTN), and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) often occur synchronously and possess many similar pathological characteristics. Herein, we hypothesize that a feedback signaling loop, consisted of Pin1, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and amyloid-β (Aβ), may contribute to the interesting pathological phenomenon. First, Pin1 inhibits the production of Aβ, and enhances the activity of eNOS. Second, Aβ and eNOS form a mutual inhibition system. Third, the well-balanced feedback signaling loop avoids the development of AD, HTN, and CAA by inhibiting the frequent pathological characteristics of these diseases, including Aβ deposition in cerebral microvessels and cerebral microbleeds. On one hand, Pin1 and eNOS not only inhibit Aβ production but also accelerate Aβ clearance, preventing Aβ deposition in cerebral microvessels. On the other hand, Pin1 and eNOS promote vasodilatation and prevent the elevation of blood pressure in brain, alleviating the pathology of cerebral microbleeds. However, once the precise balance is disturbed, it may result in Aβ deposition, microbleeds, and elevated blood pressure, possibly leading to the synchronous occurrence of AD, HTN, and CAA. The hypothesis updates the current understanding of the molecular linkage among AD, HTN, and CAA, and lays the ground for developing combined prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these diseases more efficiently and more economically. Interestingly, biotechnical medicines enhancing the activity of Pin1 and/or eNOS may prevent the development of AD, HTN, and CAA, and targeting Aβ deposition may alleviate the clinical pathologies of these related diseases.

In this work, a nanotwinned structure of a two-phase titanium (TC21) alloy was prepared via the martensitic phase transformation method. The TC21 alloy forms initially a single phase β when the temperature reaches 1050 °C. Then, it transitions into an orthorhombic martensite (α″) material when quenched in water. After tempering at 500 °C, the martensite transforms into a high-density nanotwinned α phase material. The hardness of the nanotwinned alloy is 25% higher than that of the TC21 raw material.

Background: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is very high in the world. However, a safe and effective strategy is still under research. Aims: Our aim was to demonstrate the inhibitory effect of Shaoyao Ruangan Formmula (SRF) on the tumor of H22-bearing mice and explore its antitumor mechanisms. Settings and Design: Corresponding physiological indexes of H22-bearing mice treated with SRF were compared with that of saline treated mice, which could reflect the tumor-suppressing effect of SRF. Materials and Methods: After treatment, tumor weight, survival time, related gene expression levels etc., were recorded or detected. Statistical Analysis: Data analyzed using a computer SPSS program. Results and Conclusions: Comparing with blank control group, the tumor inhibitor rate (IR) of low, middle and high dose group of SRF was 17.72%, 33.99% and 23.73%, respectively. IR of CTX was 43.95%. The results also showed that each group of SRF could prolong the life span of H22-bearing mice to some extent. In addition, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results revealed that SRF was able to influence related genes expression in the tumor tissues of H22-bearing mice. The expression of TGF-β receptor type II (TBRII) gene was significantly upregulated in each SRF group comparing with normal saline group. On the contrary, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) was significantly downregulated in each SRF group comparing with normal saline group. In summary, SRF showed tumor-suppressing effect on mice with transplanted H22 hepatocarcinoma. The mechanism of antitumor effect may induced by upregulating TBRII expression and down-regulating NF-κB expression.

BACKGROUND Previous research proved that fermentation via dissolved oxygen (DO) step-wise reduction was favorable for vitamin B12 productivity by Pseudomonas denitrificans, but the high-production mechanism is still unclear. Based on this fact, P. denitrificans metabolic characteristics under different DO supply models were investigated in a 5 L fermenter by assaying the activities of the key enzymes involved in central carbon metabolism and the vitamin B12 biosynthetic pathway. RESULTS Compared with fermentation processes under the DO-stat strategy and DO step-wise increase, it was found that DO step-wise reduction for P. denitrificans fermentation could significantly strengthen the Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas flux and weaken the tricarboxylic acid cycle and hexose monophosphate pathway, but also facilitate the activities of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthase and porphobilinogen synthase. CONCLUSIONS When P. denitrificans fermentation was implemented using DO step-wise reduction, the metabolic characteristics indicated that more precursors for vitamin B12 biosynthesis could be generated. As a result, a significant improvement in vitamin B12 productivity was achieved (69.09 ± 4.48 mg L−1). © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

According to the definition, objectives, and functions of the health care system, the performance of the system has been evaluated from the three aspects: effectiveness, equity, and efficiency. By replacement analysis and analytic hierarchy process, the model has been constructed. Considering the raw data and omitting life expectancy at birth and obesity rate, we find that some indicators are affected by the policy factor. Health care system in the United States has been compared with other countries which have different level by using the iteration model. The value of the evaluation function in the four countries is different, and the results show that the health care system in United States is the best among the four countries.

Arching effect exists in narrow backfilled stopes. In this paper, numerical software-FLAC was used to research the vertical stresses distribution in vertical backfilled stopes, and to study the effects of parameters on stresses distribution. Backfilled stopes can be designed reasonably by the modified parameters.

This paper show a parameter self-adaptive fuzzy PID controller which was designed by using fuzzy logical rules, and the rules aiming at characteristics of constant pressure water-supply system such as nonlinear, multi-parameters and long time delay. The controller can online auto tuning PID parameters to select the appropriate control parameters, depending on the working conditions for effective control of the water supply system water pressure regulator. The simulation results show that the control system response quick, over regulation measurement and transitional time is greatly reduced, oscillation time shorten, and the system has strong robustness and good stability.

The Silicon-chrome-green Pigment is synthesized with solid reaction process, and is tested by XRD. Influence of mineralizer on color and mechanism of action are discussed. The variety and content of mineralizer which suit the Silicon-chrome-green Pigment are determined.

The tumor suppressor gene, PTEN, has previously been demonstrated to be involved in breast tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and significance of PTEN in breast carcinomas, to detect the mutation frequency of PTEN in sporadic breast carcinoma tissues and to determine the association between PTEN promoter methylation and gene expression. Immunohistochemical methods were used to analyze the expression of the PTEN gene in 146 cases of breast carcinoma and 10 cases of normal breast tissue closely adjacent to the carcinoma. Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis was used to analyze conformation polymorphisms in 45 breast carcinoma and 10 normal breast tissues. Point mutations of abnormal single stranded conformation were detected by DNA sequencing. The methylation of the PTEN promoter was analyzed by methylation-specific PCR. Expression of PTEN was detected in 57.5% (84/146) of patients with breast carcinoma. By contrast, PTEN expression was detected in 100% of normal samples. Expression of PTEN was found to negatively correlate with the tumor size, the pathological stage and the expression of the estrogen receptor (ER) and the progesterone receptor (PR) in breast cancer. The 2-year disease-free survival of patients with a high expression of PTEN was higher compared with those with low PTEN expression (P

Gastric cancer is the most common malignant tumor and globally the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Therefore, there exists an urgent need to identify new effective gastric cancer treatments. Given the important roles in tumorigenesis and progression, p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) has been regarded as an attractive high-value druggable target. In this study, we examined the effects and molecular mechanisms of action of the small molecular compound LC-0882 on gastric cancer cells in vitro. LC-0882 was found to significantly inhibit the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells by repressing phospho-PAK4/cyclin D1 and CDK4/6 expression. In addition, LC-0882 was found to attenuate cell invasion by blocking the PAK4/LIMK1/cofilin signaling pathway. Finally, analysis of immunofluorescence revealed that LC-0882 exposure decreased filopodia formation and induced cell elongation in BGC823 and SGC7901 gastric cancer cells. These findings suggest that targeting PAK4 with the novel compound LC-0882 may provide a new chemotherapeutic approach in gastric cancer treatment.

Objective: Despite many randomized controlled trials, it is still not clear whether open appendectomy or laparoscopic appendectomy is the most appropriate surgical approach to acute Appendicitis. It is also widely recognized that laparoscopic removal of appendectomy is a well-established procedure with good outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term results of open appendectomy versus laparoscopic appendectomy in adults. Methods: We undertook a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing open appendectomy and laparoscopic appendectomy in adults. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases up to June 20, 2017. Calculations were made of the effect sizes of short-term outcomes: wound infection, intra-abdominal abscess, postoperative complications, peritonitis, postoperative ileus, urinary tract infection, and reoperation, the effect sizes were then pooled by a fixed or random-effects model. Results: Twenty-nine randomized controlled trials with 4311 participants were included. Meta-analysis of the available literature demonstrated that laparoscopic appendectomy in adults was associated with lower incidence of wound infection (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.42-0.70, P

In this paper, two lanthanide-polyoxometalate (LnW 10 ) complexes were bonded on the surface of the polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified silica nanoparticles with different sizes, resulting in the formation of LnW 10 /PEI/SiO 2 particles. The hybrid core–shell particles were characterized by infrared, luminescent spectra, scanning electronic microscope, and transmission electronic microscope. The particles obtained exhibit the fine spherical core–shell structure and the excellent luminescence properties. The luminescence spectra studies revealed that the formation of LnW 10 /PEI/SiO 2 particles and the size of particle have an influence on the luminescence properties of lanthanide ions.

Background: Breast cancer is characterized by a distinct metastatic pattern involving the regional lymph nodes, bone marrow, lung and liver. This study is aimed to investigate the effects of silencing the HAS-2 gene on the proliferation and apoptosis of human breast cancer cells. Methods: MCF-7 cells were collected and assigned into control, scrambled siRNA and HAS-2- siRNA groups. After transfection, the morphological changes in the MCF-7 cells were observed using phase contrast microscopy. qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis-related proteins. CCK-8 and flow cytometry were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, the cell cycle and apoptosis. Results: In the control and the scrambled siRNA groups, cells grew adhered to the wall and mainly showed a spindle shape with a clear nucleolus. Compared with the control and scrambled siRNA groups, increases in the number of cells in early apoptosis and metaphase cells in apoptosis were observed in the HAS-2-siRNA group. The HAS-2-siRNA group showed decreased expression of HAS-2 relative to that in the control and scrambled siRNA groups. No significant differences in cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution or apoptosis were noted between the control and scrambled siRNA groups. In the HAS-2-siRNA group, the cell proliferation ability decreased significantly, but the number of cells in the G0/G1 stage, the number of apoptotic cells and the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 increased significantly. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that HAS-2 gene silencing may inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis in the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line.

To explore the neuroprotective effect and mechanism of picroside II on extracellular regulated protein kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) signal transduction pathway in cerebral ischemia injuryrats. METHODS The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established by inserting a monofilament into middle cerebral artery. Totally 96 successfully modeled Wistar rats were divided into the modelgroup, the treatment (picroside II) group, the Lipopolysachcaride (LPS) group, and the U0126 group according to random digit table. Each group was further divided into 3 subgroups, i.e. 6, 12, and 24 h sub-groups. Picroside II (20 mg/kg) was peritoneally injected to rats in the treatment group 2 h after ischemia.LPS (20 mg/kg) and Picroside II (20 mg/kg) were peritoneally injected to rats in the LPS group 2 h after ischemia. U0126-EtOH (20 mg/kg)and Picroside II (20 mg/kg) were peritoneally injected to rats in the U0126group 2 h after ischemia. Equal volume of normal saline was peritoneally injected to rats in the control groupand the model group. The neurobehavioral function was evaluated by modified neurological severity score(mNSS) test. The structure of neurons was observed using hematoxylin-eosinstaining (HE) staining. Theapoptotic cells were detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase1,2 (pERK1,2) in cortex was detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot.After cerebral ischemia injury neurological impairment score increased, the damage of neuron in the cortical area was aggravated, apoptotic cells increased in the model group as time went by. The expression of pERK1/2 increased more significantly in the model group than in the control group (P0.05). The damage of neuron in the cortical area was milder, while apoptotic cells decreased, the expression of pERK1f2 obviously decreased more in the treatment group and the U0126 group (P0.05). The early damage of neuron in the cortical area was more severe, apoptotic cells and the expression of pERK12 were comparatively higher in early stage of the LPS group, but the expression of pERK1/2 was somewhat decreased in late stage.Activating ERK12 pathway could mediate apoptosis and inflammatory reactions of neurons after cerebral ischemia injury. Picroside II could protect the nerve system possibly through reducing activation of ERKI2 pathway, inhibiting apoptosis of neurons and inflammation reaction.

This cohort study was designed to evaluate the association of transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) and proglucagon gene (GCG) variants with disordered glucose metabolism and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a rural adult Chinese population. A total of 7,751 non-T2DM participants ⋝18 years old genotyped at baseline were recruited. The same questionnaire interview and physical and blood biochemical examinations were performed at both baseline and follow-up. During a median 6 years of follow-up, T2DM developed in 227 participants. After adjustment for potential contributory factors, nominally significant associations were seen between TT genotype and the recessive model of TCF7L2 rs7903146 and increased risk of T2DM [hazard ratio (HR)=4.068, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.270-13.026; HR=4.051, 95% CI: 1.268-12.946, respectively]. The TT genotype of rs7903146 was also significantly associated with higher fasting plasma insulin level and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in case of new-onset diabetes. In addition, the TCF7L2 rs290487 TT genotype was associated with abdominal obesity and the GCG rs12104705 CC genotype was associated with both general obesity and abdominal obesity in case of new-onset diabetes.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding regulatory molecules that play important roles in a variety of biological processes. Although a number of cold-responsive miRNAs have been computationally identified, functions and mechanisms of most miRNAs are not well understood. Herein, the function of trifoliate orange [Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.] miRNA396b (ptr-miR396b) in cold tolerance and its potential regulatory module were investigated. Compared with the wild type (WT), transgenic lemon (Citrus limon) plants overexpressing ptr-MIR396b, the precursor of ptr-miR396b, displayed enhanced cold tolerance. Ptr-miR396b was experimentally confirmed to guide the cleavage of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO). The overexpressing lines exhibited a reduction in ACO transcript levels and ethylene content compared with the WT, and the expression pattern of ACO was opposite to that of ptr-miR396b in response to cold stress. In addition, the transgenic lines exhibited higher levels of free polyamines and mRNA abundance of polyamine biosynthetic genes than WT plants under cold treatment, consistent with reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in the former. Taken together, this study demonstrates that ptr-miR396b positively regulates cold tolerance through reducing ACO transcript levels, thereby repressing ethylene synthesis and simultaneously promoting polyamine synthesis, leading to enhanced ROS scavenging. Identification of the ptr-miR396b-ACO regulatory module provides new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying the reduction of ethylene production under cold.

This meta-analysis was performed to summarize the association of the ADIPOQ rs2241766 and rs266729 polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome (MS) in the Chinese population.We searched for articles in MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, HuGE Navigator, CNKI, and Wanfang databases and calculated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to determine the strength of associations in fixed- or random-effects models.We included 21 articles in the meta-analysis: 17 reports of ADIPOQ rs2241766 with 3628 cases and 3000 controls and 8 of rs266729 with 2021 cases and 2226 controls. We found an increased risk of MS with the ADIPOQ rs2241766 polymorphism in some genetic models (allele model: OR=1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21; dominant model: OR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.28; homozygote model: OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.00-1.49) but no association with the ADIPOQ rs266729 polymorphism (allele model: OR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.82-1.17; dominant model: OR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.79-1.02; recessive model: OR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.85-1.39; homozygote model: OR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.80-1.33).The results of this meta-analysis suggest an association between the ADIPOQ rs2241766 polymorphism and MS in the Chinese population. G allele of ADIPOQ rs2241766 increases the risk of MS. Better designed studies with different ethnic populations and larger sample sizes are needed for assessing the relationship between ADIPOQ rs2241766 and rs266729 polymorphisms and MS in the future.

This study aims to assess the status of successful aging (SA) in longevity areas in China and explore multiple factors associated with SA among the young-old and oldest-old.A total of 2296 elderly people aged 65 and older were interviewed in the longevity areas sub-sample of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2012. Baseline assessments included a researcher-administered questionnaire, physical examination, and laboratory testing. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with SA.The prevalence of SA was 38.81% in the CLHLS in 2012. There were significant differences between ages groups, with SA compromising 56.85% among ⋝65 years group and 20.31% among ⋝100 years group (χ2trend=126.73, P0.01). The prevalence of SA among females was 33.59%, which was significantly lower than that among males (45.58%) (χ2gender=33.65, P0.05). In the regression analysis, having anemia (OR=0.744, 95% CI: 0.609-0.910), poor lifestyle (OR=0.697, 95% CI: 0.568-0.854), poor sleep quality (OR=0.558, 95% CI: 0.456-0.682), and central obesity (OR=0.684, 95% CI: 0.556-0.841) were the main factors associated with SA. The promoting SA rate decreased as age increased, and the group of 65-79 years had higher odds than the other age group.Preventing central obesity, improving sleep quality and promoting healthy lifestyle may contribute to achieve SA among the elderly.

Clinical decision making in children with congenital and acquired heart disease relies on measurements of cardiac structures using two-dimensional echocardiography. We aimed to establish z-score regression equations for right heart structures in healthy Chinese Han children.Two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography was performed in 515 patients. We measured the dimensions of the pulmonary valve annulus (PVA), main pulmonary artery (MPA), left pulmonary artery (LPA), right pulmonary artery (RPA), right ventricular outflow tract at end-diastole (RVOTd) and at end-systole (RVOTs), tricuspid valve annulus (TVA), right ventricular inflow tract at end-diastole (RVIDd) and at end-systole (RVIDs), and right atrium (RA). Regression analyses were conducted to relate the measurements of right heart structures to 4body surface area (BSA). Right ventricular outflow-tract fractional shortening (RVOTFS) was also calculated. Several models were used, and the best model was chosen to establish a z-score calculator.PVA, MPA, LPA, RPA, RVOTd, RVOTs, TVA, RVIDd, RVIDs, and RA (ROur results provide reference values for z scores and regression equations for right heart structures in Han Chinese children. These data may help interpreting the routine clinical measurement of right heart structures in children with congenital or acquired heart disease. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:293-303, 2017.

Gastric cancer, which is the most common malignant gastrointestinal tumor, has jumped to the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. It is of great importance to identify novel and potent drugs for gastric cancer treatment. P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) has emerged as an attractive target for the development of anticancer drugs in consideration of its vital functions in tumorigenesis and progression. In this paper, we reported that GL-1196, as a small molecular compound, effectively suppressed the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells through downregulation of PAK4/c-Src/EGFR/cyclinD1 pathway and CDK4/6 expression. Moreover, GL-1196 prominently inhibited the invasion of human gastric cancer cells in parallel with blockage of the PAK4/LIMK1/cofilin pathway. Interestingly, GL-1196 also inhibited the formation of filopodia and induced cell elongation in SGC7901 and BGC823 cells. Taken together, these results provided novel insights into the potential therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.