Search

The study aimed to clarify the potential immune-related targets and mechanisms of Qingyihuaji Formula (QYHJ) against pancreatic cancer (PC) through network pharmacology and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Active ingredients of herbs in QYHJ were identified by the TCMSP database. Then, the putative targets of active ingredients were predicted with SwissTargetPrediction and the STITCH databases. The expression profiles of GSE32676 were downloaded from the GEO database. WGCNA was used to identify the co-expression modules. Besides, the putative targets, immune-related targets, and the critical module genes were mapped with the specific disease to select the overlapped genes (OGEs). Functional enrichment analysis of putative targets and OGEs was conducted. The overall survival (OS) analysis of OGEs was investigated using the Kaplan-Meier plotter. The relative expression and methylation levels of OGEs were detected in UALCAN, human protein atlas (HPA), Oncomine, DiseaseMeth version 2.0 and, MEXPRESS database, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to elucidate the key pathways of highly-expressed OGEs further. OS analyses found that 12 up-regulated OGEs, including CDK1, PLD1, MET, F2RL1, XDH, NEK2, TOP2A, NQO1, CCND1, PTK6, CTSE, and ERBB2 that could be utilized as potential diagnostic indicators for PC. Further, methylation analyses suggested that the abnormal up-regulation of these OGEs probably resulted from hypomethylation, and GSEA revealed the genes markedly related to cell cycle and proliferation of PC. This study identified CDK1, PLD1, MET, F2RL1, XDH, NEK2, TOP2A, NQO1, CCND1, PTK6, CTSE, and ERBB2 might be used as reliable immune-related biomarkers for prognosis of PC, which may be essential immunotherapies targets of QYHJ.

Nanosized SnO2@BNNSs composites were prepared by the simple and industrializable coprecipitation method. The SnO2 nanoparticles were homogeneous and distributed on BNNSs with diameter at approximately 4-5nm. SnO2@BNNSs@C composite was prepared with glucose as carbon source to improve the electron conductivity. Compared with SnO2 and SnO2@C, the SnO2@BNNSs@C complex has a reversible specific capacity of 490mAh/g after 50 cycles at the current density of 100mA/g, and its efficiency up to 98.8%. The synergistic effect between three components (SnO2, BNNSs, C) is conducive to the improvement of electrochemical performance.

A tuned mass rocking wall (TMRW)-frame structure system is proposed to improve the energy dissipation ability of the traditional rocking wall-frame system. Based on the energy dissipation principle of the traditional tuned mass damper (TMD), a TMRW is designed with proper mass and stiffness according to the dynamic characteristic of the host structure. Firstly, considering the presence of inherent structural damping, the dynamic amplification factor of the main mass was derived from the dynamic equations of the TMRW mechanism. A practical design table was then obtained after parameter study. Secondly, by taking a six-story frame structure as an example, the dynamic time-history analysis was conducted to study TMRW’s seismic performance. The inter-story drift ratios of the TMRW-frame, the traditional rocking wall-frame, and the frame structures were compared, and the seismic responses of the controlled and uncontrolled structures were also compared. The results demonstrate that the TMRW can effectively reduce the inter-story displacement of the host structure, and the lateral deformation mode of the host structure tends to be more uniform. However, compared with the traditional rocking wall-frame system, the proposed TMRW has less ability on coordinating deformation.

This study examined the effects of four types of antinutritional factor (phytic acid, stachyose, soy saponins and soy isoflavones) on lipoprotein levels in plasma of Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. A basal diet was prepared with fish meal as primary protein source, the other diets were supplemented with 0·2, 0·4 or 0·8% phytic acid, 0·4, 0·8 or 1·5% stachyose, 0·1, 0·35 or 0·7% soy saponins and 0·10, 0·35 or 0·70% soy isoflavones, by dry mass, in place of white flour in the basal diet. Total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels in plasma of P. olivaceus were not affected by phytic acid or stachyose. In general, addition of 0·2-0·8% phytic acid or 0·4-1·5% stachyose decreased plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, increased plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, thereby increasing the LDL-C:HDL-C ratio. By contrast, supplementation with 0·35-0·7% soy saponins generally depressed plasma TC levels and the LDL-C:HDL-C ratio. Supplementation with 0·35-0·7% soy isoflavones, however, increased plasma TC and TG levels. These results indicate that soy saponins may be partly responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects of soybean meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth response, total hemocyte count (THC), respiratory burst (release of superoxide anion), phenoloxidase (PO) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and resistance to the pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus were measured in white shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei) which had been fed diets supplemented with soybean isoflavones (SI) at 0, 5, 10, 20, 40 mg kg feed for 8 weeks. Dietary SI had no significant influence on survival rate of the shrimp. Significantly greater SGR was observed in treatments with 10, 20 and 40 mg kg SI supplement than that in control ( P < 0.05). Shrimp fed a diet with 20 mg kg SI showed significant increase in THC, PO activity, respiratory burst activity, SOD activity as well as NOS activity ( P < 0.05). Increased THC, respiratory burst activity, SOD activity and NOS activity were also noticed in shrimp fed SI at 10 or 40 mg kg ( P < 0.05). Significant lower cumulative mortality after challenge was observed in shrimp fed diets with SI supplement (10.0-13.3%) than that in control group (36.7%) ( P < 0.05). It is therefore concluded that oral administration of SI at 20 mg kg for 8 weeks could enhance the immune ability of shrimp and improve production in shrimp farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 10-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal requirement of cobia ( Rachycentron canadum Linneaus) for dietary ascorbic acid (AA). Graded levels of L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (LAPP) were supplemented in basal diet to formulate six semi-purified diets containing 2.70 (the control diet), 8.47, 28.3, 80.6, 241 and 733 mg AA equivalent kg diet, respectively. Each diet was randomly fed to triplicate groups of fish in flow-through plastic tanks (300 L), and each tank was stocked with 25 fish with average initial weight of 4.59 ± 0.36 g. Observed deficiency signs included poor growth, higher mortality and lower feeding rate (FR) in the fish of the control group. Fish fed the control diet had significantly lower weight gain (WG), lower feed efficiency ratio (FER) and lower tissue AA concentrations in fish liver and muscle. With the increase of dietary AA, the survival, WG, FER, hepatic and muscular AA concentrations of cobia significantly increased and then levelled off. The dietary AA requirement of cobia was estimated to be 44.7 mg kg based on WG, 53.9 mg kg or 104 mg kg based on either hepatic or muscular AA concentration, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A feeding trial was conducted to compare the effects of supplemental cholesterol in fish meal (FM), fish protein concentrate (FPC), soy protein isolate (SPI) and soy protein concentrate (SPC)-based diets on growth performance and plasma lipoprotein levels of Japanese flounder ( Paralichthys olivaceus). Eight isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets including FM, FPC, SPI or SPC as sole protein source with or without supplementation with 10 g cholesterol kg−1 diet were fed to juvenile fish for 8 weeks. Dietary cholesterol supplementation significantly increased the feed intake and specific growth rate in fish fed SPI-based diets, but decreased those in fish fed FPC-based diets. In addition, cholesterol supplementation significantly increased the level of cholesterol and ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma of fish fed fish protein-based diets, whereas no effects were observed in fish fed soy protein-based diets. The hepatic lipid content of fish fed FPC-, SPI- or SPC-based diets were significantly increased by supplemental cholesterol, but no influence was observed in fish fed FM-based diets. These results suggested that dietary protein source modify the growth-stimulating action of cholesterol; cholesterol supplementation may increase the arteriosclerotic lesion in fish fed fish protein-based diets and the incidence of fatty liver in fish fed soy protein-based diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 9-week feeding experiment was conducted to determine the dietary biotin requirement of Japanese seabass, Lateolabrax japonicus C. Six isonitrogenous and isoenergetic purified diets (Diets 1–6) containing 0, 0.01, 0.049, 0.247, 1.238 and 6.222 mg biotin kg−1 diet were fed twice daily to triplicate groups (30 fish per group) of fish (initial average weight 2.26 ± 0.03 g) in 18 fibreglass tanks (300 L) filled with 250 L of water in a flow-through system. Water flow rate through each tank was 2 L min−1. Water temperature ranged from 25.0 to 28.0 °C, salinity from 28.0 to 29.5 g L−1, pH from 8.0 to 8.1 and dissolved oxygen content was approximately 7 mg L−1 during the experiment. After the feeding experiment, fish fed Diet 1 developed severe biotin deficiency syndromes characterized by anorexia, poor growth, dark skin colour, atrophy and high mortality. Significant lower survival (73.3%) was observed in the treatment of deficient biotin. The final weight and weight gain of fish significantly increased with increasing dietary biotin up to 0.049 mg kg−1 diet ( P < 0.05), and then slightly decreased. Both feed efficiency ratio and protein efficiency ratio showed a very similar change pattern to that of weight gain. Dietary treatments did not significantly affect carcass crude protein, crude lipid, moisture and ash content. However, liver biotin concentration (0–6.1 μg g−1) significantly increased with the supplementation of dietary biotin ( P < 0.05), and no tissue saturation was found within the supplementation scope of biotin. Broken-line regression analysis of weight gain showed that juvenile Japanese seabass require a minimum of 0.046 mg kg−1 biotin for maximal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 30-day feeding experiment was conducted in blue tanks (70 × 50 × 60 cm, water volume 180 L) to determine the effects of dietary lipid levels on the survival, growth and body composition of large yellow croaker ( Pseudosciaena crocea) larvae (12 days after hatchery, with initial average weight 1.93 ± 0.11 mg). Five practical microdiets, containing 83 g kg−1 (Diet 1), 126 g kg−1 (Diet 2), 164 g kg−1 (Diet 3), 204 g kg−1 (Diet 4) and 248 g kg−1 lipid (Diet 5), were formulated. Live feeds ( Artemia sinicia nauplii and live copepods) were used as the control diet (Diet 6). Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of tanks, and each tank was stocked with 3500 larvae. During the experiment, water temperature was maintained at 23(±1) °C, pH 8.0 (±0.2) and salinity 25 (±2) g L−1. The results showed that dietary lipid significantly influenced the survival and growth of large yellow croaker larvae. Survival increased with the increase of dietary lipid from 83 to 164 g kg−1, and then decreased. The survival of larvae fed the diet with 83 g kg−1 lipid (16.1%) was significantly lower than that of larvae fed other diets. However, the survival in larvae fed the diet with 16.4 g kg−1 lipid was the highest compared with other artificial microdiets. Specific growth rate (SGR) significantly increased with increasing dietary lipid level from 83 to 164 g kg−1 ( P < 0.05), and then decreased. The SGR in larvae fed the diet with 164 g kg−1 lipid (10.0% per day) was comparable with 204 g kg−1 lipid (9.6% per day), but were significantly higher than other microdiets ( P < 0.05). On the basis of survival and SGR, the optimum dietary lipid level was estimated to be 172 and 177 g kg−1 of diet using second-order polynomial regression analysis respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 10-week feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different protein to energy ratios on growth and body composition of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei (initial average weight of 0.09 ± 0.002 g, mean ± SE). Twelve practical test diets were formulated to contain four protein levels (300, 340, 380 and 420 g kg−1) and three lipid levels (50, 75 and 100 g kg−1). Each diet was randomly fed to triplicate groups of 30 shrimps per tank (260 L). The water temperature was 28.5 ± 2 °C and the salinity was 28 ± 1 g L−1 during the experimental period. The results showed that the growth was significantly ( P < 0.05) affected by dietary treatments. Shrimps fed the diets containing 300 g kg−1 protein showed the poorest growth. However, shrimp fed the 75 g kg−1 lipid diets had only slightly higher growth than that fed 50 g kg−1 lipid diets at the same dietary protein level, and even a little decline in growth with the further increase of dietary lipid to 100 g kg−1. Shrimp fed the diet with 420 g kg−1protein and 75 g kg−1 lipid had the highest specific growth rate. However, shrimp fed the diet with 340 g kg−1 protein and 75 g kg−1 lipid showed comparable growth, and had the highest protein efficiency ratio, energy retention and feed efficiency ratio among dietary treatments. Triglycerides and total cholesterol in the serum of shrimp increased with increasing dietary lipid level at the same dietary protein level. Body lipid and energy increased with increasing dietary lipid level irrespective of dietary protein. Results of the present study showed that the diet containing 340 g kg−1 protein and 75 g kg−1 lipid with digestible protein/digestible energy of 21.1 mg kJ−1 is optimum for L. vannamei, and the increase of dietary lipid level has not efficient protein-sparing effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tuned mass rocking wall (TMRW) is a passive control device that combines the merits of a traditional tuned mass damper (TMD) and a traditional rocking wall (RW). TMRWs not only help avoid weak story failure of the host structure but can also be regarded as a largely tuned mass substructure in the building structure. Through the appropriate design of the frequency ratio, the host structure can dissipate much more energy under earthquake excitations. In this paper, the basic equations of motion for the mechanical model of an SDOF structure-rigid rocking wall are established, and the optimization formulas of frequency ratio and damping ratio of TMRW are derived. Through the dynamic elastoplastic analysis of a six-story TMRW-frame model, the applicability of the derived parameter optimization formulas and the effectiveness of the TMRW in seismic performance control are investigated. The results demonstrate that the TMRW can coordinate the uneven displacement angle between stories of the host structure. Additionally, the TMRW is found to possess the merit of reducing both the peak and root-mean-square (RMS) structural responses when subjected to different types of earthquake excitations.

A mathematical model on a coil basis is used to study the characteristics of the zero sequence voltage of a generator. The proposed technique for the stator ground fault detection simultaneously takes into account the fault contributed zero sequence fundamental voltage and the fault contributed third-harmonic voltage (D zero sequence voltage). The effect of the start-up component based on the wavelet transform is also highlighted. As information both on the fault contributed zero sequence fundamental voltage and the third-harmonic voltage is used simultaneously, the scheme can obtain higher sensitivity. Results from the experiment and in the field show that the proposed technique can detect the ground fault with high sensitivity and reliability during all operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]