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Regulatory B (Breg) cells represent a population of suppressor B cells that participate in immunomodulatory processes and inhibition of excessive inflammation. The regulatory function of Breg cells have been demonstrated in mice and human with inflammatory diseases, cancer, after transplantation, and particularly in autoinflammatory disorders. In order to suppress inflammation, Breg cells produce anti-inflammatory mediators, induce death ligand-mediated apoptosis, and regulate many kinds of immune cells such as suppressing the proliferation and differentiation of effector T cell and increasing the number of regulatory T cells. Central nervous system Inflammatory demyelinating diseases (CNS IDDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders, which occur against the background of an acute or chronic inflammatory process. With the advent of monoclonal antibodies directed against B cells, breakthroughs have been made in the treatment of CNS IDDs. Therefore, the number and function of B cells in IDDs have attracted attention. Meanwhile, increasing number of studies have confirmed that Breg cells play a role in alleviating autoimmune diseases, and treatment with Breg cells has also been proposed as a new therapeutic direction. In this review, we focus on the understanding of the development and function of Breg cells and on the diversification of Breg cells in CNS IDDs.

Litter size (LS), an important economic trait in livestock, is so complicate that involves many aspects of reproduction, the underlying mechanism of which particularly in goat has always been scanty. To uncover the genetic basis of LS, the genomic sequence of Jining Gray goat groups (one famous breed for high prolificacy in China) with LS 1, 2, and 3 for firstborn was analyzed, obtaining 563.67 Gb sequence data and a total of 31,864,651 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms loci were identified. Particularly, the increased heterozygosity in higher LS groups, and large continuous homozygous segments associated with lower LS group had been uncovered. Through an integrated analysis of three popular methods for detecting selective sweeps (Fst, nucleotide diversity, and Tajima’s D statistic), 111 selected regions and 42 genes associated with LS were scanned genome wide. The candidate genes with highest selective signatures included KIT, KCNH7, and KMT2E in LS2 and PAK1, PRKAA1, and SMAD9 in LS3 group, respectively. Meanwhile, functional terms of programmed cell death involved in cell development and regulation of insulin receptor signaling pathway were mostly enriched with 42 candidate genes, which also included reproduction related terms of steroid metabolic process and cellular response to hormone stimulus. In conclusion, our study identified novel candidate genes involving in regulation of LS in goat, which expand our understanding of genetic fundament of reproductive ability, and the novel insights regarding to LS would be potentially applied to improve reproductive performance.

Age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)is the leading cause of blindness in the individuals older than 65 years in developed countries. It is a complex disease influenced by interaction of heredity, age, environment, diet, smoking and many other risk factors. Dry ARMD first damages Bruch's membrane, then affect the retinal pigment epithelium(retinal pigmented epithelium, RPE)and photoreceptors. Pathological angiogenesis and vascular permeability increasing are mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), resulting the formation of choroidal neovascularization. ARMD in human will not be caused by none of the single risk factors. Animal models that mimic a single factor cannot reproduce all the phenotypes of ARMD but can reproduce different characteristics. These animal models provide an entry point for studying the disease mechanism and finding the target of drug action. Specific modeling methods include laser modeling, gene modeling, feeding, oxidation and other models. This article summarizes and reviews the domestic and foreign classic literatures in this field to help researchers to select the suitable methods and provide new ideas for modeling.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for testosterone deficiency and impaired sex steroid status. Some studies also investigated the association of testosterone level with diabetes risk in men, but reported controversial findings. To clarify this issue, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science were searched for eligible cohort or nested case–control studies published up to August 15, 2017. Meta-analysis was used to calculate the pooled relative risk (RR) of type 2 diabetes associated with higher testosterone level. Results: Thirteen cohort or nested case–control studies with 16,709 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that higher total testosterone level could significantly decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in men (RR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.50–0.84; P = 0.001), and higher free testosterone level could also decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in men (RR = 0.94; 95% CI 0.90–0.99; P = 0.014). After excluding two studies that did not calculate RRs by quartiles of testosterone levels, both higher total testosterone and free testosterone levels could decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in men, and the pooled RRs were 0.62 (95% CI 0.51–0.76; P < 0.001) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.61–0.98; P = 0.03), respectively. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that higher testosterone level can significantly decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in men. Therefore, combined with previous researches, the findings above suggest a reverse-causality scenario in the relation between testosterone deficiency and risk of type 2 diabetes in men.

Abstract Background Although huge fetal hepatic hemangiomas are rare, they can cause fatal complications. The purpose of this study is to describe the imaging features and prognosis of these tumors. Methods Imaging data were collected for 6 patients with huge fetal hepatic hemangiomas treated at our hospital. Imaging modalities included prenatal magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound and postnatal color Doppler ultrasound and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Results Among the 93,562 fetuses of 92,126 pregnant women examined at our hospital, 6 had huge hepatic hemangiomas (incidence rate, 0.64/10,000), as confirmed via postnatal color Doppler imaging and contrast-enhanced CT. Five fetuses had solitary lesions, whereas 1 (fetus 2) had multiple lesions. Four fetuses had lesions in the right liver lobe and 1 had a lesion in the left liver lobe, and 1 (fetus 2) had lesions in both lobes. All lesions showed centripetal enhancement on postnatal contrast-enhanced CT, which was more intense peripherally. Following postnatal treatment with oral propranolol, with or without dexamethasone or interventional therapy with the medical sclerosant pingyangmycin, all lesions decreased in size, with calcification plaques appearing 6 months after treatment. Conclusions Huge hepatic hemangiomas have typical ultrasonographic features and can be diagnosed prenatally. Treatment with propranolol, with or without dexamethasone, may result in a favorable prognosis.

In this work, the physicochemical properties of maleic anhydride (MAH)-modified κ-carrageenan (κCar) (MC) were characterized and compared with those of native κ-carrageenan (NC). The Fourier transform infrared spectrum of MC exhibited that κCar was successfully modified. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the thermal stability of MC was decreased. When the degree of substitution was 0.032, MC exhibited a low gel strength (759 g/cm2), gelling temperature (33.3 °C), and dehydration rate (60.3%). Given the excellent film-forming ability of κCar, MC films were then prepared and were found to have better mechanical and barrier properties (UV and water) than NC films. With regard to optical properties, MC films could completely absorb UV light in the range of 200–236 nm. The water contact angle of MC films was higher than that of NC films. Moreover, the elongation at break increased from 26.9% to 163%. These physicochemical property changes imply that MC can be employed in polysaccharide-based films.

Aiming at the problems of premature bearing failure caused by multi-point contacts between the steel ball and the raceway of four-point contact ball bearings, taking QJ214 four-point contact ball bearings as the research object, the ball and the raceway contact models were established, and the causes of multi-point contacts between the ball and the raceway were analyzed when the structural parameters and working condition parameters were changed. The results show that with the increase of the coefficient of inner and outer raceway groove curvature radius or the thickness of inner and outer gasket, the contact state between the ball and the raceway may be changed from three-point contact to two-point contact, and then to three-point contact. At constant speed condition, with the reduction of axial load, the contact state between the ball and the raceway may be changed from two-point contact to three-point contact. When the rotational speed and the axial load are constant, the increase of radial loads may make the contact state of some steel balls and the raceway change from two-point contact to three-point contact, and then to four-point contact. The research findings may provide reference for avoiding the cat's eye ring wear failure caused by multi-point contact during the running of four-point contact ball bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterostructure molecular catalysts have attracted significant attention for their distinctive catalytic activity in the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction. To investigate the intrinsic reaction mechanisms, 3d-transition metal-phthalocyanine-based catalysts were systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that the heterostructure catalysts, composed of 3d-transition metal phthalocyanine and two-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene, successfully modulate the electron configuration of the central metal atom and push its dz2 orbitals close to the Fermi level which can lower the energy barrier for the rate-limiting step in its electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CRR) and boost the overall reaction kinetics. In addition, the mechanism of dual-site synergistic hydrogenation was determined for the first time through molecular dynamics simulation. Meanwhile, the descriptors related to metal atoms' inherent characteristics and catalytic properties exhibit a volcano relationship with the overpotential. This study provides a theoretical comprehension of the CRR mechanisms over heterostructure molecular catalysts, as well as innovative concepts for new molecular catalyst design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Methods. A total of 86 patients with chronic schizophrenia hospitalised from March to October 2019 were randomly assigned to the active rTMS group or the sham rTMS group, with 43 patients in each group. All patients were administered paliperidone orally at a dose of 3--6 mg/d, and rTMS treatment was given to the active rTMS group. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) score and the serum BDNF concentration were calculated in both groups at baseline and after two and four weeks of treatment. Results. There were no statistically significant differences in the PANSS scores and serum BDNF concentrations between the two groups before treatment (p > 0.05). However, after four weeks of treatment, the change in the score on the negative symptom scale in the active rTMS group was greater than in the sham rTMS group (p < 0.05), and the serum BDNF levels in the active rTMS group were higher than in the sham rTMS group (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Four weeks of continuous rTMS treatment can effectively improve the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and the serum concentration of BDNF increases as the duration of rTMS treatment increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To determine whether gypenosides have protective effects in experimental autoimmune optic neuritis (EAON). METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into seven groups: control group, model group, three different density gypenosides monotherapy, methylprednisolone monotherapy, combination of gypenosides and methylprednisolone group. The control group was subcutaneously injected with oil emulsion adjuvant and all other groups were subcutaneously immunized with an emulsified mixture of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55 peptide to induce EAON. Mice in the gypenosides groups were administered injections daily with three concentrations (15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 45 mg/kg) of gypenosides respectively. Mice in the methylprednisolone group and the combination treatment group were injected daily with methylprednisolone (20 mg/kg) or methylprednisolone (20 mg/kg) + gypenosides (30 mg/kg), respectively. After MOG immunization, visual evoked potential (VEP), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and histopathologic examination were performed at 14, 20, 30, and 40d post-inoculation (p.i.). All results were expressed as mean±SEM. The data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey or Games-Howell test. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, p2 latency was prolonged in the model group (P=0.041). Combination treatment can alleviated the change in VEP at 20d p.i. (P=0.012). Average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was reduced in the model group (P= 0.000, 30d; P=0.000, 40d) and gypenosides treatment remarkably diminished the degree of RNFL degeneration at 30d and 40d p.i (P=0.000, 30d; P=0.000, 40d). The pathomorphological results showed a decrease in demye-lination (P=0.020) and inflammatory reactions in the combination group compared with the model group (20d p.i.). Gypenosides treatment also alleviated the degree of axonal loss (40d p.i.) (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Treatment with gypenosides exerts protective effects on retinal nerve fibers and axons in EAON. When combined with gypenosides, methylprednisolone reduces demyelination in the acute stage of EAON.

Abstract Background Testis-sparing surgery is not popular in South China. This study aimed to investigate this procedure for pediatric testicular tumors. Methods Children with testicular benign tumors were retrospectively analyzed from January 2001 to June 2015 in the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) and the First Affiliated Hospital (SYSU-1st). Follow-up was performed until June 2016, and the proportions of TSS in the two hospitals during the different periods were compared. Results Forty-seven children with testicular benign tumors were enrolled, and 16 cases underwent testis-sparing surgery. All patients were cured and discharged, which included mature teratoma (n = 37), testicular adrenal rest tumors (n = 4), epidermal cysts (n = 3), granulomatous inflammation (n = 2) and adenomatoid tumors (n = 1). Inguinal testis-sparing surgery was performed in 16 children, and no recurrence was detected during follow-up. It was performed more frequently in SYSUCC than in SYSU-1st (P = 0.031), and the tumor size of these patients was smaller than those of patients who underwent radical orchiectomy (P = 0.044). Moreover, testis-sparing surgery has become more common in the past 5 years, although differences over time have not reached significance (P = 0.051). Conclusions Testis-sparing surgery is reliable, and tumor size and special hospitals affect its success. Additionally, its use has become more popular in recent years. However, advocacy is still needed for the use of this technique in pediatric testicular benign tumors that are small sized.

Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disorder with an enigmatic etiology and pathogenesis. It affects approximately 10% women of reproductive age. Although its etiology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood, it is characterized by the elevated local production of estrogen in the endometriotic tissues. In this paper, we review the mechanisms of estrogen biosynthesis and its regulation in endometriosis.