Search

In the hybrid power system based on double-input buck converter and power management strategy which has been put forward, we can keep the system working under suitable mode. But when the two IGBT switches at the same time, due to the reverse bias voltage, the flywheel diode wiil cut off. The commercial power current must flow through the photovoltaic that wiil affect measurement of Photovoltaic current seriously. Interleaved dual-edge modulation and inter-lock can solve the problem, theoretical analysis wiil be listed to prove the consistency of the two method. The simulation results of interleaved dual-edge modulation based on Matlab/Simulink model have confirmed the effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeybee foragers can flexibly adjust their out-hive activities to ensure growth and reproduction of the colony. In order to explore the characteristics of honey bees foraging behaviors, in this study, their flight activities were monitored 24 hours per day for a duration of 38 days, using an radio frequency identification (RFID) system designed and manufactured by the Honeybee Research Institute of Jiangxi Agricultural University in cooperation with the Guangzhou Invengo Information Technology Co. , Ltd. Our results indicated that 63. 4% and 64. 5% of foragers were found rotating more than one day off during the foraging period in two colonies, and 22. 5% and 26. 4% of the total foraging days were used for rest respectively. Further, although the total foraging time between rotating day-off foragers and continuously working foragers was equal, the former had a significant longer lifespan than the latter. Additionally, the lifespan of the early developed foragers was significantly lower than that of the normally developed foragers. This study enriched the content of foraging behaviors of honey bees, and it could be used as the basis for the further explorations on evolutionary mechanism of foraging behaviors of eusocial insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The researches on the plant population spatial pattern were mostly based on 0- plant point (0- IND) or 0- plant count, and only a few was based on the 2-D projective cover (2-D PC) and 3-D aboveground biomass (3- D AGB reflected by canopy volume). Until now, the plant population spatial distribution patterns incarnated by these parameters were still unclear. Taking the widely distributed small semi-shrubs Seriphidium terrae-albae and Artemisia songarica in Gurban-tunggut Desert of Northwest China as test objects, this paper studied the IND, PC, and AGB of each individual at two sampling plots. Through six-scale division of plot coordinate system with GIS, and by using aggregation analysis, coefficient of variation (CV), and a scaling exponent between the CV and six scales, the characteristics of the population spatial distribution patterns with the above mentioned parameters were comparatively analyzed. At all scales, the IND (except for the S. terrae-albae population at 0. 5 m scale) and the AGB of the two shrubs all presented a clumped distribution, and the aggregation intensity increased with increasing scale. However, the PC had a uniform distribution (except for the A. songarica population at 5 and 8 m scales). With increasing scale, the CV values of the two shrubs decreased. The absolute value of scaling exponent (k value) of the IND was higher than those of the PC and AGB, and there was no significant differen in the k values between the PC and AGB, indicating that the scale variation scope of the structural complexity of the IND was larger than that of the PC and AGB. The k value of each parameter for S. terrae-lbae was higher than that for A. songarica, which could be related to the populations-Interspecific relationship and plant size. In sum, the IND and AGB had similar spatial patterns, while the PC and AGB had almost same spatial pattern complexity and scale change characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana Fabricius, is distributed in southern and eastern Asia, from India and China to Korea and Japan and southeast to the Moluccas. This species is also widely kept for honey production besides Apis mellifera. Apis cerana is also a model organism for studying social behavior, caste determination, mating biology, sexual selection, and host-parasite interactions. Few resources are available for molecular research in this species, and a linkage map was never constructed. A linkage map is a prerequisite for quantitative trait loci mapping and for analyzing genome structure. We used the Chinese honey bee, Apis cerana cerana to construct the first linkage map in the Eastern honey bee. Results: F2 workers (N = 103) were genotyped for 126,990 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). After filtering low quality and those not passing the Mendel test, we obtained 3,000 SNPs, 1,535 of these were informative and used to construct a linkage map. The preliminary map contains 19 linkage groups, we then mapped the 19 linkage groups to 16 chromosomes by comparing the markers to the genome of A. mellfiera. The final map contains 16 linkage groups with a total of 1,535 markers. The total genetic distance is 3,942.7 centimorgans (cM) with the largest linkage group (180 loci) measuring 574.5 cM. Average marker interval for all markers across the 16 linkage groups is 2.6 cM. Conclusion: We constructed a high density linkage map for A. c. cerana with 1,535 markers. Because the map is based on SNP markers, it will enable easier and faster genotyping assays than randomly amplified polymorphic DNA or microsatellite based maps used in A. mellifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the adverse selection caused by the concealment of raw materials' green degree in supply chain's purchasing phase, taking the initial stage of green market development as research background, the design of incentive mechanism by the manufacture was studied. The validities of two second-best contracts, the lump-sum transfer contract and the linear shared-saving contract, were discussed respectively. The prerequisites for the implementation of two linear shared-saving contracts, the fixed contract and the flexible contract, were proposed. The influences of certain correlative factors on members' profits were analyzed. By improving the flexible contract, the non-linear coordination contract was given based on the Nash bargaining model. The results indicate that, the linear shared-saving contracts are effective to the type screening and the high-validity motivation, and the non-linear coordination contract achieves the Pareto-improvement of members' profits as well as the optimization of overall profit. The conclusion is instructive to the operation of green supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general non-recursive formula is proposed for calculating impulse response coefficients of sinc filter, which is made by N cascade-connected sinc filters with length of M. It is demonstrated that this formula is valid for all coefficients and suitable for general cases. Using it, different from other methods, each coefficient is independent to others and can be accessed directly due to its non-recursive characteristic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a key way to promote manufacturers to participate actively in collection and remanufacturing. activities. Under the conditions of adverse selection as well as moral hazard, taking the remanufacturing rate and the effort extent of manufacturer as the asymmetric information, the incentive contract between the government and the manufacturer was designed. Based on the proposed incentive contract, the realistic conditions for monotone hazard rate of manufacturer's profit and implementation of government's positive incentive were provided. The relationships between parameters and government's subsidy-tax contract were analyzed. The influences of various factors at different stages of EPR implementation to the government's expected revenue were discussed. The results indicate that, the proposed contract is effective to achieve the manufacturers' high-validity motivation and effort-extent excitation, as well as to improve government's revenue. The conclusions are helpful to the design of government's environmental regulation and the operation of manufacturers under the EPR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have implicated chemokines in microglial activation and pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13) is a B lymphocyte chemoattractant that activates CXCR5. Using the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of neuropathic pain, we found that CXCL13 was persistently upregulated in spinal cord neurons after SNL, resulting in spinal astrocyte activation via CXCR5 in mice. shRNA-mediated inhibition of CXCL13 in the spinal cord persistently attenuated SNL-induced neuropathic pain. Interestingly, CXCL13 expression was suppressed by miR-186-5p, a microRNA that colocalized with CXCL13 and was downregulated after SNL. Spinal overexpression of miR-186-5p decreased CXCL13 expression, alleviating neuropathic pain. Furthermore, SNL induced CXCR5 expression in spinal astrocytes, and neuropathic pain was abrogated in Cxcr5-/- mice. CXCR5 expression induced by SNL was required for the SNL-induced activation of spinal astrocytes and microglia. Intrathecal injection of CXCL13 was sufficient to induce pain hypersensitivity and astrocyte activation via CXCR5 and ERK. Finally, intrathecal injection of CXCL13-activated astrocytes induced mechanical allodynia in naive mice. Collectively, our findings reveal a neuronal/astrocytic interaction in the spinal cord by which neuronally produced CXCL13 activates astrocytes via CXCR5 to facilitate neuropathic pain. Thus, miR-186-5p and CXCL13/CXCR5-mediated astrocyte signaling may be suitable therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana Fabricius, is distributed in southern and eastern Asia, from India and China to Korea and Japan and southeast to the Moluccas. This species is also widely kept for honey production besides Apis mellifera. Apis cerana is also a model organism for studying social behavior, caste determination, mating biology, sexual selection, and host-parasite interactions. Few resources are available for molecular research in this species, and a linkage map was never constructed. A linkage map is a prerequisite for quantitative trait loci mapping and for analyzing genome structure. We used the Chinese honey bee, Apis cerana cerana to construct the first linkage map in the Eastern honey bee. Results: F2 workers (N = 103) were genotyped for 126,990 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). After filtering low quality and those not passing the Mendel test, we obtained 3,000 SNPs, 1,535 of these were informative and used to construct a linkage map. The preliminary map contains 19 linkage groups, we then mapped the 19 linkage groups to 16 chromosomes by comparing the markers to the genome of A. mellfiera. The final map contains 16 linkage groups with a total of 1,535 markers. The total genetic distance is 3,942.7 centimorgans (cM) with the largest linkage group (180 loci) measuring 574.5 cM. Average marker interval for all markers across the 16 linkage groups is 2.6 cM. Conclusion: We constructed a high density linkage map for A. c. cerana with 1,535 markers. Because the map is based on SNP markers, it will enable easier and faster genotyping assays than randomly amplified polymorphic DNA or microsatellite based maps used in A. mellifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The potential relationship between impacted mandibular third molar and lingual bone thickness was investigated by quantitative measurement of lingual bone thickness, and a three-dimensional visualization model of lingual bone was established., Methods: Image data of 200 cases of mandibular impacted third molar were collected from the database of Hefei Stomatological Hospital. Thickness measurement and three-dimensional reconstruction of lingual bone at different measurement sites were performed by Simplant Pro software. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 software package, and the comparison of lingual thickness at different measurement sites was performed using rank sum test. Whether the thickness of bone plate was "high-risk type" was taken as the result variable, different related factors were analyzed by logistic regression., Results: The lingual bone at the middle point of the root of the third molar was the thinnest. Multiple teeth, mesio-inclined and dial-inclined teeth, and Class Ⅱ and Ⅲ impacted teeth had thin lingual bone(P＜0.05). The mesial and distal inclines were observed, and the lingual bone was thin in the root apical region of the teeth in Class Ⅱ and Class Ⅲ(P＜0.05). In the lower impacted teeth, the thin lingual bone at the central crown site was more likely to be found in Class Ⅲ teeth(P＜0.05)., Conclusions: The thickness of lingual bone was related to the number of impacted tooth roots, tilt direction and impacted type. In the extraction of impacted teeth, the above factors should be considered, and the injury of lingual nerve, lingual bone and surrounding soft tissue should be vigilant.

A11 dopaminergic neurons regulate somatosensory transduction by projecting from the diencephalon to the spinal cord, but the function of this descending projection in itch remained elusive. Here, we report that dopaminergic projection neurons from the A11 nucleus to the spinal dorsal horn (dopaminergic A11-SDH ) are activated by pruritogens. Inhibition of these neurons alleviates itch-induced scratching behaviors. Furthermore, chemogenetic inhibition of spinal dopamine receptor D1-expressing (DRD1 + ) neurons decreases acute or chronic itch-induced scratching. Mechanistically, spinal DRD1 + neurons are excitatory and mostly co-localize with gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), an endogenous neuropeptide for itch. In addition, DRD1 + neurons form synapses with GRP receptor-expressing (GRPR + ) neurons and activate these neurons via AMPA receptor (AMPAR). Finally, spontaneous itch and enhanced acute itch induced by activating spinal DRD1 + neurons are relieved by antagonists against AMPAR and GRPR. Thus, the descending dopaminergic pathway facilitates spinal itch transmission via activating DRD1 + neurons and releasing glutamate and GRP, which directly augments GRPR signaling. Interruption of this descending pathway may be used to treat chronic itch., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Purpose: To study the preemptive analgesic effect of dexketoprofen tromethamine in extraction of impacted teeth., Methods: Twenty patients with bilateral mandibular impacted teeth were selected, and were randomly divided into dexketoprofen tromethamine group(experimental group) and placebo group(control group). The pain scores of patients at 0.5, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after tooth extraction were counted by numeric rating scale(NRS), and the total dosage of emergent analgesic drugs used in 24 hours was recorded. COX analysis method was used to compare the interval time and the number of cases of first application of emergent analgesic drugs after two operations, and the survival curve was drawn. SPSS 20.0 software package was used for data analysis., Results: The NRS scores of postoperative pain in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group at 2, 4, 8 and 12 hours after operation (P＜0.05). The dose of emergent analgesics used in the experimental group for 24 h was significantly lower than that in the control group (P＜0.05). Survival curve showed that the interval time between the first application of analgesics in the experimental group was significantly longer than that in the control group(P＜0.05)., Conclusions: Dexketoprofen tromethamine can achieve obvious analgesic effect within 12 hours, but the analgesic effect is not obvious after 12 hours.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of serum amyloid A (SAA1/2) and misfolded transthyretin (TTR) for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) patients., Methods: 30 R/R DLBCL patients were enrolled as observation group, 20 remission/stabilization DLBCL and 10 chronic lymphadenitis patients were enrolled as control group. SELDI technique, Tris-Tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis, the shotgun-LTQ-MS method, and bioinformatics technique were used to detected and analyzed SAA and TTR in R/R DLBCL patients. SPSS 21.0 software was used to analyze the relationship between the high expression of SAA, misfolded TTR in serum and the clinicopathological features, survival time of R/R DLBCL. patients Chi-square test was used to analyze clinical count data, Kaplan-Meier curve was used for survival analysis, and Log-Rank test was used to compare single-factor survival differences., Results: The high expression of SAA and TTR (SAA + TTR + ) was significantly associated with extranodal lesion, high level of LDH, and NCCN-IPI scores, and also correlated with non-GCB type. TTR + was correlated with C-MYC in pathological tissue, while SAA + was also associated with B-symptoms. The survival time of patients in SAA + , TTR + , and SAA + TTR + group were shorter than that in control group., Conclusion: Both SAA and misfolded TTR are poor prognosis factors of R/R DLBCL patients.

The neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid is applied widely for pest control in agriculture production. However, little is known about the effects of acetamiprid on the foraging behavior of nontarget pollinators. This study aims to investigate effects of sublethal acetamiprid doses on lifespans and foraging behaviors of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) under natural swarm conditions. Newly emerged worker bees of each treatment received a drop of 1.5 μL acetamiprid solution (containing 0, 0.5, 1, and 2 μg/bee acetamiprid, diluted by water) on the thorax respectively. Bees from 2-day-old to deadline were monitored on foraging behaviors involving the age of bee for first foraging flights, rotating day-off status and the number of foraging flights using the radio frequency identification (RFID) system. We found that acetamiprid at 2 μg/bee significantly reduced the lifespan, induced precocious foraging activity, influenced the rotating day-off status and decreased foraging flights of worker bees. The abnormal behaviors of worker bees may be associated with a decline in lifespan. This work may provide a new perspective into the neonicotinoids that accelerate the colony failure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Progression of acute pancreatitis (AP) into a severe form usually results in a life-threatening condition with multiple organ dysfunction, and in particular acute lung injury (ALI), often contributes to the majority of AP-associated deaths. Increasing evidence has shown that uncontrolled activation of the immune system with rapid production of inflammatory cytokines play a dominant role in this process. As an intracellular inflammatory signaling platform, the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, is recently reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of AP progression, however, the relationship between NLRP3 inflammasome activation and AP-associated lung injury remains unclear yet. Here, we show that NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent pyroptosis in alveolar macrophages (AMs) is responsible for the lung injury secondary to AP. In addition, plasma-derived exosomes from AP mice is capable of triggering NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis in AMs. Inhibition of exosome release or uptake in vivo by inhibitors substantially suppresses AMs pyroptosis and thereby alleviates AP-induced pulmonary lesion. Collectively, the current work reveals for the first time the involvement of NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis induced by plasma exosomes in the pathogenesis of AP-induced ALI, suggesting that the exosome-mediated NLRP3 inflammatory pathway is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of lung injury during AP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of P53 expression on prognosis of patients with double expressor lymphoma(DEL) and the interaction between the expression of MYC, BCL2 and P53 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)., Methods: Eighty-eight patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL from 1st September 2012 to 31th May 2018 in Shanxi Dayi Hospital affiliated to Shanxi Medical University were selected. The expressions of MYC、BCL2、P53、CD10、BCL6、MUM and Ki-67 were tested by immunohistochemistry method. The overall survival of patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. The prognostic effect of MYC, BCL2 and P53 expression was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis., Results: Compared with patients without P53 expression, the patients with P53 expression had higher LDH level, higher NCCN-IPI scores, lower response to chemotherapy，poorer overall survival(OS) and a higher rate of death(P<0.05). In patients who had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated with MYC, BCL2 expression or MYC + /BCL2 + double expression， compared with the patients whom without P53 expression, P53 expression associated with a significant worse OS (P<0.05). The patients with concurrent MYC and P53 expression had a worse OS, compared with patients with either P53 or MYC expression(P<0.05). In patients with MYC + /P53 + co-expression, BCL2 expression did not correlate with poorer survival significantly(P>0.05). Among lymphoma patients with MYC + /P53 + , MYC + /BCL2 + and BCL2 + /P53 + co-expression, the patients with MYC + /P53 + co-expression had the worse OS (3 year OS rate：31.6%), followed by the subgroup of patients with MYC - /BCL2 + /P53 + (3 year OS rate：46.2%), patients with MYC + /BCL2 + /P53 - expression(3 year OS rate： 636%) showed a longer OS compared with the other two subgroups（P<0.05）. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that P53 expression and NCCN-IPI were independent prognostic factors in this patient cohort., Conclusion: P53 and MYC expressions have a synergistically negative prognostic effect in DLBCL patients. P53 expression augments the negative prognostic effect of MYC + /BCL2 + double expression. Patients with MYC + /P53 + co-expression have a worse prognosis in comparison with the patients with MYC + /BCL2 + double expression.

Pain consists of sensory-discriminative and emotional-affective components. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a critical brain area in mediating the affective pain. However, the molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Our recent study indicated that C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13) and its sole receptor CXCR5 are involved in sensory sensitization in the spinal cord after spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Whether CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling in the ACC contributes to the pathogenesis of pain-related aversion remains unknown. Here, we showed that SNL increased the CXCL13 level and CXCR5 expression in the ACC after SNL. Knockdown of CXCR5 by microinjection of Cxcr5 shRNA into the ACC did not affect SNL-induced mechanical allodynia but effectively alleviated neuropathic pain-related place avoidance behavior. Furthermore, electrophysiological recording from layer II-III neurons in the ACC showed that SNL increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs), decreased the EPSC paired-pulse ratio, and increased the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor/N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor ratio, indicating enhanced glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Finally, superfusion of CXCL13 onto ACC slices increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous EPSCs. Pre-injection of Cxcr5 shRNA into the ACC reduced the increase in glutamatergic synaptic transmission induced by SNL. Collectively, these results suggest that CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling in the ACC is involved in neuropathic pain-related aversion via synaptic potentiation.

Patients with neuropathic pain are usually accompanied by depression. Chemokine-mediated neuroinflammation is involved in a variety of diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, depression, and chronic pain. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an important area in mediating pain sensation and depression. Here we report that spinal nerve ligation (SNL) induced upregulation of chemokine CCL2 and its major receptor CCR2 in both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor (D1R and D2R)-containing neurons in the NAc. Inhibition of CCR2 by shRNA lentivirus in the NAc shell attenuated SNL-induced pain hypersensitivity and depressive behaviors. Conversely, intra-NAc injection of CCL2-expressing lentivirus-induced nociceptive and depressive behaviors in naïve mice. Whole-cell patch clamp recording of D1R-positive or D2R-positive medium spiny neurons (MSNs) showed that SNL increased NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated currents that are induced by stimulation of prefrontal cortical afferents to MSNs, which was inhibited by a CCR2 antagonist. Furthermore, Ccr2 shRNA also reduced NMDAR-mediated currents, and this reduction was mainly mediated via NR2B subunit. Consistently, NR2B, colocalized with CCR2 in the NAc, was phosphorylated after SNL and was inhibited by intra-NAc injection of Ccr2 shRNA. Furthermore, SNL or CCL2 induced ERK activation in the NAc. Inhibition of ERK by a MEK inhibitor reduced NR2B phosphorylation induced by SNL or CCL2. Finally, intra-NAc injection of NR2B antagonist or MEK inhibitor attenuated SNL-induced pain hypersensitivity and depressive behaviors. Collectively, these results suggest that CCL2/CCR2 signaling in the NAc shell is important in mediating neuropathic pain and depression via regulating NR2B-mediated NMDAR function in D1R- and D2R-containing neurons following peripheral nerve injury.

Pesticides are considered one of the major contemporary stressors of honey bee health. In this study, the effects of short-term exposure to lambda-cyhalothrin on lifespan, learning, and memory-related characteristics of Apis mellifera were systematically examined. Short-term exposure to lambda-cyhalothrin in worker bees reduced lifespan, affected learning and memory performance, reduced the homing ability, and influenced the expression levels of two learning and memory-related genes of A. mellifera. This research identifies the nature of the sublethal effects of lambda-cyhalothrin on bees and the level of exposure that can be harmful to bee health. This new information will assist in establishing guidelines for the safe use of lambda-cyhalothrin in the field.

This study was performed to evaluate prostate-specific antigen-age volume (PSA-AV) scores in predicting prostate cancer (PCa) in a Chinese biopsy population. A total of 2355 men who underwent initial prostate biopsy from January 2006 to November 2015 in Huashan Hospital were recruited in the current study. The PSA-AV scores were calculated and assessed together with PSA and PSA density (PSAD) retrospectively. Among 2133 patients included in the analysis, 947 (44.4%) were diagnosed with PCa. The mean age, PSA, and positive rates of digital rectal examination result and transrectal ultrasound result were statistically higher in men diagnosed with PCa (all P < 0.05). The values of area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of PSAD and PSA-AV were 0.864 and 0.851, respectively, in predicting PCa in the entire population, both performed better than PSA (AUC = 0.805; P < 0.05). The superiority of PSAD and PSA-AV was more obvious in subgroup with PSA ranging from 2.0 ng ml -1 to 20.0 ng ml -1 . A PSA-AV score of 400 had a sensitivity and specificity of 93.7% and 40.0%, respectively. In conclusion, the PSA-AV score performed equally with PSAD and was better than PSA in predicting PCa. This indicated that PSA-AV score could be a useful tool for predicting PCa in Chinese population., Competing Interests: All authors declared no competing interests

Recent data demonstrated that chemokine CXCL13 mediates neuroinflammation and contributes to the maintenance of neuropathic pain after nerve injury in the spinal cord. Pro-nociceptive chemokines activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) which are potential signaling pathways contributing to the nociceptive behavior in inflammatory or neuropathic pain. However, whether activation of p38 and JNK MAPK signaling pathway in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) are involved in CXCL13 and its receptor CXCR5-mediated orofacial pain has not yet been clarified. Here, we show that the unilateral partial infraorbital nerve ligation (pIONL) induced a profound orofacial pain in wild-type (WT) mice. Western blot results showed that pIONL induced p38 but not JNK activation in the TG of WT mice. However, the orofacial pain induced by pIONL was alleviated in Cxcr5 -/- mice, and the activation of p38 was also abrogated in Cxcr5 -/- mice. Furthermore, intra-TG injection of CXCL13 evoked mechanical hypersensitivity and increased p-p38 expression in WT mice. But CXCL13 had no effect on pain behavior or p-p38 expression in Cxcr5 -/- mice. Finally, pretreatment with p38 inhibitor, SB203580, attenuated the pIONL-induced mechanical allodynia and decreased the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the TG. Taken together, our data suggest that CXCL13 acts on CXCR5 to increase p38 activation and further contributes to the pathogenesis of orofacial neuropathic pain.

Symptoms including depression and hypofunction of cognitive and decision-making are commonly associated with chronic pain. Recent studies have shown that the state of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons is important in diverse high-order cognitive and emotional activity in animals and humans. The mPFC layer V neurons mainly integrate information from other brain areas. The abnormal activity and function of pyramidal neurons influence the signal processing in the mPFC. Here we observed the changes of the excitability of the prelimbic mPFC neurons by whole-cell current-clamp recordings in adult mouse with inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Results showed that resting membrane potential and membrane input resistance did not differ between CFA-treated and control animals. Single action potential (AP) did not differ in terms of amplitude, but rheobase, half AP duration, and decay time were significantly decreased, and voltage threshold was more hyperpolarized in CFA group. Although the firing adaptation did not differ in two groups, the repetitive AP firing number and initial firing rate were significantly increased in CFA group. These data suggest that the increase in the intrinsic excitability of prelimbic mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons may be involved, at least in part in peripheral inflammatory pain., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The NLRP3 inflammasome, an intracellular multi-protein complex controlling the maturation of cytokine interleukin-1β, plays an important role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cascades. Recently, the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) in macrophages stimulated with LPS has been suggested to act as a trigger during the process of NLRP3 inflammasome activation that can be blocked by some mitochondria-targeted antioxidants. Known as a ROS scavenger, molecular hydrogen (H2) has been shown to possess therapeutic benefit on LPS-induced inflammatory damage in many animal experiments. Due to the unique molecular structure, H2 can easily target the mitochondria, suggesting that H2 is a potential antagonist of mtROS-dependent NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Here we have showed that, in mouse macrophages, H2 exhibited substantial inhibitory activity against LPS-initiated NLRP3 inflammasome activation by scavenging mtROS. Moreover, the elimination of mtROS by H2 resultantly inhibited mtROS-mediated NLRP3 deubiquitination, a non-transcriptional priming signal of NLRP3 in response to the stimulation of LPS. Additionally, the removal of mtROS by H2 reduced the generation of oxidized mitochondrial DNA and consequently decreased its binding to NLRP3, thereby inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Our findings have, for the first time, revealed the novel mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of molecular hydrogen on LPS-caused NLRP3 inflammasome activation, highlighting the promising application of this new antioxidant in the treatment of LPS-associated inflammatory pathological damage., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Patients with esophageal cancer are often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to poor prognosis. Biomarkers are needed to enable earlier detection as well as to aid in the prediction of prognosis, but to date these tools remain scarce. Thymidine kinase (TK1) has been shown to exhibit altered expression levels in esophageal tumor cells, therefore this study sought to determine whether serum TK1 levels are also altered and, if so, to assess the utility of TK1 as a biomarker in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Eighty patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were included as the case group and 80 healthy persons were selected as the control group. Serum TK1 levels, postoperatively for cancer patients, were detected by chemiluminescence. Follow-up was performed for cancer patients to determine the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Serum TK1 levels were significantly higher in cases of esophageal cancer than in healthy control individuals (t=7.235, P<0.05). When cancer cases were sub-divided into lower and higher serum TK1 levels, based on the mean level of 3.38 pmol/L, statistically significant differences in TNM stage, tumor differentiation, and lymph node metastasis were observed between patients with ≥3.38 pmol/L and <3.38 pmol/L (χ(2)=28.134, 3.187, 7.234, P<0.05). The average OS of all esophageal cancer patients was 30.13 months, and the average PFS was 24.73 months. However, when the cases were divided by serum TK1 level, average OS of those with higher serum TK1 (≥3.38 pmol/L) was significantly lower (23.98 mo) than those with lower serum TK1 (32.96 mo) (χ(2)=5.439, P<0.05). Similarly, average PFS was significantly lower in patients with higher serum TK1 (17.65 mo versus 27.62) (χ(2)=4.640, P<0.05). OS was correlated with TNM stage (hazard ratio, HR=3.116), degree of tumor differentiation (HR=0.427), lymph node metastasis (HR=0.535), and serum TK1 level (HR=1.913) (Wald χ(2)=6.782, 6.228, 4.562, 5.681, P<0.05). Similarly, PFS was correlated with TMN stage (HR=2.153), degree of tumor differentiation (HR=0.627), and serum TK1 level (HR=1.632) (Wald χ(2)=7.035, 5.335, 4.887, P<0.05). Thus, patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma exhibit higher circulating TK1 levels, consistent with findings of increased TK1 expression in tumor cells. Further, the correlation of serum TK1 levels with clinical features of esophageal cancer and with patient survival suggest that serum TK1 may serve as a valuable biomarker for predicting patient prognosis.

Ligustilide (LIG) is a major component of Radix Angelica Sinensis, and reportedly has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies have demonstrated that spinal astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. Here we investigated the anti-nociceptive effect of systemic treatment with LIG on chronic inflammatory pain and explored possible mechanisms. Unilateral hindpaw injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induced persistent pain hypersensitivity. Repeated daily intravenous treatment with LIG, either before or after CFA injection, attenuated CFA-induced thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. The same treatment also inhibited CFA-induced keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA and protein increases in astrocytes of the spinal cord. In vitro study showed LIG dose-dependently reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced upregulation of KC and MCP-1 mRNA in astrocyte cultures. Interestingly, LIG treatment did not affect CFA- or LPS-induced glial fibrillary acidic protein upregulation, but did inhibit CFA-induced phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB (p-NFκB) upregulation in spinal astrocytes. Furthermore, intrathecal injection of NFκB inhibitor attenuated CFA-induced pain hypersensitivity and upregulation of KC and MCP-1 in the spinal cord. Finally, single intravenous injection of LIG attenuated intrathecal injection of LPS-induced mechanical allodynia. The same treatment also decreased LPS-induced NFκB activation and KC and MCP-1 upregulation in the spinal cord. These data indicate that LIG attenuates chronic inflammatory pain potentially via inhibiting NFκB-mediated chemokines production in spinal astrocytes. These results provide direct evidence of the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of LIG, suggesting a new application of LIG for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain., (© 2014 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Honeybee foragers can flexibly adjust their out-hive activities to ensure growth and reproduction of the colony. In order to explore the characteristics of honey bees foraging behaviors, in this study, their flight activities were monitored 24 hours per day for a duration of 38 days, using an radio frequency identification (RFID) system designed and manufactured by the Honeybee Research Institute of Jiangxi Agricultural University in cooperation with the Guangzhou Invengo Information Technology Co., Ltd. Our results indicated that 63.4% and 64.5% of foragers were found rotating more than one day off during the foraging period in two colonies, and 22.5% and 26.4% of the total foraging days were used for rest respectively. Further, although the total foraging time between rotating day-off foragers and continuously working foragers was equal, the former had a significant longer lifespan than the latter. Additionally, the lifespan of the early developed foragers was significantly lower than that of the normally developed foragers. This study enriched the content of foraging behaviors of honey bees, and it could be used as the basis for the further explorations on evolutionary mechanism of foraging behaviors of eusocial insects.

The honey bee is a social insect characterized by caste differentiation, by which a young larva can develop into either a queen or a worker. Despite possessing the same genome, queen and workers display marked differences in reproductive capacity, physiology, and behavior. Recent studies have shown that DNA methylation plays important roles in caste differentiation. To further explore the roles of DNA methylation in this process, we analyzed DNA methylome profiles of both queen larvae (QL) and worker larvae (WL) of different ages (2, 4, and 6 day old), by using methylated DNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (meDIP-seq) technique. The global DNA methylation levels varied between the larvae of two castes. DNA methylation increased from 2-day- to 4-day-old QL and then decreased in 6-day-old larvae. In WL, methylation levels increased with age. The methylcytosines in both larvae were enriched in introns, followed by coding sequence (CDS) regions, CpG islands, 2 kbp downstream and upstream of genes, and 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). The number of differentially methylated genes (DMGs) in 2-, 4-, and 6-day-old QL and WL was 725, 3,013, and 5,049, respectively. Compared to 4- and 6-day-old WL, a large number of genes in QL were downmethylated, which were involved in many processes including development, reproduction, and metabolic regulation. In addition, some DMGs were concerned with caste differentiation.

The authors proposed an image spectral library based band simulation method. Firstly, the authors clustered the reference image which has the same class composition with the target image by using its pixel spectrum similarity. Secondly, the authors fetched sample from the reference image base on the former cluster image, and then built the image spectral library. Thirdly, the authors fetched the same count of each type of samples to train the simulation model. Finally, the authors simulated the target band of the target image. The experiment results show that: firstly, this method can be more precise to simulate TM blue band, and increase more than 1.2 RMSE value than that of the "Spectral Library-image" model and more than 0.6 RMSE value than that of the "image-image" model. On the other hand, our method is more stable and reliable than the "image-image" and "Spectral Library-Image" simulation model; finally, this method can be successfully applied to the blue band simulation that SPOT and MSS lacked.

Based on a few bands and unabundant spectral information of TM remote sensing image, two endmember extraction algorithms are put forward. First, spatial split endmember extraction algorithm, which firstly browses the image, based on the complexity of objects, divides the image into different blocks, then uses hourglass algorithm to extract endmembers. Second, region continuity algorithm, also based on dividing-into-blocks idea, which uses extraction and classification of homogenous object algorithm and spectral correlation energy level matching algorithm to extract endmembers. Finally, comparing the two algorithms, spatial split endmember extraction algorithm runs fast, with little prior knowledge, however, the probability of error extraction endmembers exists; and region continuity algorithm's precision is higher, needs for prior knowledge, and the segment process is slow. Experimental results show that both spatial-and-spectral combined endmember extraction algorithms can effectively solve the large regional scale, multispectral endmember extraction problem, and have broad application prospects.

The characteristics of ion concentration were studied in snowpit samples collected from the GRHK glacier, the XDKMD glacier and the YZF glacier over the Tibetan Plateau. Samples of snowpits in these three glaciers were analyzed by ion chromatography and ion sources were also explored by correlation analysis. The results indicated that the concentration of Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, Cl- and SO4(2-) increased from the GRHK glacier to the XDKMD glacier and to the YZF glacier, suggesting that the terrestrial matter were major origin from the south to north over the Tibetan Plateau. The concentration of Cl-, Na+ and SO4(2-) in YZF glacier was higher by many times than GRHK glacier and XDKMD glacier, Perhaps mainly come from the evaporation of salt lake and the weather of mineral salts in the Qaidam Basin. The sources of NO3-, K+ and NH4+; were complicated and it is not obvious for the indication of environment.

Objective: To calculate the delay times and embedding dimensions of surface electromyogragh (sEMG) signal of the masseter and temporal muscle during clenching at intercuspal position (ICP), and to reconstruct the space phase of sEMG signal with method of nonlinear dynamics., Methods: Ten male and 10 female young volunteers with normal masticatory system were included in the study, the signals of surface sEMG of bilateral masseter and temporal muscles in the position of ICP were collected, and the delay times and embedding dimensions of the sEMG signals were calculated using C-C method, the space phase of the sEMG signals was reconstructed., Results: A program of nonlinear dynamic analysis of mastication muscles sEMG signals was developed base on the platform of Matlab. The signals of the sEMG of the masseters and temporals were analyzed with nonlinear dynamic methods, the delay times and embedding dimensions of each muscles sEMG signals were obtained, and the space phase of each sEMG signals were reconstructed. The graphs of the space phase indicated the typical characteristic of chaotic attractor., Conclusions: The signals of the masseter and temporal muscles of surface sEMG during clenching at ICP of normal masticatory system show the typical characters of chaos, the methods of nonlinear dynamics are effective to analyze the sEMG signals of mastication system.

Objective: To assess the effect of the autologous venous external stents on intimal hyperplasia of the vein grafts in rabbits., Methods: Thirty-six male New Zealand white rabbits, aged 5 months and weighing 2.8 to 3.0 kg, were randomly divided into 3 groups: group A, group B and group C, with 12 rabbits in each group. First, a section about 6 cm long of vein was cut from the right external jugular vein of each rabbit and severed to have 3 equal-length segments. Next, each distal segment prepared for anastomosis. The proximal segment invaginating middle segment in group A and only middle segment in group B were used for the external stent. Later, the left common carotid artery was separated from surrounding tissue, from it a section about 0.5 cm long was cut away. Finally, the vein graft was inverted and end-to-end anastomosed to the two ends of the artery with a 9-0 suture. After bloodstream re-established, the diameter of each vein graft was measured. At 2 and 4 weeks postoperative, the graft veins were cut off and histologically examined by the means of HE staining and Masson staining. The smooth muscle cells (SMC) proliferation was studied by the immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen., Results: After bloodstream re-established, the diameters of vein graft of group A and group B and group C were (1.6 +/- 0.3) mm, (2.2 +/- 0.4) mm and (2.6 +/- 0.6) mm respectively (P < 0.05). At 4 weeks postoperative, the data of the ratio of intima to media thickness and the index of the proliferating cells of the intima were as follow: group A (1.01 +/- 0.07 and 6.84 +/- 1.98), group B (1.32 +/- 0.08 and 11.01 +/- 2.61), group C (1.55 +/- 0.03 and 14.96 +/- 4.14). Both the data of group A were obviously less than that in group B, and that of group B was less than group C (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The autologous venous two-layer external stents inhibit intimal hyperplasia of the vein grafts.

Abundance and species diversity of bacteria were investigated respectively by epifluorescence microscope, the culture method and the analysis of 16S rDNA genes, with snow and runoff samples from Qiyi Glacier in the Qilian Mts. According to the results, the total microbial cells and bacterial CFU range from 10(3) to 10(5) cells x mL(-1) and 0-600 cfu x mL(-1), respectively. The 16S rDNA gene of 22 bacterial isolates recovered from snow and runoff samples belong to following groups: Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and alpha, beta, gamma-Proteobacteria. Based on their 16S rRNA sequences, Bacteroidetes forms the largest cluster in terms of abundance (80% of all isolates) and Pedobacter and Pseudomonas form the dominant genera in terms of abundance (90% of all isolates). Compared with bacteria revealed from ice and snow in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, South Pole and North Pole which have been reported, the bacteria belonging to Pantoea, Providencia, Terrabacter, Aerococcus and Oxalobacteraceae are especially exist in Qiyi Glacier as far as we know.

Glacier ice, supraglacier stream water, ice-marginal stream water, proglacier stream water samples were collected at Qiyi glacier located in central part of Qilian Mountain 2006-06 - 2006-07. Major ions concentration, pH and EC were analyzed. The results indicate that pH varies from 8.05 to 8.79, and EC 32.4 - 134.4 microS cm(-1). The order of major ions concentration in differed water is: supraglacier stream water< ice-marginal stream water < proglacier stream water. Meanwhile, hydrochemical characteristics vary from HCO3(-) -Ca(2+) to (HCO3(-) + SO4(2-))-(Ca(2+) + Mg(2+)). Major ions,almost in all samples; HCO3(-) > SO4(2-) > Cl(-) > NO3(-), Ca(2+) > Mg(2+) > Na(+) > K(+) mainly comes from carbonate weathering,and some is from sulfate dissolution. Concentrations of Mg(2+) and K(+) increase quicker than Na(+) and Ca(2+) in proglacier stream and ice-margin stream that is inverse to their abundance in crust. The spatial characteristic of ions concentration is controlled by the process of water-rock and temporal change is hydrological factors.