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Kesterite Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) has been considered as the most promising absorber material for inorganic thin-film solar cells. Among the three main interfaces in CZTSSe-based solar cells, the CZTSSe/Mo back interface plays an essential role in hole extraction as well as device performance. During the selenization process, the reaction between CZTSSe and Mo is one of the main reasons that lead to a large open circuit voltage ( V OC ) deficit, low short circuit current ( J sc ), and fill factor. In this study, 2D Ti 3 C 2 -MXene was introduced as an intermediate layer to optimize the interface between the CZTSSe absorber layer and Mo back contact. Benefiting from the 2D Ti 3 C 2 -MXene intermediate layer, the reaction between CZTSSe and Mo was effectually suppressed, thus, significantly reducing the thickness of the detrimental Mo(S,Se) 2 layer as well as interface recombination at the CZTSSe/Mo back interface. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of the champion device fabricated with the 2D Ti 3 C 2 -MXene intermediate layer was improved from 10.89 to 13.14% (active-area efficiency). This study demonstrates the potential use of the 2D Ti 3 C 2 -MXene intermediate layer for efficient CZTSSe solar cells and promotes a deeper understanding of the back interface in CZTSSe solar cells.

The main bottleneck in the development of kesterite Cu 2 ZnSn(S,Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solar cells is their very low V OC due to severe carrier recombination. Specifically, due to the poor defect environment and unfavorable band structure, carrier recombination at the front interface is considered to be one of the most serious issues. Thus, to reduce the interface recombination and V OC deficit, we propose a convenient and effective strategy for Cd gradient doping near the front interface during selenization. The formed Cd gradient significantly reduced the Cu Zn defects and related [2Cu Zn + Sn Zn ] defect clusters near the CZTSSe-CdS heterojunction, thus significantly suppressing the interface recombination near the heterojunction. Benefitting from the formed Cd gradient, a champion device with 12.14% PCE was achieved with the V OC significantly improved from 432 mV to 486 mV. The proposed element gradient doping strategy can offer a new idea for selenization and element gradient doping in other photoelectric devices.

The present study explored the physiological mechanism of the effects of different pH treatments on the growth, physiological characteristics, and stachydrine biosynthesis of Leonurus japonicus to provide references for the cultivation and quality control of L. japonicus. Under hydroponic conditions, different pH treatments(pH 5,6,7,8) were set up. The growth, physiology, and the content of stachydrine and total alkaloids of L. japonicus, as well as the content of key intermediate products in stachydrine biosynthesis pathway(i.e., pyruvic acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, glutamic acid, and ornithine) were monitored to explore the physiological mechanism of the effects of pH on the growth and active components of L. japonicus. The results showed that L. japonicus. could grow normally in the pH 5-8 solution. The pH treatment of neutral acidity was more conducive to the accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and the increase in soluble protein in leaves of L. japonicus. to promote its growth and yield. However, since stachydrine is a nitrogen-containing pyrrolidine alkaloid, its synthesis involves the two key rate-limiting steps of nitrogen addition: reductive ammoniation reaction and Schiff base formation reaction. High pH treatments promote the synthesis and accumulation of substrates and products of the above two reactions, indicating that the alkaline environment can promote the nitrogen addition reaction, thereby promoting the biosynthesis and accumulation of stachydrine.

Correction to: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2021; 25 (18): 5653-5663-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202109_26784-PMID: 34604957, published online on 30 September, 2021. After publication, the authors applied to add another corresponding author. Therefore, both Dr. Xiaosun Guo and Dr. Fan Jiang are the corresponding authors of this article. There are amendments to this paper. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/26784.

Objective: To identify the risk factors related to perinatal complications in patients with pulmonary hypertension underwent cesarean section. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension hospitalized in 4 different hospitals in Shandong province and underwent cesarean section between May 2010 and May 2020. Patients were divided into perinatal complication group and control group according to the presence or absence of perinatal complications. Perinatal complications included aggravated heart function, new onset arrythmias, sudden cardiac arrest, all-cause death within 42 days post cesarean section, postpartum bleeding and thrombotic events. Risk factors of perinatal complications were analyzed. Results: A total of 167 patients (47 cases in the perinatal complication group and 120 cases in the control group) were included in this study. The average age of this cohort was 28(24, 32) years, and 75(44.9%) patients suffered newly diagnosed pulmonary hypertension during pregnancy. The main cause of pulmonary hypertension was congenital heart disease (137(82.0%)). Age, pregnant weeks, percent of primipara, intra-cardiac shunt, and receiving targeted medication therapy, cardiac dimensions were similar between the two groups. A total of 62 complications were recorded in the complication group including 28 cases of aggravated heart function, 4 cases of new onset arrythmias, 2 cases of cardiac arrest, 11 cases of bleeding or thrombotic events and 17 patients were dead. Prevalence of idiopathic pulmonary hypertension and general anesthesia was significantly higher, functional capacity was significantly lower in perinatal complication group than in control group (all P <0.05). The estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure, serum N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide and total bilirubin (TBIL) levels were significantly higher in perinatal complication group than in control group (all P <0.05). Logistic analysis demonstrated WHO Function Class(FC) Ⅲ/Ⅳ ( OR =2.416,95% CI 1.016-5.743, P =0.046) and TBIL level ( OR =6.874,95% CI 1.643-28.757, P =0.008) were the independent risk factors of perinatal complications. Conclusion: TBIL and WHO FC are independent risk factors of perinatal complications in pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension underwent cesarean section.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of edaravone combined with oxiracetam on neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral infarction (CI) and to explore the potential molecular mechanism., Materials and Methods: A total of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group (n=12), model group (n=12) and treatment group (n=12). Only the external carotid artery was exposed in sham-operation group, while the models of CI were established using suture method in the other two groups. After modeling, the rats in sham-operation group and model group were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline, and those in treatment group were administered with edaravone and oxiracetam solutions via intraperitoneal injection. Then, the specimens were obtained at 2 weeks after intervention. The cognitive function of the rats was evaluated using a water maze, Nissl staining was applied to observe the neuronal morphology, and the relative protein expressions of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and NF-κB were measured by means of Western blotting. Furthermore, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to determine the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and IL-6, the content of IL-1β and IL-6 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay was conducted to examine the cell apoptosis., Results: Model group displayed a significantly longer escape latency and significantly fewer times of crossing the original platform than sham-operation group (p<0.05), whereas treatment group had a significantly shorter escape latency but significantly more times of crossing the original platform than model group (p<0.05). The relative protein expression level of SIRT1 was lowered significantly, while that of NF-κB was elevated significantly in model group in comparison with those in sham-operation group (p<0.05), and the opposite results were observed between model group and treatment group (p<0.05). Besides, the content of IL-1β and IL-6 in brain tissues was increased significantly in model group compared with that in sham-operation group (p<0.05), but it was decreased significantly in treatment group in comparison with that in model group (p<0.05). The relative mRNA expression levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly higher in model group than those in sham-operation group (p<0.05). Moreover, model group exhibited more positive apoptotic cells and a significantly higher apoptosis rate than sham-operation group (p<0.05) and treatment group (p<0.05). No apparent abnormalities of neuronal morphology and structure were detected in sham-operation group, with many Nissl bodies. The neurons were damaged, with abnormal morphology and structure, and there were a small number of Nissl bodies in model group. The neurons were damaged in treatment group, but their morphology and structure were improved evidently compared with those in model group., Conclusions: Edaravone combined with oxiracetam can inhibit the neuronal apoptosis in CI rats by regulating the SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby exerting a neuroprotective effect.

Objective: In our previous genomic studies in human intracranial aneurysms, we observed downregulations in the expression of a number of ribosomal protein genes and the c-Myc-related gene MYC target 1 (MYCT1). So far there is no information about the roles of MYCT1 in vascular cells. Our study aims to investigate the functional roles of MYCT1 in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs)., Materials and Methods: Primary SMCs were isolated from rat thoracic aorta and cultured in vitro. The mRNA and protein expressions were determined by real-time PCR and western blot respectively. Apoptosis was detected by measuring caspase 3/7 activity. Collagen production was determined with ELISA., Results: Using PCR, we validated our previous genomic data showing that the expressions of MYCT1 and ribosomal protein genes were decreased in human aneurysm tissues. In vascular SMCs, we showed that nitrosative stress downregulated the expression of both MYCT1 and ribosomal proteins. Knockdown of MYCT1 mimicked the effects of nitrosative stress on ribosomal protein expressions, whereas overexpression of MYCT1 blunted the effects of nitrosative stress. MYCT1-dependent downregulation of ribosomal proteins compromised the protein translational capacity of the cells for collagen production. Moreover, the endogenously expressed MYCT1 in vascular SMCs was involved in maintaining normal cellular functions including survival, proliferation and migration., Conclusions: MYCT1-dependent gene regulation may, at least partly, explain the downregulated expressions of ribosomal proteins observed in human intracranial aneurysms. It is suggested that MYCT1 may represent a novel molecular target for counteracting the decreased activity of aneurysmal SMCs for tissue repairmen/regeneration.

Myocardial ischaemia reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the leading causes of coronary artery disease-associated morbidity and mortality. While different strategies have been used to limit I/R injuries, cardiac functions often do not recover to the normal level as anticipated. Recent studies have pointed to important roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development of myocardial I/R injury. LncRNA is a class of RNA molecules of more than 200 nucleotides in length which are not translated into proteins. I/R causes dysregulation of lncRNA expression in cardiomyocytes, thereby affecting multiple cellular functions including mitochondrial homeostasis, apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, suggesting that manipulating lncRNAs may be of great potential in counteracting I/R injury-induced myocardial dysfunctions. In this review, we provide an updated summary on our knowledge about contributions of lncRNAs to the development of I/R injury, with an emphasis on the functional links between several well established cardiac lncRNAs and regulation of cellular outcomes post I/R., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

We report acute antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in 285 patients with COVID-19. Within 19 days after symptom onset, 100% of patients tested positive for antiviral immunoglobulin-G (IgG). Seroconversion for IgG and IgM occurred simultaneously or sequentially. Both IgG and IgM titers plateaued within 6 days after seroconversion. Serological testing may be helpful for the diagnosis of suspected patients with negative RT-PCR results and for the identification of asymptomatic infections.

We investigated whether low-dose phloretin served as daily dietary supplements could ameliorate diabetic atherosclerosis and the role of kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2). HUVECs cultured in high glucose medium were treated with different concentrations of phloretin and KLF2 mRNA, and protein level was detected. Diabetes was induced using streptozotocin in Apoe -/- mice after which they were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. Diabetic mice injected with KLF2 shRNA-lentivirus or control virus were treated with 20 mg/kg phloretin. Glucose, lipid profile, aortic atheroma, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression were detected. Phloretin retained endothelial function by KLF2-eNOS activation under hyperglycemia. Low-dose phloretin helped with lipid metabolism, and blocked the acceleration of atherosclerosis in STZ-induced diabetic mice since the early stage, which was diminished by KLF2 knockdown. Low-dose phloretin exhibited athero-protective effect in diabetic Apoe -/- mice dependent on KLF2 activation. This finding makes phloretin for diabetic atherosclerosis.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in humans. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be important players in neurological diseases. Herein, this study aimed to examine the effect of lncRNA GAS5 on the occurrence of epilepsy in rat and cell models of epileptic seizure. The expression of lncRNA GAS5 was measured in the established rat and cell models. The binding sites between lncRNA GAS5 and miR-135a-5p, as well as those between miR-135a-5p and 3' untranslated region of KCNQ3 were predicted by miRDB and Targetscan, separately, followed by verification using dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. The expression of miR-135a-5p was measured in response to the overexpression of lncRNA GAS5. The mRNA and protein levels of KCNQ3 were examined in response to overexpression of miR-135a-5p. Next, the latency of epilepsy and frequency of epileptic seizures were assessed in rats injected with Lv-shGAS5 and Lv-miR-135a-5p in epileptic seizure model. In the rat and cell models, lncRNA GAS5 was highly expressed when epileptic seizure was induced. The expression of miR-135a-5p was decreased by overexpression of lncRNA GAS5. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein levels of KCNQ3 were decreased in response to knockdown of miR-135a-5p. After the treatment of Lv-shGAS5 and Lv-miR-135a-5p, the average latent period of epilepsy was prolonged and the frequency of seizures was decreased. The key findings of the present study provide evidence emphasizing that lncRNA GAS5 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA of miR-135a-5p to increase expression of KCNQ3, and lncRNA GAS5 silencing inhibited the occurrence and progression of epilepsy., (© 2019 The Authors. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia on behalf of Kaohsiung Medical University.)

Objective: To investigate the incidence and risk factors of delirium after spinal surgery in elderly patients., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 436 patients with spinal surgery from January 2016 to November 2018. According to delirium occurrancy after the operation, 436 cases were divided into two groups:delirium group and non-delirium group. Body mass index(BMI), history of diabetes, history of coronary heart disease, history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), preoperative white blood cell count, preoperative erythrocyte volume, preoperative hemoglobin level, operation mode, operation time, anesthesia time, American Association of Anesthesiologists(ANA)(ASA) score, cardiac function grading(NYHA), intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion, intraoperative fentanyl, propofol and Dizocine dosage, postoperative white blood cell count, postoperative erythrocyte volume, postoperative hemoglobin level, postoperative electrolytes (sodium, potassium) and univariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors. The independent risk factors were further investigated by multivariate Logistic regression analysis., Results: Among 436 cases, 112 elderly patients had postoperative delirium, the incidence of delirium was about 25.68%. The age, preoperative leukocyte count, erythrocyte specific volume, postoperative hemoglobin level in delirium group and non-delirium group were measured. There were significant differences in the postoperative sodium concentration, anesthesia time, ASA score, cardiac function grading, blood loss during operation, postoperative use of Dizocine, history of diabetes, history of coronary heart disease and history of COPD ( P <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the age, ASA score, postoperative Dizocine volume, and COPD history were independent risk factors for the occurrence of delirium after spinal surgery in elderly patients., Conclusions: The elderly patients over 72 years old, the ASA score>2, the use of Dizocine analgesic and the patients with COPD are the independent risk factors of postoperative delirium., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© 2019 by the China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Press.)

LncRNA TP73 antisense RNA 1T (TP73-AS1) plays an important role in human malignancies. However, the levels of TP73-AS1 and its functional mechanisms in pancreatic cancer metastasis remain unknown, and the clinical significance of TP73-AS1 in human pancreatic cancer is also unclear. In the present study, the levels of TP73-AS1 and its candidate target miR-141 in pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissue were detected using qRT-PCR. The association between TP73-AS1 levels and the clinicopathologic characteristics of pancreatic cancer patients were analyzed. The relationship between TP73-AS1 and miR-141, and miR-141 and its candidate target 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase type 2 (BDH2) was confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter assays. TP73-AS1 and/or miR-141 were knocked down using siRNA or an inhibitor in pancreatic cancer cells and cell migration and invasion then examined. The results showed that TP73-AS1 was up-regulated in pancreatic cancer tissue and cell lines. High levels of TP73-AS1 were correlated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and shorter overall survival. MiR-141 was a direct target for TP73-AS1, while BDH2 was a direct target for miR-141. The knockdown of TP73-AS1 significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, while the miR-141 inhibitor significantly restored the migration and invasion. Therefore, TP73-AS1 positively regulated BDH2 expression by sponging miR-141. These findings suggest that TP73-AS1 serves as an oncogene and promotes the metastasis of pancreatic cancer. Moreover, TP73-AS1 could serve as a predictor and a potential drug biotarget for pancreatic cancer., (© 2019 The Author(s).)

Our previous studies have shown that recombinant human phospholipase D2 (rhPLD2) plays a modulator role on NF-κB and PKC signaling pathways. It also inhibits IL-5-induced inflammatory response in chronic asthmatic guinea pigs. Additionally, increasing evidence also has revealed that the adoptive transfer of induced regulatory T cells (Tregs) may be a therapeutic solution to airway allergic diseases. To investigate the epigenetic, transcriptomic and phenotypic variability of Treg population in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced airway inflammation model derived from the induction of rhPLD2, OVA-induced asthmatic murine model is used in this study. The lung inflammation, eosinophil infiltration, the differentiation and proliferation of T helper cells and the amplification of Tregs were examined in this mouse model with and without rhPLD2 induction. Our data showed that rhPLD2 administration in asthmatic mice significantly increases CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + Treg cell numbers and alleviates lung inflammation. The addition of rhPLD2 in vitro enhanced the demethylation of Treg-specificdemethylated region (TSDR) in iTregs, suggesting that rhPLD2 protein may be involved in improving the quality and quantity of Treg cells that eventually significantly reduces lung inflammation in asthmatic murine model. These results suggest that rhPLD2 could have a clinical impact treating patients with allergic airway inflammation via promoting and stabilizing iTreg differentiation and function., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Controlled and compacted TiAl 3 coating was successfully fabricated on the network structured TiBw/Ti6Al4V composites by hot-dipping aluminum and subsequent interdiffusion treatment. The network structure of the composites was inherited to the TiAl 3 coating, which effectively reduces the thermal stress and avoids the cracks appeared in the coating. Moreover, TiB reinforcements could pin the TiAl 3 coating which can effectively improve the bonding strength between the coating and composite substrate. The cycle oxidation behavior of the network structured coating on 873 K, 973 K and 1073 K for 100 h were investigated. The results showed the coating can remarkably improve the high temperature oxidation resistance of the TiBw/Ti6Al4V composites. The network structure was also inherited to the Al 2 O 3 oxide scale, which effectively decreases the tendency of cracking even spalling about the oxide scale. Certainly, no crack was observed in the coating after long-term oxidation due to the division effect of network structured coating and pinning effect of TiB reinforcements. Interfacial reaction between the coating and the composite substrate occurred and a bilayer structure of TiAl/TiAl 2 formed next to the substrate after oxidation at 973 K and 1073 K. The anti-oxidation mechanism of the network structured coating was also discussed.

Dementia is increasing dramatically and imposes a huge burden on society. To date, there is a lack of data on the health status of patients with dementia in China. In an attempt to investigate the comorbidity burden of dementia patients in China at the national level, we enrolled 2,938 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), or other types of dementia, who were admitted to tertiary hospitals in seven regions of China from January 2003 to December 2012. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to evaluate the comorbidity burden of the patients with dementia. Among these patients, 53.4% had AD, 26.3% had VaD, and 20.3% had other types of dementia. The CCI was 3.0 ± 1.9 for all patients, 3.4 ± 1.8 for those with VaD, and 3.0 ± 2.1 for those with AD. The CCI increased with age in all patients, and the length of hospital stay and daily expenses rose with age and CCI. Males had a higher CCI and a longer stay than females. Moreover, patients admitted in the last 5 years of the study had a higher CCI than those admitted in the first 5 years. We found that the comorbidity burden of patients with dementia is heavy. These findings provide a better understanding of the overall health status of dementia patients, and help to increase the awareness of clinicians and policy-makers to improve medical care for patients.

Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinsonism are common neurodegenerative disorders with continuously increasing prevalence, causing high global burdens. However, data concerning the comorbidity burden of patients with PD or Parkinsonism in China are lacking. To investigate the health condition and comorbidity burden, a total of 3367 PD and 823 Parkinsonism patients were included from seven tertiary hospitals in seven cities across China from 2003 to 2012. Their comorbidity burden was collected and quantified by the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The comorbidity spectra differed between PD and Parkinsonism patients. Compared with PD patients, Parkinsonism patients were older (69.8 ± 11.5 vs. 67.9 ± 11.4, P < 0.001); had a higher comorbidity burden, including ECI (1.1 ± 1.2 vs. 1.0 ± 1.2, P < 0.001) and CCI (1.3 ± 1.6 vs. 1.1 ± 1.5, P < 0.001); and had higher hospitalization expenses. The ECI (1.1 ± 1.3 vs. 0.9 ± 1.1, P < 0.001) and CCI (1.3 ± 1.6 vs. 0.9 ± 1.2, P < 0.001) were higher in males than in females. The average length of stay and daily hospitalization expenses increased with age, as did ECI and CCI. This is the first study to report the disease burden of Chinese PD and Parkinsonism patients. It provides useful information to better understand their health status, and to raise the awareness of clinicians for providing better health care.

Ursolic acid (UA) is a major pentacyclic triterpenoid in plants, vegetables and fruits, which has been reported to have a potential anti-diabetic activity. Despite various semi-synthetic ursolic acid derivatives already described, new derivatives still need to be designed and synthesized to further improve the anti-diabetic activity. In the present study, two series of novel UA derivatives, were synthesized and their structures were confirmed. The enzyme inhibition activities of semi-synthesized analogues against α-glucosidase were screened in vitro. The results indicated that most of UA derivatives showed a significant inhibitory activity, especially analogues UA-O-i with the IC 50 values of 0.71 ± 0.27 μM, which was more potential than other analogues and the positive control. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were also investigated to verify the in vitro study. Structure modification at the C-3 and C-2 positions of UA was an effective approach to obtain the desired ligand from UA, whose structure was in accordance with the active pocket. Besides, suitable hydrophobic group at the position of C-2 might play an important role for the docking selectivity and binding affinity between the ligand and the homology modelling protein. These results could be helpful for designing more potential α-glucosidase inhibitors from UA in the future.

Objective: To compare the diagnosis and treatment experience of brain abscesses and improve prognosis. Methods: The data of 302 patients of brain abscess at Department of Neurosurgery in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from 1980 to 2014 was analyzed retrospectively. There were 215 male and 87 female patients aged from 11 to 82 years with mean age of (30±8) years. The patients was divided into 1980-2001 group and 2002-2014 group according to different diagnosis and the treatment methods. The therapy methods include operation and conservative treatment. There were 196 cases received operation, including 95 cases of excision, 89 cases of ventriculopuncture, 12 cases of excision after ventriculopuncture, 106 cases received drug conservative therapy. Two groups of information including clinical manifestation, abscess location, therapeutic effect and prognosis were compared by χ(2) test. Results: Compared to 1980-2001 group, adjacent infection incidence declined(χ(2)=8.000, P =0.005). The ratio of single abscess declined and multiple abscess increased(χ(2)=11.060, P =0.001), the infection proportion of frontal lobe and temporal lobe decreased(χ(2)=9.080, P =0.003; χ(2)=15.440, P =0.000). The ratio of headache and vomit and papilledema declined significantly(χ(2)=23.290, P =0.000; χ(2)=21.020, P =0.000; χ(2)=2.290, P =0.001). Total mortality of 302 patients were 23 cases and 5 cases of 1980-2001 group and 2002-2014 group (10.4% vs . 6.3%, χ(2)=1.180, P =0.277). However, there were statistical difference in postoperative mortality between both groups (14.4% vs . 4.0%, χ(2) =3.880, P =0.049). Conclusion: With the application of antibiotics and the development of neurosurgical techniques, the prognosis of brain abscess has been improved.

Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive and highly lethal biliary tract malignancy, with extremely poor prognosis. In the present study, we analyzed the potential involvement of MYBL2, a member of the Myb transcription factor family, in the carcinogenesis of human GBC., Methods: MYBL2 expression levels were measured in GBC and cholecystitis tissue specimens using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) assays. The effects of MYBL2 on cell proliferation and DNA synthesis were evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay (CCK-8), colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) retention assay, flow cytometry analysis, western blot, and a xenograft model of GBC cells in nude mice., Results: MYBL2 expression was increased in GBC tissues and associated with histological differentiation, tumour invasion, clinical stage and unfavourable overall survival in GBC patients. The downregulation of MYBL2 expression resulted in the inhibition of GBC cell proliferation, and DNA replication in vitro, and the growth of xenografted tumours in nude mice. Conversely, MYBL2 overexpression resulted in the opposite effects., Conclusions: MYBL2 overexpression promotes GBC cell proliferation through the regulation of the cell cycle at the S and G2/M phase transitions. Thus, MYBL2 could serve as a potential prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in GBC patients., (© 2017 The Author(s)Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Increase in serum homocysteine is shown to be a potential risk factor for cognitive impairment. Evidence suggests that vitamin B supplementation may reduce cognitive decline by lowering the homocysteine levels. The current meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of folic acid along with vitamin B12 and/or B6 in lowering homocysteine, thereby attenuating cognitive decline in elderly patients with Alzheimer disease or dementia. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of folate and B vitamin supplementation in patients with cognitive decline secondary to Alzheimer disease or dementia were identified using the keywords, "homocysteine, hyper-homocysteinemia, B vitamin, vitamin B6, B12, folic acid, cognitive, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia." The outcome measures analyzed were the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and serum homocysteine. Of the 77 studies identified, 4 RCTs were included in the current meta-analysis. The baseline characteristics, age, and gender distribution of patients among the 2 groups (supplement vs placebo) were comparable. The results reveal that the intervention group achieved significantly greater reduction in homocysteine levels than the control (pooled difference in means = -3.625, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -5.642 to -1.608, P < .001). However, no significant difference in MMSE (pooled difference in means = 0.027, 95% CI = -0.518 to 0.573, P = 0.921) was observed between the groups. Taken together, vitamin B supplementation was effective in reducing serum homocysteine levels. However, it did not translate into cognitive improvement, indicating that the existing data on vitamin B-induced improvement in cognition by lowering homocysteine levels are conflicting.

Introduction: Whether adding percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting (PTAS) to background medical treatment is effective for decreasing the incidence of stroke or death in patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) is still controversial. We perform a randomised controlled trial to examine the effectiveness and safety of an improved PTAS procedure for patients with ICAS., Methods and Analysis: A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in three hospitals in China. Eligible patients with ICAS will be randomly assigned to receive medication treatment (MT) plus PTAS or MT alone. The MT will be initiated immediately after randomisation, while the PTAS will be performed when patients report relief of alarm symptoms defined as sudden weakness or numbness. All patients will be followed up at 30 days, 3 and 12 months after randomisation. The primary end point will be the incidence of stroke or death at 30 days after randomisation. Secondary outcomes will be the incidence of ischaemic stroke in the territory of stenosis arteries, the incidence of in-stent restenosis, the Chinese version of the modified Rankin Scale and the Chinese version of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (CSQoL)., Ethics and Dissemination: The study protocol is approved by institutional review boards in participating hospitals (reference number FZ20160003, 180PLA20160101 and 476PLA2016007). The results of this study will be disseminated to patients, physicians and policymakers through publication in a peer-reviewed journal or presentations in conferences. It is anticipated that the results of this study will improve the quality of the current PTAS procedure and guide clinical decision-making for patients with ICAS., Trial Registration Number: NCT02689037., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Effective book search has been discussed for decades and is still future-proof in areas as diverse as computer science, informatics, e-commerce and even culture and arts. A variety of social information contents (e.g, ratings, tags and reviews) emerge with the huge number of books on the Web, but how they are utilized for searching and finding books is seldom investigated. Here we develop an Integrated Search And Recommendation Technology (IsArt), which breaks new ground by providing a generic framework for searching books with rich social information. IsArt comprises a search engine to rank books with book contents and professional metadata, a Generalized Content-based Filtering model to thereafter rerank books with user-generated social contents, and a learning-to-rank technique to finally combine a wide range of diverse reranking results. Experiments show that this technology permits embedding social information to promote book search effectiveness, and IsArt, by making use of it, has the best performance on CLEF/INEX Social Book Search Evaluation datasets of all 4 years (from 2011 to 2014), compared with some other state-of-the-art methods.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials have recently been identified as a promising light absorber for solar cells. In the efficient solar cells, the perovskite active layer has generally been fabricated by either vapor deposition or two-step sequential deposition process. Herein, electrochemically deposited PbO film is in situ converted into CH3NH3PbI3 through solid-state reaction with adjacent CH3NH3I layer, exhibiting a large-scale flat and uniform thin film with fully substrate coverage. The resultant planar heterojunction photovoltaic device yields a best power conversion efficiency of 14.59% and an average power conversion efficiency of 13.12 ± 1.08% under standard AM 1.5 conditions. This technique affords a facile and environment-friendly method for the fabrication of the perovskite based solar cells with high reproducibility, paving the way for the practical application.

The neuroprotective agents currently used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD) often only target one aspect of the disease process. Therefore, identifying effective drug targets associated with the pathogenesis of AD is critical for the production of novel AD therapeutic strategies. The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the neuroprotective effects of Rg1 on a rat model of AD. A double transgenic β‑amyloid (Aβ) precursor protein/PS1 rat model was established, which co‑expressed mutations associated with AD. Aβ plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) were detected by immunohistochemistry. The detection of the protein expression levels of caspase‑3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl‑transferase‑mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining were used to determine the level of apoptosis in the brain tissue. The expression levels of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress biomarker, glucose‑regulated protein 78 (Grp78), and the mitochondrial apoptosis biomarkers, B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2) and Bcl‑2‑associated X protein (Bax), were analyzed by western blotting. Furthermore, the expression of the proteins associated with the ER stress unfolded protein response (UPR) was determined, in order to examine the levels of ER stress. The mRNA expression of downstream genes of UPR were also detected by reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression levels of the apoptosis‑associated phosphorylated‑c‑Jun N‑terminal protein kinase (p‑JNK), caspase‑12 and cAMP response element‑binding transcription factor homologous protein were determined by western blotting. The results of the present study indicated that the accumulation of NFTs and Aβ plaques was significantly decreased in the Rg1‑treated AD rats, compared with untreated AD rats. The expression of caspase‑3 and the number of TUNEL‑positive cells were also significantly decreased in the Rg1‑treated rats, as compared with the AD rats. Furthermore, treatment with Rg1 significantly reduced the expression of Grp78, and triggered inositol‑requiring enzyme‑1 (IRE‑1) and phosphorylated protein kinase RNA‑like ER kinase‑associated ER stress. The IRE‑1 UPR pathway downstream gene, tumor necrosis factor receptor‑associated factor 2, was significantly decreased in rats treated with Rg1, compared with untreated AD rats. Furthermore, the activation of p‑JNK was also inhibited when AD rats were treated with Rg1. In conclusion, Rg1 was shown to function as an important factor that inhibits the accumulation of NFTs and Aβ via inhibition of the ER stress‑mediated pathway. Blocking of this pathway was triggered by the IRE‑1 and TRAF2 pathway, as a result of inhibition of the expression of p‑JNK.

Objective: To establish the method to analyze γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and its precursors 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in urine through LC-MS/MS and provide evidence for related cases., Methods: GHB-d6 and MOR-d3 were used as the internal standard. The urine sample was separated by LC after protein precipitation with methanol. The electrospray ion source was for ionization. Each compound was detected through multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode., Results: The limits of detection of GHB and its precursors 1,4-BD and GBL were 0.1, 0.1 and 2 μg/mL. The accuracy was 87.6%-98.1%. The intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than 15% and matrix effects were higher than 80%., Conclusion: The method is high sensitive, simple, rapid, specific and with high reliability. This study has provided technical support and basic data for forensic cases involving GHB.

We report the low-temperature resistance upturn in sandwiched structures of La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/ZrO2/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 and La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/LaMnO3/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3, while it disappeared when the interlayer was replaced by YBa2Cu3O7. The experimental data have been analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results show that the low temperature resistance upturn is mainly due to the quantum correction effects driven by the weak localization and the electron-electron interaction in such a strongly correlated system, and the contribution of each factor varies with grain boundaries. Moreover, the resistance upturns are suppressed by a local magnetic field. These findings will help to further understand the physical mechanism of low-temperature resistance upturn in colossal magnetoresistance manganites. Furthermore, it is also helpful to reveal the intrinsic transport mechanism at the interfaces of semiconductor/ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism/ferromagnetism.

Although triptans are widely used for treating acute migraine, they are contraindicated or not effective in a large proportion of patients. Hence, alternative treatments are needed. Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists, such as telcagepant, have been under investigation as a treatment for acute migraine. A meta-analysis of the efficacy of telcagepant vs. placebo and triptans (zolmitriptan or rizatriptan) was performed. Randomized controlled trials were indentified from databases using the following search terms: migraine; calcitonin gene-related peptide; calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists; efficacy; safety, and telcagepant. The primary outcome measure was pain freedom 2 hours after first treatment. The secondary outcome measure was pain relief 2 hours after first treatment. Eight trials were included in the meta-analysis (telcagepant = 4011 participants). The difference in pain freedom at 2 hours significantly favored telcagepant over placebo (odds ratio = 2.70, 95% confidence interval = 2.27-3.21, P < 0.001) and triptans over telcagepant (odds ratio = 0.68, 95% confidence interval = 0.56-0.83, P < 0.001). The difference in pain relief at 2 hours significantly favored telcagepant over placebo (odds ratio = 2.48, 95% confidence interval = 2.18-2.81, P < 0.001). The difference in pain relief at 2 hours did not significantly favor telcagepant over triptans or vice versa (odds ratio = 0.76, 95% confidence interval = 0.57-1.01, P = 0.061). These findings indicate that telcagepant can be effective for treating acute migraine. Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists represent a potentially important alternative means of treating acute migraine., (© 2013 World Institute of Pain.)

The perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 was prepared on a mesoscopic TiO2 film, starting from electrodepositing PbO, to iodination to PbI2, and then interdiffusion reaction with CH3NH3I. The as-prepared film was used as a light absorber for the perovskite solar cells, exhibiting a high PCE of 12.5% under standard AM 1.5 conditions.

Background: HOXA10 is closely related to tumor progression in many human cancers. However, the role of HOXA10 in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the involvement of HOXA10 in pancreatic cancer cell invasion and migration., Methods: The effect of HOXA10 on the invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells was assessed by invasion and migration assays. The protein of transforming growth factor beta-2 (TGFβ2) was neutralized by TGFβ2 blocking antibody. The activation of p38 was inhibited by SB239063., Results: HOXA10 could promote the invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells. Knockdown of HOXA10 decreased the expressions of TGFβ2 and matrix metallopeptidase-3 (MMP-3) and suppressed the activation of p38. Conversely, overexpression of HOXA10 increased the levels of TGFβ2 and MMP-3. Further experiments identified that TGFβ2 contributed to the HOXA10-promoted invasion and migration and regulated MMP-3 expression and p38 activation. Additionally, inhibition of p38 suppressed cell invasion and MMP-3 expression in pancreatic cancer cells., Conclusions: HOXA10 promotes cell invasion and MMP-3 expression of pancreatic cancer cells via TGFβ2-p38 MAPK pathway. Thus, HOXA10 could be a useful target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Aim: To investigate roles of sphincter of Oddi (SO) motility played in pigment gallbladder stone formation in model of guinea pigs., Methods: Thirty-four adult male Hartley guinea pigs were divided randomly into two groups: the control group and pigment stone group. The pigment stone group was divided into 4 subgroups with 6 guinea pigs each according to time of sacrifice, and were fed a pigment lithogenic diet and sacrificed after 3, 6, 9 and 12 wk. SO manometry and recording of myoelectric activity of the guinea pigs were obtained by multifunctional physiograph at each stage. Serum vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin and cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) were detected at each stage in the process of pigment gallbladder stone formation by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: The incidence of pigment gallstone formation was 0%, 0%, 16.7% and 66.7% in the 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-wk group, respectively. The frequency of myoelectric activity decreased in the 3-wk group. The amplitude of myoelectric activity had a tendency to decrease but not significantly. The frequency of the SO decreased significantly in the 9-wk group. The SO basal pressure and common bile duct pressure increased in the 12-wk group (25.19 ± 7.77 mmHg vs 40.56 ± 11.81 mmHg, 22.35 ± 7.60 mmHg vs 38.51 ± 11.57 mmHg, P < 0.05). Serum VIP was significantly elevated in the 6- and 12-wk groups and serum CCK-8 was decreased significantly in the 12-wk group., Conclusion: Pigment gallstone-causing diet may induce SO dysfunction. The tension of the SO increased. The disturbance in SO motility may play a role in pigment gallstone formation, and changes in serum VIP and CCK-8 may be important causes of SO dysfunction.

The aim of this study was to investigate diagnostic methods for cryptococcal meningitis (CM). A retrospective analysis was conducted for 31 patients with CM confirmed by etiologic detection of cerebrospinal fluid in our hospital in the past 5 years. Nineteen cases in 31 patients were confirmed with CM in the first diagnosis, with a misdiagnosis rate of 38.7%. The positive rates of cryptococcus detection in cerebrospinal fluid with May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG)-, ink-, and Alcian blue-staining methods were 86.9, 70.9, and 80.6%, respectively. The misdiagnosis rate of CM is high during the early stage of disease. The total positive rate of cryptococcus diagnosis using the MGG-staining method was significantly higher than that using the ink-staining method. These results are important for diagnosing CM.

Pure Ti foils and SiCp/Al composite foils were employed to investigate the parabolic growth kinetics of TiAl3 at 660°C. Compared with pure Al foils, the introduction of SiC particles significantly refined TiAl3 grain size by the solid solution of silicon. Corresponding refinement mechanisms were concluded from the perspective of the nucleation of TiAl3. Micromechanics analysis shows that the fine TiAl3 grains own a small viscous resistance, and subsequently an improvement in the reaction rate could be achieved. This meaningful law also applies extensively to Ni/Al and Fe/Al systems., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types. The MSCs can be activated and mobilized if needed., Aim: This study aimed to investigate the response mechanism of MSCs under Dexamethasone (Dex) treatment by combining MSCs microarray and bioinformatics methods., Materials and Methods: We downloaded the gene expression profile of rat's MSCs challenge with or without Dex (GSE3339) from Gene Expression Omnibus database, including 2 Dex treated samples and 3 untreated samples. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by packages in R language. Then, Gestalt (Genomic Sequence Total Analysis and Lookup Tool) and EASE (Expression Analysis Systematic Explorer) to were employed to obtain the molecular events of MSCs under Dex treatment., Results: A total of 17 genes were identified as DEGs between untreated and treated samples, and they were significant enriched in immune response and cell differentiation. The C3 gene was the common candidate gene selected from two different algorithms, and 24 conserved sites were identified in the 3'UTR of C3 gene., Conclusions: Genes associated with immune response and cell differentiation were dysregulated in MSCs under Dex.

Solid-state reactive diffusion between Ni and Al was investigated during annealing at 650°C by employing multi-laminated Ni-(TiB(2)/Al) composite sheets. In multi-laminated Ni-(TiB(2)/Al) composite sheets annealed up to 5min NiAl(3) was the only phase observed in the diffusion zone, and Ni(2)Al(3) appeared after longer annealing time. Most grains of Ni(2)Al(3) showed equiaxed morphology rather than columnar microstructures like NiAl(3), due to the low concentration gradients of Al and Ni at the Ni/NiAl(3) interface. The preferential formation of this intermetallic compound NiAl(3) in multi-laminated Ni-(TiB(2)/Al) composite sheets was predicted using an effective heat of formation model. The present work indicated that both Ni and Al interdiffused, and the formation of NiAl(3) was a reaction-diffusion process., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this work is to study cytoskeletal impairment during the development of ouabain-induced ventricular hypertrophy. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with either ouabain or saline. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was recorded weekly. At the end of the 3rd and 6th week, the rats were killed and cardiac mass index were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin and Sirius red staining were carried out and cardiac ultrastructure were studied using transmission electron microscopy. The mRNA level of Profilin-1, Desmin, PCNA, TGF-β(1) and ET-1 in the left ventricle were measured using real-time quantitative PCR while their protein levels were examined by Western blot or immunohistochemistry. After 3 weeks, there was no significant difference in the mean SBP, cardiac mass index, mRNA and protein expression of PCNA, TGF-β(1) and ET-1 between the two groups. However, ouabain-treated rats showed disorganized cardiac cytoskeleton with abnormal expression of Profilin-1 and Desmin. After 6 weeks, the cardiac mass index remained the same in the two groups while PCNA, TGF-β(1), and ET-1 have been upregulated in ouabain-treated rats. The cardiac cytoskeletal impairment was more severe in ouabain-treated rats with further changes of Profilin-1 and Desmin. Cytoskeletal abnormality is an ultra-early change during ouabain-induced ventricular hypertrophy, before the release of hypertrophic factors. Therapy for prevention of ouabain-induced hypertrophy should start at the early stage by preventing the cytoskeleton from disorganization.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8 or TIPE) is a recently identified protein considered to be associated with carcinogenesis. To investigate its expression pattern in pancreatic cancer patients and to analyse its correlation with clinicopathological significance and the expression levels of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the TNFAIP8 and EGFR proteins in pancreatic cancers, pancreatitis tissues, and healthy controls. The results showed stronger staining of TNFAIP8 protein in pancreatic cancer tissues compared with normal pancreas tissue. Furthermore, in 56 patients with pancreatic cancer, the expression levels of TNFAIP8 in patients with low tumor stage was higher than that with high tumor stage, and correlated with tumor staging and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Furthermore, TNFAIP8 expression positively correlated with EGFR levels (r=0.671135, P<0.05). These results indicate that TNFAIP8 may play important roles in the progression of pancreatic cancer.

Background and Aim: Beta-catenin, as a major effector molecule in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, could regulate adult neurogenesis. Here, the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the proliferation of hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs) induced by hypoxia was investigated., Methods: The hippocampal NSCs of neonatal green fluorescent protein transgenic mice on day 0 were cultured in hypoxia (5% O(2)) and traditional O(2) (20% O(2)). The expression of β-catenin, p-GSK-3β, and cyclinD1 in NSCs was measured under hypoxia or traditional O(2) by western blotting. NSCs were electroporated with pTOPFLASH reporter in different conditions and the LEF/TCF-dependent luciferase activity was assayed., Results: Hypoxia increased the proliferation and reduced the apoptosis of hippocampal NSCs. NSCs proliferation was inhibited by transfecting with pAxin, whereas promoted by transfecting with pβ-catenin., Conclusion: Hypoxia could enhance the proliferation of hippocampal NSCs and β-catenin contributed to this action.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea), usually called "China grass", is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Urticaceae with recognized importance in the production of fibers. It is mainly planted in China and other Asian countries including the Philippines, India, South Korea, and Thailand. From June 2007 to September 2010, typical anthracnose symptoms were observed in cultivated ramie fields in HuBei, HuNan, JiangXi, and SiChuan provinces, China, with the diseased area estimated to be more than 10,000 ha. Ramie yield was reduced by 20% on average with up to 55% yield losses in some fields. Lesions were initially small, scattered, round, and gray with brown margin on leaves. As the disease progressed, irregular spots developed and expanded until the leaves withered. Initial lesions on stems were fusiform and expanded, causing the stem to break. Finally, the fibers ruptured. Five isolates (CS-1, CS-2, CS-3, CS-4, and CS-5) were used to evaluate cultural and morphological characteristics of the pathogen. On potato dextrose agar, all isolations initially developed white colonies with orange conidial mass and the colonies turned to gray or brown after 5 days of incubation. Twenty conidia and fifteen setae were measured. Conidia were single celled, colorless, straight, oval, obtuse at both ends, and 11 to 18 × 3 to 6 μm with an average of 14.89 × 4.32 μm. Conidiophores were dense and 11 to 22 × 4 to 5 μm with an average of 15.82 × 4.43 μm. Setae were few, dark brown, one to two septa, and 62 to 71 × 4 to 5 μm with an average of 65.13 × 4.46 μm. The pathogen was identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on the basis of descriptions in Bailey and Jeger (1). Genomic DNA was extracted from the five isolates and sequences of rDNA-ITS with primers ITS1 and ITS4 were obtained (GenBank Accession Nos. GQ120479-GQ120483). Comparison with sequences in GenBank showed 99 to 100% similarity with C. gloeosporioides (Accession Nos. FJ515005, FJ459930, and HM016798). Pathogenicity tests were performed with the five isolates in the laboratory by spraying conidial suspensions (1 × 10 6 conidia/ml) onto upper and lower surfaces of 10 leaves of 10-day-old, 30-cm high plants. There were three replicate plants for each isolate. The inoculated plants were incubated with a 12-h photoperiod at 25 to 28°C and 90% relative humidity in an artificial climate chamber. Three days after inoculation, brown spots were observed on all inoculated leaves, but no symptoms were seen on water-treated control plants. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by reisolation of C. gloeosporioides from diseased leaves. Though in the revision of Colletotrichum by von Arx (4) and Sutton (3), C. boehmeriae, named based on host specificity, was cancelled, C. boehmeriae was regarded as a pathogen of ramie by some Chinese researchers (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. gloeosporioides causing anthracnose of ramie in China. References: (1) J. A. Bailey and M. J. Jeger. Colletotrichum: Biology, Pathology and Control. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1992. (2) R. M. Li and H. G. Ma. J. Plant Prot. 20:83, 1993. (3) B. C. Sutton. Page 523 in: The Coelomycetes: Fungi Imperfecti with Pycnidia, Acervuli and Stromata. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, London, 1980. (4) J. A. von Arx. Phytopathol. Z. 29:413, 1957.

Structure and association of asphaltenes from coal direct hydroliquefaction were studied by fluorescence spectrometry and UV-Vis absorption spectrometry in this paper. The results indicate that asphaltene is aromatic mixtures mainly containing naphthalene nucleus and shows strong fluorescent characteristic. The forming of exciplex between asphaltene and solvent results in the red shift of fluorescence peak and fluorescence quenching of asphaltene that increases with the polarity and electron acceptability. The self-aggregation of asphaltene is formed by non-covalent bond interaction, so that the asphaltene liquefied at higher temperture that shows high aromaticity has stronger association than that liquefied at lower temperature. Aggregation of asphaltene has been found to be a gradual process, in which there is no critical aggregation constant observed, and the inflection point of the plot of apparent fluorescence intensity as a function of asphaltene concentration varies with the excitation wavelength.

Isolation of high quality RNA from ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.) is difficult due to its high levels of polyphenols, polysaccharides, pectin, fat, wax and other secondary metabolites. A modified procedure based on guanidinium isothiocyanate for RNA preparation of ramie was developed in this study. High concentrations (5%, v/v) of guanidinium isothiocyanate, PVP-4000, sodium citrate and sodium lauryl sarcosinate and beta-mercaptoethanol were used in the extraction buffer, together with a low pH sodium acetate (pH 4.0) added to improve the RNA quality. The average yield was about 400 microg RNAg(-1) fresh leaves. One SSH library which was induced by ramie anthracnose was constructed by utilizing the RNA extracted through the present method. These results showed that our protocol was applicable for RNA isolation from recalcitrant ramie tissues.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common diabetic chronic complications. The aim of this study was to clarify whether grape seed proanthocyanidins extracts (GSPE) are therapeutic agents against DPN. In this study, we used streptozocin (STZ) to induce diabetic rats. GSPEs (250 mg/kg body weight/d) were administrated to diabetic rats for 24 wk. Motor nerve conductive velocity (MNCV) and mechanical hyperalgesia were determined in the rats. Serum glucose, glycated hemoglobin, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined. Light and electron microscopy were used to observe the changes of nerval ultrastructure.GSPE significantly increased the MNCV, mechanical hyperalgesia and SOD of diabetic rats (p<0.05) and reduced the AGEs and MDA of diabetic rats (p<0.05). After being treated by GSPE, the severe segmental demyelination was decreased and Schwann cells were improved. In conclusion, GSPE plays an important role against DPN. With the decreasing of AGEs and MDA, it can ameliorate oxidation-associated nerval damage. This study may provide a new recognition of natural medicine for the treatment of DPN.

Background & Objective: Arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) is a new drug used to treat solid tumors. However, the mechanism is still unclear. This study was to investigate the effects of As(2)O(3) on the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line SMMC-7721, and to explore the mechanisms., Methods: When treated with 0-8 micromol/L As(2)O(3) for 96 h, the survival rate of SMMC-7721 cells was determined by WST-8 assay. When treated with 2 micromol/L As(2)O(3) for 72 h, the expression of P27(kip1) and c-Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) in SMMC-7721 cells were detected at different time points by Western blot, the subcellular localization of P27(kip1) and JAB1 was detected by subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescent staining., Results: As(2)O(3) significantly inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells. The 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of As(2)O(3) to SMMC-7721 cells was (1.81+/-0.41) micromol/L at 96 h. When SMMC-7721 cells were treated with 2 mumol/L As(2)O(3) for 12 h, the expression of JAB1 was down-regulated and that of P27kip1 was up-regulated. Furthermore, P27(kip1) and JAB1 proteins were translocated from the cytoplasm into nuclei when cells were exposed to 2 micromol/L As(2)O(3) for 12 h and 24 h, respectively. The nuclear accumulation of both proteins was also observed under fluorescence microscope after treatment of 2 micromol/L As(2)O(3)., Conclusion: As(2)O(3) attenuates JAB1 expression, thereby disturbs the location and expression of P27(kip1), and may participate in regulating the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells through interfering with the function of P27(kip1).

In regions of a vessel that experience low shear stress and reversing flow patterns, early features in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis include the accumulation of oxidized LDL (OxLDL) and adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells (EC). Here we investigated the hypothesis that low shear stress (2 dyn/cm2) and OxLDL are synergistic for enhanced expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) and human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC)-monocyte adhesion. This study shows low shear stress can significantly reduce IkappaBalpha levels, activate NF-kappaB, increase the expression of VCAM-1 in HAEC and binding of monocytes. OxLDL itself cannot significantly increase the expression of VCAM-1 in HAEC and binding of monocytes, but through activation of NF-kappaB and degradation of IkappaBalpha induced by low shear stress it can significantly enhance VCAM-1 expression and monocyte adhesion, over that in unmodified LDL or control. These results suggest that low shear stress can regulate monocyte adhesion to oxidized lipid-induced endothelial cells via an IkappaBalpha-dependent pathway, and that low shear stress together with OxLDL may likely play an important role in atherogenesis.

Marek's disease virus latent protein MEQ (MDV Eco Q) is abundantly expressed and consistently detected in MDV-induced tumors and cell lines. Deletion mutants were constructed to study the domain structure of MEQ. Four deletion mutants were obtained in the basic regions of MEQ, namely basic region 1 (DeltaBR1), basic region 2 (DeltaBR2), basic regions 1 and 2 (DeltaBR1 and 2), and the C-terminal (bZIP) domain. The BR1 and BR2 are nuclear localization signals and either is sufficient to cause transport of MEQ into the nucleus. In addition, the BR2 is also responsible for MEQ's nucleolar localization. A monoclonal antibody (Mab 23B46) was produced using recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV) expressing MEQ (rFPV/MEQ) as a source of protein. The isotype of Mab 23B46 is IgG1 and immunoprecipitated a band in rFPV/MEQ infected cells with molecular weight of 60 kDa specific to MEQ protein. We detected abundant expression of MEQ in (rFPV/MEQ), recombinant baculovirus (rBac) (rBac/MEQ), and lymphoid tumors induced by MDV. In order to delineate the epitope of MEQ reactive with Mab 23B46, we used four deletion mutants from the basic and bZIP domains. We found the deletions in the N-terminal region including BR1 (DeltaBR1), and (DeltaBR1 and 2) completely abolished the specific binding with Mab 23B46 as shown by Western blot analysis and immunofluoresence test. Deletion of BR2 (DeltaBR2) and the C-terminal (bZIP) domain had no effect on antibody binding. These data provide direct evidence that monoclonal antibody reactive epitope is localized in the BR1 domain of the molecule. Since both BR1 and BR2 domains contain sequences important for nuclear entry, we now have reagent to further study and elucidate the mechanism of MEQ's involvement in nuclear and nucleolar localization.

The study on the in-situ FTIR spectroelectrochemistry of a hybrid copper-cobalt hexacyanoferrate film modified platinum electrode was carried out. The variation of the FTIR spectra was well correlated to the redox process of CuCoHCF. The relative contribution of Cu(II) and Co(II) to the stretching vibration of CN was found to vary with the applied potential.