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Acute kidney injury following acute pancreatitis (AP-AKI) is one of the most fatal complications caused by acute pancreatitis (AP). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in circulating blood are believed to be crucial to the process of AP-AKI, but the mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we first constructed an AP-AKI rat model by retrograde sodium taurocholate through the pancreatic duct and then injected circulating blood-derived EVs into AP-AKI rats. Measurements of peripheral blood creatinine and urea nitrogen levels showed that EVs could add to kidney injury in AP-AKI rats. By analyzing the levels of renal Fe2+, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), we also found that extracted EVs could aggravate renal tubular ferroptosis in AP-AKI rats. Using high-throughput sequencing, we screened for high expression of EV miR-150-3P in AP-AKI patients. In vitro, we found that overexpressed miR-150-3P can influence MDA, Fe2+, lipid peroxide and GSH levels in HK-2 cells and ultimately aggravate ferroptosis. Next, through a dual-luciferase assay, we confirmed that miR-150-3p could exacerbate ferroptosis by directly targeting ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1). Finally, in AP-AKI rats, we again demonstrated that overexpression of miR-150-3P exacerbated renal ferroptosis through the miR-150-3P/FTH1 axis. Collectively, these findings provide new avenues to explore the mechanisms of the onset and exacerbation of AP-AKI.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with complex genetic predisposing factors involved. PU.1 is an important member of the ETS transcription factors family which has diverse functions such as regulating the proliferation, differentiation of immune cells and multiple inflammatory cytokines. Previous studies preliminary explored the relation between PU.1 and SLE. To further explain the potential role of PU.1 in the pathogenesis of SLE, 40 SLE patients and 20 age-sex matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited in this study. Flow cytometry was used to test the percentages of CD4+PU.1+T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with SLE and HC. Expression levels of PU.1 mRNA in CD4+T cells from SLE patients and HC were analyzed by real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Expression levels of plasma IL-1β, IL-9, IL-18, IL-6, IFN-α, TNF-α, IL-10 and TGF-β1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The percentage of CD4+PU.1+T cells in PBMCs from patients with SLE was significantly higher than that from HC (P 0.05). Associations of PU.1 mRNA expression in CD4+T cells with major clinical and laboratory parameters of SLE patients were also analyzed, but no significant correlations were found. Consistent with previous studies, SLE patients had increased IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, IFN-α, TNF-α and IL-10 plasma concentrations than HC (P

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with complex genetic predisposing factors involved. PU.1 is an important member of the ETS transcription factors family which has diverse functions such as regulating the proliferation, differentiation of immune cells and multiple inflammatory cytokines. Previous studies preliminary explored the relation between PU.1 and SLE. To further explain the potential role of PU.1 in the pathogenesis of SLE, 40 SLE patients and 20 age-sex matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited in this study. Flow cytometry was used to test the percentages of CD4

Aiming at the problem of the large-scale weapon target distribution model, the conventional algorithms are low efficient to obtain the solution and can not obtain the fire optimization scheme untimely. Thus a new two-level task optimization distribution model is constructed, which can obtain a distribution scheme in a shorter time by combining the fuzzy clustering algorithm with the auction algorithm. The numerical example shows that the established collaborative task allocation model and the corresponding solution method can get the task allocation scheme in time and effectively, and solve the problem of the fire power optimal allocation of the large-scale weapon-target.

The determination of multi-target strike value of unmanned combat platform is investigated for the precondition of realizing autonomous decision and attack of unmanned combat platform. By using the linear simplification and scale method, the quantitative assessment result on targets attack value of land battle unmanned platform is presented from the aspects of direct threat and indirect threat, target relative characteristics, environmental characteristics, etc. The quantitative results can provide data support for the multi-target strike sequencing and the rational use of firepower of the unmanned combat platform.

We chose the harmonic potential and Gaussian potential to describe the electronic transverse and longitudinal confinement potential in the disk quantum dot (QD) with the hydrogen-like impurity and the thickness effect, respectively, and the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the ground and first exited states of the electron are derived by means of the Lee–Low–Pines–Pekar variational method. On this basis, a two-level system was formed, and the electron quantum transition affected by a magnetic field is discussed in terms of the two-level system theory. The results indicate the Gaussian confinement potential reflects the real confinement potential more accurately than the parabolic one; the influence of the thickness of the QD on the electron quantum transition is interesting and significant and cannot be ignored; the electron transition probability $$ Q $$ is influenced significantly by some physical quantities, such as the strength of the electron–phonon coupling $$ \alpha $$ , the magnetic-field cyclotron frequency $$ \omega_{\text{c}} $$ , the barrier height $$ V_{0} $$ and confinement range $$ L $$ of the Gaussian confinement potential. The corresponding results will be helpful to explore the pathway and method to manipulate the transport and optical properties of the QD.

This study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of deep surgical site infection (DSSI) during hospitalisation after closed tibial plateau fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). We performed this retrospective study at a university‐affiliated hospital with an advanced trauma centre. The data of adult patients with closed tibial plateau fractures treated with ORIF from January 2012 to February 2017 were extracted from the electronic medical records. Demographics, injury‐related and surgery‐related variables of DSSI and non‐DSSI groups were compared by univariate test. Multivariate logistic analysis models were used to investigate the independent risk factors. In total, 676 patients with complete data met the inclusion criteria and were included, and of them, 17 developed DSSI (2.51%) during hospitalisation. Approximately 60% (9/17) of DSSI was caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Compared to the non‐DSSI group, DSSI patients had a significantly longer stay in hospital (25.8 vs 15.2 days). Independent risk factors of DSSI identified by multivariate analysis were higher BMI (>26.0) (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.27; P = 0.032), prolonged surgical duration (>138 min) (OR, 4.26; 95% CI, 1.54 to 11.19; P = 0.005) and current smoking (OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.47 to 8.62; P = 0.01). A relatively low incidence rate of DSSI (2.51%) was found in this study, and several significant risk factors were identified. Smoking cessation programmes should be implemented immediately after hospitalisation, especially for obesity and morbid obesity patients. Detailed and comprehensive preoperative assessment and a considerate operative plan should be guaranteed to reduce surgical duration.

The objective of this study is to analyze clinical manifestations, features of imaging, and laboratory assessment of patients with neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) for better diagnosis and outcome prediction. One hundred eighteen NPSLE patients admitted to the Anhui Provincial Hospital in Hefei, China, between January 2006 and December 2016 were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively. All patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology revised classification criteria for SLE. Patients with NPSLE fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) nomenclature and case definitions. All NPSLE patients underwent neurological investigations including MRI of nervous system, electroencephalograms, or CSF examination as part of the diagnostic evaluation of nervous system involvement. All statistical analyses were performed. According to different types of data, different statistical methods were used to determine factors associated with abnormal MRI among NPSLE patients. Statistical significance was defined as P value

Objective This meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficiency of intravenous administration of zoledronic acid on reducing femoral periprosthetic bone mineral density loss in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods A systematic search was performed in Medline (1966–2017.07.31), PubMed (1966–2017.07.31), Embase (1980–2017.07.31), ScienceDirect (1985–2017.07.31) and the Cochrane Library (1966–2017.07.31). Fixed/random effect model was used according to the heterogeneity tested by I 2 statistic. Sensitivity analysis was conducted and publication bias was assessed. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 11.0 software. Results Four studies including 185 patients met the inclusion criteria. The present meta-analysis indicated that there were significant differences between groups in terms of periprosthetic bone mineral density in Gruen zone 1 (SMD = 0.752, 95% CI: 0.454 to 1.051, P = 0.000), 2 (SMD = 0.524, 95% CI: 0.230 to 0.819, P = 0.000), 4 (SMD = 0.400, 95% CI: 0.107 to 0.693, P = 0.008), 6 (SMD = 0.893, 95% CI: 0.588 to 1.198, P = 0.000) and 7 (SMD = 0.988, 95% CI: 0.677 to 1.300, P = 0.000). Conclusion Intravenous administration of zoledronic acid could significantly reduce periprosthetic bone mineral density loss (Gruen zone 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7) after THA. In addition, no severe adverse events were identified. High-quality RCTs with large sample size were still required.

In the present study, DNA methylation level of CD4+ T cells exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) was investigated and its potential mechanisms were also explored. CD4+ T cells from 12 cases of healthy subjects and 33 cases of SLE patients were isolated and exposed to different dosages (0, 50, 100 mJ/cm2) of UVB. Further, SLE patients were divided into two groups: active SLE group (22 cases, SLEDAI scores >4) and inactive SLE group (11 cases, SLEDAI scores ≤4). DNA methylation was evaluated by the Methylamp™ Global DNA Methylation Quantification Ultra Kit. The mRNA and protein expression levels of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1 and DNMT3A) were detected by real-time PCR and western blot, respectively. The levels of DNA methylation and DNMT3A mRNA in SLE patients were significantly decreased compared with those in healthy subjects at baseline. After different dosages of ultraviolet irradiation (0, 50 and 100 mJ/cm2), DNA methylation levels of CD4+ T cells were all reduced in a dose-dependent manner in three subgroups. Additionally, 100 mJ/cm2 ultraviolet irradiation in active SLE group contributed to a significant decrease of both DNA methylation and DNMT3A mRNA levels in CD4+ T cells. UVB exposure had no significant effects on expression levels of DNMT1 mRNA and protein and DNMT3A protein. UVB decreases DNA methylation level of CD4+ T cells in SLE patients probably via inhibiting DNMT3A mRNA expression level, which needs to be further explored.

The total glucosides of paeony (TGP) can inhibit inflammation and alleviate symptoms in autoimmune diseases. This study investigated the clinical and immunological consequences of TGP treatment in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS). We conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 45 patients with primary SS. Patients were randomized at 2:1 ratio to either TGP group (n = 29) or placebo group (n = 16) and followed up for 24 weeks. The primary outocme was the European League Against Rheumatism Sjogren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI). The secondary outcomes were stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rate, Schirmer's test and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), immuneglobulin (Ig), anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), anti-SSA, and anti-SSB. The proportions of B cells in peripheral blood and the levels of serum inerleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and B cell activating factor belonging to the TNF family (BAFF) were measured at baseline and at the end of follow up of 24 weeks. The average score of ESSPRI in both groups had no statistical significance at 24th week. The mean of ESSPRI in the dry-mouth part of questionnaire in patients who scored 3 to 6 points was significantly reduced in the TGP group changed from (4.81 ± 0.60) at baseline to (4.20 ± 1.46) (P = 0.027) at week 24. Stimulated salivary flow rate increased at week 24 from (1.80 ± 0.39) to (2.01 ± 0.51) (P = 0.031) and unstimulated salivary flow rate increased from (0.65 ± 0.46) to (0.78 ± 0.45) (P = 0.011) in the TGP group, but the placebo group showed no significant difference. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was decreased significantly compared to the placebo group at 12- and 24-week from (40.9 ± 18.0) to (29.4 ± 12.2) (P = 0.003) and (30.4 ± 17.3) (P = 0.024). The percentage of naive B cells decreased at week 24 in the TGP group from (77.34 ± 12.20) to (64.59 ± 15.60) (P = 0.005) while memory B cells increased from (21.79 ± 11.97) to (34.21 ± 15.48) (P = 0.006) respectively. The concentrations of TNF-α and IFN-γ decreased in the TGP group at week 24 from (32.51 ± 26.67) to (24.22 ± 13.56) (P = 0.017) and (10.71 ± 8.94) to (6.55 ± 4.88) (P = 0.022), respectively. No significant difference in ANA titer, anti-SSA antibodies, anti-SSB antibodies, C3 concentration or C4 concentration was observed between the two groups. TGP appears to improve the glandular secreting function and decrease the level of inflammatory cytokines.

A number of past studies have focused on point and line defects in graphene epitaxially grown on SiC substrates. However, few studies have investigated closed-ring defects formed within grain boundary loops. The present study addresses this issue by applying low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy to investigate the atomic structures of closed-ring defects in graphene epitaxially grown on 4H-SiC, and to evaluate their effects on the electron state density. The results indicate that the orientations of the graphene lattice inside and outside of grain boundary loop structures are rotated uniformly by an angle of 30° relative to each other, suggesting that closed-ring defects are highly ordered and are mainly composed of clusters of pentagon-heptagon carbon rings and highly ordered pentagon-heptagon chains. In addition, the spectroscopy results reveal for the first time that the density of electron states inside a closed-ring defect is strongly localized and position-dependent. Moreover, these closed-ring defects can eliminate intervalley scattering while maintaining intravalley scattering. These findings are not only helpful for contributing to a deeper understanding of the effects of closed-ring defects in graphene, but also present a potentially useful valley-filtering mechanism for charge carries that can be applied to the practical development of all-electric valley-based devices.

Background In China, a nationwide emergency system takes charge of pre-hospital emergency services, and it adopts a proximity principle to send trauma patients to the nearest hospitals. However, many severely injured patients have been sent to low level hospitals with no capability to treat severe trauma. Thus those patients with high probability of in-hospital death or intensive care unit (ICU) admission need to be identified in the emergency department (ED) for optimal utilisation of hospital resources and better patient outcomes. The purpose of the study was to develop a computerised tool to aid ED physicians’ prediction of in-hospital death and ICU admission for trauma patients after arrival to hospital. Methods We reviewed a sample of 1,299 trauma patients who had been directly sent to the ED at Kailuan Hospital, North China. After excluding those cases with incomplete data entry, information of 1,195 patients was employed for analysis. The primary outcome was severe trauma that either resulted in death in hospital or in ICU admission. We proposed to use a complementary approach to combine the Pre-Hospital Index (PHI), the Trauma Index (TI), and the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) in a decision support system (DSS) to assess trauma and predict in-hospital death and ICU admission. The sensitivity, specificity, over-triage rate, and under-triage rate were used as measurements to compare system performances of the DSS with the three scoring tools. Results Among the 1,195 patients, 30 (2.5%) had severe trauma. The proposed DSS showed the best sensitivity (66.7%; 95% CI: 49.8–83.6%) among all the four studied tools. The TI (sensitivity 50.0%, 95% CI: 32.2–67.8%) performed slightly better than the GCS (sensitivity 46.7%, 95% CI: 28.9–64.5%), while both the TI and GCS performed better than the PHI (sensitivity 30.0%, 95% CI: 13.5–46.5%). The performance differences between the DSS and the three extant scoring tools were statistically significant. Conclusions The proposed DSS outperformed the extant trauma scoring systems. It has a strong potential to help ED physicians identify severe trauma, optimally utilise hospital resources, and recommend appropriate triage and treatment strategies for trauma patients that have strong possibilities for in-hospital death and ICU admission.

Background A multidisciplinary approach to care has been applied in a variety of settings in clinical oncology, particularly among patients with stomach and colorectal cancer. Multidisciplinary care integrates various disciplines and existing resources to optimise treatment plans and improve patients’ quality of life. However, the participation of clinical pharmacists as part of the multidisciplinary team in the oncology department is still in its infancy with roles yet to be defined. Aim of review The aim of this review is to identify and discuss the role of clinical pharmacists in oncology. Method Using the Medline 1995–2015 database, the terms cancer, “oncolog*” and chemotherapy were combined with “pharmac*”, respectively. Reference lists of articles retrieved were reviewed to identify studies that were not found in Medline searches. The identified papers were reviewed to determine the effects of clinical pharmacists in oncology. Other available resources were also used to identify relevant articles. Results Based on the available evidence, clinical pharmacists play an important role in all aspects of cancer screening and risk assessment, patient education, opioid pain control, and monitoring adverse drug reactions. Clinical oncology pharmacists may contribute to both clinical and societal outcomes. Conclusions Although pharmacists’ contributions to oncology have not been fully recognised, there is reason to be optimistic that clinical pharmacists will have an expanded role on oncology teams. Introducing individualised treatment plans, monitoring chemotherapy together with nursing staff, and providing patient education about medications could serve as starting points for introducing clinical pharmacists to multidisciplinary oncology teams.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of standard rescue procedure (SRP) in improving severe trauma treatments in China. Methods: This study was conducted in 12 hospitals located in geographically and industrially different cities in China. A standard procedure on severe trauma rescue was established as a general rule for staff training and patient treatment. A regional network (system) efficiently integrating prehospital rescue, emergency room treatments, and hospital specialist treatments was built under the rule for information sharing and improving severe trauma treatments. Treatment outcomes were compared between before and 1 year after the implementation of the SRP. Results: The outcomes of a total of 74,615 and 12,051 trauma cases were collected from 12 hospitals before and after the implementation of the SRP. Implementation of the SRP led to efficient cooperation and information sharing of different treatment services. The emergency response time, prehospital transit time, emergency rescue time, consultation call time, and mortality rate of patients were 24.24 ± 4.32 min, 45.69 ± 3.89 min, 6.38 ± 1.05 min, 17.53 ± 0.72 min, and 33.82% ± 3.87% (n = 441), respectively, before the implementation of the standardization and significantly reduced to 10.11 ± 3.21 min, 22.39 ± 4.32 min, 3.26 ± 0.89 min, 3.45 ± 0.45 min, and 20.49% ± 3.11%, separately (n = 495, P < 0.05) after that. Conclusions: Staff training and SRP can significantly improve the efficiency of severe trauma treatments in China.

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. Long-term prognosis of SLE patients remains poor [1]. Due to the effect of potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive, glucocorticoids (GCs) remain the cornerstone of treatment in SLE. However, GCs produce several adverse reactions, most are time and dose dependent, limiting their clinical usefulness. Increased longevity with prolonged exposure to GCs and inflammatory insults might contribute to organ damage accrual, which retards further improvement of survival in these patients [2]. Assessment the extent of organ damage caused by SLE has been considered an important part of the assessment of prognosis. The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) Damage Index (SDI) is a validated instrument designed to measure irreversible damage resulting from SLE disease activity and its treatment. The study of damage accrual in patients with SLE caused by the long-term treatment of GCs is still not clear.In a large SLE cohort, followed prospectively, we determined to investigate the association between damage accrual with GCs, both cumulative prednisone dose and high-dose prednisone. The results of our study could shed more light on the risk/benefit ratio of GCs in long-term maintenance treatment with SLE patients. Objectives To evaluate the association between long-term glucocorticoids use and damage accrual in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods Medical records of 535 SLE patients from Department of Rheumatology and immunology of Anhui Provincial Hospital were reviewed. 512 patients were femal. The cohort9s mean age was 38.27±12.84 years with mean disease duration of 7.33±5.75 years. Their Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index (SDI) scores were noted. (1) Univariate analysis and multivariable regression analysis were performed to determine factors associated with SDI. (2) Analysis were also performed to determine damage associated with cumulative prednisone dose and high-dose of prednisone (exposure to prednisone at a dosage of 60 mg/day for 1 month). Results (1) Among 535 patients in our cohort only 5 paitents (0.9%) had never been treated with glucocorticoids. A total of 192 patients (35.9%) had been treated with high dose of prednisone. In addition, 86.9% of patients had been treated with hydroxychloroquine. (2) The highest organ damage was musculoskeletal (n=79, 14.8%), followed by skin damage (n=35, 6.5%) and renal (n=28, 5.2%). Ninety patients were diagnosed with hypertension. (3) SDI scores were associated with age of onset, exposure to high-dose prednisone, hypertension.(4) Cumulative prednisone dose was associated with osteoporosis, osteonecrosis and hypertension; exposure to high-dose prednisone was associated with osteonecrosis, lupus nephritis and hypertension. Conclusions Long-term taking prednisone predicted damage accrual. The most common damage was osteoporosis, osteonecrosis and hypertension. References Lopez R, Davidson JE, Beeby MD, et al. Lupus disease activity and the risk of subsequent organ damage and mortality in a large lupus cohort[J]. Rheumatology. 2012,51(3):491–8. Mak A, Isenberg DA, Lau CS. Global trends, potential mechanisms and early detection of organ damage in SLE[J]. Nature reviews Rheumatology. 2013,9(5):301–10. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Lingqi capsules (LQCs) are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine to support the immune system and inhibit tumor growth. The capsules are considered to have a direct effect on tumor cell proliferation and support tumor cell apoptosis. In the present study, the effects of LQC serum on the colorectal cancer cell line, LoVo, and on tumors induced by the cell line were investigated in nude mice. LQC serum was generated by feeding Wistar rats LQC and isolating the serum from blood samples obtained from the rats. The serum was then used to treat LoVo cells for 24, 48 and 72 h, after which the cell morphology and proliferation were assessed. In addition, nude mice were injected with 0.2 ml LoVo cells subcutaneously to produce tumors. After 24 h, xenografted nude mice were treated with 5.0, 2.5 or 1.25 g/kg/day LQC serum by gavage for 21 days and the tumor growth, morphology, apoptosis of tumor cells and expression profiles of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor, c‑Met, were investigated. Compared with the negative controls, inhibition of cell growth was clearly visible in the LoVo cells treated for 24, 48 and 72 h and this inhibition was enhanced as the exposure time and drug concentration increased. The growth of solid tumors induced by the transplantation of LoVo cells into nude mice was inhibited to differing degrees. Following LQC treatment, the apoptotic rates of the cells were increased, the protein and mRNA expression levels of HGF were downregulated and those of c‑Met were upregulated. These findings suggest that LQC treatment inhibits colorectal cancer by downregulating the HGF/c‑Met signal transduction pathway.

This paper report a facile route of synthesizing Ag3PO4 crystal with smooth surface, and La-doped Ag3PO4 crystal with porous surface by accurately controlling the kinetic parameters during chemical precipitation process. As a result of surface modification induced by La doping, the La-doped Ag3PO4 crystal shows a higher photocatalytic activity than Ag3PO4 crystal in O2 evolution from water splitting. The improved photocatalytic activity of La-doped Ag3PO4 is attributed to the synergistic effects of porous surface structure, abundant surface defects and increased surface area. The result also shows that La doping concentration has a remarkable effect on the photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4.

The grey synthetic relational analysis (GSRA) method-based effectiveness evaluation of the electronic warfare command and control (EWCC) system with incomplete information is investigated. The evaluation hierarchy structure of the EWCC system is put forward and classified into the target hierarchy, the rule hierarchy and the scheme hierarchy. Then, based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and the grey relational analysis (GRA) method, the GSRA method is given to evaluate the effectiveness evaluation of the EWCC system with incomplete information. Finally, an effectiveness evaluation example of three EWCC systems with incomplete information shows the effectiveness of the GSRA method.

The modeling of aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) p-i-n photodetectors response in the very narrow ultraviolet A (UV-A) range is reported in this paper. To obtain narrow-band response and high short wave rejection ratio, two AlGaN buffer layer with Al-content higher than that of the absorption region were designed between the substrate and un-doped AlGaN absorption layer to act under backside illumination as filter for short wavelength radiation. The band-pass of these a structure depends on the buffer layer Al-content. Electronic-band-structure calculations show that the blocking layer is the crucial parameter to achieve both a high short wave rejection ratio and a low dark current.

The effectiveness evaluation problem of electronic warfare command and control system (EWCCS) under complex electromagnetic environment is investigated by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. First, the evaluation hierarchy structures of EWCCS under complex electromagnetic environment are put forward and can be classified into target hierarchy, rule hierarchy and scheme hierarchy. Then, the AHP Algorithm is given as a preliminary knowledge to evaluate the effectiveness evaluation of EWCCS under complex electromagnetic environment. Finally, an effectiveness evaluation example of EWCCS under complex electromagnetic environment is considered by using AHP Algorithm.

We report the demonstration of a GaN-based planar metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) ultraviolet photodetector (PD). The MSM PD with semitransparent interdigitated Schottky electrodes is fabricated on low-defect-density GaN homoepitaxial layer grown on bulk GaN substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The dislocation density of the GaN homo-epilayer characterized by cathodoluminescence mapping technique is ~5×106 cm−2. The PD exhibits a low dark current density of ~4.1×10−10 A/cm2 and a high UV-to-visible rejection ratio up to 5 orders of magnitude at room temperature under 10 V bias. Even at a high temperature of 425 K, the dark current of the PD at 10 V is still −9 A/cm2 with a reasonable UV-to-visible rejection ratio more than 3×104, indicating that such kind of PDs are suitable for high temperature operation.

A problem of quadrotor’s control system based on DSP is investigated in this paper. STMS320F28335 is used as the main processer, due to its advantages of high-speed processing capability and powerful floating point processing capability. The inertial measurement unit is selected for inner-loop attitude control, while the optical flow sensor is adopted for outer-loop attitude compensation. Infrared range finder is choosed for altitude control with PID method. Quadrotor uses XBee-Pro wireless module to contact with ground station and sends statement information in accordance with the Mavlink protocol. Test results show that the control system is reliable and can meet the requirement of the attitude control system.

We examined the influence of neural stem cell transplantation on angiogenesis in rats with spinal cord injury. Sixty rats with spinal cord injury were divided into an experimental group and a control group and given neural stem cells or an equivalent amount of phosphate-buffered saline by intravenous transplantation, respectively. Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) motor function assessment was performed in rats at different times after transplantation, and von Willebrand factor (vWF) immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein were also performed. The BBB scores of rats in the 2 groups were both zero before transplantation. The BBB score gradually increased over time. The BBB score of the experimental group showed no significant difference compared with that of the control group (P > 0.05) 7 days after transplantation. The BBB score of the experimental group was significantly improved compared with that of the control group 14 days after transplantation (P < 0.05). vWF-positive cells and VEGF protein expression in the experimental group were significantly increased compared with those in the control group 7 and 14 days after transplantation, respectively (P < 0.05). Neural stem cell transplantation may promote angiogenesis by inducing VEGF expression as well as improve functional recovery of limb movements.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with complex genetic predisposing factors involved. Ets-1 transcription factor plays an important role in the suppressive activity of CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells and stable expression of FOXP3. To find its potential role in the pathogenesis of SLE, we investigate the mRNA expression of Ets-1 and FOXP3 mRNA in CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells from patients with SLE. Real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to determine the expression of Ets-1 and FOXP3 mRNA in CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells from 36 patients with SLE and 18 sex-and-age-matched healthy controls. The Ets-1 mRNA expression level was decreased in patients with SLE [0.225 (0.135, 0.337)] than healthy controls [0.528 (0.303, 0.681)] (P0.001). The expression levels of FOXP3 mRNA were lower in SLE patients [0.608 (0.272, 1.164)] than healthy controls [0.919 (0.690, 1.223)], but the difference was not significant (P = 0.106). Significant reduction in Ets-1 and FOXP3 expression was also found in new-onset SLE subgroup when compared with healthy controls (P0.001). The level of Ets-1 and FOXP3 mRNA was not significantly different in hyperactive and lower active SLE group when compared with inactive SLE group, respectively (P0.05). There were no significant differences between SLE with lupus nephritis (LN) and SLE without LN either (P0.05). Associations of Ets-1 and FOXP3 mRNA expression levels with major clinical and laboratory parameters of SLE patients were also analyzed. However, no significant association was found. Significant positive correlation was found between Ets-1 and FOXP3 mRNA expression in CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells from SLE patients (r = 0.698, P0.001). Our results found that the expression levels of Ets-1 mRNA were decreased in SLE patients and Ets-1 expression was positively correlated with the expression of FOXP3. It indicated that Ets-1 may play an important role in the stable expression of FOXP3 in CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells.

Background and aims To assess clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and outcome of a cohort of Chinese SLE patients with onset at age ≥50 from a tertiary referral centre by performing a case control study. Methods All hospitalised SLE patients in last five years were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who developed disease at or after the age of 50 were considered as LOSLE. 1:1 matched control SLE patients, admitted in the same period with initial symptoms onset before the age of 50, paired by race and disease duration, were randomly selected. Clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, therapies as well as outcome of the two groups of patients were compared. Results LOSLE amounts to 4.3% (35/814) of all SLE patients in our centre. The most frequent clinical manifestations of LOSLE were arthralgia (60%), fever (37.1%) and serositis (37.1%). Compared with younger onset patients, LOSLE had less incidence of rash, oral ulcers, Raynaud’s phenomenon, but had more renal involvement and secondary sjogren’s syndrome. In laboratory findings, positive anti-dsDNA, anti-Sm, anti-SSA, anti-SSB and anti-RNP antibody were less frequent in LOSLE compared with younger SLE patients. Additionally, SLEDAI was lower in LOSLE group at diagnosis and fewer LOSLE patients received cytotoxic agents. However, one -year survival rate was lower in LOSLE group than control patients (78% and 91%, respectively). Conclusions Patients of LOSLE tend to be milder and atypical in symptoms, signs and laboratory findings, but they are prone to experience more severe renal damage and higher mortality. LOSLE appear to be a non-benign disease in our cohort of Chinese patients.

Appendiceal cystadenoma, the most common type of what has been generally termed ‘mucocele’ of the appendix, has unique clinical characteristics. In this study, three similar clinical manifestations of appendiceal cystadenoma are presented, with different subsequent management and diverse prognostic outcomes relating to the characteristics of the disease, the wishes of the patients, the medical workers and social factors. In this study, we provide details of three cases of appendiceal cystadenomas.

ResumoObjetivoAnalisar o papel do receptor de hidrocarboneto arílico (AhR) nos linfócitos T CCR6+ CD4+ e CD4+ CD25+ no sangue periférico de pacientes com artrite reumatoide (AR).MétodosFoi aplicada citometria de fluxo para determinar a proporção de células AhR positivas em linfócitos CCR6+ CD4+ e CD4+ CD25+ do sangue periférico e células mononucleares periféricas de cada indivíduo. Os níveis de expressão relativa de ácido ribonucleico mensageiro (do inglês ribonucleic acid, RNAm,) de AhR e RNAm de enzima de primeiro estágio essencial para o AhR (CYP1A1) foram testados por reação em cadeia de polimerase (do inglês polymerase chain reaction, PCR,) em tempo real.ResultadosA percentagem de células AhR positivas nas células mononucleares do sangue periférico foi maior no grupo com AR do que nos indivíduos saudáveis [(35,23±10,71)% vs. (18,83±7,32)%, (p

Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor in peripheral blood CCR6+CD4+ and CD4+CD25+T cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Flow cytometry was applied to determine the proportion of AhR positive cells in CCR6+CD4+T, CD4+CD25+T and peripheral blood peripheral mononuclear cells from each subject. AhR mRNA and CYP1A1 mRNA relative expression levels were tested by real-time PCR. Results: The percentage of AhR positive cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was higher in RA group than that in healthy cases [(35.23 ± 10.71)% vs. (18.83 ± 7.32)%, p < 0.01]. The expression levels of AhR and CYP1A1 were both increased in patients with RA while compared to controls [(3.71 ± 1.63) vs. (2.00 ± 1.27), p = 0.002; (2.62 ± 2.08) vs. (0.62 ± 0.29), p < 0.01, respectively]. In RA patients, the percentage of AhR positive cells in CD4+CD25+T cells was significantly lower than that from controls [17.90 (6.10 ± 80.10)% vs. (52.49 ± 19.18)%, p < 0.01]; In healthy controls, the percentage of AhR positive cells in CD4+CD25+T cells was significantly higher than that in CCR6+CD4+T cells, and was also significantly higher than that in PBMCs [(52.49 ± 19.18)% vs. (23.18 ± 5.62)% vs. (18.06 ± 7.80)%, X 2 = 24.03, p < 0.01]; in RA patients, the percentage of AhR positive cells in CCR6+CD4+T cells was significantly increased than that in CD4+CD25+T cells and PBMCs [(46.02 ± 14.68)% vs. 17.90 (6.10 ± 80.10)% vs. (34.22 ± 10.33)%, X 2 = 38.29, p < 0.01]; Nevertheless, no statistically significant relationship was found between clinical data and AhR positive cells in CCR6+CD4+T and CD4+CD25+T cells. Conclusion: AhR may participate in the pathological progress of RA by controlling the differentiation of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood. RESUMO Objetivo: Analisar o papel do receptor de hidrocarboneto arílico (AhR) nos linfócitos T CCR6+ CD4+ e CD4+ CD25+ no sangue periférico de pacientes com artrite reumatoide (AR). Métodos: Foi aplicada citometria de fluxo para determinar a proporção de células AhR positivas em linfócitos CCR6+ CD4+ e CD4+ CD25+ do sangue periférico e células mononucleares periféricas de cada indivíduo. Os níveis de expressão relativa de ácido ribonucleico mensageiro (do inglês ribonucleic acid, RNAm,) de AhR e RNAm de enzima de primeiro estágio essencial para o AhR (CYP1A1) foram testados por reação em cadeia de polimerase (do inglês polymerase chain reaction, PCR,) em tempo real. Resultados: A percentagem de células AhR positivas nas células mononucleares do sangue periférico foi maior no grupo com AR do que nos indivíduos saudáveis [(35,23 ± 10,71)% vs. (18,83 ± 7,32)%, (p < 0,01)]. Os níveis de expressão de AhR e CYP1A1 estavam aumentados em pacientes com AR quando comparados com os controles [(3,71 ± 1,63) vs. (2,00 ± 1,27), p = 0,002; (2,62 ± 2,08) vs. (0,62 ± 0,29), p < 0,01, respectivamente]. Em pacientes com AR, a percentagem de células AhR positivas nos linfócitos T CD4+ CD25+ foi significativamente inferior à dos controles [17,90 (6,10 ± 80,10)]% vs. (52,49 ± 19,18)%, p < 0,01]; em controles saudáveis, a percentagem de células AhR positivas nos linfócitos T CD4+ CD25+ foi significativamente mais elevada do que nos linfócitos T CCR6+ CD4+ e também foi significativamente maior do que nas células mononucleares do sangue periférico (do inglês peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMC,) [(52,49 ± 19,18)% vs. (23,18 ± 5,62)% vs. (18,06 ± 7,80)%, X 2 = 24,03, p < 0,01]; em pacientes com AR, a percentagem de células AHR positivas nos linfócitos T CCR6+ CD4+ era significativamente maior em comparação com os linfócitos T CD4+ CD25+ e PBMC (46,02 ± 14,68)% vs. [17,90 (6,10 ± 80.10)]% vs. (34,22 ± 10,33)%, X2 = 38,29, p < 0,01]; no entanto, não foi encontrada correlação estatisticamente significativa entre os dados clínicos e células AhR positivas em linfócitos T CCR6+ CD4+ e CD4+ CD25+. Conclusão: O Ahr pode participar do progresso patológico da AR ao controlar a diferenciação de linfócitos Th17 e Treg no sangue periférico.

Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant interferon therapy for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after different previous therapy. Methods An electronic search for articles about adjuvant treatment with IFN for patients with HCC published between 2000 and 2015 was conducted in MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. All data was tested with Stata12.0 software. Results Six trials with a total of 1054 subjects were screened according to inclusion and exclusion standards. Five hundred and seventeen HCC patients were treated with adjuvant treatment with IFN and 537 patients with placebo. Compared to the control group, both the recurrence rate and death rate of HCC in IFN group were statistically lower, especially after transhepatic arterial chemotherapy and embolization (TACE) treatment and both TACE and resection according to subgroup analysis. There is no statistical significance on the both recurrence and death rate of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection treatment (RR = 0.96, 95 % CI, 0.84 to 1.1, p = 0.59 for recurrence and RR = 0.78, 95 % CI, 0.60 to 1.04, p = 0.09 for death rates). Conclusions Adjuvant IFN therapy may significantly reduced mortality as well as recurrence rate of patients with HBV-related HCC after no matter what the previous treatment. On the other hand, there is no statistical significance on the recurrence rate and mortality after surgical resection only. More research is needed into the relationship between effect of adjuvant interferon therapy and previous therapy, especially TACE.

As the global shortage of oil resources and the rapid increase in car ownership, using gas as the alternative fuel is getting more and more important. Gas fuel, such as CNG (compressed natural gas)/LNG (liquefied natural gas) and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), with resource-rich, less pollution and other features, are desirable alternative fuels for cars. Through engine bench test, a comparative analysis of power performance between LPG-single fuel engine and gasoline engine was done. The result shows that, by applying LPG injection on single-fuel engine, the power of the LPG engine increases to a higher level than gasoline engines. And combined with the analysis based on the study of domestic development of NGV, predictions could be made that new fuel vehicles will be well utilized in future.

The force on dump truck body is telatively complicated, and different unloading working conditions will have effects on the body structure of dump truck. This paper made a modal analysis and feature buckling analysis of the body structure of dump truck under the unloading situation, and also made a nonlinear analysis under the certain circumstances. Through the ANSYS analysis, the body vibration frequency and buckling modal shape was calculated and figured out, and the design of dump truck body was optimized in order to make sure that the stiffness and stability meet the needs.

The Fas gene polymorphisms -670A/G (rs1800682) and -1377G/A (rs2234767) have been shown to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but findings are not consistent. To clarify this point, a meta-analysis was performed. We searched PubMed, CNKI, CBM and Wanfang database. Meta-odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) were used to combine the data by fixed/random effects models based on heterogeneity test. The statistical analyses were conducted using Stata software. A total of seven studies involving 759 cases and 820 controls were considered in this study and ethnicity-specific meta-analysis was performed on Caucasian and Asian population. In overall population, meta-analysis revealed a trend toward to an association between SLE and Fas -670 A allele (OR = 1.310, 95 %CI = 1.028 ~ 1.670, P = 0.029). Similar results were detected in recessive model (OR = 1.626, 95 %CI = 1.104 ~ 2.395, P = 0.014) and in homozygous genotypic contrast (OR = 1.728, 95 %CI = 1.049 ~ 2.848, P = 0.032). Stratification by ethnicity indicated a significant association between SLE and the Fas -670A/G polymorphism in Asian population when allelic contrast (OR = 1.331, 95 %CI = 1.066 ~ 1.662, P = 0.011), homozygous genotypic contrast (OR = 1.848, 95 %CI = 1.164 ~ 2.932, P = 0.009) and dominant model were performed (OR = 1.542, 95 %CI = 1.045 ~ 2.275, P = 0.029). Meta-analysis of the Fas -1377G/A polymorphism indicated a significant association between SLE and the G allele in overall population (OR = 1.277, 95 %CI = 1.004 ~ 1.624, P = 0.046). The results from this meta-analysis provide evidence for the association between the Fas -670A/G and -1377G/A polymorphism and the risk of SLE. However, further studies are needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

To examine the pathological features and prognosis of different molecular subtypes of breast cancer, the clinical data of 892 breast cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed and divided into four subtypes according to hormone receptor expression in breast cancer tissue: Her-2 overexpression, luminal A, luminal B and basal-like subtypes. The pathological data and prognosis of these subtypes were compared. Of the 892 breast cancer patients, there were 46 cases (5.2%) with Her-2 overexpression-type, 698 cases (78.3%) with luminal A-type, 38 cases (4.3%) with luminal B-type and 110 patients (12.2%) with basal-like-type. Immunohistochemistry was used to identify the progesterone and estrogen receptors in the tumor tissues. The χ2 test was used to verify the measurement data. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used for the univariate and multivariate analyses. Results showed there was no statistical difference for lymphatic metastasis among the various molecular subtypes of breast cancer (P0.05). The distant metastatic rate of patients with Her-2-type breast cancer was significantly higher compared to patients with the other three subtypes (P0.05). The difference in local recurrence among molecular subtypes was not significantly significant (P0.05). Lymph node metastasis, age and different molecular subtypes were found to have an impact on patient overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Her-2 overexpression-type breast cancer patients had the lowest 9-year DFS and 7-year OS compared to the other subtypes (P0.05). Thus, Her-2-type was associated with the worst prognosis. In conlusion, the molecular typing of breast cancer has important clinical value in prognosis estimation and is expected to affect breast cancer treatment approaches.

According to the use condition of dump truck unloading goods, the articulated equipment of cargo body and secondary frame take all the lifting weight, which causes that secondary frame carries the concentrated load. Besides, the dump truck loads goods with large construction machinery, so the phenomenon of biased loading goods frequently happens. And in unloading process, because the biased load of goods will make the stress of secondary frame worse, in the process of force analysis of unloading, it’s enough to analyze the strength of secondary frame only. This paper, basing on ANSYS, makes an analysis on the force of secondary frame in the dump truck unloading condition, and the analysis results indicate that the position of larger stress concentration of secondary frame lies in the second half part of secondary frame in the unloading condition, thereinto, the position of Maximum lies in the back flip axis of secondary frame, while the second Maximum lies nearby the position where the balance frame beam is installed on the auxiliary beam. As the result, this paper suggests that the structure of these places of secondary frame should be strengthened in structural design.