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There is general agreement that a series of East Asian blocks has always lain outboard of both India and Australia along the North Indo−Australie peripheral orogen. However, whether the East Asian blocks were involved in the interior orogens of East Gondwana remains equivocal. The geochronology and geochemistry of Neoproterozoic−Late Triassic rocks in the Russian Far East, together with existing paleontological and detrital zircon data, offer an opportunity to determine the tectonic origin and drift history of the Bureya−Jiamusi−Khanka superterrane. Biotite and amphibole 40Ar/39Ar dating results define a distinctive episode of Late Pan-African (ca. 550 Ma) metamorphism and a local Late Triassic (ca. 219−200 Ma) episode of deformation for the Bureya−Jiamusi−Khanka superterrane. Zircon U−Pb ages and whole-rock geochemical data indicate that the Early Ordovician (483 ± 3 Ma) highly fractionated I-type monzogranites were emplaced in a post-collisional setting linked to the collapse of a Late Pan-African orogen, while the Late Triassic (ca. 234−223 Ma) A-type quartz syenites and I-type granite aplite dikes were formed in a slab-pull−induced passive continental margin of the subducting Mudanjiang oceanic plate. These crucial archives, complemented by data from the literature, reveal that the Bureya−Jiamusi−Khanka superterrane made up the northernmost Kuunga-Pinjarra interior orogen during the final assembly of East Gondwana. As a result of Devonian rifting after Early Ordovician orogen collapse, the Bureya−Jiamusi−Khanka superterrane escaped from the Kuunga-Pinjarra interior orogen and subsequently migrated to Northeast Asia by the Late Triassic to Jurassic due to the subduction and closure of the Paleo-Tethys and Paleo-Pacific oceans.

Figure S1: Photographs (A) and photomicrographs (B) of Weilasituo ZK granites. Figure S2: Photographs of Weilasituo ZK granites. Figure S3: Photomicrographs of Weilasituo (A–C) BD granites and (D–I) ZK granites. Figure S4: Photomicrographs of (A) Damuchu quartz monzonite porphyry and (B) Baocun granodiorites. Figure S5: Photomicrographs of Zalute (A) quartz diorite and (B) monzogranite. Table S1: LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon data of the Cretaceous HSGs from the SGXRMB. Table S2: Major (wt%) and trace (ppm) elements of the Cretaceous HSGs from the SGXRMB. Table S3: Whole-rock Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of the Cretaceous HSGs from the SGXRMB. Table S4: Zircon Hf-O isotopic compositions of the Cretaceous HSGs from the SGXRMB.

Intra-oceanic arcs are potential candidates that generate Earth’s continental crust, and serve as active sites for the mixing of juvenile arc and mature continental material. However, whether continental fragments occur beneath intra-oceanic arcs, and how continental materials are involved in island arc magmas remain equivocal. Here we report zircon U-Pb-Hf-O isotopes and whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic data on the Silurian island arc gabbro from the southeastern Jiamusi Block in NE China. The gabbro was emplaced at ca. 435–429 Ma associated with the northward intra-oceanic subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, and belongs to the eastern extension of the Bainaimiao arc system. Elevated zircon δ18O (+5.5‰ to +7.9‰) and variable eHf(t) (-2.1 to +4.0) values, and negative whole rock eNd(t) (-1.1 to −1.6) values, suggest an enriched mantle component generated by pelagic and terrigenous sediments input into the mantle wedge. The contribution of terrigenous sediments, together with the recognition of Paleoproterozoic crustal rocks, proves for the first time that continental fragments existed beneath the intra-oceanic arc. In conjunction with published data, we propose that that Tarim Craton-type scattered continental fragments occurred within the Bainaimiao arc system, and that they not only facilitated the initiation of oceanic-oceanic subduction through increasing buoyancy, but also account for the old continental zircon and enriched isotopic variations of the young arc rocks. Our study highlights a fossil example that could help better quantify the scale and role of continental fragments in the origin and evolution of intra-oceanic arcs.

The high cost and poor reliability of cathodic electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which requires significant amounts of expensive and scarce platinum, obstructs the broad applications of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The principles of ORR and the reasons for the poor stability of Pt-based catalysts are reviewed. Moreover, this paper discusses and categorizes the strategies for enhancing the stability of Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells. More importantly, it highlights the recent progress of Pt-based stability toward ORR, including surface-doping, intermetallic structures, 1D/2D structures, rational design of support, etc. Finally, for atomic-level in-depth information on ORR catalysts in fuel cells, potential perspectives are suggested, such as large-scale preparation, advanced interpretation techniques, and advanced simulation. This review aims to provide valuable insights into the fundamental science and technical engineering for practical Pt-based ORR electrocatalysts in fuel cells.

As cyclical orbital movements of Earth, Milankovitch cycles can be recorded in sedimentary strata. The time they reflect can be used to accurately divide and compare strata. Milankovitch cycles recorded in strata enrich the stratigraphic theory, especially the theories of cycle stratigraphy, and thus they are widely used in geological survey engineering nowadays. This study explored the characteristics of the Milankovitch cycles recorded in the eastern depression of the North Yellow Sea Basin, highlighting their control over high-frequency stratigraphic sequences. The Eocene Milankovitch cycles in the depression were calculated based on the method proposed by J. Laskar, and their parameters primarily include eccentricity cycles of 125 ka and 99 ka, obliquity cycles of 51 ka and 39 ka, and precession cycles of 23 ka and 19 ka. Spectral analysis of gamma-ray (GR) and spontaneous potential (SP) log curves of the Eocene strata was carried out to divide and compare stratigraphic sequences, revealing that the spectral peaks correspond well to astronomical cycles. This indicates that the strata in the depression fully record Milankovitch cycles. Furthermore, there are long-, medium-, and short-term stratigraphic cycles in the eastern depression, with a thickness of 13.03–15.89 m, 3.70–5.21 m, and 2.17–2.94 m, respectively. The sedimentation rates of the Eocene strata were calculated to be 121.2–127.12 m/Ma accordingly. From the uplift to the center of the lacustrine basin along the slope in the eastern depression, both the sedimentation duration and the sediment thickness increase, while the sedimentation rate remains relatively stable. The Eocene strata can be divided into six stages of high-frequency sequences by continuous wavelet transformation, namely E6–E1 from bottom to top. The sedimentation duration and sedimentation rates of the sequences were calculated using spectral analysis with each of the sequences as a separate window. Moreover, the impacts of climate change on the sedimentary environment in the eastern depression were analyzed. It can be concluded that E6 was a lowstand system tract, E5 and E4 were lacustrine expansion system tracts, E3 was a highstand system tract, and E2 and E1 were lacustrine contraction system tracts. All these verify that Milankovitch cycles serve as an effective approach for the analysis of sedimentary cycles.

Characterizing tree spatial patterns and interactions are helpful to reveal underlying processes assembling forest communities. Spatial networks, despite its complexity, are powerful to examine spatial interactions at an individual level using well defined patterns. However, complex tree networks introduce uncertainties. Validation methods are needed in order to assess whether network-based metrics can clearly identify different processes. Here, we constructed three types of tree networks, which reflect various aspects of tree competition. Based on five types of spatial null models and 199 Monte-Carlo simulations, we were able to select network-based metrics that exhibited well performances on distinguishing different processes. This technique was then applied to forest dataset Tuscany of Italy. We found that the average node degree and the cluster coefficient are ideal metrics like the Ripley’s K and paired correlation function. In addition, network approach can identify fine-scale spatial variations of tree competition and its underlying causes. Our analyzes also indicate that a bit of caution is needed when defining the network structure as well as designing network-based metrics. We suggested that validation techniques using corresponding spatial null models are critically important to reduce the negative effects caused by uncertainties of the network.

Background Oil-in-water drug nanoemulsion forms drug delivery systems with high oral bioavailability. The conventional fabrication methods of nanoemulsion are low energy emulsification methods and high energy emulsification methods. However, both two methods are not ideal for industrial production. The problem of low energy emulsification methods is the high dosage of surfactant and co-surfactant which has potential biosecurity issues. What is more, high energy emulsification methods have some disadvantages, like the destruction of drug components, the price of equipment and the difficulties of industrial production. Hence, there have been a few commercial drug nanoemulsions so far. Methods In this work, we reported a novel method for the fabrication of stable and transparent drug nanoemulsion which contains hydrophilic drug rosuvastatin (ROS) calcium or hydrophobic drug silybinin (SYN) by using high-gravity rotating packed bed (RPB). The drug nanoemulsion was systematically characterized by droplet size, size distribution, stability and in vitro drug release as well as Caco-2 cells permeability. Results Compared with the self-emulsification method (SE), high-gravity technology could reduce 75% amount of mixed surfactants. The as-prepared nanoemulsion exhibited a very narrow droplet size distribution with a size of 13.53 ± 0.53 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.073 ± 0.018. Meanwhile, the drug nanoemulsion was physicochemically stable at 25°C and 4°C for one-year storage. Furthermore, both ROS and SYN nanoemulsion displayed higher cell permeability and in vitro dissolution than that of commercial formulations. Conclusion These results demonstrate that RPB can be a potential device to facilitate the industrial production of drug nanoemulsion.

Antimonene is an emerging semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) material with various attractive properties, but its applications in optoelectronics have rarely been explored. Herein, we report a highly efficient preparation of few-layered antimonene by a polymer ionic liquid (PIL) assisted liquid-phase exfoliation method, which gives above 20% yield of micrometer sized nanosheets. Stability studies suggested that the presence of water in the solvent significantly accelerated the decomposition of the produced antimonene, while the antimonene dispersed in dry DMF exhibited a very high stability under ambient conditions. For the first time, flexible photodetectors based on a hybrid structure of few layer antimonene nanosheets modified by PIL and CdS quantum dots (QDs) were fabricated, which showed a good responsivity of 10 μA W−1 and on/off ratio of 26.8 under the bias of 1 V. This work demonstrates that PIL assisted liquid-phase exfoliation is a very promising method to achieve highly efficient preparation, preservation, and surface modification of few-layer antimonene, and hence enable the application of antimonene-based 2D materials in optoelectronics.

Sb nanosheets, also known as antimonene, have received ever-growing consideration as a promising new type of two-dimensional (2D) material due to their many attractive properties. However, how their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties are affected by their nanosheet structure and measurement conditions remains unclear. Herein, we report a successful size-selective production method for Sb nanosheets, which is based on a combination of lithium ion intercalation, solvent exfoliation and size selection centrifugation. This high-yield and size-selective preparation method enables fundamental investigation on the relation of the intrinsic optical properties of Sb nanosheets. Nanosecond Z-scan measurements revealed a unique size-dependent broadband NLO response. When the average size is reduced from 3 micrometers to 50 nanometers, the Sb nanosheets exhibit a clear transition from saturable absorption to reversed saturable absorption. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopic investigation indicated that exciton cooling is significantly faster in a small nanosheet than in large ones, revealing that the different exciton relaxation dynamic plays key roles in the distinct size-tunable nonlinear optical response. This work paves new ways towards the mass production and practical application of antimonene.

Layered K2V3O8 (KVO) is successfully fabricated via simple hydrothermal reaction and employed as novel anode materials in potassium-ion batteries (KIBs). Benefitting from its specific layered structure and various oxidation states of V (V2+ to V5+), KVO delivers high reversible capacity of 300 mAh g−1. This works have significant implications in exploiting for potential anode materials, consequently speeding up the development of high-performance KIBs.

Background: Shenzhuo formula is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription which has significant therapeutic effects on diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, its mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the underlying anti-DN mechanism of shenzhuo formula.Methods: The active ingredients and targets of shenzhuo formula were obtained by searching TCMSP, TCMID, SwissTargetPrediction and HIT. The DN target was identified from TTD, DrugBank and DisGeNet. The potential targets were obtained and PPI network were built after mapping the disease and drug targets. The key targets were screened out by network topology and the “drugs - DN - key targets” network was constructed by Cytoscape. GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed using DAVID, and the results were visualized using the Omicshare Tools.Results: We obtained 182 potential targets and 30 key targets. Ulteriorly, “drugs - DN - key targets” network were constructed, and results showed that nodes like M51, M21, M5, M71, M28, EGFR, MMP9, MAPK8, PIK3CA and STAT3 had a higher degree. GO analysis results mainly involved in positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter, inflammatory response, lipopolysaccharide-mediated signalingpathway and other biological processes. The results of KEGG showed that DN-related pathways like TNF signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were at the top of the list.Conclusion: This article reveals the possible mechanism of shenzhuo formula in the treatment of DN through network pharmacology research, and lays a foundation for further studies.

Accumulating studies have shown that high-frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may improve cognitive dysfunction of the patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), but with inconsistent results. The present study aims to assess the efficacy of different frequencies of neuronavigated rTMS in ameliorating cognitive impairments and alleviating the psychotic symptoms. A total of 120 patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups: 20 Hz rTMS (n = 40), 10 Hz rTMS (n = 40), or sham stimulation (n = 40) for 8 weeks, and then followed up at week 32. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was performed to assess the cognitive functions of the patients at baseline, at the end of week 8, and week 32 follow-up. Psychotic symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline and at the end of week 2, week 4, week 6, week 8, and week 32 follow-up. Our results demonstrated that 20 Hz rTMS treatment produced an effective therapeutic benefit on immediate memory of patients with chronic SCZ at week 8, but not in the 10 Hz group. Interestingly, both 10 Hz and 20 Hz rTMS treatments produced delayed effects on cognitive functions at the 6-month follow-up. Moreover, in both 10 Hz rTMS and 20 Hz rTMS, the improvements in RBANS total score were positively correlated with the reduction of PANSS positive subscore at the 6-month follow-up. Stepwise regression analysis identified that the visuospatial/constructional index, immediate memory index, and prolactin at baseline were predictors for the improvement of cognitive impairments in the patients. Our results suggest that add-on HF rTMS could be an effective treatment for cognitive impairments in patients with chronic SCZ, with a delayed effect. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier—NCT03774927.

Nucleation is the initial step of the crystallization process and is the significant step to prepare nanometer-sized crystalline materials. In this work, we systematically investigated the nucleation kinetics of poorly water-soluble drug sorafenib when precipitated by liquid antisolvent precipitation in high-gravity rotating packed bed. We found that high-gravity field tremendously promoted the nucleation rate, and the nucleation rate was increased by 2–3 orders of magnitude over that in the stirred tank reactor. Moreover, polymer excipients have a significant impact on nucleation; especially, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) could increase the nucleation rate by 3 orders of magnitude over that without excipient. Finally, stable amorphous sorafenib nanoparticulate formulation with a particle size of 80 nm was obtained by controlling nucleation in RPB. Compared to the coarse drug, the nanoparticulate formulation performed faster drug release and had much better cytotoxicity. In vivo pharmacokinetics of the nan...

Cognitive impairment is a central aspect of schizophrenia (SCZ) that occurs at the onset of the disease and is related to poor social function and outcome in patients with SCZ. Recent literatures have revealed repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to be one of the efficient medical interventions for cognitive impairments. However, no study has been conducted to investigate the treatment effectiveness of 20 Hz rTMS with neuronavigation system administered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in patients with schizophrenia. In this randomized, double-blind and sham-controlled study, 56 patients were enrolled in 20 Hz rTMS (n = 28) or sham stimulation (n = 28) over left DLPFC for 8 weeks. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was performed to measure the cognitive function at baseline and after 8 weeks of rTMS treatment. The positive and negative syndrome scales (PANSS) was performed to assess the clinical symptoms at baseline, after 2-week treatment, 4-week treatment, 6-week treatment, and 8-week treatment. Totally, 15 subjects (seven in active group and eight in sham group) dropped out during the trial and the main findings were from completed 41 patients. At 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks, there were no significant differences in PANSS total score and subscores between the sham and treatment groups. At 8 weeks, the 20 Hz rTMS significantly increased the immediate memory score compared with the sham. Furthermore, the improvement in the immediate memory score was correlated with the decrease in the excitement factor score of the patients with SCZ. Our results suggest that 20 Hz rTMS appears to be an effective treatment for improving the cognitive performance and reducing the clinical symptoms of patients with SCZ.

The comprehensive characterization of the change in metallic materials’ microstructure due to an applied load is of prime importance for the understanding of basic fatigue mechanisms or more general damage evolution processes. If those mechanisms and processes are to be understood to a much greater extent, advanced fatigue life calculation methods being far away from linear damage accumulation models, have to be realized providing more than “classic fatigue data” only. Among others the PHYBAL (physically based fatigue life calculation) method including current enhancements and a thereon-based development named SteBLife (step-bar fatigue life approach) have been developed over the last 10 years. These methods allow the efforts in experimentation to be reduced by more than 90 % and therefore offer the possibility to take further fatigue relevant parameters into account. This therefore allows a variety of S,N-curves dependent on those fatigue relevant parameters to be generated with those methods easily establishing a multidimensional dataset. To just name a few examples of those parameters such as the influence of temperature, loading conditions, geometry as well as thermal and mechanical ageing processes on the fatigue behavior can now be calculated in accordance to a process being straightforward leading to an important step with regard to improving the efficiency of assessing structural components. Consequently, safety factors can be defined more in accordance to structural needs, being of highest interest with respect to the increasing number of ageing infrastructure such as highways, bridges or others. A lot of this ageing infrastructure has a strong need to be managed with respect to its structural integrity and the engineering community therefore tries the residual life of this infrastructure to be determined as appropriate as possible. In that context non-destructive testing parameters are increasingly considered to characterize a metallic material’s microstructure allowing more precise information to be obtained regarding the actual damage condition and the integrity of a component. The paper will address the high capability of non-destructive testing techniques for the evaluation of damage evolution processes also with respect to mechanism based fatigue as well as residual life calculations according to PHYBAL and SteBLife.

Squint multi-receiver synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) data is more challenging to process than data about its common side-looking counterpart because the geometry is complicated. While traditional multi-receiver algorithms mainly handle general side-looking cases, they do not work well for squint cases. Up to now, no multi-receiver algorithm for handling squint multi- receiver SAS data has been reported. This paper focuses on an imaging algorithm for the squint multi-receiver SAS. Firstly, the “non-stop-go-stop” signal model is established for squint multi- receiver SAS. Then a squint multi-receiver nonlinear chirp scaling algorithm (SMANLCSA) is proposed that is suited to process multi-receiver SAS data with small squint angle and SMANLCSA involves three key steps. The first step is to turn squint multi-receiver data into squint single-receiver data. The second step is a Doppler centroid frequency shift. The third step is range cell migration correction using nonlinear chirp scaling. Simulations have shown that SMANLCSA can handle squint multi-receiver data more accurately and effectively than the previous algorithm..

Based on the analysis and research of audio and video technology, this paper proposes a wearable video fusion interactive system scheme to meet the requirements of field operation guidance of wearable video fusion interaction. In addition to the traditional terminals, the system can use wearable terminals and browsers for real-time voice / video communications, which enhances ease of use and practicability, and provides the technology for the development of field operations guidance video services. Finally, this paper looks forward to the future of audio and video technology in promoting the development of field work.

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.

The electromagnetic force which influenced by rail launcher armature position have been researched in this paper. As an important indicator, Inductance Gradient (IG) denotes the performance of rail launch, which can make the railgun performance to achieve optimal results by better design. A rectangular cross-sectional rail launcher model was built based on the Biot-Savart law in this paper. Furthermore, the analytical expression of inductance gradient can be obtained by this model. Finally, the electromagnetic force can be calculated. Some numerical simulations are made to test the validity and capability of the proposed model.

Background Tardive dyskinesia (TD) has no well-accepted treatments or known pathophysiology, but low brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may play an important role in its pathophysiology. Ginkgo biloba (EGb-761) is a potent antioxidant that has neuroprotective effects mediated through enhancing BDNF levels. We hypothesized that treatment with EGb-761 would increase serum BDNF levels and reduce TD, particularly among schizophrenia patients who have the BDNF valine 66 to methionine (Val66Met) genotype (Val/Val). Methods Serum BDNF levels and genotyping for the BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism were assessed in Chinese schizophrenic patients with ( n = 368) and without ( n = 563) TD as well as healthy control subjects ( n = 546). About half of the TD patients ( n = 157) then participated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-control 12-week treatment with 240 mg per day of EGb-761. Serum BDNF levels were measured again at posttreatment. Clinical efficacy was determined using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Results TD patients had lower BDNF levels than the non-TD patients and healthy controls. EGb-761 treatment improved symptoms of TD and increased BDNF levels compared with placebo treatment. Moreover, the improvement of AIMS total score correlated with the increase in BDNF levels. Furthermore, improvement in the AIMS score was greatest in those with the Val/Val allele and lowest with the Met/Met allele. Conclusions The BDNF system may be implicated in the pathophysiology of TD and its improvement with antioxidant treatment. Furthermore, patients with the genetic potential for greater BDNF release (Val/Val at 66) may obtain a greater reduction in TD from EGb-761 treatment.

Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted great attentions in the last few years, but their applications in optoelectronics have been strongly hindered by the poor environmental stability, especially under light irradiation. Herein, the fabrication of surface passivated few-layer BP assisted by polymer ionic liquids (PILs) is reported. The PIL-modified 2D BP exhibits excellent stability under ambient conditions, with negligible deterioration in 100 d. Furthermore, the PILs attached on the BP surface provide reliable and flexible electrical contact between the few-layer BP and other device components. As a proof of concept, PIL-modified BP nanosheets are successfully applied in flexible photodetectors, which show high flexibility, good detectivity with no obvious performance deterioration in 120 h. This work demonstrates that the PIL modification can endow BP nanosheets with excellent environmental stability and good conductivity, so that may significantly expand the applications of BP in flexible optoelectronics.

Free radicals may be involved in the pathogenesis of tardive dyskinesia (TD). Extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb) is a potent antioxidant possessing free radical-scavenging activities. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of EGb-761, a standardized extract given in capsule form, in treating TD in schizophrenia patients.Inpatients with DSM-IV-diagnosed schizophrenia and TD (n = 157) in a mainland China Veterans Affairs psychiatric hospital were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of treatment with either EGb-761, 240 mg/d (n = 78) or a placebo (n = 79) in a double-blind manner. Primary outcome measures were (1) change from baseline in the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) score and (2) proportion of patients with a ≥ 30% reduction in their AIMS total score at week 12. Secondary outcome measures included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and cognitive performance as measured by the Continuous Performance Test-37 Version and the 3-card Stroop task. Patients were recruited for the study between December 2006 and May 2007.Of the 157 patients who were randomly assigned, 152 (96.8%) completed the study. EGb-761 treatment significantly decreased the AIMS total score in patients with TD compared to those who were given a placebo (2.13 ± 1.75 vs -0.10 ± 1.69; P.0001), with 40 (51.3%) and 4 (5.1%) patients achieving response in the EGb-761 and placebo treatment groups, respectively. There were no between-group differences in the PANSS total score or cognitive measures from baseline to week 12.EGb-761 appears to be an effective treatment for reducing the symptoms of TD in schizophrenia patients, and improvement may be mediated through the well-known antioxidant activity of this extract.clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00672373.

The vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1), the rate-limiting enzyme for vitamin K recycling, is significantly down-regulated in the kidneys of urolithiasis patients. This study searched for direct evidence to define the inhibitory activity of VKORC1 against calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation. In the experiment of VKORC1 overexpression, HK-2 cells were transfected with the pFLAG-CMV-7.1-VKORC1 plasmid as a pFLAG-CMV-7.1-VKORC1 transfection group or the pFLAG-CMV-7.1 plasmid as a pFLAG-CMV-7.1 control group. In the experiment of VKORC1 knockdown, HK-2 cells were transfected with the PGPU6/GFP/Neo-VKORC1shRNA-2 as a PGPU6/GFP/Neo-VKORC1shRNA-2 transfection group or the PGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA-NC plasmid as a PGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA-NC control group. The expression of VKORC1 in HK-2 cells was detected by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting. The CaOx crystal formation was observed under the laser-scanning confocal microscope. It was found that the expression levels of VKORC1 mRNA and protein were significantly higher in the pFLAG-CMV-7.1-VKORC1 transfection group than in the pFLAG-CMV-7.1 control group (P

To study the epidemic tendency of emerging influenza A (H1N1) in mainland China, and to explore the different patterns of spread on the disease under the following contexts: (1) To stop the temperature screening program at the border areas of the country; (2) To stop measures of prevention and control on those identified cases and their close contacts; (3) To strengthen programs for the foreign immigrants on 'home quarantine'.Under relevant parameters and information on the transmission link from different reference data, the patterns of influenza spread were simulated by Monte Carlo method.The temperature screening on border could inhibit the transmission of influenza A (H1N1) to some extent, so that after 3 months the cumulative number of cases will be reduced by 21.5% (1718 cases) and transmission speed of influenza A (H1N1) in mainland China will be delayed by about 4 days. Furthermore, taking positive measures of prevention and control could efficiently slow down the epidemic, so that after 3 months the cumulative number of cases will be reduced by 93.4% (about 90 thousand cases) and it would be delayed by about 15 days if influenza A (H1N1) spreads to the whole country. In addition, if the immigrants were able to practise quarantine measures consciously by themselves at home the effect of prevention and control against influenza A (H1N1) would be more significant. If 30%, 60% and 90% of immigrants would take quarantine measures home consciously, after 3 months the cumulative number of cases will be reduced by about 15% (about 940 cases), 34% (about 2230 cases) and 64% (about 4180 cases), respectively. Also, influenza A (H1N1) spreads to the whole country will be delayed by about 4 days, 10 days and 25 days, respectively. It is difficult to curb fully the development of the epidemic by taking existing control measures, and influenza A (H1N1) may spread to almost all provinces after about 3 months.The effects of existing prevention and control measures were objectively assessed and the results showed the necessity and effectiveness of these measures against the transmission of influenza A (H1N1), in the mainland of China.