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To examine the association between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and nevirapine (NVP)- and efavirenz (EFV)-induced cutaneous adverse reactions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients, we conducted a case-control study at our center consisting of 96 patients. Patients were further assigned based on the occurrence of cutaneous adverse events and the drugs involved. All patients were subjected to next generation sequencing (NGS)-based screening with focus on HLA phenotype, including the presence of HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1. Our data indicated that the HLA-C*01:02:01 allele presence was observed in 47.4% (18/38) of patients in the EFV-hypersensitivity group compared with 18.9% (7/30) in the control group [odds ratio (OR) = 5.837; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.727-19.722

Background CD4+ T cell counts in certain human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients called immunological non-responders (INRs) could not return to a normal level even with sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART) because of persistent immune activation, which is associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines production and an altered intestinal microbiome profile. Changes in gut bacterial composition have been linked to low CD4+ T cell counts in HIV-infected individuals. However, the association between CD4+ T cell counts and gut microbiota community composition and cytokines levels in INRs (CD4+ T cell counts Methods To address this issue, we carried out a cross-sectional study of 34 HIV-infected INRs. The patients were divided into CD4 count > 200 cells/μL group and CD4 count 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We also compared CD8+ T cell counts, pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, and nutritional status between the two groups. Results Compared to INRs with CD4 count > 200 cells/μL, those with CD4 count Ruminococcaceae was less abundant in the CD4 count 200 cells/μL group, and difference in alpha diversity was observed between the two groups. Moreover, CD4+ T cell counts were negatively associated with TNF-α and IL-1α levels and positively associated with the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that lower CD4+ T cell counts in INRs are associated with a reduced abundance of Ruminococcaceae in the gut and elevated serum pro-inflammatory cytokines levels. Thus, interventions targeting gut microbiota to increase CD4+ T cell counts are a potential strategy for promoting immune reconstitution in HIV-infected INRs.

Very high applied pressure induces superconductivity with the transition temperature (Tc) exceeding 19 K in elemental yttrium, but relatively little is known about the nature of that superconductivity. From point-contact spectroscopy (PCS) measurements in a diamond anvil cell (DAC), strong enhancement in the differential conductance is revealed near the zero-biased voltage owing to Andreev reflection, a hallmark of SC phase. Analysis of PCS spectra based on the extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) model indicates two SC gaps at 48.6 GPa, where the large gap ΔL is 3.63 meV and the small gap ΔS is 0.46 meV. When scaled against the reduced temperature, both small and large SC gaps collapse on a single curve that follows the prediction from the BCS theory. The SC gap-to-Tc ratio is 8.2 for the larger gap and the initial slope of the upper critical field is -1.9 T/K, indicating that Y belongs to a family of the strongly coupled BCS superconductors. The successful application of PCS to Y in DAC environments demonstrates its utility for future research on other pressure-induced high-Tc superconductors.

To compare the improvement effect between simultaneous electroacupuncture at antagonistic muscle and agonistic muscle and simple electroacupuncture at antagonistic muscle on spasticity degree, upper-extremity motor function and activity of daily living in patients with upper-extremity spasticity after stroke.A total of 60 patients with upper-extremity spasticity after stroke were randomized into a comprehensive group (30 cases, 1 case dropped off) and an antagonistic muscle group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the antagonistic muscle group, acupuncture was applied at Jianyu (LI 15), Binao (LI 14), Zhouliao (LI 12), Shousanli (LI 10), Waiguan (TE 5) and Houxi (SI 3), electric stimulation was attached to Jianyu (LI 15)-Binao (LI 14), Zhouliao (LI 12)-Shousanli (LI 10) and Waiguan (TE 5)-Houxi (SI 3), with discontinuous wave, 15 Hz in frequency. On the basis of the treatment in the antagonistic muscle group, acupuncture was applied at Tianquan (PC 2), Chize (LU 5), Jianshi (PC 5) and Daling (PC 7) in the comprehensive group, electric stimulation was attached to Tianquan (PC 2)-Chize (LU 5) and Jianshi (PC 5)-Daling (PC 7), with continuous wave, 5 Hz in frequency. The treatment was given once a day, 6 days a week for 4 weeks in the two groups. Before and after treatment, the scores of modified Ashworth scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer assessment upper extremity scale (FMA-UE) and modified Barthel index (MBI) scale were observed in the two groups.Compared before treatment, the MAS scores of elbow flexors and wrist flexors after treatment were decreased (Simultaneous electroacupuncture at antagonistic muscle and agonistic muscle and simple electroacupuncture at antagonistic muscle can both improve the spasticity degree in patients with upper-extremity spasticity after stroke, however, the former can better restore motor function and improve activity of daily living.

To investigate the titer of IgG anti-A/B erythrocyte antibody in vivo of the neonate with hemolytic disease of newborn(HDN), and explore its clinical valua in evaluating the severity of HDN.300 neonates with HDN, 50 neonates with neonatal hyperbilirubinemiain and 50 healthy neonates were selected as research object and Microtubes Gel Test was used to detect the titer of IgG anti-A/B erythrocyte antibody in vivo. Their clinical data and their mothers' prenatal examination data were retrospectively analyzed. Three hemolysis tests (direct antiglobulin test, free antibody test and release test), irregular antibody screening, and the titer of IgG anti-A/B blood group antibody was determined by serological method. Red blood cells(RBC), hemoglobin(Hb), reticulocytes(Ret) and nucleated red cells were detected by hematology analyzer. Indirect bilirubin and albumin(Alb) were detected by biochemical analyzer. The relationship between the titer of IgG anti-A/B erythrocyte antibody in vivo and the severity of HDN was analyzed.There were six serological diagnosis modes in the HDN group,the difference between modes was statistically significant (P0.05). The antibody titer relationship between HDN neonates and pregnant women was positive correlation(r=0.8302). The highest antibody titer of release test and free antibody test were 1∶32 and 1∶2, and the difference was statistically significant（P0.05）. RBC, Hb and Alb in HDN patients were lower than those in neonatal hyperbilirubinemia patients and healthy neonates (P0.05), and were negatively relevant with antibody titer in vivo (r=-0.8016). Bilirubin content in HDN patients were higher than those in neonatal hyperbiliru binemia patients and healthy neonates group(P0.05), and was positively relevant with antibody titer in vivo (r=0.8731). The hospital day in HDN patients was significantly relevant with the antibody titer in vivo (r=0.8547), but not with the age, sex, weight and ABO blood types (P0.05).The detection of antibody titer in HDN patients can be used to evaluate the antibody concentration in vivo, predict the ability of antibody to induce erythrocyte hemolysis, and help to judge the serenrity and prognosis of HDN.新生儿体内IgG型血型抗体效价与新生儿溶血病严重程度的相关性分析.研究新生儿体内IgG型ABO血型系统抗体效价，探索其评估新生儿溶血病（HDN)严重程度的临床应用价值.选择400例新生儿为研究对象，分为观察组和对照组。观察组350例包括HDN患者300例和新生儿高胆红素血症患者50例，对照组50例为健康新生儿。分别查阅研究对象的病历资料、产妇产检资料；采用血清学检测方法进行溶血三项试验（直抗试验、游离试验、放散试验）、不规则抗体筛查和血型抗体效价测定，应用血细胞计数仪进行RBC、Hb、Ret、有核红细胞检测，应用生化分析仪进行间接胆红素、Alb含量检测。分析不同IgG型血型抗体效价与HDN严重程度的相关性.HDN患者血清学诊断模式有6种，比较差异有统计学意义（P0.01）。IgG型抗A/B血型抗体游离试验和放散试验阳性患者体内抗体效价与孕妇预期体内效价呈正相关(r=0.8302)，该类患者红细胞放散液抗体效价最高为1∶32,血浆游离抗体效价最高为1∶2,比较差异有统计学意义（P0.05）。HDN患者RBC、Hb、Alb含量与体内抗体效价呈负相关(r=-0.8016)，且低于新生儿高胆红素血症患者和健康新生儿；胆红素含量与体内抗体效价呈正相关(r=0.8731)，且高于新生儿高胆红素血症患者和健康新生儿。HDN患者住院时间与患者体内的抗体效价有明显的相关性(r=0.8547)，与患者年龄、性别、体重、ABO血型无明显的相关性（P0.05）.新生儿体内IgG型抗-A/B抗体效价的测定可以用于评估HDN患者体内抗-A/B抗体含量，能够预测患者体内抗体诱发红细胞溶血的能力，有助于临床判定HDN的严重程度及预后评估.

Gas–liquid two-phase flow is polymorphic and unstable, and characterizing its flow behavior is a major challenge in the study of multiphase flow. We first conduct dynamic experiments on gas–liquid two-phase flow in a vertical tube and obtain multi-channel signals using a self-designed four-sector distributed conductivity sensor. In order to characterize the evolution of gas–liquid two-phase flow, we transform the obtained signals using the adaptive optimal kernel time-frequency representation and build a complex network based on the time-frequency energy distribution. As quantitative indicators, global clustering coefficients of the complex network at various sparsity levels are computed to analyze the dynamic behavior of various flow structures. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach enables effective analysis of multi-channel measurement information for revealing the evolutionary mechanisms of gas–liquid two-phase flow. Furthermore, for the purpose of flow structure recognition, we propose a temporal-spatio convolutional neural network and achieve a classification accuracy of 95.83%.

Solvents with appropriate acidity are required to simultaneously realize efficient and reversible absorption of NH3. To achieve this goal, a series of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ([emim]Cl)-based D...

Traditional amine solutions for CO2 capture are associated with many defects such as sacrificed CO2 capacities and high volatility. Herein, a new type of mixed solvent was constructed by diluting p...

Severe drug eruption (SDE), a common skin disease, becomes dangerous when it occurs in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Forty patients including HIV+ SDE+ (n = 15), HIV- SDE+ (n = 15) and HIV+ SDE- (n = 10) subjects were enrolled in our study. All HIV+ patients were at acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) stage. Serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-13, IL-6, CXCL9, and CCL17 were quantified by ELISA. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) loads were quantified by RT-qPCR. CD4, CD8, Th1, Th2, TNF-α-CD8, and IFN-γ-CD8 T cell populations were measured by flow cytometry. Levels of biochemical indexes in HIV+ SDE+ patients were significantly different from in HIV- SDE+ patients (P < .05). EBV and CMV viral loads were significantly higher in HIV+ SDE+ patients, but not in HIV- SDE+ patients (P < .05). Inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ were significantly elevated in HIV+ SDE+ patients (P < .05). Th2/Th1 populations and TNF-α secreting or IFN-γ secreting CD8+ T cells, were significantly up-regulated in HIV+ SDE+ patients compared to HIV- SDE+ patients (P < .05). Conversely, the CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly down-regulated in HIV+ SDE+ patients compared to HIV- SDE+ patients (P < .05). HIV infection confers distinct clinical phenotypes and immune inflammatory mechanisms in SDE. Sustained EBV and CMV activation, unbalanced Th2/Th1 and overactive CD8+ T cells mediating a pro-inflammatory response could act as distinct mechanisms in the aggravation of SDE in HIV+ SDE+ patients.

Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) are potential solvents for NH3 capture, considering that they have abundant hydroxyl groups, which can form hydrogen-bond interaction with NH3. To this end, the solubili...

There is an urgent demand to explore advanced solvents for CO2 capture considering the defects associated with traditional alkanolamine-based solvents. In this work, tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) w...

Compared with the HLA-B*38:02:01:01 allele, HLA-B*38:97 differs by a single nucleotide substitution.

Previously, a number of previous studies on human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) and preeclampsia (PE) have demonstrated that expression of HLA-G is significantly reduced in women with PE. However, no study has confirmed whether maternal serum HLA-G could be used as a clinical test when HLA-G1/-G5 isoforms were measured. Therefore, the present study is to develop a novel HLA-G ELISA which is able to detect all isoforms of HLA-G and then to perform a retrospective case-control study to investigate clinical significance of maternal serum HLA-G for predicting PE.A recombinant HLA-G fragment which containing partial sequences of HLA-G α1 and α2 domains was constructed to develop two novel monoclonal antibodies against HLA-G. A novel HLA-G sandwich ELISA which could detect all isoforms of HLA-G was developed. By using the ELISA, predictive effectiveness of maternal serum HLA-G in a retrospective case control study was evaluated.At the first trimester and early second trimester, detection of maternal serum HLA-G had the sensitivity of 54.3% and 48.5% and the specificity of 97.8% and 96.3% in the prediction of PE. These were significantly higher than those at the third trimester (P 0.05).HLA-G isoforms other than HLA-G1/-G5 are expressed in some pregnant women who have low level or lack HLA-G1/-G5. Measurement of all HLA-G isoforms in maternal serum could be used as a clinical test for early prediction of PE.

Very high applied pressure induces superconductivity with the transition temperature ($T_c$) exceeding 19 K in elemental yttrium, but relatively little is known about the nature of that superconductivity. From point-contact spectroscopy (PCS) measurements in a diamond anvil cell (DAC), a strong enhancement in the differential conductance is revealed near the zero-biased voltage owing to Andreev reflection, a hallmark of the superconducting (SC) phase. Analysis of the PCS spectra based on the extended Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk (BTK) model indicates two SC gaps at 48.6 GPa, where the large gap $\Delta_L$ is 3.63 meV and the small gap $\Delta_S$ is 0.46 meV. When scaled against a reduced temperature, both small and large SC gaps collapse on a single curve that follows the prediction from BCS theory. The SC gap-to-$T_c$ ratio is 8.2 for the larger gap, and the initial slope of the upper critical field is -1.9 T/K, indicating that Y belongs to a family of strongly coupled BCS superconductors. The successful application of PCS to Y in DAC environments demonstrates its utility for future research on other pressure-induced high-$T_c$ superconductors., Comment: 4 figures

In traditional amine-scrubbing CO2 capture technology, alkanolamines are diluted in physical solvents to retain the good fluidity of CO2-loaded absorbents, which suffers from high volatility of mix...

Amine-impregnated adsorbents have promising application for selective CO2 capture from dilute sources in the industry. It is of great significance to develop a support exhibiting not only large pore width but also high pore volume, that can be prepared from renewable and low-cost raw materials. In this work, a mesoporous carbon exhibiting the total pore volume of 3.04 cm3/g was prepared from chitosan by a hard-template route. The mesoporous carbon was then physically impregnated with pentaethylenehexamine, which is rich in amine density and of extremely low volatility. It is demonstrated that the adsorption capacities for CO2 and selectivities for CO2/N2 on mesoporous carbon are significantly improved after the amine impregnation. The highest CO2 uptake of 3.72 mmol/g at 100 °C under atmospheric pressure was achieved in amine-impregnated carbons, being higher than most of other amine-impregnated adsorbents that have ever been reported in the literature. Furthermore, the CO2 adsorbed by amine-impregnated carbon can be facilely stripped out by concentration swing at 75 °C, and the amine-impregnated carbon exhibit high stability throughout consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles.

To examine the clinical significance of an autoantibody (AAb) against a novel tumor-associated antigen (TAA) derived from human DNA-topoisomerase I, termed as TOPO48 AAb, and peripheral blood survivin-expressing circulating cells (CCC) in patients with early stage endometrial cancer (EC). Blood samples were collected from 80 patients with early stage EC and 80 age-matched healthy subjects. Plasma levels of the TOPO48 AAb were measured with a specific antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and blood survivin-expressing CCC assessed with a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction products based on a hybridization-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (RT-PCR–ELISA). Sixty patients were followed up for 36 months after the initial assay test. There were 75% and 60% samples with positive levels of the TOPO48 AAb and survivin-expressing CCC in the cancer patients, respectively. However, the cumulative positive rate of combination of the two markers was increased to 93.3% with 0.927 (95% CI 0.871–0.984) of area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. During the follow-up period, patients with positive TOPO48 AAb but negative surviving-expressing CCC had a higher survival rate and a longer survival time than those with negative AAb but positive CCC (P = 0.01). The combination of TOPO48 AAb and survivin-expressing CCC may be used as a novel recipe to improve the efficiency of early diagnosis and provide more accurate prognostic prediction in patients with early stage EC.

Background Interleukin-37b (IL-37b), a vital negative regulator of the innate immune system, has been reported to be a tumor inhibitor in different type of cancers. However, little is known about the relationship between IL-37b and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the potential roles of IL-37b in HCC progression. Methods Subjects (n = 237) were recruited, and serum IL-37b was measured using ELISA. The tumor-suppressive capacity and underlying mechanisms of IL-37b in HCC were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results Compared to healthy controls, serum IL-37b levels were elevated in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients but decreased significantly in HBV-HCC patients, especially for those with portal venous tumor thrombus. Low level serum IL-37b in HBV-HCC patients correlated with high HCC stage and poor overall survival and disease-free survival. In vitro and in vivo, recombinant human IL-37b inhibited proliferation and metastasis in HCC cells. Furthermore, IL-37b inhibited epithelial mesenchymal transition in HCC cells in vitro by downregulating IL-6, pSTAT3 (Y705), N-cadherin, and vimentin expression and by upregulating E-cadherin expression. These effects were partially reversed by transfection of adenovirus encoding human IL-6. Conclusions IL-37b inhibits HCC growth, metastasis and epithelial mesenchymal transition by regulating IL-6/STAT3 signaling. Serum IL-37b may be a biomarker for HBV-HCC and its staging.

This study aimed to explore the rumen bacterial community of yak in response to dietary supplements during the cold season. In addition, the rumen fermentation products were also analyzed. Twenty-one female domestic yaks were randomly divided into three groups i.e., pure grazing (GG) group, grazing plus oats hay supplement (OG) group, and grazing plus concentrate supplement group (CG). Rumen contents were collected after 90 days to assess rumen fermentation parameters and bacterial community. The GC group presented higher concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (P < 0.001), and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) (P < 0.001), and lower rumen pH (P < 0.001) compared to other experimental groups. The CG group displayed higher proportions of propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate while lower A/P ratio compared to other experimental groups. Shannon, Chao1, and ACE values were significantly lower in the OG group compared to GG and CG groups. Anosim test showed significant differences in bacterial community structure between groups but the PCA plot was not very informative to see these differences. Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes were the three dominant phyla in all groups. The genera Oscillospira was more abundant in GG and OG groups. Higher relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Clostridium was observed in the GG group, while Ruminobacter, Corynebacterium, and Selenomonas were more abundant in the CG group. These findings will help in improving our understanding of rumen bacteria in yaks in response to changes in diet.

Pigmentary, vascular-related, and autoimmune dermatoses may occur in HIV/AIDS patients. This chapter includes cases of vitiligo, primary adrenal insufficiency, erythema nodosum, allergic cutaneous vasculitis, erythema induratum, spider telangiectasis, and bullous pemphigoid in HIV/AIDS patients.

Background: Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G), a non-classic class I antigen, has been well documented in that its concentrations in maternal peripheral blood are significantly lower in pregnant women with preeclampsia (PE) than those pregnant women without PE. However, the clinical significance of measuring serum HLA-G as a test for predicting PE development has not been studied. Methods: First, we determined cutoff values for serum HLA-G levels for PE in a retrospective case-control study with 100 PE patients and 300 non-PE pregnant women. Then, we performed a prospective unselected cohort study with 3,439 pregnant women. In the prospective study, pregnant women whose serum HLA-G levels were lower than the cutoff values and who had other PE risk factors were included in a PE rule-in group. In contrast, pregnant women whose serum HLA-G levels were greater than the cutoff values and who had no other PE risk factors were included in a PE rule-out group. The participants were followed up until end of study. Finding: The cutoff values of serum HLA-G levels for PE were established in the retrospective study. In the subsequent prospective study, we demonstrated that serum HLA-G levels lower than 80 U/mL at 10−13 gestational weeks (GW) in the PE rule-in group showed a positive predictive value for PE development with 83.78% sensitivity and 87.93% specificity while serum HLA-G levels higher than 80 U/mL at 10−13 GW in the PE rule-out group had a negative predictive value with 88.57% sensitivity and 97.14% specificity. Interpretation: Serum HLA-G levels lower than 80 U/mL in the first trimester of pregnancy can be used to predict the absence or presence of PE development in the third trimester of pregnancy. Funding Statement: Allowance to SMY for new technique development from provincial and municipal government department of Sichuan, Chengdu, P. R. China. Declaration of Interests: All authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The hospital review board (Second Affiliated Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, P.R. China) approved the study protocol. All participants provided their written informed consent.

In this paper, we analyze the dependence of the topological charge density from the overlap operator on the Wilson mass parameter in the overlap kernel by the symmetric multi-probing source (SMP) method. We observe that the non-trivial topological objects are removed as the Wilson mass is increased. A comparison of topological charge density calculated by the SMP method using fermionic definition with that of gluonic definition by the Wilson flow method is shown. A matching procedure for these two methods is used. We find that there is a best match for topological charge density between gluonic definition with varied Wilson flow time and fermionic definition with different Wilson mass. By using the matching procedure, the proper flow time of Wilson flow in the calculation of topological charge density can be estimated. As the lattice spacing $a$ decreases, the proper flow time also decreases, as expected., Comment: The title changed, some sections deleted and some sections updated. To be published in Chinese Physics C

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a kind of two-dimensional material with unique properties, and can be facilely prepared from low-cost precursors. It has promising application in CO2 capture. However, the low alkalinity of nitrogen species in g-C3N4 makes its interaction with CO2 very weak. Aiming to promote the use of g-C3N4 for CO2 capture, a class of amine-functionalized g-C3N4 adsorbents were designed in the present work. The amine-functionalized g-C3N4 adsorbents were prepared by physical impregnation of polyethylenimine (PEI), which contains many amine groups and exhibits extremely low volatility, into the stacked pores of g-C3N4. It is found that, after the amine functionalization, the performance of g-C3N4 for CO2 capture (including capacities and selectivities) are significantly improved. The highest CO2 capacity of PEI–g-C3N4 composites is 3.77 mmol/g when determined at 100 °C and ambient pressure, being superior to most of those of other g-C3N4 materials and solid amines reported in the lit...

Severe drug eruption (SDE), a common skin disease, becomes dangerous when it occurs in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Forty patients including HIV

Background We previously reported a novel tumor-associated antigen with a molecular weight of approximately 48 kDa that was a fragment derived from human DNA-topoisomerase I. The aim of this study is to further investigate the clinical significance of the autoantibody in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods We determined serum levels of the autoantibody in 127 NSCLC patients, 127 age-, sex-, and smoking history–matched healthy control subjects, and 38 patients with pulmonary benign tumors by using a specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the autoantibody. We then statistically evaluated its clinical application value. Results Serum levels of the autoantibody in NSCLC patients were significantly higher than in healthy control subjects and patients with benign tumors ( p = 0.001). The percentage of sera with a positive level of the autoantibody was 71.8%, 65.6%, 41.9%, and 48.0% in stages I, II, III, and IV of the cancer, respectively ( p = 0.049). The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve was 0.971 (95% confidence interval: 0.953 to 0988) for healthy controls and patients with benign tumors versus early stage NSCLC patients. Moreover, the overall survival rate of the patients in stages I, II, and IV with negative levels of the autoantibody was significantly lower than that of patients with positive levels of the autoantibody ( p = 0.013, 0.023, and 0.047 for stages I, II, and IV, respectively). Conclusions Our results indicate that the autoantibody can be used as a novel biomarker for the early diagnosis and prognosis of NSCLC.

Depression is a dysthymia disorder characterized by a pervasive or persistent mental disorder that causes mood, cognitive and memory deficits. J147, a curcumin analogue, increases brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and facilitates memory in animals. Because curcumin has the antidepressant-like activity, the present study investigated the potential antidepressant-like effects of J147 in the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension tests (TST) and the involvement of 5-HT receptors related to cAMP signaling. The results suggested that acute treatment of J147 at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg via gavage markedly reduced the duration of immobility in both TST and FST, either 1 h or 3 h after treatment, respectively. It did not alter locomotor activity but influence the immobile response. The molecular biological assays showed that 5-HT1A receptor expression was significantly increased at 1 h after treatment with J147 at a dose of 10 mg/kg. In addition, pre-treatment of mice with WAY-100635 blocked the J147's effect in the FST. 5-HT1B receptor expression was not significantly increased with increasing doses of J147. The 5-HT1B receptors antagonist isamoltan partially prevented J147's effect in the FST. The levels of downstream molecular targets, cAMP, PKA, pCREB and BDNF were significantly increased 1 h after treatment with J147 at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg. The up-regulated pCREB and BDNF levels lasted for 3 h after 10 mg/kg of J147. These findings demonstrated that J147 has antidepressant-like effects that are mediated, at least in part, by activating the 5-HT1A/cAMP/PKA/CREB/BDNF-signaling pathway.

Summary Acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a group of complicated syndromes with a high mortality rate. The administration of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) has been tested as a possible treatment method for AKI. The long-term evaluation of AKI induced by ischemia/reperfusion (IR) and the probable renal protection of ADMSCs are limited. In this study we have established a rat AKI model induced by IR and investigated the possible protective effects of ADMSCs. Adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups (n=6/each group). The MOCK group was as the normal control. Rats in the IR-AKI and IR-AKI+ADMSCs groups were subjected to IR injury by clamping both renal pedicles for 40 min. Rats in the MOCK and IR-AKI groups were injected with PBS via the tail vein as negative treatment controls. Rats in the IR-AKI+ADMSCs group received ADMSCs therapy (2×106 cells were injected into the rats via the tail vein). We found that ADMSC transplantation restored the pathologic morphology induced by IR-AKI to normal compared with the MOCK group, suggesting the reparative function of ADMSCs in kidney tissues. Compared with IR-induced AKI alone, ADMSC treatment significantly decreased the number of apoptotic cells, the level of total urinary protein and serum creatinine, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and TGF-β), and the inflammation-associated proteins (HGF and SDF1), but increased the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, and the anti-apoptotic regulator, Bcl-2. Our data have indicated that ADMSC transplantation may protect against IR-induced AKI by anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

For the practical design of a common-mode filter (CMF), the substrate uncertainty and process deviations always result in the stopband offset of the CMF at high frequencies. To compensate the stopband offset, in this paper, a general method for expanding the bandwidth of a CMF is proposed. A three-conductor model is used to analyze the coupling characteristic between the CMF and the differential lines, and then etching slot on the ground plane for stopband bandwidth expansion is developed. A wideband CMF with a central frequency around 25 GHz and an all-pass performance (from DC to 40 GHz) for differential signals is designed. Both the simulation and measurement results verify the effectiveness of the proposed improved CMF. The –10 dB stopband bandwidth of the coplanar CMF is increased by five times without SI problems. This greatly increases the robustness of the CMF against the substrate uncertainty and the printed circuit board process deviations.

Background: The production of autoantibodies against tumour-associated antigens (TAAs) is believed to reflect greater immunologic reactivity in cancer patients and enhanced immune surveillance for cancer cells. Over the past few decades, a number of different TAAs and their corresponding autoantibodies have been investigated. However, positive frequency of autoantibody detection in cancer patients has been relatively low. Here we describe a novel TAA that was a fragment derived from human DNA-topoiomerase I and an autoantibody against the novel TAA with relatively high positive frequency in the sera of early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: Serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot were used to discover a novel TAA with a molecular weight of 48 kDa separated by ion exchange chromatography. Autoantibody ELISA, immnohistochemistry and immunofluorescent staining, recombinant protein cloning/expression and western blot were used to identify the novel TAA. The association of the autoantibody against the novel TAA with early-stage carcinoma was explored by screening 203 stage I/II patients and 170 stage III/IV patients with NSCLC, GC, CRC or ESCC. Results: We identified the novel TAA as a fragment derived from human DNA-topoiomerase I (TOP1). We found that the novel TAA induced specific autoantibodies with a high prevalence that ranged from 58 to 72% in some of the most common types of cancer. We observed that the immune response against the novel TAA was associated with early stage ESCC, GC, CRC and NSCLC. Conclusions: The findings in this study suggest that the autoantibody against the novel TAA may be a potential biomarker for use in the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

In this exploratory study, near-threshold scattering of $D$ and $\bar{D}^*$ meson is investigated using lattice QCD with $N_f=2+1+1$ twisted mass fermion configurations. The calculation is performed within the coupled-channel L\"uscher's finite-size formalism. The study focuses on the channel with $I^G(J^{PC})=1^+(1^{+-})$ where the resonance-like structure $Z_c(3900)$ was discovered. We first identify the most relevant two channels of the problem and the lattice study is performed within the two-channel scattering model. Combined with a two-channel Ross-Shaw theory, scattering parameters are extracted from the energy levels by solving the generalized eigenvalue problem. Our results on the scattering length parameters suggest that, at the particular lattice parameters that we studied, the best fitted parameters do not correspond to a peak behavior in the elastic scattering cross section near the threshold. Furthermore, within the zero-range Ross-Shaw theory, the scenario of a narrow resonance close to the threshold is disfavored beyond $3\sigma$ level., Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, minor changes. Version accepted by Chinese Physics C