Search

Abstract Background Halyomorpha halys Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), is a highly polyphagous invasive pest worldwide. It is also known to be a nuisance pest as it enters artificial structures, including human habitats, to overwinter and releases very unpleasant odours when disturbed. Overwintering populations can be trapped and killed collectively by targeting the aggregation behaviour of BMSB adults. However, efficient traps for catching overwinter population have not been yet developed and validated. A novel and effective trapping method would be to design shelter traps in the field that entice and mass-trap overwintering BMSB as they initiate to display their typical aggregation behavior and seek shelter in the traps. Methods In this study conducted in Northwestern China, we designed different BMSB overwintering shelter traps made of different materials (i.e., wood or corflute) and lock types (with/without lock, pyrometric or strip door lock) and tested their efficacy at two different sites and three different locations within sites. We also tested the efficacy of the traps with or without the presence of the BMSB aggregation pheromone. Results Although trapped BMSB numbers were generally low across all traps tested, the black corflute trap was found to attract the highest average number of BMSB males and females, followed by the wooden-made trap, the bee-hive box and finally the wooden-made locked trap, which attracted the lowest numbers of BMSB. The trapping efficacy was found to not be affected by experimental sites or locations nor by the presence of the BMSB aggregation pheromone lure. Conclusions Our results showed that traps made of black corflute with slit doors were generally preferred by overwintering BMSB. This preliminary proof-of-concept study provides valuable information for further improvement of novel overwintering traps that could be used to mass trap BMSB overwintering populations.

Abstract Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Penta-tomidae), is a highly polyphagous and invasive insect pest with more than 300 plant species as hosts, including a wide range of economic crops. To date, several egg parasitoid species are reported to attack BMSB. In this study, two species of Trissolcus (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) and one Anastatus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) were recovered from field exposed BMSB sentinel eggs in Beijing, China. The wasps’ small size of only 1.5 mm and 4 mm in length make them difficult to identify morphologically and required taxonomist for identification of specific species. In addition, these parasitoids have morphology sibling species and have been misidentified several times in China. To overcome these problems, a molecular method with species-specific primers designed for the COI gene has been developed to identify Trissolcus, Anastatus and their host samples from field collected samples. After successful morphological confirmation with experts, DNA extractions were carried out from these samples. PCR amplification using published primers for T. japonicus, A. japonicus and BMSB specimens confirmed the species. As for T. cultratus, species specific primers TCYF and TCYR were developed which produce 340-bp PCR products length while no positive amplifications found in other wasps and host. Sensitivity analysis of markers revealed that TCYF and TCYR primers could detect as low a DNA template concentration as 0.00025 ng/μL. This indicates that PCR with these primers specifically and sensitively differentiates T. cultratus specimens from other similar wasp species. All the primers tested in this study could discriminate between parasitized and non-parasitized BMSB eggs. This molecular identification method shows promise for conveniently identifying Trissolcus and Anastatus species in host-parasitoid associations and accurately evaluating parasitism rates in the field.

This report highlights necessity of correctly and quickly identifying Littmann sign. Littmann sign is not common in clinical practice, which is easily overlooked by most physicians, leading to delays in the treatment of hyperkalemia. A 68 year old patient with hyperkalemia was found to have inconsistent heart rate displayed on electrocardiogram monitoring with cardiac auscultation and synchronous electrocardiogram in the early stages of onset. Hyperkalemia was highly suspected by the Littmann sign. After completing arterial blood gas analysis, hyperkalemia was identified and active potassium lowering treatment was immediately initiated. The Littmann syndrome disappeared, and the patient eventually recovered.

Introduction: The genus Trissolcus includes a number of egg parasitoids that are known to contribute to the control of Halyomorpha halys. The number of progenies, particularly females, is important for the efficient mass rearing of species used in augmentative biological control programs. Cold storage is an important technique for extending the shelf life of natural enemies used in such programs.Methods: We assessed how fecundity, sex ratio, lifespan, and the number of hosts parasitized within 24 h were affected by host density for T. japonicus and T. cultratus when offered fresh H. halys eggs and how these parameters were affected if adult parasitoids were first placed in cold storage (11°C in the dark) for 19 weeks before being used for propagation.Results: The fecundity were 110.2 and 84.2 offspring emerged at 25°C, for parasitoids not placed in cold storage; among the offspring that emerged, 82.6% and 85.6% were female for T. japonicus and T. cultratus, respectively. If first placed in cold storage, T. japonicus and T. cultratus produced 35.1 and 24.6 offspring per female, respectively, although cold storage significantly extended the shelf life. The survival rates of parasitoids that were placed in cold storage were 90.3% and 81.3% for females, and 3.2% and 0.9% for males of T. japonicus and T. cultratus, respectively. The number of hosts parasitized within 24 h was not shown to be density dependent, but it was significantly lower after cold storage.Discussion: This information can be used to estimate the likely production for augmented rearing colonies for use in biological control programs.

In the original publication [...]

Abstract Background Cervical cancer is the second most common female malignant tumor in the world. According to a study in 2018, the incidence of cervical cancer in Yunnan Province of China was 11.42 per 100,000, the mortality rate was 3.77 per 100,000, and higher than the national average. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can be used not only in the selection and effect evaluation of clinical treatment plans of cervical cancer, but also in the evaluation of prognosis and long-term survival status. In this study, 288 cervical cancer patients admitted to the Yunnan Cancer Hospital in Southwest China from 2018 to 2020 were used as the survey objects to understand the HRQoL of cervical cancer patients and explore the related factors that affect HRQoL. Methods The Chinese version of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-cervix (functional assessment of cancer therapy-cervix v4.0, FACT-Cx V4) was used to investigate 288 patients with cervical cancer in Yunnan Province. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, analysis of variance, multiple linear regression and other methods. Results The total FACT-Cx score of cervical cancer patients was (130.16 ± 14.20), the physical well-being (PWB) score was (22.02 ± 4.47), the social/family well-being (SWB) score was (25.66 ± 3.59), the emotional well-being (EWB) score was (19.75 ± 3.54), the functional well-being (FWB) score was (16.91 ± 5.01) and the additional focus area (cervical cancer subscale, CxS) score was (45.78 ± 4.61). From the multi-factor analysis results, the scores of PWB, FWB, Cxs and the total FACT-Cx were related to the choice of different treatment methods, the PWB scores of patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy was low(β = − 1.67, P = 0.003), the FWB scores of patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy was low(β = − 2.02, P = 0.001), the CxS scores of patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy was low(β = − 1.61, P = 0.006), the total score of FACT-Cx of patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy was low(β = − 5.91, P = 0.001). SWB score was affected by marital status, married patients had high PWB scores(β = 5.44, P = 0.006). The patients with heavy disease expenditures as aproportion of family disposable income(β = − 3.82, P = 0.002) and aged 60 and above(β = − 3.29, P = 0.003) had lower FWB scores. The total score FACT-Cx of patients participating in cervical cancer screening was higher(β = 7.61, P = 0.001). Conclusion The choice of treatment method is the common influencing factor of PWB, FWB, Cxs and the total FACT-Cx. Disease expenditures as a proportion of family disposable income, the treatment method, the marital status and whether to participate in cervical cancer screening affect the patient’s evaluation of their own HRQoL. Medical staff should pay special attention to the choice of different treatment methods, popularize vaccination knowledge and cervical cancer screening, give more humanistic care and health education to cervical cancer patients who have low education level, poor economic conditions, divorced or separated, and encourage patients to participate in active treatment to improve the health-related quality of life.

Global trade facilitates the introduction of invasive species that can cause irreversible damage to agriculture and the environment, as well as stored food products. The raisin moth (Cadra figulilella) is an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to fruits and dried foods. Climate change may exacerbate this threat by expanding moth’s distribution to new areas. In this study, we used CLIMEX and MaxEnt niche modeling tools to assess the potential global distribution of the raisin moth under current and future climate change scenarios. Our models projected that the area of suitable distribution for the raisin moth could increase by up to 36.37% by the end of this century under high emission scenario. We also found that excessive precipitation decreased the probability of raisin moth establishment and that the optimum temperature range for the species during the wettest quarter of the year was 0–18 °C. These findings highlight the need for future research to utilize a combined modeling approach to predict the distribution of the raisin moth under current and future climate conditions more accurately. Our results could be used for environmental risk assessments, as well as to inform international trade decisions and negotiations on phytosanitary measures with regards to this invasive species.

The MOS-controlled Thyristor (MCT) has been characterized by MOS-gating, high current rise rate, and high blocking capability. The anode short MCT (AS-MCT) is distinguished from conventional MCT by an anode-short structure, which develops a normally-off characteristic. As a composite structure made of metal-oxide-silicon and bipolar junction transistors, AS-MCT is susceptible to displacement damage induced by energetic radiation. The anode trigger current which denotes the latch-up of internal thyristor structure is a key parameter for AS-MCTs. From the aspects of devices physics, we propose a model to describe the displacement damage on trigger current. Our model provides an excellent fit to the experimental data of the AS-MCT samples subjected to fission neutrons with flux in the range of $3.1\times 10^{9}-5.5\times 10^{13}\,\,\mathrm {cm}^{-2}$ . Moreover, this work shows that the high injection effect can alleviate the displacement damage of trigger current following high flux exposures.

The MOS-controlled Thyristor (MCT) has been characterized by MOS-gating, high current rise rate, and high blocking capabilities. The anode short MCT (AS-MCT) is distinguished from the conventional MCT by an anode-short structure, which forms an extracting path for the leakage current at the gate-ground and develops a normally-off characteristic. The AS-MCTs are ideal switches for pulse discharge application. As a composite structure made of metal-oxide-silicon and bipolar junction transistors, AS-MCT is susceptible to ionization damage. This work reports the experimental results for the degradation of zero-load (or short) pulse discharge circuit characteristics induced by the ionization damage of its AS-MCT switch following cobalt- $60~\gamma $ -ray dose up to 9160 Gy(SiO2). The radiation-induced leakage current in AS-MCT accounts for the degradations of charging time and peak surging current of the pulse discharge circuit. These degradations show a “tick”-like dependence on the $\gamma $ -ray dose which are recoverable after high dose exposures, thousands of Gy(SiO2). From device and circuit physics perspectives, the damages on pulse discharge circuit are modelled, and then, this article proposes, the mechanism behind the characteristics degradation of pulse discharge circuit from the total ionization dose damage of AS-MCT switch.

Riptortus pedestris Fabricius (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is an economically important pest of soybean that causes serious damage in the Huang-Huai-Hai region of China, which is the main soybean-producing area. However, the basic biological and ecological attributes of the Chinese populations of R. pedestris are still unknown. Temperature is a critical factor influencing insect population dynamics; therefore, understanding the effects of temperature on individual development and population growth of R. pedestris is helpful to forecast the pest’s phenology as part of its control. In this study, we determined age–stage, two-sex life table parameters of R. pedestris at five constant temperatures (19, 22, 25, 28, and 31 °C) under laboratory conditions. The results demonstrated that the developmental period, preadult time, adult longevity, adult preoviposition period (APOP), and total preoviposition period (TPOP) were all significantly shortened when the temperature increased from 19 to 31 °C. The developmental time from egg to adult was 55.00 d at 19 °C but decreased to 24.43 d at 31 °C. The developmental threshold temperatures of the egg, nymph, female adult, male adult, and total generation (from egg to adult death) were 13.31, 10.91, 16.21, 17.13, and 13.44 °C, respectively, and the corresponding stage-specific day degree totals were 95.91, 260.51, 114.22, 147.35, and 582.04. The net reproductive rate (R0 = 2.36 offspring), fecundity (58.00 ± 28.59 eggs), and population trend index (I) (7.89) were found to be optimal at 25 °C. These results could be useful for predicting the population dynamics of R. pedestris and improving the management of this pest in field crops.

Abstract Background CD4+ T cells are critical effectors of anti-tumor immunity, but how tumor cells influence CD4+ T cell effector function is not fully understood. Tumor cell-released autophagosomes (TRAPs) are being recognized as critical modulators of host anti-tumor immunity during tumor progression. Here, we explored the mechanistic aspects of TRAPs in the modulation of CD4+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Methods TRAPs isolated from tumor cell lines and pleural effusions or ascites of cancer patients were incubated with CD4+ T cells to examine the function and mechanism of TRAPs in CD4+ T cell differentiation and function. TRAPs-elicited CD4+ T cells were tested for their suppression of effector T cell function, induction of regulatory B cells, and promotion of tumorigenesis and metastasis in a mouse model. Results Heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) on the surface of TRAPs from malignant effusions of cancer patients and tumor cell lines stimulated CD4+ T cell production of IL-6 via a TLR2–MyD88–NF-κB signal cascade. TRAPs-induced autocrine IL-6 further promoted CD4+ T cells secretion of IL-10 and IL-21 via STAT3. Notably, TRAPs-elicited CD4+ T cells inhibited CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cell function in an IL-6- and IL-10-dependent manner and induced IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (Bregs) via IL-6, IL-10 and IL-21, thereby promoting tumor growth and metastasis. Consistently, inhibition of tumor autophagosome formation or IL-6 secretion by CD4+ T cells markedly retarded tumor growth. Furthermore, B cell or CD4+ T cell depletion impeded tumor growth by increasing effector T cell function. Conclusions HSP90α on the surface of TRAPs programs the immunosuppressive functions of CD4+ T cells to promote tumor growth and metastasis. TRAPs or their membrane-bound HSP90α represent important therapeutic targets to reverse cancer-associated immunosuppression and improve immunotherapy.

Introduction In this secondary analysis of the Metformin and AcaRbose in Chinese as the initial Hypoglycaemic treatment (MARCH) trial, we evaluated what demographic and clinical factors were associated with reduction in weight. We also assessed the effects of acarbose and metformin treatment on weight reduction. Material and methods We analyzed the demographic and clinical laboratory values from the 784 patients with type 2 diabetes of the MARCH study who were treated for 48 weeks with acarbose or metformin. We determined the association of the different parameters with a weight reduction of ≥ 2 kg in patients using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results In patients treated with acarbose, males were less likely than females to lose ≥ 2 kg of weight (p = 0.025). Higher baseline HbA 1c levels and lower decreases from baseline in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels after 48 weeks of treatment were negatively associated with losing ≥ 2 kg of weight (both, p < 0.05). Higher baseline glucagon AUC was also positively associated with reducing weight by ≥ 2 kg (p = 0.010). In patients treated with metformin, change from baseline in whole body insulin sensitivity increased the odds of having a weight reduction of ≥ 2 kg (p = 0.014). Conclusions This study found that for both acarbose and metformin, control of FPG significantly impacted weight loss. Baseline AUC for glucagon in patients treated with acarbose and an increase of whole body insulin sensitivity after 48 weeks of treatment with metformin were important factors for weight reduction.

Abstract Background Pollen tube formation and growth are crucial steps that lead to seed production. Despite the importance of pollen tube growth, the molecular mechanisms implicated in its spatial and temporal control are not fully known. In this study, we found an uclacyanin gene, OsUCL8, that regulates pollen intine deposition and pollen tube growth. Findings The overexpression of OsUCL8 led to a striking irregularity in pollen tube growth and pollination and thus affected the seed setting rate in rice; many pollen tubes appeared to lose the ability to grow directly into the style. Conversely, plants with OsUCL8 knocked out and plants overexpressing miR408, a negative regulator of OsUCL8, had vigorous pollens with a higher germination rate. We further demonstrated that OsUCL8 mainly affects pollen intine formation. The addition of Vitamin B1 (VB1) significantly contributed to the germination of OXUCL8 pollen grains, suggesting that OsUCL8 could be associated with VB1 production. Using a yeast two-hybrid system, we revealed that OsUCL8 interacts with the protein OsPKIWI, a homolog of the Arabidopsis FNRL protein. We thus hypothesized that OsUCL8 might regulate the production of VB components by interacting with OsPKIWI. This study revealed a novel molecular mechanism of pollen tube growth regulation. Conclusions The rice plantacyanin family member OsUCL8 plays an important role in pollen tube formation and growth and, in turn, regulates fertility and the seed setting rate.

Halyomorpha halys is a major herbivore insect in the fruit orchards of China that has become a devastating invasive pest in North America and Europe since its accidental introductions in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively. Like other hemipteran insects, H. halys releases defensive chemicals against natural enemies, including (E)-2-decenal, which is an aldehyde associated with alarm pheromones. In this study, a series of electrophysiological and behavioral tests were conducted to characterize the alarm functions of (E)-2-decenal among H. halys adults and nymphs. An antennal transcriptome was obtained from a Chinese H. halys population, and 44 odorant-binding protein (OBP) genes were annotated. Among them, five putative alarm pheromone-binding proteins were screened and were extremely consistent with their homologs from US populations. These five OBPs were later expressed in a heterologous expression system, harvested, and then challenged with (E)-2-decenal in a binding assay. All five OBPs showed high binding activities to (E)-2-decenal, which demonstrated its behavioral significance as a defensive component in H. halys, as well as being the first report of its olfactory reception. These findings will help develop behavioral-mediating tools as part of integrated pest management approaches to control this invasive pest.

Mitreola viridiflora, a new endemic species from southern Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to M. crystallina, M. pedicellata and M. reticulata, but can be distinguished from them by its urceolate yellow-green corolla, ovate-triangular corolla lobes, stamens inserted near middle of corolla tube, style much longer than ovary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient global ischemia (TGI) is a major public health problem, and it heightens the need of effective treatments. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether recombinant polypeptide Tat-HA-NR2B9c improves spatial learning and memory deficits in rats after TGI. Rats were subjected to 20-min ischemia induced by four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) method and daily injected with Tat-HA-NR2B9c (1.12 mg/kg) for 1 week. Tat-HA-NR2B9c increased CREB activity, upregulated B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) expression after treated for 24 h. There was a significant increase in dendrite spine density in hippocampal CA1 region and BrdU-positive cells and BrdU/NeuN-positive cells in the dentate gyrus after Tat-HA-NR2B9c treatment, compared with ischemia group at postischemic day 28. Inhibition of the CREB activation by recombinant lentivirus, LV-CREB133-GFP, abolished the upregulation effects of Tat-HA-NR2B9c on Bcl-2 expression. Moreover, Tat-HA-NR2B9c improved the impaired spatial learning and memory ability in Morris water maze. These results suggest that Tat-HA-NR2B9c substantially ameliorated the TGI-induced loss of dendrite spine in hippocampal CA1, increased neurogenesis in dentate gyrus, and significantly improved cognitive abilities by the CREB pathway in rats after transient global cerebral ischemia. It may be served as a treatment for TGI.

Seed setting rate is one of the most important components of rice grain yield. To date, only several genes regulating setting rate have been identified in plant. In this study, we showed that laccase-13 (OsLAC13), a member of laccase family genes which are known for their roles in modulating phenylpropanoid pathway and secondary lignification in cell wall, exerts a regulatory function in rice seed setting rate. OsLAC13 expressed in anthers and promotes hydrogen peroxide production both in vitro and in the filaments and anther connectives. Knock-out of OsLAC13 showed significantly increased seed setting rate, while overexpression of this gene exhibited induced mitochondrial damage and suppressed sugar transportation in anthers, which in turn affected seed setting rate. OsLAC13 also induced H2O2 production and mitochondrial damage in the root tip cells which caused the lethal phenotype. We also showed that high abundant of OsmiR397, the suppressor of OsLAC13 mRNA, increased the seed setting rate of rice plants, and restrains H2O2 accumulation in roots during oxidative stress. Our results suggested a novel regulatory role of OsLAC13 gene in regulating seed setting rate by affecting H2O2 dynamics and mitochondrial integrity in rice.

Serofast, a persistent nontreponemal serological response observed in early syphilis patients after conventional treatment, remains a concern of clinicians and syphilis patients. No consensus has been established, however, that defines an effective treatment strategy and clarifies the pathogenesis. In this study, 517 patients with early syphilis were enrolled and treated. Twelve months after treatment, 79.3% (410/517) of patients achieved serological cure, 20.1% (104/517) were serofast, and 0.6% (3/517) were serological failures. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that older age (>40 years) and lower baseline RPR titer (≤ 1:8) were associated with serofast status. We also identified 21 T. pallidum molecular subtypes among early syphilis patients and detected a new subtype, 14i/a. We found that the proportion of 14i/a type in serofast patients was significantly higher than that in patients with serological cure, predicting an increasing risk of serofast status. Levels of chemerin were higher in the serum of serofast cases than serological cure cases, potentially indicating a novel cytokine marker for serofast in early syphilis patients after therapy. We hope that these results contribute to improve guidelines for the management of syphilis patients who experience serofast.

We have recently reported that soluble calreticulin (CRT) accumulates in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. Moreover, following self-oligomerization, soluble recombinant CRT (rCRT) polypeptides exhibit potent immunostimulatory activities including macrophage activation in vitro and antibody induction in vivo. This study was designed to further investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms for soluble CRT-induced macrophage activation. Treatment of murine macrophages with oligomerized rCRT (OrCRT) led to (i) TNF-α and IL-6 transcription and protein expression without affecting intracellular mRNA stability; and (ii) IκBα degradation, NFκB phosphorylation and sustained MAPK phosphorylation in cells. Inhibition of IKK and JNK in macrophages substantially abrogated production of TNF-α and IL-6 induced by OrCRT, while ERK suppression only reduced IL-6 expression in parallel experiments. In vitro, fucoidan, a scavenger receptor A (SRA)-specific ligand, significantly reduced the uptake of FITC-labeled OrCRT by macrophages and subsequent MAPK and NFκB activation, thereby suggesting SRA as one of the potential cell surface receptors for soluble CRT. Together, these data indicate that soluble CRT in oligomerized form could play a pathogenic role in autoimmune diseases through induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α and IL-6) by macrophages via MAPK-NFκB signaling pathway.

Up to now, there has been no report on target molecules detection by a piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor. In order to evaluate the test performance and investigate the response dynamic characteristics of a piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor, a novel method for ricin detection and kinetic analysis based on a piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor was proposed, where ricin aptamer was immobilised on the microcantilever surface by biotin-avidin binding system. Results showed that the detection limit of ricin was 0.04μg L−1 (S/N ≥ 3). A linear relationship between the response voltage and the concentration of ricin in the range of 0.2μg L−1-40μg L−1 was obtained, with the linear regression equation of ΔUe = 0.904C + 5.852 (n = 5, R = 0.991, p < 0.001). The sensor showed no response for abrin, BSA, and could overcome the influence of complex environmental disruptors, indicating high specificity and good selectivity. Recovery and reproducibility in the result of simulated samples (simulated water, soil, and flour sample) determination met the analysis requirements, which was 90.5∼95.5% and 7.85%∼9.39%, respectively. On this basis, a reaction kinetic model based on ligand-receptor binding and the relationship with response voltage was established. The model could well reflect the dynamic response of the sensor. The correlation coefficient (R) was greater than or equal to 0.9456 (p < 0.001). Response voltage (ΔUe) and response time (t0) obtained from the fitting equation on different concentrations of ricin fitted well with the measured values.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact and cost-benefit value of pharmacist interventions for prophylactic antibiotic use in surgical patients undergoing clean or clean-contaminated operations. METHODS: A pre-to-post intervention study was performed in the Department of Urological Surgery of a tertiary hospital. Patients admitted from January through June 2011, undergoing clean or clean-contaminated surgery, served as the pre-intervention group; patients admitted from January through June 2012 formed the post-intervention group. Pharmacist interventions were performed for the surgeries in the post-intervention group. The criteria for the rational use of antibiotic prophylaxis were established by the hospital administration. The pharmacist interventions included real-time monitoring of medical records and controlling of the prescriptions of prophylactic antibiotics against the criteria. The pre- and post-intervention groups were then compared to evaluate the outcomes of the pharmacist interventions. A cost-benefit analysis was performed to determine the economic effects of implementing the pharmacist intervention on preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. RESULTS: After the pharmacist intervention, a significant decrease was found in the rate of no indications for prophylactic antibiotic use (p = 0.004), the rate of broad-spectrum antibiotic use (p

αν and β1 integrins mediate Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in primary hippocampal neurons. We treated hippocampal neurons with 2.5 µg/mL 17E6 and 5 µg/mL ab58524, which are specific αν and β1 integrin antagonists, respectively, for 42 h prior to 10 µM Aβ treatment. Next, we employed small interfering RNA (siRNA) to silence focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a downstream target gene of integrins. The siRNAs were designed with a target sequence, an MOI of 10 and the addition of 5 µg/mL polybrene. Under these conditions, the neurons were transfected and the apoptosis of different cell types was detected. Moreover, we used real-time PCR and Western blotting analyses to detect the expression of FAK and ρFAK genes in different cell types and investigated the underlying mechanism and signal pathway by which αν and β1 integrins mediate Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons. An MTT assay showed that both 17E6 and ab58524 significantly increased cell viability compared with the Aβ-treated neurons (P