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To generate the Chinese Sleep Health Index (SHI-C) in Mandarin with cross-cultural adaptations and test its psychometric properties.This study used a cross-sectional design. Health science students were included (N = 271) and a sub-set (n = 74) was invited for the re-test. Cross-cultural adaptation of the SHI-C was performed prior to formal validation. The SHI-C, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and Sleep Hygiene Index were used to measure variables of interest. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the structure validity. Bivariate analyses were used to evaluate the construct validity.Exploratory factor analysis identified 3 factors (ie, sleep quality, sleep duration, and disordered sleep) accounting for 55.6% of the total variance. The SHI-C total and sleep quality sub-index scores were significantly associated with both PSQI global score (r = -0.132, p.05; r = -0.182, p.01, respectively) and ISI score (r = -0.655, p.05; r = -0.820, p.05, respectively). SHI-C total, sleep quality sub-index, and sleep duration sub-index scores were significantly associated with Bedtime Procrastination Scale and Sleep Hygiene Index scores (r = -0.238 to -0.368, p.05). Students with insomnia (ISI9) or poor sleep quality (PSQI5) had significantly lower SHI-C scores than those without (73.5 vs. 89.0, p.01; 84.1 vs. 86.7, p.05, respectively). SHI-C showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.73) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.82).The SHI-C demonstrated good validity and adequate reliability in a Chinese sample of health science students. It could be used to measure sleep health in future research and practice. Psychometric properties of the SHI-C among other Chinese populations remain to be confirmed.

Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Sleep Health Index (SHI-C) among pregnant women. Methods This study used a cross-sectional design. Pregnant women (N=264) from three public hospitals in China were recruited through a convenience sampling method. The Sleep Health Index (SHI-C) was used to measure sleep health. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used to measure sleep quality and insomnia, respectively. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were used to measure daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and depression, respectively. Structural validity was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Concurrent and convergent validity were assessed using bivariate correlation analyses. Known-group validity was assessed by comparing the SHI-C score between different groups. Cronbach’s α was calculated for reliability. Results The sample was 30.6 years on average. CFA confirmed the three-factor structure of SHI-C. The SHI-C total and sleep quality sub-index scores had moderate to strong correlations with both PSQI (r=-0.542, p< 0.01; r=-0.648, p< 0.01) and ISI (r=-0.692, p< 0.01; r=-0.752, p< 0.01). The SHI-C total and sleep quality sub-index scores were significantly associated with ESS, FAS, and EPDS (r=-0.171 to -0.276; p< 0.01). The SHI-C total score also differed based on work status (p< 0.01), trimester (p< 0.01), coffee intake (p< 0.05), taking a nap (p< 0.05), subclinical insomnia (p< 0.01), and poor sleep quality (p< 0.01). The Cronbach’s α of the SHI-C total and the sleep quality sub-index were 0.723 and 0.806, respectively. The Cronbach's α of sleep duration and disordered sleep sub-indices were 0.594 and 0.545, respectively. Conclusion Overall, the SHI-C has good validity and acceptable reliability among the pregnant population in China. It can be a useful tool for the assessment of sleep health. More research is warranted to refine the sleep duration and disordered sleep sub-indices. Support (if any) This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [71904119], and Innovation Research Team of High-Level Local Universities in Shanghai [SHSMU-ZDCX20212800]. Bingqian Zhu was supported by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission “Young Eastern Scholar” (China).

Homologous to the E6-associated protein carboxyl terminus domain containing 3 (HECTD3) has been reported to play a role in carcinogenesis. Here, we explored the role of HECTD3 in regulating the radiation resistance of glioma, and the underlying mechanism. HECTD3 expressions in glioma tissues were assessed using Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Glioma cells were exposed to 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-Gy X-ray to mimic the radiation treatment. Cell count kit-8 (CCK-8), clone formation assay, flow cytometry assay, transwell chambers and animal assay were used to test cell viability, apoptosis, migration, invasiveness and tumourigenesis, respectively. HECTD3 expression was increased in glioma tissues, especially from patients with radiation resistance. Knockdown of HECTD3 promoted cell apoptosis and inhibited cell viability under the condition of 8-Gy X-ray, as well as suppressed cell migration and invasiveness. In mechanism, HECTD3 positively regulated ZEB1 (zinc finger E-box binding hemeobox 1) expression through regulating the ubiquitination of liver kinase B1 (LKB1) protein. Overexpression of ZEB1 significantly abolished the effects of HECTD3 downregulation in inhibiting the radiation resistance and migration of glioma cells. Moreover, downregulation of HECTD3 further enhanced the anti-tumour effect of X-ray on glioma growth in vivo. In conclusion, HECTD3 was overexpressed in glioma patients with radiation resistance. Knockdown of HECTD3 sensitized glioma cells to radiation and inhibited cell migration by downregulating ZEB1 expression via regulating the ubiquitination of LKB1 protein. This study reveals that HECTD3 might be a potent target to enhance the radiation sensitivity of glioma.

Circular RNA (circRNA) has been shown to be involved in the regulation of human disease progression. Our study aims to reveal the role of circ_0060055 in the progression of glioblastoma (GBM) and its potential molecular mechanism. The expression of circ_0060055, microRNA (miR)-197-3p, and apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API5) was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. GBM cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion were assessed using cell counting kit 8 assay, colony formation assay, EdU assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay. Besides, the radiosensitivity of cells also was assessed using colony formation assay. The interaction between miR-197-3p and circ_0060055 or API5 was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. Animal experiments were conducted to measure the effect of circ_0060055 on GBM tumor growth and radiosensitivity in vivo. Circ_0060055 was overexpressed in GBM tumor tissues and cells, and its silencing suppressed GBM cell proliferation and invasion, while promoted apoptosis and radiosensitivity. In terms of mechanism, circ_0060055 could interact with miR-197-3p, and miR-197-3p could target API5. API5 expression also could be positively regulated by circ_0060055. Function experiments suggested that miR-197-3p inhibitor abolished the effect of circ_0060055 knockdown on GBM cell growth, invasion, and radiosensitivity. MiR-197-3p repressed GBM cell progression and improved radiosensitivity, and this effect was eliminated by API5 upregulation. In vivo experiments confirmed that circ_0060055 knockdown reduced GBM tumor growth and enhanced the radiosensitivity of tumors. This study revealed that circ_0060055 contributed to GBM progression and radioresistance through miR-197-3p/API5 pathway, providing a potential target for GBM treatment.

Aims: To investigate the immune and gastrointestinal functional effects of lienal polypeptide (LP) treatment in tumor-bearing mice and carcinoma patients receiving radiotherapy (RT), and to detect hematological indicators and T lymphocyte subsets. Methods: Tumor-bearing mice were randomly divided into five groups: the control group, the RT group, the RT+LP-L (1.7 mg/kg, low dosage of LP) group, the RT+LP-M (5.2 mg/kg, middle dosage of LP) group, and the RT+LP-H (10.4 mg/kg, high dosage of LP) group. In addition, carcinoma patients were randomly divided into two groups. The observation group was given LP during RT, and the control group was only treated with RT. We then compared the myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reactions, and clinical efficacy among groups. Results: In the animal experiments, compared with the control group, the number of leukocytes and lymphocytes of the mice in the “RT” group decreased (p

This review explored the associations between sleep variability and cardiometabolic health. It was performed following PRISMA guidelines. We identified 63 studies. Forty-one studies examined the association between sleep variability and body composition, with 29 examined body mass index (BMI). Thirteen studies used social jet lag (SJL), n = 30,519, with nine reporting a null association. Eight studies used variability in sleep duration (n = 33,029), with five reporting a correlation with BMI. Fourteen studies (n = 133,403) focused on overweight/obesity; significant associations with sleep variability were found in 11 (n = 120,168). Sleep variability was associated with weight gain (seven studies; n = 79,522). Twenty-three studies examined glucose outcomes. The association with hemoglobin A1c (16 studies, n = 11,755) differed depending on populations, while associations with diabetes or glucose were mixed, and none were seen with insulin resistance (five studies; n = 6416). Sixteen studies examined cardiovascular-related outcomes, with inconsistent results. Overall significant associations were found in five studies focusing on metabolic syndrome (n = 7413). In summary, sleep variability was likely associated with obesity, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome. It might be associated with hemoglobin A1c in people with type 1 diabetes. The associations with other outcomes were mixed. This review highlighted the possible association between sleep variability and cardiometabolic health.

Background Talaromyces marneffei (TM) is an emerging pathogenic fungus that can cause a fatal systemic mycosis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although global awareness regarding HIV/TM coinfection is increasing little is known about the mechanism that mediates the rapid progression to HIV/AIDS disease in coinfected individuals. The aim of this study was to analyze the serum proteome of HIV/TM coinfected patients and to identify the associated protein biomarkers for TM in patients with HIV/AIDS. Methods We systematically used multiplexed isobaric tandem mass tag labeling combined with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to screen for differentially expressed proteins in the serum samples from HIV/TM-coinfected patients. Results Of a total data set that included 1099 identified proteins, approximately 86% of the identified proteins were quantified. Among them, 123 proteins were at least 1.5-fold up-or downregulated in the serum between HIV/TM-coinfected and HIV-mono-infected patients. Furthermore, our results indicate that two selected proteins (IL1RL1 and THBS1) are potential biomarkers for distinguishing HIV/TM-coinfected patients. Conclusions This is the first report to provide a global proteomic profile of serum samples from HIV/TM-coinfected patients. Our data provide insights into the proteins that are involved as host response factors during infection. These data shed new light on the molecular mechanisms that are dysregulated and contribute to the pathogenesis of HIV/TM coinfection. IL1RL1 and THBS1 are promising diagnostic markers for HIV/TM-coinfected patients although further large-scale studies are needed. Thus, quantitative proteomic analysis revealed molecular differences between the HIV/TM-coinfected and HIV-mono-infected individuals, and might provide fundamental information for further detailed investigations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12014-018-9219-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Treatments of brain diseases are heavily limited by the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which precludes efficient drug delivery to the brain. Compared with the BBB, drugs may have a better likelihood of reaching the brain via the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) because of the lack of a barrier between the CSF and the brain. In this study, phage display technology was effectively applied to screen novel peptides as targeting motifs to transport drugs across the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB). We applied a phage seven-mer cyclic peptide library (Ph.D.-C7C™) intravenously to rats and later recovered phages from the CSF. After several rounds of screening, the candidate phages that could cross the BCSFB were enriched. Several bacteriophage clones from the final round were randomly selected and sequenced. A peptide sequence denoted as PMK, which was demonstrated to be able to cross the BCSFB via in vivo optical imaging analysis, could be used in the future for the construction of targeted drug delivery systems.

The South Yellow Sea continental shelf, with a wide area of shallow waters, is located at the intersection of the rotating tidal wave system in the west of the South Yellow Sea and the tidal wave system in the East China Sea. The South Yellow Sea has a unique radiation sandbar terrain, and there are large currents of sand ridges and current channels. Most of the current researches focus on the development and evolution mechanisms of Radial Sand Ridges. However, there are few studies on the influence of tidal waves on terrain in this region. In this paper, the three-dimensional numerical model FVCOM (Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model) was used to simulate the tidal propagation in the South Yellow Sea and was verified with measurements. This paper compares the changes in the tidal wave of the South Yellow Sea with and without the effect of Radial Sand Ridges to analyze the topographic effect. The changes of tidal wave shape, tidal current velocity, the redistribution of tidal energy and the distribution of tidal mixed zone were analyzed. This research has important implications for the prediction of tides, the development of fisheries and the maintenance of the ecological environment of the South Yellow Sea. The results show that the shape of tidal wave is distorted by the radial sand ridges: mainly, the duration of tidal ebbing is longer than that of tidal flooding. The distortion becomes distinct as the tidal wave approaches the shore, implying that the closer the tidal wave gets to the shore, the greater the nonlinear effect will be. The presence of the Radial Sand Ridges makes the flow rate of the radial inlet larger than 1 m/s, and the flow rate of both the rising tide and the ebbing tide is greater than that of the Waste Yellow River Estuary and the South Yangtze Estuary. At the same time, the existence of the special terrain enlarges the tidal energy flux, speeds up the tidal energy dissipation, and also makes the critical values of the tidal mixing front closer to the shore, namely the tidal mixing zone becoming shoreward. The Radial Sand Ridges also turns down the value of nearshore-stratification parameter. The sea-water blending is more severe in this area, compared to an idealized case with a flat shelf covering the South Yellow Sea. The range of influence of Radial Sand Ridges on tidal current velocity, tidal energy flux, tidal energy dissipation and tidal front position is relatively uniform. It has affected from the eastern part of the Shandong peninsula (around 122°E) across the Radial Sand Ridges to the southern Yangtze River estuary.

It is always a challenge in the field of process mining to mine the non-free choice construct combining choice and synchronization from the event log. To solve this problem, we propose an improved process mining algorithms based on the genetic process mining. In this paper, we present a new definition of the ordering relations that can determine long distance dependency, which can build the initial population more biasedly, and prepare sufficient high quality individuals for subsequent evolutionary calculations. Then we can reduce the search space and avoid the existence of inferior individual. Mining results are validated by fitness, precision and generalization. Experimental results show that the improved algorithm is better than the existing algorithm for mining non-free choice construct. These improvements make the mining of process model more accurately reflecting the business processes.

The association between opportunistic infection (OI) and anaemia among HIV-infected patients remains to be studied. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia in hospitalised HIV-infected patients to reveal the association between OI and anaemia. We conducted a retrospective study of HIV-positive hospitalised patients from June 2016 to December 2017 in Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University. Patients’ information on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were carefully collected. The comparison of anaemia prevalence between groups was conducted withχ2test. A logistic regression model was carried out to analyse the predictors of anaemia. The total prevalence of anaemia in hospitalised HIV-infected patients was 55.15%. The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe anaemia was 41.42%, 11.08% and 2.64%, respectively. Predictors independently associated with anaemia were: CD4 counts P= 0.003), CD4 counts 50–199 cells/μl (OR: 6.303, 95% CI = 1.874–21.203,P= 0.003), co-infection with tuberculosis (TB) (OR: 2.703, 95% CI = 1.349–5.414,P= 0.005) or Penicillium marneffei (PM) (OR: 7.162, 95% CI = 3.147–15.299,P< 0.001). In Fujian, China, more than half inpatients with HIV were anaemic, but severe anaemia is infrequent. Lower CD4 counts, co-infection with TB or PM were independent risk factors for anaemia. Chinese HIV patients especially with TB, PM infection and low CD4 level should be routinely detected for anaemia to improve therapy.

e17509 Background: Anlotinib is a novel small molecule antiangiogenic drug, which can inhibit multiple tyrosine kinase receptor activity. Its antitumor activity has been proved in various cancers, including gynecological tumors. This retrospective study explored the efficacy and safety of anlotinib monotherapy or anlotinib combined chemotherapy in cervical cancer patients who have disease progressed or metastasis after chemoradiotherapy. Methods: 28 patients with cervical cancer admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled. These patients who had received radiotherapy and at least one line chemotherapy had tumor progression or metastasis. 13 patients received anlotinib monotherapy (12mg/d from day 1 to day 14 in a 21-day cycle) and 15 patients received chemotherapy combined with the anlotinib. Treatment was continued until disease progression or death or intolerable adverse events. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR), and the secondary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. Results: As of Dec 31 2020, no one was lost follow up. 2 patients were still under treatment, and 26 patients were evaluable. 1 CR, 6 PR, 13 SD, 6 PD, yielding the ORR of 26.92%, and the DCR of 76.92%. The median PFS for receiving anlotinib monotherapy was 4.57 (95% CI, 3.85-5.29) months, and 8.47 (95% CI, 5.09-11.85) months for combination group. The most common adverse events (AEs)were grade 1, including hypertension (46.43%), anemia (42.85%) and fatigue (39.29%). Grade 3 AEs were hypertension(10.71%) and anemia(7.14%). No higher grade AEs occurred. Conclusions: Anlotinib is safe and effective for patients with advanced cervical cancer after chemoradiotherapy, and it is well tolerated.

Effects of polo-like kinase (PLK1) on proliferation, migration and invasion capacities of gastric cancer cells through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were investigated. Small-interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) with targeted interference in PLK1 gene was designed and transfected into gastric cancer MGC-803 cells via Lipofectamine to inhibit the expression of PLK1 gene in MGC-803 cells. The proliferation of MGC-803 cells was detected via methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The mRNA and protein expression of PLK1 and EMT-related marker (E-cadherin) was detected via real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. The effects of interference in PLK1 gene on migration and invasion of MGC-803 cells were studied via wound healing assay and Transwell chamber assay, respectively. Results of MTT assay showed that compared with that in control group, the cell proliferation in PLK1 siRNA group was significantly inhibited (p

To investigate the therapeutic effect of conversion therapy and its correlation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in unresectable rectal cancer with liver metastasis. A total of 116 cases of unresectable rectal cancer patients with liver metastasis were randomly divided into control and observation group, 58 cases in each group, all of these patients were treated by conversion therapy, patients in control were treated by FOLFOXIRI treatment program, and in observation group were treated by FOLFOXIRI program treatment and bevacizumab. Efficacy and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups, the levels of VEGF in portal vein and the expression of VEGF in cancer tissue were compared, after 5 years of follow-up, the prognosis of the two groups were observed. Objective efficiency and conversion rate of observation was significantly higher than the control group, survival rate of postoperative observation was significantly higher than that of control group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). The positive rate of VEGF in portal vein blood and the expression of VEGF in the observation was significantly lower than that in the control group (P

Antisense lncRNAs play a key role in the progression of multiple cancers. Thus, it is important to elucidate the function and mechanism of antisense lncRNAs, which may play a role in the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). In the current study, for the first time, we showed that the level of As-SLC7A11 was markedly reduced in EOC cancer tissues and cell lines compared with those of normal control. Further study showed that silencing of As-SLC7A11 could enhance ovarian cancer cell migration. In comparison, overexpression of As-SLC7A11 markedly induced ovarian cancer cell apoptosis. These data demonstrate the tumor suppressor role of As-SLC7A11 in ovarian cancer malignancies. We also demonstrated that overexpression of As-SLC7A11 could significantly suppress the expression of SLC7A11, indicating a negative correlation between As-SLC7A11 and SLC7A11 in ovarian cancer cells. In summary, we first showed that reduction of As-SLC7A11 level prompted ovarian cancer cell migration mainly by suppressing the expression of SLC7A11.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. Overall technical route of this project. Figure S2. Reproducibility analysis of this project. Figure S3. QC validation of MS data. (A) Mass error distribution of all identified peptides, (B) Peptide length distribution. Figure S4. Distribution of quantification results (at least 1.5-fold up-or downregulated). Figure S5. Protein domain enrichment analysis of upregulated (A) and downregulated (B) proteins (B vs A). Table S3. TMT-Labeling information. Table S4. Baseline Characteristics of the HIV/TM-coinfected-and HIV-mono-infected individual groups in verification samples.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is a severe disease in humans caused by human immunodeficiency virus. Several human genes were characterized as host genetic factors that impact the processes of AIDS disease. Recent studies on AIDS patients revealed a series disease is complicating with AIDS. To resolve gene interaction between AIDS and complicating diseases, a canonical correlation analysis was used to identify the global correlation between AIDS and other disease pathway genes expression. The results showed that HLA-B, HLA-A, MH9, ZNED1, IRF1, TLR8, TSG101, NCOR2, and GML are the key AIDS-restricted genes highly correlated with other disease pathway genes. Furthermore, pathway genes in several diseases such as asthma, autoimmune thyroid disease, and malaria were globally correlated with ARGs. It suggests that these diseases are a high risk in AIDS patients as complicating diseases.

The present study aimed to detect the mutation characteristics of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in Eca109 of Ec9706 cells, and to investigate their association with the nuclear genome (nDNA), thus providing a basis for gene targeting therapies for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In vitro‑cultured Ec9706 and Eca109 cells were analyzed the changes of single‑nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions/deletions (INDELs), copy number varia-tion, and structure variation (SV) of their genome by high‑throughput sequencing. The loci with SV on chromosome 1‑12 of the two ESCC cell lines were ≥5% of the mtDNA, but SV on chromosome 13‑22, X and Y was ≤3%; >40% of loci exhibited gain or loss; intergenic loci with INDEL changes and SNP features accounted for the majority of mutations. The affected genes encoded proteins including nDNA‑encoding intra‑mitochondrial‑transporting proteins, ATP energy generation‑associated proteins and mitochondrial electron respiratory chain proteins, and these proteins were all nucleus‑encoded mitochondrial proteins. The transcription, duplication, and translation of the abnormally expressed mtDNA in Ec9706 and Eca109 cells were closely associated with disorders of nuclear DNA products.

In dual-polarized channel, the BER performance of polarization modulation (PM) can be decreased by cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) effect which can introduce cross power leakage. Therefore, a XPD compensation algorithm for PM is proposed. Based on the analyses about the effect of XPD on PM, the compensation factor is obtained by the channel state information. Then by compensating the state of polarization of the received signals, the cross power leakage between two orthogonal components of the states of polarization is mitigated, and the constellation distortion of PM is reduced. The analyses reveal that the compensation algorithm can effectively improve the BER performance of PM affected by XPD. Finally, simulation results show that when the XPD is a definite value, to achieve equivalent BER performance of 2PM, the SNR needed is 2.5dB reduction after compensation.

SUMMARYPeripheral blood viral load is an important indicator of viral production and clearance. Previous studies have suggested that viral load might predict the rate of decrease in CD4+cell count and progression to AIDS and death. Here, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the trends in HIV-1 viral load in southeast China. Among inpatients newly diagnosed with HIV infection, we found that viral load has increased over the past decade from 4·20 log10copies/ml in 2002 to 6·61 log10copies/ml in 2014, with a mean increase of 0·19 log10copies/ml each year. However, the CD4+cell count was stable and insensitive to changes in viral load. Thus, increasing viral load appears to be an emerging trend in newly diagnosed HIV-infected inpatients.

Human immunodeficiency virus causes a severe disease in humans, referred to as immune deficiency syndrome. Studies on the interaction between host genetic factors and the virus have revealed dozens of genes that impact diverse processes in the AIDS disease. To resolve more genetic factors related to AIDS, a canonical correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between AIDS restriction and metabolic pathway gene expression. The results show that HIV-1 postentry cellular viral cofactors from AIDS restriction genes are coexpressed in human transcriptome microarray datasets. Further, the purine metabolism pathway comprises novel host factors that are coexpressed with AIDS restriction genes. Using a canonical correlation analysis for expression is a reliable approach to exploring the mechanism underlying AIDS.

Deguelin is a naturally occurring rotenoid with marked chemopreventive and antitumor activity. Cisplatin, characterized by damaging DNA, is widely used in the chemotherapy of malignancies, including gastric cancer. The present study investigated whether synergistic effects exist between the combination of deguelin and cisplatin, and the possible mechanism in vitro. The interactive effects of deguelin in combination with various concentrations of cisplatin were evaluated in the human gastric cancer MGC-803 cell line. The inhibition of cell proliferation was determined by 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiazol(-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and the mechanisms underlying the effects were further evaluated by western blot analysis. The results revealed that the combined treatment of deguelin and cisplatin exhibited a marked inhibition of MGC-803 cell proliferation when compared with that of the single therapies in vitro. In addition, isobologram analysis revealed that this combined treatment showed a synergistic effect. These observations may have promising therapeutic value for gastric cancer and thus warrant further investigation.

Extracting road information rapidly and efficiently from high resolution images is one of the research hotspots and difficulties in remote sensing. This paper studied road extraction from high resolution remote sensing images based on threshold segmentation and mathematical morphology. Information like road seed points and orientations didn't need to be given manually in this algorithm, which to some extent improved automation of road extraction. The extraction process can be expressed as follows: Firstly, remote sensing images were segmented into binary images containing road information through threshold way. Then mathematical morphology operations are used to process binary image, extracting road regions according to road morphological characteristics. Finally, road centerline and contour were extracted by exploiting relevant mathematical morphology operations, which was proved by numerous experiments.