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Thrombocytopenia caused by long- term radiotherapy and chemotherapy exists in cancer treatment. Previous research demonstrates that 5- Hydroxtrayptamine (5- HT) and its receptors induce the formation of megakaryocytes (MKs) and platelets. However, the relationships between 5- HT1A receptor (5- HTR1A) and MKs is unclear so far. We screened and investigated the mechanism of vilazodone as a 5- HTR1A partial agonist in promoting MK differentiation and evaluated its therapeutic effect in thrombocytopenia. We employed a drug screening model based on machine learning (ML) to screen the megakaryocytopoiesis activity of Vilazodone (VLZ). The effects of VLZ on megakaryocytopoiesis were verified in HEL and Meg- 01 cells. Tg (itga2b: eGFP) zebrafish was performed to analyze the alterations in thrombopoiesis. Moreover, we established a thrombocytopenia mice model to investigate how VLZ administration accelerates platelet recovery and function. We carried out network pharmacology, Western blot, and immunofluorescence to demonstrate the potential targets and pathway of VLZ. VLZ has been predicted to have a potential biological action. Meanwhile, VLZ administration promotes MK differentiation and thrombopoiesis in cells and zebrafish models. Progressive experiments showed that VLZ has a potential therapeutic effect on radiation- induced thrombocytopenia in vivo. The network pharmacology and associated mechanism study indicated that SRC and MAPK signaling are both involved in the processes of megakaryopoiesis facilitated by VLZ. Furthermore, the expression of 5- HTR1A during megakaryocyte differentiation is closely related to the activation of SRC and MAPK. Our findings demonstrated that the expression of 5- HTR1A on MK, VLZ could bind to the 5- HTR1A receptor and further regulate the SRC/MAPK signaling pathway to facilitate megakaryocyte differentiation and platelet production, which provides new insights into the alternative therapeutic options for thrombocytopenia. This study presents a rather valuable finding that vilazodone can restore the normal platelet level through regulating 5- HT1A receptor. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, although inclusion of more cell lines and more detailed analysis of the results would have strengthened the study. The work will be of interest to scientists working in the field of thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the neuroprotective effect of erythropoietin (EPO) against hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in neonatal mice, and the underlying mechanism(s) of action. Methods: Sixty neonatal mice were assigned to 3 groups: sham, model and EPO intervention groups, each with 20 mice. Western blot assay was used to determine changes in the protein expressions of AMPK, UCP2 and KLF2. Fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated with flow cytometry. Results: The protein expressions of AMPK and KLF2 in the cerebral tissues of EPO intervention mice were significantly up-regulated, relative to model mice (p < 0.05), while UCP2 protein level was also significantly higher in EPO intervention mice than in model mice (p < 0.05). Mean fluorescence intensity of ROS was significantly higher in the cerebral cortex of model mice than in sham mice, but it was down-regulated in the cerebral cortex of mice in EPO intervention group, relative to the model group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: EPO exerts neuroprotective effect by activating AMPK pathway, up-regulating protein expression of UCP2, inhibiting production of mitochondrial ROS, and reducing oxidative stress in brain tissue. Thus, EPO has potentials for use in clinical practice as a neuroprotective agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radialized nanostructure catalyst self-assembled by MnOOH/MnO 2 nanosheets anchored with Pt single atoms (Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2) is developed by thermally assisted two-step electrochemical method. It implements real-time HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion (∼85.7%) and long-term continuous HCHO removal (∼98%) for 100 h in 15 ppm HCHO atmosphere at 25 °C at the first time, by the collaborative action of active hydroxyl and active oxygen species. [Display omitted] • Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2 catalyst is developed by thermally assisted two-step electrodeposition. • The catalyst shows the unique 3D radialized nanostructure. • It implements enhanced HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion (∼85.7%) in 15 ppm HCHO atmosphere at 25 °C. • In the dynamic test, the catalyst achieves long-term continuous HCHO removal (∼98%) for 100 h. • The synergistic action between Pt SA (O*) and MnOOH (OH*) for enhancing CO 2 conversion in indoor formaldehyde degradation. Maintaining high activity during prolonged catalysis is always the pursuit in catalytic degradation of organic pollutants. For indoor formaldehyde (HCHO) degradation, the accumulation of intermediates is the major factor limiting the conversion of HCHO to final product CO 2 (HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion) and long-lasting catalysis. Herein, a three-dimensional radialized nanostructure catalyst self-assembled by MnOOH/MnO 2 nanosheets anchored with Pt single atoms (Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2 with a trace platinum loading amount of 0.09%) is developed by thermally assisted two-step electrochemical method, which achieves enhanced CO 2 production in catalytic HCHO degradation at the room temperature by the collaborative action of active hydroxyl (OH*) and active oxygen species (O 2 *). By boosting intermediates' decomposing, the catalyst implements real-time HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion (∼85.7%) and long-term continuous HCHO removal (∼98%) during 100 h in a 15 ppm HCHO atmosphere at 25 °C under a weight hourly space velocity of 30000 mL/g cat ∙h. Density functional theory calculation shows that the formation energy of O 2 * from O 2 over Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2 is nearly half lower than that over Pt-MnO 2 catalyst. And decomposing accumulated intermediates gives the credit to OH* species sustainably generated by the combined action of MnOOH and O 2 *. The synergistic action between Pt SA and MnOOH contributes to the continuous production of O 2 * and OH* for enhancing CO 2 production in indoor catalytic formaldehyde degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radialized nanostructure catalyst self-assembled by MnOOH/MnO 2 nanosheets anchored with Pt single atoms (Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2) is developed by thermally assisted two-step electrochemical method. It implements real-time HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion (∼85.7%) and long-term continuous HCHO removal (∼98%) for 100 h in 15 ppm HCHO atmosphere at 25 °C at the first time, by the collaborative action of active hydroxyl and active oxygen species. [Display omitted] • Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2 catalyst is developed by thermally assisted two-step electrodeposition. • The catalyst shows the unique 3D radialized nanostructure. • It implements enhanced HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion (∼85.7%) in 15 ppm HCHO atmosphere at 25 °C. • In the dynamic test, the catalyst achieves long-term continuous HCHO removal (∼98%) for 100 h. • The synergistic action between Pt SA (O*) and MnOOH (OH*) for enhancing CO 2 conversion in indoor formaldehyde degradation. Maintaining high activity during prolonged catalysis is always the pursuit in catalytic degradation of organic pollutants. For indoor formaldehyde (HCHO) degradation, the accumulation of intermediates is the major factor limiting the conversion of HCHO to final product CO 2 (HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion) and long-lasting catalysis. Herein, a three-dimensional radialized nanostructure catalyst self-assembled by MnOOH/MnO 2 nanosheets anchored with Pt single atoms (Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2 with a trace platinum loading amount of 0.09%) is developed by thermally assisted two-step electrochemical method, which achieves enhanced CO 2 production in catalytic HCHO degradation at the room temperature by the collaborative action of active hydroxyl (OH*) and active oxygen species (O 2 *). By boosting intermediates' decomposing, the catalyst implements real-time HCHO-to-CO 2 conversion (∼85.7%) and long-term continuous HCHO removal (∼98%) during 100 h in a 15 ppm HCHO atmosphere at 25 °C under a weight hourly space velocity of 30000 mL/g cat ∙h. Density functional theory calculation shows that the formation energy of O 2 * from O 2 over Pt SA -MnOOH/MnO 2 is nearly half lower than that over Pt-MnO 2 catalyst. And decomposing accumulated intermediates gives the credit to OH* species sustainably generated by the combined action of MnOOH and O 2 *. The synergistic action between Pt SA and MnOOH contributes to the continuous production of O 2 * and OH* for enhancing CO 2 production in indoor catalytic formaldehyde degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been applied in cancer treatment by utilizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill cancer cells. However, the effectiveness of PDT is greatly reduced due to local hypoxia. Hypoxic activated chemotherapy combined with PDT is expected to be a novel strategy to enhance anti-cancer therapy. Herein, a novel liposome (LCT) incorporated with photosensitizer (PS) and bioreductive prodrugs was developed for PDT-activated chemotherapy. In the design, CyI, an iodinated cyanine dye, which could simultaneously generate enhanced ROS and heat than other commonly used cyanine dyes, was loaded into the lipid bilayer; while tirapazamine (TPZ), a hypoxia-activated prodrug was encapsulated in the hydrophilic nucleus. Upon appropriate near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, CyI could simultaneously produce ROS and heat for synergistic PDT and photothermal therapy (PTT), as well as provide fluorescence signals for precise real-time imaging. Meanwhile, the continuous consumption of oxygen would result in a hypoxia microenvironment, further activating TPZ free radicals for chemotherapy, which could induce DNA double-strand breakage and chromosome aberration. Moreover, the prepared LCT could stimulate acute immune response through PDT activation, leading to synergistic PDT/PTT/chemo/immunotherapy to kill cancer cells and reduce tumor metastasis. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated improved anticancer efficacy of LCT compared with traditional PDT or chemotherapy. It is expected that these iodinated cyanine dyes-based liposomes will provide a powerful and versatile theranostic strategy for tumor target phototherapy and PDT-induced chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A double-image encryption algorithm is proposed with the phase-truncated multiple-parameter Fresnel transform. Firstly, the pixel positions of two plaintext images are scrambled and then the results are merged into one image with the scrambling operation. Subsequently, the resulting image is encrypted by phase truncation and phase reservation in the multiple-parameter Fresnel transform domain. The phase information is scrambled by the affine transform and then recombined with the amplitude information. The final encryption image is obtained with the pixel scrambling and diffusion methods to further enhance the security of the image encryption system, where the scrambling and diffusion operations are based on logistic map, logistic-sine system and 2D logistic -adjusted-sine map. The image encryption scheme is robust against the common attacks due to the nonlinear properties of diffusion and phase truncation. Numerical simulation results verify the performance and the security of the proposed double-image algorithm based on the phase-truncated multiple-parameter Fresnel transform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solid solutions of La0.7Ba0.3MnO3-BaTiO3 were first prepared by a solid state method. The XRD showed that the solid solutions formed when the BaTiO3 transformed from tetragonal to hexagonal phase with sintering temperature increasing. The samples with hexagonal phase exhibited relative large magneto-electric effects. For the sample sintered at 1475 °C, the measured maximum magneto-electric coefficient was 48.6 mV/cmOe, obtained at a frequency of 30 kHz. The first-principles calculations indicated that the magnetic-electric coupling was attributed to the off-centering of Mn ions in coplanar octahedrons in the hexagonal phase. The present results suggest a new candidate for a room temperature multiferroic material with magneto-electric effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous inference after model selection is of critical importance to address scientific hypotheses involving a set of parameters. In this paper, we consider a high-dimensional linear regression model in which a regularization procedure such as LASSO is applied to yield a sparse model. To establish a simultaneous post-model selection inference, we propose a method of contraction and expansion (MOCE) along the line of debiasing estimation in that we investigate a desirable trade-off between model selection variability and sample variability by the means of forward screening. We establish key theoretical results for the inference from the proposed MOCE procedure. Once the expanded model is properly selected, the theoretical guarantees and simultaneous confidence regions can be constructed by the joint asymptotic normal distribution. In comparison with existing methods, our proposed method exhibits stable and reliable coverage at a nominal significance level and enjoys substantially less computational burden. Thus, our MOCE approach is trustworthy in solving real-world problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study and analyse the nursing of drug-induced liver damage of pulmonary tuberculosis. From September 2018 to September 2019, a total of 70 patients with liver injury caused by the use of tuberculosis chemotherapy drugs in our hospital were selected as the study objects to observe the clinical situation of the patients and provide relevant nursing for the patients. The use of antituberculous chemotherapy drugs will damage the liver of some patients, in which the patients with mild illness can continue to use drugs, and the patients with severe illness need to reduce or stop taking drugs, and at the same time, treat them. It is very important to understand the factors of liver injury caused by chemotherapy drugs of pulmonary tuberculosis, and to prevent and nurse the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequence-indexed insertional libraries are important resources for functional gene study in model plants. However, the maize (Zea mays) UniformMu library covers only 36% of the annotated maize genes. Here, we generated a new sequence-indexed maize Mutator insertional library named ChinaMu through high-throughput sequencing of enriched Mu-tagged sequences. A total of 2,581 Mu F2 lines were analyzed, and 311,924 nonredundant Mu insertion sites were obtained. Based on experimental validation, ChinaMu contains about 97,000 germinal Mu insertions, about twice as many as UniformMu. About two-thirds (66,565) of the insertions are high-quality germinal insertions (positive rate > 90%), 89.6% of which are located in genic regions. Furthermore, 45.7% (20,244) of the 44,300 annotated maize genes are effectively tagged and about two-thirds (13,425) of these genes harbor multiple insertions. We tested the utility of ChinaMu using pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) genes. For published PPR genes with defective kernel phenotypes, 17 out of 20 were tagged, 11 of which had the previously reported mutant phenotype. For 16 unstudied PPR genes with both Mu insertions and defective kernel phenotypes, 6 contained insertions that cosegregated with the mutant phenotype. Our sequence-indexed Mu insertional library provides an important resource for functional genomics study in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic restructuring of the Ag(111) surface occurs during the reaction of sulfur dioxide with Ag(111)-p(4×4)-O at 300 K, resulting in the incorporation of added silver atoms into the unit cells of both adsorbed sulfite and sulfate. This result clearly demonstrates that incorporation of metal atoms into the structures of adsorbates and reaction intermediates is not restricted to more open, higher free energy single crystal planes. These observations indicate that the participation of added metal atoms must be considered in the theoretical treatment of metal catalyzed reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inguinal hernia develops primarily in elderly men, and more than one in four men will undergo inguinal hernia repair during their lifetime. However, the underlying mechanisms behind hernia formation remain unknown. It is known that testosterone and estradiol can regulate skeletal muscle mass. We herein demonstrate that the conversion of testosterone to estradiol by the aromatase enzyme in lower abdominal muscle (LAM) tissue causes intense fibrosis, leading to muscle atrophy and inguinal hernia; an aromatase inhibitor entirely prevents this phenotype. LAM tissue is uniquely sensitive to estradiol because it expresses very high levels of estrogen receptor-α. Estradiol acts via estrogen receptor-α in LAM fibroblasts to activate pathways for proliferation and fibrosis that replaces atrophied myocytes, resulting in hernia formation. This is accompanied by decreased serum testosterone and decreased expression of the androgen receptor target genes in LAM tissue. These findings provide a mechanism for LAM tissue fibrosis and atrophy and suggest potential roles of future nonsurgical and preventive approaches in a subset of elderly men with a predisposition for hernia development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symplocos sumuntia leaves (SSL), a Chinese medicinal herb, has been used to deposit Hakka tofu in southern China. In order to evaluating SSL used as a natural tofu coagulant, we analyzed its main compounds and the quality of Hakka tofu. The results showed SSL were rich in organic acids and various metal ions, especially aluminum content of SSL was reached 23071.98 ± 11.19 mg/Kg which indicated the plant was an aluminum hyperaccumulator. Thus, effect of SSL' extracts on coagulating Hakka tofu might due to its high organic acid and aluminum ions. Compared with the commercially available lactone tofu and marinated tofu, Hakka tofu was characterized with higher fa t content and elasticity, lower calcium content and containing multiple metal ions, especially excessive alttminum (191.77 ± 2.11 mg/Kg). These results showed extracts of SSL has potential to be a natural coagulant, but attention should be paid to excessive residual aluminum in the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD)/discrete element method (DEM) is used to simulate the gas-solid two-phase flow in a laboratory-scale spouted fluidized bed. Transient experimental results in the spouted fluidized bed are obtained in a special test rig using the high-speed imaging technique. The computational domain of the quasi-three-dimensional (3D) spouted fluidized bed is simulated using the commercial CFD flow solver ANSYS-FLUENT. Hydrodynamic flow field is computed by solving the incompressible continuity and Navier-Stokes equations, while the motion of the solid particles is modeled by the Newtonian equations of motion. Thus, an Eulerian-Lagrangian approach is used to couple the hydrodynamics with the particle dynamics. The bed height, bubble shape, and static pressure are compared between the simulation and the experiment. At the initial stage of fluidization, the simulation results are in a very good agreement with the experimental results; the bed height and the bubble shape are almost identical. However, the bubble diameter and the height of the bed are slightly smaller than in the experimental measurements near the stage of bubble breakup. The simulation results with their experimental validation demonstrate that the CFD/DEM coupled method can be successfully used to simulate the transient gas-solid flow behavior in a fluidized bed which is not possible to simulate accurately using the granular approach of purely Euler simulation. This work should help in gaining deeper insight into the spouted fluidized bed behavior to determine best practices for further modeling and design of the industrial scale fluidized beds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new solid forms screening of sulfamethazine was conducted in 16 kinds of different pure solvents. Four new sulfamethazine solvates were reported for the first time, and three crystal structures of solvates were successfully determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The results showed that sulfamethazine solvate formation directly depended on the solvents used in the experiments. The solvent properties were used to evaluate the effects of solvent on solvate formation. It was found that the H-bond acceptor ability of the solvent was the main factor that governed the solvate formation. The H-bonded motifs in the structures of solvates have been fully characterized. The results revealed that sulfamethazine solvate formation was mainly driven by molecular self-assembly through hydrogen bonding between solvent and solute molecules. Meanwhile, the crystal structures results also showed that the sulfamethazine molecule had flexible conformation. Furthermore, the principles of different sulfamethazine molecules packing in different crystal structures were discussed from the view of molecular intermolecular interactions and the molecular conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In clinical practice, some patients diagnosed with anxiety disorder (AD) may develop bipolar disorder (BD) many years later and some cases of AD may be cured by the use of mood stabilizers. However, the relationship between AD and BD should be explored further. Method: To track how many cases of AD turned to BD and to discover the differences between them, we recruited 48 patients diagnosed with BD, who were assigned to the BD group for the retrospective analysis and we also recruited 186 patients diagnosed with AD at enrolment; this latter group was asked to complete follow-up surveys conducted 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 18 months after the primary stage of the study. We defined another two groups according to the usage of mood stabilizers, the rates of reduction in scores on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the changes in Clinical Global Impression scores at different followup times: the anxiety group and the atypical BD group (who used mood stabilizers to treat AD). All subjects also completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and supplied blood samples to be tested for several endocrine indices (TSH, T3, FT3, T4, FT4, ACTH,PTC) and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, CRP) at enrolment. Results: In total, 14 subjects developed BD by the end of the study. One hundred eleven subjects were included in the anxiety group. Sixty-three subjects were assigned to the atypical BD group and they had similar features to the 48 subjects in the BD group in terms of personality traits, abnormality rates of endocrine indices and levels of inflammatory cytokines. From the anxiety group to the atypical BD group and then the BD group, the age of first onset gradually decreased, while the frequency of onset and the score of suicidal ideation gradually increased. Furthermore, the atypical BD group showed markedly higher levels of TSH, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP than the other two groups. Conclusions: Some ADs with unique features might belong to the prodromal stage or the atypical presentation of BD and recognizing these ADs early will economize many medical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It remains controversial whether inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) should be used in patients with intermittent asthma. The present study aimed to assess the effect of ICS compared with placebo or other therapies in patients with intermittent asthma. Medline, Embase and CNKI databases were searched up to June 2016 and a meta-analysis was conducted. The findings demonstrated that in adult patients, when compared with placebo, ICS increased forced expiratory volume in 1 sec FEV1 [standardized mean difference (SMD), 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.22-0.80] and alleviated airway hyper-responsiveness, which was indicated as log transformed PC20FEV1 (concentrations of methacholine when there was a fall in FEV1 ≥20%; SMD, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.14). ICS also reduced fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels [weighted mean difference (WMD), -12.57 parts per billion (ppb; a unit of NO concentration in exhaled air); 95% CI -15.88 to -9.25 ppb]. However, symptom scores did not change after ICS treatment (SMD, -0.26; 95% CI, -0.52 to 0). When compared with leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA), ICS had no advantage in increasing FEV1 (WMD, 0.04 l; 95% CI, -0.06 to 0.13 l), reducing sputum eosinophil percentage (WMD, -6%; 95% CI, -12.38 to 0.38%) or symptom scores (SMD, 0.44; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.9). However, in child patients, ICS significantly (P<0.05) increased the possibility of symptom control when compared with placebo [relative risk (RR), 8; 95% CI, 1.04 to 61.52] or LTRA (RR, 2.67; 95% CI, 0.39 to 18.42). In conclusion, ICS improves lung function and alleviates airway hyper-responsiveness and airway inflammation but cannot influence symptom scores, and has no advantage over LTRA in terms of lung function improvement and airway inflammation control in adult patients with mild intermittent asthma. However, in children, the benefit of ICS in symptom control is more significant than with LTRA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry-cured meat products are popular worldwide because of their distinct flavor. However, the high sodium chloride levels of these products have raised public health concerns. Accordingly, to meet the needs of consumers, it is necessary to develop low-salt dry-cured meat products with high quality and safety. In this review, we discuss the effects of salt on dry-cured meat products, current research on salt reduction, and the advantages and disadvantages of salt reduction strategies. In addition, we also summarize salt reduction methods for meat products using exogenous mediation strategies, discuss salt reduction mechanisms used for mediated curing, and present future research directions for mediated salting strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We performed a comprehensive review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic values of serum single and multiplex tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAbs) in patients with lung cancer (LC). Methods: We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for relevant studies investigating serum TAAbs for the diagnosis of LC. The primary outcomes included sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the test. Results: The systematic review and meta-analysis included 31 articles with single autoantibody and 39 with multiplex autoantibodies. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was the most common detection method. For the diagnosis of patients with all stages and early-stage LC, different single or combinations of TAAbs demonstrated different diagnostic values. Although individual TAAbs showed low diagnostic sensitivity, the combination of multiplex autoantibodies offered relatively high sensitivity. For the meta-analysis of a same panel of autoantibodies in patients at all stages of LC, the pooled results of the panel of 6 TAAbs (p53, NY-ESO-1, CAGE, GBU4-5, Annexin 1 and SOX2) were: sensitivity 38% (95% CI 0.35–0.40), specificity 89% (95% CI 0.86–0.91), diagnostic accuracy 65.9% (range 62.5–81.8%), AUC 0.52 (0.48–0.57), while the summary estimates of 7 TAAbs (p53, CAGE, NY-ESO-1, GBU4-5, SOX2, MAGE A4 and Hu-D) were: sensitivity 47% (95% CI 0.34–0.60), specificity 90% (95% CI 0.89–0.92), diagnostic accuracy 78.4% (range 67.5–88.8%), AUC 0.90 (0.87–0.93). For the meta-analysis of the same panel of autoantibodies in patients at early-stage of LC, the sensitivities of both panels of 7 TAAbs and 6 TAAbs were 40% and 29.7%, while their specificities were 91% and 87%, respectively. Conclusions: Serum single or combinations of multiplex autoantibodies can be used as a tool for the diagnosis of LC patients at all stages or early-stage, but the combination of multiplex autoantibodies shows a higher detection capacity; the diagnostic value of the panel of 7 TAAbs is higher than the panel of 6 TAAbs, which may be used as potential biomarkers for the early detection of LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible composited multiferroic films with excellent magnetic-electric effects were prepared. The films were composed of self-assembled CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 core-shell nanoparticle fillers and a poly( vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) matrix. The CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 core-shell particles were prepared using a hydrolysis-hydrothermal method. The surface modification of CoFe2O4 with the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide promoted the BaTiO3 nanocrystals’ self-assembly precipitation. Compared with the films loaded by bare CoFe2O4, the films filled with core-shell particles exhibited reduced leakage current density, enhanced dielectric properties, ferroelectric (FE) polarization, and magneto-electric (ME) effects. An excellent ME voltage coefficient of 1835 mV/cm Oe was measured at a DC bias field of -3500 Oe and an AC magnetic field of 3.5 Oe with a frequency of 45 kHz. This enhancement of ME effects was attributed to the large FE-ferromagnetic (FM) interface to volume and the increment of induced polarization, which were originated from the efficient impediment of the aggregation of FM fillers in the core-shell matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study the uniqueness of traveling wave solutions for non-monotone cellular neural networks with distributed delays. First we establish a priori asymptotic behavior of the traveling wave solutions at infinity. Then, based on Ikehara's theorem, we prove the uniqueness of the solution ψ(n - ct) with c ≤ c∗, where c∗ < 0 is the critical wave speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrain-aided navigation is a potentially powerful solution for obtaining submerged position fixes for autonomous underwater vehicles. The application of terrain-aided navigation with high-accuracy inertial navigation systems has demonstrated meter-level navigation accuracy in sea trials. However, available sensors may be limited depending on the type of the mission. Such limitations, especially for low-grade navigation sensors, not only degrade the accuracy of traditional navigation systems, but further impact the ability to successfully employ terrain-aided navigation. To address this problem, a tightly-coupled navigation is presented to successfully estimate the critical sensor errors by incorporating raw sensor data directly into an augmented navigation system. Furthermore, three-dimensional distance errors are calculated, providing measurement updates through the particle filter for absolute and bounded position error. The development of the terrain aided navigation system is elaborated for a vehicle equipped with a non-inertial-grade strapdown inertial navigation system, a 4-beam Doppler Velocity Log range sensor and a sonar altimeter. Using experimental data for navigation performance evaluation in areas with different terrain characteristics, the experiment results further show that the proposed method can be successfully applied to the low-cost AUVs and significantly improves navigation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intent of shielding functions in delayed detached-eddy simulation methods (DDES) is to preserve the wall boundary layers as Reynolds-averaged Navier-Strokes (RANS) mode, avoiding possible modeled stress depletion (MSD) or even unphysical separation due to grid refinement. An entropy function f s is introduced to construct a DDES formulation for the k-w shear stress transport (SST) model, whose performance is extensively examined on a range of attached and separated flows (flat-plate flow, circular cylinder flow, and supersonic cavity-ramp flow). Two more forms of shielding functions are also included for comparison: one that uses the blending function F2 of SST, the other which adopts the recalibrated shielding function fd_cor of the DDES version based on the Spalart-Allmaras (SA) model. In general, all of the shielding functions do not impair the vortex in fully separated flows. However, for flows including attached boundary layer, both F2 and the recalibrated fd_cor are found to be too conservative to resolve the unsteady flow content. On the other side, fs is proposed on the theory of energy dissipation and independent on from any particular turbulence model, showing the generic priority by properly balancing the need of reserving the RANS modeled regions for wall boundary layers and generating the unsteady turbulent structures in detached areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In semiconductor polymers, charge transport usually occurs via hopping between localized states, which are generally multi-dispersed due to multi-dispersed chemical structures, crystallinities, and phase segregations. We report a combined modeling and experimental study to investigate gatevoltage- dependent charge transport in field-effect transistors based on multi-dispersed polymers including semiconductor:semiconductor and semiconductor:insulator blends. Film-depth-dependent charge accumulation and transport are correlated with vertical composition profiles and filmdepth- dependent energetic distribution of localized states. Even low gate-voltage could accumulate charges in any depth of the films, greatly increasing charge density in some (sub-) components for effective charge transport. Therefore, neither overall high crystallinity nor molecular ordering near the semiconductor-dielectric interface is necessarily required for high field-effect mobility (μFET). This study not only proposes a model for high effective μFET recently reported in some nearly amorphous polymer films and the "bislope feature" in their transfer characteristics but also helps improve transistor performances and exploit transistor operations via manipulating charge distribution in multi-dispersed films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were isolated from corn stalk using sulfuric acid hydrolysis, and their morphology, chemical structure, and thermal stability properties were characterized. The CNCs had an average length of 120.2 ± 61.3 nm and diameter of 6.4 ± 3.1 nm (L/D = 18.7). The degree of crystallinity of the CNCs increased to 69.20% from the 33.20% crystallinity of raw corn stalk fiber, while the chemical structure was well kept after sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Thermal stability analysis showed that the degradation temperature of the CNCs reached 239.5 °C, which was higher than that of the raw fiber but lower than that of the extracted cellulose. The average activation energy values for the CNCs, evaluated using the Friedman, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (F-W-O) and Coats-Redfern methods, were 312.6, 302.8, and 309 kJ.mol-1 in the conversion range of 0.1 to 0.8. The isolated CNCs had higher values of activation energy than did the purified cellulose, which was attributed to the stronger hydrogen bonds present in the crystalline domains of CNCs than in those of cellulose. These findings can help better understand the thermal properties of polymer/CNC composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in elderly patients with diabetes and dementia and to analyze the expression mechanism. A total of 30 senior patients with diabetes and dementia (group A), 30 senior patients with dementia but no diabetes (group B), 30 senior patients with diabetes but no dementia (group C), and 30 healthy seniors (group D) were continuously selected. The ELISA method was used to test the level of serum IGF-1, β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) and the phosphorylation of immunohistochemical staining of microtubule associated protein (tau protein). Western blot analysis was utilized to test the level of prion protein (PrP), forkhead transcription factor O (FOXO) subfamily protein, p-PI3K and p-Akt. The levels of IGF-1, Aβ, tau protein positive rate, PrP, FOXO protein, p-PI3K, and p-Akt in group A were significantly higher than that in group B, which was higher than in groups C and D. The results between groups A and B, but not groups C and D, were statistically significant (P<0.05). IGF-1 was highly expressed in senior patients with diabetes and dementia. Thus, IGF-1 can adjust the expression of PrP and FOXO through p-PI3K/Akt pathway and further impact the formation of Aβ and tau protein, leading to dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes is the most common metabolic disease with many chronic complications, and cognitive disorders are one of the common complications in patients with diabetes. Previous studies have showed that autophagy played important roles in the progression of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and other diseases. So we investigated whether aged diabetic mice are prone to be associated with the cognitive and affective disorders and whether Beclin-1-mediated autophagy might be involved in thepahological process. Methods: High-fat diet/streptozotocin (STZ) injection-induced diabetic C57 mice were adopted in this study. Cognitive disorders were detected by Morris water maze and fear conditional test. Affective disorders were detected by tail suspension test and forced swimming test. Magnetic resonance imaging was applied to observe changes of morphology and metabolism in the brain. The 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was used to assess metabolism changes in the brain of aged diabetic mice. Autophagy were evaluated by Beclin- 1, LC3II/I and P62, which were detected by western blot analysis and observed by electron microscopy. Methods: High-fat diet/streptozotocin (STZ) injection-induced diabetic C57 mice were adopted in this study. Cognitive disorders were detected by Morris water maze and fear conditional test. Affective disorders were detected by tail suspension test and forced swimming test. Magnetic resonance imaging was applied to observe changes of morphology and metabolism in the brain. The 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was used to assess metabolism changes in the brain of aged diabetic mice. Autophagy were evaluated by Beclin- 1, LC3II/I and P62, which were detected by western blot analysis and observed by electron microscopy. Conclusion: Compared with normal aged mice, diabetic aged mice were apt to cerebral small vessel disease and associated with cognitive and affective disorders, which may be related to the significantly reduced glucose metabolism in hippocampus and amygdala. Beclin1 mediated autophagy in hippocampus probably played an important role in cognitive and affective disorders of STZ-induced aged diabetic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nebulized magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) has been used to treat asthma, but the efficacy remains controversial. We aimed to comprehensively review the efficacy of nebulized MgSO 4 in treating adult patients with asthma. Methods PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies published up to July 18, 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if adult patients with acute or stable asthma had been treated with nebulized MgSO 4 compared with placebo or another bronchodilator. Standardized mean differences (SMDs), relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Outcomes included pulmonary function, hospital admission and adverse events. Results A total of 1386 patients from sixteen trials (1240 acute asthma patients and 146 stable asthma patients) were subjected to meta-analysis. Compared to placebo as normal saline, whether using in acute or stable adult asthma, nebulized MgSO 4 did not significantly improve the respiratory function: SMD 0.39 (95% CI −0.03–0.82, P = 0.07), and 1.48 (95% CI −0.14–3.11, P = 0.07), respectively. Furthermore, nebulized MgSO 4 did not reduce hospital admission in adult patients with acute asthma (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52–1.00; P = 0.05), although it was not associated with increased adverse events (RR 1.15; 95% CI, 0.88–1.52; P = 0.31). Conclusions Evidence to date suggests that nebulized MgSO 4 has no role in the management of adult patients with acute or stable asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid column separation (LCS) in pressurized pipelines may occur if a water hammer event drops the local pressure to the liquid’s vapor point. Numerical simulations of LCS have traditionally been based on one-dimensional (1D) transient flow theory; here, a two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is used to investigate the complicated nature of LCS and to help characterize the limitations of the traditional 1D models. To this end, the Schnerr–Sauer cavitation model with a shear-stress transport (SST) k − ω turbulence model is employed, whereas the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations are solved for the mixture of liquid and vapor. 2D model results are compared to both experimental data and to those of the 1D discrete vapor-cavity model (DVCM), thus demonstrating that the 2D method effectively simulates the pressure variations while helping to visualize the associated physical processes. More specifically, the 2D simulations vividly reveal the growth and the collapse of the cavity, including the formation of an intermediate cavity and both the location and shape of the region undergoing distributed vaporous cavitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pleural lavage cytology (PLC) is considered as a possible tool for assessing prognosis of lung cancer patients. We aimed to comprehensively review the prognosis value of PLC in patients undergoing surgical resection. Methods: We searched 4 electronic databases for relevant studies comparing positive PLC and negative PLC. The primary outcomes included survival rate and recurrence rate at maximum follow-up. Results: The meta-analysis included 28 studies, with a total of 20,714 patients. For the overall survival rate of all stages, the results demonstrated that positive pre-resection, post-resection and pooled PLC were associated with unfavorable survival: hazard ratio (HR) 2.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.48–3.37), 2.70 (1.90–3.83), and 2.89 (2.52–3.31), respectively. For the stage I survival rate, the combined results also suggested that positive pre-resection, post-resection and pooled PLC were associated with unfavorable survival: HR 3.29 (95% CI 2.55–4.25), 4.85 (2.31–10.20), and 3.16 (2.53–3.94), respectively. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 14 studies included 14,279 patients showed that positive pre-resection, post-resection and pooled PLC were associated with an increased risk of overall recurrence: risk ratio (RR) 2.45 (95% CI 1.91–3.15), 2.37 (1.11–5.09), and 2.37 (95% CI 2.00–2.80), respectively. Positive PLC was also associated with a high pleural recurrence (RR 4.77; 95% CI 3.13–7.26) or distant recurrence (RR 2.33; 95% CI 1.65–3.29). Conclusions: Both positive pre- resection and post-resection PLC are associated with not only higher tumor recurrence but also unfavorable survival outcomes in patients with lung cancer resection. This technique can therefore act as a strong prognostic factor for tumor recurrence and adverse survival rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/silver nanoparticle composite fibers were prepared via electrospinning using N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a solvent. Rheology, morphology, thermal properties, mechanical properties, and antimicrobial activity of nanocomposites were characterized as a function of material composition. The PVP/CNC/Ag electrospun suspensions exhibited higher conductivity and better rheological properties compared with those of the pure PVP solution. The average diameter of the PVP electrospun fibers decreased with the increase in the amount of CNCs and Ag nanoparticles. Thermal stability of electrospun composite fibers was decreased with the addition of CNCs. The CNCs help increase the composite tensile strength, while the elongation at break decreased. The composite fibers included Ag nanoparticles showed improved antimicrobial activity against both the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The enhanced strength and antimicrobial performances of PVP/CNC/Ag electrospun composite fibers make the mat material an attractive candidate for application in the biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term exposure to excess estrogen increases the risk of breast cancer and type 1 endometrial cancer. Most of the estrogen in premenopausal women is synthesized by the ovaries, while extraovarian subcutaneous adipose tissue is the predominant tissue source of estrogen after menopause. Estrogen and its metabolites can cause hyperproliferation and neoplastic transformation of breast and endometrial cells via increased proliferation and DNA damage. Several genetically modified mouse models have been generated to help understand the physiological and pathophysiological roles of aromatase and estrogen in the normal breast and in the development of breast cancers. Aromatase, the key enzyme for estrogen production, is comprised of at least ten partially tissue-selective and alternatively used promoters. These promoters are regulated by distinct signaling pathways to control aromatase expression and estrogen formation via recruitment of various transcription factors to their cis-regulatory elements. A shift in aromatase promoter use from I.4 to I.3/II is responsible for the excess estrogen production seen in fibroblasts surrounding malignant epithelial cells in breast cancers. Targeting these distinct pathways and/or transcription factors to modify aromatase activity may lead to the development of novel therapeutic remedies that inhibit estrogen production in a tissue-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes of Treg/Th17 cells ratio and their associated cytokines have some correlations with an immune modulatory effect of Telbivudine treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of the dynamic ratio of Treg/Th17 cells in the mechanism of LdT therapy and their relationships with the clinical responses. We detected the frequency and cytokines production of Treg and Th17 cells in 28 hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 96 weeks after initial LdT therapy. LdT could upregulate the frequency of Th17 cells and Th17 cells associated cytokines, downregulated the frequency of Treg cells and level of TGF-β, which leads to the decrease of Treg/Th17 ratio in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. Treg/Th17 ratio at treatment week 36 could independently predict HBeAg seroconversion in the first 2 years of Telbivudine treatment. Telbivudine therapy can decrease Treg/Th17 ratio, which may predict HBeAg seroconversion during treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grisemycin (1), the first sulfur angucyclinone with an unusual ether-bridged system, was isolated from a marine-derived Streptomyces griseus strain M268. Its novel, here cage-like, structure was determined by spectroscopic analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 exhibited modestly selective activity against the HL-60 cell line with an IC50 value of 31.54 μM. Futhermore, the absolute stereochemistry of kiamycin (2), an 1,12-epoxybenz[a]anthracene, previously obtained from the same strain, was established by X-ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication that commonly confronted by diabetic patients. A common theory for the pathogenesis of this renal dysfunction in diabetes is cell injury, inflammation as well as oxidative stress. In this content, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying high glucose induced renal tubular epithelial injury was elaborated. Methods: An in vivo rat model of diabetes by injecting streptozotocin (STZ) and an in vitro high glucose incubated renal tubular epithelial cell (HK-2) model were used. Expression levels of Keap1, nuclear Nrf2 and p65 were determined by western blotting. Level of microR-29 (miR-29) was assessed using quantitative RT-PCR. Combination of p65 and miR-29 promotor was assessed using chromatin immunoprecipitation. Keap1 3'-UTR activity was detected using luciferase reporter gene assay. Cell viability was determined using MTT assay. Results: In diabetic rat, miR-29 was downregulated and its expression is negatively correlated with both of serum creatinine and creatinine clearance. In high glucose incubated HK-2 cell, deacetylases activity of Sirt1 was attenuated that leads to decreased activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). NF-κB was demonstrated to regulate miR-29 expression by directly binding to its promotor. The data of luciferase assay showed that miR-29 directly targets to Keap1 mRNA. While high glucose induced down regulation of miR-29 contributed to enhancement of Keap1 expression that finally reduced Nrf2 content by ubiquitinating Nrf2. Additionally, overexpression of miR-29 effectively relieved high glucose-reduced cell viability. Conclusion: High glucose induces renal tubular epithelial injury via Sirt1/NF-κB/microR-29/Keap1 signal pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pleural abrasion has been widely used to control the recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). However, controversy still exists regarding the advantages and disadvantages of pleural abrasion compared with other interventions in preventing the recurrence of PSP. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched up to December 15, 2014 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the effects of pleural abrasion with those of other interventions in the treatment of PSP. The study outcomes included the PSP recurrence rate and the occurrence rate of adverse effects. Results: Mechanical pleural abrasion and apical pleurectomy after thoracoscopic stapled bullectomy exhibited similarly persistent postoperative air leak occurrence rates (p = 0.978) and 1-year PSP recurrence rates (p = 0.821), whereas pleural abrasion led to reduced residual chest pain and discomfort (p = 0.001) and a smaller rate of hemothorax (p = 0.036) than did apical pleurectomy. However, the addition of minocycline pleurodesis to pleural abrasion did not reduce the pneumothorax recurrence rate compared with apical pleurectomy (3.8% for both procedures) but was associated with fewer complications. There was no statistical difference in the pneumothorax recurrence rate between mechanical pleural abrasion and chemical pleurodesis with minocycline on either an intention-to-treat basis (4 of 42 versus 0 of 42, p = 0.12; Fisher exact test) or after exclusions (2 of 40 versus 0 of 42, p = 0.24; Fisher exact test). Pleural abrasion plus minocycline pleurodesis also did not reduce the pneumothorax recurrence rate compared with pleural abrasion alone (p = 0.055). Moreover, pleural abrasion plus minocycline pleurodesis was associated with more intense acute chest pain. The postoperative overall recurrence rate in patients who underwent staple line coverage with absorbable cellulose mesh and fibrin glue was similar to that with mechanical abrasion after thoracoscopic bullectomy (13.8% vs. 14.2%, respectively; p = 0.555), but staple line coverage resulted in less postoperative residual pain than mechanical abrasion (0.4% vs.3.2%; p<0.0001). Pleural abrasion after thoracoscopic wedge resection did not decrease the recurrence of pneumothorax compared with wedge resection alone (p = 0.791), but the intraoperative bleeding and postoperative pleural drainage rates were higher when pleural abrasion was performed. Conclusions: In addition to resulting in the same pneumothorax recurrence rate, thoracoscopic pleural abrasion with or without minocycline pleurodesis is safer than apical pleurectomy in the treatment of PSP. However, minocycline pleurodesis with or without pleural abrasion is not any more effective than pleural abrasion alone. Moreover, additional mechanical abrasion is not safer than additional staple line coverage with absorbable cellulose mesh and fibrin glue after thoracoscopic bullectomy because of increased postoperative pain. Additionally, pleural abrasion after thoracoscopic wedge resection should not be recommended for routine application due to the greater incidence of adverse effects than wedge resection alone. However, further large-scale, well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the best procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toobtain high-performance membranes for the separation of aromatic/aliphatichydrocarbons, AgCl nanoparticles were synthesized in a water-in-oilmicroemulsion using the ionic liquid 1-dodecyl-3-methyl imidazoiumchloride (C12mimCl) as surfactant and methyl methacrylate-styrene(MMA-St) mixture as oil phase. Then, AgCl/poly(MMA-co-St) hybrid membranes were prepared by microemulsion by in situ polymerization.UV–visible spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) were used to explore the influence of the St-to-MMA ratio inthe oil phase on the morphology of AgCl nanoparticles in the microemulsion.The change in morphology of AgCl in membranes after polymerizationwas characterized by scanning electron microscopy and TEM. The separationperformance of different hybrid membranes was evaluated by swelling–sorptionexperiments and pervaporation experiments. Results showed that addinga low amount of St slightly influenced the size and distribution ofAgCl particles. Given the improvement in benzene separation, the performanceof hybrid membranes after adding St was higher than that of AgCl/PMMAmembranes. The maximum separation factor of hybrid membranes usingMMA and St as the oil phase reached about 27 and exceeded twice thatof AgCl/PMMA membranes. When the ratio of MMA and St was less than2, the strong π combination between St and AgCl caused a largeaggregation of AgCl particles both in the microemulsion and in themembranes, which evidently reduced the separation performance of themembranes. Increased AgNO3concentration led to the formationof more AgCl particles in the microemulsion, which enhanced the separationperformance of hybrid membranes. At high AgNO3concentration,more particles with short distances more easily aggregated, therebyobviously reducing the separation performance of the membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of endosseous implanted materials is often limited by undesirable effects that may be due to macrophage-related inflammation. The purpose of this study was to fabricate a nanostructured surface on a titanium implant to regulate the macrophage inflammatory response and improve the performance of the implant. Anodization at 5 and 20 V as well as UV irradiation were used to generate hydrophilic, nanostructured TiO 2 surfaces (denoted as NT5 and NT20, respectively). Their surface characteristics and in vivo osseointegration as well as the inflammatory response they elicit were analyzed. In addition, the behavior of macrophages in vitro was evaluated. Although the in vitro osteogenic activity on the two surfaces was similar, the NT5 surface was associated with more bone formation, less inflammation, and a reduced CD68 + macrophage distribution in vivo compared to the NT20 and polished Ti surfaces. Consistently, further experiments revealed that the NT5 surface induced healing-associated M2 polarization in vitro and in vivo . By contrast, the NT20 surface promoted the pro-inflammatory M1 polarization, which could further impair bone regeneration. The results demonstrate the dominant role of macrophage-related inflammation in bone healing around implants and that surface nanotopography can be designed to have an immune-regulating effect in support of the success of implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: To investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in cell apoptosis and proliferation in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. Materials and methods: The ICH rats were established by stereotaxic infusion of 50 µL autologous arterial blood into the right striatum. Pathological characteristics of brain tissue was assessed by hematoxylin and eosin and TUNEL staining, and the expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Wnt3a/β-catenin/cyclin D1 were investigated by immunohistochemistry or reverse- transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: The number of apoptotic cells and PCNA-positive cells kept increasing from the day following the ICH induction and reached a peak on the 3rd and 14th days, respectively. Some of the PCNA-positive cells could coexpress neurofilament protein-200 or glial fibrillary acidic protein. Wnt3a, β-catenin, cyclin D1, and PCNA mRNAs reached maximal expression levels on the 3rd, 7th, 7th, and 14th days, respectively. Moreover, the number of apoptotic cells was significantly positively correlated with the expressions of Wnt3a and β-catenin mRNAs, and negatively correlated with the number of PCNA-positive cells. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is associated with cell apoptosis and expression of PCNA in the ICH rat brain and regulates the balance between cell apoptosis and proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different morphology cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)2) nanoflake-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid were controllably synthesized by one-pot reflux method. The structural and surface properties of the materials were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It was found that the nanostructures were actually composed of thin nanosheets or nanopetals, which consisted of many ultrafine nanoparticles with 5-7nm diameters. The gas-performance results of the composites for NOx demonstrated that they had superior performance compared to the pure α-Co(OH)2, especially the α-Co(OH)2/rGO-10 composite (mass ratio of Co(NO3)2⋅6H2O/GO was 10:1) showed higher NOx gas sensing performance with lower detection limit of 0.97ppm and high sensitivity of 70% to 100ppm NOx at room temperature. The mechanism of it was preliminary attribute to the effective combination between α-Co(OH)2 and rGO, which restrained α-Co(OH)2 from growing up and aggregating, The pore structure of composite material could be quickly adsorption gas molecules leading to rapid electron transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide and significantly affects fertility and reproduction in both men and women. Our recent study has shown that excess body fat accelerates ovarian follicle development and follicle loss in rats. The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of SIRT1 activator SRT1720 on the reserve of ovarian follicle pool and ovarian lifespan of obese mice and the underlying mechanism associated with SIRT1 and mTOR signaling. Methods Adult female Kunming mice (n = 36) were randomly divided into three groups: the normal control (NC) group (n = 8), the caloric restriction (CR) group (fed 70% food of the NC group, n = 8) and the high-fat diet (HF) group (fed a rodent chow containing 20% fat, n = 20). After 4 months, the HF mice were further randomly divided into three groups: the control high-fat diet (CHF, n = 8) group (treated every day with an intraperitoneal injection of vehicle), the SRT1720 (SRT, n = 6) group (treated every other day with an intraperitoneal injection of SRT1720 (50 mg/kg) ), the SRT1720 and nicotinamide (NAM, n = 6) group (treated every other day with an intraperitoneal injection of SRT1720 (50 mg/kg) and every day with an intraperitoneal injection of nicotinamide (100 mg/kg) ). After 6 weeks of treatment, ovaries were harvested for histological and Western blotting analyses. Results The body weight, ovary weight and visceral fat in the SRT group were significantly lower than those in the CHF group at the end of treatment. Histological analysis showed that the SRT mice had significantly greater number and percentage of primordial follicles, but lower number and percentage of corpora lutea and atretic follicles than the CHF mice and NAM mice. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the levels of SIRT1, SIRT6, FOXO3a and NRF-1 protein expression significantly increased in the ovaries of SRT mice, whereas those of mTORC1, p-mTOR, p-p70S6K, NFκB and p53 decreased compared to the CHF and NAM mice. Conclusions Our study suggests that SRT1720 may improve the follicle pool reserve in HF diet-induced obese female mice via activating SIRT1 signaling and suppressing mTOR signaling, thus extending the ovarian lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annealing process and shape are expected to significantly affect the magnetic properties and giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect of magnetic amorphous ribbon. Here, the GMI effect in the annealed samples of FeCoSiB with different aspect ratios was studied at the frequency range between 1 and 40 MHz. Magnetic properties and microstructures of samples were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer and X-ray diffraction. With the increasing of annealing temperature, the coercivity was decreased from 1.1 Oe at room temperature to 0.18 Oe at 400 °C annealing temperature, and the sensitivity of GMI effect increased from 10%/Oe to 140%/Oe. The aspect ratio of the ribbon was found to affect the excitation frequency, which leads the GMI effect to the maximum due to the shape induced demagnetization field, regardless of the annealing temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a long-standing problem in organic chemistry, and a very useful transformation in organic synthesis, the catalytic asymmetric halogenation of alkenes has only recently been reported. New catalysts and novel approaches have been developed for asymmetric halocyclizations. Although mechanism studies indicated the asymmetric intermolecular halogenation of alkenes is more difficult, important breakthroughs have also been achieved. In this review article, the scope, mechanism, and limitations of recently developed catalytic asymmetric intermolecular halogenation of alkenes are described. 1 Introduction 2 Asymmetric Intermolecular Halogenation of Alkenes 2.1 Asymmetric Halogenation of a,ß-Unsaturated Compounds 2.2 Asymmetric Halogenation of Allylic Alcohols 2.3 Asymmetric Halogenation of Enecarbamates and Enamides 2.4 Asymmetric Halogenation of Allylic Sulfonamides 2.5 Asymmetric Halogenation of Unfunctionalized Alkenes 3 Summary and Outlook [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical MnO2-Ag hollow microspheres (HMs) with sheet-like subunits were facilely prepared through an in situ redox reaction and spontaneously self-assembled orientation via Ostwald ripening in a urea solution under a lower hydrothermal temperature (130 °C), without using any seed, template or capping agent. The as-prepared samples display an excellent electrocatalytic ability by the typical amperometric detection of H2O2 as a model system. The as-formed H2O2 sensor has a wide linear range from 1.31 μM to 36.71 mM (R = 0.9997), low detection limit (1.31 μM), high sensitivity (8.46 μA mM-1), and fast response (<5 s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research investigates the serum levels of three angiogenic factors in the AF family, namely, placenta growth factor (PlGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in 54 patients with SLE (SLE group) and 28 healthy controls (normal control) through ELISA measurement. And their interrelationships were also systematically analyzed. The SLE patients were then divided into active SLE group and inactive SLE group according to the SLEDAI score. The results show that serum levels of PlGF, bFGF, and VEGF in all SLE group and active SLE group were higher than those in normal controls. Serum levels of PlGF and bFGF in inactive SLE group were higher than those in normal controls. The level of PlGF was positively correlated with VEGF in SLE patients and positive correlation is also shown in bFGF with VEGF. The levels of PlGF and VEGF in SLE patients were positively correlated with both ESR and SLEDAI score. Thus a tentative conclusion can be drawn that the serum levels of the angiogenic factors, for example, PlGF, bFGF, and VEGF, may be relevant in the pathogenesis of SLE, and the concentrations of PlGF and VEGF seem to be the markers of SLE activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory-scale experimental studies have demonstrated that Chemical-Looping Combustion (CLC) is an advanced technology which holds great potential for high-efficiency low-cost carbon capture. The generated syngas in CLC is subsequently oxidized to CO2 and H2O by reaction with an oxygen carrier. In this paper, process-level models of CLC are established in ASPEN Plus code for detailed simulations. The entire CLC process, from the beginning of coal gasification to reduction and oxidation of the oxygen carrier is modeled. The heat content of each major component such as fuel and air reactors and air/flue gas heat exchangers is carefully examined. Large amount of energy is produced in the fuel reactor, but energy needs to be supplied to the air reactor. The overall performance and efficiency of the modeled CLC systems are also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the equivalent resistance of a 3 × n cobweb network. The difference equations of the model are constructed by network analysis and their general solution is obtained by matrix transformations. It is found that the equivalent resistance can be expressed by the trigonometric function of kπ/7, which decreases with the increase of the order n. By analyzing and comparing the equivalent resistances of the 1 × n, 2 × n and 3 × n cobweb networks, a conjecture on the equivalent resistance of the m × n cobweb network is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]