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To observe the clinical efficacy of moxibustion on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its effect on related negative emotions, and to explore the possible mechanism.A total of 70 patients with RA were randomized into an observation group (35 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (35 cases, 2 cases dropped off). Conventional western medication therapy was adopted in the control group. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, moxibustion at Zusanli (ST 36), Shenshu (BL 23) andCompared before treatment, the scores of VAS and DAS28 were decreased after treatment in both groups (Moxibustion can improve the clinical symptoms and negative emotions in patients with RA by regulating the inflammatory reactions.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a unique novel type of RNA, have been widely reported to be involved in physiologic and pathologic processes in humans. However, the exact molecular pathogenesis of circRNAs in chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) is far from clear.This paper aims to evaluate the specific expression profile of circRNAs in renal cortex tissues from Adriamycin-induced CGN rats.CircRNAs were screened in renal cortex tissues from 3 CGN rats and 3 control rats by using high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Then, 4 circRNAs were selected randomly for verification by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, the differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were analyzed by bioinformatics methods.In total, 31 significantly DE circRNAs were identified, which revealed their potential roles in CGN; in particular, we found that 4 confirmed altered circRNAs (rno-circ-RNAs 689, 3217, 1327, and 5001) might play important roles in the development of CGN.This study reveals a cluster of circRNAs that are DE in Adriamycin-induced CGN rats, which brings us closer to understanding the pathogenic mechanisms and may provide new potential targets for clinical treatment.

Asthma, a common but poorly controlled disease, is one of the most serious health problems worldwide; however, the mechanisms underlying the development of asthma remain unknown. Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs serve important roles in the initiation and progression of various diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the role of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs associated with asthma. Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were screened between the expression data of 62 patients with asthma and 43 healthy controls. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed to investigate the biological functions and pathways associated with the lncRNAs and mRNAs identified. Protein‑protein interaction (PPI) networks were subsequently generated. In addition, lncRNA‑mRNA weighted co‑expression networks were obtained. In total, 159 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 1,261 mRNAs were identified. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that differentially expressed mRNAs regulated asthma by participating in the 'vascular endothelial (VEGF) signaling pathway', 'oxidative phosphorylation', 'Fc e RI signaling pathway', 'amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism', 'histidine metabolism', 'β‑alanine metabolism' and 'extracellular matrix‑receptor interaction' (P

Objectives: To screen and study circular RNA (circRNA) expression profiles in QTXZG-mediated treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) induced by adriamycin in rats and to research the possible roles and molecular mechanisms of QTXZG. Materials and methods: Next-generation RNA sequencing was used to identify circRNA expression profiles in CGN after QTXZG treatment compared with a CGN model group and a control group. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict potential target miRNAs and mRNAs. GO and pathway analyses for potential target mRNAs were used to explore the potential roles of differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs. Results: We identified 31 and 21 significantly DE circRNAs between the model group vs the control group and the model group vs the QTXZG group, respectively. Four circRNAs that resulted from the establishment of the CGN model were reversed following treatment with QTXZG. Further analysis revealed that these four circRNAs may play important roles in the development of CGN. Conclusions: This study elucidated the comprehensive expression profile of circRNAs in CGN rats after QTXZG treatment for the first time. Analysis of the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA-ceRNA network to determine potential function provided a comprehensive understanding of circRNAs that may be involved in the development of CGN. The current study indicated that therapeutic effects of QTXZG on CGN may be due to regulation of circRNA expression.

Background Chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) is the most common form of primary glomerular disease with unclear molecular mechanisms. Currently, limited study on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in CGN is available. Our study aimed to identify potential lncRNAs and genes in the normal and adriamycin-induced CGN rats, which to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of CGN pathogenesis. Methods To identify LncRNAs specifically expressed in CGN, the expression of LncRNAs in glomerular tissues of rats from the adriamycin-induced group (n = 3) was compared with that in the control group (n = 3) using RNA-sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Identification of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were performed between the 2 groups. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to analyze the biological functions and pathways for the differentially expressed mRNAs. LncRNA-mRNA co-expression network was constructed to analyses for the genes. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was visualized. Results A total of 114 significantly up-regulated and 86 down-regulated lncRNAs, 1038 up-regulated and 88 down-regulated mRNAs were identified. Additionally, Il6, with the highest connectivity degree in PPI network, was noteworthy enriched in various kinds pathways. Coding-non-coding gene co-expression networks (CNC network) were drawn based on the correlation analysis between the differentially expressed LncRNAs and mRNAs. Ten LncRNAs, NONRATT000964.2, NONRATT018086.2, NONRATT023684.2, NONRATT009530.2, NONRATT006315.2, NONRATT026805.2, MSTRG.9260.1, NONRATT009155.2, MSTRG.7681.1, NONRATT009275.2, were selected to analyze the relationship between LncRNAs and CGN via the CNC network and GO analysis. Real-time PCR result confirmed that the six LncRNAs were specifically expressed in the CGN rats. Conclusions The ten LncRNAs were differentially expressed and might play important roles in the development of CGN. Key genes, such as Il6, Ptprc, TOP2a, Fos, Myc, etc., may be crucial biomarkers for CGN.

Background Chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) is the most common form of primary glomerular disease with unclear molecular mechanisms, which related to immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Our study intended to identify potential long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and genes, and to determine the potential molecular mechanisms of CGN pathogenesis. Methods The microarray of GSE64265 and GSE46295 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, GSE64265 including 3 rats control kidney tissues and 5 rats model kidney tissues, GSE46295 including 3 rats control kidney tissues and 3 rats model kidney tissues, which was on the basis of GPL1355 platform. Identification of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were performed between the 2 groups. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to analyze the biological functions and pathways for the differentially expressed mRNAs. LncRNA-mRNA weighted co-expression network was constructed using the WGCNA package to analyses for the genes in the modules. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was visualized. Results A total of 40 significantly up-regulated and 24 down-regulated lncRNAs, 653 up-regulated and 128 down-regulated mRNAs were identified. Additionally, Cdk1, with the highest connectivity degree in PPI network, was noteworthy enriched in cell cycle. Seven lncRNAs: NONRATT026650, LOC102547664, NONRATT77021989, NONRATT012453, LOC102551856, LOC102553536 and NONRATT7047175 were observed in the modules of lncRNA-mRNA weighted co-expression network. Conclusions LncRNAs NONRATT026650, LOC102547664, NONRATT77021989, NONRATT012453, LOC102551856, LOC102553536 and NONRATT7047175 were differentially expressed and might play important roles in the development of CGN. Key genes, such as Cd44, Rftn1, Runx1, may be crucial biomarkers for CGN.

Objective To explore the sleep characteristics of submariners during a long-term voyage, so as to provide scientific evidence for ensuring submariners with good sleep during long-term voyages. Methods The sleep status of submariners who participated in a long-term voyage was tested by Self-Rating Scale of Sleep (SRSS) before the voyage, and before and after each voyage section during the voyage. The sleep status variation of submariners who performed different types of tasks, from the beginning to the end of each voyage section and of each resting-on-the-sea section was analyzed respectively. Comparison of sleep scores was performed between submariners and surface ship crew in the second voyage section. Numbers of submariners with sleep problem were compared in each voyage section. Results Generally speaking, submariners' sleep status at the end of voyage section was significantly worse than that at the beginning of voyage section and that before the whole voyage (P0.05). After finishing a voyage section and taking a resting-on- the-sea, submariners' sleep status returned to the level of pre-voyage (P>0.05), and was significantly better than that before the resting-on-the-sea (P0.05). Compared with that of surface ship crew who accomplished the same voyage section, submariners had an obviously better sleep status after taking a resting-on-the-sea (P0.05), but the latter was significantly more than the former when the second voyage section was finished (P

(Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 ) 2 (Ti 0.8 Sn 0.2 )O 4 powder was synthesized by a solid state reaction. Then, Ni 0.4 Zn 0.6 Fe 2 O 4 was grown on the (Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 )(Ti 0.8 Sn 0.2 )O 4 particles in a hydrothermal environment to form a core-shell structure. (1- x )(Mg 0.95 Zn 0.05 ) 2 (Ti 0.8 Sn 0.2 )O 4 @ x Ni 0.4 Zn 0.6 Fe 2 O 4 composite ceramics were sintered at 1200 °C with these powders. XRD, SEM, TEM analyses indicated that high dense core-shell ceramics without any foreign phase were obtained. Different types of sharp interfaces were self-assembled owing to the minimization of direct elastic energy in the hydrothermal environment. The composites enjoy good magnetic and dielectric properties, especially, good microwave dielectric properties with high saturation magnetization when the ferrite content is 0.3–0.5. The results provided a powerful experimental basis for the sensor and transducer.

Hepatic fibrosis (HF), one of the leading global health problems, is defined as aberrant and excess production of extracellular matrix components. The pathogenesis of HF is complex and poorly understood. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) can interact with microRNAs (miRNAs) as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to regulate the expression of target genes, which play a significant role in the initiation and progression of HF. In the present study, the LncRNA-associated ceRNA network was reconstructed based on LncRNA, miRNA and mRNA expression profiles that were downloaded from National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus. Bioinformatics assessments including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were performed with Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integration Discovery. The ceRNA network was composed of 220 LncRNA nodes, 24 miRNA nodes, 164 mRNA nodes and 1,149 edges. Functional assays identified that a total of 338 GO terms and 25 pathways, including regulation of cytokine and collagen, and the transforming growth factor-β and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways, were significantly enriched. In addition, 4 LncRNAs (NONMMUT036242, XR_877072, XR_378619 and XR_378418) were highly related to HF and thereby chosen as key LncRNAs. The present study uncovered a ceRNA network that could further the understanding of the mechanisms underlying HF development and provide potential novel markers for clinical diagnosis and targets for treatment.

Background: Clinical observation revealed that most of wheat-induced anaphylaxis (WIA)/wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) patients showed a history of recurrent urticaria. We aim to determine the association between recurrent urticaria and anaphylaxis in wheat allergy. Methods: Population-based cohort study involved patients with WIA (n = 193, including WDEIA n = 104), recurrent urticaria (n = 177), non-wheat-related anaphylaxis (n = 584), atopic disease (excluding anaphylaxis, n = 221) and healthy control (n = 95) from 2009 to 2016. Detailed course of urticaria and anaphylaxis were obtained from medical records and following-up questionnaire. Serum IgE specific to wheat, gluten and ω-5 gliadin and skin prick test to wheat were examined. Clinical and laboratory data were statistically analyzed. Results: In recurrent urticaria patients, wheat allergy was not rare, and 6.8% (n = 12) was diagnosed as wheat-induced urticaria. Patients with WIA/WDEIA had higher prevalence of recurrent urticaria history than those with non-wheat-related anaphylaxis (164/193, 84.9% vs 85/584, 14.5%), and 70.4% of them (136/193) had recurrent urticaria prior to their first anaphylactic attack. Among patients with WIA/WDEIA and previous urticaria, 46.3% experienced an exacerbation of urticaria. The value of serum specific IgE to ω-5 gliadin was significantly higher in patients with WIA/WDEIA than those with wheat-induced urticaria. Conclusions: We recommend screening wheat allergy in recurrent urticaria to identify patients who have a potential risk to develop severe reactions earlier. Keywords: Recurrent urticaria, Wheat allergy, Wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, Wheat-induced anaphylaxis, ω-5 gliadin

(x)Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4+(1−x)Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 composite ceramics with x=0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 and 1 were synthesized by solid state reaction method. The high dense composites have only two phases, i.e., Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 and Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3. The permittivity e′ of the composites decreases slightly with the frequency increasing from 3 MHz to 1 GHz. The permittivity e′′ of the composites also shows a little increase with frequency in the 3 MHz–1 GHz range. The permeability displays a relaxation resonance within the 3 MHz–1 GHz frequency range. The permeability μ′ increases while the cut-off frequency decreases with the Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 concentration, obeying the Snoek's law μifr=constant. The permittivity e′ of the composites decreases with Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 concentration. The composites have a relatively higher e′ than the pure Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 at 1–10 GHz. In the frequency range of 1–10 GHz, the magnetic permeability μ′ reaches its maximum and μ′′ shows a minimum for the composite with x=0.6 in all ceramics. The permeability μ′ of the composites decreases with dc magnetic field at 1–10 GHz. The permeability shows a domain wall resonance, and the resonance frequency shifts to high frequency with the dc magnetic field. The permittivity was also influenced by the dc magnetic field due to a magnetodielectric effect.

This study investigated the effects of pre-slaughter transport during summer and subsequent water shower spray on broiler meat quality and protein characteristics. Arbor Acres broiler chickens (n = 126, 42 days old, mixed sex, 2.5-3 kg) were randomly categorized into three treatments: (i) control group without transport (C); (ii) 30 min transport (T); and (iii) 30 min transport followed by 10 min water shower spray and 20 min lairage (T/W). Each treatment consisted of six replicates with seven birds each. Ambient temperature was 32-35°C during transportation. Results indicated that transport during high ambient temperature denatured myosin and sarcoplasmic proteins, led to decreased protein solubility and resulted in glycogen phosphorylase precipitated to the myofibrillar fraction. Furthermore, meat quality in the transport group showed a pale, soft and exudative (PSE)-like syndrome. Water shower spray during lairage after transport reduced the degree of protein denaturation and lessened the deterioration of meat quality.

Polycrystalline soft magnetic nickel–zinc ferrites with chemical composition Ni 1− x Zn x Fe 2 O 4 , where x =0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, and 0.8, were prepared by solid state reaction method. We researched the effect of zinc concentration on the lattice parameter, crystal morphology and electromagnetic properties at high frequency. Results show that e ′ and e ″ decline with increasing frequency until they reach almost constants over 3 MHz to 1 GHz. The dielectric constant achieves a maximum when the Zn concentration is 0.8. The value of e ′ slightly declines with increasing frequency in the range of 2–18 GHz. The spectra of the permeability displays a relaxation resonance for the ferrites with x =0, 0.2, and 0.4 in 3 MHz to 1 GHz frequency range. The permeability is ruled by Snoek's law, which results in the values of μ ′ decreased fast below 2 GHz and smaller than 1 above 2 GHz. The value of μ ′ reaches maximum and μ ″ shows minimum for the samples around x =0.75 in 2–18 GHz range. The magnetic permeability μ ′ decreases in an external magnetic field, and shows two resonance peaks corresponding to domain wall and spin rotation resonance. The resonance peaks shift to higher frequency with increasing the external magnetic field. But the permeability has no clear response for magnetic field when zinc concentration is much higher.

Objectives: To screen and study circular RNA (circRNA) expression profiles in QTXZG-mediated treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) induced by adriamycin in rats and to research the possible roles and molecular mechanisms of QTXZG. Materials and methods: Next-generation RNA sequencing was used to identify circRNA expression profiles in CGN after QTXZG treatment compared with a CGN model group and a control group. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict potential target miRNAs and mRNAs. GO and pathway analyses for potential target mRNAs were used to explore the potential roles of differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs. Results: We identified 31 and 21 significantly DE circRNAs between the model group vs the control group and the model group vs the QTXZG group, respectively. Four circRNAs that resulted from the establishment of the CGN model were reversed following treatment with QTXZG. Further analysis revealed that these four circRNAs may play important roles in the development of CGN. Conclusions: This study elucidated the comprehensive expression profile of circRNAs in CGN rats after QTXZG treatment for the first time. Analysis of the circRNA–miRNA–mRNA–ceRNA network to determine potential function provided a comprehensive understanding of circRNAs that may be involved in the development of CGN. The current study indicated that therapeutic effects of QTXZG on CGN may be due to regulation of circRNA expression.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, which occurs in ~1.0% of the general population. Increasing studies have suggested that long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may serve important roles in various biological processes and may be associated with the pathogenesis of different types of disease, including RA. Astragalosides (AST) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of RA. However, the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect has remained unclear to date. Thus, there is an urgent need to elucidate the possible mechanism of AST in the treatment of RA from the perspective of lncRNAs. In the present study, the lncRNAs and mRNAs of a vehicle group, animal model group and AST treatment (control) group were determined by Arraystar Rat lncRNA/mRNA microarray. The differentially expressed genes with a fold change >1.5 and P

Objective To explore the relationship between work stress and health in submariners. Methods In April 2008, 272 submariners trained in a navy base were selected as study subjects by random group sampling method, and tested by primary personal information questionnaire, self-rated health measurement scale (SRHMS), self-developed submariners' work stressors questionnaire, and work stress self-rated scale. Physical health, mental health and social health of submariners were analyzed, and scores were compared with the norm of reference scores. Correlations were analyzed respectively between 10 items of submariners' general information (including age, length of military service, education degree, years at the present post, times of receiving awards, on-duty hours, off-duty hours, hours of sleep, lost days of leave, positive attitude to work) and their physical health score, mental health score, social health score, total health score, as well as between 15 submariners' work stressors (including workrelated risks, diet problems, high temperature, humidity and noise in workplace, shortage of clean clothes, illness, losing contact with outside, lack of information about the task, lacking supports from family members, relationship problems, lack of involvement in task decisions, boring and dull work, on duty, heavy work, high quality of work, coping with unexpected threat) and their physical health score, mental health score, social health score and total health score. Results No significant difference was found between submariners' SRHMS total score and the normal referenced score (t=0.56, P>0.05), but the physical health score and mental health score were significantly lower than normal referenced scores respectively (t=–2.172, P

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate interactions between nano-gapped copper and silicon nano-films with lateral relative movement. Effects of gap distance, lateral displacement, temperature and surface morphology on the interaction strength and properties are studied. Results show that the interaction strength decreases as the distance varies from 20 to 3 A and can be significantly influenced by the temperature. The interaction is strong and repulsive at 800 K, but it turns into attractive when the temperature drops down to 10 K. The interaction strength between smooth surfaces is weaker than that between rough surfaces, and the properties are also different for surfaces with different roughness. Additionally, the interaction strength between grooved film surfaces displays dependence on the relative displacement orientation.

This study investigated the effects of pre-slaughter transport during summer and subsequent water shower spray on broiler meat quality and protein characteristics. Arbor Acres broiler chickens (n = 126, 42 days old, mixed sex, 2.5-3 kg) were randomly categorized into three treatments: (i) control group without transport (C); (ii) 30 min transport (T); and (iii) 30 min transport followed by 10 min water shower spray and 20 min lairage (T/W). Each treatment consisted of six replicates with seven birds each. Ambient temperature was 32-35°C during transportation. Results indicated that transport during high ambient temperature denatured myosin and sarcoplasmic proteins, led to decreased protein solubility and resulted in glycogen phosphorylase precipitated to the myofibrillar fraction. Furthermore, meat quality in the transport group showed a pale, soft and exudative (PSE)-like syndrome. Water shower spray during lairage after transport reduced the degree of protein denaturation and lessened the deterioration of meat quality.