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Tree trunk cankers represent serious fungal diseases that pose significant threats to Chinese hickory trees (Carya cathayensis). To characterize the pathogen diversity associated with this disease, tissues were collected between 2016 and 2018 from the primary Chinese hickory plantation regions. A total of 97 cultures were isolated from trees in six towns (Longgang, Qingliangfeng, Changhua, Tuankou, Taiyang Town, and Lin’an urban area) within the Linan district, where 60% of Chinese hickory tree yields originate. The isolated cultures caused cankers on Chinese hickory tree branches, but infections did not occur on fruits or leaves under tested conditions. Combined morphological observations and phylogenetic analysis of multiple genes (ITS, β-tubulin, and EF) indicated that five Botryosphaeriaceae species were recovered, including 89 isolates of Botryosphaeria dothidea, 4 isolates of Botryosphaeriaceae fabicerciana, 1 isolate of Botryosphaeriaceae qingyuanensis, 1 isolate of Botryosphaeriaceae corticis, and two isolates of Lasiodiplodia theobromae. B. dothidea was the most prevalent, and this is the first report of B. corticis, B. qingyuanensis, and L. theobromae infections in Chinese hickory trees. We investigated the mycelial growth, spore germination, and pathogenicity of these species at different temperatures. L. theobromae grew the fastest and B. cortices grew the slowest on potato dextrose agar. The optimum temperature of spore germination for all species was 30°C. L. theobromae was the most virulent species, followed by B. dothidea and B. qingyuanensis, then B. fabicerciana, and finally B. cortices. These new insights into fungal pathogen diversity provide critical new information to understand and manage tree trunk cankers of Chinese hickory.

Rheumatic diseases, a typical kind of autoimmune disease, are often treated with glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, biological agents, and small-molecule targeted drugs, which often leads to immune dysfunction in patients and increases the risk of activation of latent tuberculosis infection. To regulate the screening, diagnosis, and prophylactic treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with rheumatic diseases, reduce the risk of developing active tuberculosis and improve the prognosis, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital and Peking Union Medical College Hospital jointly organized domestic experts in the field of rheumatology and tuberculosis to establish the expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection in patients with rheumatic diseases. This consensus focuses on epidemiology, the importance of screening, screening methods, and prophylactic anti-tuberculosis treatment strategies for latent tuberculosis infection combined with rheumatic diseases.风湿性疾病作为一类常见的自身免疫病，治疗上经常使用糖皮质激素、免疫抑制剂、生物制剂和小分子靶向药物等，其应用往往会导致患者自身免疫功能异常，增加潜伏结核被激活的风险。为进一步规范风湿性疾病患者结核分枝杆菌潜伏感染的筛查、诊断和预防性治疗等问题，共识组组织国内结核病和风湿病领域的专家制定了本共识，重点阐述了风湿性疾病合并结核分枝杆菌潜伏感染的流行病学、筛查的重要性、筛查方法和预防性抗结核治疗策略等，旨在降低风湿性疾病合并结核分枝杆菌潜伏感染者进展为活动性结核的风险，改善患者预后。.

Background Activin type ii receptor (ActRII) binding to its natural ligands including myostatin, activin, and growth development factor 11 negatively regulates muscle growth. Blockade of the ligands/ActRII signaling with human ActRII monoclonal antibody has been shown to increase body lean mass and reduce fat mass in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the blockade effect on the ligands/ActRII signaling in heart failure with or without cardiac cachexia remains controversial. We hypothesized that the blockade effect on the ligands/ActRII signaling with a murine ActRII monoclonal antibody would improve cardiac function in a mouse model of heart failure. Methods Under anesthesia with isoflurane in oxygen, C57BL/6 mice were subjected to sham surgery or myocardial infarction (MI) by ligation of left anterior descending coronary artery to induce heart failure. Mice were randomized into treatment groups based on ejection fraction measured by Vevo 3100 Imaging System two weeks after MI. MI mice were treated weekly with vehicle (n=11), 10 mg/kg (n=12), or 20 mg/kg (n=12) ActRII antibody by subcutaneous injection for 8 weeks. Cardiac function was determined by Vevo 3100 Imaging system at 4, 8 weeks post-treatment, respectively. Body lean and fat mass were determined by Bruker's Whole Body Composition Analyzer. Myocardial infarct size was determined by Masson's trichrome staining on heart sections. Results Myocardial infarction markedly impaired cardiac function in mice. Ejection fraction reduced to 21.3±1.9% in MI mice compared to 56.3±1.2% in sham-operated mice (p Conclusion ActRII antibody dose-dependently improved cardiac function independent of myocardial infarct size post-MI. Although antibody significantly increased body weight and lean mass, it did not significantly increase heart weight, indicating that antibody treatment did not cause adverse remodeling post-MI while it remarkably improved cardiac function. Our data suggest that ActRII antibody could be a novel treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and may be particularly beneficial in patients with cachexia. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

A total of 16 detrusor hyperactivity with impaired contractility (DHIC) patients who received 12 weeks remote variable frequency stimulation (VFS) were enrolled at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from September 2020 to February 2021. The voiding diary, symptom score scales and incidence of complications were completed and recorded at baseline, constant frequency stimulation (CFS) and VFS phases. Compared with the CFS phase, voiding times, urge incontinence times and daily catheterization volume were reduced; average voiding amount and functional bladder capacity increased; and the quality of life score and mental health questionnaire assessment were improved in the VFS phase(all分析2020年9月至2021年2月在郑州大学第一附属医院接受恒频更改为变频程控参数刺激骶神经调控疗法治疗12周的16例逼尿肌过度活动伴收缩功能受损（DHIC）患者的基线期、恒频刺激（CFS）期和变频刺激（VFS）期排尿日记、症状评分量表和不良事件发生情况。与CFS期相比，VFS期排尿日记每日排尿次数、每日尿失禁次数和每日平均导尿量减少；每日平均排尿量和功能性膀胱容量增加；生活质量评分和精神健康问卷评估改善（均

Trunk canker disease caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea with a prolonged latent infection phase poses a serious threat to Chinese hickory production. To further understand the epidemiological characteristics and develop reasonable management techniques, a quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification (q-LAMP) assay was developed to quantitatively monitor B. dothidea in hickory plants, water, and air samples. Specific primers were designed based on the different sites of the β-tubulin sequence between B. dothidea and other fungi commonly found on Chinese hickory. At the optimum reaction temperature of 65.9°C, this loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay can specifically distinguish B. dothidea from other tested fungi. The limit of detection of LAMP assays for B. dothidea was 0.001 ng/µl of pure genomic DNA and 10 spores per 1 ml of water. The q-LAMP assay enables rapid detection of B. dothidea within 60 min in hickory trunk, water in hickory forests, and spores captured on tapes. These results provide a powerful and convenient tool for monitoring B. dothidea, which could be applied widely in epidemiology, forecast, and management of tree canker disease.

OBJECTIVE: To study the proportion of cervical spine instability in treatment-naive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, to investigate the associated neck symptoms, and to analyze the clinical characteristics in treatment-naive RA patients and treated RA patients. METHODS: RA patients who underwent cervical spine X-ray imaging from the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Peking University Third Hospital and Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from August 2015 to October 2019 and had clinical records of medication administration were included. Clinical and laboratory data including cervical symptoms and X-ray imaging data of cervical spine were collected. The constituent ratio of cervical spine instability in treatment-naive RA patients was statistically analyzed. The clinical data and laboratory data were analyzed by t-test, u-test and chi square to explore the clinical characteristics of the treatment-naive RA patients with cervical instability. RESULTS: Of the 408 RA patients, 105 patients were treatment-naive. Of the 105 treatment-naive patients, 82.9% (87/105) were female, with an average age of (52±14) years, the median duration of the disease was 24 months, the shortest history was 2 weeks, and the longest history was 30 years. 28.6% (30/105) of the treatment-naive RA patients showed cervical spine instability. The prevalence of cervical instability was 13.6% in the treatment-naive RA patients with disease duration less than 24 months. Among them, there were no significant differences in neck symptoms between cervical spine instability group and none cervical spine instability group. The patients with cervical spine instability had a longer duration of disease [60 (18, 180) months vs.16 (8, 51) months], a higher proportion of peripheral joint deformity (63.3%vs.21.3%), and a lower hemoglobin [(106.90±21.61) g/L vs. (115.77±14.69) g/L]. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of cervical instability in the treatment-naive RA patients compared with treated RA patients. Among the RA patients with cervical instability, there was no statistically significant difference in the composition of each type between the patients with treatment-naive RA and patients with treated RA, except for a shorter duration of disease [120.0 (72.0, 240.0) months vs. 60.0 (27.0, 167.5) months]. CONCLUSION: 28.6% of treatment-naive RA patients showed cervical spine instability. Cervical instability was also common in RA patients with a duration less than 24 months. There was no significant correlation between cervical instability and neck symptoms. Patients with cervical spine instability had a long-term disease, a higher proportion of peripheral joint deformity and a lower hemoglobin. Controlling the condition of RA early may help to control the progression of cervical involvement in patients with RA.

A series of organo-soluble polyimide (PI) resins were synthesized by a two-step chemical imidization reaction from two semi-alicyclic dianhydrides, 1,4-dihydroxyphenyl-dicyclohexanecarboxylate-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (HTA-HQ, I) and 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl dicyclohexanecarboxylate-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (HTABP, II) and two rigid-rod aromatic diamines, 2,2′-dimethylbenzidine (DMBZ, a) and 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFMB, b), respectively. Then, PI ultrafine non-woven fabrics were successfully fabricated via a one-step electrospinning procedure with the synthesized semi-alicyclic PI resins dissolved in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), followed by heat treatment at 200 °C. Comparatively, the standard wholly aromatic PI fabric, poly(pyromellitic dianhydride-oxydianiline) (PI-ref, PMDA/ODA) was prepared by a two-step electrospinning procedure with poly(amic acid) (PAA), followed by the high-temperature imidization procedure up to 350 °C. The derived electrospun semi-alicyclic PI non-woven fabrics exhibited much higher optical reflectance and whiteness than that of the PI-ref. For example, PI-IIb (HTA-BP/TFMB) fabric showed an optical reflectance (R457) value of 90.6% at the wavelength of 457 nm and whiteness index (WI) of 92.7, which were quite higher than those of PI-ref (R457: 37.3%; WI: 59.0). In addition, the semi-alicyclic PI fabrics exhibited good thermal stability with the glass transition temperatures (Tg) higher than 217°C.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the population distribution of cervical spine instability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and to analyze the clinical characteristics in RA patients with cervical spine instability. METHODS: A total of 439 RA patients who had completed cervical spine X-ray examination from Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital from August 2015 to March 2019 were enrolled. The clinical data, laboratory data and cervical radiographic data were collected and analyzed by t-test, rank sum test and Chi-square test to clarify the clinical characteristics in the RA patients with cervical spine instability. RESULTS: Of the 439 RA patients, 80.9% (355/439) were female, with an average age of (52.9±13.9) years, a median duration of the disease was 60 months, the shortest history was 2 weeks, and the longest history was up to 46 years. 29.6% (130/439) of the RA patients showed cervical spine instability. Among them, 20 RA patients were complicated with two different types of cervical instability, the atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS) accounted for 24.6% (108/439), the vertical subluxation (VS) accounted for 7.3% (32/439) and the subluxial subluxations (SAS) accounted for 2.3% (10/439). The patients with cervical spine instability had a longer duration of disease [120 (36, 240) months vs. 48 (12, 120) months], a higher proportion of peripheral joint deformity (56.9% vs. 29.9%), and a higher visual analog scale (VAS) measuring general health score (4.89±2.49 vs. 3.93±2.38), a lower hemoglobin [(111.31±19.44) g/L vs. (115.56±16.60) g/L] and a higher positive rate of anti-cyclic citrullina-ted peptide (CCP) antibody (90.8% vs. 76.6%). There were no significant differences in gender, age, number of swollen joints, number of tenderness joints, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor level, 28-joint disease activity score, positive rate of anti keratin antibody, duration of glucocorticoid use and duration of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs use between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In the study, 29.6% of the RA patients showed cervical spine instability. RA patients with cervical spine instability had a long-term disease, a higher proportion of peripheral joint deformity, a higher VAS measuring general health score, a lower hemoglobin and a higher positive rate of anti-CCP antibody.

Ni-SiC composite coating was prepared by the electrodeposition under the pulse current as an alternative for the environment polluted and human cancerogenic hard chromium plating. The microstructure and tribological performance of the composite coating under different duty cycles were studied. The results showed that the mechanical performance of the Ni-SiC can be optimized by adjusting the pulse duty cycle. With the increase of the duty cycle, the grain size of the Ni matrix are refined and the friction coefficient of the coating are decreasing. Composite coating obtained with 80% duty cycle possesses the lowest wear volume during the friction and wear test. The effect of the duty cycle on the microstructure and tribological performance of the composite coating were discussed. Moreover, the co-deposition mechanism of Ni atoms and the SiC particles under the pulse current were discussed.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a progressive psychiatric disorder with more than 3% prevalence worldwide. Affected individuals experience recurrent episodes of depression and mania, disrupting normal life and increasing the risk of suicide greatly. The complexity and genetic heterogeneity of psychiatric disorders have challenged the development of animal and cellular models. We recently reported that hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) neurons differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived fibroblasts of BD patients are electrophysiologically hyperexcitable. Here we used iPSCs derived from Epstein-Barr virus-immortalized B-lymphocytes to verify that the hyperexcitability of DG-like neurons is reproduced in this different cohort of patients and cells. Lymphocytes are readily available for research with a large number of banked lines with associated patient clinical description. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of over 460 neurons to characterize neurons derived from control individuals and BD patients. Extensive functional analysis showed that intrinsic cell parameters are very different between the two groups of BD neurons, those derived from lithium (Li)-responsive (LR) patients and those derived from Li-non-responsive (NR) patients, which led us to partition our BD neurons into two sub-populations of cells and suggested two different subdisorders. Training a Naïve Bayes classifier with the electrophysiological features of patients whose responses to Li are known allows for accurate classification with more than 92% success rate for a new patient whose response to Li is unknown. Despite their very different functional profiles, both populations of neurons share a large, fast after-hyperpolarization (AHP). We therefore suggest that the large, fast AHP is a key feature of BD and a main contributor to the fast, sustained spiking abilities of BD neurons. Confirming our previous report with fibroblast-derived DG neurons, chronic Li treatment reduced the hyperexcitability in the lymphoblast-derived LR group but not in the NR group, strengthening the validity and utility of this new human cellular model of BD.

Thermal neutron detectors based on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) epilayers have demonstrated a record high efficiency among solid-state detectors at 58%. It was found that the performance of h-BN detectors is profoundly influenced by charge recombination at the surfaces. The dynamic process of surface oxidation in h-BN epilayers has been probed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectra of high-resolution (0.1 eV) scans indicated that the linewidth of the B 1s peak at 190.6 eV increased and the peak intensity decreased with an increase in exposure time in-air (tair). The main B 1s peak at 190.6 eV evolved into multiple peaks at a higher binding energy position due to oxygen impurities tending to occupy nitrogen sites and form the B–O bond. Time constants of the oxidation process have been determined, revealing that the formation process of the B–O bond is very fast and within minutes in h-BN. The results suggest that reducing nitrogen vacancy generation during growth and employing surface treatment techniques would further improve the performance of h-BN devices.Thermal neutron detectors based on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) epilayers have demonstrated a record high efficiency among solid-state detectors at 58%. It was found that the performance of h-BN detectors is profoundly influenced by charge recombination at the surfaces. The dynamic process of surface oxidation in h-BN epilayers has been probed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectra of high-resolution (0.1 eV) scans indicated that the linewidth of the B 1s peak at 190.6 eV increased and the peak intensity decreased with an increase in exposure time in-air (tair). The main B 1s peak at 190.6 eV evolved into multiple peaks at a higher binding energy position due to oxygen impurities tending to occupy nitrogen sites and form the B–O bond. Time constants of the oxidation process have been determined, revealing that the formation process of the B–O bond is very fast and within minutes in h-BN. The results suggest that reducing nitrogen vacancy generation during growth and employing surface treatment...

Sublancin is an antimicrobial peptide produced by 168 containing 37 amino acids. The objective of this study was to investigate its inhibitory efficacy against both in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, we determined that sublancin had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 8 μM against , which was much higher than the antibiotic lincomycin (0.281 μM). Scanning electron microscopy showed that sublancin damaged the morphology of . The in vivo study was conducted on broilers for a 28-d period using a completely randomized design. A total of 252 chickens at 1 d of age were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatments including an uninfected control; an infected control; 3 infected groups supplemented with sublancin at 2.88, 5.76, or 11.52 mg activity/L of water; and an infected group supplemented with lincomycin at 75 mg activity/L of water (positive control). Necrotic enteritis was induced in the broilers by oral inoculation of on d 15 through 21. Thereafter, the sublancin or lincomycin were administered fresh daily for a period of 7 days. The challenge resulted in a significant decrease in ADG ( < 0.05) and a remarkable deterioration in G:F ( < 0.05) during d 15 to 21 of the experiment. There was a sharp increase of numbers in the cecum ( < 0.05). The addition of sublancin or lincomycin reduced caecal counts ( < 0.05). The counts had a tendency to decrease in the lincomycin treatment ( = 0.051) but were the highest in the sublancin treatment (5.76 mg activity/L of water). A higher villus height to crypt depth ratio in the duodenum and jejunum as well as a higher villus height in the duodenum were observed in broilers treated with sublancin or lincomycin ( < 0.05) compared with infected control broilers. It was observed that sublancin and lincomycin decreased IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels ( < 0.05) in the ileum compared with the infected control. In conclusion, although sublancin's minimum inhibitory concentration is much higher than lincomycin in vitro, less sublancin is needed to control necrotic enteritis induced by in vivo than lincomycin. These novel findings indicate that sublancin could be used as a potential antimicrobial agent to control necrotic enteritis.

Principle of brake is a unity of energy converter and heat exchanger. This paper makes a theoretical analysis about the temperature rise of crane brake. Brake temperature of the crane is one of the main factors causing brake failure, while considering its measuring characteristics of coating and dynamic, the conventional infrared measurement schemes cannot meet the requirements. Adopt the surface coating technology; it can change the surface properties of brake counterpart to increase material emissivity. The author puts forward an infrared temperature measurement scheme based on one kind of Nanostructure ceramic functional coating whose name is Cr203, analyses the influence on temperature measurement accuracy caused by design and selection of the infrared temperature measuring point's location; finally, it improves the infrared temperature measurement system of the brake.

For simulation of typical operating conditions of an emergency brake, analyze the theoretical heat energy of single emergency braking. The formula of the maximum temperature of a contact point was derived from the theory of friction heat conduction during braking. The finite element model of the disc brake temperature field was constructed with ANSYS/LS-DYNA software. The effect of brake safety factor and different thermal properties on the temperature field is analyzed, indicating that the temperature distribution of ductile iron brake friction pairs is superior to the steel brake ones. The results and analysis provide certain indications of the design and applicability of an emergency brake.

We analyzed the relationship between Mink-S27 gene polymorphism and children with cardiac insufficiency.From April 2013 to April 2015, we enrolled 73 cases of children with cardiac insufficiency for this study, and all 73 were placed in the observation group. 76 normal cases were selected for the control group. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used to make polymorphism analysis of the Mink-S27.Our results showed no significant differences in Mink-S27 genotype and allele distribution in both observation and control groups (p0.05). In lesion samples collected from children with cardiac insufficiency, we detected significant difference in AA, CC genotype frequency and allele frequency between the observation group and the control group (p0.05) (X2 = 15.43, p0.05; X2 = 16.27, p0.05). Further studies on samples obtained from both groups revealed certain differences of AA, CC, AC genotype frequency and allele frequency in the observation group. The proportion of homozygote (AA, CC) in children with severe cardiac insufficiency was relatively high.GNAS2 gene polymorphism was associated with the prevalence of cardiac insufficiency in children. And also the patients' condition was correlated to the frequency of different genotypes and alleles.

To analyze the links between NFATC1 gene polymorphism and congenital heart disease in children.In the present study, we selected 85 children patients with congenital heart disease who were hospitalized from February 2013 to February 2015 as research subjects (observation group), and 92 healthy subjects as control group. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used for analysis of NFATC1 gene in samples from each group.The distribution of NFATC1 genotype and allele between the observation group (children with congenital heart disease) and the control group showed no significant difference (p0.05), but AA, GG genotypes, and allele frequency between pathological samples of children with congenital heart disease and the control group displayed significant difference (p0.05) (X2 = 16.04, p0.05; X2 = 16.29, p0.05). Further analyses showed that AA, GG, AG genotype and allele frequency among children with congenital heart disease in observation group also showed a difference, i.e., homozygote (AA, GG) ratio in children with severe congenital heart disease is relatively high.There is a correlation between NFATC1 genes and the incidence of congenital heart disease in children, and a correlation between different genotypes and allele frequency and the incidence of the disease.

To analyze the correlation between chronic viral myocarditis (CVMC) in children, complicated with arrhythmia and thyroid hormone level.60 patients with CVMC complicated with arrhythmia were continuously selected (course of disease3 months) and they are were diagnosed with arrhythmia by the routine 18-lead electrocardiogram and 24-hour Holter; the average follow-up time is about 2 years, during which the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDd), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the occurrence rate of malignant arrhythmia events, immune state of T cell and thyroid hormone level (FT3, FT4, TSH, TGAb and TPOAb) were compared.Among the selected 60 patients, 18 patients (30.0%) who were suffering from malignant arrhythmia have been taken as the observation group. When compared with the control group, the standard deviation normal to normal intervals (SDNN), LVEF, CD4 and CD4/CD8 were reduced and LVEDd and CD8 were increased in the observation group; the difference has statistical significance (p0.05). When compared with the control group, FT3 and FT4 are significantly reduced and TSH, thyroglobulin antibody TGAB and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) are significantly increased; the difference has statistical significance (p0.05). According to the logistic regression analysis, we can conclude that: SDNN, FT3, FT4, TSH, TGAb and TPOAb are the independent risk factors of malignant arrhythmia (p0.05).Thyroid hormones and antibody level are helpful to the prognosis of malignant arrhythmia resulting from children chronic VMC complicated with arrhythmia complications.

The objective of the present study was to analyze the correlation between GNAS2 gene polymorphisms and children with arrhythmia.We followed 89 children with arrhythmia treated in our hospital from April 2013 to April 2015, comprising the observation group, while 92 healthy subjects were taken as the control group. We analyzed polymorphisms of the GNAS2 gene from both groups by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).There were no significant differences (p0.05) in GNAS2 genotype or allelic distribution between the observation group and control group. However, there were significant differences in the gene frequency of homozygotes (TT and GG) and alleles between the control group and samples from children with arrhythmia (p0.05) (X2=16.57, p0.05; X2=17.48, p0.05). Further study of samples from both groups indicate that gene frequency of homozygous (TT and GG) or heterozygous (TG) genes and alleles also had differences, indicating that homozygotes (TT and GG) are in relatively high proportion among patients with severe cases of arrhythmia.Morbidity in patients with arrhythmia is related to GNAS2 gene polymorphisms. Differences in genotype and allele frequency are related to the severity of illness.

We report the growth of hexagonal boron gallium nitride alloys, h-GaxB1−xN, on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) templates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and the observation of the critical thickness (LC) phenomenon in the h-GaBN/BN heterostructure system. It was observed that GaxB1−xN alloys in a pure hexagonal phase can be obtained when the film thickness is below LC. X-ray diffraction (XRD) θ–2θ measurement results revealed the formation of separate wurtzite (w)-GaN domains within the h-GaBN matrix when the film thickness is beyond LC. XRD results were supported by photoluminescence spectroscopy which revealed the absence of the band edge emission of w-GaN near 3.4 eV in very thin layers, but an increase in the w-GaN band edge emission with an increase in the h-GaxB1−xN layer thickness beyond LC. Despite the fact that layered structured materials generally possess a weak interlayer interaction, our results revealed that phase separation still occurs in layered h-GaxB1−xN alloys and the critical thickness depends on the Ga composition. The present study also provided insights into possible ways to synthesize layered GaBN/BN heterostructures and quantum wells in the pure hexagonal phase with tunable bandgaps and optical properties, which would open up many new applications.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has emerged as an important extreme bandgap semiconductor as well as a two-dimensional material. Achieving the ability for tuning the optoelectronic properties through alloying and heterojunction will further expand the applications of h-BN. By utilizing h-BN epilayer as a template, the synthesis of BN-rich B1−x Ga x N alloys and quantum wells crystalized in the hexagonal phase has been demonstrated for the first time by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The incorporation of Ga tends to enhance the conductivity. A blue shift in the band-edge emission upon the formation of h-BN/BGaN/BN QW has been observed, indicating the feasibility for heterojunction formation.

The Chinese fire-bellied newt, Cynops orientalis, belonging to Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae is a species endemic to China. The liver, which is an important digestive gland and the largest amphibian organ, has various functions, including detoxification, glycogen storage, protein synthesis, and hormone production. However, the newt liver has rarely been studied at the molecular level. We performed histomorphology and high-throughput proteomic analysis of the Chinese fire-bellied newt liver, using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. The H&E staining showed that the newt liver nuclei are large and round, are located in the lateral cytoplasm, and contain a large quantity of lipid droplets. Melanins were abundantly present throughout the hepatic parenchyma. The proteome analysis showed a total of 545 proteins detected in the newt liver. Furthermore, a gene ontology analysis suggested that these proteins were associated with metabolism, immune response, cellular homeostasis, etc. Among these, proteins with metabolic functions were found to be the most abundant and highly expressed. This supports the role of the liver as the metabolic center. The proteomic results provide new insights into the aspects of the liver proteomes of the Chinese fire-bellied newt. The identification of a more global liver proteome in the newt may provide a basis for characterizing and comparing the liver proteomes from other amphibian species.

To observe the changes of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten(PTEN)/ phosphatidyl Inositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/ vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)signaling pathway in a rabbit Kawasaki disease model.Model of Kawasaki disease was established in weanling Japanese big-eared rabbits with 10% bovine serum venous injection (2.5 ml/kg, 2 times, and 2 week's interval) through the ear. Twenty four rabbits were divided into 4 groups: control group (without injection of 10% bovine serum albumin, six rabbits); 1 day group (sacrificed a the second day after the establishment of Kawasaki disease models, six rabbits); 7 day group (sacrificed at the seventh day after establishment of Kawasaki disease model, six rabbits); 30 day group (sacrificed at the thirtieth day after establishment of Kawasaki disease model, six rabbits). Pathological analysis was performed on coronary artery tissue samples. The express of PTEN and PI3K were detected by immunohistochemistry. The levels of VEGF and CK were also examined with ELISA and white blood cells were counted.(1) Coronary artery of model groups was thinner, distorted and had enlarged lumen. (2) PTEN expression in 1 d group, 7 d group and 30 d group were 58.5 ± 12.9, 73.2±9.9 and 109.6 ± 24.4, respectively, significantly higher than in the control group (25.5 ± 6.9, P0.01 or 0.05). (3) The express of PI3K was significantly upregulated in 1 d group(57.2±11.1)and 7 d group(39.9±4.8) compared to control group(19.1±3.5, P0.01 or 0.05). The expression level of PI3K in 30 d group was 18.8 ± 7.5, which was similar as control group (P0.05) and significantly lower than 1 d and 7 d group (both P0.05). (4) Similarly, the level of VEGF in 1 d group, 7 d group ((89.1 ± 15.5) ng/L, (76.9±9.9) ng/L) were significantly higher while it was significantly lower in 30 d group ((19.8 ± 4.4)ng/L) compared with the control group ((33.9 ± 6.7) ng/L, P0.01 or 0.05). The level of VEGF in 7 d group was significantly lower than in 1 d group (P0.05) and the level of VEGF was significantly lower in 30 d group than in 7 d group (P0.01). (5)Creatine kinase levels were significantly higher in 30 d group than in control group (P0.05) and there were no significantly different between control group, 1 d group and 7 d group(all P0.05). (6)White blood cell count were significantly higher in 1 d group, 7 d group and 30 d group than in control group (all P0.01).The level of PTEN/PI3K/VEGF signaling pathway change after establishment of rabbit Kawasaki disease model and the signaling pathway might be involved in this model.

Sublancin is an antimicrobial peptide produced by 168 containing 37 amino acids. The objective of this study was to investigate its inhibitory efficacy against both in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, we determined that sublancin had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 8 μM against , which was much higher than the antibiotic lincomycin (0.281 μM). Scanning electron microscopy showed that sublancin damaged the morphology of . The in vivo study was conducted on broilers for a 28-d period using a completely randomized design. A total of 252 chickens at 1 d of age were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatments including an uninfected control; an infected control; 3 infected groups supplemented with sublancin at 2.88, 5.76, or 11.52 mg activity/L of water; and an infected group supplemented with lincomycin at 75 mg activity/L of water (positive control). Necrotic enteritis was induced in the broilers by oral inoculation of on d 15 through 21. Thereafter, the sublancin or lincomycin were administered fresh daily for a period of 7 days. The challenge resulted in a significant decrease in ADG (0.05) and a remarkable deterioration in G:F (0.05) during d 15 to 21 of the experiment. There was a sharp increase of numbers in the cecum (0.05). The addition of sublancin or lincomycin reduced caecal counts (0.05). The counts had a tendency to decrease in the lincomycin treatment ( = 0.051) but were the highest in the sublancin treatment (5.76 mg activity/L of water). A higher villus height to crypt depth ratio in the duodenum and jejunum as well as a higher villus height in the duodenum were observed in broilers treated with sublancin or lincomycin (0.05) compared with infected control broilers. It was observed that sublancin and lincomycin decreased IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels (0.05) in the ileum compared with the infected control. In conclusion, although sublancin's minimum inhibitory concentration is much higher than lincomycin in vitro, less sublancin is needed to control necrotic enteritis induced by in vivo than lincomycin. These novel findings indicate that sublancin could be used as a potential antimicrobial agent to control necrotic enteritis.

The inhibition of new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) is an effective means of limiting both the size and metastasis of solid tumors. The leading anti-angiogenic compound, TNP-470, has proven to be effective in in vitro and in animal model studies, and is currently being tested in phase III antitumor clinical trials. Despite many detailed pharmacological studies, little is known of the molecular mode of action of TNP-470. Using a derivative of the TNP-470 parent compound, the fungal metabolite, fumagillin, we have purified a mammalian protein that is selectively and covalently bound by this natural product. This fumagillin binding protein was found to be a metalloprotease, methionine aminopeptidase (MetAP-2), that is highly conserved between human and Saccharomyces cerevisiae . In the absence of MetAP-1, a distantly related methionine aminopeptidase, MetAP-2 function is essential for vegetative growth in yeast. We demonstrate that fumagillin selectively inhibits the S. cerevisiae MetAP-2 protein in vivo . The binding is highly specific as judged by the failure of fumagillin to inhibit MetAP-1 in vivo . Hence, these results identify MetAP-2 as an important target of study in the analysis of the potent biological activities of fumagillin.

The Erbium (Er) doped GaN is a promising gain medium for optical amplifiers and solid-state high energy lasers due to its high thermal conductivity, wide bandgap, mechanical hardness, and ability to emit in the highly useful 1.5 μm window. Finding the mechanisms to enhance the optical absorption efficiency at a resonant pump wavelength and emission efficiency at 1.5 μm is highly desirable. We report here the in-situ synthesis of the Er and Yb co-doped GaN epilayers (Er + Yb:GaN) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). It was observed that the 1.5 μm emission intensity of the Er doped GaN (Er:GaN) under 980 nm resonant pump can be boosted by a factor of 7 by co-doping the sample with Yb. The temperature dependent PL emission at 1.5 μm in the Er + Yb:GaN epilayers under an above bandgap excitation revealed a small thermal quenching of 12% from 10 to 300 K. From these results, it can be inferred that the process of energy transfer from Yb3+ to Er3+ ions is highly efficient, and non-radiative reco...

To survey Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection in Chinese Women of Jiangsu Province and discuss the relationship between HPV and the biology of cervical cancer.Two thousand, one hundred and fifty-three sexually active women (including 66 cases of cervical cancer) were selected for high-risk human papilloma virus DNA test with Hybrid Capture II (HCII).The overall HPV prevalence was 32.6% (701/2153) with higher positive rates in cervical carcinoma and Cervical Interstitial Neoplasia (CIN) [93.9% and 54.6%] respectively. For women aged 40-59 years, the overall high-risk HPV prevalence was higher than those of other age groups. Compared with CIN I, the positivity rate and viral load of HPV DNA in CIN III is much higher (80.2% vs. 29.9%, 11.89 vs. 0.53). Ninety-four per cent (64/66) of patients with Cervical cancer were detected to be HPV positive. There was no significant difference in HPV DNA among each clinical stage and pathologic grade. But the positive rates and the value of HPV DNA were higher in the patients with cervical interstitial incursion. Eighty per cent of patients (20/25) could become negative within six months after operation.High-risk HPV DNA test is effective in screening for cervical diseases. HCII is an effective method to detect HPV DNA.

The present research is performed on Xenopus oocytes injected with rat DRG mRNA. Modulatory effects of SKF38393 and Clonidine on GABAS(A) receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes was investigated by two-electrodes voltage-clamp technique, and it is compared with the neurons fresh isolated.It is found that SKF38393 and Clonidine inhibitable GABA(A) receptor function obviously by a concentration-dependent manner. There is an interaction between SKF38393- and Clonidine-induced currents. The inhibition of SKF38393 and Clonidine on GABA(A) receptors is noncompetitive and voltage-independent.The results suggest that the inhibition by SKF38393 and clonidine of GABA-activated current might be a result of phosphorylation of GABA(A) receptor following action of second messenger and the thereby mediated intracellular transduction.

Studies have shown that local use of volatile anaesthetics produce local anaesthetic effects such as local infiltration anaesthesia (in rats and humans) and spinal anaesthesia (in dogs). However, there is still no report on the epidural anaesthetic effect of volatile anaesthetics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the epidural anaesthetic effect of the 8% emulsified isoflurane in rabbits.Forty rabbits chronically instrumented with an epidural catheter were randomly divided into four groups of 10 rabbits each. According to group assignment, rabbits received epidural administration of 8% emulsified isoflurane (v/v) 1 ml in the E-isoflurane group, 1% lidocaine 1 ml in the Lidocaine group, 30% lipid emulsion 1 ml in the Itralipid group, or normal saline 1 ml in the NS group. The sensory and motor functions and the state of consciousness were assessed at baseline and at predetermined regular intervals. Then, the rabbits were continuously observed for 2 weeks to examine the possible long-term neurological complications.The sensory blockade onset time, motor blockade onset time, and motor blockade duration in the E-isoflurane group [1.4 (0.7), 1.6 (0.7), and 34 (10) min, respectively] were similar to those in the Lidocaine group [1.3 (0.5), 1.7 (0.8), and 38 (8), min, respectively]. The sensory blockade duration in the E-isoflurane group was longer than that in the Lidocaine group [68 (13) vs 49 (13) min, P0.01]. No epidural anaesthetic effects occurred in the NS group and the Intralipid group. None of the rabbits showed an abnormal consciousness after the epidural drug administration. None of the rabbits showed any long-term neurological deficits during a 2 week observation.The present study demonstrates that epidural administration of the 8% emulsified isoflurane produces completely a reversible epidural anaesthetic effect that does not affect the level of consciousness in rabbits.

Objective In this study, the effects of Triptergium Wilfordii Hook F.(T II) were assessed on human kidney allograft rejection and long-term survival. Methods This study compared treatment with T II(T II group, n = 121) to that without T II(control group, n = 102) among adult first cadaveric renal transplant recipients. The T II cohort of 121 recipients were divided into a regular dosage group (n = 82) and a double dosage group (n = 39). No antibody induction was administered to any patient. Results Biopsy-proven early acute allograft rejection occurred in 4.1% of patients in the T II group versus 24.5% of patients in the control group. No rejection or repeated rejections occurred in the double dosage group at 3 months after transplantation. Acute rejection episodes were milder in the T II than the control group. The incidence of CD25+ cells >10/ mm3 in the allografts at 3 months after transplantation was lower in the T II group than the control group, 15% and 50%, respectively. All patients tolerated T II well over the 5 years of this study. The 5-year graft survival censored for death with function was 96.7% in the T II group and 80.4% in the control group. Conclusion T II was effective to prevent renal allograft rejection and increase long-term renal allograft survival among adult cadaveric renal transplant recipients.

In five kinds of tumors, total 128 specimens were analyzed by RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) PCR with nine 10-base arbitrary primers for detecting instabilities of DNA and chromosome and screening new molecular markers coupled to putative or unknown oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes. Bands representing instabilities have been recovered and purified from agarose and cloned into pCAPs vector, and further labeled by DIG as probes for analysis of Southern blot, Northern blot and Sequencing. Results revealed that sample 5 and 3 of the gastric cancers showed the highest genomic changes and the average detectability in five sorts of cancers was up to at least 40% (42.2%-49.4%), and that there were significant differences in the ability of each primer to detect genomic instability, which ranged from 27% to 68%. Despite the highest detectability of genetic instability (68%) in tumor tissues, primer 2 could produce stable profiles of DNA bands in normal tissue genome with good reproducibility. On the contrary, primer 8 was of the lowest one (27%). Band B of single copy found to be allelic losses in gastric and colon cancers according to RFLP analysis was of a novel sequence and registered by Gen-Bank (Accession Number AF151005). Therefore the genetic instabilities often concentrated on some special locuses of chromosome e.g. repetitive sequences etc. and coupled to carcinogenesis. It was impossible or difficult to get great achievements for cancer treatments with the procedure of gene therapy only to one oncogene or one tumor suppressor gene because the extensive DNA variations occurred during the progression of tumor. RAPD assay connected with other techniques was a good tool for the detection of genomic instabilities and direct screening of some new molecular markers related to tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes.

To evaluate a new lithotomy for postoperatively residual cholelithes.Using rigid choledochoscopy to extract the residual cholelithes which could hardly be extracted by fibrocholedochoscopy through the T-tube sinus in 31 cases.The residual cholelithes were extracted in 30 cases, reoperation was avoided.The residual cholelithes can be effectively extracted by the rigid choledochoscopy plus mechanical lithotripsy through T-tube sinus.

The treatment of 24 cases of severe complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in 1993-1998 is reported. Among them, 16 cases were from the other hospitals. The patients included 14 cases of bile duct injury, 3 cases of bile leak, 1 case of duodenal injury, 5 cases intraoperative hemorrhages, 1 case mediastinal emphysema. The data showed that bile duct injury was the most severe complication of LC. It is suggested that in order to prevent the complications a training of operators on adaptive exercise and standard intraoperative procedure should be undertaken. The diagnosis and treatment of severe complications are discussed and some useful advice is given in this paper.

To investigate functional homooligomeric GABA rho 1 receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes and the modulation of divalent cations.GABA rho 1 cDNA from human retina was transcribed in vitro to obtain sense rho 1 mRNA, which was microinjected into Xenopus oocytes. Two-electrodes voltage clamp technique was performed to record GABA-induced currents.Expressed receptors were found to have similar properties to GABAc receptors characterized in the retina. Cl-currents induced by GABA were blocked by picrotoxin instead of bicuculline. GABA-induced currents reversed at -19 +/- 2.5 mV, and EC50 was 3.3 mumol/L. Zn++ modulated GABA-induced currents with an IC50 = 9.6 mumol/L. Ni++, Cu++ and Cd++ inhibited GABA rho 1 obviously, too. Their rank order of potency was Zn++Ni++Cu++Cd++.Zinc (10 mumol/L) inhibited GABA-induced currents in a competitive manner, and its action was sensitive to extracellular pH. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that substitution of a single histidine residue (H44 and H48) failed to affect zinc sensitivity.

Experiments were performed on neurons freshly isolated from rat DRG using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. The majority of the neurons examined were sensitive to GABA (60/70) in the concentration range from 10(-6) to 10(-3) mol/L, showing obvious desensitization. In the 60 GABA-sensitive cells, responses induced by selective agonist of dopamine D1 receptor SKF38393 [(+/-) SKF38393HCL] manifested three types: (1) outward current (7/60); (2) inward current (5/60) and (3) no detectable response (48/60). As compared with GABA-activated current, the amplitude of SKF38393-activated current are smaller and showed no apparent desensitization. When the neurons were treated with SKF38393 prior to application of GABA for 30 s, the GABA-activated current in majority of the cells (53/60) was inhibited, while the remaining six showed no effect. The effect of SKF38393 was dose dependent. That is, with SKF38393 at concentration of 10(-7), 10(-6), 10(-5) and 10(-4) mol/L, the GABA-activated current was inhibited by (24.8 +/- 2.6)% (n = 7), (26.8 +/- 1.5)% (n = 7), (35.6 +/- 1.2)% (n = 8) and (45.6 +/- 2.3)% (n = 8) respectively. By intracellular application of 10(-4) mol/L H-7, a potent inhibitor of protein kinase, the inhibitory effect of SKF38393 was abolished completely, a results suggesting that the inhibition by SKF38393 of the GABA-activated current might be a result of intracellular phosphorylation of GABAA receptor.

Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed on neurons from freshly isolated rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) to investigate modulatory effects of clonidine, an alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, on GABA-activated currents. In the majority of the neurons examined (72/75), GABA (10(-6)-10(-3) mol/L) induced a concentration-dependent inward current, which could be blocked by bicuculine (10(-4)-10(-5) mol/L). In 51 out of 72 cells, pretreatment with different dosages of clonidine (10(-8)-10(-4) mol/L) decreased the GABA (10(-4) mol/L)-activated current by 8.5%, 19.0%, 33.4%, 44.4% and 40.3%, respectively, while clonidine itself only induced a slight inward current in a few cells (12/72). The inhibitory action of clonidine blockable by yohimbine (10(-4) mol/L) was voltage-independent and did not change the membrane conductance during the activation of GABAA receptor. Unlike NA, (-)-isoproternol (10(-4)-10(-5) mol/L) exerted no effect on GABA-activated currents. Intracellular application of H-7 (10(-4) mol/L) via micropipette resulted in a significant blockade of clonidine inhibition (19/20) except one cell showing only a slight inhibition (11.2%). The results suggest that the inhibitory effect of clonidine on GABA-activated currents in DRG neurons might involve phosphorylation of GABAA receptor following activation of alpha 2-adrenoceptor through a mechanism of intracellular transduction.

The antilocalization effect in a compensated HgCdTe film is observed. With an applied microwave field, both the zero-magnetic-field conductance and the dephasing time are enhanced nonlinearly with microwave power. The observation concerning the dephasing time is inconsistent with a heating mechanism. Such behavior is also in contrast to the microwave-induced suppression of weak-antilocalization and dephasing time seen for a two-dimensional electron gas of the anodic-oxidized HgCdTe. The nonlinear increase in zero-magnetic-field conductance is consistent with a microwave-assisted-hopping mechanism. The increased dephasing time can be explained qualitatively by the microwave-assisted-hopping mechanism and a microwave-induced increase in the electron density. © 2013 American Institute of Physics.