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Chiral cyclopentadienyl rhodium (CpRh) complex-catalyzed asymmetric C-H functionalization reactions have witnessed a significant progress in organic synthesis. In sharp contrast, the reported chiral Cp ligands are limited to C-linked Cp and are often synthetically challenging. To address these issues, we have developed a novel class of tunable chiral cyclopentadienyl ligands bearing oxygen linkers, which were efficient catalysts for C-H arylation of benzo[h]quinolines with 1-diazonaphthoquinones, affording axially chiral heterobiaryls in excellent yields and enantioselectivity (up to 99 % yield, 98.5:1.5 er). Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction is likely to proceed by electrophilic C-H activation, and followed by coupling of the cyclometalated rhodium(III) complex with 1-diazonaphthoquinones.

To characterize and investigate PET/CT findings in the omentum in the differentiation of tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) and peritoneal carcinoma (PC).Thirty-nine patients with TBP and 113 patients with PC who underwent PET/CT were retrospectively enrolled. The omental uptake intensity, distribution characteristics, contracture, size and boundary of soft-tissue lesions, and CT patterns were reviewed.Absent and focal FDG uptake in the lesser omentum was more common in the PC patients (P = 0.034 and P = 0.017, respectively), and diffuse FDG uptake in the lesser omentum was more common in the TBP patients (P 0.001). An apron-like pattern in the greater omentum commonly occurred in the TBP patients (P = 0.004). Micronodules ( 5 mm) were more common in the TBP patients (P 0.001), and masses ( 3 cm) were more common in the PC patients (P = 0.001). Smudged and nodular patterns occurred more frequently in the TBP patients than in the PC patients (P 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively), and the caked pattern occurred more frequently in the PC patients (P 0.001). There was no significant difference in the FDG uptake intensity and the boundary of soft-tissue lesions between the TBP and PC patients (P = 0.191 and P = 0.061, respectively).Diffuse FDG uptake, an apron-like pattern, micronodules, and a smudged and nodular pattern might be significant differential features of TBP. Absent and/or focal FDG uptake, mass, and a caked pattern might be significant differential features of PC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Various imaging modalities provide important information about HCC for its clinical management. Since positron-emission tomography (PET) or PET-computed tomography was introduced to the oncologic setting, it has played crucial roles in detecting, distinguishing, accurately staging, and evaluating local, residual, and recurrent HCC. PET imaging visualizes tissue metabolic information that is closely associated with treatment. Dynamic PET imaging and dual-tracer have emerged as complementary techniques that aid in various aspects of HCC diagnosis. The advent of new radiotracers and the development of immuno-PET and PET-magnetic resonance imaging have improved the ability to detect lesions and have made great progress in treatment surveillance. The current PET diagnostic capabilities for HCC and the supplementary techniques are reviewed herein.

Acute alcoholism (AAI) is a common emergency. Currently, there is a lack of preventive and therapeutic drugs with superior safety and efficacy. Curcuma longa, Panax ginseng, Pueraria lobata, Pueraria flower, and Hovenia dulcis Thunb., which are the components of compound turmeric recipe (CTR), are, respectively, used in China as adjuvant therapeutic agents for AAI and alcoholic liver injury, respectively. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of traditional compound turmeric recipe in anti-inebriation treatment and to identify its underlying mechanisms. The mice were administered with CTR mixture, and ethanol was subsequently given to mice by gavage. The effects of CTR on the righting reflex, 24-hour survival, drunken behavior, blood ethanol concentration, and pathological changes of liver are depicted. The activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were detected. Besides, the activities of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-8 (IL-8), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), cytochrome P450 (P450), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver and the levels of β-endorphin (β-EP) and leucine enkephalin (LENK) in the brain were also measured. Our results demonstrated that CTR can increase the activities of ADH, ALDH, P450, and SOD and decrease the contents of TNF-α, IL-8, and MDA in the liver. In addition, it can decrease the activities of ALT, AST, and ALP in serum and β-EP and LENK activities in the brain. CTR showed effects on prevention of acute alcoholism, promoting wakefulness, and alleviating alcoholic liver injury, which were likely mediated by the above mechanisms.

Background: COVID-19 is a globally emerging infectious disease. As the global epidemic continues to spread, the risk of COVID-19 transmission and diffusion in the world will also remain. Currently, several studies describing its clinical characteristics have focused on the initial outbreak, but rarely to the later stage. Here we described clinical characteristics, risk factors for disease severity and in-hospital outcome in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia from Wuhan. Methods: Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from February 13 to March 8, 2020, were retrospectively enrolled. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for disease severity and in-hospital outcome and establish predictive models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive value of above models.Results: 106 (61.3%) of the patients were female. The mean age of study populations was 62.0 years, of whom 73 (42.2%) had underlying comorbidities mainly including hypertension (24.9%). The most common symptoms on admission were fever (67.6%) and cough (60.1%), digestive symptoms (22.0%) was also very common. Older age (OR: 3.420; 95%Cl: 1.415-8.266; P=0.006), diarrhea (OR: 0.143; 95%Cl: 0.033-0.611; P=0.009) and lymphopenia (OR: 4.769; 95%Cl: 2.019-11.266; P=0.000) were associated with severe illness on admission; the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of predictive model were 0.860 (95%CI: 0.802-0.918; P=0.000). Older age (OR: 0.309; 95%Cl: 0.142-0.674; P=0.003), leucopenia (OR: 0.165; 95%Cl: 0.034-0.793; P=0.025), increased lactic dehydrogenase (OR: 0.257; 95%Cl: 0.100-0.659; P=0.005) and interleukins-6 levels (OR: 0.294; 95%Cl: 0.099-0.872; P=0.027) were associated with poor in-hospital outcome; AUC of predictive model were 0.752 (95%CI: 0.681-0.824; P=0.000).Conclusion: Older patients with diarrhea and lymphopenia need early identification and timely intervention to prevent the progression to severe COVID-19 pneumonia. However, older patients with leucopenia, increased lactic dehydrogenase and interleukins-6 levels are at a high risk for poor in-hospital outcome.Trial registration: ChiCTR2000029549

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Long noncoding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) has been shown to be related to the pathogenesis of DCM. However, the mechanism by which PVT1 regulates DCM pathogenesis is unclear. High glucose level was employed to construct a DCM cell model in vitro. Cell viability was determined via cell counting kit-8 assay. The level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was measured with the corresponding kit. Expression levels of PVT1, miR-23a-3p, and caspase-10 (CASP10) messenger RNA were evaluated with a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry assay. Protein levels of B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X (Bax), cleaved-caspase-3 (cleaved-casp-3), and CASP10 were examined via western blot analysis. The relationship between PVT1 or CASP10 and miR-23a-3p was verified with dual-luciferase reporter assay. We observed that PVT1 and CASP10 were upregulated while miR-23a-3p was downregulated in high glucose-induced cardiomyocytes. High glucose levels repressed cardiomyocyte activity and induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, but this influence was antagonized by PVT1 knockdown or miR-23a-3p overexpression. Furthermore, PVT1 acted as a sponge for miR-23a-3p, and miR-23a-3p inhibition counterbalanced the influence of PVT1 silencing on viability and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes under high glucose level treatment. PVT1 could increase CASP10 expression via sponging miR-23a-3p. In conclusion, PVT1 acted as a deleterious lncRNA in DCM. PVT1 facilitated cardiomyocyte death by regulating the miR-23a-3p/CASP10, which offered a new mechanism to comprehend the pathogenesis of DCM.

ortho-Amidation of 2-pyridinyl ferrocenes with 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones was achieved via Cp*Co(III)-catalyzed direct C-H bond functionalization reaction. In the presence of Cp*Co(CO)I-2, in combination with AgPF6 and AgOPiv, a wide range of ferrocene-based amidated products were obtained in up to 96% yield under mild reaction conditions. A gram-scale reaction proceeded smoothly with high efficiency. Isoquinoline and pyrimidine are also suitable directing groups in this transformation. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 4 (CPEB4) could be an important regulator in variety of cancers. However, the biological function and the underlying molecular mechanism of CPEB4 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the metastasis role of CPEB4 in NSCLC cells, we knocked down CPEB4 using siRNA. Transwell migration assay and cell invasion assay on Matrigel were presented, and cell migration was also determined by scratch-healing assay. ROS generation were determined by fluorescence probe DCFH2-DA. The protein expression was assessed by ELISA and Western blot analysis. LY294002 were used to inhibit PI3 K/Akt signaling. The data showed that knockdown of CPEB4 inhibited the migration and invasion of NSCLC. Moreover, silencing of CPEB4 reduced Snail and MMP-3 expression in vitro. We also indicated that CPEB4 knockdown increased the ROS expression. Furthermore, we found that silencing of CPEB4 decreased pAkt expression. Taken all together, our data demonstrated that silencing of CPEB4 induces ROS generation, thus suppressing the Akt expression, which finally prevents NSCLC cells invasion and migration. Therefore, CPEB4 may regard as a target to inhibit NSCLC invasion and metastasis through Akt pathway.

Amidation of N-containing heteroaryl ferrocenes with 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones as the amidated reagents was achieved via a Rh-catalyzed direct C–H functionalization reaction. Under mild reaction conditions, a wide range of N-ferrocenyl amides were obtained in up to 99% yield. Transformations of the amide group were also feasible.

Pd(0)-catalyzed intramolecular C–H alkenylation was achieved with excellent yields and enantioselectivity for the construction of planar chiral ferrocenes. It is compatible with a broad range of substrates and various functional groups. Notably, the enantioselective and diastereoselective synthesis of planar chiral ferrocenes was realized by cascade C–H arylation and alkenylation reaction for the first time. Additionally, the product was easily converted into a N,O-bidentate ligand, showing promising chiral induction in asymmetric alkynylation of 1-naphthaldehyde.

Synthesis of ferrocene-based pyridinones via Rh(III)-catalyzed annulation of ferrocenecarboxamides with internal alkynes has been developed using a directing group as the internal oxidant. This method displays good functional group tolerance and delivers ferrocene-based pyridinones generally in moderate to good yields. Additionally, an asymmetric reaction can be achieved in the presence of a chiral catalyst Rh1.

Amorphous alloy strips has been widely used in the field of distribution transformers due to its good soft magnetic properties. The resources, energy consumption of the amorphous alloy strips production with the rapid solidification technique and the environmental impacts were calculated based on the life cycle assessment method. The results showed that the largest contribution to the non-renewable resource consumption was ferroboron production process, accounting for 98% of abiotic resource depletion (ADP). And the strip production process had the largest contribution to the global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), photochemical oxidation potential (POCP), human toxicity potential (HTP),eutrophication potential (EP). Ferroboron production process contributed the biggest environmental impact when producing 1 ton amorphous strip, accounting for 70% of the total environmental impact. Under the new technology for energy-saving and emission-reduction, when the utilization rate of boric acid increased in ferroboron production process, all the environmental impact decreased.

An intermolecular asymmetric dearomatization reaction of β-naphthols with nitroethylene through a chiral-thiourea-catalyzed Michael reaction is described. Enantioenriched functionalized β-naphthalenones with an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center could thus be easily constructed from simple naphthol derivatives in good yields and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 79% yield, 98% ee).

A Rh-catalyzed enantioselective dearomatization of 1-aryl-2-naphthols with internal alkynes via C–H functionalization reaction was achieved. In the presence of a chiral Cp/Rh catalyst and combined oxidants of Cu(OAc)2 and air (oxygen), various highly enantioenriched spirocyclic enones bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center could be synthesized in 33–98% yields with up to 97:3 er.

A viscosity model based on NPL model with the corrected optical basicity is proposed for quaternary SiO2-CaO-MgO-Al2O3 slag system in the present work. The modified Arrhenius type of equation for temperature dependence of slag viscosity is employed. By means of fitting measured viscosity values for slags with basicity from 0.4 to 1.0 and temperature from 1593 to 1803 K, model parameters are optimized against values of optical basicity, which represents both the structure of molten slags and cationic effects. The relationship between model parameters and optical basicity, which is different from NPL model, is obtained. The present model is applied to estimate viscosity values of slag in SiO2-CaO-MgO-Al2O3 system. The comparison between estimated and measured values shows good agreement with a mean deviation of 12%. It proves fully that the present model can express the temperature dependence and composition dependence of viscosity.

Rapid access to mono- or dialkynylation of ferrocene with ethynylbenziodoxolones as the alkynylation reagents was achieved via rhodium-catalyzed direct C–H bond functionalization at room temperature. Mono- and dialkynylation were easily modulated by varying the sterical volume of the directing group, such as pyridine and isoquinoline, and amount of hypervalent iodine reagents. A wide range of ferrocene-based alkynylation products could be obtained in up to 94% yield, and a gram-scale reaction also proceeded smoothly with high efficiency.

Rhodium-catalyzed C(sp

The effects of basicity and MgO content on the viscosity of SiO2-CaO-MgO-9wt%Al2O3 slags with basicity from 0.4 to 1.0 and MgO content from 13wt% to 19wt% were investigated using the rotating cylinder method. A correlation between the viscosity and the slag structure was determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. It is indicated that the complex network structure of the slag melt is depolymerized into simpler network units with increasing basicity or MgO content, resulting in a continuous decrease in viscosity of the slag. The viscosity is strongly dependent on the combined action of basic oxide components in the slag. Under the present experimental conditions, increasing the basicity is found to be more effective than increasing the MgO content in decreasing the viscosity of the slag. At higher temperatures, the increase of basicity or MgO content does not appreciably decrease the viscosity of the slag, as it does at lower temperatures. The calculated activation energy of viscous flow is between 154 and 200 kJ·mol−1, which decreases with an increase in basicity from 0.4 to 1.0 at a fixed MgO content in the range of 13wt% to 19wt%.

A wideband Yagi antenna used for THz integrated application has been successfully developed. The antenna is constructed by some air-gap Coplanar Waveguides (CPW) with different length. The air-gap CPWs are realized by the air bridge technology. A semiinsulating SiC substrate with thickness of 50um is used as the supporter of antenna. Due to the use of the air-gap CPW, the affection of substrate can be minimized because most filed will distribute in the air instead of the substrate. EM simulation is used to adjust the parameters of antenna for the performance optimization. Finally, the antenna with bandwidth more than 110GHz and the efficiency up to 85% is achieved. The results indicated that with significant enhancement of bandwidth and efficiency of the antenna, the proposed method has great potential in the design of high performance THz integrated circuits.

We investigated the diversity of H. pylori cagPAI genes in a region at high risk of gastric cancer in the study. Thirty-five H. pylori strains were isolated from patients with gastroduodenal diseases. cagPAI genes were determined by PCR, and randomly selected amplicons were sequenced to analyze the genotypes. The results showed that 100 % of the isolates were positive for cagI, cagL, cagM, cagT and cagX. Based on the phylogenetic trees, all cagPAI genes in the isolates could be placed into two major groups (East Asian-type and Western-type), and the cagPAI genes of most isolates were included in East Asian-type. East Asian-type cagPAI genes present at a lower frequency in chronic gastritis (71.4 %) than that of gastric ulcer (100 %), duodenal ulcer (100 %), and gastric cancer (100 %) (p < 0.01). We demonstrate that East Asian-type cagPAI genes are associated with severe clinical outcomes in the region at the high risk of gastric cancer.

Oilfield waterflood system efficiency test set and computation analysis software can monitor real-time electric power consumption of waterflood system and optimize parameters in waterflood activity in time. This test tool adopts chip microprocessor as electric circuit for acquisition of pressure, flow rate and electricity. Wireless transmission applies Bluetooth and GPRS techniques. The computation analysis software has such functions as graphic simulation, efficiency computation, behavior diagnosis and design optimization. The filed application of this tool effectively cuts production cost and achieves the goal of energy saving.

An intermolecular asymmetric dearomatization reaction of β-naphthols with nitroethylene through a chiral-thiourea-catalyzed Michael reaction is described. Enantioenriched functionalized β-naphthalenones with an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center could thus be easily constructed from simple naphthol derivatives in good yields and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 79% yield, 98% ee).

Aim To assess whether glomerular hyperfiltration (GHF) could result in renal tubular damage in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods Reference value of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was determined in 248 healthy individuals based on serum CysC levels. GHF was defined as an eGFR exceeding the sex-specific 97.5th percentile in non-diabetic individuals. In the present study, 30 with GHF, 58 with norm-GFR T2DM, and 24 healthy controls were recruited. Tubular markers, such as urinary N-acetyl-β- d -glucosaminidase (NAG) and kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), as well as serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), were measured and compared. The correlation of these markers with eGFR was analyzed in the GHF group. Results The GHF group had higher urinary NGAL and KIM-1 levels but lower serum NGAL level than the norm-GFR and control groups. Slightly decreased serum NGAL and increased urinary NGAL levels were also noted in the norm-GFR group compared with those of the controls. There was no statistical difference in the urinary NAG values among the three groups. Correlation analysis showed that eGFR was positively related to fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, urinary NGAL, and KIM-1, but negatively with serum NGAL in the GHF group. Conclusion Higher urinary tubular damage markers were found in T2DM patients with GHF than the norm-GFR and control groups, probably a direct proof that GHF is a deleterious factor for diabetic nephropathy.

The various origins of obstructive jaundice make the diagnosis of the disease difficult. This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in differentiating malignant from benign origins of obstructive jaundice and to quantify the added value of 18F-FDG PET/CT over conventional imaging (enhanced CT and/or MRI).Eighty-five patients with obstructive jaundice who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT within 2 weeks after enhanced CT and/or MRI were reviewed retrospectively. All 18F-FDG PET/CT images were independently evaluated by 2 nuclear medicine physicians who were unaware of other imaging data; differences were resolved by consensus of the physicians. All conventional imaging interpretations, according to the medical records, were reviewed by 2 radiologists to determine the potential value. Final diagnoses were based on histological or surgical findings.Sixty-six patients were diagnosed with malignancies, and 19 patients with benign lesions. The maximum standardized uptake values for malignant and benign lesions causing biliary obstruction were 8.2+/-4.4 and 4.0+/-5.0, respectively (P0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy for differentiating malignant from benign origins with 18F-FDG PET/CT were 86.4% (57/66), 73.7% (14/19), and 83.5% (71/85), respectively. 18F-FDG PET/CT in conjunction with conventional imaging changed the sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of conventional imaging alone from 75.8% (50/66) to 95.5% (63/66) (P0.05), 68.4% (13/19) to 57.9% (11/19) (P0.05), and 74.1% (63/85) to 87.1% (74/85) (P0.05), respectively.18F-FDG PET/CT is of great value in differentiating malignant from benign origins of obstructive jaundice and is a useful adjuvant to conventional imaging. 18F-FDG PET/CT should be recommended for further etiological clarification.

A new terahertz (THz) filtering antenna realised by 3D substrate integrated circular waveguide (3D-SICW) is presented. The filtering antenna is designed on a low-temperature co-fired ceramic substrate. Different from traditional planar structure, the direction of power in 3D-SICW is along Z -axis and this will significantly enhance the performance of the devices at THz frequency. The filtering antenna is constructed by two 3D-SICW cavities and a standard substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity, where one SICW cavity and the standard SIW cavity form the bandpass filter by using electric coupling and the other SICW cavity is used as antenna. The results indicate that the passband of filtering antenna range from 170.4 to 177.8 GHz and the gain of antenna is about 5.7 dB. Finally, the filtering antenna is fabricated and measured to verify the simulation prediction. The measured and simulated results are in good agreement at such high frequency.

Due to the influence of climate change and human activities, more and more regions around the world are nowadays facing serious water shortages. This is particularly so with the Guangdong province, an economically prosperous region in China. This study aims at understanding the abrupt behavior of hydrological processes by analyzing monthly precipitation series from 257 rain gauging stations and monthly streamflow series from 25 hydrological stations using the likelihood ratio statistic and schwarz information criterion (SIC). The underlying causes of the changing properties of hydrological processes are investigated by analyzing precipitation changes and information of water reservoirs. It is found that (1) streamflow series in dry season seems to exhibit abrupt changes when compared to that in the flood season; (2) abrupt changes in the values of mean and variance of hydrological variables in the dry season are more common than those in the streamflow series in the flood season, which implies that streamflow in the dry season is more sensitive to human activities and climate change than that in the flood season; (3) no change points are identified in the annual precipitation and precipitation series in the flood season. Annual streamflow and streamflow in the flood season exhibit no abrupt changes, showing the influence of precipitation on streamflow changes in the flood season. However, streamflow changes in the dry season seem to be heavily influenced by hydrological regulations of water reservoirs. The results of this study are of practical importance for regional water resource management in the Guangdong province.

Cubic boron nitride(c-BN) was synthesized through benzene thermal method at a lower temperature of 300 °C by selecting liquid (C2H5)2O · BF3 and Li3N as reactants. Hexagonal boron nitride(h-BN) and orthorhombic boron nitride(o-BN) were also obtained. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffractometry and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. The results show that all the BF3, BCl3 and BBr3 in the same family compounds can react with Li3N to synthesize BN since the strongest bond of B-F can be broken. Compared with BBr3, liquid (C2H5)2O · BF3 is cheaper, less toxic and more convenient to operate. Li3N not only provides nitrogen source but also has catalytic effect on accelerating the formation of c-BN at low temperature and pressure.

Objectives: Tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) mimics peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). We aimed to investigate the discriminative use of PET/CT findings in the parietal peritoneum. Materials and Methods: Parietal peritoneal PET/CT findings from 76 patients with TBP (n = 25) and PC (n = 51) were retrospectively reviewed. The lesion locations were noted as right subdiaphragmatic, left subdiaphragmatic, right paracolic gutters, left paracolic gutters, and pelvic regions. The distribution characteristic consisted of a dominant distribution in the pelvic and/or right subdiaphragmatic region (susceptible area for peritoneal implantation, SAPI) (SAPI distribution), a dominant distribution in the remaining regions (less-susceptible area for peritoneal implantation, LSAPI) (LSAPI distribution), or a uniform distribution. PET morphological patterns were classified as F18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake in a long beaded line (string-of-beads 18F-FDG uptake) or in a cluster (clustered 18F-FDG uptake) or focal 18F-FDG uptake. CT patterns included smooth uniform thickening, irregular thickening, or nodules. Results: More common findings in the parietal peritoneum corresponding to TBP as opposed to PC were (a) ≥4 involved regions (80.0% vs 19.6%), (b) uniform distribution (72.0% vs 5.9%), (c) string-of-beads 18F-FDG uptake (76.0% vs 7.8%), and (d) smooth uniform thickening (60.0% vs 7.8%) (all P 0.05, P 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: Our data show that PET/CT findings in the parietal peritoneum are useful for differentiating between TBP and PC.

The duodenal ulcer promoting gene (dupA), located in the plasticity region of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), is predicted to form a type IV secretory system (T4SS) with vir genes around dupA. In the study, we investigated the association between the dupA cluster status and the virulence of H. pylori in a littoral region of Northeast China. Two hundred and sixty-two H. pylori strains isolated from the chronic gastritis were examined to evaluate the dupA cluster status, cag PAI genes and vacA genotype using PCR and Western blot. Histopathologic evaluations of biopsy specimens were performed to analysis the association between the dupA cluster and the inflammatory response. IL-8 productions in gastric mucosa and from GES-1 cells co-cultured with H. pylori were measured, respectively, to analysis the association between the dupA cluster status and IL-8 production. We found that gastric mucosal inflammatory cell infiltration was significantly higher in patients with dupA-positive H. pylori, including H. pylori with complete dupA cluster (2.71 ± 0.79) and incomplete dupA cluster (2.09 ± 0.61) than in patients with dupA-negative strain (1.73 ± 0.60, p

The function of intact long-type DupA protein in Helicobacter pylori was analyzed using immunoblotting and molecular biology techniques in the study. After cloning, expression and purification, ATPase activity of DupA protein was detected. Antibody was produced for localization and interaction proteins analysis. The dupA-deleted mutant was generated for adhesion and CagA protein translocation assay, susceptibility to different pH, IL-8 secretion assay, cytotoxicity to MKN-45 cells and proteins-involved apoptosis analysis. DupA protein exhibited an ATPase activity (129.5±17.8 U/mgprot) and located in bacterial membrane, while it did not involve the adhesion and CagA protein delivery of H. pylori. DupA protein involved the urease secretion as the interaction proteins. The wild type strain had a stronger growth in low pH than the dupA-deleted mutant (p 0.001). IL-8 productions from GES-1 cells infected with the wild type strain were significantly higher than from those with the mutant (p 0.001). The amounts of vital MKN-45 cells were decreased and the numbers of apoptotic cells were increased with the wild type strain, compared to those with the mutant after 12 h (p 0.05). The increase of cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax was significantly higher and the decrease of Bcl-2 was more obvious in MKN-45 cells exposed to the wild type strain than that exposed to the mutant after 6 h. We demonstrate that intact long-type DupA protein located in membrane as ATPase is a true virulence factor associated with duodenal ulcer development involving the IL-8 induction and urease secretion, while it inhibits gastric cancer cell growth in vitro by activating the mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway.

Summary Background and objective It is widely accepted that conventional 18 F-FDG PET/CT (whole-body static 18 F-FDG PET/CT, WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT) has a low detection rate for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We prospectively assessed the role of early dynamic 18 F-FDG PET/CT (ED 18 F-FDG PET/CT) and WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT in detecting HCC, and we quantified the added value of ED 18 F-FDG PET/CT to WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Methods Twenty-two patients with 37 HCC tumors (HCCs) who underwent both a liver ED 18 F-FDG PET/CT (performed simultaneously with a 5.5 MBq/kg 18 F-FDG bolus injection and continued for 240 s) and a WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT were enrolled in the study. Results The WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT and ED 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans were positive in 56.7% (21/37) and 78.4% (29/37) HCCs, respectively ( P 18 F-FDG PET/CT in conjunction with WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT (one-stop 18 F-FDG PET/CT) improved the positive detection rates of WB and ED 18 F-FDG PET/CT alone from 56.7% and 78.4% to 91.9% (34/37) ( P P > 0.05, respectively). Conclusion One-stop 18 F-FDG PET/CT appears to be useful to improve WB 18 F-FDG PET/CT for HCC detection.

To discuss surgical approaches of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of cervical spine.Between June 2005 to July 2010, 36 patients with OPLL of cervical spine were reoperated. There were 23 male, 13 female, age from 39 to 72 years (mean 57 years). The time of the first operation to the reoperation were 4 months to 24 years, an average of 3.9 years. Among 20 patients underwent anterior corpectomy and fusion (ACD) at first operation, 14 cases combined stenosis of cervical spinal canal, 10 cases were insufficient decompression of OPLL, 5 cases injured of cervical spinal cord during the first operation, 1 case was adjacent disc herniation. Among 14 cases underwent expensive open-door laminoplasty (ELAP) at first operation, 6 cases were insufficient decompression of OPLL, 4 cases were inadequate decompressed segment, 2 cases were cervical segmental kyphosis, 2 cases were progression of OPLL combined with disc herniation. Among 2 cases underwent combined approach at first operation, 1 case was insufficient decompression of OPLL, the other was adjacent disc herniation. Their pre- and post-operative X-ray, CT and MRI were analyzed. The complications of reoperation were recorded.There were 30 patients followed-up, with a period of 1.5 - 4.0 years, average 1.8 years. With 36 patients, none had deterioration, 2 patients had no recovery post-reoperation, 34 patients had 31.2% Japanese Orthopedic Association score improve rate. Among 22 cases underwent ELAP at second operation, 3 cases had postoperative segmental palsy. Among 14 cases underwent ACD at second operation, 3 cases had intraoperative dural defects.Surgical strategy for OPLL of cervical spine should consider the type of OPLL and stenosis of cervical spinal canal.

Belt conveyor is one of the main powder material conveying equipments. Roller which bears complex load is the main part. In this paper the way to improve driving force for transmission device is analyzed, and the stress of herringbone driving roller is studied using Ansys software, with this method finding out the distribution of stress and deformation for driving roller in load, which provides qualitative and quantitative data of surface technologies for herringbone pattern driving roller in engineering applications.

To examine the urinary level of tissue factor (uTF) and its procoagulant activity (PCA) in patients with diabetes mellitus, and explore the relationship between uTF and renal damage in diabetes mellitus.Eighty-six patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were divided into 3 groups according to urine albumin excretion (UACR), namely normal albuminuria group, microalbuminuria group and macroalbuminuria group. The levels of uTF, PCA, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (CRE), serum cystatin C (CYSC), glycohemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in all the patients and 21 healthy controls.Compared with normal control, the diabetic patients showed significantly increased levels of uTF and PCA. The urinary TF-PCA was positively correlated to BUN, CYSC, CRE, UACR, fasting glucose and hs-CRP, but not to uTF; only hs-CRP, UACR were positively correlated to uTF.uTF is probably implicated in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Based on the analysis of the speckle noise’s properties, a soft-threshold de-noising method of medical ultrasonic image based on PCNN was proposed. In the proposed method, wavelet transform can produce the coefficients which contain the distinct characteristics of input information and make coarse-to-fine multi-resolution analysis for signal, and PCNN can recognize signals, it is realized that PCNN recognizes the coefficients of high frequency in wavelet domain, and then the wavelet coefficients are processed by corresponding methods, the speckle noises can be removed. The experimental results show that the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) is higher and the details of images are kept as more as possible, meanwhile, the edge blur phenomenon caused by wavelet threshold de-noising is improved