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BACKGROUND Autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AAG) is a type of chronic gastritis that mainly affects the gastric corpus. Due to the lack of standard diagnostic criteria and overlaps with the courses of Helicobacter pylori-related atrophic gastritis, reports on the diagnostic strategy of AAG at an early stage are limited. CASE SUMMARY A 71-year-old woman with severe anemia was diagnosed with AAG. Endoscopic views and pathological findings showed the coexistence of normal mucosa in the gastric antrum and atrophic mucosa in the gastric fundus. Serological tests showed that anti-parietal cell antibodies and anti-intrinsic factor antibodies were both positive. Immunohistochemical results, which showed negative H+-K+ ATPase antibody staining and positive chromogranin A (CgA) staining, confirmed the mechanism of this disease. After vitamin B12 and folic acid supplementation, the patient recovered well. CONCLUSION Successful diagnosis of AAG includes serological tests, endoscopic characteristics, and immunohistochemistry for H+-K+ ATPase and CgA antibodies.

Established a model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mastitis in mice, pathological sections and myeloperoxidase were used to detect the degree of tissue damage, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, meanwhile fluorescence quantitative PCR experiments were performed to detect the mRNA expression of CD14/TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK signalling pathway, and the faeces of mice were collected for 16S measurement of flora. The results showed that

Efficient cathode interfacial layers (CILs) are becoming essential elements for organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the absorption of commonly used cathode interfacial materials (CIMs) is either too weak or overlaps too much with that of photoactive materials, hindering their contribution to the light absorption. In this work, we demonstrate the construction of highly efficient CIMs based on 2,7-di-tert-butyl-4,5,9,10-pyrene diimide (t-PyDI) framework. By introducing amino, amino N-oxide and quaternary ammonium bromide as functional groups, three novel self-doped CIMs named t-PyDIN, t-PyDINO and t-PyDINBr are synthesized. These CIMs are capable of boosting the device performances by broadening the absorption, forming ohmic contact at the interface of active layer and electrode, as well as facilitating electron collection. Notably, the device based on t-PyDIN achieved a power conversion efficiency of 18.25 %, which is among the top efficiencies reported to date in binary OSCs.

Nonvolatile memory devices based on organic materials are promising for a new generation of portable or flexible electronics. Herein, two pyrene-fused azaindacene configurational isomers, syn-B2IPIO and anti-B2IPIO, were designed and synthesized, and they are axially symmetric and centrally symmetric, respectively. These two regioisomers were applied as charge trapping elements (CTEs) for the electret layers in organic field-effect transistor nonvolatile memory (OFET-NVM) devices. Although the two regioisomers have nearly identical molecular structures, absorption spectra, and HOMO/LUMO energy levels, they exhibit distinctly different charge-trapping capabilities. The OFET-NVM devices based on anti-B2IPIO exhibit a moderate memory window of about 25 V. In contrast, the devices based on syn-B2IPIO show a more than two-fold wider memory window (∼59 V). The different charge trapping behaviors of this pair of isomers are attributed to different intermolecular interactions associated with molecular symmetry, resulting in different molecular packing behaviors and film morphologies. The results reveal that controlling the molecular symmetry could be a new and efficient strategy for the design of organic CTEs for high-performance memory devices.

Biochar has the characteristics of loose porosity, high specific surface area, and strong adsorption properties. Recently, the compacted biochar amended clay has been proposed as a sustainable alternative material for the final cover of landfills. However, the effect of biochar on saturated hydraulic conductivity (ksat) is not yet conclusive. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of biochar content on the permeability of biochar-clay mixed soils. The clay used in the study belongs to the low liquid limit clay. The biochar is produced by heating the rice straw under an oxygen-deficient condition at a temperature of 500 °C. To study the effect of biochar content on the permeability of biochar-clay mixed soils, the biochar-clay mixed soils with the mass percentage of biochar being 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% were used. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the biochar-clay mixed soils was measured by the head pressure control permeameter. Meanwhile, the micro-pore structure of the saturated biochar-clay mixed soils was obtained by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. It can be observed that the saturated hydraulic conductivity ksat of biochar-clay mixed soils increases linearly as the biochar content increases. The NMR results show that the T2 distribution curve of pure clay is a unimodal pattern, while the T2 distribution curve of biochar-clay mixed soils presents the bimodal pattern, where T2 is the transverse relaxation time, reflecting the pore size of the soil specimens. With the increase of biochar content, the T2 spectrum of the mixed soils moves slightly to the right, and T2 at main peak increases gradually, correspondingly the most probable pore size of biochar-clay mixed soils increases. The pore size distribution of the soil was changed by the addition of biochar and subsequently affects the permeability of biochar-clay mixed soils. This study provides some useful suggestions for optimizing the pore structure of the biochar amended clay anti-seepage layer in the final cover of landfills.

We report a facile means to engineer oriented surface topology of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) via homoepitaxial crystallization. It involved uniaxially stretching the PCL substrate, immersing the un...

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary intracranial tumor with extremely high malignancy and poor prognosis. In order to identify the GBM prognostic biomarkers and establish a prognostic model, we analyzed the expression profile data of GBM in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database as the experimental group. First, we identified the differentially expressed genes of different survival periods among the GBM patients. The GISTIC software and Kaplan Meier (KM) survival curve were used to analyze the copy number variation of GBM to identify the survival-associated amplified gene (SAG). We selected the intersection genes of up-regulated ones in short survival group and SAG, performed univariate Cox regression and iterative Lasso regression with them to identify the important candidate genes and establish a prognostic model. Based on the model, the prognostic score was calculated. The patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups according to the median prognostic score. Meanwhile ROC curve was used to evaluate the validity of the model, applying the KM survival analysis of the high-risk and low-risk groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the independence of the prognostic score. All the data were verified with three external datasets: GEO GSE16011, CGGA, and Rembrandt. The results showed that differential expression analysis of different survival periods of GBM identified 426 up-regulated genes and 65 down-regulated genes in the TCGA GBM dataset. The intersection of up-regulated genes in short survival group and SAG yielded 47 genes. After the screening, the six-gene combination (EN2,PPBP,LRRC61,SEL1L3,CPA4,DDIT4L) prognostic model was finally determined. The area under ROC curve of the model in TCGA experimental group and three external validation group were all greater than 0.6, even reaching 0.912. KM analysis showed that the prognosis of the high-risk and low-risk groups was significant different (P0.05). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the six-gene prognostic score was an independent factor influencing the prognosis of GBM patients (P0.05). In summary, this study established a prognostic model of six-gene (EN2,PPBP,LRRC61,SEL1L3,CPA4,DDIT4L) for GBM. This six-gene model has good predictive ability and could be used as an independent prognostic marker for GBM patients.胶质母细胞瘤(glioblastoma, GBM)是最常见的原发性颅内肿瘤,恶性程度极高,患者预后极差。为了识别GBM预后生物标记物,建立预后模型,本研究通过分析癌症基因组图谱计划(The Cancer Genome Atlas, TCGA)数据库中GBM的表达谱数据,筛选出不同生存期GBM患者差异基因。利用GISTIC软件和Kaplan-Meier (KM)生存分析方法分析TCGA数据库中的GBM拷贝数变异数据,识别影响生存的扩增基因(survival-associated amplified gene, SAG)。取短生存期组上调基因和SAG两者的交集基因,进行单因素Cox回归和迭代Lasso回归筛选重要候选基因并建立预后模型;计算预后评分,根据预后评分中位数将患者分为高风险组和低风险组。用ROC曲线判断模型的优良,KM生存分析高低风险组预后差异,并用GEO、CGGA和Rembrandt数据库3个外部数据集进行验证。多因素Cox回归分析判断预后评分的预后独立性。结果显示,GBM不同生存期差异分析得到上调基因426个,下调基因65个。短生存期组上调基因与SAG交集得到47个基因。经过筛选,最终确定六基因(EN2、PPBP、LRRC61、SEL1L3、CPA4、DDIT4L)预后模型。TCGA实验组和3个外部验证组模型的ROC曲线下面积均大于0.6,甚至达到0.912。KM分析显示高低风险组的预后都存在差异(P0.05)。在多因素Cox回归分析中,六基因预后评分是GBM患者预后的独立影响因素(P0.05)。通过一系列分析,本研究确立了六基因(EN2、PPBP、LRRC61、SEL1L3、CPA4、DDIT4L)的GBM预后模型,模型具有很好的预测能力,可作为预测GBM患者的独立预后标志物。.

β-1,3-Glucans are well-known biological and health-promoting compounds in edible fungi. Our previous results characterized a glucan synthase gene (GFGLS) of Grifola frondosa for the first time to understand its role in mycelial growth and glucan biosynthesis. In the present study, we identified and functionally reannotated another glucan synthase gene, GFGLS2, based on our previous results. GFGLS2 had a full sequence of 5944 bp including 11 introns and 12 exons and a coding information for 1713 amino acids of a lower molecular weight (195.2 kDa) protein with different conserved domain sites than GFGLS (5927 bp with also 11 introns and a coding information for 1781 aa). Three dual-promoter RNA-silencing vectors, pAN7-iGFGLS-dual, pAN7-iGFGLS2-dual, and pAN7-CiGFGLS-dual, were constructed to downregulate GFGLS, GFGLS2, and GFGLS/GFGLS2 expression by targeting their unique exon sequence or conserved functional sequences. Silencing GFGLS2 resulted in higher downregulation efficiency than silencing GFGLS. Cosilencing GFGLS and GFGLS2 had a synergistic downregulation effect, with slower mycelial growth and glucan production by G. frondosa. These findings indicated that GFGLS2 plays major roles in mycelial growth and polysaccharide synthesis and provides a reference to understand the biosynthesis pathway of mushroom polysaccharides. KEY POINTS: • The 5944-bp glucan synthase gene GFGLS2 of G. frondosa was cloned and reannotated • GFGLS2 showed identity and significant differences with the previously identified GFGLS • GFGLS2 played a major role in fermentation and glucan biosynthesis.

Background: The exact morbidity of myocarditis is unknown, as the treatment is generally delayed in virtue of misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify prognostic factors of left-ventricular remodeling on CMRI performed in patients with pathological proven myocarditis. Methods: Sixty-two cases with various presentations of myocarditis (39 cases with heart failure; 23 cases with arrhythmias) were selected. All patients, who underwent coronary angiography, endomyocardial biopsy, were divided into positive-remodeling and negative-remodelling groups to analyse LGE and cardiac cine parameters at presentation and subsequent to 3 months. Results: Comparison of two subgroups in CMRI is as follows: positive LGE (65.6% vs. 86.7%; p Conclusion: LGE-MRI is rewarding as an independent predictor in left-ventricular positive and negative remodelling of myocarditis.

Unique banded cylindrites of polyoxymethylene/poly(butylene succinate) blends were induced by the intense interfacial shear, which was applied by pulling a single glass fiber (GF) with non-nucleation ability. The crystalline morphology and structure of banded cylindrites were quantitively correlated with the shear rates to provide revealing insights in shear-induced nucleation and lamellar assembly. Densely packed row-nuclei emerged on the surface of pulled GF and the nucleation density increased dramatically with the shear rate. The subsequent lamellar extension and twisting were restricted perpendicularly to the GF axis, resulting in the formation of banded cylindrites. As the shear rate increased, the band spacing showed a linear decrease and the eccentricity of elliptical bands showed a linear increase. It was attributed to the augment of unbalanced surface stress caused by steric hindrance of serried nuclei. While the growth rate of banded cylindrites remained constant regardless of the shear rate, s...

Background: Up-regulated expression of copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase (CCS) is identified in a multitude of tumors and is closely related to more malignant tumoral biological behaviors. However, little is known about the role of CCS in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to explore the expression pattern and the significance of CCS in human HCC.Methods Fresh samples of HCC with paired adjacent tissues, as well as the clinicopathological features and prognosis data were obtained from 32 patients who underwent hepatectomy from January 2018 to December 2018. The expression levels of CCS and a series of representative malignant biomarkers in HCC and adjacent tissues were investigated by western blotting and immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. The correlation between the expression status of CCS and the activities of selected malignant biomarkers and important drive genes of HCC oncogenesis, patient’s clinicopathological features and prognosis, were analyzed. Additional bioinformatics investigation of dataset retrieved from TCGA, the GEPIA, HPA, and Kaplan-Meier plotter (KM plotter) database were performed to further explore the role of CCS in human HCC and to validate the aforementioned findings. Results A unique express pattern was found that the majority of the HCC tumor (78.1%, 25/32) presented a lower expression of CCS as compared with that in adjacent tissues, whereas in the minority of the tumor (22.9%, 7/32) the expression of CCS was determined as higher. The distinctive CCS express status in HCC was further validated by the analysis of the data from TCGA and the GEPIA database. Furthermore, it was found that the expression level of CCS was significantly correlated with the those of the selected biomarkers including Ki67, vimentin, GPC3, and E-cadherin, which were also confirmed by the bioinformatic study. On the clinicopathological features, the expression of CCS was reversely correlated with ES grade and TNM stage to some extent, whereas there were no apparent correlations were proved with the remaining parameters included. Additional explorations revealed that there is a significant correlation between the CCS gene and a series of the driving/high-frequency mutation genes of various signal pathways in the development and progression of HCC. Despite statistic significant was not achieved, patients with higher CCS expression lever were prone to have a better prognosis. And a robust prognostic value of CCS was further proven in bioinformatic study. Conclusion HCC presented a unique lower expression pattern of CCS which reversely correlated with the more malignant tumoral features and poor prognosis as demonstrated by both experimental and bioinformatic studies. These findings improved our knowledge for understanding of the unique biological behavior of human HCC.

International audience; The reclamation of land filled with high water content dredged clays is an important geological and geo-environmental issue. When designing such reclaimed land, the yield behaviour during compression is of paramount importance because it conditions the compressibility of soil and thus the final ground settlement. Previous studies suggest a significant effect of initial state of soils on their compression behaviour; in particular, the remoulded yield stress (identified when compressing reconstituted samples at high initial water content) decreased with the increase in initial water content. This phenomenon has been attributed to the effect of moisture tension. In fact, for a reconstituted soil at high initial water content, non-destroyed aggregates may exist in microscopic level although the degree of saturation of soil reaches 100% in macroscopic level. These aggregates can give rise to the generation of negative water pressure inside the aggregates, namely moisture tension. This moisture tension can greatly affect the mechanical behaviour of soil in the macroscopic level. With the destruction of aggregates, the moisture tension decreases. In order to verify this surmise, a series of experiments were conducted with moisture tension measurement on reconstituted Jossigny silt at three different water contents (1.0, 1.2 and 1.5 times the liquid limit). Meanwhile, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests were conducted to analyse the macroscopic features. The test results proved the existence of moisture tension, and it decreased with increasing water content. When the aggregates are destructed completely, the moisture tension becomes zero. The non-intruded void ratio obtained from MIP tests was found to increase with decreasing water content, suggesting the destruction of aggregates by further hydration. Physically, the moisture tension corresponds to the water absorption potential of aggregates or the potential changes of aggregates from metastable state to true stable state. These observations provide experimental evidence supporting the existence of the remoulded yield stress identified for saturated reconstituted soils.

Background: A high-dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-amoxicillin dual therapy has been investigated for treatment of patients with Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori) infection. Currently, the efficacy of this dual therapy remains inconclusive, with controversial findings from various single-center clinical trials. Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of high-dose dual therapy (HDDT) compared with the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (BQT) in treatment-naive patients with H. pylori infection. Design: A multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial. Methods: Three hundred and forty treatment-naïve patients with H. pylori infection were prospectively recruited from seven participating hospitals. The enrolled patients were randomized into one of two treatment groups: the HDDT group (esomeprazole, 20 mg four times daily; amoxicillin, 750 mg four times daily) and the BQT group (esomeprazole, 20 mg, twice daily; bismuth potassium citrate, 600 mg, twice daily; amoxicillin, 1 g, twice daily; metronidazole, 400 mg, four times daily). The primary outcome was eradication rate, and secondary outcomes were safety and patient compliance. Results: The eradication rates in the HDDT group versus the BQT group were 86.47% versus 87.06% on intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, 91.88% versus 92.50% on modified ITT (MITT) analysis, and 91.77% versus 93.04% on per-protocol (PP) analysis, with no significant differences between the two groups. The patient compliance rates in the HDDT group versus the BQT group were 97.02% versus 95.86%, and no significant difference was found between the two groups. Notably, the HDDT group exhibited significantly lower incidence in the drug-induced adverse events (AEs) compared to the BQT group (16.67% versus 47.94%). Conclusion: HDDT is equally efficacious in eradicating H. pylori infection and resulted in good patient compliance and safety compared with BQT. These findings provide evidence in support of HDDT as a first-line treatment for H. pylori infection. Registration: This clinical trial was registered at The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (trial registration number: ChiCTR2000039096).

Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate the influences effects of annular-cooler surface roughness on wind resistance and thermal environment in a high-speed centrifuge chamber, with the use of multi-reference-frame (MRF) method and classical roughness-modified model. In the present study, the absolute roughness height was specified in a range form 0.05 mm–2.5 mm. With respect to the clearance between rotating-arm tip and stationary-cooler surface, the relative roughness height was changed from 0.0014 to 0.07 accordingly. The results show that the flow field inside the centrifuge chamber is of highly three-dimensional feature. With the increase of surface roughness, the wind resistance is increased monotonously. With regard to the thermal environment, the maximum temperature inside the centrifuge chamber takes on a non-monotonous variation along with the surface roughness height, due to the two contrary influencing roles of surface roughness on the viscous dissipation heat generation and the heat removal capacity. In general, the use of roughed cooler-wall is a promising scheme for reducing the environmental temperature in a high-speed centrifuge chamber. Under the present research conditions, a more favorable relative roughness height is identified in term of a comprehensive factor that reflects the benefit of roughed surface on the reduction of maximum environmental temperature at the pay of aerodynamic penalty.

A two-stage semi-continuous strategy for producing 2-keto-gluconic acid (2KGA) by Pseudomonas plecoglossicida JUIM01 from rice starch hydrolyzate (RSH) has been developed. The initial glucose concentration (140 g/L) was selected for first-stage fermentation due to its highest 2KGA productivity of 7.58 g/(L⋅h), cell weight of 3.91 g/L, and residual glucose concentration of 25.00 g/L. Followed by removing 70.0% (v/v) of the first-stage broth and feeding 400.0 g/L of glucose to the second-stage fermentor, a total of 50680.0 g glucose was consumed, and 50005.20 g 2KGA was obtained with a yield of 0.9867 g/g by P. plecoglossicida JUIM01 after a 3-cycle two-stage semi-continuous fermentation. Our results indicated that the developed two-stage semi-continuous fermentation could be industrially applied due to its high 2KGA concentration, 2KGA yield and operation efficiency.

Serum creatinine and serum albumin levels were measured prior to surgery, and serum creatinine level was also measured at 72 hours following percutaneous coronary intervention in 819 (January 1st, 2015 and December 31th, 2018). According to whether patients developed contrast-induced acute kidney injury or not, they were assigned to either a contrast-induced acute kidney injury group (72 cases, 8.8%) or a non-contrast-induced acute kidney injury group (747 cases; control). Serum albumin was significantly lower in the contrast-induced acute kidney injury group than control (39.33 ± 5.09 g/l and 42.69 ± 5.19 g/l, respectively, P < 0.001). The results of a receiver-operating curve analysis indicated a serum albumin level of 40.5 g/L was the optimal cut-off value for prediction of contrast-induced acute kidney injury and according to a multivariate logistic regression analysis, serum albumin was an independent biomarker for prediction of (95% confidence interval: 0.836-0.935, odds ratio: 0.884, P < 0.001). Serum albumin, a low-cost and easily assessable laboratory protein, was independently related to a greater risk of contrast-induced acute kidney injury among patients that received percutaneous coronary intervention. It is proposed that under these circumstances SA is a potential biomarker for contrast-induced acute kidney injury.

Glucan synthase (GLS) gene is known to be involved in the fungal biosynthesis of cell wall, differentiation, and growth. In the present study, a glucan synthase gene (

Until recently, many studies on the role of phytohormones in plant secondary metabolism focused on jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), gibberellins (GA), and abscisic acid (ABA). It is now clear that phytohormone-induced regulation of signaling occurs via regulation of the biosynthetic pathway genes at the transcriptional level or through posttranslational regulation, or an increase in secondary metabolite deposition (e.g., trichomes). Here, we summarize recent advances, updating the current reports on the molecular machinery of phytohormones JA, SA, GA, and ABA involved in plant secondary metabolites. This review emphasizes the differences and similarities among the four phytohormones in regulating various secondary metabolic biosynthetic pathways and also provides suggestions for further research.

To evaluate the clinical performance of at-home bleaching and its application in combination with cold-light bleaching for esthetic management of fluorosed teeth，providing guidance for clinicians to choose the right treatment regimen and communicate with patients successfully.We divided 43 cases with stained dental fluorosis into 2 groups, with 22 cases in the at-home bleaching group and 21 in the combination therapy group. Stained spots were chosen and colorimetric assay was performed using CMYK colorimetric table before treatment. According to the color of the splash, the light and shade were divided into light grade, medium grade and heavy grade. The CMYK data of the selected point and complete decolorization ratio (stain decolorization rate) were recorded after cold-light bleaching, every 2 weeks and half a year later. Meanwhile, tooth sensitivity was recorded using visual analogue scale (VAS). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0 software package.In the combination therapy group, the decolorization rates of light, medium and heavy stains were 73.44%, 8.70% and 0% immediately after cold-light bleaching respectively. At 2 weeks, in the at-home group, the postoperative decoloring rate was 64.17% in the light grade group and 4.44% in the medium grade group, respectively. In the combination therapy group, the postoperative decoloring rate was 100% in the light grade group and 63.04% in the medium grade group, respectively (P＜0.01). The postoperative decoloring rate in the heavy grade group was 0%. At 4 weeks, in the at-home group, the postoperative decoloring rate was 100% in the light grade group, 73.33% in the medium grade group and 11.40% in the heavy grade group, respectively. In the combination therapy group, the postoperative decoloring rate was 100% in the medium grade group and 53.00% in the heavy grade group, respectively (P＜0.01). At 6 weeks, in the at-home group, the postoperative decoloring rate was 100% in the medium grade group and 76.32% in the heavy grade group. In the combination therapy group, the postoperative decoloring rate was 94.00% in the heavy grade group (P＜0.01). At 8 weeks, the postoperative decoloring rate was 95.61% in the heavy grade group of at-home group. Half a year after treatment, bleaching decoloration rate had no significant difference compared with that at the end of treatment (P＞0.05). Tooth sensitivity was 45.45% in the at-home group and 80.95% in the combination therapy group (P＜0.05).Fluorosed teeth show significantly better esthetic appearance after both the at-home bleaching and the combination therapy at 6-8 weeks, and can maintain stable for a long time. Cold-bleaching has faster decoloration speed, with the final decolorization rate of the stains unchanged. In addition, it increases the incidence of postoperative sensitivity of teeth.