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Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) 3 and IRF7 are master regulators of type I interferon (IFN-I)-dependent antiviral innate immunity. Upon viral infection, a positive feedback loop is formed, wherein IRF7 promotes further induction of IFN-I in the later stage. Thus, it is critical to maintain a suitably low level of IRF7 to avoid the hyperproduction of IFN-I. In this study, we find that early expression of IFN-I-dependent STAT1 promotes the expression of XAF1 and that XAF1 is associated specifically with IRF7 and inhibits the activity of XIAP. XAF1-knockout and XIAP-transgenic mice display resistance to viral infection, and this resistance is accompanied by increases in IFN-I production and IRF7 stability. Mechanistically, we find that the XAF1-XIAP axis controls the activity of KLHL22, an adaptor of the BTB-CUL3-RBX1 E3 ligase complex through a ubiquitin-dependent pathway. CUL3-KLHL22 directly targets IRF7 and catalyzes its K48-linked ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. These findings reveal unexpected functions of the XAF1-XIAP axis and KLHL22 in the regulation of IRF7 stability and highlight an important target for antiviral innate immunity.

One organic compound [HMCA]2 (1) and two novel cobalt complexes [Co(MCA)(bipy)(H2O)]·(H2O) (2), [Co2(MCA)2(Phen)3]·3(H2O) (3) are synthesized by a solvothermal approach and are structurally determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 exhibits a two-dimensional structure by hydrogen bond and π. . .π stacking interaction. The complexes exhibit a three-dimensional and one-dimensional metal-organic framework. Solid-state photoluminescence spectrums reveal that they show blue emission bands at 449 nm, and theoretical calculation results of time-dependent density functional theory show that all belong to ligand-to-ligand charge transfer. Solid-state diffuse reflectance spectrums reveal the presence of a narrow optical band gap of 1.72 and 1.60 eV in the complexes 2 and 3, respectively.

Lightweight, broad-band, and highly efficient microwave-absorbing materials (MAMs) with tunable electromagnetic properties are in high demand. However, the absorption properties are limited by the simple loss mechanism in commonly used absorbing materials. Here, we tested the microwave-absorbing properties of Fe-NiS2/NiS/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz. For the 2.5% Fe-NiS2/NiS/PVDF with the filling content of 20 wt %, the maximum reflection loss can reach -61.72 dB at 14.88 GHz, and the bandwidth can reach 3.8 GHz with the reflection loss value below -10 dB. Loss mechanisms of different composites were analyzed on the basis of their magnetic and dielectric properties using both experimental and computational methods. The results indicate that strong microwave absorption property is achieved through a balancing of dielectric loss and magnetic loss. These findings present a new strategy for the future design of MAMs.

Purpose: To evaluate the degree of gastric, enteric, colonic, and rectal filling in multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) whole gastroenterography. Methods: In this prospective study involving 124 patients, 78 and 46 patients underwent MDCT whole gastroenterography using positive and neutral oral contrast agents, respectively. The degree of filling of the stomach, small and large bowel, was qualitatively analyzed by experienced radiologists using a 3-point scoring system. Results: The majority of patients received a score of ≥2 for small intestine filling using both positive and neutral contrast agents (90.5% and 78.2%, respectively), and 80% of the cases had an optimal filling of the colorectal segments. Only ≤5.1% had a score of 0 for the analyzed segments of the colorectum. Positive and neutral contrast agents were associated with similar degree of filling in the stomach and colon segments without a significant difference in the extent of contrast agent filling ( P > .05). Conclusions: Multidetector computed tomography whole gastroenterography was found to be a simple, safe, noninvasive, painless, and effective modality for the diagnosis of stomach and bowel complications in clinical settings.

For the first time, toxic bio-tars collected from the gasification of pine sawdust are used as the precursor for activated carbons. Various types of activation agents including KOH, K2CO3, H3PO4 and ZnCl2 were screened for obtaining superior activated carbons. When KOH was used as an activation agent, the obtained activated carbons exhibited high specific surface area and large mesopore volume. The activated carbons were further employed to be the electrode material of supercapacitors, and its specific capacitance reached up to 260 F g−1 at 0.25 A g−1 current density. Also, it showed an excellent rate performance from preserving a relatively high specific capacitance of 151 F g−1 at 50 A g−1. The assembled device also exhibited the good electrochemical stability with the capacity retention of 90% after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the maximum energy density of the activated carbons in organic electrolyte reached 17.8 Wh kg−1. Keywords: Tars, Activated carbon, Potassium hydroxide, Supercapacitors, Gasification

The electron beam-current density at a target greatly affects imaging intensity and contrast when using a low-energy nano-focus X-ray source. This paper proposes a new electron gun comprising a 10-keV nano-focus X-ray source with a single-pole magnetic lens to improve its effective brightness and beam-current density. After analyzing the effect of the electric field on the extended Schottky emission, we first optimized the anode with high effective brightness and a fine virtual spot with enough intensity for nano-focus X-ray imaging. High effective beam-current density was then obtained by optimizing the position, geometry and electrical supplies of the single-pole magnetic lens. The effective brightness of this electron gun is 1.70 × 108 A•cm−2•sr−1, and the nano-focus X-ray source has a spot size of 41 nm when its tube current is 2 μ A. This electron gun achieves higher beam current density (1.6 × 105A•cm−2), and its collimated landing beam efficiently transports the beam current in the X-ray source.

The mechanical behavior of rock is one of the most important parameters to evaluate the potential for geological carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration (GCS); therefore, the study of rock strength evolution and fracture behavior after CO2 injection is helpful in the long-term stability and safety of GCS engineering. In this study, uniaxial compression, Brazilian splitting and fracture tests were carried out on sandstone specimens with brine saturation or brine-super critical CO2 (scCO2) co-saturation. The influences of brine salinity and scCO2 injection on the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) and fracture toughness of sandstone were investigated. The experimental results showed that the UCS, BTS and fracture toughness of brine-saturated sandstone increased with increasing NaCl concentration but decreased after scCO2 injection. Furthermore, increments in the elastic modulus and average stiffness of brine-scCO2 co-saturated sandstone were observed relative to those under brine saturation. To investigate the change of mineral composition and micro structure during brine immersion and scCO2 injection, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopic observation and mercury intrusion porosimetry test were performed. Composition changes and dissolution of quartz were not observed, but many micro pores were created after scCO2 injection, thus increasing the porosity and reducing strength and fracture toughness. Finally, the mechanism of brine-scCO2 saturation in altering mechanical properties was discussed. These experimental results are expected to increase the understanding of the mechanical response of rock after scCO2 injection in deep saline aquifers.

Six different types of catalysts (nickel, iron, and cobalt each supported by γ-Al2O3 and activated carbon) that were prepared via impregnation were used to produce hydrogen (H2) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from the pyrolytic product of waste tyres. A two-stage pyrolytic-catalytic reactor was constructed, in which the waste tyre was pyrolyzed in the first pyrolysis reactor, and the resultant pyrolysis vapors underwent the reforming and upgrading step in the downstream catalytic reactor. The results showed that the interaction between the active metal and its support had a remarkable effect on the production of H2 and CNTs. Compared with the series of γ-Al2O3 supported catalysts, all the activated carbon-supported catalysts showed higher H2 yields and better CNTs quality. For the same catalyst support (γ-Al2O3 or activated carbon), the higher yield of H2 and better quality of CNTs were obtained by the Ni catalysts, followed by the Fe catalysts and the Co catalysts. Among all the catalysts, Ni supported by activated carbon exhibited the best catalytic performance, producing the highest hydrogen yield (59.55 vol.%) and the best CNT quality. Further investigation about the influence of CH4 and naphthalene as the carbon source on generated CNTs revealed that CH4 led to longer CNT length and higher graphitization than naphthalene.

An experimental study on air-blown gasification of pine sawdust was conducted in a pilot-scale bubbling fluidized bed gasifier. Pine sawdust was fed into lower-center of the gasifier continuously w...

BACKGROUND Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is one of the most important laboratory tests for the evaluation of liver damage. Through a long-term clinical observation of patients with secondary asymptomatic choledocholithiasis, we found that most patients had abnormal GGT serum levels. AIM To investigate the combination of serum GGT and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in predicting the diagnosis of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, the clinical data of 829 patients with cholecystolithiasis admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College from August 2014 to August 2017 were collected. Among these patients, 151 patients had secondary asymptomatic choledocholithiasis and served as the observation group, and the remaining 678 cholecystolithiasis patients served as the control group. Serum liver function indexes were detected in both groups, and the receiver operating characteristic (commonly known as ROC) curves were constructed for markers showing statistical significances. The cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity of each marker were calculated according to the ROC curves. RESULTS The overall incidence of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis was 18.2%. The results of liver function indexes including serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin levels showed no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, the serum GGT and ALP levels were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.881 (95%CI: 0.830-0.932), 0.647 (95%CI: 0.583-0.711) and 0.923 (95%CI: 0.892-0.953) for GGT, ALP, and GGT + ALP, respectively. The corresponding cut-off values of GGT and ALP were 95.5 U/L and 151.5 U/L, sensitivity were 90.8% and 65.1%, and specificity were 83.6% and 59.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of GGT + ALP were 93.5% and 85.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION An abnormally elevated serum GGT level has an important value in the diagnosis of asymptomatic choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis. The combination of serum GGT and ALP has better diagnostic performance. As a convenient, rapid and inexpensive test, it should be applied in secondary asymptomatic choledocholithiasis routine screening.

AIM To investigate the diagnostic value of abnormal serum carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) level in acute cholangitis secondary to choledocholithiasis. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, the clinical data of 727 patients with choledocholithiasis admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical College from June 2011 to June 2017 were collected. Among these patients, 258 patients had secondary acute cholangitis and served as observation group, and the remaining 569 choledocholithiasis patients served as the control group. Serum liver function indexes and tumor markers were detected in both groups, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for markers showing statistical significances. The cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity of each marker were calculated according to the ROC curves. RESULTS The results of liver function tests showed no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). Tumor markers including serum CA125, CA153, carcinoembryonic antigen, and alpha fetoprotein levels were also not significantly different (P > 0.05); however, the serum CA199 level was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.885 (95%CI: 0.841-0.929) for CA199, and the cutoff value of 52.5 kU/L had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with a sensitivity of 86.8% and a specificity of 81.6%. CONCLUSION Abnormally elevated serum CA199 level has an important value in the diagnosis of acute cholangitis secondary to choledocholithiasis. It may be a specific inflammatory marker for acute cholangitis.

Background To investigated the effect of earthworm extract (EE) on deep second-degree burn wound healing process. Methods A burn wound model was created on the mice's skin and was subject to different treatments: the control group received no treatment; the Jingwanhong (JWH: a well-established, widely used external ointment for treating burn wounds) group was treated with 0.1 g of JWH cream and spray it on the wound surface; the EE group was treated with 0.1 mL of EE solution. All the mice were sacrificed at 3, 7, 11, and 15 days after injury (n=6/group/time point). Macroscopic observation, wound healing rate (WHR), wound healing time (WHT), water content (WC), hydroxyproline (Hyp) content, histological, and hematological analyses were performed at the burn wound sites. Results Better, faster burn wound healing in the JWH and EE groups than the control group at 15 days after injury were detected at the wound sites. Compared to the control group, the EE group had higher WHR, shorter WHT, lower WC, higher Hyp content, more fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and capillary endothelial cells; in addition, they showed greater capillary endothelial cell grouping at the wound sites during the healing process. This group also showed more platelets, white blood cells (WBCs), and neutrophilic granulocytes in serum at the early stages after burn injury. Conclusions EE could effectively promote skin wound healing by decreasing edema, suppressing fibrosis, activating angiogenesis and epithelial regeneration, inhibiting scar formation, and reducing the risk of infection. Thus, it could be made into a promising healing agent for burn wound.

DNA methylation plays a critical role in innate immune response, but the underlying mechanisms have not been clarified. The authors found a single-nucleotide methylation controls IFN-I induction and antiviral immunity via regulating IRF3 recruitment both in human and mouse., Frequent outbreaks of viruses have caused a serious threat to public health. Previous evidence has revealed that DNA methylation is correlated with viral infections, but its role in innate immunity remains poorly investigated. Additionally, DNA methylation inhibitors promote IFN-I by upregulating endogenous retrovirus; however, studies of intrinsically demethylated tumors do not support this conclusion. This study found that Uhrf1 deficiency in myeloid cells significantly upregulated Ifnb expression, increasing resistance to viral infection. We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and found that a single-nucleotide methylation site in the Ifnb promoter region disrupted IRF3 recruitment. We used site-specific mutant knock-in mice and a region-specific demethylation tool to confirm that this methylated site plays a critical role in regulating Ifnb expression and antiviral responses. These findings provide essential insight into DNA methylation in the regulation of the innate antiviral immune response., Graphical Abstract

Background：Concerns are increasing over the importance of the hospital intensive care units (ICU) for the transmission of extended spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBLs) -producing Enterobacteriaceae. We reported the clinical characteristics and epidemiology of ESBLs isolates collected from a tertiary care hospital in China. Methods：Escherichia coli（E. coli）and Enterobacter cloacae （E. cloacae）isolates from ICU infection samples were isolated and identified. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and production of ESBLs were determined by using the disk diffusion method and the broth microdilution method. Clonality of isolates was determined by ERIC-PCR techniques. Results：From the included the 223 strains isolated from hospitalized patients with nosocomial infections in ICU during 2016 to 2018, the majority of isolates belonged to Gram-negative Enerobacteriaceae including E. coli (46.6% of all strains), and E. cloacae (46.2% of all strains). 63.25% of samples were separated from sputum or tracheal secretions. All of 207 isolates, ESBL-screen positive E. coli was 45.2% (47/104), and 44.7% (46/103) for E. cloacae. Resistance rates of ESBLs-producing E. coli and E. cloacae isolates were 95.5%-91.3% for ampicillin, 80.6%-76.1% for ampicillin/azobactam, 88.1%-28.3% for ciprofloxacin, 89.6%-15.2% for levofloxacin, 34.3%-45.7% for netilmicin, 82.1%-41.3% for compound sulfamethoxazole, 20.9%-43.5% for amikacin, 58.2%-37.0% for gentamicin, 20.9%-69.6% for piperacillin/tazobactam. All of ESBLs-producer isolates resistant to cefazolin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, cefepime in additon to aztreonam were 100%, whereas the susceptibilities of isolates to imipenem and meropenem were 100%. Results of ERIC-PCR in all of ESBLs-producing E. coli isolates exhibited 11 distinct patterns using a similarity coefficient of 0.8. And one distinct ERIC profiles were observed amongst 46 strains of ESBLs-producing E. cloacae. ERIC profiles demonstrated an outbreak of nosocomial infection and ESBLs-producing E. coli and E. cloacae prevalent in the ICU of this hospital.Conclusions：Our data indicate that the ESBLs-producing E. coli and E. cloacae clones are circulating in the ICU and constitute a major source for further disseminating in this hospital. It is necessary to increase surveillance and development of adequate prevention strategies.

Lightweight, broad-band, and highly efficient microwave-absorbing materials (MAMs) with tunable electromagnetic properties are in high demand. However, the absorption properties are limited by the simple loss mechanism in commonly used absorbing materials. Here, we tested the microwave-absorbing properties of Fe-NiS

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is produced by various types of cells under physical or pathological conditions. As a multifunctional partner in health and disease, current evidence reveals that IL-33 also participates in several metabolic processes. IL-33 has been proven to contribute to regulating the activity of ST2+ group 2 innate lymphoid cells and regulatory T cells in adipose, which leads to the shift of insulin sensitivity and glucose clearance in glucose metabolism, thermogenesis, and adipocyte beiging in adipose metabolism. In this review, we briefly summarize the biological characteristics of Il-33 and discuss its regulatory function in glucose and adipose metabolism. By clarifying the underlying mechanism of IL-33, we highlight the crosstalk between immune response and metabolic processes mediated by IL-33.

Purpose This study aims to compare the diagnostic performance of two imaging methods for thyroid nodules ≤1.0 cm and reduce unnecessary overdiagnosis. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 80 patients with pathologically confirmed solitary thyroid micronodules underwent both high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) and High b-value (2000 s/mm2) diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). Intra- and interobserver agreement (Intraclass correlation coefficient) was followed by Kruskal-Wallis test to detect whether the quantitative apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and thyroid nodule subgroups were related. Cohen's kappa analysis was applied to assess the interobserver consistency of DWI and HRUS characteristics. The receiver operating characteristic curves were adopted for evaluating the diagnostic performance of thyroid malignancy. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the two imaging methods were compared using the McNemar’s test and Kappa test. Results A total of 80 patients were included, consisting of 43 malignant and 37 benign micronodules. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of DWI combined with rADC (ADCmin to ADCn ratio) for the diagnosis of thyroid micronodules were 83.7%, 89.2% and 86.3%, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84–0.97). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of HRUS diagnosis were 100%, 62.16% and 82.5%, respectively. Conclusion High b-value DWI is superior to HRUS for evaluating the diagnostic performance of solid thyroid micronodules. DWI and its ADC quantitative analysis could be added to the evaluation of thyroid micronodules to improve the specificity of diagnosis, reduce overdiagnosis and avoid unnecessary biopsies or surgeries.

Previous studies have suggested that dysregulation of microRNA (miR) -124a is associated with various types of human cancer. However, there are few studies reporting the level of miR‑124a expression in non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study investigated the association between miR‑124a and NSCLC by analyzing the differential expression of miR‑124a in NSCLC using the GEO database, as well as subsequently performing reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis on 160 NSCLC biopsies, 32 of which were paired with adjacent normal tissues. The results indicated that mir‑124a expression levels were decreased in NSCLC tumor biopsies compared with adjacent normal tissues. The overall survival (OS) in patients with a high expression of miR‑124a was prolonged relative to patients with low expression of miR‑124a. The expression levels of miR‑124a were associated with clinical characteristics, including lymph‑node metastasis, tumor differentiation, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage and diameter. Frequently, lymph‑node metastasis, TNM stage, diameter and lack of chemotherapy have been associated with a worse prognosis in patients. In addition, the present study identified that high expression of miR‑124awith chemotherapy may increase OS. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that miR‑124a was downregulated in NSCLC, and miR‑124a was a potential prognostic tumor biomarker response to chemotherapy.

PPFIA family members and ALG3 play important roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, the exact roles of distinct PPFIA family members and ALG3 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain unclear. We studied the mRNA expressions of PPFIA family members and ALG3 in a variety of tumor types compared with the normal controls using the Oncomine database along with meta-analyses of their expressions in HNSCC cancer cell line. The mRNA expressions of PPFIA family members and ALG3 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line and normal laryngeal cell line were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Based on the cBioportal database, we further studied mRNA expression alterations and co-occurrence relationships of the PPFIA family members and ALG3 in HNSCC. The relationship between PPFIA1 and ALG3 mRNA expression alterations and prognoses in patients with HNSCC was explored. We found that PPFIA1 and ALG3 were distinctively overexpressed at the mRNA level in HNSCC tissues compared with normal tissues, they had a significant co-occurrence relationship, their mRNA expressions were significantly higher than other PPFIA family members in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line, and their mRNA expressions were also significantly higher in laryngeal carcinoma cell line than in normal laryngeal cell line. Patients without both PPFIA1 and ALG3 mRNA expression alterations had better overall survival and disease/progression-free survival compared with patients with both PPFIA1 and ALG3 alterations. Based on these findings, PPFIA1 and ALG3 may play roles in oncogene expression in HNSCC. Their combined overexpression is significantly associated with poor survival outcomes. The relationship between them and the mechanism of action in head and neck cancers deserve further investigation.

// Ying-Li Lin 1, * , Yan-Ling Wang 2, * , Xing-Li Fu 3 , Wen-Ping Li 4 , Yu-Hao Wang 5 , Jian-Guo Ma 4 1 Department of Urology, Xuzhou Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Xuzhou Hospital of Jiangsu University, Xuzhou, 221000, Jiangsu, China 2 Department of Anesthesiology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510630, Guangdong, China 3 Health Science Center, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212000, Jiangsu, China 4 Department of Urology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China 5 Department of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210000, Jiangsu, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Jian-Guo Ma, email: mjg2014sjz@163.com Keywords: bladder cancer, biomarker, protocadherin7, PCDH7, prognosis Received: December 04, 2015 Accepted: February 23, 2016 Published: April 07, 2016 ABSTRACT Bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease with outcome difficult to predict, and novel predictive biomarkers are needed. PCDH7, a member of protocadherins family, functions as tumor suppressor in several human cancers. The human PCDH7 gene is localized in chromosome 4p15, which is often inactivated in human cancers, including bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of PCDH7 expression in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). PCDH7 expression was examined using immunohistochemical staining in 199 primary NMIBC tissues and 25 normal bladder epithelial tissues. Then the relationship between PCDH7 expression and clinicopathologic features was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between PCDH7 expression and prognosis. PCDH7 expression in NMIBC tissues was significantly lower than that in normal bladder epithelial tissues ( P < 0.001). Low PCDH7 expression correlated with advanced grade ( P = 0.021) and larger tumor size ( P = 0.044). Moreover, patients with low PCDH7 expression have shorter recurrence-free survival ( P < 0.001), progression-free survival ( P = 0.007) and overall survival ( P = 0.011) than patients with high PCDH7 expression. Low PCDH7 expression is an independent predictor of recurrence-free survival (multivariate Cox analysis: P = 0.007), progression-free survival (multivariate Cox analysis: P = 0.014) and overall survival (multivariate Cox analysis: P = 0.004). The findings indicate that low PCDH7 expression is a potential prognostic biomarker for primary NMIBC.

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is a heterogeneous malignancy with outcome difficult to predict. Currently, there is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers that can accurately predict patient outcome and improve the treatment strategy. The aim of this study was to investigate the methylation status of PCDH10 in serum of prostate cancer patients and its potential relevance to clinicopathological features and prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS The methylation status of PCDH10 in serum of 171 primary prostate cancer patients and 65 controls was evaluated by methylation-specific PCR (MSP), after which the relationship between PCDH10 methylation and clinicopathologic features was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox analysis were used to evaluate the correlation between PCDH10 methylation and prognosis. RESULTS PCDH10 methylation occurred frequently in serum of prostate cancer patients. Moreover, PCDH10 methylation was significantly associated with higher preoperative PSA level, advanced clinical stage, higher Gleason score, lymph node metastasis, and biochemical recurrence (BCR). In addition, patients with methylated PCDH10 had shorter BCR-free survival and overall survival than patients with unmethylated PCDH10. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis indicated that PCDH10 methylation in serum is an independent predictor of worse BCR-free survival and overall survival. CONCLUSIONS PCDH10 methylation in serum is a potential prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer.

The present paper studies the physics of the breach erosion process, particularly, the breach initiation process in over-topped landslide dams. Due to great complexities involved, only homogeneous landslide dams are considered. The flume experiments of dam overtopping are conducted to study the breach growth process. And in order to reveal the effects of the seepage during the breach development, the permeability characteristics of the dam materials are also taken into consideration. With the experimental observation, the details of the breach growth are examined, and the whole breach process could be distinguished into five stages, i.e., Stage I, the seepage erosion, Stage II, the formation of the initial breach, Stage III, the erosion toward the head, Stage IV, the expansion and incision of the breach, and Stage V, the re-equilibration of the river channel through the breach. It is shown that once triggered the entire breach process goes continually without stop, which highlights the significant impact of the early stages on the later deformation of the dam. Evidence shows that the initial breach of the dam is most likely to take place in the downstream slope of the dam, near the upper edge of the seepage face. The experimental results show a “headcut” mechanism of the breach initiation.

This letter presents design of a K-band high power high efficiency monolithic GaAs power oscillators using class-E load network with finite dc-feed inductance. To further extend the operation frequency up to millimeter-wave band with high efficiency, the core transistor is operated in the saturated region with overdriven condition to obtain the bifurcated current waveform. The proposed power oscillator is fabricated using a 0.15- $\mu \text {m}$ GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor process, and it features a tuning range from 23.5 to 24.5 GHz, a peak efficiency of 19%, a maximum output power of 21 dBm, and a phase noise of −106.3 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset.

Chronic nonhealing wounds pose a significant challenge to healthcare system because of its tremendous utilization of resources and time to heal. It has a well-deserved reputation for reducing the quality of life for those affected and represent a substantial economic burden to the healthcare system overall. Earthworms are used as a traditional Chinese medicine, and have been applied pharmacologically and clinically since a long time in China. However, there is paucity in data regarding its wound healing effects. Therefore, we investigated the effect of earthworm extract (EE) on skin wound healing process. The obtained data showed that EE has healing effects on local wound of mice. It decreased the wound healing time and reduced the ill-effects of inflammation as determined by macroscopic, histopathologic, hematologic, and immunohistochemistry parameters. The potential mechanism could be accelerated hydroxyproline and transforming growth factor-β secretion—thus increasing the synthesis of collagen, promoting blood capillary, and fibroblast proliferation. It could accelerate the removal of necrotic tissue and foreign bodies by speeding up the generation of interleukin-6, white blood cells, and platelets. It thus enhances immunity, reduces the risk of infection, and promotes wound healing. All in all, the obtained data demonstrated that EE improves quality of healing and could be used as a propitious wound healing agent.

We propose the vectorial additive half-quadratic (VAHQ) algorithm to minimize the isotropic regularized cost function with the general edge-preserving potential functions (PFs) in image restoration. By introducing an auxiliary vectorial variable, the cost function is changed into an augmented one which can be alternately minimized. One minimization is solved with an explicit expression, the other is implemented by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). VAHQ is shown to globally converge to a stationary point for nonconvex PFs providing all stationary points are isolated and to a unique minimum for convex PFs without any isolation assumption, on an extended domain of parameters. What is more, the linear convergence rate of VAHQ is proved to be less than 1, the explicit expression of the optimal parameters and the optimal bound of the convergence rate are present for convex PFs. Image restoration examples show the restoration performance of nonconvex PFs, the lower computation cost of our algorithm compared to Majorize-Minimize memory gradient (MMMG) algorithm with the help of FFT and some interesting phenomena confirming our conclusions on the convergence domain and the convergence rate.

Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) as an alternative to classical PID control to solving control problems, has gained significant traction these years. With its simple tuning method, robustness against process parameter variations and ability of disturbance rejection, we tried it in our homemade fast atomic force microscope (AFM). Experiments are carried out in contact mode on standard optical grating sample with 50Hz line rate. The results show that ADRC can reject external disturbances well, and can reduce system vibrations obviously.

This paper proposes an approach to sample data stream based on differential geometry. Our aim is to take advantage of information of discarded data and support stream to generate different number of transactions during different periods. To this end, we establish a novel data stream model represented by a surface, within which time is quantified and probability, value and time, viewed as one united body, could be calculated simultaneously. We project data stream onto a surface of the model and replace points which have the shortest geodesic distance with their mid-point. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work on introducing differential geometry as a sampling trick. Experimental results show that our approach is effective.

Early blight of tomato, which is mainly caused by Alternaria solani, is an important, globally distributed disease. We previously isolated an endophytic bacterium (BT4) from healthy tomatoes that has high antifungal activity against A. solani. Industrial applications of antagonistic bacteria require the optimization of culture conditions for growth and antifungal activity. Thus, in this study, the optimum medium composition and culture conditions for BT4 were determined using the “one factor at a time” method and an orthogonal design. Optimal cell growth and maximum antifungal activity were obtained at 30 °C, pH 7.0, with an inoculation proportion of 2% and incubation for 48 h in 12 g/L yeast extract, 10 g/L soluble starch and 7 g/L CaCl2 in the culture medium. In addition, we compared the antifungal activity of BT4 with iprodione, a contact fungicide that is used on a variety of plants affected by fungal diseases. The results showed that BT4 had antifungal effects that were better than iprodione.

The low-frequency error (LFE) of star tracker is the most critical problems in the high accuracy attitude determination for the satellite. In this paper a novel approach is proposed to identify and compensate the attitude measurement LFE of the star trackers. The main difficulty in the attitude LFE identification is to distinguish the attitude LFE from the attitude motion. To overcome this difficulty, the gyro data, which is sensitive to the attitude motion, was used to fit the measurement attitude data to obtain the reference attitude. It is shown that, the LFE can be identified by comparing the measurement attitude and the reference attitude. The attitude LFE repeated feature is characterized well by the proposed method. By utilizing the orbital repeated feature, the LFE of the star trackers can be estimated. Finally, a LFE compensation strategy is presented base on the LFE estimation results. The validity and efficiency of the proposed approach are demonstrated by the relative Euler angle results from two test star trackers on-board the STECE satellite.

This letter presents a 2.5 GHz high efficiency high power low phase noise monolithic microwave power oscillator using 0.5- $\mu{\rm m}$ GaAs enhancement- and depletion-mode pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor process. The class-E load network with finite dc-feed inductance is adopted in the power oscillators to achieve high efficiency. The shunt capacitance and load resistance of the class-E network can be larger than those of the class-E load network with the large dc-feed inductance. With a dc supply voltage of 4 V, the proposed power oscillator demonstrates a peak efficiency of 53%, a maximum output power of 24.8 dBm, and a minimum phase noise of $-$ 127 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency.

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in men, and inevitably some patients experience biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. To date, there are no reliable predictors for prostate cancer recurrence, and novel predictors are urgently needed. PCDH10 (protocadherin-10) is a novel tumor suppressor gene, which is down-regulated by promoter methylation in prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using PCDH10 methylation to predict the biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy. MATERIAL/METHODS Fresh tissue samples were obtained from 151 patients with primary prostate cancer, and from 34 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) as control. The methylation status of PCDH10 in prostate cancer tissues and controls were examined using methylation-specific PCR (MSP), and then associated with clinicopathological features and BCR-free survival of patients with prostate cancer. RESULTS We found that PCDH10 methylation was detected in 79 (52.3%) patients with prostate cancer, but no methylation was found in controls (P