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Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI), caused by the reperfusion of blocked vessels following ischemic stroke, can lead to secondary brain injury. Throughout CIRI, apoptosis serves an important role. Astragaloside IV is a potential neuroprotectant that alleviates CIRI by inhibiting apoptosis. The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a G-protein-coupled receptor, the activation of which aggravates ischemia-reperfusion injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the protective effect of Astragaloside IV on CIRI may be associated with the regulation of CaSR. A rat middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model and an oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model of pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were used to study the neuronal injury induced by CIRI. Neurological function scores (NFS), 2,3,5-triphe-nylterazolium chloride and hematoxylin and eosin staining were used to determine brain damage in rats. Cell viability was measured to evaluate the injury of OGD/R PC12 cells. Western blotting was used to examine the expression of proteins associated with apoptosis and CaSR. The CaSR antagonist NPS-2143 and agonist GdCl3 were used to further confirm the effects of CaSR during the process of apoptosis. The results demonstrated that Astragaloside IV alleviated CIRI by decreasing the NFS of rats, reducing the infarction volume of the brain and promoting the viability of PC12 cells, as well as inhibiting the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and CaSR, which was induced by CIRI. The results of the present study suggested that the activation of CaSR may be involved in CIRI-induced brain damage in rats, and that Astragaloside IV may alleviate CIRI by inhibiting CaSR activation-induced apoptosis.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to identify the family members carried the same microdeletion and to discover the symptoms of a familial 16p11.2 microdeletion were greatly different. Case Report: The son, a 6-years-old boy, displayed scoliosis, mental retardation, and language retardation. The mother displayed mild mental retardation, but no scoliosis or language retardation or genital tract malformation. Pedigree research revealed that the mother, her son, and her fetus carried the same 16p11.2 microdeletion through CNV-sequencing, Whole Exon Sequencing, and PCR, but the father was normal. And her fetal displayed no scoliosis by ultrasound. After birth, the baby displayed genital tract malformation, but no scoliosis or mental retardation.Conclusions: This finding uncovered that the symptoms of 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome are greatly different, even in the same segment microdeletion.

Background Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a common and effective surgical method for advanced hip arthritis. Rehabilitation exercises are important to improve joint function after THA and are usually conducted in a home-based program. Poor patient adherence limits improvements in pain and function, affecting quality of life. The increasing use of THA in the aging Chinese population underscores the need to develop strategies that maximize functional outcomes. The purpose of this pilot study is to develop and assess the feasibility of a self-efficacy-enhancing intervention (SEEI) to improve exercise adherence in patients undergoing THA. Methods This single-blinded, parallel, randomized control trial will recruit 150 patients after THA and randomly assign them to an intervention or control group using computer-generated block randomization. The control group will receive usual care using evidence-based guidelines. The intervention group will receive the 6-month SEEI comprising personalized exercise guidance and self-efficacy education delivered using one face-to-face education session and four telephone consultations, supplemented by written materials. Participants are encouraged to build confidence in their own abilities, set rehabilitation goals, and self-monitor their physical exercise. Results Assessments will be conducted at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months postsurgery. The outcome indicators are exercise adherence, physical function, anxiety and depression, self-efficacy of rehabilitation, joint function, and quality of life. Conclusions This study will test a theory-based intervention program to improve self-efficacy in rehabilitation, which may significantly impact out-of-hospital rehabilitation. The results will provide evidence to inform the postoperative recovery of patients undergoing THA or similar procedures. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trials Registry, ChiCTR2000029422, registered on 31 January 2020

Background Atherosclerosis is one of the most common cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the correlation between gene polymorphism of human apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2). Methods A total of 220 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who were treated in our hospital from June 2016 to March 2017 were enrolled in this study and assigned as the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease group and 193 patients who were treated contemporaneously in our hospital but had no atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were enrolled and assigned as the control group. Gene polymorphism of ApoE was detected by PCR-fluorescent probe technique and the level of Lp-PLA2 was detected by ELISA. Results There were a total of 5 genotypes of ApoE in these two groups, which were E2/3, E3/3, E3/4, E2/4, and E4/4. E2/2 was not found in any of the patients. E3/3 made up the majority in both groups. There was no significant difference between the proportion of genotypes and frequencies of alleles in the two groups (P>0.05). There was no difference between LP-PLA2 among the different genotypes in these two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions We cannot conclude that ApoE gene polymorphism is related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. And it cannot be concluded that ApoE gene polymorphism is related to Lp-PLA2 level.

A novel nocardioform strain, CICC 11023T, was isolated from a tissue biopsy of neck lesions of a patient with primary cutaneous nocardiosis and characterized to establish its taxonomic position. The morphological, biochemical, physiological and chemotaxonomic properties of strain CICC 11023T were consistent with classification in the genus Nocardia . Whole-cell hydrolysates were rich in meso-diaminopimelic acid, galactose, arabinose and fructose. Mycolic acids were present. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified phospholipid and two unidentified lipids, and the predominant menaquinone was cyclo MK-8 (H4, ω-cyclo). The main fatty acids (>5 %) were C18 : 0 10-methyl (TBSA), C16 : 0, summed feature 4 (C16 : 1 trans 9/C15 : 0 iso 2OH), C15 : 0 and C17 : 0 10-methyl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolate is most closely related (>98 % similarity) to the type strains Nocardia ninae OFN 02.72T, Nocardia iowensis UI 122540T and Nocardia alba YIM 30243T, and phylogenetic analysis of gyrB gene sequences showed similarity (89.1–92.2 %) to Nocardia vulneris NBRC 108936T, Nocardia brasiliensis IFM 0236T and Nocardia exalbida IFM 0803T. DNA–DNA hybridization results for strain CICC 11023T compared to Nocardia type strains ranged from 20.4 to 35.4 %. The genome of strain CICC 11023T was 8.78 Mbp with a G+C content of 67.4 mol% overall. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between strain CICC 11023T and N. alba YIM 30243T were low (OrthoANIu=77.47 %), and the ANI values between strain CICC 11023T and N. vulneris NBRC 108936 T were low (OrthoANIu=83.75 %). Consequently, strain CICC 11023T represents a novel Nocardia species on the basis of this polyphasic study, for which the name Nocardia colli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CICC 11023T (=KCTC 39837T).

Accurate mass data of transuranium nuclei is particularly important for the study of superheavy nuclei and the investigation of “island of stability”. A low energy mass spectrometer to provide high-precision mass measurement and isobaric separation of short-lived fusion-evaporation reaction products is planned at the Spectrometer for Heavy Atom and Nuclear Structure (SHANS). A multi-reflection time-of-flight mass analyzer for SHANS has been designed and constructed and is being tested now. In the in-trap-lift mode, the latest simulation results by using SIMION give a maximal mass resolving power of 1.6 × 105 for a TOF of 6.4 ms, and the preliminary test results by applying the simulated voltages show that its mass resolving power has reached ≈ 7000 for a TOF of 1.6 ms.

The multinucleon transfer (MNT) reaction is one promising way to produce neutron-rich heavy nuclei and even super heavy nuclei and attracts more and more attentions theoretically and experimentally. A low energy nuclear structure spectrometer called LENSHIAF specific to the MNT reactions will be designed and constructed in the ongoing big project HIAF in China. In the LENSHIAF spectrometer, the most challenge part is how to collect and stop efficiently the high-energy MNT products into the gas cell. By using Monte-Carlo method, the geometry of the gas cell, the thickness of the titanium window/degrader, and the optimal gas pressure filled in the gas cell have been calculated and estimated. For neutron-rich nuclei around N = 126 from 136Xe + 198Pt reaction, with a titanium window/degrader with a thickness of 2.5–3.5 μ m, a cylindrical helium gas cell with a length of 0.6 m and a diameter of 1.2 m can satisfy the requirements to stop the target-like fragments. For heavier and super heavy nuclei from 238U + 238U reaction, with a 5–8 μ m thick titanium window/degrader, the cylindrical gas cell has to be as big as a length of at least 1.6 m and a diameter of 1.6 m.

To study the β -delayed neutron decay of nuclei far from β stability line, a new β -delayed neutron detection system working with the continuous beam mode has been built at Peking University and tested with radioactive ion beams . To get fast timing signal for neutron Time-of-Flight (ToF) measurement and good spatial correlation between the implanted particles and the subsequent β particles, a double-sided silicon detector is sandwiched between two thin plastic scintillators , which constitute the implantation and β detection array. According to the test measurements with radioactive ion beams, this detection system has a high β coincident detection efficiency of 30 . 7 ( 5 ) % with much less disturbance from other unstable nuclei and the random background. After the time-walk correction and the flight path calibration, good energy resolution based on neutron ToF measurement can be obtained. The properties of this detection system make the study of β -delayed neutron decay of nuclei with very low beam intensity feasible.

Li-Ping Zhu,1,&ast; Wei-Lan Yin,2,&ast; Lei Peng,1,&ast; Xiao-Hong Zhou,3 Peng Zhou,1 Shu-Xia Xuan,1 Ying Luo,1 Chen Chen,1 Bin Cheng,1 Jin-Duan Lin,1 Yan-Mei Liu,1 Feng-Jun Tan,4 Wei-Guo Yin1,&ast; 1Department of Molecular Diagnosis Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People’s Hospital, Qingyuan, 511518, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Physiology & Institute of Neuroscience, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Kingmed Diagnostic Center for Clinical Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510330, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People’s Hospital, Qingyuan, 511518, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wei-Guo YinDepartment of Molecular Diagnosis Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People’s Hospital, No. B24, Xincheng Yinquan Road, Qingcheng District, Qingyuan, 511518, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 763 311 3890Email wgy09dr_mn@163.comObjective: This study explored the correlation between myocardial infarction (MI) and the Glu504Lys polymorphism in the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene in the Qingyuan area.Methods: The Glu504Lys polymorphism of the ALDH2 gene was analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction and deoxyribonucleic acid microarray analysis for 468 patients diagnosed with MI for the first time and 132 healthy subjects.Results: There was a significant difference in the distribution of the ALDH2 genotype between the MI group and the control group (P = 0.0492), but there was no significant difference in allele frequency between the two groups (P = 0.1363). The clinical data showed that there were statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in the two groups’ gender and age distributions, rates of diabetes and hypertension, levels of alcohol and tobacco use, serological levels of heart markers, blood lipids and glucose. The subgroup analysis of ALDH2 genotypes found that alcohol consumption, high levels of myoglobin, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly associated with a higher incidence of MI (P < 0.05). After adjusting for gender, hypertension, diabetes, and other related influencing factors, logistic regression analysis showed that the ALDH2 genotype GA/AA was an independent risk factor for MI (P < 0.05, OR = 1.479, 95% CI = 1.003– 2.179).Conclusion: The presence of risk alleles with the genetic effect (ALDH2 genotype GA/AA) is an independent risk factor for MI.Keywords: myocardial infarction, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, polymorphism

Background: The use of oviposition attractants is a promising approach to control populations of mosquito vectors at the source; however, the knowledge on oviposition stimulation in Aedes albopictus is very limited. In recent years, tea bags have been proven to attract Aedes aegypti to lay eggs, but the sources of tea are wide and varied; moreover, the factors and mechanisms in tea bags that attract mosquitoes remain unclear.Methods: The effects of three kinds of Chinese tea, nonfermented, fully fermented and postfermented, were comparatively evaluated for their ability to attract mosquito oviposition at dose of 5g/L, 1.5g/L and 0.5g/L, respectively. The attractants in the Liu-pao tea infusion were isolated with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS).Results: Among the three types of fermented teas, the Guangxi Liu-pao tea infusion was a successful oviposition attractant for Ae. albopictus at all the dose tested, and the average OAIs of 5 g/L Liu-pao tea soaked for 7 d and 14 d were 0.73 and 0.67, respectively. Further, in one month of soaking 0.5g/L Liu-Pao tea, the average oviposition activity indexes (OAIs) for Ae.aegypti of soaking for 21 d and 28 d were 0.89 and 0.63, respectively. Functional analyses showed that the compound cedrol at 1 mg/L tested for Ae. albopictus, the average OAI was 0.38.Conclusion: Liu-pao tea can effectively attract Ae. albopictus to lay eggs, and cedrol is one of the ingredients attracting Aedes mosquitoes to lay eggs. These results shed light on the development of Aedes mosquito oviposition attractants and will help to develop innovative monitoring and prevention strategies for Aedes-borne diseases.

Zhenjiang City is located in the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which is the most important water transportation hub in China, with abundant water resources and a dense river network. In recent years, the water quality in this region has declined with the rapid development of the economy and enhanced anthropogenic activity. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the state of water and sediment pollution in rivers and lakes of Zhenjiang City, which can provide important basic data for improving the water environment quality for this region. In total, 21 sampling sites (including 10 sites from Jinshan Lake and 11 sites from the ancient canal) in Zhenjiang City were selected, and overlying water and sediment samples were sampled in winter and summer, respectively. In addition, the physical and chemical parameters of overlying water and sediment samples were determined, respectively, and the organic index as well as organic nitrogen index were analyzed in order to evaluate the degree of sediment contamination in this region. Results showed that ① The TN concentration of overlying water changed from 1.95 mg·L

Chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, are severe lung diseases that require effective treatments. In search for new medicines for these diseases, there is an unmet need for predictive and translatable disease-relevant in vitro/ex vivo models to determine the safety and efficacy of novel drug candidates. Here, we report the use of precision cut lung slices (PCLS) as a potential ex vivo platform to study compound effects in a physiologically relevant environment. PCLS derived from an elastase-challenged mouse model display key characteristics of increased inflammation ex vivo, which is exacerbated further upon challenge with LPS, mimicking the immune insult of a pathogen triggering disease exacerbation. Such LPS-induced inflammatory conditions are significantly abrogated by immunomodulatory agents targeting specific inflammatory signaling pathways in the absence of cytotoxic effects in lung slices. Thus, an ex vivo model of PCLS with a simulated pathogenic insult can replicate proposed in vivo pharmacological effects and thus could potentially act as a valuable tool to investigate the underlying mechanisms associated with lung safety, therapeutic efficacy and exacerbations with infection.

Background: In order to master the refractive status and detect severe refractive errors quickly and effectively, this study aimed to investigate the association of axial length after adjusting for corneal radius of curvature with refraction in a group of Chinese preschoolers. Methods: Retrospective review of 716 Chinese children aged from 3 to 6 years, who underwent cycloplegic optometry with 1% atropine eye gel in the ophthalmology department of Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, National Children’s Medical Center in Shanghai. Meanwhile axial length, corneal radius of curvature and cycloplegic autorefraction were obtained and axial length/corneal radius of curvature (AL/CR) ratio was calculated. The correlations of spherical equivalent refraction (SER) with axial length, corneal radius of curvature, AL/CR ratio and corneal radius of curvature-adjusted axial length were analyzed. Results: Only data from the right eye were included in this analysis. Among 716 eyes of 716 Chinese preschoolers, the mean (±SD) SER was 2.28±2.41 diopters (D), of which hyperopia, emmetropia, myopia were 84.64%, 8.54%, 6.84%, respectively. The mean(±SD) axial length, corneal radius of curvature and AL/CR ratio were 21.89±1.01mm, 7.76±0.27 mm, and 2.82±0.13, respectively. The SER was highly negative correlated with both axial length (coefficient –0.722) and AL/CR ratio (coefficient-0.814), and weakly correlated with corneal radius of curvature (coefficient 0.090) and gender(coefficient 0.093). Axial length was weakly correlated with age and gender(coefficient 0.232 and 0.268, respectively), but moderately correlated with corneal radius of curvature (coefficient 0.424). After adjusting for corneal radius of curvature, the correlation coefficient between SER and axial length significantly increased to-0.918. Conclusion: In the samples of 716 3-to 6-year-old Chinese children, axial length was moderately correlated with corneal radius of curvature. After adjusting for corneal radius of curvature, refraction was closely correlated with axial length than axial length alone and AL/CR ratio. Therefore, corneal radius of curvature-adjusted axial length might be a useful tool for pediatric ophthalmologists to detect refractive errors. Key Words: spherical equivalent refraction; corneal radius of curvature; adjusted; axial length; preschoolers.

While bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids are the mainstay of asthma treatment, up to 50% of asthmatics remain uncontrolled. Many studies show that the cysteinyl leukotriene cascade remains highly activated in some asthmatics, even those on high-dose inhaled or oral corticosteroids. Hence, inhibition of the leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC4S) enzyme could provide a new and differentiated core treatment for patients with a highly activated cysteinyl leukotriene cascade. Starting from a screening hit (3), a program to discover oral inhibitors of LTC4S led to (1S,2S)-2-({5-[(5-chloro-2,4-difluorophenyl)(2-fluoro-2-methylpropyl)amino]-3-methoxypyrazin-2-yl}carbonyl)cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (AZD9898) (36), a picomolar LTC4S inhibitor (IC50 = 0.28 nM) with high lipophilic ligand efficiency (LLE = 8.5), which displays nanomolar potency in cells (peripheral blood mononuclear cell, IC50,free = 6.2 nM) and good in vivo pharmacodynamics in a calcium ionophore-stimulated rat model after oral dosing (in vivo, IC50,free = 34 nM). Compound 36 mitigates the GABA binding, hepatic toxicity signal, and in vivo toxicology findings of an early lead compound 7 with a human dose predicted to be 30 mg once daily.

To investigate the effect of moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) on the immune system in rats with different levels of exhaustive exercise. Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank group (n=8), an exhaustive group (n=24), and a moxibustion group (n=24). The exhaustive group was randomly divided into a 1-time exhaustive group, a 4-time exhaustive group and a 7-time exhaustive group, with 8 rats in each group. According to the treatment time, the moxibustion group was randomly divided into a 1-time moxibustion group, a 4-time moxibustion group and a 7-time moxibustion group, with 8 rats in each group. Rats in the exhaustive groups and the moxibustion groups were subjected to replicating the exhaustive swimming models. Rats in each moxibustion group received mild moxibustion for 15 min immediately after the exhaustive modeling, once every other day. Twenty-four hours after the corresponding exhaustive exercise, the rats in each group were tested for the levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, IgM and acid phosphatase (ACP), and the morphological changes of spleen tissues were observed. The level of IgA was detected by immunoturbidimetric assay, and the levels of IgG, IgM and ACP were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Compared with the 1-time exhaustive group, swimming time of rats in the 4-time exhaustive group was significantly prolonged (P

Schisandrin B (Sch B), which inhibits hepatic steatosis caused by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is one of the most active dibenzocyclooctadienes isolated from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill with various pharmacological activities. In this study, the role of Sch B-induced autophagy in lipid-lowering activities of Sch B was examined and the underlying mechanisms were elucidated.Free fatty acid (FFA)-stimulated HepG2 cells and mouse primary hepatocytes (MPHs) and high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice were used as NAFLD models. The role of Sch B-induced autophagy in lipid-lowering effects of Sch B was assessed using ATG5/TFEB-deficient cells and 3-methyladenine (3-MA)-treated hepatocytes and mice.Sch B simultaneously active autophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway and decreased the number of lipid droplets in FFA-treated HepG2 cells and MPHs. Additionally, siATG5/siTFEB transfection or 3-MA treatment mitigated Sch B-induced autophagy and activation of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and ketogenesis in FFA-treated HepG2 cells and MPHs. Sch B markedly decreased hepatic lipid content and activated the autophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway in HFD-fed mice. However, the activities of Sch B were suppressed upon 3-MA treatment. Sch B upregulated the expression of key enzymes involved in FAO and ketogenesis, which was mitigated upon 3-MA treatment. Moreover, changes in hepatic lipid components and amino acids may be related to the Sch B-induced autophagy pathway.These results suggested that Sch B inhibited hepatic steatosis and promoted FAO by activation of autophagy through AMPK/mTOR pathway. Our study provides novel insights into the hepatic lipophagic activity of Sch B and its potential application in the management of NAFLD.

Background: Mast cells play an important role in asthma, however, the interactions between mast cells, fibroblasts and epithelial cells in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are less known. The objectives were to investigate the effect of mast cells on fibroblast activity and migration of epithelial cells. Methods: Primary distally-derived lung fibroblasts obtained from IPF patients and healthy individuals were cultured with LAD2 mast cells or stimulated with the mast cell proteases tryptase and chymase for 72 hours. Human lung fibroblasts and mast cells were cultured on traditional cell culture plastics or decellularized human lung tissue slices (lung scaffolds) to create a more physiological milieu by providing an alveolar extracellular matrix. Released mediators were analyzed and further evaluated for effects on epithelial cell migration. Results: Tryptase increased IL-6, VEGF and HGF release whereas co-culture with mast cells increased IL-6 in healthy lung fibroblasts. VEGF-C release was significantly increased in IPF fibroblasts and further induced by mast cells compared to healthy fibroblasts. Tryptase induced fibroblast migration but mast cells did not promote a myofibroblast phenotype such as altered αSMA levels. Culture in lung scaffolds increased the release of HGF and VEGF compared to culture on plastic plates. Migration of A549 epithelial cells was significantly reduced by IL-6, while HGF and conditioned media from scaffold cultures with mast cells and fibroblasts promoted migration. Conclusions: Mast cells and tryptase increased fibroblast release of mediators that influenced epithelial migration. These data indicate a role of mast cells in the interplay between fibroblasts, epithelial cells and the alveolar extracellular matrix in the pathogenesis of lung diseases.

AIM: To explore the effects of laser-activated remote phosphors (LARP) on visual function in guinea pigs. METHODS: Electroretinogram (ERG) of guinea pigs were observed after LARP irradiation at different frequencies and irradiation times. We evaluated the expression of rhodopsin, β-catenin, connexin36, calretinin, and calbindin in the retina of guinea pigs and measured the density of photoreceptor cells after high-frequency LARP irradiation. RESULTS: After LARP irradiation, the ERG results showed that the amplitude of the dark-adapted 3.0 b-wave of the model eye was lower than that of the control eye after high-frequency irradiation (P

The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera:Tephritidae) is an important invasive pest and distributed throughout tropical, subtropical countries and areas. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of the fly with 15, 685 base pair in length, which includes 37 genes (the large and small ribosomal RNA subunits, 22 transfer RNA genes, 13 genes encoding mitochondrial proteins) and a non-coding A + T-rich control region. Molecular phylogeny indicated that there was a high bootstrap value supported among Z. cucurbitae and Z. tau belonging to the Z. tau complex.

International audience; The recent paper by Chiara et al. provided the first experimental evidence of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC), responding a long-standing theoretical prediction. NEEC was inferred to be the main channel to excite an isomer in Molybdenum-93 to a higher state, leading to a rapid release of full isomer energy (isomer depletion). The deduced large excitation probability $P_{exc}$=0.010(3) for this mechanism implied strong influence on the survival of nuclei in stellar environments. However, the excitation probability is much higher than the estimated NEEC probability $P_{NEEC}$ according to a following theoretical work by approximately 9 orders of magnitude. Nevertheless, the reported $P_{exc}$ is predicted to be due to other unknown mechanism causing isomer depletion, which is expected to open up a new era of the storage and release of nuclear energy. Here we report an analysis of the reported experimental results, showing that the observed isomer depletion is significantly overestimated due to the contamination.

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) involves extensive remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM), primarily in the periphery of the lung. This leads to altered mechanical properties, which in turn results in altered mechanical stimulation of the cells. In stiffer and less elastic ECM found in IPF, fibroblasts are thus exposed to altered strain compared to a healthy ECM. Our aim is to investigate the impact of mechanical stimulation on fibroblasts activity in IPF. Methods: IPF and healthy distal lung tissue were decellularized in slices (350 mm) to produce acellular lung scaffolds. The scaffolds were attached to a custom-made device for cyclic stretch built in polydimethylsiloxane and repopulated with healthy primary distal lung fibroblasts. The scaffolds were either exposed to cyclic stretch (0.2 Hz, 10% strain) or cultured under static conditions upto 3 days and analyzed for cell viability, histology, RNA expression, and released mediators. Results: Compared to healthy scaffolds, fibroblasts on IPF scaffolds showed increased metabolic activity, both at static and cyclic stretch condition. Scaffolds under cyclic stretch showed preserved tissue morphology with dispersed elongated fibroblasts shown with H&E staining. Interestingly, we see a shift in released mediators linked to angiogenesis in cyclic stretch cultures, mostly pronounced in IPF scaffolds. Discussion: We demonstrate that we have developed a physiological more relevant ex vivo model to study cellular responses in lung tissue. Our data indicate that there is a change in cellular activity in IPF tissue under cyclic stretch. This allows us to study the effect of alterations in mechanical and matrisome properties in chronic lung disease.