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Abstract Background TOBAMOVIRUS MULTIPLICATION 1 (TOM1) and its homolog TOBAMOVIRUS MULTIPLICATION 3 (TOM3) play a prominent role in the multiplication of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in higher plants. Although homologs of NtTOM1/TOM3 genes have been identified in several plant species, little is known about the characteristics and functions of NtTOM1/TOM3 at the genome-wide level in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). Results In this study, we performed genome-wide identification and expression pattern analysis of the tobacco NtTOM1/TOM3 gene family. Twelve NtTOM1/TOM3 genes were identified and classified into four groups based on phylogenetic analysis. Sequence and conserved domain analyses showed that all these genes contained a specific DUF1084 domain. Expression pattern analysis showed that NtTOM1a, NtTOM1b, NtTOM1d, NtTOM3a, NtTOM3b, and NtTOM3d were induced by TMV at 1-, 3-, and 9 dpi, whereas the expression of other genes was not responsive to TMV at the early infection stage. TMV virion accumulation showed no obvious difference in either nttom1a or nttom3a mutants compared with the wild type. However, the virus propagation was significantly, but not completely, inhibited in the nttom1atom3a double mutant, indicating that other gene family members may function redundantly, such as NtTOM1b and NtTOM1d. In addition, overexpression of NtTOM1a or NtTOM3a also inhibited the TMV replication to some extent. Conclusions The present study performed genome-wide analysis of the NtTOM1/TOM3 gene family in tobacco, and identified NtTOM1a and NtTOM3a as important genes involved in TMV multiplication based on functional analysis. These results provide a theoretical basis for further improving TMV resistance in tobacco.

ObjectiveWe performed this pooled analysis for the first time to comprehensively explore the prognostic value of tumor-associated high endothelial venules (TA-HEVs) and determine their relationships with clinicopathological features in solid tumors.MethodsFour online databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library, were comprehensively searched to identify studies assessing the effect of TA-HEVs on prognosis or clinicopathological features. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to evaluate survival outcomes, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS). The association between TA-HEV status and clinicopathological characteristics was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) combined with 95% CIs. Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity. The sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the stability of our findings. Meanwhile, Funnel plots were employed to visually evaluate potential publication bias, and both Begg’s and Egger’s tests were adopted to quantitatively determine publication bias.ResultsA total of 13 retrospective cohort studies, involving 1,933 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. Effect-size pooling analysis showed that the positivity of TA-HEVs was related to improved OS (pooled HR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.62-0.93, P

Abstract Understanding intracellular phase separation is crucial for deciphering transcriptional control, cell fate transitions, and disease mechanisms. However, the key residues, which impact phase separation the most for protein phase separation function have remained elusive. We develop PSPHunter, which can precisely predict these key residues based on machine learning scheme. In vivo and in vitro validations demonstrate that truncating just 6 key residues in GATA3 disrupts phase separation, enhancing tumor cell migration and inhibiting growth. Glycine and its motifs are enriched in spacer and key residues, as revealed by our comprehensive analysis. PSPHunter identifies nearly 80% of disease-associated phase-separating proteins, with frequent mutated pathological residues like glycine and proline often residing in these key residues. PSPHunter thus emerges as a crucial tool to uncover key residues, facilitating insights into phase separation mechanisms governing transcriptional control, cell fate transitions, and disease development.

BackgroundEnvironmental noise pollution is serious, and there are few studies on the effects of long-term noise exposure during sleep on cognitive function and possible biological clock mechanism. ObjectiveTo explore the cognitive impairment induced by noise exposure during sleep in mice and possible biological clock mechanism, and to provide a theoretical basis for the protection against noise exposure. MethodsTwenty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group and a noise-exposed group, 10 mice in each group. The noise-exposed group was exposed to sleep-period noise using a noise generator for 12 h (08:00–20:00) per day for a total of 30 d. The calibrated noise intensity was set at 90 dB. No intervention was imposed on the control group. At the end of the noise exposure, cognitive function of mice was examined using the new object recognition experiment and the open field test, and the hippocampal tissue damage of mice were evaluated by Nissl staining, ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) immunofluorescence staining, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR for inflammatory factors and biological clock genes. Oxidative stress indicators in the hippocampus of mice were also detected by assay kit. ResultsAfter noise exposure during sleep period, the results of new object recognition experiment showed that the discrimination index of mice in the noise-exposed group was 0.06±0.04, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (0.65±0.13) (P

BackgroundLong-term exposure to noise during sleep may has adverse effects on metabolic system, and liver lipid metabolism is closely related to circadian clock genes. ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of long-term noise exposure during sleep on liver circadian clock and lipid metabolism in mice and its related mechanism. MethodsTwenty C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into two groups: a noise exposure group and a control group with 10 mice in each group. The mice in the noise exposure group were exposed to white noise at 90 dB sound pressure level (SPL) for 30 consecutive days, 8 h a day, from 9:00 to 17:00. The mice in the control group were exposed to background noise ≤40 dB SPL. After noise exposure, the animals were neutralized at 14:00 (ZT6) and 2:00 (ZT18), 5 animals at each time spot, and the liver tissues were collected. Total cholesterol and triglyceride in liver were determined by cholesterol oxidase method and glycerol phosphate oxidase method respectively. The expressions of circadian clock genes (Clock, Bmal1, Rev-erbα, and Rev-erbβ) and lipid metabolism genes (Srebp1c, Hmgcr, Fasn, Lxrα, Acc1, and Chrebp) in liver were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. ResultsCompared with the control group, the content of total cholesterol in liver in the noise exposure group increased by 48% (P0.05). ConclusionLong-term noise exposure during sleep can cause circadian clock and lipid metabolism disorders in mice. Among them, suppression of key circadian clock genes may be associated with Rev-erbα-mediated upregulation of the nuclear receptors Srebp1c and Chrebp for lipid synthesis and deposition in the liver, resulting in lipid metabolism disorder.

The tension-compression yield asymmetry caused by the strengthening of Mg-Zn-Gd-Zr alloy due to extrusion deformation is an important issue that must be addressed in its application. In this study, the effects of loading direction on the tensile and compressive mechanical behaviors of Mg-5Zn-2Gd-0.2Zr alloy were systematically investigated. As the loading angle (the angle between the loading direction and the extrusion direction) increases from 0° to 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°, the tensile yield strength decreases more significantly than the compressive yield strength. Consequently, the tension-compression yield asymmetry is gradually improved. Additionally, the ultimate compressive strength decreases more markedly than the ultimate tensile strength with the increment of the loading angle. In tensile tests conducted at 0°, 30° and 45°, two distinct stages of decreasing strain hardening rates are typically observed. For the 60° and 90° tensile tests, one unusual ascending stage of strain hardening rate is observed. For all compressive tests, three stages of strain hardening are consistently noted; however, the increment in strain hardening rate caused by {10–12} extension twinning decreases with the increasing loading angle. A model combining loading angle and Schmid factor distribution was established. The calculated results indicate that the dominant deformation modes during the yielding process also vary significantly with the loading conditions. This clarification highlights the differences in yield strength variations between tension and compression. Finally, an analysis of the plane trace and crack propagation direction near the fracture surface reveals the fracture mechanisms associated with tensile and compressive tests at different loading directions. This study promotes understanding of the mechanical behaviors of Mg-5Zn-2Gd-0.2Zr alloy under different loading directions, and helps to thoroughly elucidate the anisotropic effects of texture on the mechanical properties of magnesium alloys.

Abstract Background It has been demonstrated that circularRNA (circRNAs) plays a critical role in various cancers. While the potential molecular mechanism of circRNAs in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains uncertain. Methods Differentially expressed circRNAs were identified by RNA sequencing. RT-qPCR detected the expression of circ_0009092, miR-665, and NLK in CRC tissues and cells. Functions of circ_0009092 on tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were investigated by a series of in vitro assays. The underlying mechanism of circ_0009092 was explored by bioinformatics analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and luciferase assays. A co-culture assay in vitro was performed to detect the affection of circ_0009092 on macrophage recruitment in the tumor microenvironment (TME). A xenograft mouse model was used to explore the effect of circ_0009092 on tumor growth. Results Circ_0009092 was downregulated in CRCand predicted a good prognosis. Overexpression of circ_0009092 reduced tumor cell EMT, proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circ_0009092 elevated the NLK expression via sponging miR-665 and suppressed the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. EIF4EA3 induced circ_0009092 expression in CRC cells. In addition, NLK regulates phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation of STAT3 by binding to STAT3, thereby inhibiting CCL2 expression, in which it inhibits macrophage recruitment in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Conclusion EIF4A3 suppressed circ_0009092 biogenesis, whichinhibits CRC progression by sponging miR-665 to downregulate NLK. Circ_0009092/miR-665/NLK suppressed tumor EMT, proliferation, migration, and invasion by acting on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. NLK directly interacted with STAT3 and decreased the CCL2 expression, inhibiting the recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the TME. Our study provided novel insights into the roles of circ_0009092 as a novel promising prognostic and therapeutic target in CRC.

Abstract Background The prognosis of tumor patients can be assessed by measuring the levels of lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs), which play a role in controlling the methylation of the RNA. Prognosis in individuals with colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) is strongly linked to lncRNA expression, making it imperative to find lncRNAs that are associated with RNA methylation with strong prognostic value. Methods In this study, by analyzing TCGA dataset, we were able to develop a risk model for lncRNAs that are associated with m5C with prognostic significance by employing LASSO regression and univariate Cox proportional analysis. There were a number of methods employed to ensure the model was accurate, including multivariate and univariate Cox regression analysis, Kaplan analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The principal component analysis, GSEA and GSVA analysis were used for risk model analysis. The CIBERSORT instrument and the TIMER database were used to evaluate the link between the immune cells that infiltrate tumors and the risk model. In vitro experiments were also performed to validate the predicted m5C-related significant lncRNAs. Results The m5c regulators were differentially expressed in colorectal cancer and normal tissue. Based on the screening criteria and LASSO regression, 11 m5c-related lncRNAs were identified for developing the prognostic risk model. Multivariate and univariate Cox regression analysis showed the risk score is a crucial prognostic factor in CRC patients. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year AUC curves showed the risk score was higher than those identified for other clinicopathological characteristics. A nomogram using the risk score as a quantitative tool was developed for predicting patients' outcomes in clinical settings. In addition, the risk profile of m5C-associated lncRNAs can discriminate between tumor immune cells’ characteristics in CRC. Mutation patterns and chemotherapy were analyzed between high- and low- risk groups of CRC patients. Moreover, TNFRSF10A-AS1 was chosen for the in vitro verification of the m5C-connected lncRNA to demonstrate impressive effects on the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells. Conclusion A risk model including the prognostic value of 11 m5C-associated lncRNAs proves to be a useful prognostic tool for CRC and improves the care of patients suffering from CRC based on these findings.

BackgroundMobile phone addiction has adverse influences on the physical and mental health of college students. However, few studies shed light on the effect of fear of missing out on mobile phone addiction and the underlying mechanisms among college students.MethodsTo explore their associations, the present study used the Fear of Missing Out Scales (FoMOS), Loneliness Scale (USL-8), Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale (MPAI), and Depression-Anxiety-Stress Questionnaire (DASS-21) to investigate 750 college students.ResultsThe results suggested that fear of missing out significantly positively predicted mobile phone addiction. This direct effect could be mediated by depression, and the indirect effect of fear of missing out on mobile phone addiction could be moderated by loneliness. Specifically, the indirect effect was stronger for students with high levels of loneliness.ConclusionThis study provides a theoretical basis for developing future interventions for mobile phone addiction in higher education students.

Geological disasters in large alpine reservoirs primarily take the form of landslide occurrences and are predominantly induced by slope instability. Presently, risk monitoring and assessment strategies tend to prioritize sudden alerts overlooking progressive trajectories from the onset of creeping deformations within the slope to its critical state preceding landslides. Hence, analyzing landslide safety risks over time demonstrates a significant degree of hysteresis, highlighting the necessity for a comprehensive approach to risk assessment that encompasses both gradual and sudden precursors to landslide events. This study analyzes the factors affecting slope stability and establishes a slope evaluation indicator system that includes terrain morphology, meteorological conditions, the ecological environment, soil conditions, human activity, and external manifestation. It proposes a quantitative model for slope landslide risk assessment based on a fuzzy broad learning system, aiming to accurately assess slopes with different risk levels. The overall assessment accuracy rate reaches 92.08%. This multi-dimensional risk assessment model provides long-term monitoring of slope conditions and scientific guidance on landslide risk management and disaster prevention and mitigation on a long time scale for risky slopes in reservoir areas.

Leiomyosarcoma occurring in the bone as primary tumor localization is extremely scarce with limited cases described in the literature, accounting for less than 0.7% of all primary bone malignancies. Once distant metastasis occurs, patients have limited treatments and often a somber prognosis, which underscore the need for innovative and effective treatment approaches. The emerging evidence suggests that anti-angiogenic therapy could inhibit angiogenesis and normalize vascular permeability in the tumor microenvironment, which, in turn, would increase immune effector cell infiltration into tumors. Immunotherapy depends on the accumulation and activity of immune effector cells within the tumor microenvironment, and immune responses and vascular normalization seem to be reciprocally regulated. Immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenic therapy has recently made great progress in the treatment of various types of tumors. However, the effectiveness of the combination treatment in metastatic leiomyosarcoma is undetermined. In this study, we presented a rare case of primary leiomyosarcoma of the bone located in the trochanteric region of the femur, accompanied by multiple distant metastases. After the failure of multi-line therapies including AI regiments as the adjuvant chemotherapy, anlotinib as the first-line therapy, GT regiment as the second-line therapy, and eribulin as the third-line therapy, the patient received combinational therapy with penpulimab plus lenvatinib. The best efficacy for this regimen was a partial response, with a progression-free survival of 8.4 months according to the iRECIST criteria. After a dissociated response was detected without severe toxicities, the patient received local radiotherapy and continued treatment on penpulimab plus lenvatinib and eventually achieved long-term survival benefits with a total of over 60 months of overall survival with good quality of life and ongoing treatment. As our previous retrospective study found that one-third of advanced STS patients could still achieve clinical benefits from rechallenge with multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), after the failure of previous TKI therapy, this case provided the potential clinical activity of immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenic TKI rechallenge in metastatic leiomyosarcoma.

Abstract Background The interaction between the tumor-microenvironment (TME) and the cancer cells has emerged as a key player in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis. A small proportion of CRC cells which undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) facilitate the reshaping of the TME by regulating various cellular ingredients. Methods Immunohistochemical analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA Antisense Purification (RAP), dual luciferase assays were conducted to investigate the biological function and regulation of LINC00543 in CRC. A series in vitro and in vivo experiments were used to clarify the role of LINC00543 in CRC metastasis. Results Here we found that the long non-coding RNA LINC00543, was overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues, which correlated with advanced TNM stage and poorer prognosis of CRC patients. The overexpression of LINC00543 promoted tumorigenesis and metastasis of CRC cells by enhancing EMT and remodeling the TME. Mechanistically, LINC00543 blocked the transport of pre-miR-506-3p across the nuclear-cytoplasmic transporter XPO5, thereby reducing the production of mature miR-506-3p, resulting in the increase in the expression of FOXQ1 and induction of EMT. In addition, upregulation of FOXQ1 induced the expression of CCL2 that accelerated the recruitment of macrophages and their M2 polarization. Conclusions Our study showed that LINC00543 enhanced EMT of CRC cells through the pre-miR-506-3p/FOXQ1 axis. This resulted in the upregulation of CCL2, leading to macrophages recruitment and M2 polarization, and ultimately stimulating the progression of CRC.

A 17-4PH steering shaft in the ship was brittle fractured during service, and its chemical composition, microstructure, fracture morphology of the material, and force simulations were analyzed. The results show that the failure mode of the shaft is hydrogen-induced delayed cracking, and the crack source is located on the outer surface of the contact position between the steering shaft and the end of the transfer shaft. Both the stress simulation analysis and the residual stress test prove that there is a greater stress concentration near the source region, which can easily lead to the migration and aggregation of hydrogen (H) during service, thus causing hydrogen-induced delayed cracking. The microstructure of a failure specimen with tempered and higher tensile strength will lead to higher sensitivity to hydrogen.

BackgroundThe treatment of brucellosis suffers from a high recurrence rate and drug resistance. Our study researched the differences in efficacy and side effects between triple antibiotics therapy and dual antibiotics therapy in the treatment of brucellosis through a systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe searched 4 English electronic databases and 2 Chinese electronic databases for randomized controlled trials and cohort studies published through September 2022 on the use of triple antibiotics versus dual antibiotics in the treatment of brucellosis. Overall outcome indicators were therapeutic failure rate, relapse rate, overall therapeutic failure rate, and side effect rate. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used as summary statistics. A fixed-effects model was used to combine the overall effect sizes.ResultsThe meta-analysis included 15 studies consisting of 11 randomized controlled trials and 4 cohort studies. Triple antibiotics showed better efficacy than dual antibiotics in a comparison of 3 overall outcome indicators (therapeutic failure rate (RR 0.42; 95% CI 0.30 to 0.59 heterogeneity P = 0.29, I2 = 15%), relapse rate (RR 0.29; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.45 heterogeneity P = 0.88, I2 = 0%), and overall therapeutic failure rate (RR 0.37; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.48 heterogeneity P = 0.35, I2 = 9%)). The incidence of side effects in patients with brucellosis treated with triple antibiotics was not significantly different from that in brucellosis patients treated with dual antibiotics (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.67 to 1.06 heterogeneity P = 0.1, I2 = 35%). Sensitivity analyses showed robust results and Peter's test showed no publication bias. The results of subgroup analyses for the research type, drugs, and type of brucellosis were largely consistent with the overall outcome indicators, indicating the reliability and robustness of the overall results.ConclusionsIn the treatment of brucellosis, triple antibiotics have better efficacy than dual antibiotics and do not increase the incidence of side effects.

BackgroundChickenpox is an old but easily neglected infectious disease. Although chickenpox is preventable by vaccines, vaccine breakthroughs often occur, and the chickenpox epidemic is on the rise. Chickenpox is not included in the list of regulated communicable diseases that must be reported and controlled by public and health departments; therefore, it is crucial to rapidly identify and report varicella outbreaks during the early stages. The Baidu index (BDI) can supplement the traditional surveillance system for infectious diseases, such as brucellosis and dengue, in China. The number of reported chickenpox cases and internet search data also showed a similar trend. BDI can be a useful tool to display the outbreak of infectious diseases. ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop an efficient disease surveillance method that uses BDI to assist in traditional surveillance. MethodsChickenpox incidence data (weekly from January 2017 to June 2021) reported by the Yunnan Province Center for Disease Control and Prevention were obtained to evaluate the relationship between the incidence of chickenpox and BDI. We applied a support vector machine regression (SVR) model and a multiple regression prediction model with BDI to predict the incidence of chickenpox. In addition, we used the SVR model to predict the number of chickenpox cases from June 2021 to the first week of April 2022. ResultsThe analysis showed that there was a close correlation between the weekly number of newly diagnosed cases and the BDI. In the search terms we collected, the highest Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.747. Most BDI search terms, such as “chickenpox,” “chickenpox treatment,” “treatment of chickenpox,” “chickenpox symptoms,” and “chickenpox virus,” trend consistently. Some BDI search terms, such as “chickenpox pictures,” “symptoms of chickenpox,” “chickenpox vaccine,” and “is chickenpox vaccine necessary,” appeared earlier than the trend of “chickenpox virus.” The 2 models were compared, the SVR model performed better in all the applied measurements: fitting effect, R2=0.9108, root mean square error (RMSE)=96.2995, and mean absolute error (MAE)=73.3988; and prediction effect, R2=0.548, RMSE=189.1807, and MAE=147.5412. In addition, we applied the SVR model to predict the number of reported cases weekly in Yunnan from June 2021 to April 2022 using the same period of the BDI. The results showed that the fluctuation of the time series from July 2021 to April 2022 was similar to that of the last year and a half with no change in the level of prevention and control. ConclusionsThese findings indicated that the BDI in Yunnan Province can predict the incidence of chickenpox in the same period. Thus, the BDI is a useful tool for monitoring the chickenpox epidemic and for complementing traditional monitoring systems.

IntroductionWith the increasing utilization of text-based suicide crisis counseling, new means of identifying at risk clients must be explored. Natural language processing (NLP) holds promise for evaluating the content of crisis counseling; here we use a data-driven approach to evaluate NLP methods in identifying client suicide risk.MethodsDe-identified crisis counseling data from a regional text-based crisis encounter and mobile tipline application were used to evaluate two modeling approaches in classifying client suicide risk levels. A manual evaluation of model errors and system behavior was conducted.ResultsThe neural model outperformed a term frequency-inverse document frequency (tf-idf) model in the false-negative rate. While 75% of the neural model’s false negative encounters had some discussion of suicidality, 62.5% saw a resolution of the client’s initial concerns. Similarly, the neural model detected signals of suicidality in 60.6% of false-positive encounters.DiscussionThe neural model demonstrated greater sensitivity in the detection of client suicide risk. A manual assessment of errors and model performance reflected these same findings, detecting higher levels of risk in many of the false-positive encounters and lower levels of risk in many of the false negatives. NLP-based models can detect the suicide risk of text-based crisis encounters from the encounter’s content.

BackgroundAffected by the COVID-19, many colleges have adopted online teaching. Meanwhile, the digital transformation of academic journals has shifted readers’ reading habits from traditional paper media to digital media. Digital academic reading has become the main reading method of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral characteristics of college students’ digital academic reading and explore the internal factors and external environmental factors affecting the Intention and Use behavior of digital academic reading. At the same time this study provide recommendations to address these influencing factors in terms of the individual, the environment and library resources.MethodsBased on UTAUT2 model and digital academic reading theories, this paper constructs a digital academic reading information behavior (DARB) model of college students to examine college students’ digital academic reading behavior and intention. College students with digital academic reading behavior were recruited as research participants. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect representative samples from universities in Nanjing. 239 respondents participated in the questionnaire, with 189 providing valid data. Results: Effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), price value (PV), perceived risk (PR) and habit (BH) have a significant impact on behavioral intention (BI), and behavioral intention (BI) and habit (BH) have a significant impact on use behavior (B). However, performance expectancy (PE) and facilitating conditions (FC) have no significant influence on behavioral intention (BI).Originality/valueThe findings of this study will help fill the gap in previous research on the relationship between the influencing factors of digital academic reading and college students’ reading intentions and behaviors, so as to provide a basis for improving the academic reading literacy program in colleges and optimizing the current digital academic reading environment.

This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of metformin on trabecular meshwork (TM) and explore its molecular mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. Ocular hypertension (OHT) mouse models were induced with dexamethasone and further treated with metformin to determine the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering effect. Cultured human TM cells (HTMCs) were pre-stimulated with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) to induce oxidative damage and then supplemented with metformin for another 24 hr. The expression of fibrotic markers and integrin/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) signals, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), fibronectin, integrin beta 1, ROCK 1/2, AMP-activated protein kinase, myosin light chain 1, and F-actin were determined by western blotting and immunofluorescence. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) content was analysed using flow cytometry. Transmission electron microscopy was performed to observe microfilaments in HTMCs. It showed that metformin administration reduced the elevated IOP and alleviated the fibrotic activity of aqueous humour outflow in OHT models. Additionally, metformin rearranged the disordered cytoskeleton in the TM both in vivo and in vitro and significantly inhibited ROS production and activated integrin/ROCK signalling induced by tBHP in HTMCs. These results indicated that metformin reduced the elevated IOP in steroid-induced OHT mouse models and exerted its protective effects against oxidative injury by regulating cytoskeleton remodelling through the integrin/ROCK pathway. This study provides new insights into metformin use and preclinical evidence for the potential treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma.

For NiTi alloys prepared by the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), changes in the building directions will directly change the preferred orientation and thus directly affect the smart properties, such as superelasticity, as well as change the distribution state of defects and impurity elements to affect the phase transformation behaviour, which in turn affects the smart properties at different temperatures. In this study, the relationship between impurity elements, the building directions, and functional properties; the effects of building directions on the crystallographic anisotropy; phase composition; superelastic properties; microhardness; geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density; and impurity element content of NiTi SMAs fabricated by LPBF were systematically studied. Three building directions measured from the substrate, namely, 0°, 45° and 90°, were selected, and three sets of cylindrical samples were fabricated with the same process parameters. Along the building direction, a strong //vertical direction (VD) texture was formed for all the samples. Because of the difference in transformation temperature, when tested at 15 °C, the sample with the 45° orientation possessed the highest strain recovery of 3.2%. When tested at the austenite phase transformation finish temperature (Af)+10 °C, the 90° sample had the highest strain recovery of 5.83% and a strain recovery rate of 83.3%. The sample with the 90° orientation presented the highest microhardness, which was attributed to its high dislocation density. Meanwhile, different building directions had an effect on the contents of O, C, and N impurity elements, which affected the transformation temperature by changing the Ni/Ti ratio. This study innovatively studied the impurity element content and GND densities of compressive samples with three building directions, providing theoretical guidance for LPBFed NiTi SMA structural parts.

Indocyanine green (ICG) is an important kind of near infrared (NIR) photosensitive molecules for PTT/PDT therapy as well as imaging. When exposed to NIR light, ICG can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can kill cancer cells and pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, the absorbed light can also be converted into heat by ICG molecules to eliminate cancer cells. In addition, it performs exceptionally well in optical imaging-guided tumor therapy and antimicrobial therapy due to its deeper tissue penetration and low photobleaching properties in the near-infrared region compared to other dyes. In order to solve the problems of water and optical stability and multi-function problem of ICG molecules, composite nanomaterials based on ICG have been designed and widely used, especially in the fields of tumors and sterilization. So far, ICG molecules and their composite materials have become one of the most famous infrared sensitive materials. However, there have been no corresponding review articles focused on ICG molecules. In this review, the molecular structure and properties of ICG, composite material design, and near-infrared light- triggered anti-tumor, and antibacterial, and clinical applications are reviewed in detail, which of great significance for related research.

Vision plays a crucial role in the ability of compound-eyed insects to perceive the characteristics of their surroundings. Compound-eyed insects (such as the honeybee) can change the optical flow input of the visual system by autonomously controlling their behavior, and this is referred to as visual–motor coordination (VMC). To analyze an insect’s VMC mechanism in dynamic scenes, we developed a platform for studying insects that actively shape the optic flow of visual stimuli by adapting their flight behavior. Image-processing technology was applied to detect the posture and direction of insects’ movement, and automatic control technology provided dynamic scene stimulation and automatic acquisition of perceptual insect behavior. In addition, a virtual mapping technique was used to reconstruct the visual cues of insects for VMC analysis in a dynamic obstacle scene. A simulation experiment at different target speeds of 1–12 m/s was performed to verify the applicability and accuracy of the platform. Our findings showed that the maximum detection speed was 8 m/s, and triggers were 95% accurate. The outdoor experiments showed that flight speed in the longitudinal axis of honeybees was more stable when facing dynamic barriers than static barriers after analyzing the change in geometric optic flow. Finally, several experiments showed that the platform can automatically and efficiently monitor honeybees’ perception behavior, and can be applied to study most insects and their VMC.

Abstract Background Regulatory T (Treg) cells are important components of the tumour microenvironment (TME) that play roles in gastric cancer (GC) metastasis. Although tumour cells that undergo epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulate Treg cell function, their regulatory mechanism in GC remains unclear. Methods The miR‐192‐5p was identified by examining three Gene Expression Omnibus GC miRNA expression datasets. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and dual‐luciferase reporter assays were conducted to identify interactions between miR‐192‐5p and RB1. The role of miR‐192‐5p/RB1 in GC progression was evaluated based on EdU incorporation, wound healing and Transwell assays. An in vitro co‐culture assay was performed to measure the effect of miR‐192‐5p/RB1 on Treg cell differentiation. In vivo experiments were conducted to explore the role of miR‐192‐5p in GC progression and Treg cell differentiation. Results MiR‐192‐5p was overexpressed in tumour and was associated with poor prognosis in GC. MiR‐192‐5p bound to the RB1 3′‐untranslated region, resulting in GC EMT, proliferation, migration and invasion. MiR‐192‐5p/RB1 mediated interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) secretion by regulating nuclear factor‐kappaBp65 (NF‐κBp65), affecting Treg cell differentiation. NF‐κBp65, in turn, promoted miR‐192‐5p expression and formed a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, in vivo experiments confirmed that miR‐192‐5p/RB1 promotes GC growth and Treg cell differentiation. Conclusion Collectively, our studies indicate that miR‐192‐5p/RB1 promotes EMT of tumour cells, and the miR‐192‐5p/RB1/NF‐κBp65 signaling axis induces Treg cell differentiation by regulating IL‐10 secretion in GC. Our results suggest that targeting miR‐192‐5p/RB1/NF‐κBp65 /IL‐10 may pave the way for the development of new immune treatments for GC.

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is the main site of gastric cancer (GC) distant metastasis and indicates an extremely poor prognosis and survival. Hypoxia is a common feature of peritoneal metastases and up-regulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) may be a potential driver in the occurrence of PM. Ferroptosis is a recently discovered form of regulated cell death and closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. However, the underlying mechanism link HIF-1α to ferroptosis in PM of GC remains unknown. Here, lncRNA-microarrays and RNA library construction/lncRNA-seq results shown that lncRNA-PMAN was highly expressed in PM and significantly modulated by HIF-1α. Upregulation of PMAN is associated with poor prognosis and PM in patients with GC. PMAN was up-regulated by HIF-1α and improved the stability of SLC7A11 mRNA by promoting the cytoplasmic distribution of ELAVL1, which was identified in RNA-pulldown/mass spectrometry results. Accumulation of SLC7A11 increases the level of l-Glutathione (GSH) and inhibits the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and irons in the GC cells. Finally protect GC cells against ferroptosis induced by Erastin and RSL3. Our findings have elucidated the effect of HIF-1α/PMAN/ELAVL1 in GC cells ferroptosis and provides theoretical support for the potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PM in GC.

This essay explores the French Wars of Religion and the Flour War, comparing them with the French Revolution, in its study of social upheaval in France before 1789. Research surrounding this has been conducted for many years, and different scholars have offered different interpretations. In this essay, the case study method is used, with these three popular protests. Through studying these cases, the essay hopes to draw broader lessons about how these popular protests are interconnected and how they challenged the social order. This essay argues that both the French Wars of Religion and the Flour War caused social upheaval and have similarities with the French Revolution in terms of the political and social impact.

Abstract Background To describe the objective, design and baseline characteristics of the Jidong Eye Cohort Study (JECS), a community-based cohort in China based on etiology, imaging and biomarkers. The JECS will clarify the pathogenesis of visual impairment and status of ocular indicators in the occurrence and progression of cardio-cerebrovascular and neurological diseases. Methods Between August 2019 and January 2020, the JECS recruited consecutive participants aged 18 years and older from the Jidong communities in China. The demographic and clinical characteristics were collected by trained site personnel via face-to-face interviews. The relevant biological samples were also collected. The participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examination, such as retinal photography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography. The following outcomes were measured annually: ocular vascular abnormality, optic nerve degeneration, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and neurological diseases. The study will be performed until 2024. Results Among 3377 participants, the average age was 45.0 ± 12.5 years and 1809 (53.6%) were women. Hypertension occurred in 825 individuals (25.0%), diabetes in 258 (7.7%), hyperglycemia in 474 (14.2%), and a CVD history in 100 (3.0%). The mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.1 logMAR in the recruited subjects. The average OCT signal index was 8.2 ± 1.2. Additionally, the mean vessel densities for the entire measured area were 46.4% and 50.8% for the superficial and deep vascular complex, respectively. Mean area and perimeter of foveal avascular zone was 0.3 mm2 and 2.3 mm. Conclusions The JECS is a large community-based prospective cohort in North China. Rich data collected from this study will provide the opportunity to identify risk factors, imaging, and biomarkers of visual impairment (either ocular vascular anomalies or optic nerve degeneration) and to evaluate their associations with CVD and neurological diseases.

The overproduction of osteoclasts, leading to bone destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is well established. However, little is known about the metabolic dysfunction of osteoclast precursors (OCPs) in RA. Herein, we show that increasing fatty acid oxidation (FAO) induces OCP fusion. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase IA (CPT1A), which is important for carnitine transportation and is involved in FAO in the mitochondria, is upregulated in RA patients. This metabolic change further increases the expression of clathrin heavy chain (CLTC) and clathrin light chain A (CLTA) by enhancing the binding of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ) to the promoters of CLTA and CLTC. This drives clathrin-dependent endocytosis pathway, which attenuates fusion receptors in the cellular membrane and contributes to increased podosome structure formation. This study reveals a new mechanism through which FAO metabolism participates in joint destruction in RA and provides a novel therapeutic direction for the development of drugs against bone destruction in patients with RA.

Irrational phosphorus (P) nutrient management practices often fail to match of P fertilizer type, soil P transformation and crop P demand, lead to increased accumulation of legacy P, reduced PUE, and pollution, affecting crop production. A pot experiment incorporating soil types and P fertilizer types (SSP, simple superphosphate; CMP, calcium magnesium phosphate; DAP, diammonium phosphate; TSP, triple superphosphate; APP, ammonium polyphosphate; CK, no P application) to establish coupling of the soil and P fertilizer types, soil P pool characteristics, crop P uptake. In calcareous soil, the available P concentrations in rhizosphere soil were higher under TSP and DAP, with the increase in NaHCO3-Pi concentration the most. In non-calcareous soil, the NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Pi increased the most under SSP, DAP, and TSP at anthesis. Shoot P accumulation at maturity was highest under TSP and APP, TSP and DAP, respectively, in the two soil. TSP and APP significantly increased yield and PUE in the calcareous soil, while TSP and DAP performed better in the non-calcareous soil. NaHCO3-Pi and NaOH-Po are potentially available P sources in calcareous and non-calcareous soil, which remarkably affect shoot P uptake through H2O-P. Comprehensive assessment of the relationship between soil P pool characteristics, yield and PUE, TSP and APP are recommended for application in calcareous soils and TSP and DAP for application in non-calcareous soils in wheat cropping systems.

The hydrogen-induced plastic loss behavior of titanium alloys is often reported, but there are relatively few studies on high-strength aluminum alloys. In this article, the hydrogen-induced plastic damage behavior of 7085-T7651 high-strength aluminum alloy was investigated using a tensile specimen with pre-charging hydrogen, and the microstructure was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results showed that 7085-T7651 high-strength aluminum alloy material has certain hydrogen embrittlement sensitivities, and with the increase of hydrogen-charging time, the hydrogen content and sensitivity of the material increases significantly. For the first time, the theoretical analysis and intuitive quantitative characterization of the hydrogen-induced plastic loss behavior mechanism on 7085-T7651 high-strength aluminum alloy is stated as the formation of Mg and H segregation formed at the crystal boundary, which will result in the weakening of the crystal boundary.

A series of Zr50.75Cu35.75Al8.5Ag5 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were prepared by controlling the cooling rate and over-heating temperature. The plastic deformation behavior of the BMGs was examined. The plasticity was enhanced when the BMG was prepared at a high cooling rate and low over-heating temperature. The plasticity of the Zr-based BMGs prepared under different casting conditions was discussed based on the amount of free volume. The structural heterogeneity of the BMGs prepared with different over-heating temperatures was examined using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope and mapped by using an energy dispersive x-ray spectroscope. The results showed that a low over-heating temperature could increase the degree of heterogeneity, but an extremely low over-heating temperature could lead to nanocrystallization. The difference in the heterogeneous structures caused the distinct plastic performance of the Zr50.75Cu35.75Al8.5Ag5 BMGs prepared with different over-heating temperatures.

Background The efficacy of docetaxel-based chemotherapy is limited by the development of drug resistance. Recent studies demonstrated the efficacy of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunotherapies in metastatic prostate cancer. The ataxia telangiectasia mutation (ATM) protein plays a crucial role in maintaining genome stability and function of mitosis. Here, we aimed to determine whether PD-1/PD-L1 signaling contributes to the resistance to DTX and to elucidate the mechanism underlying DTX-induced PD-L1 expression.Methods In this retrospective study, PD-L1 expression was analyzed in 33 tumor tissue samples from prostate cancer patients. Prostate cell lines were used to perform functional assays and examine underlying mechanisms in vitro. A fully mouse prostate cancer model and a humanized chimeric mouse bearing human prostate tumors and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used for in vivo assays.Results We have shown that DTX, a chemotherapeutic drug which causing microtubule interference, could significantly induce the expression of PD-L1 in prostate cancer cells. This effect is blocked by the inhibition of ATM, suggesting that it plays an essential role in PD-L1 expression upregulated by DTX. Mechanistic studies have shown that ATM activity in cancer cells enhances the stability of the NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO), which leading to an increase in the NF-κB activity and PD-L1 expression. Using the mouse model, it was further demonstrated that a combination of ATM and NEMO inhibitors along with DTX augmented the antitumor efficacy of chemotherapy, which are comparable to that of PD-L1 antibody.Conclusions Our findings have revealed that a previously unrecognized ATM-NEMO signaling which induced by DTX is capable of suppressing tumor immunity by activating the expression of PD-L1, suggesting that the ATM-NEMO-NF-κB axis can be exploited to restore the immune balance and overcome cancer resistance triggered by DTX.Graphic Abstract: supplementary file 1

For NiTi alloys, different additive manufacturing processes may have different compressive recovery capabilities. In particular, there are relatively few studies on the compressive recovery ability of NiTi alloys by the laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) process. In this paper, the compression recovery properties of NiTi alloys with the LDED process were investigated quasi-in-situ by means of transmission electron microscopy, an electron backscatter diffractometer, and focused ion beam–fixed-point sample preparation. The results showed that the material can be completely recovered under 4% deformation and the B19’ martensite phase content and dislocation density are basically unchanged. However, the recovery rate was only 90% and the unrecoverable strain was 0.86% at 8% deformation. Meanwhile, the B19’ martensite phase content and dislocation density of the material increased. Furthermore, with the increase in deformation, the relative dislocation pinning effect of the Ti2Ni precipitated phase in the alloy was enhanced, which reduced the compressive strain recovery to a certain extent.

The Zingiberaceae family is a rich source of diverse bioactive phytochemicals. It comprises about 52 genera and 1300 species of aromatic flowering perennial herbs with characteristic creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes. Notable members of this family include ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), Javanese ginger (Curcuma zanthorrhiza Roxb.), and Thai ginger (Alpinia galanga L.). This review focuses on two main classes of bioactive compounds: the gingerols (and their derivatives) and the curcuminoids. These compounds are known for their antioxidant activity against several maladies. We highlight the centrality of their antioxidant activities with notable biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects. We also outline various strategies that have been applied to enhance these activities and make suggestions for research areas that require attention.

High-strength aluminum alloys are exposed to more and more environmentally-induced cracking failure behaviors during service. However, due to the hard to detect nature of hydrogen, and the special working conditions, failure research has obvious hysteresis and complexity, and it is impossible to truly reflect the material failure phenomenon and mechanism. In this paper, 7085 high-strength aluminum alloy is selected as the research material to simulate and reproduce the environmental failure phenomenon of aircraft under extreme working conditions (temperature 70 °C, humidity 85%). The results proved that high-strength aluminum alloy has environmental cracking failure behavior under extreme working conditions. The failure mode that was determined was due to environment-induced hydrogen and hydrogen-induced cracking, which is the result of the combined action of hydrogen and stress. Meanwhile, we demonstrate that high-strength aluminum alloy’s environmental failure behavior in an environment of high temperature and high humidity is different from traditional stress corrosion cracking behavior.

Abstract Background Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The correlations between serum TNF-α and disease severity in patients with IgAN remain controversial. Methods Concentrations of serum TNF-α of 147 patients with IgAN and 126 healthy subjects were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Correlations with clinicopathological features of patients with IgAN were evaluated. Results Serum levels of TNF-α [9.20 (7.70–10.60) pg/mL vs. 6.04 (5.11–7.23) pg/mL, P

Background and objective Lung cancer is a serious threat to human health and its morbidity and mortality in recent years has always been ranked first in the country. Lung cancer patients are often associated with anxiety, depression and other emotional problems, and anxiety, depression and other emotional problems will further lead to a series of somatic symptoms. At present, we lack the clinical understanding of somatization symptoms in patients with lung cancer and related clinical studies are not too much. This research is to study the features of clinical manifestation of lung cancer patients with somatization symptoms and correlative analysis between anxiety, depression and somatization symptoms in medical oncology department of general hospital. Methods Lung cancer patients who met somatization symptoms diagnostic standard were assessed with the self-constructed somatic symptoms investigation questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) and anxiety and depression were recorded by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). The detection rate of the anxiety, depression and the number of patients with different severity somatization symptoms were calculated, the relationship between the PHQ-15 scores and anxiety and/or depression and the distribution of the different frequency somatization symptoms were analyzed. Results There were 43 patients with anxiety and/or depression in the 50 lung cancer patients with somatization symptoms. Prevalence rates of anxiety, depression and anxiety combined with depression were 10%, 10% and 66% respectively. The more severity the somatization symptoms are, the higher detection rates of anxiety combined with depression are. Significant positive correlations were observed between PHQ-15 scores, PHQ-15 positive symptom numbers and HAMA scores (r=0.752, P0.05). Conclusion Symptoms of anxiety or depression were very common in lung cancer patients with somatization symptoms and there was a close relationship between anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms. The most common symptoms of these patients were nonspecific generalized symptoms.

Objective Traditionally, the absence of insulin resistance risk factors (IRRFs) was considered a low risk for insulin resistance (IR). However, IR also existed in certain individuals without IRRFs; thus this study aims to explore predictors of IR targeted at the population without IRRFs.Design Cross-sectional survey.Setting National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Participants Participants without regular IRRFs (IRRF-Free, n=2478) and a subgroup without optimal IRRFs (IRRF-Optimal, n=1414) were involved in this study.Primary and secondary outcome measure IRRFs and the optimal cut-off value of triglyceride (TG) to predict IR.Results Overall, the prevalence of IR was 6.9% and 5.7% in the IRRF-Free group and the IRRF-Optimal group, respectively. TG and waist circumference were independently associated with the prevalence of IR in both the groups (OR=1.010 to 10.20; p

Natural plant resources with herbicidal activity may be substitutes for synthetic chemical pesticides, likewise aromatic plant extracts, especially essential oils. Essential oil from Litsea pungens has been proved to possess a strong antibacterial property. Interestingly, we found the essential oil also showed a strong allelopathic capacity. Therefore, in the present work, the chemical composition of the essential oil from the fruit of L. pungens was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The weed control abilities of the essential oil were also further evaluated. The results show that the yield of essential oil extracted by steam distillation was 1.4%, and 17 compounds, mainly terpenoids, were identified by GC–MS. In allelopathic tests, the essential oil exhibited a negative effect on seed germination rate and seedling growth of Lolium perenne and Bidenspilosa. Moreover, chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde content, electrolyte leakage, catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase of seedlings treated with essential oil were also negatively affected. This work could provide a better understanding of the rational utilization of L. pungens essential oil for crop cultivation and further development of environment-friendly herbicides.

Objective: Reproduction is an energetically expensive process. Insufficient calorie reserves, signaled to the brain through peripheral signals such as leptin, suppress fertility. Recently, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) was implicated as a signal from the liver to the hypothalamus that directly inhibits the hypothalamic–gonadotropin axis during fasting and starvation. However, FGF21 itself increases metabolic rate and can induce weight loss, which suggests that the effects of FGF21 on fertility may not be direct and may reflect changes in energy balance. Methods: To address this important question, we evaluated fertility in several mouse models with elevated FGF21 levels including ketogenic diet fed mice, fasted mice, mice treated with exogenous FGF21 and transgenic mice over-expressing FGF21. Results: We find that ketogenic diet fed mice remain fertile despite significant elevation in serum FGF21 levels. Absence of FGF21 does not alter transient infertility induced by fasting. Centrally infused FGF21 does not suppress fertility despite its efficacy in inducing browning of inguinal white adipose tissue. Furthermore, a high fat diet (HFD) can restore fertility of female FGF21-overexpressing mice, a model of growth restriction, even in the presence of supraphysiological serum FGF21 levels. Conclusions: We conclude that FGF21 is not a direct physiological regulator of fertility in mice. The infertility observed in FGF21 overexpressing mice is likely driven by the increased energy expenditure and consequent excess calorie requirements resulting from high FGF21 levels. Keywords: FGF21, Fertility, Leptin, Hypothalamic action

The internal friction (IF) behaviors of a series of LaCe-, Zr-, and La-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were studied by a computer-controlled, conventional inverted torsion pendulum. The results indicate that with an increasing temperature, the IF also increases gradually in the supercooled liquid region, followed by a decrease caused by crystallization. BMGs with a good glass forming ability (GFA) usually possess a high IF peak value for an alloy system with the same constituent elements. Furthermore, the magnitude of the IF value (Qi−1) of the inflection point is an efficient criterion of GFA. The Qi−1 value is a valid criterion under the conditions of identical constituent elements and different element contents. However, Qi−1 and GFA have no relationship among different alloy systems.

Background: Dyslipidemia is a common and serious health problem, especially in middle-aged women. We aimed to reveal quantile-specific associations of serum lipids [triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c)] with influencing factors in middle-aged women. Methods: A sample of 5635 participants were enrolled from Jilin, China, in 2012. Quantile regression (QR) model was performed to identify factors which influenced serum lipids in different quantiles. Results: The influencing factors of TG, TC, LDL-c and HDL-c were different. Waist circumference (WC), menopause, smoking, diabetes and hypertension were positively associated with TG in almost all quantiles; Menopause and age were positively associated with TC in almost all quantiles. WC, living in urban areas and alcohol consumption were positively associated with TC in low and middle quantiles, diabetes was positively associated with TC from P50 to P95. The result of LDL-c was similar to TC; BMI was negatively associated with HDL-c from P50 to P90. WC and diabetes were negatively associated with HDL-c from P5 to P90. Conclusion: Among middle-aged women, menopause, diabetes and WC were the main factors affecting the serum lipids. Postmenopausal women would get more risk in increasing the level of serum lipids.

The contact conductance of single, double, and triple thermal contacts of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Our results showed that the effect of the thermal contact number on the contact conductance was not as strong as previously reported. The percentages of contact conductance of double and triple thermal contacts were about 72% and 67%, respectively, compared to that of a single thermal contact. Moreover, we found that the contact conductance of the double and triple thermal contacts was associated with the SWCNT length and the positional relationship of the thermal contacts.

Hawk tea (Litsea coreana Lévl. var. Lanuginosa (Migo) Yen C. Yang & P.H. Huang), a very popular herbal tea material, has attracted more and more attention due to its high antioxidant properties and possible therapeutic effect on type II diabetes mellitus. The raw materials of Hawk tea are usually divided into three kinds: bud tea (BT), primary leaf tea (PLT) and mature leaf tea (MLT). In this study, the DPPH radical scavenging activity and the antimicrobial properties of these three kinds of Hawk tea from different regions were comparatively investigated, and a ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic coupled with a photodiode array detector (UPLC-DAD) method was employed for comparison of the three major flavonoid constituents, including hyperoside, isoquercitrin and astragalin, in different samples of Hawk tea. At the same time, the effect of methanol extract (ME) of PLT on the mouse postprandial blood glucose and the effect of ME and its different fractions (petroleum ether fraction (PE), ethyl acetate fraction (EA), n-butanol fraction (n-BuOH), and water fraction (WF)) on the activity of α-glucosidase were studied. The results showed that Hawk BT and Hawk PLT possessed the higher radicals scavenging activity than Hawk MLT, while the antibacterial activity against P. vulgaris of PLT and MLT was higher than Hawk BT. The contents of the three major flavonoid constituents in samples of Hawk PLT are higher than Hawk BT and Hawk MLT. The mouse postprandial blood glucose levels of the middle dose (0.5 g/kg) group and the high dose (1 g/kg) group with oral administration of the ME of PLT were significantly lower than the control group. What’s more, the inhibitory effect of ME of PLT and its EA and n-BuOH fractions on α-glucosidase was significantly higher than that of acarbose. Rapid ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) was used to identify the flavonoids in Hawk PLT, and a total of 20 flavonoids were identified or tentatively identified by comparing their retention times and accurate mass measurements with reference compounds or literature data. The bioactive flavonoid composition and DPPH radical scavenging activities present in different Hawk tea raw materials are quite different due to the different ontogenesis of these raw materials. Further studies on PLT showed that the substances in PLT ME could reduce the level of mouse postprandial blood glucose through inhibiting the activity of α-glucosidase.