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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a current global pandemic. However, impact of recent influenza A virus infection on the clinical course and outcomes of severe COVID-19 adult inpatients needs to be further explored.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, severe, laboratory confirmed COVID-19 adult patients from Wuhan Tongji Hospital were included. Data were obtained from electronic medical records and compared between patients with and without recent influenza A virus infection.Results: 200 patients were included, 51.5% with recent influenza A virus infection. Recent influenza A virus infection group presented with longer persistence of cough and sputum from illness onset (35.0 vs. 27.0 days, P = 0.018) and (33.0 vs. 26.0 days, P = 0.015), respectively. Median time of progression to critical illness from illness onset was shorter (day 11.5 vs. day 16.0, P = 0.034). Time to clinical improvement and length of hospital stay were longer in recent infection group (23.0 vs. 19.0 days, P = 0.044) and (22.0 vs. 18.0 days, P = 0.030), respectively.Conclusions: Patients with recent influenza A virus infection showed a delay in time to clinical improvement and increased length of hospital stay. There is a high clinical need to improve the detection of common respiratory pathogens to identify co-infection during the epidemic of COVID-19.

Background/Aims: Hypoxia can induce cell injury in cardiomyocytes and further lead to cardiovascular diseases. Genistein (Gen), the predominant isoflavone found in soy products, has shown protective effects on cardiovascular system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cardioprotective effect of Gen against chemical hypoxia-induced injury. Methods: Cobalt chloride (CoCl2) was administrated to trigger chemical hypoxia in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Cell proliferation was detected by using MTT assay. The expression level of hypoxia-related proteins (hypoxia-inducible factor [HIF]-1α and Notch-1) and apoptosis-related proteins (B cell lymphoma [Bcl]-2, Bax, and caspase-3) were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Results: In response to hypoxia, cell viability was reduced dramatically, whereas the expression of HIF-1α was upregulated. Hypoxia also induced cardiomyocytes apoptosis by reducing the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and increasing expression of caspase-3. Interestingly, Gen attenuated CoCl2-induced cell death and suppressed HIF-1α expression, as well as upregulated the expression of Notch-1. Furthermore, Gen could antagonize CoCl2-induced apoptosis through upregulating Bcl-2/Bax ratio and inhibiting caspase-3 expression. Conclusions: Gen prevents chemical hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis through inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, exerting protective effects on H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

Snake venoms undergo ontogenetic shifts in biochemical and pharmacological activities. This may be related to variation in venom components associated with the ontogenetic shift in diet. We used the short-tailed pit viper Gloydius brevicaudus that displays ontogenetic shifts in diet to examine whether the species displays a neonate-to-adult transition of snake venomics. Venoms from neonates and adults were pooled separately and then analyzed by 2-DE, MALDI-TOF-MS/MS and iTRAQ technologies. The 2-DE profiles showed that the main components in both types of venoms were acidic proteins, and that neonates and adults differed in snake venomics. The proteins with molecular masses/pI of ~ 12–39 kDa/4.0–4.6, ~ 36–57 kDa/5.6–7.0 and ~ 65–92 kDa/4.5–5.8 were more abundant in the neonate venom, while the proteins with molecular masses/pI of ~ 12–19 kDa/4.6–6.4, ~ 23–30 kDa/5.4–6.3 and ~ 35–62 kDa/4.6–5.4 were more abundant in the adult venom. The iTRAQ analysis showed quantitative changes in various toxin families, including mainly metalloproteinases, serine proteinases, phospholipase A 2 s and C-type lectins. The N -deglycosylation analysis demonstrated that glycosylation was an important post-translational modification of snake venom. Our results show a neonate-to-adult transition of snake venomics in G. brevicaudus . Such a transition might be driven by the divergence in dietary habits between neonates and adults. Biological significance This study is first to demonstrate a neonate-to-adult transition of snake venomics in G. brevicaudus , and the results will be helpful in predicting and treating clinical pathologic symptoms caused by the snake at different developmental stages.

Introduction: The role of soluble OX40 ligand (sOX40L) in adult bronchial asthma is unclear. This study aims to determine the serum concentrations of sOX40L in adult patients with bronchial asthma, and discussed its relationship with pulmonary function. Materials and Methods: We measured the pulmonary function using the spirometer and detected the serum concentrations of sOX40L by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 19 healthy persons in the control group, 58 acute asthmatic adult patients who were grouped according to their disease severity: 18 mild grade, 24 moderate grade, 16 severe grade, and 24 persons in a stable asthmatic group. Results: The serum concentrations of sOX40L in asthmatic adult patients (6.80 ± 4.95 ng/L) were distinctly higher than those in the control group (3.98 ± 2.83 ng/L, P

The design of PVDF transducer is finished and its designing idea and structure frame are presented. The laser ultrasound in nano A1P/SiO2 is detected by the PVDF transducer and the acoustic signal curve is obtained. The ultrasound waveform thermal elastically generated by a rectangular laser pulse is theoretically presented. The ultrasound pulse waveform obtained in the experiment is in accordance with the one in theory. It is shown that this design method is simple, practical and easy to implement.

To observe the preventive role of Suxiao Jiuxin Pill (see text) on atherosclerosis (AS) and to probe into the mechanism in the atherosclerosis rat model.The AS rat model was established by a high fat diet and a large dose of calcium (vitamin D3, 0.6 million U/kg, i.p, once). Sixty healthy male adult Sprague-Dawlay (SD) rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, a normal control group (N), a model group (M), a SX low dose group (SXL), a SX middle dose group (SXM), a SX high dose group (SXH), and an atorvastatin group (ATO) (n = 10 in each group). The rats in the treatment groups were given with the specific drugs from the first day by oral administration, and the normal control group and the model group were given with normal saline for 12 weeks. Afterwards, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in the serum were detected. In addition, the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kappaB) proteins were tested by Western-blot method.The serum ox-LDL and MDA level significantly decreased, SOD activity increased in the SX middle, high dose groups and the atorvastatin group compared to the model group (all P0.05). While the expression of PPARgamma and NF-kappab proteins significantly decreased in the SX low, middle, high dose groups and the atorvastatin group compared to the model group (all P0.01), with the best effect in the SX high dose group .These results indicate that SX could elevate the activity of serum SOD, decrease serum level of MDA and ox-LDL, and reduce the expression of PPARgamma and NF-kappaB proteins.SX plays an important role in anti-inflammation and inhibition of oxidative stress, which possibly are the mechanism of its preventing and treating atherosclerosis.

Purpose : To undertake an in silico assessment of rocaglamide as a potential drug therapy for periodontitis (dental arthritis). Method : Lamarckian algorithm-based automated docking approach using AutoDock4.2 tool was applied for calculating the best possible binding mode of rocaglamide to IL-23p19 and IL-17, the targets of anti-inflammatory drugs in periodontal disease. Results : The top two interactions of rocaglamide with IL-17 (ΔG = -5.45 and -4.83 kcal/mol) were more spontaneous, and the physical interactions (two hydrogen bonds and one π-πbond) generated in the two IL-17- rocaglamide complexes were higher in number than in IL-23p14-rocaglamide complexes. Conclusion : In silico analysis of rocaglamide, a known antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent, is a promising natural candidate for periodontitis therapy, and should be further subjected to in vitro and in vivo anti-periodontitis investigations. Keywords : Periodontitis, Inflammation, Rocaglamide, Molecular docking, Lamarckian algorithm, IL- 23p19, IL-17

An intumescent coating composed of a nitrogen-modified silane hybrid (SiN) and phytic acid (PA) was deposited on cotton fabric through layer-by-layer assembly in order to reduce flammability. SiN was synthesized via a sol–gel process and characterized by 29Si-nuclear magnetic resonance. This intumescent coating system lowered the thermal stability of the cotton due to the catalyzed effect on degradation, but significantly improved the char formation. In a vertical flame test, fabrics coated with 15 bilayers (BLs) of SiN–PA extinguished the flame immediately upon removing the ignition source, while untreated cotton was completely burned out. Cone calorimeter data revealed that 15BL-coated cotton resulted in a 31% and 38% reduction in peak heat release rate and total heat release, respectively, relative to those of the uncoated control. This superior fire retardant performance is believed to be attributed to the formation of intumescent char layer on fibers that could effectively inhibit the oxygen and heat permeation when burning. In addition, as evidenced by thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results, the increased amount of inflammable gases and the decreased amount of flammable gases during the degradation of coated cotton fabrics was another important factor to improve the flame resistance. These results demonstrate that the combination of layer-by-layer assembly and sol–gel method will provide an effective alternative to current flame retardant treatments.

Leukocyte interactions with vascular endothelium during inflammation depend on cascades of adhesion molecule engagement, particularly during selectin-mediated leukocyte rolling. Leukocyte rolling is also facilitated by members of the integrin and Ig families. Specifically, leukocyte rolling velocities during inflammation are significantly increased in ICAM-1-deficient mice, with ICAM-1 expression required for optimal P- and L-selectin-mediated rolling. Elimination of ICAM-1 expression in L-selectin-deficient mice significantly reduces leukocyte rolling. Whether disrupted leukocyte rolling in L-selectin and ICAM-1 double-deficient (L-selectin/ICAM-1−/−) mice affects leukocyte entry into sites of inflammation in vivo was assessed in the current study by using experimental models of inflammation; thioglycollate-induced peritonitis, chemokine-induced neutrophil migration to the skin, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, rejection of allogeneic skin grafts, and septic shock. In many cases, the loss of both L-selectin and ICAM-1 expression dramatically reduced leukocyte migration into sites of inflammation beyond what was observed with loss of either receptor alone. In fact, the effects from loss of both L-selectin and ICAM-1 effectively eliminated multiple chronic inflammatory responses in L-selectin/ICAM-1−/− mice. By contrast, the combined loss of L-selectin and ICAM-1 expression had minimal effects on the generation of Ag-specific T cell responses or humoral immunity. Thus, members of the selectin and Ig families function synergistically to mediate optimal leukocyte rolling and entry into tissues, which is essential for the generation of effective inflammatory responses in vivo.

Lymphocyte migration into lymphoid organs is regulated by adhesion molecules including L-selectin and the β7 integrins. L-selectin and α4β7 are predominantly hypothesized to direct the selective migration of lymphocytes to peripheral lymph nodes and the gut-associated lymphoid tissues, respectively. To further characterize interactions between L-selectin and β7 integrins during lymphocyte recirculation, mice deficient in both receptors (L-selectin/β7 integrin−/−) were generated. The simultaneous loss of L-selectin and β7 integrin expression prevented the majority of lymphocytes (>95% inhibition) from attaching to high endothelial venules (HEV) of Peyer’s patches and other lymphoid tissues during in vitro binding assays. Moreover, the inability to bind HEV eliminated the vast majority of L-selectin/β7 integrin−/− lymphocyte migration into Peyer’s patches during short-term and long-term in vivo migration assays (>99% inhibition, p < 0.01). The lack of lymphocyte migration into Peyer’s patches correlated directly with the dramatically reduced size and cellularity (99% reduced) of this tissue in L-selectin/β7 integrin−/− mice. High numbers of injected L-selectin/β7 integrin−/− lymphocytes remaining in the blood of wild-type mice correlated with markedly increased numbers of circulating lymphocytes in L-selectin/β7 integrin−/− mice. Loss of either L-selectin or the β7 integrins alone resulted in significant but incomplete inhibition of Peyer’s patch migration. Collectively, the phenotype of L-selectin/β7 integrin−/− mice demonstrates that these two receptors primarily interact along the same adhesion pathway that is required for the vast majority of lymphocyte migration into Peyer’s patches.

Lymphocyte migration into lymphoid organs is regulated by tissue-specific adhesion molecules such as L-selectin and the α4β7 integrin. Whether L-selectin also regulates lymphocyte subset-specific migration into specific lymphoid tissues was examined in this study by comparing the migration of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells from L-selectin-deficient and wild-type mice. T cells were the predominant lymphocyte subset entering PLN, MLN, Peyer’s patches, and spleen during short term (1-h) migration assays. However, both B cell and CD4+ and CD8+ T cell entries into PLN, MLN, and Peyer’s patches were dramatically impaired (73–98%) by loss of L-selectin. Lymphocyte expression of α4β7 integrin did not compensate for the loss of L-selectin, since both B and T cells predominantly migrated into the spleen in the absence of L-selectin. The more efficient migration of T cells into peripheral lymphoid tissues relative to that of B cells was partly explained by the finding that T cells expressed L-selectin at 50 to 100% higher levels than B cells. In addition, a 50% reduction in L-selectin expression by lymphocytes from hemizygous L-selectin+/− mice resulted in a 50 to 70% decrease in short term lymphocyte migration into peripheral lymphoid tissues relative to that of wild-type lymphocytes. Thus, the differential migration of T and B lymphocyte subsets to lymphoid tissues is regulated in part by subset-specific differences in L-selectin expression levels.

The large conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels (BK(Ca) channels), an important class of ion channels in cell membrane, are widely expressed in each part of the body including cardiovascular system, and play an important role in regulating cardiovascular activity. This review introduces the recent progress on the structural features, function, and modulation of BK(Ca) channels in cardiovascular system briefly.

To study the effects of 1-bromopropane (1-BP) on the functions of learning-memory and the central cholinergic system in rats.Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: low 1-BP group (200 mg/kg), middle 1-BP group (400 mg/kg), high 1-BP group (800 mg/kg) and control group, and the exposure time was 7 days. The Morris water maze (MWM) test was applied to evaluate the learning-memory function in rats. After the MWM test, the rats were sacrificed, the cerebral cortex and hippocampus were quickly dissected and homogenized in ice bath. The activity of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in supernatant of homogenate were detected.The latency and swim path-length of rats in middle and high 1-BP groups prolonged significantly in place navigation test and the efficiency of searching strategy obviously decreased, as compared with control group (P0.05 or P0.01). In spatial probe test, the number of crossing platform in three 1-BP groups decreased significantly, as compared with control group (P0.05 or P0.01). The cortical AChE activity of rats in middle and high 1-BP groups was significantly higher than that of control and low 1-BP group (P0.05 or P0.01). The AChE activity in rat hippocampus of high 1-BP group obviously increased, as compared with control group as compared with control group (P0.05). There was no significant difference of cortical ChAT activity between three 1-BP groups and control group (P0.05). In the hippocampus, there was no difference of ChAT activity among the groups (P0.05).1-BP exposure could significantly influence the learning-memory function in rats due to the increase of AChE activity.

To design the expression of fusion proteins containing one or 2 thrombopoietin mimetic peptide (TMP).This study was conducted at Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Research and Development Center, Harbin, China from June 2009 to January 2010. We designed the protein that was fused to the C-terminus of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1) by a flexible peptide linker by Dami cell proliferation assay, colony-forming assay, and analysis of platelet in mice to prove our hypothesis. The total number of mice used was 48 in all 4 groups.The fusion proteins were produced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) at up to 26% of the total cell proteins. Subsequent biological activity assays showed that the fusion proteins exhibited higher potency than recombinant human thrombopoietin (TPO). Our results showed that the fusion proteins IGF-1-TMP exhibited higher biological activities than TMP in Dami cell proliferation, human cord blood cell colony-forming assays, and in experiments on acute myeloid radiation sickness mice, which can effectively increase the number of platelets.Experiments in mice and biology activity assay, which can effectively increase the number of platelets, indicated that it has a potential role in pharmaceutical applications for the treatment of thrombocytopenia.

We used 17 hatchling five-paced pit-vipers snakes (Deinagkistrodon acutus) to study within-clutch variation in snake venoms. We measured venom yield and total protein content, and examined the correlations between venom yield and hatchling size [snout-vent length (SVL) and body mass]. We also analyzed the electrophoretic profiles and enzymatic activities of venoms from hatchlings. Lyophilized venom mass was not correlated with SVL, nor with body mass. Liquid venom mass and total protein content were not correlated with body mass, but were positively correlated with SVL. Venom composition, as shown in SDS-PAGE chromatograms did vary among individuals but there were biochemical differences in activity which had to be due to subtle venom composition differences between the sexes. Female hatchlings showed higher esterolytic and fibrinogenolytic activities but lower proteolytic, collagenolytic, phosphomonoesterase and fibrinolytic activities than male hatchlings. We did not find sexual differences in 5' nucleotidase, phospholipase A(2) and hyaluronidase activities, and l-amino acid oxidase activities in either female or male hatchlings. Within-clutch variation in venoms from D. acutus hatchlings should be attributed to the individual-based differences in presence or absence, and the relative amount of the protein components, and might have a genetic basis.

Synthesis of nanocrystalline TiC was investigated. The raw powders are Ti and C element, respectively. The ratio of Ti and C elements is 1:1 (mol). Mechanical alloying has been applied to obtain nanocrystalline TiC. The microstructure of nanocrystalline TiC has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the nanocrystalline TiC powder was fabricated by mechanical alloying in a very short time at room temperature. The formation mechanism is self-propagating reactive synthesis conducted by mechanical alloying.

The degradation behavior of polypropylene and polypropylene/stabilizer composites, caused by gamma radiation, was studied in the present work The stabilizers used were hindered phenol antioxidant and hindered amine light stabilizer. FTIR spectroscopy and DSC analysis were used to determine the structural variation induced by gamma radiation. It can be seen that the evolution of PP and composites PP/stabilizers on gamma irradiation is an increase in absorbance in the hydroxyl and carbonyl absorption regions. Carbonyl index calculated from FTIR spectra was used to characterize the rate of degradation. When the irradiation dose was small (50 kGy), the degradation of pure polypropylene and polypropylene/stabilizers composites was not obvious; while the irradiation dose increased (or =50 kGy), the carbonyl indexes of all the samples increased obviously, and the degradation degree of polypropylene/stabilizer composites was bigger than pure polypropylene. This result might be partially attributed to the molecular chain scission of hindered phenol and hindered amine under larger irradiation dose. The chain scission of stabilizers forms hydroperoxides and peroxide radicals, catalyzing the degradation of polypropylene. As the irradiation dose was small (50 kGy), the crystallization temperatures of pure polypropylene and polypropylene/stabilizer composites all showed no remarkable changes; as the irradiation dose exceeded 50 kGy, the crystallization temperatures of pure polypropylene and polypropylene/stabilizer composites all decreased obviously. Correspondingly, the melting peaks of both pure polypropylene and polypropylene/stabilizer composites moved to lower temperature and split into two peaks with increasing the irradiation dose. The decrease of crystallization and melting temperatures might be attributed to the destruction of chemical structure and stereo-regularity of the molecular chain, due to the increasing of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups brought by the oxidation of polypropylene molecular chain. At the same irradiation dose (or = 50 kGy), the crystallization and melting temperatures of polypropylene/stabilizer composites were lower than that of pure polypropylene. It indicates that the stabilizers accelerate the degradation of polypropylene. The results were accordant with the IR results.

Angiosarcoma is a kind of malignant tumors derived from vascular endothelial cell. Its incidence rate is very low. Pulmonary angiosarcomas are usually secondary tumors, and primary cases are less than 20 so far. Here we presented two cases of angiosarcoma involved the lung, and we only confirmed case 2 as a primary pulmonary angiosarcoma. The clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment options and prognosis of pulmonary angiosarcoma were reviewed in this article too.

High mammalian gene expression was obtained for more than twenty different proteins in different cell types by just a few laboratory scale stable gene transfections for each protein. The stable expression vectors were constructed by inserting a naturally-occurring 1.006 kb or a synthetic 0.733 kb DNA fragment (including intron) of extremely GC-rich at the 5′ or/and 3′ flanking regions of these protein genes or their gene promoters. This experiment is the first experimental evidence showing that a non-coding extremely GC-rich DNA fragment is a super “chromatin opening element” and plays an important role in mammalian gene expression. This experiment has further indicated that chromatin-based regulation of mammalian gene expression is at least partially embedded in DNA primary structure, namely DNA GC-content.

To evaluate the effect of mechanical periodontal treatment combined with tetracycline on periodontal attachment, distances of cementum-enamel junction (CEJ) to the bone defect bottom and to the alveolar crest, and avidity of serum IgG against Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in patients with aggressive periodontitis.Twenty-six patients with aggressive periodontitis were divided equally into two groups to receive mechanical periodontal treatment combined with tetracycline or exclusive mechanical periodontal treatment, with another 20 periodontally healthy subjects serving as the control group. In the two patient groups, routine clinical examination of the subjects was performed to record periodontal attachment level and distances of CEJ to the bottom of the bone defects and to the alveolar crest before and 3 and 6 months after the treatment. The avidity of serum IgG against Pg LPS was measured by ELISA with thiocyanate elution before and after periodontal treatment.Compared with patients with exclusive mechanical periodontal treatment, patients with combined treatments showed significant improvement in periodontal attachment level and the distance of CEJ to the bone defect bottom after the treatment (P0.01 and P0.05, respectively) with also significantly reduced avidity of serum IgG against Pg LPS (P0.01).Mechanical periodontal treatment combined with tetracycline produces favorable effects in patients with aggressive periodontitis.

The polypropylene/polyethylene (PP/PE) blends with different weight ratio were studied by FTIR spectroscopy. The characteristic absorption bands of PP and PE in different blends were compared. It was found that the ratio of the characteristic absorption peak areas of PP to those of PE is correlated with the weight ratio of PP to PE in the blends. Based on the above results, FTIR mapping technique was applied to characterize the samples prepared by embedding PP fiber into molten PE film, and the distribution of PP and PE in the blends can be obtained from the ratio of the characteristic peak areas of PP to PE. Good agreements have been observed between the IR mapping image and the image obtained using polarized optical microscope. These results indicated that FTIR mapping technique is an effective tool to investigate the phase separation behavior of polymer blends based on the ratio of the characteristic peak areas of different polymers.

Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing angiogenesis are only beginning to be understood, signaling through endothelial-restricted receptors, particularly receptor tyrosine kinases, has been shown to play a pivotal role in these events. Recent reports show that EphB receptor tyrosine kinases and their transmembrane-type ephrin-B2 ligands play essential roles in the embryonic vasculature. These studies suggest that cell-to-cell repellent effects due to bidirectional EphB/ephrin-B2 signaling may be crucial for vascular development, similar to the mechanism described for neuronal development. To test this hypothesis, we disrupted the precise expression pattern of EphB/ephrin-B2 in vivo by generating transgenic (CAGp-ephrin-B2 Tg) mice that express ephrin-B2 under the control of a ubiquitous and constitutive promoter, CMV enhancer-beta-actin promoter-beta-globin splicing acceptor (CAG). These mice displayed an abnormal segmental arrangement of intersomitic vessels, while such anomalies were not observed in Tie-2p-ephrin-B2 Tg mice in which ephrin-B2 was overexpressed in only vascular endothelial cells (ECs). This finding suggests that non-ECs expressing ephrin-B2 alter the migration of ECs expressing EphB receptors into the intersomitic region where ephrin-B2 expression is normally absent. CAGp-ephrin-B2 Tg mice show sudden death at neonatal stages from aortic dissecting aneurysms due to defective recruitment of vascular smooth muscle cells to the ascending aorta. EphB/ephrin-B2 signaling between endothelial cells and surrounding mesenchymal cells plays an essential role in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and vessel maturation.