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Yan-Feng Liu,1,2 Ya Liu,1 Xuefeng Chen,3 Yan Jia1 1Department of Hematology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Hematology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yan Jia, Department of Hematology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-731-89753730, Email jiayan1992@outlook.comObjective: Infection is the most common complication and cause of death after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Our study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for death of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections in HSCT recipients, so as to provide evidence for guiding antibiotic use and improving prognosis in the future.Methods: The epidemiology, clinical manifestations and drug resistance rate with K. pneumoniae infections among HSCT recipients between January 1, 2012 and September 30, 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Logistic regression model and Cox regression model were respectively used to determine the risk factors for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) acquisition and death.Results: Fifty-nine HSCT recipients suffered from K. pneumoniae infections, with a mortality rate of 42.4%. The most common site was lung, followed by blood stream. The resistance rate of K. pneumoniae to various clinically common antibiotics was high, especially CRKP, which was only sensitive to amikacin and tigecycline. Independent risk factor for CPKP acquisition was a previous infection within 3 months before transplantation (OR=10.981, 95% CI 1.474– 81.809, P=0.019). Independent risk factors for mortality included interval from diagnosis to transplantation > 180 days (HR=3.963, 95% CI 1.25– 12.561, P=0.019), engraftment period > 20 days (HR=8.015, 95% CI 2.355– 27.279, P=0.001), non-use of anti-CMV immunoglobulin/rituximab after transplantation (HR=10.720, 95% CI 2.390– 48.089, P=0.002), and PCT > 5 μg/L (HR=5.906, 95% CI 1.623– 21.500, P=0.007).Conclusion: K. pneumoniae infection has become a serious threat for HSCT recipients, which reminds us to pay enough attention and actively seek new strategies.Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenems, drug resistance, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, mortality, risk factors

Background: The expression patterns and prognostic significance of the Rho family GTPases in acute myeloid leukemia have not been systematically studied yet. Methods: In our study, we analyzed the expression patterns of 21 Rho family GTPases gene members in AML patients based on GEPIA database. 10 gene members with significant differential expression in AML tissue and healthy tissue were selected for subsequent research. Survival curve analysis in TCGA and GEO dataset preliminary showed that RhoBTB3 is related with the prognosis of non-M3 AML patients. The differential expression of RhoBTB3 on AML bone marrow and normal bone marrow was verified by RT-qPCR. We performed Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Multivariate Cox analysis to assess the prognostic value of RhoBTB3 in non-M3 AML patients with different treatment regimens. Gene functional enrichment analysis of RhoBTB3 was performed using GO, KEGG and PPI network. Results: The AML patients from TCGA database were partitioned into 2 groups based on different treatment regimens: chemotherapy group and allo-HSCT group. In chemotherapy group, patients with higher expression level of RhoBTB3 showed relatively longer OS and EFS, multivariate Cox analysis revealed high RhoBTB3 mRNA expression as an independent favorable prognostic factor. However, in allo-HSCT group, no significant difference of OS and EFS were found between RhoBTB3 high and low subgroups. Meanwhile, allo-HSCT could circumvent the unfavorable prognosis that was associated with downregulation of RhoBTB3. Functional enrichment analysis showed the association of RhoBTB3 expression with several fundamental physiological components and pathways, including extracellular matrix components, extracellular structure organization, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Conclusions: Our study identified RhoBTB3 as a prognostic marker and may aid in the selection of the appropriate treatment options between chemotherapy and allo-HCST in non-M3 AML patients. Further researches are necessary to clarify the involvement of RhoBTB3 in the pathogenesis of AML.

Pylorus and vagus nerve-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is a function-preserving surgery for early gastric cancer (GC) that has gained considerable interest in the recent years. The operative technique performed using the Da Vinci Xi robot system is considered ideal for open and laparoscopic surgery.To introduce Da Vinci Xi robot-assisted PPG (RAPPG)-based operative procedure and technical points as well as report the initial experience based on the clinical pathology data of eight cases of early GC.Da Vinci Xi robot-assisted pylorus and vagus nerve-preserving gastrectomy (RAPPG) was performed for 11 consecutive patients with middle GC from December 2020 to July 2021. Outcome measures were postoperative morbidity, operative time, blood loss, number of lymph nodes harvested, postoperative hospital stay, time to first flatus, time to diet, and resection margins.Eight of the 11 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with early GC were enrolled in a retrospective study to assess the feasibility and safety of RAPPG. The mean operative time, mean blood loss, mean number of lymph nodes harvested, length of preserved pylorus canal, distal margin, and proximal margin were 330.63 ± 47.24 min, 57.50 ± 37.70 mL, 18.63 ± 10.57, 3.63 ± 0.88 cm, 3.50 ± 1.31 cm, and 3.63 ± 1.19 cm, respectively. None of the cases required conversion to laparotomy. Postoperative complications occurred in two (25.0%) patients. Postoperative complications were hyperamylasemia and gastric stasis in one case and incision infection in the other. Time to first flatus was 3.75 ± 2.49 d after the operation, and postoperative hospital stay was 10.13 ± 4.55 d.The core technique in the Da Vinci Xi RAPPG is lymph node dissection and the anatomic method of the nerve. Robotic surgical procedures are feasible and safe. With the progress of surgical technology, optimization of medical insurance structure, and emergence of evidence-based medicine, automated surgery systems will have a broad application in clinical treatment.

BACKGROUND Currently, there is no uniform standard for analgesia during laparoscopic hepatectomy. Most of the analgesia schemes adopt epidural analgesia after laparotomy. Although the analgesia is effective, it has a great impact on the recovery of patients after laparoscopic hepatectomy and is not completely suitable for analgesia after laparoscopic hepatectomy. Although multimodal perioperative analgesia can significantly relieve postoperative pain, there is no relevant study of parecoxib combined with ropivacaine for post-laparoscopic hepatectomy analgesia. AIM To study the analgesic effect of the preoperative intravenous injection of parecoxib combined with long-acting local anesthetic ropivacaine for incision infiltration in patients undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy. METHODS Forty-eight patients undergoing laparoscopic hepatectomy were randomly divided into a combined group (parecoxib combined with ropivacaine) and a control group. The visual analogue scale (VAS) at rest and during movement was used to compare the analgesic effect of the two groups. Meanwhile, the cumulative sufentanil, the recovery time for enterokinesia, the length of postoperative hospital stay, and the adverse reactions (nausea and vomiting) were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS The change tendency in VAS scores for both groups was similar after operation. At rest, the VAS scores of the combined group were significantly lower than those of the control group at 0, 6, 12, 24 and 36 h, and during movement, the VAS scores of the combined group were significantly lower than those of the control group at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h. The recovery time for enterokinesia in the combined group was 2.9 d, which was significantly shorter than that in the control group. The cumulative sufentanil in the combined group decreased significantly at 24, 36, and 48 h after operation. CONCLUSION Preoperative intravenous injection of parecoxib combined with ropivacaine for incision infiltration is a simple and effective method for postoperative analgesia in laparoscopic hepatectomy, which could relieve pain and promote recovery.

Template-activating factor Iβ (TAF-Iβ) has been associated with numerous pathophysiological processes and has been reported as an oncogene responsible for the regulation of important signaling pathways in various types of solid tumor; however, few studies have investigated the role of TAF-Iβ in leukemia. The present study reported the upregulated expression of TAF-Iβ in 36 patients with acute leukemia and six leukemic cell lines. In addition, TAF-Iβ-knockdown (KD) cells were generated via RNA interference. TAF-Iβ KD not only inhibited the proliferation of leukemia cells but also induced apoptosis. Furthermore, it was revealed that the mechanism underlying these effects may be associated with the upregulation of protein phosphatase type 2A and inhibition of the protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3β signaling pathway. Collectively, the findings demonstrated that TAF-Iβ serves an important role in various types of leukemia and may be considered as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of leukemia.

Exosomes of different origins have been found to be protective against ischemic-induced myocardial injury. This study examined the protective effects of circulating exosomes in the mice model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and explored the underlying molecular mechanisms. The effects of exosomes on myocardial injury were assessed in the AMI mice model. The in vivo studies showed that circulating exosomes reduced the infarcted size, improved the morphology of heart tissues and also reduced apoptosis of the heart tissues. In addition, the model mice showed an increase in the CD34 + /VEGFR2 + cell population and CD31, CXCR4 and CXCL12 expression after exosomes treatment. MiR-190a-3p was significantly down-regulated in the exosomes derived from the culture medium of hypoxia-treated human cardiomyocytes (HCMs). Further analysis revealed that miR-190a-3p could physically interact with CXCR4/CXCL12 by targeting the respective 3'UTRs. These exosomes could up-regulated CXCR4 and CXCL12 expression in the EPCs; in addition, miR-190a-3p mimics repressed CXCR4/CXCL12 expression in EPCs, while its inhibitor had opposite effects. The in vitro functional assays showed that miR-190a-3p overexpression suppressed the cell viability, proliferation, migration, adhesion and tube formation of EPCs; while miR-190a-3p inhibitor had the opposite effects; exosomes derived from the culture medium of hypoxia-treated HCMs exhibited similar actions of miR-190a-3p inhibitor. Moreover, miR-190a-3p was down-regulated in exosomes from serum in the AMI group when compared to that from sham group. Treatment with exosomes from serum in the AMI group promoted cell proliferation, migration, adhesion and tube formation of EPCs when compared to that in the sham group. More importantly, IT1t attenuated the enhanced effects of miR-190a-3p inhibition on EPC proliferation, migration, adhesion and tube formation. In conclusion, circulating exosomes exerted protective effects on myocardial injury in the AMI mice model, and down-regulation of miR-190a-3p in the circulating exosomes may exert protective effects against myocardial injury. Hypoxia induced the downregulation of miR-190a-3p in the culture medium of HCMs, and the mechanistic investigations indicated that exosomes of hypoxia-conditioned HCM culture medium promoted the cell viability, proliferation, migration, adhesion and tube formation of EPCs via regulating miR-190a-3p/CXCR4/CXCL12 pathway.

BRCA1-Associated Protein 1 (BAP1) is a deubiquitylase that is found associated with multiprotein complexes that regulate key cellular pathways, and subsequent researches have revealed that BAP1 acts independently as a tumor suppressor. Somatic BAP1 mutations occur in various malignancies, but malignancies arising from mutation of tumor suppressors have unexplained tissue proclivity. Whether somatic mutation or expression alteration of BAP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) influence carcinogenesis or immunogenicity is still unknown. In this study, we analyzed RNA expression, immune infiltration, survival and mutation data of HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas databases. The association between BAP1 and clinicopathological features was further investigated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray. We found that the prognosis of patients with high BAP1 expression was significantly worse than that of patients with low BAP1 expression, and multivariate analyses revealed that BAP1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis. HCC with high BAP1 expression was associated with low ESTIMATE Score, recruitment of more tumor-infiltrating macrophage, and elevated levels of tumor mutation burden, microsatellite instability, neoantigen count, as well as programmed death-ligand1 in HCC. In addition, BAP1 mutated HCC showed reduced ability to promote ferroptosis and high BAP1 expression was correlated with ferroptosis. In conclusion, high BAP1 expression reflects immunosuppression and ferroptosis in HCC. BAP1 is a promising prognostic marker for survival of HCC and may act as a complementary indicator for patients to receive ferroptosis-promoting therapy or immunotherapy.

Purpose To investigate the puncture accuracy and feasibility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in flank position for patients with no apparent hydronephrosis. Methods Between May 2018 and June 2020, 72 kidney stone patients with no or mild hydronephrosis were randomized into two groups: a CEUS-guided PCNL group and a conventional ultrasound (US)-guided group. Patients’ demographics and perioperative outcomes were compared, including the success rate of puncture via calyceal fornix, the success rate of a single-needle puncture, puncture time, operative time, postoperative hemoglobin loss, stone-free rate, incidence of complications and postoperative stay. Results The success rate of puncture via calyceal fornix for CEUS-guided group was significantly higher than that for conventional US-guided group (86.1 vs. 47.2%, p = 0.002). Patients performed with CEUS-guided PCNL required shorter renal puncture time than those guided with conventional US (36.5 s vs. 61.0 s, p p Conclusion CEUS guidance facilitates identification of the renal calyx fornix, and benefits more precise renal puncture and less hemoglobin loss in PCNL. CEUS-guided PCNL in flank position is a feasible approach to the treatment of kidney stone patients with no apparent hydronephrosis. Trial registration number: ChiCTR1800015417.

Blood purification therapy is widely used in patients with renal insufficiency and severe infections, where membrane-associated thrombosis is a side effect. How to improve the hemocompatibility of dialysis membranes and reduce thrombosis is a focus of current research, in which platelets play a key role. However, few dialysis membranes that directly inhibit platelets have been developed to date. In this study, a polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was modified with ticagrelor, a platelet P2Y

Background: Growing evidence suggests that the bidirectional interactions between cancer cells and their surrounding environment namely the tumor microenvironment (TME), contributes to cancer progression, metastasis, and resistance to treatment. Intense investigation of Hippo pathway, which controls multiple central cellular function to tumorigenesis, was focused on cancer cells. However, the role of Hippo pathway in modulating tumor–stromal interactions in triple negative breast cancer remains largely unknow. This study therefore focused on revealing effects of Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling to immune microenvironment.Methods: The correlation between Hippo/YAP signaling and the abundance of immune cells were estimated by Immune Cell Abundance Identifier. Clinical TNBC samples from 120 patients were analyzed to assess the correlation between TAZ expression and disease prognosis as well as tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Inflammatory immune profiles, bioinformatics analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation were performed to identify the expression of immune-related genes that were regulated by TAZ. An in vitro co-culture system was applied to investigate the crosstalk between TNBC cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) modulated by the TAZ/interleukin 34 (IL-34) axis. In vivo tumor growth and metastasis models were used to evaluate the pro-tumor functions of TAZ, IL-34, and TAMs as well as the antitumor efficacy of anti-PD-L1 and IL-34/colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF-1R) blockade.Results: In TNBC patients, high activity of Hippo pathway was correlated with decreased number of T cells, upregulated TAM infiltration, and poor prognosis. TAZ could directly regulate IL-34 and PD-L1 expression and promote IL-34 secretion in TNBC cells, leading to increased TAM infiltration and distant metastasis. TAM-derived transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) could also induce TAZ expression in TNBC cells, thus forming a positive feedback loop between TNBC cells and TAMs. Furthermore, targeting the TAZ/IL-34 axis through its CSF-1R inhibitor could dramatically decrease TAM infiltration and significantly improve anti-PD-L1 efficacy in inhibiting metastasis in TNBC.Conclusions: Activity of Hippo pathway was associated with worse disease outcomes in TNBC and could increase TAM infiltration through the TAZ/IL-34 axis, leading to an immunosuppressive microenvironment and impairing the treatment efficacy of anti-PD-L1. Thus, the TAZ/IL-34 axis can serve as a novel target for TNBC patients.

Argonaute (AGO) proteins play a pivotal role in plant growth and development as the core components of RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). However, no systematic characterization of AGO genes in wheat has been reported to date. In this study, a total number of 69 TaAGO genes in the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring) genome, divided into 10 subfamilies, were identified. Compared to all wheat genes, TaAGOs showed a significantly lower evolutionary rate, which is consistent with their high conservation in eukaryotes. However, the homoeolog retention was remarkably higher than the average, implying the nonredundant biological importance of TaAGO genes in bread wheat. Further homoeologous gene expression bias analyses revealed that TaAGOs may have undergone neofunctionalization after polyploidization and duplication through the divergent expression of homoeologous gene copies, to provide new opportunities for the generation of adaptive traits. Moreover, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses indicated that TaAGO gene expression was involved in response to heat, drought, and salt stresses. Our results would provide a theoretical basis for future studies on the biological functions of TaAGO genes in wheat and other gramineous species.

Hemodialysis therapy is intended for patients suffering from renal insufficiency, pancreatitis, and other serious diseases. Platelets are an important active ingredient in the thrombosis induced by hemodialysis membranes. So far, there are few studies of hemodialysis membranes focusing on the effects of protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) activation on the platelet membrane. Among various antithrombotic agents, vorapaxar is a novel PAR1 inhibitor with high efficacy. In this study, we constructed a vorapaxar-modified polysulfone (VMPSf) membrane using immersion-precipitation phase transformation methods and characterized the microstructure in terms of hydrophilicity and mechanical properties. The water contact angle of the VMPSf membrane was 22.45% lower than that of the PSf membrane. A focused determination of platelet morphology was obtained using scanning electron microscopy. Meanwhile, we evaluated the effects of a VMPSf membrane on platelet adhesion. We observed that the VMPSf membrane could reduce the number of adhered platelets without altering their spherical or elliptical shape. The PAR1 levels in VMPSf membranes were 7.4 MFI lower than those in PSf membranes, suggesting that this modified membrane can effectively inhibit platelet activation. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT, 5.3 s extension) and thrombin time (TT, 2.1 s extension) reflect good anticoagulant properties. Recalcification time (80.6 s extension) and fibrinogen adsorption (9.9 μg/cm2 reduction) were related to antithrombotic properties. To determine the biosafety of VMPSf membranes, we investigated antianaphylactic and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and acute toxicity in vivo, it was obvious that C3a and C5a had decreased to 9.6 and 0.8 ng/mL, respectively. The results indicated that the VMPSf membrane has potential for clinical application.

Kangfu Xiaoyan Suppository is widely used in the treatment of gynecological inflammatory diseases. Long-term clinical application and a certain amount of research evidences show that Kangfu Xiaoyan Suppository can alleviate the clinical symptoms of pelvic inflammatory diseases,reduce the recurrence rate,and relieve sequelae,with a better safety and economic characteristics. As a type of nationally protected traditional Chinese medicine and type B medicine included in medical insurance,it has been selected as a Chinese patent medicine for rectal administration. It was included in the Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of common gynecological diseases of traditional Chinese medicine published by the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2012,the Pelvic inflammatory diseases diagnosis and treatment guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Collaborative Group of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association in 2014,and the group standard of Single use of traditional Chinese medicine/combined antibiot guidelines for clinical practice-pelvic inflammatory diseases of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2017. To further enhance clinicians' understanding of the drug and better guide its rational clinical use,experts from the field of gynecology of traditional Chinese and Western medicine were invited to develop and compile this expert consensus. This consensus takes full account of clinical evidences and expert clinical experience,and form recommendations for clinical problems based on evidences and consensus recommendations for clinical problems without evidence by nominal grouping method. The expert consensus is mainly formed in the consideration of six factors: quality of evidence,economy,efficacy,adverse reactions,patient acceptability and others. Based on clinical research evidences and expert experience,this consensus provides a preliminary reference for the clinical use of the drug in a concise and clear format. However,evidence-based support is still required in a large number of high-quality studies,and this consensus will be revised in the future according to new clinical problems and the update of evidence-based evidence in practical application.

To investigate the influence of oridonin on the killing activity of NK-92 MI cells targeting THP1 and the related mechanism.The killing activity of NK-92 MI to THP1 before and after oridonin treatment was detected by LDH release assay; the expression of natural killer cell ligands activating receptor D (NKG2D, including MICA, MICB, ULBP1, ULBP2 and ULBP3) was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot respectively; the expression of cytokine TNF-α, TNF-β and IFN-γ in the co-culture supernatant of NK-92 MI cells and THP1 cells were measured by ELISA.The killing efficiency after oridonin treatment at different effector-target ratio (1:1, 5:1, 10:1) was all significantly up-regulated in comparison with that before oridonin treatment (P＜0.05). QRT-PCR and Western blot showed that the expressions of mRNA and protein levels of MICB, ULBP1, ULBP2 increased to varying degree (P＜0.05), but the expression levels of MICA and ULBP3 were not statistically significant between experimental group and control group (P＞0.05). ELISA results indicated that IFN-γ and TNF-β release were significantly increased after oridonin treatment (P＜0.05), however, the TNF-α release was not statistically different in comparison with control group (P＞0.05).Oridonin can significantly improve killing efficiency of NK-92 MI on THP1, that might be related with up-regulation of MICB, ULBP1 and ULBP2 expression and promotion of IFN-γ and TNF-β release.冬凌草甲素对NK-92 MI杀伤THP1细胞的活性影响及机制.观察冬凌草甲素对效应细胞NK-92 MI杀伤靶细胞THP1活性的影响并探讨其作用机制.LDH释放法检测冬凌草甲素作用前后NK-92 MI对THP1的杀伤效率；应用qRT-PCR和Western blot分别检测THP1细胞表面自然杀伤细胞激活性受体D（NKG2D）相关配体表达情况；ELISA法检测效靶细胞共培养上清中细胞因子表达变化.冬凌草甲素处理后NK-92 MI在不同效靶比均可提高对THP1细胞的杀伤效率；冬凌草甲素可上调THP1细胞表面MICB、ULBP1和ULBP2表达，同时增加效靶细胞共培养上清中IFN-γ和TNF-β释放，而对MICA、ULBP3表达及TNF-α释放无明显影响.冬凌草甲素通过增加MICB、ULBP1和ULBP2表达以及促进IFN-γ和TNF-β释放提高THP1细胞对NK-92 MI的杀伤敏感性.

We develop a facile method to fabricate Co nanoparticles-embedded N, B co-doped carbon nanotubes on reduced graphene oxide sheets (Co@BNCNT/rGO). The prepared Co@BNCNT/rGO has high electrical conductivity, a large number of defects, and a three-dimensional structure with multiple interfaces. The experimental results show that the introduction of rGO can adjust the dielectric loss and impedance matching characteristics of the Co@BNCNT/rGO. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the electrons transfer from metallic Co to N,B-doped CNT, leading to interfacial polarization relaxation that favors the improvement of the electromagnetic wave absorption property of the Co@BNCNT/rGO. As a result, the Co@BNCNT/rGO exhibits excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties with a minimum reflection loss exceeding −20 dB even if the matching thickness is lower than 2.0 mm. Moreover, the filler mass load of the Co@BNCNT/rGO is merely 20 wt%. Our results highlight a new method for synthesizing high-performance electromagnetic wave absorbers.

The current study focuses on the protection of daidzein on nerves, as daidzein was demonstrated to have a protective effect on neurons of the central nervous system in a glutamate excitotoxicity and oxygen/glucose deprivation model. However, the effect of daidzein on the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains unclear. The angiotensin II-induced AAA mouse model was utilized in the present study to determine the effect of daidzein on AAA. The results demonstrated that daidzein significantly attenuated incidence of AAA, max aortic aneurysm and mortality in the angiotensin II‑induced AAA mice. Daidzein had an anti‑inflammatory effect by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL‑1β) and nuclear factor κB (NF‑κB) protein expression. In addition, daidzein strongly suppressed the gene expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)‑2, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP‑2), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‑β1), and inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in angiotensin II‑induced AAA mice. It also inhibited phosphorylation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. These results demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge for the first time, that the anti‑inflammatory effects and inhibitory mechanism of daidzein attenuates AAA in angiotensin II‑induced mice. Daidzein contains strong anti‑inflammatory activity and affects various mechanism pathways including the NF‑κB, p38MAPK and TGF-β1 pathway.

Due to the limitations of impedance matching and attenuation matching, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) employed alone have a weak capacity to attenuate electromagnetic wave (EMW) energy. In this work, B and N co-doped CNTs with embedded Ni nanoparticles (Ni@BNCNTs) are fabricated via an in situ doping method. Compared with a sample without B doping, Ni@BNCNTs demonstrate a superior EMW absorption performance, with all minimum reflection loss values below −20 dB, even at a matching thickness of 1.5 mm. The experimental and theoretical calculation results demonstrate that B doping increases conduction and polarization relaxation losses, as well as the impedance matching characteristic, which is responsible for the enhanced EMW absorption performance of Ni@BNCNTs.

To expolore the effect of programmed death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression level on killing effect of different cell lines of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its possible mechanism.Peripheral blood from healthy individuals was collected routinely; NK cells were isolated using immunomagnetic beads; PD-L1 expression level was detected by flow cytometry; the killing effect of NK cells on acute myelogenous leukemia cell lines was evaluated with LDH release method and monoclonal antibody blocking experiment; the expression levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 in the supernatants from the co-cultured effector/targer cells were measured by ELISA.The ratio of CD3The killing effect of NK cells on acute myelogenous leukemia cell line is inversely proportional to PD-L1 expression; blocking PD1/PD-L1 binding can significantly enhance the killing efficiency of effector-target cells, which way be related with promoting the release of IFN-γ and IL-2.

DM is often accompanied by macrovascular complications. Obtusifolin, which is an anthraquinone‑based compound with antioxidant activity, is obtained from the seeds of Cassia obtusifolia. In this study, the potential effect of obtusifolin was investigated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The results from flow cytometry analysis revealed that pretreatment with obtusifolin depressed the production of cellular reactive oxygen species that was induced by high glucose content. Moreover, the results showed that pretreatment with obtusifolin reduced the level of malondialdehyde, as well as recovered the activities of mitochondrial complex I/III, catalase and superoxide dismutase. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis also revealed that mitochondrial membrane potential and cell apoptosis were recovered, and inhibited by obtusifolin, respectively. The expression of X chromosome‑linked IAP was upregulated, whereas the expressions of poly ADP‑ribose polymerase and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase‑3/9 were downregulated by the pretreatment with obtusifolin. Notably, the western blot analyses showed that the release of Omi/HtrA2 into the cytosol was prevented by the pretreatment with obtusifolin. Conclusively, it was suggested that obtusifolin may provide protection against mitochondrial apoptosis largely through inhibition of the release of Omi/HtrA2 from mitochondria into cytosol.

The expression of SET nuclear proto‑oncogene (SET) is commonly associated with cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. In the present study, a eukaryotic SET expression plasmid (pEGFP‑N1‑SET) was constructed and transiently transfected into 293T human embryonic kidney cells. Transfection led to expression of the SET oncoprotein at high levels, as indicated by polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. In addition, the relative mRNA and protein expression of protein phosphatase 2A in pEGFP‑N1‑SET‑transfected 293T cells was downregulated compared with that in empty vector‑transfected cells. Furthermore, overexpression of SET increased the percentage of 293T cells in S and G2/M phases compared with the control transfectants. An increase in B‑cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2) and a decrease in Bcl‑2‑associated X (Bax) protein expression was observed in the pEGFP‑N1‑SET‑transfected cells compared with that in the controls, and their susceptibility to As4S4‑induced apoptosis was decreased. The protein SET is involved in a number of cellular processes, including DNA replication, chromatin remodeling, gene transcription, differentiation, migration and cell cycle regulation. SET is overexpressed in several neoplasms, particularly in acute myeloid leukemia. The findings of the present study suggested that the SET gene may contribute to tumorigenesis and may be a potential novel effective therapeutic target for leukemia and other cancer types.

Previous studies have shown that the therapeutic action of tetra-arsenic tetra-sulfide (As4S4) is effective for acute promyelocytic leukemia. However, the molecular mechanism of the action of As4S4 in retinoic acid-resistant acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) therapy remains unclear. In the present study, the signaling of the cytotoxic effects induced by As4S4 on retinoic acid-resistant APL NB4-R1 cells was investigated. A time-dependent increase in cell death and DNA cleavage was observed following As4S4 treatment. Changes in B-cell lymphoma 2 and Bax accompanied by the activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase were observed as actions of As4S4. As4S4 induced an accumulation of NB4-R1 cells in the S and G2/M phases, as detected by flow cytometry. Therefore, the present results suggest that As4S4-mediated apoptosis in NB4-R1 cells involves a mitochondria-dependent pathway.

The near-field characteristics of the ideal electric dipole are analyzed in this paper. A practical ultrafast band antenna near field FDTD is made and the near field distribution of the antenna is studied by numerical simulation. The calculation results show that the FDTD method is used for the analysis of feasibility and reliability of the near-field communication antenna.

Flue gas recycling system is an effective way of saving energy and improving efficiency for coal-fired power plant. In this paper, the general low-temperature economizer, heat pipe type low temperature economizer, composite phase change heat recovery system are introduced. Combined with a 600MW unit parameters, the economies of various waste heat recovery system are compared.

Low temperature economizer is an efficient way to recover the flue gas waste and to improve the efficiency of the boiler. Several basic layout of low temperature economizer are introduced in this paper. Layout is divided into flue gas side arrangement and water side arrangement. In this paper, combined with the parameters of a 600 mw, the economy of the different configuration is calculated and compared.

Sludges resulting from wastewater treatment processes have a characteristically high water content, which complicates thermal-chemistry disposal. In this paper, taking domestic sewage sludge as the object, on the base of analysis on the material characteristics, the material and energy equilibrium calculation was carried out to study the effect of moisture content in sludge on thermal-chemistry disposal. The results showed that as the moisture content increased, incinerator temperature would reduce and the quality of the gasification gas would decrease with lower calorific value. When the moisture content in sludge increased, the amount of air required for gasification increased, wet gas production rate raised and dry gas production rate decreased, gasification efficiency and thermal efficiency were lower. For the sludge studied, it was required to control the moisture content in sludge to 55% or less if the incinerator temperature of 800 °C and above was wanted; if gasification gas calorific value was required to reach 2MJ/m3 and above, the moisture content in sludge must be controlled at 25% or less.

In the radar target validation systems, the flight information as an important external information source occupies the irreplaceable position. However, in the resent researches, how to obtain the flight information stays focused and unsolved. The Real-time Multi-task Flight Information Acquisition System we designed and realized in this paper could obtain the flight information in real time and provide the real-time, reliable, detailed and complete flight information for the detective area. This system has already successfully used in Airway-nonairway Classification in an ATCRS (Air Traffic Control Radar System).

With the popularization and application of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) technology and the expanding scale of shallow geothermal exploitation, the environmental impact in the process of development and utilization is receiving more and more attention. According to the characteristics of ground source heat pump engineering, eBalance software is used to conduct research on life cycle environmental impact assessment. The result shows that more than 60% of resources consumption potential, acidification potential, and global warming potential derived from the process underground construction, and the eutrophication potential mainly derived from ground construction, underground construction, decommissioning with the contribution of 40.24%, 30.67% and 28.99%. According to the results, we put forward several reasonable control measures to ease the environmental impact in the process of geothermal exploitation and utilization for heat pump project.

A 215MW cogeneration B&W670/13.7-M type high-pressure natural circulation boilers, the exhaust gas temperature is set as 143 °C, while in the actual operation, the average exhaust gas temperature is 155 °C, and when the unit is running at full capacity in summer the highest exhaust gas temperature is 169.6 °C. In order to satisfy the normal operating temperature of bag filter in summer peak load, and recover low temperature waste heat of fule gas, low temperature economizer is added to the thermal system. Therefore, low-temperature economizers are respectively added in four flues which are between the outlet of the air preheater and the entrance of the bag filter, this will achieve the purpose of reducing flue gas temperature by transferring heat between condensate and flue gas, ensuring the units safe operating and improving the overall operating performance of the boiler.

As the traditional calculation formula for contact strength of involute gear pair is not applicable for the calculation of those with small number of the teeth, some researches on the calculation of contact strength of involute gear pairs have been done. The calculation of the contact ratio of involute gear pair with a small number of teeth can confirm that its end face engagement must be of single-tooth mesh, while the research on the actual contacting lines in the meshing zone can find out the precalculated position, computational formula, and strength condition of the maximum contact stress according with the gear pairs with a small number of teeth.

Microstructure of Mg-9Zn-xAl (x=2,4,6) magnesium alloy was prepared by traditional casting, SIM casting and isolated treatment. The effect of Al content addition on microstructure of Mg-9Zn-xAl was investigated. Results show that Compared with traditional casting, grain size is refined by self-inoculation method casting. Grain size of Mg-9Zn-xAl (x=2,4,6) is 88μm,76μm and 69μm respectively at traditional casting, and is 49.5μm,42μm,35.6μm respectively at SIM casting. With Al content increase, the isolated island-like secondary phase change into semi-continuous network and continuous network, and combination between Magnesium and alloy element decrease accumulation of magnesium atom on the primary phase, so that the growth of the primary phase is prevented.

This article conducted numerical simulation and experimental study of curved channel laminar flow and heat transfer characteristics with different Reynolds number and different heat fluxes, it also showed the comparison with straight rectangular channel of a same heat transfer area. The results showed that: cooling effect of curved channel heat sink is better than that of straight rectangular channel heat sink, temperature distribution appears to be more uniform as well; The experimental results showed that the curved channel heat sink can effectively satisfy the needs of the CPU cooling.

This paper deals with specific the geothermal heating project with low-temperature reservoirs in specific districts of China and attempts to make a comprehensive life-cycle assessment of it. We apply the environment impact potential method to evaluate underground construction, aboveground construction, operation and decommissioning stages of the project. Compared with other energies the result of 17.08 person equivalents indicates that geothermal is a clean energy. The coal-fired electricity used in operation stage is the largest source of environment impact.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is one of the effective means to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in atmosphere. Deep saline aquifer is the most potential storage sites because of its wide spread and the huge storage capacity. The storage capacity of deep saline aquifer was determined by hydrogeological parameters of the assessed aquifer. Spatial discretization method based on the geostatistical method takes account of the spatial variability of hydrogeological parameters involved in capacity assessment, which applied by inputting the value of hydrological parameters of every cell and calculating the storage capacity of each cell. The total storage capacity in assessed area was the summation of all cells. In the Central Depression of Songliao Basin, the theoretical carbon dioxide storage capacity of deep saline aquifers was estimated as 81.80Gt with spatial discretization method. Compared with the other methods, this method can reflect the spatial characteristics of the carbon dioxide storage capacities and was more precise.

s Background Cold is an important factor contributing to the high incidence of hypertension. Large conductance calcium-activated potassium (BKCa) channels modulate vascular smooth muscle tone. The objective of this study is to determine whether BKCa channels in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) play a role in the development of hypertension during chronic exposure to cold. Methods Forty-eight rats were divided into cold-treated group and control group randomly, and then, rats of cold-treated group were exposed to 4±1 °C (4 h/day) and rats of another group were kept at 25±1 °C. Results Compared to control group, systolic blood pressure of the rats exposed to cold for 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks were increased by 7.14%, 20.42%, 40.54%, 28.74%, respectively. The BKCa current and BKCa peak current density in aortic VSMC increased significantly as the time of exposure to cold went until the 6th week exposure to cold. At the 6th weeks, the BKCa peak current density in the cold exposed group compared to the control group were increased 345.21% (n=6, P Conclusion Our data showed that BKCa channels have apparent change with the development of hypertension during repeated cold exposure, suggesting that BKCa channel could be thought as a new target for prevention and treating cold-induced hypertension.

The copper alloy/30CrMnSi steel bi-metal composite materials were prepared by the interface diffusion bonding method. The diffusion of elements close to the bonding interface was studied and the formation and growth mechanism of dissolution layer were discussed as well. The results showed that a diffusion transition layer could be formed with the different widths for copper alloy/30CrMnSi steel integrated material. A diffusion transition layer was formed close to 30CrMnSi steel side due to the inter-diffusion of the alloy elements. The microstructure characterization showed that no harmful brittle phase presented around the interface, and two heterogeneous materials had a good metallurgical bonding.

The multi-center, randomized, double-blind, double-simulated and positive-control trial was used to verify the contribution degree of Bushen Huoxue for the treatment of ovulatory dysfunction caused infertility, which provided scientific basis for clinical treatment.According to diagnostic, inclusion and exclusion criteria, we observed 349 patients which were divided into the treated group (n = 177, treated with Bushen Huoxue ricipe) and control group (n = 172, treated with clomiphene). Ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, clinical effective rate of traditional Chinese medicine, endometrium and diameter of dominant follicle were observed. Serum reproductive endocrine hormones were assayed before and after treatment.The treated group showed ovulation rate of 69.34%, with pregnancy rate of 41.35%. The clinical effective rate of treated group and control group were 91.73% and 80.77%. There was remarkable difference in endometrium (P0.05) and remarkbale difference in sex hormones PRL and E₂in treated group at prior-treatment and post-treatment (P0.05). No adverse effects were found in the experiment. Security indicators did not show abnormal change.The comparison between the two groups showed that the treated group was significantly different from control group in the pregnancy rate (P0.05), without notable difference in ovulation rate. There was significant difference in clinical effective rate between the treated group and control group. Both the two groups could contribute to the mature development and discharge of the follicles. The growth of endometrium and endometrial receptivity in the treated group were higher than control group. The treated group has regulatory effect on PRL and E₂.