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By employing a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method, a new POMOF with a multi-fold helix was obtained, and NiPMo12/SWNTs exhibits excellent electrochemical performance and good stability as an electrode material for supercapacitors.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease with a pathogenesis that has not been fully elucidated. With the development of the theory of the gut-liver axis and the deepening of related research, the role of the intestinal tract in the pathogenesis of NAFLD has been investigated more. Intestinal microbiota, intestinal metabolites, and intestinal epithelial and immune-based barriers constitute the intestinal environment, which uses crosstalk to maintain the homeostasis of the intestinal environment. This paper reviews the progress in the study of intestinal microbiota, intestinal environment, and NAFLD and suggests that repair of intestinal functional balance may be a new idea for early prevention and intervention of NAFLD.

Background Primary duodenal tuberculosis is very rare. Due to a lack of specificity for its presenting symptoms, it is easily misdiagnosed clinically. Review of the few case reports and literature on the topic will help to improve the overall understanding of this disease and aid in differential diagnosis to improve patient outcome. Case summary A 71-year-old man with a 30-plus year history of bronchiectasis and bronchitis presented to the Gastroenterology Department of our hospital complaining of intermittent upper abdominal pain. Initial imaging examination revealed a duodenal space-occupying lesion; subsequent upper abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography indicated duodenal malignant tumor. Physical and laboratory examinations showed no obvious abnormalities. In order to confirm further the diagnosis, electronic endoscopy was performed and tissue biopsies were taken. Duodenal histopathology showed granuloma and necrosis. In-depth tuberculosis-related examination did not rule out tuberculosis, so we initiated treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs. At 6 mo after the anti-tuberculosis drug course, there were no signs of new development of primary lesions by upper abdominal computed tomography, and no complications had manifested. Conclusion This case emphasizes the importance of differential diagnosis for gastrointestinal diseases. Duodenal tuberculosis requires a systematic examination and physician awareness.

Objective The clinical symptoms of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) can be effectively improved by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment, based on the usage of specific therapies for different TCM syndromes. However, in the stage of diagnosis, the standard criteria for the classification of TCM syndrome were still deficient. Through serum metabolic profiling, this study aimed to explore potential biomarkers in IBS-D patients with different TCM syndromes, which can assist in diagnosis of the disease. Methods Serum samples were collected from healthy controls (30 cases), IBS-D patients with Liver-Stagnation and Spleen-Deficiency syndrome (LSSD, 30 cases), Yang Deficiency of Spleen and Kidney syndrome (YDSK, 11 cases) and Damp Abundance due to Spleen-Deficiency syndrome (DASD, 22 cases). Serum metabolic profiling was conducted by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The potential biomarkers were screened by orthogonal partial least square-discriminate analysis, while metabolic pathways undergoing alterations were identified by pathway enrichment analysis in MetaboAnalyst 4.0. Results Overall, 34 potential biomarkers were identified in LSSD group, 36 in YDSK group and 31 in DASD group. And the 13 metabolites shared by three groups were determined as the potential biomarkers of IBS-D. Glycerophospholipid metabolism was disturbed significantly in IBS-D patients, which may play a role in IBS-D through inflammation. What’s more, three TCM syndromes have the specific potential biomarkers in glycerophospholipid metabolism. Conclusion The serum metabolomics revealed that different TCM syndrome types in IBS-D may have different metabolic patterns during disease progression and glycerophospholipid metabolism was one of the pathways, whose metabolism was disturbed differently among three TCM syndromes in IBS-D. Therefore, the specific potential biomarkers in glycerophospholipid metabolism of three TCM syndromes in IBS-D can serve as the objective indicators, which can facilitate the TCM-syndrome objective classification of IBS-D.

Epidermal growth factor-like domain multiple 7 (EGFL7) is an important sport stimulating factor and motility related factors significantly enhanced the tumor cell metastasis and overexpressed in many cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), associated with tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanism by which EGFL7 regulates HCC cell proliferation and apoptosis and the correlation between EGFL7 and cyclin-dependent kinases regulatory subunit 2 (CKS2), which is essential for biological function, have not fully explained. In this study, EGFL7 and CKS2 expression in patients with HCC was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. After HCC cells respectively transfected with pLKO.1-EGFL7-shRNA, pLVX-Puro-EGFL7 recombined vector or CKS2 small interfering RNA, cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry was performed to examine the cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively, and the expression of β-catenin, CKS2, CDK2, and cleaved caspase-3 was measured by Western blot analysis. We found that EGFL7 and CKS2 were overexpressed in HCC tissues and a positive correlation was found between them. EGFL7 knockdown markedly inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HCC cells, along with decreased expression of CKS2 and CDK2, but increased cleaved caspase-3 expression, while EGFL7 overexpression showed an opposite effect. EGFL7 silencing in nude mice also showed decreased tumor growth and altered protein expression similar to its effect in HCC cells in vitro. Importantly, CKS2 silencing significantly inhibited EGFL7-induced HCC cell proliferation and protein expression, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitor IWR-1-endo significantly inhibited CKS2 expression in HCC cells. Taken together, EGFL7 promotes HCC cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis through increasing CKS2 expression by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

The tolerance of sweat gland cells for in vitro amplification and subcultivation is low as they are somatic cells. The present study aimed to formulate an optimal medium for the culture of human eccrine sweat gland cells (HESGCs) and to establish a method for induction of HESGCs proliferation, whilst maintaining the characteristics of sweat gland cells. HESGCs cultured in sweat gland (SG):keratinocyte growth medium-2 (KGM-2) (1:1) medium had a higher proliferation rate and a stable morphology compared with cells cultured in SG and KGM-2 medium only. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction indicated that cells cultured in the SG:KGM-2 (1:1) medium exhibited higher expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin, keratin (K)77, carcinoembryonic antigen, K8, K18, ectodysplasin A receptor, c-Myc, Kruppel-like factor 4 and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 compared with cells cultured in SG only or KGM-2 only medium. Three-dimensional culture analysis revealed that HESGCs cultured in SG:KGM-2 1:1 medium differentiated into sweat gland-like structures, whereas cells cultured in KGM-2 only medium underwent cornification. The present study also determined that the maintenance of the biological characteristics of HESGCs occurred due to the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS). Cells cultured in medium without FBS differentiated into keratinocytes. Therefore, the SG:KGM-2 (1:1) medium may be a suitable culture medium for HESGCs. In conclusion, this mixed medium is a valuable compound and should be considered to be a potential supplemental medium for HESGCs.

The nonlinear propagation of dust acoustic waves is investigated in four-component plasmas consisting of positively charged dust grains, trapped ions, nonthermal electrons, and photoelectron due to ultraviolet irradiation. We use generalized viscoelastic hydrodynamic model for strongly coupled dust grain. In the weak nonlinearity limit, a modified Kadomstev–Petviashvili (KP) equation and a modified KP-Burger equation, which have a damping term coming from nonadiabatic charge variation, have been derived in the kinetic regime and hydrodynamic regime, respectively. With the increasing of UV photon flux, the hydrodynamic regime changes to kinetic regime. The approximate analytical line soliton and shock solutions are investigated in the kinetic regime and hydrodynamic regime, respectively.

It has been previously suggested that cytokeratins (CKs) are important diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for urothelial lesions. Hence it is imperative to understand the expression pattern of cytokeratins during formation of papillary bladder cancer, which was the objective of the current study. Expression pattern of CK14 and CK18 were examined using immunohistochemical staining in a mice model of papillary bladder cancer. Twenty female mice were divided into two groups—group 1 (NT) and group 2, which received N-butyl- N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) for 20 weeks plus one week without treatment. Following histological classification of bladder lesions, CK14 and CK18 immunostaining was assessed according to its distribution and intensity. In NT animals, both basal cells and umbrella cells showed sporadic positive staining for CK14 and CK18, respectively. In BBN group, hyperplastic lesions showed significantly more CK14 and significantly less CK18 staining ( P Impact statement Studies have shown that expression of cytokeratins (CKs) or their altered distribution affects the bladder cancer pathogenesis and disease outcome, while the underlying mechanisms are not clear. The present study aims to explore the expression pattern of CK14 and CK18 during formation of papillary bladder cancer. The results showed that hyperplastic lesions showed significantly more CK14 and significantly less CK18 staining and invasive carcinomas showed increased CK14 immunostaining in all epithelial layers in N-butyl- N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN)-induced mouse model. The results indicate that altered CK14 (high) and CK18 (low) expression is perhaps an early event in bladder cancer tumorigenesis and is characteristic of both urothelial superficial pre-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions, which may provide the early diagnosis index.

With the development of embedded system, embedded graphics user friendly, intuitive interface(GUI) used for communication with users becomes a research subject. The article mainly introduces the customization of dynamic libraries of Qt under the ARM11 and Linux environment, which can save disk space of the ARM board.

In this paper, a memristive neural network was applied to fault diagnosis of wind turbine's converter. A model of memristive neural network was built in order to diagnose and analyze of the failure information by MATLAB Simulink. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve better results and has certain significance for the application of memristors widely used in the near future.

The present study aimed to explore the mechanism of action of Gegen Qinlian decoction (GGQLD) in experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into five groups: The chow, model, high- and low-dose GGQLD (GGQLD-H and GGQLD-L, respectively) and resveratrol (Resl) groups, and were treated with saline, GGQLD and Resl when a model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD was established. Blood lipid and liver enzymes were detected following treatment for 8 weeks and liver tissue pathology was observed using Oil Red O and haematoxylin and eosin staining. Furthermore, the liver protein and mRNA expression of sirtuin (Sirt)1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α and nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) were measured using western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Compared with the chow group, the model group demonstrated significantly increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (P

Yinchen Linggui Zhugan Decoction (YCLGZGD) is the combination of Linggui Zhugan (LGZGD) and Yinchenhao (YCHD) decoctions, two famous traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. In previous studies, we found that Yinchen Linggui Zhugan Decoction (YCLGZGD) could regulate lipid metabolism disorder and attenuate inflammation in pathological process of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the exact underlying mechanism remains unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of Yinchen Linggui Zhugan Decoction on experimental NAFLD and its mechanism in rats with high-fat diet (HFD) which was established by 8-week administration of HFD. YCLGZGD, LGZGD, and YCHD were administered daily for 4 weeks, after which the rats were euthanized. The level of blood lipid, liver enzymes, H&E, and Oil Red O staining were determined to evaluate NAFLD severity. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction were, respectively, used to determine hepatic protein and gene expression of Keap1, Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1. Oral YCLGZGD ameliorated HFD-induced NAFLD. Furthermore, YCLGZGD increased the protein and gene expression of Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 without changing Keap1. Overall, these results suggest that YCLGZGD ameliorates HFD-induced NAFLD in rats by upregulating the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

This paper presents a new distributed index tree named RDB+-Tree and a concurrency control algorithm named VTC-RDB+. In RDB+-Tree, the leaf node is organized for a hash list. The principle of VTC-RDB+ algorithm can be established by utilizing multiple elements which are in favor of concurrency control and by combining with version and time control method. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the RDB+-Tree index tree and VTC-RDB+ algorithm can effectively enhance the query and updating performance of the massive data in the distributed circumstance.

This paper presents an improved grey model used in power load forecasting. In order to overcome the limitation of the traditional grey model GM(1,1), vector θ is introduced to modify the calculating formula for background sequence value in grey model and build a more adaptable model. Using artificial fish school algorithm can solve the value of vector θ . It reflects that the improved model has higher accuracy of load forecasting and has wider application by cases analysis.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that is characterized by the progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic (DA) pathway. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from human umbilical cord (hUC-MSCs) have great potential for developing a therapeutic agent as such. HGF is a multifunctional mediator originally identified in hepatocytes and has recently been reported to possess various neuroprotective properties. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of hUC-MSCs infected by an adenovirus carrying theHGFgene on the PD cell model induced by MPP+ on human bone marrow neuroblastoma cells. Our results provide evidence that the cultural supernatant from hUC-MSCs expressing HGF could promote regeneration of damaged PD cells at higher efficacy than the supernatant from hUC-MSCs alone. And intracellular free Ca2+obviously decreased after treatment with cultural supernatant from hUC-MSCs expressing HGF, while the expression of CaBP-D28k, an intracellular calcium binding protein, increased. Therefore our study clearly demonstrated that cultural supernatant of MSC overexpressingHGFwas capable of eliciting regeneration of damaged PD model cells. This effect was probably achieved through the regulation of intracellular Ca2+levels by modulating of CaBP-D28k expression.

Stem cell therapy is an emerging therapeutic modality in the treatment of stroke. We assessed the safety and feasibility of the cotransplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in patients with ischemic stroke. Eight patients were enrolled in this study. All patients had a hemisphere with infarct lesions located on one side of the territories of the cerebral middle or anterior arteries as revealed with cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patients received one of the following two types of treatment: the first treatment involved four intravenous injections of MSCs at 0.5 × 106/kg body weight; the second treatment involved one intravenous injection of MSCs at 0.5 × 106/kg weight followed by three injections of MSCs at 5 × 106/patient and NSPCs at 6 × 106/patient through the cerebellomedullary cistern. The patients' clinical statuses were evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and the Barthel index (BI). Six patients were given four cell transplantations. The most common side effect of stem cell transplantation in these six cases was low fever that usually lasted 2–4 days after each therapy. One patient exhibited minor dizziness. All side effects appeared within the first 2–24 h of cell transplantation, and they resolved without special treatment. There was no evidence of neurological deterioration or neurological infection. Most importantly, no tumorigenesis was found at a 2-year follow-up. The neurological functions, disability levels, and daily living abilities of the patients in this study were improved. While these observations support the use of the combination transplantation of NSPCs and MSCs as a safe and feasible method of improving neurological function, further studies that include larger samples, longer follow-ups, and control groups are still needed. This manuscript is published as part of the International Association of Neurorestoratology (IANR) special issue of Cell Transplantation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous transauricular artery access for hepatic artery catheterization using a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) device and hepatic artery catheterization through auricular approach. Methods: Ten New Zealand White rabbits were used to establish a VX2 liver tumor model. Hepatic artery angiography and embolization were performed 3 weeks after inoculation. The rabbits were restrained in supine position under anesthesia. Intra-arterial access was accomplished with percutaneous Seldinger technique through the auricular artery using a PICC device. The hepatic artery catheterization was performed with a microcatheter and guide wire. The rate of technical success and procedure time was investigated. Results: Two rabbits failed initial percutaneous transauricular arterial access, with success in a contralateral attempt. Thus, percutaneous transauricular arterial access was achieved in 10 of 12 auricular arteries, with a technical success rate of 83.3%. The time needed to obtain intra-auricular access was 7.2 ± 3.1 min. Hepatic artery catheterization, angiography, and embolization were accomplished through the auricular approach in all 10 rabbits. Conclusion: Arterial access in rabbits can be achieved through the auricular artery. Hepatic artery catheterization, angiography, and embolization can be performed through auricular arterial access.

In this paper, the hysteresis current control (HCC) technique based on space vector modulation (SVM) for active power filter (APF) is proposed. The switching control algorithms of the HCC based SVM manage to generate compensated current according to the reference current. Harmonics extraction is calculated for the power compensation based on the instantaneous active and reactive power theorem in time domain. A closed loop control system is carried out and the APF manages to generate better compensated harmonics currents to the power grid.

This paper presents fixed switching frequency direct power control (FSF-DPC) for three-phase AC/DC converter. Sensorless control strategies based on virtual-flux can optimize the performance of the system. In this paper, realization of pulse width modulation method for FSF-DPC is presented. The simulation results show that the system running performance is good.

This paper mainly introduces an optimal design of PI control based on compensation to eliminating the interference and improving the performance of the system. With the mathematic model of shunt APF in d-p rotating coordinate, simulation indicates that there is a period disturbing signal in the current closed loop of shunt APF based on the conventional PI control, which obviously impacts on the current tracking performance of the system. So a new PI control based on compensation is put forward. Through the simulation in the platform of Matlab/Simulink, it turns out that this method can improve the current tracking performance of APF and stable performance of the system.

Skin wound healing is a critical and complex biological process after trauma. This process is activated by signaling pathways of both epithelial and nonepithelial cells, which release a myriad of different cytokines and growth factors. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine known to play multiple roles during the various stages of wound healing. This study evaluated the benefits of HGF on reepithelialization during wound healing and investigated its mechanisms of action. Gross and histological results showed that HGF significantly accelerated reepithelialization in diabetic (DB) rats. HGF increased the expressions of the cell adhesion moleculesβ1-integrin and the cytoskeleton remodeling protein integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in epidermal cellsin vivoandin vitro. Silencing of ILK gene expression by RNA interference reduced expression ofβ1-integrin, ILK, and c-met in epidermal cells, concomitantly decreasing the proliferation and migration ability of epidermal cells.β1-Integrin can be an important maker of poorly differentiated epidermal cells. Therefore, these data demonstrate that epidermal cells become poorly differentiated state and regained some characteristics of epidermal stem cells under the role of HGF after wound. Taken together, the results provide evidence that HGF can accelerate reepithelialization in skin wound healing by dedifferentiation of epidermal cells in a manner related to theβ1-integrin/ILK pathway.

The effects of indigo naturalis (IN), which is a traditional Chinese herbal formulation, have been clinically demonstrated in treating refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). The present study aimed to verify the effects and mechanisms of IN in experimental UC rats. A total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups: Chow, model, high-dose IN, medium-dose IN, low-dose IN and mesalazine (a bowel-specific aminosalicylate drug) groups. The models were administered 3.5% dextran sodium sulphate solution for 7 days. The treatment groups were administered IN or mesalazine and then sacrificed and sampled on day 8. Disease activity index (DAI), histological damage score (HDS) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were used to evaluate the severity of UC. Colon and serum cytokines were detected using liquid-phase chip technology and the expression of occludin protein in colonic mucosa was assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. The results indicated that the oral administration of IN may reduce DAI, HDS and MPO activity. IN also reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and increased the expression of colonic mucosal repair-related cytokines and occludin protein. These results highlight the potential of IN as a therapeutic agent for treating UC through its action of inflammation control and colonic mucosal damage repair.

The UFD method was used to analyze the flow field in the swirl atomizer whose geometric structure had been designed with ideal theory algorithm. RNG (Renormalization Group) k-turbulent model was applied to the numerical simulation of the flow field, and SIMPLE algorithm was used to solve the finite difference equations. Through the analysis of pressure and velocity fields get by the numerical simulation, we found that the use of CFD method in the swirl atomizer design is beneficial for getting more detailed and accurate flow structure and advantageous to analyze the influence of different nozzle geometry, and then given a reasonable design opinion.

With the increasing development of sustainable energy, the technology of wind power generation becomes more and more mature. This paper introduces the application of one-cycle control in the converter section of the wind power generation. The performance of the whole system can be improved. A one-cycle control principle of derivation is conducted, A simulation to the one-cycle control by MATLAB software shows high power factor and quick system dynamic response.

The active power filter has two key link for harmonic current detection and respectively compensation current tracking. This article mainly aims at harmonic current detection link. Firstly, Analysis adaptive harmonic detection methods, then based on over to LMS (Least Mean Square) adaptive algorithm as the research object, in discussing the adaptive algorithm criteria. By comparing several simulation-based LMS algorithm to achieve the results of the filter,analyse the causes of the results.

This paper mainly discussed the non-linear characteristics of photovoltaic cell and the importance of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy. Most of MPPT control methods had the shortcomings of inaccuracy, tardiness, complexity and big fluctuations nearby the MPP which greatly reduced the efficiency of large photovoltaic power generation system. Double fuzzy logic control (DFLC) method can solve this problem The judgment condition of choosing FLC was listed in which FLC 1 targeted to less shake and made the curve become more smooth and steady nearby the MPP, FLC 2 was combined by fuzzy control and PID algorithm, and both of them aim to realize the optimization control of PV system. The results of simulation show that the proposed control strategy can track the MPP of PV system very accurately and quickly along with the rapid change of the ambient environment.

With the rapid development of networks and communications technology, the modern remote control technique has widely been used in many fields. By the Web technology, the local equipments can be connected with outside and enable monitoring the equipments in remote clients' space. At present many products adopt Embedded Chip to which an operating system is ported as a Web Server. This product has several advantages such as low power consumption, low cost, reduced size and better performance. This paper introduces a solution for embedded system access to Internet, through which we can remote access, monitor, and maintain conveniently. The solution which is based on Web and embedded technology adopts the way of human computer interface interaction to realize remote control to the equipment. The realization of this method for users provides a convenient, flexible and effective control method.

The dynamics characteristic of aerial towed cable has been investigated with many models. Because of the coupling between the components of the towed cable system, the dynamics of the towed cable is complex and nonlinear. Though the aerodynamic performances of cable is studied for a long time, the results are quiet different with researchers. The ideal method to obtain the aerodynamic forces is to simulate the flow structure around the towed cable.The purposes of this paper are to simulate the flow field of the towed cable with the different inclined angles by using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with sub-grid scale model of Smagorinsky-Lily and to study the variation of the aerodynamic forces and its influences on flow structure. The results show that the LES can predict the flow structure of the cable reasonably.

Traditional immunotherapy for patients with refractory metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is limited because the tumors themselves induce immunosuppression. The aim of this article was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the infusion of a high dose of interleukin (IL)-2-activated allogeneic haploidentical peripheral blood stem cells (haplo-PBSCs) in patients with advanced intractable RCC. Ten advanced RCC patients and their haploidentical relatives, who were haplo-PBSC donors, were enrolled in this study. All patients accepted one cycle of activated haplo-PBSCs. The clinical and immunologic responses were evaluated. A range from 2.3 to 5.5×10(10) of activated haplo-PBSCs were harvested after exposure to recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2), along with a significant increase in the proportion of natural killer cells and activated lymphocytes (CD69+ and CD25+). Enhanced cytotoxicity of haplo-PBSCs for RCC was also observed. After treatment, 2 (2/10) cases of partial remission, 6 (6/10) cases of stable disease, and 2 (2/10) cases of progressive disease were identified in these 10 patients. The median progression-free survival of the 10 patients was 5.5 months (3-14 months). The adoptive transfusion of IL-2-activated haplo-PBSCs can induce sustained antitumor effects for advanced intractable RCC patients who have had no response to conventional immunotherapy.

To prepare novel polyimides with enhanced thermal stability and low melt viscosity, a novel three-branched phenylethynyl-terminated imide oligomer was introduced. The oligomer can be used to prepare high performance resin-based composite material via resin transfer molding (RTM) due to its low melt viscosity (

A novel phenylethynyl-terminated imide oligomer was prepared from a trifunctional amine and 4-phenylethynylphthalic anhydride (PEPA). The oligomer can be used to prepare the high performance resin-based composite material via resin transfer molding (RTM) due to its low melt viscosity(

Objective: Epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 7 (EGFL7) is an endothelial cell-derived secreted factor that regulates vascular tube formation. In human cancer, the specificity of expression is lost as EGFL7 has been detected in tumor cells, in addition to endothelial cells. This study evaluated the intricate relationship between hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) and EGFL7 under both hyperoxia and hypoxia states. Materials and Methods: In the present study, immunohistochemical staining and ELISA were applied to examine the relative level of EGFL7 in 182 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues and 110 cases of HCC serum samples. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were applied to verify the correlation between serum EGFL7 level and anoxic microenvironment. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the correlation between EGFL7 and HIF1-α. Results: The correlations between EGFL7 expression and patients' age, tumor size, gender, N-stage, history of cirrhosis, M-stage, history of hepatitis C, and history of hepatitis B were statistically insignificant (P = 0.28, 0.34, 0.71, 0.15, 0.8, 0.2, 0.052, and 0.14, respectively). High level of EGFL7 was significantly correlated with overall survival as well as disease-free survival in 182 HCC patients (P = 0.0016 and P < 0.001, respectively). The correlations between serum EGFL7 and vascular invasion and extrahepatic metastasis were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Among the 35 HIF1-α-positive HCC patients, 69% were medium positive and 31% were strong positive. EGFL7 protein expression level was oxygen dependent in HCC line (P < 0.05). Conclusions: EGFL7 was found to be a potential predictor for HCC survival and metastasis state; EGFL7 may be a promising biomarker and therapeutic target in human HCC.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent disease, with a clinical spectrum ranging from simple fatty liver disease to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Puerarin, baicalin and berberine are herbal products widely used in Asia, which are believed to possess therapeutic benefits for alleviating the symptoms of NAFLD. In the present study, a rat model of NAFLD, induced by a high-fat diet, was established and orthographical experimentation was used to investigate the effects of various combinations of puerarin, baicalin and berberine on the hepatic expression of proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ and insulin receptor (IR). The present study demonstrated that serum levels of total cholesterol, alanine transaminase and low-density lipoproteins were significantly decreased in the puerarin-dominated groups (P

Objective: This study aims to explore the protection effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on PC12 cells apoptosis mediated by transient axonal glycoprotein 1 (TAG1). Methods: PC12 cells were divided into control group, Aβ25-35 group and BMSCs + Aβ25-35 group. The effects of BMSCs on PC12 cells treated by Aβ25-35 were detected using MTT, Hoechst 33258 and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining methods. The expression levels of TAG1, β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), AICD and p53 were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting methods. The expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by Western blotting method. The activity of Caspase 3 was detected by spectrophotometric method. Results: MTT results showed that cell activity decreased after the treatment of 20 μM Aβ25-35 for 48 h (P

Acidic (leucine-rich) nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family, member A (ANP32A), has multiple functions involved in neuritogenesis, transcriptional regulation, and apoptosis. However, whether ANP32A has an effect on the mammalian developing brain is still in question. In this study, it was shown that brain was the organ that expressed the most abundant ANP32A by human multiple tissue expression (MTE) array. The distribution of ANP32A in the different adult brain areas was diverse dramatically, with high expression in cerebellum, temporal lobe, and cerebral cortex and with low expression in pons, medulla oblongata, and spinal cord. The expression of ANP32A was higher in the adult brain than in the fetal brain of not only humans but also mice in a time-dependent manner. ANP32A signals were dispersed accordantly in embryonic mouse brain. However, ANP32A was abundant in the granular layer of the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex when the mice were growing up, as well as in the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. The variation of expression levels and distribution of ANP32A in the developing brain would imply that ANP32A may play an important role in mammalian brain development, especially in the differentiation and function of neurons in the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex.

This paper is to explore the effect and mechanism of Gegenqinlian decoction on experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)in vivoandin vitro. The final aim is to make clear whether Gegenqinlian decoction would impact NAFLD through improving PPARγto suppress inflammation and regulate lipid. The data in this research suggested that Gegenqinlian decoction is a potent way to manage NAFLD through improving PPARγto regulate lipid and suppress inflammation.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the change of NF-κB signaling pathway in intestinal epithelial cell induced by fission neutron irradiation and the influence of the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002. Three groups of IEC-6 cell lines were given: control group, neutron irradiation of 4Gy group, and neutron irradiation of 4Gy with LY294002 treatment group. Except the control group, the other groups were irradiated by neutron of 4Gy. LY294002 was given before 24 hours of neutron irradiation. At 6 h and 24 h after neutron irradiation, the morphologic changes, proliferation ability, apoptosis, and necrosis rates of the IEC-6 cell lines were assayed and the changes of NF-κB and PI3K/Akt pathway were detected. At 6 h and 24 h after neutron irradiation of 4Gy, the proliferation ability of the IEC-6 cells decreased and lots of apoptotic and necrotic cells were found. The injuries in LY294002 treatment and neutron irradiation group were more serious than those in control and neutron irradiation groups. The results suggest that IEC-6 cells were obviously damaged and induced serious apoptosis and necrosis by neutron irradiation of 4Gy; the NF-κB signaling pathway in IEC-6 was activated by neutron irradiation which could protect IEC-6 against injury by neutron irradiation; LY294002 could inhibit the activity of IEC-6 cells.

The Ni–Cu–PGE sulfide deposits in the Yangliuping area, SW China, are hosted in mafic–ultramafic sills. The four mineralized sills are located in the Yangliuping tectonic dome and intrude Devonian carbonaceous marble, graphitic schist. The sills are 200–300 m thick and 1,000–2,000 m in strike length and now consist chiefly of serpentinite, talc schist, tremolite schist, and meta-gabbro. Disseminated Ni–Cu sulfide mineralisation occurs in the serpentinite in the lower parts of the sills. Massive sulfide mineralisation is located in the base of the sills and in the footwall along fractures beneath the mineralized serpentinite. Although the sulfide ores have been modified by hydrothermal activity, there are relict cumulate textures in the disseminated sulfides indicating a magmatic origin for the ores. The Yangliuping Intrusions and the Dashibao Formation have similar primitive-mantle normalized trace element and platinum group element (PGE) patterns, indicating that they are derived from a common parental magma type. The positive correlation between Cu concentrations and Cu/Zr ratios of the Dashibao Formation basalts indicates that the chalcophile elements were removed before eruption. We propose that fractional crystallization of the Yangliuping magma accompanied by the introduction of S and CO2 from the wall rocks caused the magma to become S-saturated leading to the segregation of magmatic sulfides that became enriched in Ni–Cu–(PGE). The sills acted as conduits for the overlying Dashibao Formation basalts with the sulfide liquid, along with early crystallizing olivine and pyroxene, segregating from the magma as it passed through the conduits prior to eruption.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine (CM) intervention in the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from liver enzyme (ALT), imaging (the liver/spleen CT ratio) and syndrome scores, and to establish standard methods for diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy evaluation with characteristics of CM.A multi-center, stratified randomized, parallel controlled, blindness-method evaluated, superiority trial was performed. Totally 204 patients were randomly allocated into two groups, 102 patients in the experimental group (treated with CM) and 102 patients in the control group [treated with Western medicine (WM)]. The alanine aminotransferase (ALT), liver/spleen CT ratio, and clinical symptoms were observed in both groups.Of the randomly allocated 204 cases from 4 hospitals, 3 patients were rejected, and 25 were lost. Totally 176 cases con- formed to the plan with complete follow-ups. After 3 months of treatment, syndrome scores and the improvement of partial clinical symptoms (fatigue and sallow complexion) were superior in the experimental group to those in the control group (P0.05). After 3 months of follow-up, the syndrome scores and improvement of partial clinical symptoms (fatigue and sallow complexion) were superior in the experimental group to those in the control group (P0.05). There was no statistical difference in improving liver enzymes or the liver/spleen CT ratio between the two groups (P0.05). There were 4 adverse reactions/adverse events in the two groups in the process of treatment, mainly covering drug-induced liver injury, diarrhea, and epigastric distension. Adverse reactions had nothing to do with CM treatment.Jianpi Shugan Recipe had obvious efficacy in treatment of NASH. It could remove the liver fat and play a role in anti-inflammation and liver protection. It also could improve the indices of liver enzymes and the liver/spleen CT ratio effectively, which was superior to Polyene Phosphatidylcholine Capsule (PPC) in improving clinical symptoms, especially for such symptoms as fatigue and sallow complexion.

Previous studies reported reduced aqueous humor flow through the anterior segment of the eye in patients with type 1 diabetes. This study investigates whether reduced flow is the result of the diabetic state or of alterations in glucose or insulin concentrations.A cross-sectional study, involving patients with type 1 diabetes and healthy controls, measured aqueous flow at different insulin concentrations. Eleven patients with type 1 diabetes (hemoglobin A1C = 7.0 +/- 0.3% [mean +/- SEM], normal6.5) with no microvascular complications and 17 controls were prospectively studied. Controls were studied fasting and during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (insulin 2 mU/kg per minute). Patients with type 1 diabetes were similarly studied during two euglycemic clamp procedures (insulin 0.5 and 2.0 mU/kg per minute). Aqueous flow was measured by fluorophotometry. Pulsatile ocular blood flow and intraocular pressure were measured with a Langham flow probe.Control subjects had no change in aqueous flow during fasting and hyperinsulinemic conditions (3.0 +/- 0.1 vs 2.8 +/- 0.1 microl per minute). In the patients with type 1 diabetes, aqueous flow was not decreased with hyperinsulinemia, compared with the low insulin state (P =.7). Compared with control subjects, patients with type 1 diabetes had lower aqueous flow during hyperinsulinemia (2.4 +/- 0.1 microl per minute, P =.03) and at lower insulin conditions (2.6 +/- 0.1 microl per minute, P.05). No differences in intraocular pressure or pulsatile ocular blood flow were noted between groups or between insulin states within groups.Aqueous flow is decreased in patients with type 1 diabetes under euglycemic conditions of high and relatively low insulin concentrations, despite the absence of microvascular complications.

The widespread Emeishan igneous province in southwestern China comprises the Emeishan continental flood basalts (ECFB) and associated mafie-ultramafic intrusions. The ECFB have variable SiO2, ranging from 43.6 to 52.1 wt%, Al2O3 from 5.0 to 12.6 wt%, and total alkali (K2O + Na2O) from 0.7 to 6.5 wt%. These oxides exhibit negative correlations with MgO (5.4 - 23.1 wt%), implying fractional crystallization of olivine and clinopyroxene, which occur as phenocrysts in the rocks. Linear correlations between Zr, Nb, and La suggest that crustal contamination is not important. The primitive-mantle-normalized trace-element patterns show that the ECFB are enriched in high-field-strength trace elements, large-ion-lithophile elements, and light-rare-earth elements, similar to ocean-island basalt. Incompatible element ratios of the ECFB, such as Zr/Nb (7-10), Th/La (0.1-0.15), and Rb/Nb (0.9-1.7), differ from those of primitive mantle, N-MORB, and continental crust, but are similar to ocean-island basalts from an enric...