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The effects of ozone on hippocampal expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and c-fos protein (Fos) were evaluated in rats with chronic compression of dorsal root ganglia (CCD). Forty-eight adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following 4 groups ( n = 12 ): sham operation (sham group), CCD group, CCD with 20 μg/ml of ozone ( CCD + A O 3 group), and CCD with 40 μg/ml of ozone ( CCD + B O 3 group). Except the sham group, unilateral L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) compression was performed on all other groups. On days 1, 2, and 4 after the operation, the CCD + A O 3 and CCD + B O 3 groups were injected with 100 μl of ozone with concentrations of 20 and 40 μg/ml, respectively. Thermal withdrawal latencies (TWLs) and mechanical withdrawal thresholds (MWTs) were measured at various time points before and after the operation. BDNF and Fos expressions were examined in the extracted hippocampi using immunohistochemistry. The TWLs and MWTs of CCD model rats that received ozone were lower with decreased BDNF and increased Fos expression levels, on day 21 after the operation, compared to those of the sham group ( P < 0.05 ). The TWLs and MWTs of the CCD + A O 3 and CCD + B O 3 groups were higher with increased BDNF and decreased Fos expression levels, on day 21 after the operation, compared to those of the CCD group ( P < 0.05 ). The TWLs were longer and the MWTs were higher in the CCD + B O 3 group at each time point with increased BDNF and decreased Fos expression levels, on day 21 after the operation, compared to those of the CCD + A O 3 group ( P < 0.05 ). Our results revealed that ozone can relieve the neuropathic pain caused by the pathological neuralgia resulting from DRG compression in rats. The mechanism of action for ozone is likely associated with changes in BDNF and Fos expression levels in the hippocampus.

The mechanisms of collision avoidance (CA) behaviours in interweaving pedestrian flow movements are important for pedestrian space planning and emergency management but not well understood yet. In this paper, a series of controlled interweaving pedestrian flow experiments with different densities are carried out to investigate the CA behaviours, especially CA strategy choices. Four types of CA strategies are manually identified in these experiments. Nine characteristic parameters based on the trajectory data are defined to explore the characteristics of CA behaviours. The experimental results reveal that (i) the CA behaviours change with density levels; (ii) heterogeneities can be found for individual pedestrians; (iii) the defined characteristic parameters show different statistical features for different types of CA strategies, and correlations exist between most of the parameter pairs; (iv) it usually takes 0.5–2.5 s to complete a CA process with a trajectory length of 0.5–3.5 m. A multi-nomial logit (MNL) model and a long-short-term-memory (LSTM) model are established respectively for predicting pedestrians' choices of CA strategies using the selected characteristic parameters as inputs. The modelling results prove the importance of using time-series data for pedestrian behaviour modelling, and the LSTM models show advantages over the MNL model at this point.

In the paper, the electronic properties and magnetic orderings in the Mn/Gd doped zinc-blende (ZB) and wurtzite (WZ) structural CdSe are investigated extensively using first-principles calculations. We find that the infiltration of Mn ions in the ZB/WZ structural CdSe will lead to the antiferromagnetic ordering; while the infiltration of Gd ions will lead to the ferromagnetic ordering. Moreover, the antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic coupling interactions between the magnetic Mn/Gd ions will become more and more strong with decreasing Mn-Mn/Gd-Gd distance. Particularly, the electronic properties in the Mn mono-doping case (spin-polarized) and in the Mn double-doping case (ferromagnetic) are almost same, and they tend to be the magnetic/ferromagnetic semiconductor via the comparison from the different calculations; as a whole, the Mn doped ZB/WZ structural CdSe system tends to present the antiferromagnetic semiconductor character. In addition, the band gap in the Mn doped ZB/WZ structural CdSe decreases with increasing Mn concentration using GGA+U calculations. In contrast to the case of the Mn doped ZB/WZ CdSe: (i) the Gd doped ZB/WZ CdSe in the mono-doping case displays the magnetic semiconductor character; but the Gd doped ZB/WZ structural CdSe in the double-doping case presents the n-type ferromagnetic semiconductor, and the robust ferromagnetism is obtained in the system irregardless of the crystal structure and the distance between the magnetic ions; (ii) the band gap in the Gd doped ZB/WZ structural CdSe increases with increasing Gd concentration, Burstein-Mott-effect might be major reason.

// Min Liang 1,2 , Chang-Ying Li 2 , Chun-Guang Ren 2 , Zong-Wang Zhang 2 and Zhi-Jian Fu 1 1 Department of Pain Management, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P.R. China 2 Department of Anesthesiology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong, P.R. China Correspondence to: Zhi-Jian Fu, email: // Keywords : chemotherapy; hyperalgesia; lobaplatin; colorectal cancer; sufentanil Received : April 03, 2017 Accepted : May 02, 2017 Published : June 08, 2017 Abstract Background: Chemotherapy has been associated with hyperalgesia. This prospective study was designed to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal chemotherapy with lobaplatin on post-operative pain intensity and sufentanil requirements after laparoscopic transabdominal resection of rectal cancer. Methods: Eighty subjects (40 subjects treated with intraperitoneal chemotherapy and 40 subjects without chemotherapy treatment) scheduled for laparoscopic transabdominal resection of rectal cancer were included in this study. All subjects received standardized anesthetic and patient-controlled analgesia using sufentanil for 72 h post-surgery, as the only analgesics. Pain intensity scores, cumulative sufentanil requirements and side effects were recorded until 72 h post-surgery. Results: Following intraperitoneal chemotherapy, patients had a significantly higher total post-operative sufentanil requirement (193 µg vs . 142 µg; P = 0.008), significantly higher verbal rating scale post-surgery pain intensity scores at rest and with coughing ( P < 0.05), and a significantly worse functional activity score ( P < 0.05) over 72 h, compared with those without intraperitoneal chemotherapy. There were no post-operative differences in the incidence of side-effects (post-operative nausea [ P = 0.189], vomiting [ P = 0.311], pruritus [ P = 0.263], respiratory depression [ P = 1.000], and dizziness [ P = 0.712]) between the two groups. Conclusion: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is associated with significantly increased post-operative sufentanil requirements and pain intensity, suggesting chemotherapy-associated hyperalgesia.

The combination of morphine and ketamine is considered safe and efficacious in many patients. However, a considerable number of immunomodulatory effects have been reported to be produced by both morphine and ketamine. The aim of the present study was to assess the direct effect of morphine and a low dose of ketamine on the T cells of patients with refractory cancer pain in vitro. Venous blood was obtained from patients with refractory cancer pain and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated using the Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient method. Anti-CD3 beads were used to isolate T cells by positive selection. Subsequently, the T cells were treated with vehicle, 200 ng/ml of morphine or 200 ng/ml of morphine + 100 ng/ml ketamine for 24 h, following which the cells were stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. Flow cytometric analysis of CD3+ T cells, and interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon (IFN)-γ in the supernatant, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis for the detection of IL-2 and IFN-γ and western blotting for the detection of p65 nuclear factor (NF)-κB were performed. In vitro, the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, secretion of IL-2 and IFN-γ in the supernatant, mRNA expression levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ and expression of p65 NF-κB were significantly decreased following treatment with morphine and morphine + ketamine, compared with results in the control group (all P

A study of the high-pressure elastic properties of new synthetic Ir 2 P in the anti-fluorite structure is conducted using ab initio calculations based on density functional theory. The elastic constants C 11 , C 12 and C 44 for the cubic Ir 2 P are obtained by the stress-strain method and the elastic stability calculations under pressure indicate that it is stable at least 100 GPa. Additionally, the electronic density of states, the aggregate elastic moduli, that is bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Young's modulus along with the Debye temperature, Poisson's ratio, and elastic anisotropy factor are all successfully obtained. Moreover, the pressure dependence of the longitudinal and shear wave velocities in three different directions [100], [110], and [111] for Ir 2 P are also predicted for the first time.

The ground structure and the pressure-induced structural and electronic phase transitions for rare-earth trihydride GdH3 are investigated extensively using first-principles calculations where f electrons are considered. The P 3 ¯ c 1 , P63cm andP63 structure models are taken as the possible ground state structure. With a higher plane-wave basis-800 eV cutoff energy, the optimized structural parameters under CASTEP code are very close to the experimental data; furthermore, it is found that both in the ferromagnetic state and the antiferromagenic state, P63cm structure has the lowest energy, followed, in this order, by theP63 and P 3 ¯ c 1 structures; but under VASP code, only liking YH3, P63 structure has the lowest energy, followed, in this order, by theP63cm and P 3 ¯ c 1 structures. The standard DFT band structure calculations also show that the band structure of GdH3 is similar to that of YH3, and P63 structure has the largest band gap among the structures, GGA+U calculations only can improve the band gap of GdH3 very limitedly. So the main factors that affect the opening of the band structure of GdH3 should still be algorithms. On the other hand, under compression, GdH3 follows the pressure-induced phase transition sequence AFM P 3 ¯ c 1 →AFMC2/m→FM C2/m→FMfcc→FMhcp→FMCmcm. In conjunction with the phase transition sequence, the pure DFT-GGA calculations of electronic structures demonstrate that the critical pressure that makes the band gap of GdH3 close is close to the transition pressure from an intermediate phase (C2/m phase) to cubic phase. In contrast to the case of YH3, it seems that the presentation of 4f electrons doesn't make rare-earth trihydride arise any abnormality in the electronic properties and the pressure-induced phase transitions with CASTEP code.

Inexpensive metal-based electrocatalyst with excellent stability and activity for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction is the most critical issue for large-scaled water splitting. However, the electricity kinetics in alkaline is relatively sluggish than in acid owing to the concentration of protons in alkaline is low. Thus, accurate structural designs to obtain more protons in the water dissociation on the surface of catalyst are necessary. In this work, a defect-rich MoP is encapsulated with carbon shell, which precisely regulated to distinguish the affection on hydrogen evolution reaction. The synergistic effect between carbon shell and defective sites is identified by the free energy and charge distribution density for water/hydrogen adsorption in hydrogen evolution via a density functional theory calculation. The results show that the lattice defects and the carbon shells play a unique role in enhancing catalytic performance, which the lattice defects decide the active sites and the thinner carbon shell would enhance its activity. The optimal overpotential in alkaline media of this designed MoP/C is 100 mV at 10 mA cm−2, its Tafel slope is 67.4 mV dec−1, and also exhibits a long-term stability for 12 h.

The structural and thermodynamic properties of the orthorhombic and cubic structure SrAl2 at pressure and temperature are investigated by using the ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory methodwithin the generalised gradient approximation (GGA). The calculated lattice parameters are in agreement with the available experimental data and other theoretical results. The phase transition predicted takes place at 0.5 GPa from the orthorhombic to the cubic structure at zero temperature. The thermodynamic properties of the zinc-blende structure SrAl2 are calculated by the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The pressure–volume relationship and the variations inthe thermal expansion α are obtained systematically in the pressure and temperature ranges of 0–5 GPa and 0–500 K, respectively.

The phase diagram, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of metallic Co are investigated extensively using first-principles calculations in conjunction with a quasi-harmonic Debye model. The simulations indicate that metallic Co is a ferromagnetic hcp ( e ) structure at 0 K and 0 GPa, and transforms to a nonmagnetic fcc ( β ) structure at about 120 GPa under compression, the transition is consistent with the experimental results (crystallographic transition) and other theoretical calculations. Particularly, from the calculated Gibbs free energy, the phase boundary between the ferromagnetic hcp ( e ) phase and the ferromagnetic fcc ( γ f ) phase is drawn, it is close to the conjecture of Yoo et al. (2000) (the phase boundary between the ferromagnetic hcp phase ( e ) and the mixed phases ( e + β / γ ) of the ferromagnetic hcp ( e ) structure and the ferromagnetic or paramagnetic fcc ( γ ), or nonmagnetic fcc ( β ) structure) as well as the part of experimental data under high temperature and high pressure. The elastic constants of the ferromagnetic hcp- and fcc-Co under temperature are presented for the fist time in theory, they are in reasonable agreement with experiments at zero temperature and zero pressure, and decrease slightly with increasing temperature at V / V 0 = 1 or V / V 0 = 0.97 . In addition, the heat capacity C V , thermal expansion coefficient α and Gruneisen parameter γ for the ferromagnetic hcp- and fcc-Co are also acquired and predicted successfully in an extended temperature and pressure range.

Mutation analysis as the gold standard is particularly important in diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and it may be preventable upon early diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to analyze the clinical and genetic materials of an OI pedigree as well as to confirm the deleterious property of the mutation. A pedigree with OI was identified. All family members received careful clinical examinations and blood was drawn for genetic analyses. Genes implicated in OI were screened for mutation. The function and structure of the mutant protein were predicted using bioinformatics analysis. The proband, a 9-month fetus, showed abnormal sonographic images. Disproportionately short and triangular face with blue sclera was noticed at birth. She can barely walk and suffered multiple fractures till 2-year old. Her mother appeared small stature, frequent fractures, blue sclera, and deformity of extremities. A heterozygous missense mutation c.1009G>T (p.G337C) in the COL1A2 gene was identified in her mother and her. Bioinformatics analysis showed p.G337 was well-conserved among multiple species and the mutation probably changed the structure and damaged the function of collagen. We suggest that the mutation p.G337C in the COL1A2 gene is pathogenic for OI by affecting the protein structure and the function of collagen.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of sesamol treatment on focal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the rat brain. The results demonstrated that pretreatment with sesamol seven days prior to focal cerebral I/R injury had significant positive effects, including improvements in neurological deficits (P

Objective: To evaluate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of target percutaneous laser disc decompression (T-PLDD) for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. Background data: PLDD using the Nd:YAG laser has been regarded as an effective alternative treatment for disc herniation. However, all the previous studies were concentrated on vaporizing the nucleus pulposus in the intervertebral space. We hypothesize that insertion of the needle into the extruded part of the nucleus pulposus will decrease its volume and provide superior clinical effects compared to therapies that decrease the volume of the intradiscal nucleus pulposus. Materials and methods: A total of 25 patients suffering from posterolateral extruded but nonsequestered lumbar intervertebral disc herniation were treated with T-PLDD. After treatment, the patients were followed up and the therapeutic effect was assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months using the modified MacNab criteria. Results: The success rate was 80.0% (18 of 25), 88.0% (22 of 25), 92.0% (23 of 25), and 92.0% (23 of 25) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months respectively. No serious complications occurred in any of the patients. Furthermore, we did not observe any neurological sequelae. Conclusions: T-PLDD can significantly decrease pain and improve function of patients who have extruded but nonsequestered lumbar intervertebral disc herniation.

The elastic constants and thermodynamic properties of diamond are investigated by using the CRYSTAL03 program. The lattice parameters, the bulk modulus, the heat capacity, the Gruneisen parameter, and the Debye temperature are obtained. The results are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. Moreover, the relationship between V/V(0) and pressure, the elastic constants under high pressure are successfully obtained. Especially, the elastic constants of diamond under high pressure are firstly obtained theoretically. At the same time, the variations of the thermal expansion a with pressure P and temperature Tare obtained systematically in the ranges of 0-870 GPa and 0-1600 K.

This paper investigates the electronic structure and thermodynamic proper-ties of LiBC in the hexagonal structure by using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and local density approximation correction scheme in the frame of density functional theory. The geometric structure of LiBC under zero pressure, and the dependences of the normalized lattice parameters a/a(0) and c/c(0), the ratio c/a, the normalized primitive volume V/V(0) on pressure are given. The thermodynamic quantity (including the heat capacity C(V), Debye temperature Theta(D), thermal expansion alpha and Gruneisen parameter gamma) dependences on temperature and pressure are obtained through the GGA method and the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The band structures and density of state of UBC under different pressures have also been analysed.

Objective: The present study sought to detect spinal sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and acetylation of histone H3 (Ac-H3) expression in rats with burn injury pain (BIP model). Procedures and Results: A BIP model was first established. BIP rats showed lower paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) from day 1, which persisted for 21 days following the burn injury. Spinal SIRT1/Ac-H3 expression increased following burn injury. The intrathecal use of resveratrol increased PWT and SIRT1 expression but induced down-regulation of Ac-H3 expression. We first demonstrated that the inhibition of SIRT1 significantly induced mechanical allodynia in naive rats. The preinjection of SIRT1 inhibitor partly antagonized the analgesic effects of resveratrol in BIP rats. Conclusion: Inhibition of SIRT1 produces pain facilitation in the naive rats. The expression of spinal SIRT1 increased after burn injury in the BIP model. The activation of spinal SIRT1 might mediate the resveratrol-induced analgesic effects. SUMMARY Burn injury resulted in pain facilitation Resveratrol attenuates pain facilitation induced by burn injury Intrathecal injection of resveratrol attenuates burn injury pain by increasing spinal sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression Inhibition of SIRT1 by selisistat, an SIRT1 inhibitor attenuated analgesic effects of resveratrol. Abbreviations used: SIRT1: Sirtuin 1, Ac-H3: Acetylation of histone H3, SD: Sprague-Dawley, EX527: Selisistat, an SIRT1 inhibitor, BIP: Burn injury pain, DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide, PWTs: Paw withdrawal thresholds Zhi-Jian Fu

Cancer-induced bone pain can severely compromise the life quality of patients, while tolerance limits the use of opioids in the treatment of cancer pain. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is known to contribute to neuropathic pain. However, the role of spinal MCP-1 in the development of morphine tolerance in patients with cancer-induced bone pain remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of spinal MCP-1 in morphine tolerance in bone cancer pain rats (MTBP rats). Bone cancer pain was induced by intramedullary injection of Walker 256 cells into the tibia of the rats, while morphine tolerance was induced by continuous intrathecal injection of morphine over a period of 9 days. In addition, anti-MCP-1 antibodies were intrathecally injected to rats in various groups in order to investigate the association of MCP-1 with mechanical and heat hyperalgesia using the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) tests, respectively. Furthermore, MCP-1 and CCR2 expression levels were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis, and CCR2 expression levels were measured using RT-qPCR. The results indicated that MCP-1 and CCR2 expression levels were significantly increased in the spinal cord of MTBP rats. Intrathecal administration of anti-MCP-1 neutralizing antibodies was observed to attenuate the mechanical and thermal allodynia in MTBP rats. Therefore, the upregulation of spinal MCP-1 and CCR2 expression levels may contribute to the development of mechanical allodynia in MTBP rats. In conclusion, MCP-1/CCR2 signaling may serve a crucial role in morphine tolerance development in rats suffering from cancer-induced bone pain.

The lattice parameters, phase transition, and thermodynamic properties of OsN2in pyrite and fluorite structure are investigated by first-principles calculations. The pressure and temperature induced phase transitions of OsN2from fluorite structure to pyrite structure have been obtained. It is found that the transition pressure of OsN2at zero temperature is 158.2 GPa, and there exists no transition temperature. In addition, the thermal expansion, the Debye temperature, and the Grüneisen parameter in diverse pressures and temperatures about these two structures have also been obtained. Key words: transition phase; thermodynamic properties; OsN2PACS numbers: 71.15.Mb, 64.70.Kb

Conventional hyperbaric spinal anaesthesia solution (SAS) with 8% glucose and low-dose bupivacaine may reduce the incidence of hypotension in caesarean section compared to standard doses, and marginally hyperbaric SAS (≤0.8% glucose) can induce a lower block level and a lower incidence of hypotension in nonobstetric patients than conventional 8% glucose SAS.The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of marginally hyperbaric low-dose bupivacaine solutions used for spinal anaesthesia during caesarean section.A randomised, controlled clinical trial.Single medical centre.One hundred twenty women scheduled for elective caesarean section were randomised into four groups.Caesarean section after combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia using hyperbaric preparations of low-dose SAS (7.2 mg bupivacaine and 2 μg 1.6 ml sufentanil in one of the following: 8%, 0.8%, 0.5% or 0.33% glucose solution.The dermatomal sensory block and degree of motor block of the lower extremities and adverse effects of anaesthesia were recorded.The maximum cephalad sensory block level and the incidence of hypotension decreased as the density of SAS fell (T1, T2, T4 and T6, P 0.001; 48.3, 30, 13.3 and 10.3%, P = 0.003). The incidence of shivering reduced with decreasing density of SAS (P 0.05). There was no significant difference in the quality of anaesthesia (efficacy of motor block and sensory block) between the groups (P 0.05).Compared with conventional 8% glucose hyperbaric SAS, marginally hyperbaric (0.5 or 0.33% glucose) low-dose bupivacaine solutions led to a significantly lower height of cephalad spread and incidence of hypotension with no impact on the efficacy of spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section.

The pathophysiology of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) involves multiple mechanisms including inflammation. Histone deacetylase inhibitors have been shown to exert anti-inflammation activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the protecting roles and mechanisms of the histone deacetylase inhibitors trichostatin A (TSA) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) in ventilator-induced lung injury in normal rat lung. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: lung-protective ventilation (LV), injurious ventilation (HV), HV+TSA and HV+ SAHA groups. Mechanical ventilation (MV) settings were 7 ml/kg VT and 3cm H2O positive end-expiratorypressure [PEEP], 40 breaths/min for LV group and 42 ml/kg VT, zero end-expiratoryvolume [ZEEP], 40 breaths/min for the HV, HV+TSA and HV+ SAHA groups. After 2 h of MV, acute lung injury (ALI) score, wet-to-dry (W/D) weight ratio and the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) were determined. The concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin-10 (IL-6) in the homogenized lung were measured by ELISA. The expression ICAM-1 was measured by both realtime PCR and Western blot assays. In addition, survival of each group was also assessed. Our results indicated that administration of TSA or SAHA alleviated ventilator-induced lung injury. This was accompanied by reduced neutrophil infiltration, reduced MPO activity, decreased intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in lung tissue, and lower TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 levels. In addition, treatment with HDAC inhibitors significantly prolonged the survival time of ventilator-induced lung injury rats. Our data suggested that TSA and SAHA could significantly alleviate ventilator-induced rat lung injury and prolong the survival time of those rats by attenuate intrapulmonary inflammatory response.

It is known that noxious stimuli from inflamed tissue may increase the excitability of spinal dorsal horn neurons (a process known as central sensitization), which can signal back and contribute to peripheral inflammation. However, the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully defined. A number of recent studies have indicated that spinal NF-κB/p65 is involved in central sensitization, as well as pain-related behavior. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether NF-κB/p65 can facilitate a peripheral inflammatory response in rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA).Lentiviral vectors encoding short hairpin RNAs that target NF-κB/p65 (LV-shNF-κB/p65) were constructed for gene silencing. The spines of rats with AIA were injected with LV-shNF-κB/p65 on day 3 or day 10 after treatment with Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA). During an observation period of 20 days, pain-related behavior, paw swelling, and joint histopathologic changes were evaluated. Moreover, the expression levels of spinal tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) were assessed on day 14 after CFA treatment.The presence of peripheral inflammation in rats with AIA induced an increase in NF-κB/p65 expression in the spinal cord, mainly in the dorsal horn neurons and astrocytes. Delivery of LV-shNF-κB/p65 to the spinal cord knocked down the expression of NF-κB/p65 and significantly attenuated hyperalgesia, paw edema, and joint destruction. In addition, spinal delivery of LV-shNF-κB/p65 reduced the overexpression of spinal TNFα, IL-1β, and COX-2.These findings indicate that spinal NF-κB/p65 plays an important role in the initiation and development of both peripheral inflammation and hyperalgesia. Thus, inhibition of spinal NF-κB/p65 expression may provide a potential treatment to manage painful inflammatory disorders.

To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of spinal glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats.Seventy-two SD rats were randomized into sham operation (sham), CCI (model) and EA groups (n = 24/group). The mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were measured by using Von Frey filaments and radiant-heat irridiation separately. The immunoactivity of GFAP of spinal dorsal horn (L4-L5) was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and the expression of spinal TNF-alpha mRNA and IL-1beta mRNA was detected by real time-PCR.Compared with pre-CCI and sham group, both mechanical and thermal pain thresholds decreased considerably in rats with CCI (P0.05), and in comparison with model group, those of EA group increased markedly (P0.05). Compared with sham group, GFAP immunoactivity (mainly in the lamina I-II of the spinal dorsal horn), TNF-alpha mRNA and IL-1beta mRNA expression in the ipsilateral spinal cord on the CCI side in model group increased considerably (P0.05), while compared with model group, the expression of GFAP, TNF-alpha mRNA and IL-1beta mRNA in EA group was down-regulated remarkably (P0.05).EA can effectively suppress CCI-induced up-regulation of expression of spinal GFAP, TNF-alpha mRNA and IL-1beta mRNA, which may contribute to its effect in reducing mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain rats.

Although the widespread use of the oxygen-ozone in pain management, there is currently no consensus on its mechanisms of action and nearly no report for its action on nervous cells. Accordingly, the present study was designed to assess the effects of oxygen-ozone on astrocytes. Astrocytes were cultured in vitro through methods of trypsinization, different-speed cultivation and passaging to purify, then seeded into 24 well plates and divided to one of four groups (n=7) to receive the following treatments: respectively added 400 microl complete medium (CM) after effects of 20 microg/ml oxygen-ozone (Group O-20), 40 microg/ml oxygen-ozone (Group O-40), 60 microg/ml oxygen-ozone (Group O-60); without intervention (Group C). After incubation of 2 h or 4 h, cell morphology was observed and endocellular superoxide dismutase (SOD), endocellular malondialdehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leaking ratio, and dead cells' percentage were detected. The results showed cell damage in Group O-60. As compared with Group C, endocellular SOD increased in all groups, MDA at 2 h increased in Groups O-40 and O-60 and MDA at 4 h decreased in Groups O-20 and O-40; LDH leaking ratio at 2 h in Group O-20 and those at 2 and 4 h in Group O-40 decreased, while LDH leaking ratio at 4 h increased and dead cells' percentage in Group O-60 increased. We conclude that in short time (2 and 4 h), oxygen-ozone of 60 microg/ml showed a damaging role on astrocytes in vitro, while oxygen-ozone of 20 and 40 microg/ml did not show damaging role obviously.

A low cost and high performance NetWare single server system was designed and constructed using off-the-shelf hardware and custom software. This design is based on the network computing OSI model and Novell NetWare ODI model. The application of RAID technology in conjunction with the NetWare ODI protocol enables users or workgroups to share maximum resources on a single server, which eliminates the need for a duplex or backup server. The system design is made more reliable and economical by the selection of high performance hardware and software that are easily upgradeable and expandable as application needs increase.

The pressure?volume equation of state (P?V EOS) and isothermal bulk modulus, the volume?temperature (V?T) EOS and thermal expansivity are investigated for magnesium oxide (MgO) by using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with the quasi-harmonic Debye (QHD) model in which the phononic effects are considered and isothermal?isobaric ensemble molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with different effective pair-wise potentials that consist of the Coulomb, dispersion and repulsion interactions. Polarization and compression effects are considered in MD simulations through the shell model (SM) and breathing shell model (BSM), respectively. The P?V relationship and isothermal bulk modulus K of the MgO dependence of pressures up to 200?GPa at 300?K and the V?T relationship and volume thermal expansion coefficient ? of the MgO dependence of temperatures up to 3000?K at 0.1?MPa have been obtained from MD and DFT calculations and compared with the available experimental data and other theoretical results. Particular attention is paid to the prediction of the first and second pressure derivatives K' and K'' of the isothermal bulk modulus of MgO at a given temperature and pressure for the first time. Compared with the SM potential, MD simulations with the BSM and QHD models are highly successful in accurately reproducing the measured volumes of MgO. At extended pressure and temperature ranges, K, K', K'', ? and P?V?T EOS have also been predicted. Detailed knowledge of the thermodynamic behavior in extreme conditions is of fundamental importance for understanding the physical properties of MgO.