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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of continuing care based on WeChat platform and MDT (multidisciplinary team) on outcomes and negative emotions in young and middle-aged patients with stroke sequelae. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on clinical data of 109 young patients with post-stroke sequelae in our hospital. Based on the nursing approach, the patients were divided into two groups. Group A received conventional continued care (including reinforcing health education upon discharge, providing relevant precautions after discharge, regular follow-up of patients, and others), while Group B received continued care based on the WeChat platform and multidisciplinary team (MDT) collaboration. A comparative analysis was performed on NHISS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) scores, Barthel Index (activities of daily living), FMA (Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Motor Recovery after Stroke) scores, disease awareness and attitude scores, selfefficacy scores, self-care ability scores, SAS (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale) scores, SDS (Self-Rating Depression Scale) scores, quality of life scores, and social support levels before intervention and 6 months after interventions in both groups. Results: Compared with Group A, Group B had lower NHISS scores (30.08 vs. 17.08) and higher Barthel Index (73.35 vs. 94.48) and FMA scores (68.06 vs. 90.08) (P<0.05); higher disease awareness scores (40.18±2.15 vs. 48.96±3.66) (P<0.05), higher self-efficacy scores (105.56 vs. 119.26) and self-care scores (98.18 vs. 110.06) (P<0.05), lower SAS scores (56.06 vs. 40.06) (P<0.05), higher quality of life (125.63±3.12 vs. 185.12±2.52) as well as higher nursing satisfaction scores (56.63±3.16 vs. 92.15±3.15) (P<0.05). Conclusions: Continuing care based on the WeChat platform and MDT is beneficial to promote the recovery of neurological and physical functions, improve abilities of daily living, self-efficacy, selfcare and quality of life in young and middle-aged patients with stroke sequelae, and relieve the impact of negative emotions on the recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy plays a critical role in the cancer treatment and diagnosis as a promising carcinoma treatment modalities nowadays. However, development of clinical application has been greatly limited due to the inefficient drug release and low tumor accumulation. Herein, we designed a NIR-light triggered indocyanine green (ICG)-based PCL core/P(MEO2MA-b-HMAM) shell nanocomposites (PPH@ICG) and evaluated their therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo. The anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5Fu) and the photothermal agent ICG were loaded into a thermosensitive micelle (PPH@5Fu@ICG) by self-assembly. The nanoparticles formed were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and fluorescence spectra. The thermo-sensitive copolymer (PPH@5Fu@ICG) showed a great temperature-controlled drug release response with lower critical solution temperature. In vitro cellular uptake and TEM imaging proved that PPH@5Fu@ICG nanoparticles can home into the lysosomal compartments under NIR. Moreover, in gastric tumor-bearing nude mice, PPH@5Fu@ICG + NIR group exhibited excellent improvement in antitumor efficacy based on the NIR-triggered thermo-chemotherapy synergy, both in vitro and in vivo. In summary, the proposed strategy of synergistic photohyperthermia chemotherapy effectively reduced the 5Fu dose, toxic or side effect, which could serve as a secure and efficient approach for cancer theranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Tangnaikang (TNK) is a Chinese herbal formulation that has lipid-lowering effects, but its effect on reducing obesity has not been studied. Objective: To observe the effect of TNK on obesity and explore its effect on gut microbiota of obese rats. Materials and methods: The SHR/NDmcr-cp rats were divided into three groups: (1) 3.24 g/kg TNK (High TNK), (2) 1.62 g/kg TNK (Low TNK), and (3) an untreated control (CON). Wistar-Kyoto rats were used as normal controls (WKY). After 8 weeks of TNK oral administration, body weight, abdominal circumference, triglycerides (TC) and total cholesterol (CHO) were measured. Gut microbiota diversity was studied by 16S rDNA sequencing, and metagenomes analysis was conducted to determine alteration in functional gene expression. Results: The body weight (496.60 ± 6.0 g vs. 523.40 ± 5.6 g), abdomen circumference (24.00 ± 0.11cm vs. 24.87 ± 0.25 cm), TC (3.04 ± 0.16mmol/L vs. 4.97 ± 0.21mmol/L), CHO (2.42 ± 0.15 mmol/L vs. 2.84 ± 0.09 mmol/L) of rats in the High TNK group were decreased significantly (all p<0.05). TNK administration regulates intestinal flora, up-regulates Eisenbergiella and down-regulates Clostridium_ sensu_stricto_1, which is beneficial to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Metagenomes analysis shows that TNK is closely related to the fatty acid synthesis pathway. Discussion and conclusions: TNK can regulate gut microbiota to reduce obesity, which may be related to fatty acid metabolism. Our research supports the clinical application of TNK preparation and provides a new perspective for the treatment of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Few studies have reported the relationship between spontaneous peritonitis in cirrhosis and vitamin D, and the result is not very convincing. Aim: To conduct a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between vitamin D and spontaneous peritonitis. Material and methods: Articles published up to 1 October 2019 in the PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases were searched. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, relevant statistical data were extracted and analysed by STATA. Results: Six articles met the inclusion criteria. It was demonstrated that the average 25(OH)D level in spontaneous peritonitis patients was 2.36 less than that in control individuals (SMD = –2.36, 95% CI: –3.92, –0.8, I² = 97.2%, p < 0.01). Moreover, it found that spontaneous peritonitis patients were 4.33 times more likely to be vitamin D deficient than controls (OR = 4.33, 95% CI: 1.57, 11.93, I² = 50.1%, p = 0.111). Sensitivity analysis showed that the meta-analysis results were stable and reliable. Conclusions: Vitamin D may be an importantly protective factor in spontaneous peritonitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of trigonoside II against sepsis-induced myocardial injury in rats, and the mechanism involved. Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats (n = 30) weighing 200 - 230 g (mean weight = 215 ± 15 g) were used for this study. The rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups (10 rats/group): sham, cecal ligation puncture (CLP), and trigonoside II. Rats in the treatment group received trigonoside II at a dose of 2 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 3, 12 and 24 h post-surgery. Sepsis was induced using CLP method. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK-MB) activities, and hemodynamic functions were determined in the rats. The levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were assayed in rat serum. Oxidative stress and myocardial cell apoptosis were determined by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, while activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), as well as levels of expression of bax, bcl-2 and caspase-3 were also assessed. Results: Treatment of myocardial injury rats with trigonoside II led to significant reductions in the activities of LDH, CK-MB and MPO, and decreases in levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α (p < 0.05). It also significantly reversed the effects of sepsis on rat hemodynamic functions (p < 0.05). Trigonoside II treatment significantly reduced MDA levels in rat myocardial tissues, but significantly increased SOD and GPx activities (p < 0.05). It significantly down-regulated protein expressions of NF-kB and TLR-4 in myocardial tissues (p < 0.05). The number of apoptotic cells and activity of caspase-3 were significant increased in myocardial tissues of rats in CLP group, when compared with sham group, but were reduced significantly in myocardial tissues of trigonoside II-treated rats (p < 0.05). Similarly, trigonoside II treatment down-regulated the protein expressions of caspase-3 and bax, but upregulated bcl-2 protein expression in the rat myocardial tissues (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that trigonoside II confers protection on sepsis-induced myocardial injury via reduction in oxidative stress and regulation of TLR-4/NF-kB inflammatory pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 contributed to angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated collagen accumulation after myocardial infarction (MI). The present study aimed to investigate the association of genetic variant of TGF-β1 gene with the risk of MI. The present study recruited a total of 530 MI patients and 651 healthy controls. The genomic DNA was extracted and subjected into polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing. The present study indicated that TGF-β1 -913G/C polymorphism was associated with increased risk for MI under the co-dominant, dominant and allelic models. The increased risk effect was also evident among the females, younger subjects (age < 60 years), smokers, non-drinkers and individuals with hypertension. Additionally, the present study observed significant differences among cases and controls in terms of total cholesterol (TC). In conclusion, TGF-β1 -913G/C polymorphism is associated with increased risk for MI. TGF-β1-913G/C polymorphism may be a potential prognostic biomarker for MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracerebral hemorrhage is one of the most common types of cerebrovascular disease in humans and often causes paralysis, a vegetative state and even death. Patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage are frequently monitored in intensive care units (ICUs). Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage is associated with a higher rate of mortality and morbidity than other intracephalic diseases. The expression levels of inflammatory factors have important roles in inflammatory responses indicative of changes in a patient's condition and are therefore important in the monitoring and treatment of affected patients at the ICU as well as the development of therapeutic strategies for acute cerebral hemorrhage. The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of Simvastatin in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage at an ICU, and inflammatory factors and cellular changes were systematically analyzed. The plasma concentrations of inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, were evaluated by ELISAs. The plasma concentrations of inflammatory cellular changes were detected by using flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that after Simvastatin treatment of patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage at the ICU, the plasma concentrations of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 were downregulated compared with those in placebo-treated controls. In addition, Simvastatin treatment at the ICU decreased lymphocytes, granulocytes and mononuclear cells in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage. The levels of inflammatory factors were associated with brain edema in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage treated at the ICU. In addition, the amount of bleeding was reduced in parallel with the inflammatory cell plasma concentration of lymphocytes, granulocytes and mononuclear cells. Importantly, Simvastatin treatment produced beneficial outcomes by improving brain edema and reducing the amount of bleeding. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the efficacy of Simvastatin in treating acute intracerebral hemorrhage and evidenced the association between inflammatory responses and the progress of affected patients at the ICU, thereby providing insight for applying effective therapies for patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between long non-coding RNA zinc finger antisense 1 (ZFAS1) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has not yet been investigated. The present study aimed to assess the potential role of ZFAS1 in AML cell proliferation and apoptosis. The expression of ZFAS1 mRNA in various AML cell lines (HL-60, KG-1, ML-1 and SKNO-1) was measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that ZFAS1 expression was increased in all four human AML cell lines compared with the control cell lines (T lymphocytic leukemia or Burkitt's lymphoma). Transfection with small interfering RNA into human AML cells established ZFAS1 knockdown. A cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to investigate the effect of ZFAS1 on AML cell proliferation and the effect of ZFAS1 on the cell cycle and cell apoptosis was assessed using flow cytometry. Notably, the CCK-8 assay demonstrated that ZFAS1 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation in HL-60 and SKNO-1 cell lines and flow cytometry analysis indicated that ZFAS1 knockdown induced AML cell cycle G1 phase arrest and triggered cell apoptosis. Therefore, the present study indicated that ZFAS1 promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of AML cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Thrombocytopenia Should not be Barrier for Lymph-node Biopsy" published in the previous issue is presented.

We adopted a cultural neuroscience approach to the investigation of self-enhancement. Western and Eastern participants made self-referent judgments on positive and negative traits while we recorded their electroencephalography signals. At the judgmental level, we assessed trait endorsement (judgments of traits self-descriptiveness) and reaction times (speed of such judgments). Participants endorsed more positive traits as self-descriptive and more negative traits as non-self-descriptive, although the magnitude of this effect (level of self-positivity) was higher in the Western than Eastern sample. Moreover, all participants responded faster to positive self-descriptive traits and to negative non-self-descriptive traits, indicating that the self-enhancement motive is equally potent across cultures. At the neurophysiological level, we assessed N170 and LPP. Negative traits elicited larger N170 among Easterners, indicating initial allocation of attentional resources to the processing of negative information. However, negative compared to positive self-descriptive traits elicited a larger LPP, whereas negative and positive non-self-descriptive traits did not differ in the LPP they elicited. This pattern generalized across samples, pointing to a pancultural physiological correlate of the self-enhancement motive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays an important role in development of several cancer types, including bladder cancer (BCa). However, the relationship between the ratio of miR-181/miR-100 and the prognosis of BCa has not been studied yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of miR-182, miR-100 and their clinical significance in BCa. Methods: Upregulation of miR-182 and down-regulation of miR-100 were validated in tissue specimens of 134 BCa cases compared with 148 normal bladder epithelia (NBE)specimens using TaqMan-based real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of miR-182, miR-100, and miR-182/miR-100 ratio was also performed. Results: miR-182 was upregulated in BCa and miR-100 was down-regulated in BCa compared with NBE (P< 0.001). The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs-ROC) for miR-182 and miR-100 were 0.913 and 0.810, respectively. However, miR-182/ miR-100 ratio increased the diagnostic performance, yielding an AUC of 0.981 (97.01 % sensitivity and 90.54% specificity). Moreover, miR-182/miR-100 ratio was associated with pT-stage, histological grade, BCa recurrence and carcinoma in situ (P < 0.05 for all). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that miR-182/miR-100 ratio was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (Hazard ratio: 7.142; 95% CI: 2.106-9.891; P<0.01). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that high-level of miR-182/miR-100 ratio was significantly correlated with shortened survival time for BCa patients (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The miR-182/miR-100 ratio may serve asa novel promising biomarker for diagnosis and survival prediction in BCa. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of miR-182/miR-100 ratio as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for BCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we prove the global well-posedness for the Newton-Boussinesq equations in R3. By fully using the Fourier localization technique, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions in Hilbert spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common reason for elderly dementia in the world. We proposed that memory loss in AD is related to destabilization of mushroom postsynaptic spines involved in long-term memory storage. We demonstrated previously that stromal interaction molecule 2 (STIM2)-regulated neuronal store-operated calcium entry (nSOC) in postsynaptic spines play a key role in stability of mushroom spines by maintaining activity of synaptic Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII). Furthermore, we demonstrated previously that the STIM2-nSOC-CaMKII pathway is downregulated in presenilin 1 M146V knock-in (PS1-M146V KI) mouse model of AD, leading to loss of hippocampal mushroom spines in this model. In the present study, we demonstrate that hippocampal mushroom postsynaptic spines are also lost in amyloid precursor protein knock-in (APPKI) mouse model of AD. We demonstrated that loss of mushroom spines occurs as a result of accumulation of extracellular β-amyloid 42 in APPKI culture media. Our results indicate that extracellular Aβ42 acts by overactivating mGluR5 receptor in APPKI neurons, leading to elevated Ca2+ levels in endoplasmic reticulum, compensatory downregulation of STIM2 expression, impaired synaptic nSOC, and reduced CaMKII activity. Pharmacological inhibition of mGluR5 or overexpression of STIM2 rescued synaptic nSOC and prevented mushroom spine loss in APPKI hippocampal neurons. Our results indicate that downregulation of synaptic STIM2-nSOC-CaMKII pathway causes loss of mushroom synaptic spines in both presenilin and APPKI mouse models of AD. We propose that modulators/activators of this pathway may have a potential therapeutic value for treatment of memory loss in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aimed to appraise the dose differences between Acuros XB (AXB) and Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treatment for lung cancer with flattening filter free (FFF) beams. Additionally, the potential role of the calculation grid size (CGS) on the dose differences between the two algorithms was also investigated. Methods: SBRT plans with 6X and 10X FFF beams produced from the CT scan data of 10 patients suffering from stage I lung cancer were enrolled in this study. Clinically acceptable treatment plans with AAA were recalculated using AXB with the same monitor units (MU) and identical multileaf collimator (MLC) settings. Furthermore, different CGS (2.5 mm and 1 mm) in the two algorithms was also employed to investigate their dosimetric impact. Dose to planning target volumes (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) between the two algorithms were compared. PTV was separated into PTV_soft (density in soft-tissue range) and PTV_lung (density in lung range) for comparison. Results: The dose to PTV_lung predicted by AXB was found to be 1.33 ± 1.12% (6XFFF beam with 2.5 mm CGS), 2.33 ± 1.37% (6XFFF beam with 1 mm CGS), 2.81 ± 2.33% (10XFFF beam with 2.5 mm CGS) and 3.34 ± 1.76% (10XFFF beam with 1 mm CGS) lower compared with that by AAA, respectively. However, the dose directed to PTV_soft was comparable. For OARs, AXB predicted a slightly lower dose to the aorta, chest wall, spinal cord and esophagus, regardless of whether the 6XFFF or 10XFFF beam was utilized. Exceptionally, dose to the ipsilateral lung was significantly higher with AXB. Conclusions: AXB principally predicts lower dose to PTV_lung compared to AAA and the CGS contributes to the relative dose difference between the two algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Both advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress play important roles in the development of various diseases. This study aimed to clarify the consequence of AGE-induced ER stress and its underlying mechanisms in human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs). Main methods AGE-induced ER stress was assessed by the increased expression and activation of the ER stress marker proteins GRP78, IRE1ɑand JNK, which were detected using Western blot. NF-κB translocation was revealed using Western blot and immunofluorescent staining in IRE1ɑ-knockdown HUVECs. The mechanism of AGE-induced ER stress was also explored by inhibiting the effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) siRNA and the antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH). The cellular ROS level was measured using flow cytometry. Key findings AGEs time- and dose-dependently enhanced the expression of GRP78 and increased the phosphorylation of IRE1ɑand its downstream signal JNK in HUVECs. siRNA-induced IRE1ɑdown-regulation suppressed AGE-induced NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. Inhibiting the ROS production using Nox4 siRNA or antagonizing ROS using GSH reduced cellular ROS level and attenuated AGE-induced GRP78 expression and IRE1ɑand JNK activation. Significance This study confirms that AGE-induced ER stress in HUVECs focuses on the ER stress-enhanced inflammatory response through JNK and NF-κB activation. It further reveals the involvement of ROS in the AGE-induced ER stress mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the decrease of fill factor with increase of light illumination intensity was investigated through light assisted impedance studies based on ITO/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrene sulfonate)/[poly(3-hexylthiophene):1-(3-methyloxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl(6,6)C61 (P3HT:PCBM)]/Ca/Al solar cells. It was found that the charge accumulation at the electrode interface causes a decrease in parallel resistance (Rp), consequently a reduction in fill factor. Moreover, it has also been found that the photocurrent loss near the open-circuit voltage through bimolecular recombination also leads to the reduction of fill factor with increasing light intensity in P3HT:PCBM solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc sulfide thin films have been deposited with hydrogen in Ar and Ar+H2 atmosphere by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The thickness, structural properties, composition, surface morphology, and optical and electrical properties of the films have been investigated. Effect of hydrogen on the properties of the film was studied. The results showed that hydrogen leads to better crystallinity and larger crystallite size of ZnS polycrystalline films. The band gaps of the films in Ar+H2 are about 3.48 eV compared with 3.24 eV without hydrogen. It is also demonstrated that hydrogen can result in a better stoichiometric composition of the films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mixing a small proportion, 10%, of retinoic acid (RA) into an oral dose of vitamin A (VA) has been shown to markedly increase retinol uptake and retinyl ester (RE) formation in the neonatal lung, as compared to VA given alone. Concomitantly, several retinoid homeostatic genes, lecithin:retinol acyltransferase (LRAT), RA-4-hydroxylase (CYP26B1), and stimulated by retinoic acid gene-6 (STRA6) were upregulated. However, whether multiple doses may act accumulatively and whether less than 10% RA can be used has not been determined. Methods Neonatal rats were treated once on postnatal day (PD) 4 or PD14 with VA alone or VA combined with 10% RA (VARA10%) or a stable analog, Am580 (VAAm10%), or they were treated with multiple doses on PD4, 7, 11, and 14. Results RE increased cumulatively with multiple dosing. However, LRAT, CYP26B1 and STRA6 mRNA levels were similar for single and multiple treatments, indicating a transient noncumulative impact on gene expression. Lung RE was elevated with as little as 0.5% RA (P < 0.05) in a single dosing study. Whereas all concentrations of VARA elevated lung RE in single dosing studies, only 10% RA increased lung RE after multiple dosing, suggesting an attenuation of RA action with repeated dosing. In contrast, VAAm10%, 2%, and 1% all significantly increased lung RE after multiple doses (P < 0.05), while also increasing the expression of LRAT and CYP26B1. Conclusions These results indicate that the neonatal lung is very sensitive to acidic retinoid exposure and suggest that a VA combined with a very small fraction of acidic retinoid could be effective in increasing the lung's storage pool of VA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares legislative drafts of People's Republic of China (PRC) concerning foreign-related civil relations enshrined in various articles of the Chinese law. As per the article 1, one or more parties in case of civil relations must be foreigners. The article 13 states that the law of habitual residence may be applied if natural person's original residence is unknown. It also refers to the law of Lexi fori which as per the article 37, resolves legal disputes of two affected parties.

Tin oxide SnO2 films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. The effects of oxygen partial pressure percentage on the SnO2 property have been investigated to obtain relatively high-resistivity SnO2 films which could be used as buffer layers to optimize the performance of CdTe/CdS solar cells. The oxygen partial pressure percentage varied in the range of 1%~10%. The results show that the introduction of oxygen would suppress the deposition and growth of SnO2 films. Electrical measurement suggests that the film resistivity decreases with the increase of oxygen pressure. The SnO2 films with resistivity of 232 Ω cm were obtained in pure Ar atmosphere. All SnO2 films fabricated with different oxygen partial pressure percentage have almost the same optical band gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melt blowing is used commercially as a one-step process for converting polymer resin directly into a nonwoven mat of microfibres. A one-dimensional model of air drawing of polymers was established in previous research without considering the polymer vibration. In this paper, the air drawing model is generalized to be a three-dimensional one by taking the polymer vibration into account. The distribution of air velocity and air temperature are obtained numerically using the Euler approach. The three-dimensional air drawing model is established and solved using the Lagrange approach. The predicted fiber diameters coincide with the experimental results, revealing the great potential of this research for the optimization design of the melt blowing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical In2O3(ZnO)10superlattice nanostructures were controllably synthesized in high yield by a simple chemical vapor deposition method, at low temperature. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations showed that In2O3(ZnO)10superlattice platelets regularly arrayed along axial In2O3(ZnO)10superlattice nanowires. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy results demonstrated that the two adjacent In–O layers sandwich eleven layered wurtzite In/Zn–O layers. X-Ray diffraction data for In2O3(ZnO)10were obtained to fill the gap in the JCPDS database. A possible growth mechanism is suggested in terms of the Stranski–Krastanow growth mode of semiconductor quantum dots. Low-temperature synthesis of hierarchical In2O3(ZnO)10superlattice nanostructures is an important step toward fabricating highly densely integrated functional nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolayer cable nets have been widely applied in point-supported glass facades in recent years because of transparency, light weight and flexibility of construction. In this paper, work on the static load bearing performance of this type of cable net is described through the use of finite element analysis (FEA) and tests on a 1/10-scale model of a real project in P.R. China under construction. Firstly a method of analysis inverse to the sequence of erection and much different from conventional methods, is used to model the pre-stretching of cables with the aid of FEA to provide guidelines for the tests. Cable pre-stretching proceeds by three stages, then load bearing behaviour tests on the cable net are carried out both before and after the installation of glass panels. The agreement between the pre-stretching tests and the FEA analysis indicates that the inverse analysis method is convenient in calculation, and provides useful references for the pre-stretching of similar types of cable net in practical engineering. The nonlinear relationship found between loads and displacements just indicates the nonlinear properties of flexible cable nets. Before the installation of glass panels, the structural stiffness actually increases slowly with increasing external loads, and greater initial pre-tension is more beneficial to load bearing capacity of the structure. But too large an initial pre-tension may overload the supporting structures of the cable net. The increase in cable force due to external loads is small. Nevertheless, the stiffness of the glass panels themselves make a significant contribution to the overall structural stiffness, the contribution which becomes less obvious as the stiffness of the cable net itself increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of the dynamic properties of a monolayer cable net is described in this part II of the paper. The linear vibration properties of a cable net are analyzed in the form of a lumped-mass system based on the assumption of small-amplitude vibration. The respective influence of two vital factors: geometric shape and cable pretension on the dynamic properties of cable nets at different deflected positions under load is especially focused upon. Results show that when the geometric shape has a small displacement, the displacement influence on frequencies of vibration is almost the same as that of pre-tension, otherwise, the influence of geometric shape is far greater than that of pre-tension. Dynamic tests on the cable net model mentioned in Part I were also carried out at each pre-stretching stage. The results of experiments agree well with those of finite element analysis (FEA). In addition, a modified method called ‘MML’ based on Rayleigh's approach for the calculation of fundamental frequency is put forward in this paper, since it was found that Rayleigh's approach may sometimes introduce large errors. The nonlinear dynamic properties of the cable net were also analyzed. Different from the linear vibration case, nonlinear cases are to some extent amplitude-dependent. Thus explicitly approximate formulae for the first and second nonlinear modal frequencies are derived from continuous theory assuming the cable net to act as a continuous membrane. Transient dynamic analysis using the finite element software ANSYS was carried out to validate the formulae. The results given by the formulae and those via numerical analysis agree with each other well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofibrious composite poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were prepared by simultaneously electrospinning PLGA and chitosan/PVA from two different syringes. The in vitro degradation of PLGA and cross-linked composite membranes was examined for up to 10 weeks in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 37°C. The pH of PBS, the weight average molecular weight of PLGA, fiber morphology and mechanical properties, including tensile strength, Young's modulus and elongation-at-break, were measured as a function of degradation time. The fibrous composite membranes were further investigated as a promising scaffold for human embryo skin fibroblasts (hESFs) culture. The cell adhesion and morphology of hESFs seeded on each electrospun membrane was observed using scanning electron microscope and inverted phase contrast microscopy after Wright–Giemsa staining. The introduction of chitosan/PVA component changed the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and, thus, influenced degradation behavior and mechanical properties of the composite membranes during degradation. The cells could not only favorably attach and grow well on the composite membranes, but were also able to migrate and infiltrate the membranes. Therefore, the results suggest that the composite membranes can positively mimic the structure of natural extracellular matrices and have the potential for application as three-dimensional tissue-engineering scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have shown that the Kyoto classification of gastritis can accurately predict H. pylori infection status on conventional gastroscopy. The aim of this study was to test whether the Kyoto classification of gastritis applies well to magnetic controlled capsule endoscopy (MCCE). Methods: We consecutively recruited 227 participants who underwent both MCCE and urea breath tests (UBTs). Two physicians who were blinded to the UBT results independently made the diagnosis of H. pylori infection status according to 10 findings listed in the Kyoto classification of gastritis after reviewing MCCE images. We also developed 2 predictive models to assess H. pylori infection status by combining these 10 findings. Results: The MCCE's overall diagnostic accuracy for H. pylori infection status was 80.2%. The sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for current infection were 89.4%, 90.1% and 77.1, respectively. Major specific findings were mucosal swelling and spotty redness for current infection, regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC), streak redness, fundic gland polyp (FGP) for noninfection, and map-like redness for past-infection. In the two prediction models, the area under the curve (AUC) values for predicting noninfection and current infection were 84.7 and 84.9, respectively. Conclusions: The Kyoto classification of gastritis applied well to MCCE. H. pylori infection status could be accurately assessed on MCCE according to the Kyoto classification of gastritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles can promote the accumulation of drugs in tumors. However, they find limited clinical applications because they cannot easily penetrate the stroma of cancer tissues, and it is difficult to control drug release. We developed a multiresponse multistage drug-delivery nanogel with improved tumor permeability and responsiveness to the tumor microenvironment for the controlled delivery of anticancer agents. For this purpose, ~100 nm multistage drug delivery nanogels with pH, redox, near-infrared stimulation, and enzyme responsiveness were grown in situ using 20 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via an emulsion-aiding crosslinking technique with cysteine crosslinker. An alginate cysteine AuNP (ACA) nanocarrier can efficiently load the cationic drug doxorubicin (DOX) to produce a multistage drug delivery nanocarrier (DOX@ACA). DOX@ ACA can maintain the slow release of DOX and reduce its toxicity. In cancer tissues, the high pH and reductase microenvironment combined with the in vitro delivery of alginate and near-infrared light drove drug release. The developed nanoparticles effectively inhibited cancer cells, and in vivo evaluations showed that they effectively enhanced antitumor activity while having negligible in vivo toxicity to major organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine the psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between attachment style and intimate relationship satisfaction in women. For this purpose, a cross-sectional research design was employed in which 233 women (Mage = 28.16 years) who were currently in a romantic relationship completed a questionnaire that assessed attachment style, relationship satisfaction, self-esteem, and flexible goal adjustment (FGA). The results showed that both high attachment anxiety and high attachment avoidance were associated with low relationship satisfaction. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between attachment insecurity and relationship satisfaction. Moreover, the mediation effect of self-esteem was moderated by FGA, such that only in women with high FGA was self-esteem a significant mediator in the relationship between an insecure attachment style and relationship satisfaction. The results have implications for enhancing women's relationship satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prenatal BACs-on-Beads™ (PNBoBs™) technology has been approved for use in routine clinical prenatal diagnosis in numerous countries. However, the influence of data interpretation on the accuracy of the results remains to be evaluated. The present study aimed to determine the accuracy of existing data interpretation approaches and develop an optimization method to improve the performance of the PNBoBs™ assay in prenatal diagnosis. A total of 2,289 prenatal cases with known karyotypes and raw ratio data from PNBoBs™ assays were recruited for the present study. Positive results, according to the data interpretation methods used for the PNBoBs™ test, were validated against current gold-standard approaches. Statistical analyses were then performed to evaluate the accuracy of existing methods in data interpretation to provide a basis for the optimization of a follow-up approach. Among the existing methods, the 'trimmed standard deviation threshold' approach had the highest sensitivity and false-positive rates, with 98.1 and 4.2%, respectively. The 'n-1 or greater probes' rule had the highest specificity (99.7%) and the second-highest false-negative rate (11.5%). The method optimized in the present study provided a reasonable balance between sensitivity (98.1%) and specificity (99.6%) with regards to the interpretation of the data obtained from the PNBoBs™ assay. The results indicated that the present optimization method outperforms existing approaches in data interpretation for the PNBoBs™ assay, and as a result, may reduce unnecessary verification turnaround time and cost in prenatal diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale nanoporous amorphous silica nanostructure is fabricated via a simply etched approach and effective thermal evaporation process. The nanoporous amorphous silica was synthesized by a general and scalable process via etching by metal particles on the silica sheets. In this study, we elucidated how a nanoporous structure was performed and the addition of indium is the key factor that determined the formation of the nanoporous structures. The morphology and the sizes of the porous structure could be tunable by the sizes and the shape of the metal. We discovered a promising optical property in the as-synthesized nanostructures, which have a photoluminescence in an intensive ultraviolet emission as well as a broad visible emission at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) targeting the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike (S) protein are classified into seven classes based on their binding epitopes. However, most of these antibodies are seriously impaired by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and its subvariants, especially the recent BQ.1.1, XBB and its derivatives. Identification of broadly neutralizing MAbs against currently circulating variants is imperative. In this study, we identified a "breathing" cryptic epitope in the S protein, named as RBD-8. Two human MAbs, BIOLS56 and IMCAS74, were isolated recognizing this epitope with broad neutralization abilities against tested sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV, pangolin-origin coronaviruses, and all the SARS-CoV-2 variants tested (Omicron BA.4/BA.5, BQ.1.1, and XBB subvariants). Searching through the literature, some more RBD-8 MAbs were defined. More importantly, BIOLS56 rescues the immune-evaded antibody, RBD-5 MAb IMCAS-L4.65, by making a bispecific MAb, to neutralize BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, thereby producing an MAb to cover all the currently circulating Omicron subvariants. Structural analysis reveals that the neutralization effect of RBD-8 antibodies depends on the extent of epitope exposure, which is affected by the angle of antibody binding and the number of up-RBDs induced by angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 binding. This cryptic epitope which recognizes non- receptor binding motif (non-RBM) provides guidance for the development of universal therapeutic antibodies and vaccines against COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: It is controversial whether preprocedural elevated high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) could increase the incidence of peripro- cedural myocardial infraction (PMI) of higher risk stratifications. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether preoperative elevated CRP level was related to the incidence of PMI in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 4.426 patients [66 y (59, 75); 72.3% males] with normal preprocedural cardiac enzymes were prospectively divided into two groups; the elevated CRP group was defined as CRP >3 mg/L, which was approximately 30.4% of the patients. The relationship between CRP and the incidence of PMI was established by multivariate logistic regression analysis, and multivariate linear regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between CRP and the severity of myocardial injury. Results: The incidence rates were similar between the two groups with periprocedural myocardial minor necrosis (34.23% versus 32.74%, p=0.607), but significantly differed based on the 2007 (defined as cardiac enzymes >3-fold elevations), 31.25% in high CRP group versus 26.25% in low group [odds ratio (OR) 1.19; p=0.046] and the 2012 universal PMI (defined as cardiac enzymes >5-fold elevations with at least one clinical evidence, such as chest pain, ECG changes or imaging diagnosis of heart ischemia), 19.79% versus 15.35% (OR 1.26, p=0.023); besides, the PMI ratios increased in line with the elevation of CRP (p=0.006 for the 2007 and p=0.011 for the 2012 universal PMI). However, no significant linear relationship was found between CRP and high sensitivity cardiac troponin I peak post-PCI. Conclusion: Elevated baseline CRP was an independent risk factor for the incidence of the 2007 and the 2012 universal PMI rather than minor necrosis. However, CRP may not correlate with the severity of minor myocardial necrosis in patients with PMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stromal antigen 2 (STAG2) gene encodes a component of the cohesin complex that participates in the regulation of sister chromatid separation during mitosis. When activated, STAG2 may act as a 'caretaker' tumor suppressor gene. As it is unknown whether STAG2 gene is responsible for the occurrence and associated with the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the present study analyzed the relative expression levels of STAG2 in 127 de novo AML patients and 17 healthy volunteers using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, AML patients were divided into three risk groups using cytogenetic and molecular genetic abnormalities to define their risk status. STAG2 gene expression was found to be significantly downregulated in de novo AML patients, when compared with the healthy controls; however, the expression was not significantly different in the various gender and age subgroups. Furthermore, no significant difference between risk groups was detected in AML patients. Thus, the STAG2 gene may serve an important role in AML development, but is not associated with prognosis in AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. For patients using peritoneal dialysis (PD), the peritoneal membrane can develop fibrosis and angiogenesis, leading to ultrafiltration failure, chronic hypervolemia and increased risk of technique failure and mortality. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and specifically the gelatinases (MMP2 andMMP9),may be involved in peritoneal membrane injury. Methods. From stable PD patients, mesothelial cells were assayed forMMP gene expression.MMP9 was overexpressed in mouse peritoneum by adenovirus, and MMP9-/- mice were subjected to transforming growth factor b (TGF-b)-induced peritoneal fibrosis. Results. MMP9 mRNA expression correlated with peritoneal membrane solute transport properties. Overexpression of MMP9 in the mouse peritoneum induced submesothelial thickening and angiogenesis. MMP9 induced mesothelial cell transition to a myofibroblast phenotype measured by increased alpha smooth muscle actin and decreased E-cadherin expression. Angiogenesis was markedly reduced in MMP9-/- mice treated with an adenovirus expressing active TGF-b compared with wild-type mice. TGF-β-mediated E-cadherin cleavage was MMP9 dependent, and E-cadherin cleavage led to β-cateninmediated signaling. A β-catenin inhibitor blocked the angiogenic response induced by AdMMP9. Conclusions. Our data suggest that MMP9 is involved in peritoneal membrane injury possibly through cleavage of E-cadherin and induction of β-catenin signaling.MMP9 is a potential biomarker for peritoneal membrane injury and is a therapeutic target to protect the peritonealmembrane in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mushroom dendritic spine structures are essential for memory storage and the loss of mushroom spines may explain memory defects in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The stability of mushroom spines depends on stromal interaction molecule 2 (STIM2)-mediated neuronal-store-operated Ca2+ influx (nSOC) pathway, which is compromised in AD mouse models, in aging neurons, and in sporadic AD patients. Here, we demonstrate that the Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 6 (TRPC6) and Orai2 channels form a STIM2-regulated nSOC Ca2+ channel complex in hippocampal mushroom spines. We further demonstrate that a known TRPC6 activator, hyperforin, and a novel nSOC positive modulator, NSN21778 (NSN), can stimulate activity of nSOC pathway in the spines and rescue mushroom spine loss in both presenilin and APP knock-in mouse models of AD. We further show that NSN rescues hippocampal long-term potentiation impairment in APP knock-in mouse model. We conclude that the STIM2-regulated TRPC6/Orai2 nSOC channel complex in dendritic mushroom spines is a new therapeutic target for the treatment of memory loss in aging and AD and that NSN is a potential candidate molecule for therapeutic intervention in brain aging and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trimethylchlorosilane was used as chlorine source for the α- chlorination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds with phenyliodonium diacetate as oxidant at room temperature. The reaction allows the selective synthesis of α-monochlorinated products from different kinds of 1,3- dicarbonyl compounds in good yield. The potential possibility of this conversion for bromination has also been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A social phenomenon of great interest in China is that of young people who have rich parents, commonly referred to as "rich kids." These rich kids are both liked and disliked by other young people, leading to contradictions in the behavior of their peers toward the rich kids. We conducted 2 studies to examine the attitude that young people hold toward rich kids from an ambivalent theory perspective. In Study 1, we used a free-thinking task and found that participants were ambivalent, associating both good and bad things with the target phrase "rich kids." In Study 2, we presented participants with a scenario. Participants showed a more negative evaluation of, and more ambivalent emotions toward, the target they were supposed to meet when they were told that the target was a rich kid. These results showed that the participants' attitudinal ambivalence manifested in their emotion but not in their cognitive evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/P(styrene-butyl acryl) composite latex was successfully synthesized by in-situ emulsion copolymerization to prepare MWCNTs/P(styrene-butyl acryl) composite film directly. The results by Raman spectra and FESEM showed that P(styrene-butyl acryl) copolymer molecules were combined assuredly with the surface of MWCNTs. MWCNTs coated with P(styrene-butyl acryl) could be dispersed in the emulsion evenly. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that Tg, G' and tanδ of the composites films were greater in the presence of MWCNTs. Specially the vibration damping property was enhanced at elevated temperatures, indicating the strong interaction between MWCNTs and P(styrene-butyl acryl) molecules to limit the motivation of P(styrene-butyl acryl) chains. The electrical conductivity increased with the adding of MWCNTs by 7 orders of magnitude on addition of 1.5 wt.% MWNTs. So the electrical and damping film has been prepared via in situ emulsion copolymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembly Zn/ZnO composite nanowires were successfully synthesized viaa simple chemical vapor deposition method. The composition and crystal structure of the Zn/ZnO composite nanowires were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The surface of the ZnO nanowires was decorated with Zn nanoparticles. Their photoluminescence properties were measured, indicating that the near-band edge emission intensity was significantly enhanced and visible emission was suppressed, which originates from the coupling between surface plasmons and the near-band edge emission of ZnO (or electromagnetic field). Random lasing from Zn/ZnO composite nanowires was observed due to the surface plasmon resonant effect. Our results show a convenient way to achieve laser action by the surface plasmon resonant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th17 cells are a subset of CD4+ T cells with an important role in clearing certain bacterial and fungal pathogens. However, they have also been implicated in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Exposure of naive CD4+ T cells to IL-6 and TGF-β leads to Th17 cell differentiation through a process in which many proteins have been implicated. We report here that ectopic expression of liver X receptor (LXR) inhibits Th17 polarization of mouse CD4+ T cells, while LXR deficiency promotes Th17 differentiation in vitro. LXR activation in mice ameliorated disease in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis, whereas LXR deficiency exacerbated disease. Further analysis revealed that Srebp-1, which is encoded by an LXR target gene, mediated the suppression of Th17 differentiation by binding to the E-box element on the Il17 promoter, physically interacting with aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) and inhibiting Ahr-controlled Il17 transcription. The putative active site (PAS) domain of Ahr and the N-terminal acidic region of Srebp-1 were essential for this interaction. Additional analyses suggested that similar LXR-dependent mechanisms were operational during human Th17 differentiation in vitro. This study reports what we believe to be a novel signaling pathway underlying LXR-mediated regulation of Th17 cell differentiation and autoimmunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isothermal heat conduction microcalorimetry was adopted as a novel characterization method to investigate the polymerization processes of silica when the combination of silica sol and potassium sodium silicate was stirred at 25.0, 35.0, and 45.0 °C. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were simultaneously obtained. The enthalpy change was greater at each higher temperature. The reaction orders ( m, n) instantaneously varied, up and down in an alternate manner. At 25.0, 35.0, and 45.0 °C, the rate constants were different; the maximum rate constant occurred at 25.0 °C. These phenomena reflect a two-stage oligomeric mechanism of silica monomers. The measurements of particle size showed the complex chemical composition of aqueous silicates, which can be qualitatively designated by the particle size distribution in two parts. The results further indicate that the colloidal particles in the mixed silica sol and silicates first dissolved. Then the “active” silica in the silicates redeposited to make a distinct particle size distribution influenced by K and Na ions as well as by temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective solvothermal reaction route has been developed for large-scale synthesis of CdS nanowires. L-cysteine was used as both sulfur source and capping reagent. The nanowires obtained were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, UV-Vis and PL. On the basis of time-resolved experiments, a possible growth mechanism was proposed. FTIR analysis confirmed the formation of Cd-cysteine complex and peptide during the reaction. The mechanism was further supported by comparative experiments with other sulfur sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinoic acid (RA), produced from vitamin A (VA, retinol), is required for normal lung development and postnatal lung maturation. The concentration of retinyl ester (RE), the major storage form of retinol, decreases in the lungs in the perinatal period. Previously, we tested VARA, a nutrient-metabolite combination of VA and RA (10:1 molar ratio), on lung RE formation in postnatal rats and showed that the components of VARA acted synergistically to increase lung RE, as compared with the effects of equal amounts of VA and RA given alone. In this study, we first determined the equivalency of orally administered VARA in comparison to a standard oral supplement of VA, with respect to lung and liver RE storage. In a dose-dilution study, VARA was 4 times as effective as the standard dose of VA (VARA-25% did not differ from VA-100%). The synergistic effect of VARA was selective for the lungs, compared with the liver, in which VA and VARA had equal effects. Secondly, we tested whether the 2 components of VARA must be coadministered to exert their synergistic effect on lung RE content. RA and VA and were administered separately and together as VARA. Although RA alone had no effect on lung RE in this 24-h experiment, RA synergized with VA administered either 12 h before RA or 12 h after RA, as well as when coadministered as VARA. We infer that VA and RA are both limiting for lung RE formation in neonates. Given the importance of bioactive retinoids in cell differentiation and lung development, assuring an adequate lung RE content postnatally could be of benefit for lung maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematological malignancy with poor long-term outcomes. Numerous studies claim that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important regulators in AML progression. This study intended to explore the role of circNPM1 in AML development and drug chemoresistance. The expression of circNPM1 and miR-345-5p was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cellular activities, including cell growth, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration and invasion, were monitored using colony formation assay, flow cytometry assay and transwell assay, respectively. The relationship between miR-345-5p and circNPM1 or Frizzled-5 (FZD5) was predicted by the bioinformatics tool starBase and validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay or RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. CircNPM1 was abundantly expressed in serum samples from AML patients and AML cell lines. CircNPM1 silence or miR-345-5p restoration repressed colony formation, cell migration and invasion, contributed to cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and weakened Adriamycin (ADM) resistance of AML cells. MiR-345-5p was a target of circNPM1 and was downregulated in AML serum and cells. MiR-345-5p deficiency reversed the effects of circNPM1 silence. Further, FZD5 was targeted by miR-345-5p, and circNPM1 regulated FZD5 expression by adsorbing miR-345-5p. FZD5 overexpression could block the function of miR-345-5p restoration. CircNPM1 might be a vital regulator for ADM chemoresistance in AML cells, which partly depended on the role of the miR-345-5p/FZD5 axis. Our study presents the view that circNPM1 degradation may be a key strategy in AML resistance therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helicobacter pylori may have a protective effect against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We integrated epidemiological data to identify the correlation between IBD and H. pylori. Moreover, we analyzed whether IBD medication and classification affect H. pylori, and whether eradication of H. pylori leads to recurrence of IBD. Methods: Articles published up to May 1, 2019, in three main databases including PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase, were searched. Study types included cross-sectional studies, retrospective studies and perspective studies, and data were combined and analyzed. Spearman correlation analysis and meta-analysis were performed after collecting and collating the relevant data. Sensitivity analysis and meta-regression were used to evaluate reliability and heterogeneity. Results: Fifty-nine studies on IBD prevalence, 127 studies on H. pylori prevalence, and 23 studies for meta-analysis were included. IBD, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) were negatively correlated to H. pylori prevalence (all P < 0.001). The metaanalysis results showed that compared to controls, the odds of having H. pylori infection were 0.44, 0.36, 0.54 for IBD, CD and UC, respectively (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.34-0.59; OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.26-0.49; OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.4-0.72). Moreover, IBD patients were 1.41 times (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.25-1.58) more likely to relapse after eradication of H. pylori. Finally, H. pylori infection was not related to IBD medication and classification. Conclusion: H. pylori prevalence was negatively correlated to IBD and H. pylori had a protective effect against IBD. Furthermore, eradication of H. pylori can lead to recurrence of IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a major threat to global health. Although varied SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses have been isolated from bats and SARS-CoV-2 may infect bat, the structural basis for SARS-CoV-2 to utilize the human receptor counterpart bat angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (bACE2) for virus infection remains less understood. Here, we report that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) could bind to bACE2 from Rhinolophus macrotis (bACE2- Rm) with substantially lower affinity compared with that to the human ACE2 (hACE2), and its infectivity to host cells expressing bACE2- Rm was confirmed with pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 virus and SARS-CoV-2 wild virus. The structure of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD with the bACE2-Rm complex was determined, revealing a binding mode similar to that of hACE2. The analysis of binding details between SARS-CoV-2 RBD and bACE2-Rm revealed that the interacting network involving Y41 and E42 of bACE2-Rm showed substantial differences with that to hACE2. Bats have extensive species diversity and the residues for RBD binding in bACE2 receptor varied substantially among different bat species. Notably, the Y41H mutant, which exists in many bats, attenuates the binding capacity of bACE2-Rm, indicating the central roles of Y41 in the interaction network. These findings would benefit our understanding of the potential infection of SARS-CoV-2 in varied species of bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the relationship and diagnostic potential between microsatellite instability (MSI) caused by a 9-bp GGGGGTAGA insertion/deletion in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) at position 8272 and clinical features in Chinese patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The 9-bp GGGGGTAGA insertion/deletion in the non-d-loop area of the mitochondrial DNA at the 8272 locus was detected by PCR in 139 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patient samples. GGGGGTAGA insertion/deletion was found in a total of 16 cases (11.5%), including nine T cell lymphoma and seven B cell lymphoma cases. The 5-year survival rate was 33.3% in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and MSI, and was 26.7% in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients lacking MSI. In B-cell lymphoma, the 5-year survival rate was 42.9% in patients harboring the 9-bp insertion/deletion, and was 36.8% in patients lacking MSI. In T-cell lymphoma, the 5-year survival rate was 55.6% in patients with the 9-bp insertion/deletion, and was 16.4% in patients lacking MSI (p < 0.05). The difference between 5-year survival rates was statistically significant only in T-cell lymphoma patients. In conclusion, the mtDNA GGGGGTAGA indel/variation at position 8272 can be used as an independent prognostic marker for T-cell lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Receptor for hyaluronic acid (HA)-mediated motility (RHAMM) expression is upregulated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In the present study, small interfering RNA knockdown was used to investigate the regulatory mechanism and function of RHAMM in PDAC cells. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of RHAMM, hyaluronan synthases (HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3) and hyaluronidases (HYAL1, HYAL2 and HYAL3) in eight PDAC cell lines. Cell migration was assessed using a Transwell assay, while HA concentration was measured using an ELISA. The results revealed that RHAMM-knockdown significantly increased migration in two PDAC cell lines, significantly decreased migration in one cell line and did not affect migration in the other cell lines, and was positively associated with changes in HA production. There was a linear negative correlation between RHAMM mRNA expression and HA concentration in PDAC cells and tissues. The negative correlation between RHAMM mRNA expression and HA concentration was demonstrated in other models, including SUIT2 cells treated with an HA inhibitor or stimulator and a system involving co-culture of SUIT2 cells and stromal fibroblasts. The present findings demonstrated a negative correlation between RHAMM mRNA expression and HA production in a subset of PDAC cell lines. The efficacy of a therapeutic strategy targeting RHAMM should be carefully evaluated in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): To investigate the effects of paeoniflorin (PEF) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis feedback function of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). cSingle-prolonged stress (SPS) was used to establish a PTSD-like rat model. The contents of plasma corticosterone (CORT), adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) were measured by ELISA. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR), mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), adrenocorticotropic hormone-releasing factor I receptor (CRF1R), and adrenocorticotropic hormone-releasing factor II receptor (CRF2R) in the hippocampus and amygdala were measured by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results: The results showed that on day 8 after SPS, model rats showed enhanced HPA axis negative feedback lasting to day 29. On day 29, plasma CORT levels increased in model rats, while plasma CRH levels had no significant difference on days 8, 22, and 29. The expression of GR and MR of model rats significantly increased in the hippocampus, while the expression of GR, MR, and CRF1R significantly decreased in the amygdala. After 14 days of continuous administration of PEF, the enhanced negative feedback was inhibited, and the plasma CORT level significantly reduced after 21 days of administration. Moreover, PEF could significantly decrease the expression of GR and MR in the hippocampus, and increase the expression of GR, MR, and CRF1R significantly in the amygdala. Conclusion: PEF could regulate HPA axis dysfunction in a rat model of PTSD, which may be related to regulating expression of GR and MR in the hippocampus and amygdala and regulating expression of CRF1R in the amygdala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]