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This study aims to investigate the temporal and spatial attributes of the exit of Taiwanese enterprises from mainland China between 2001 and 2021, by applying enterprise database data. Furthermore, the influence of strategic coupling on Taiwanese enterprises' exit from mainland China was also investigated. The following are the key findings: The spatial distribution pattern of the exit rate of Taiwanese enterprises in mainland China varied at different phases. In contrast, the inland regions of the country's central and western zones, which are characterized by comparatively less developed economies, maintained consistently high exit rates, whereas the eastern coastal region retained a low exit rate. Particularly, the relationship between Taiwanese enterprises and the invested areas changed from Captive coupling to Cooperative coupling and subsequently to Absorptive Coupling. Similarly, the coupling modes significantly influenced the exit of Taiwanese enterprises from mainland China. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the backward connection of Taiwanese corporations, which have become more reliant on the mainland China market and local suppliers than earlier. Taiwan-favoring policies and the regional innovation environment have consequently emerged as the primary locational advantages for retaining Taiwanese enterprises in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Therefore, the aforementioned factors may help to reduce the Taiwanese enterprises' exit from mainland China and possess valuable policy implications for Taiwan investment zones in mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mismatch in kinetics and capacity of electrodes restricts the further improvement of lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). In specific, carbon cathode with a high specific capacity plays a crucial role in achieving the high energy density of LICs devices. Herein, the ordered-disordered hybrid carbon structure was designed and different anions storage behaviors were revealed. Benefiting from this novel method, the specific capacity of carbon cathode reached 130.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 in the range of 2–4.6 V with anions adsorption and intercalation mechanism. Moreover, the specific capacity still stabilized at 62.3 mAh g−1 even after 500 cycles at 5.0 A g−1 (vs. 17.6 mAh g−1 of commercial activated carbon). When assembled into dual-carbon LICs with the modified anode, the energy density was as high as 231.5 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 40.6 W kg−1, which was much superior to the present LICs devices. The energy density was still maintained at 86.2 Wh kg−1 at 5.0 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. The improved carbon cathode tactic by regulating the anions storage behavior provides a new approach for high-performance LICs. [Display omitted] • Ordered-disordered hybrid carbon with improved anions storage performance was achieved. • The electrochemical characteristics of anions at different voltage was revealed. • High energy density dual-carbon LICs was assembled (231.5 Wh kg−1 at 40.6 W kg−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adipose tissue group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) help maintain metabolic homeostasis by sustaining type 2 immunity and promoting adipose beiging. Although impairment of the ILC2 compartment contributes to obesity-associated insulin resistance, the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. Here, we found that ILC2s in obese mice and humans exhibited impaired liver kinase B1 (LKB1) activation. Genetic ablation of LKB1 disrupted ILC2 mitochondrial metabolism and suppressed ILC2 responses, resulting in exacerbated insulin resistance. Mechanistically, LKB1 deficiency induced aberrant PD-1 expression through activation of NFAT, which in turn enhanced mitophagy by suppressing Bcl-xL expression. Blockade of PD-1 restored the normal functions of ILC2s and reversed obesity-induced insulin resistance in mice. Collectively, these data present the LKB1-PD-1 axis as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of metabolic disease. [Display omitted] • LKB1 signaling is impaired in adipose tissue ILC2s from both mice and humans • LKB1 deficiency impairs ILC2 function and promotes obesity-associated insulin resistance • LKB1 sustains ILC2 mitochondrial and effector functions by inhibiting PD-1 expression • Targeting the LKB1-PD-1 axis may be a promising approach to metabolic disease therapy Obesity induces ILC2 dysfunction in adipose tissue and insulin resistance by undetermined mechanisms. Here, Sun et al. show that liver kinase B1 (LKB1) signaling protects ILC2s from mitophagy by suppressing PD-1 expression. Moreover, PD-1 blockade restores ILC2 function and reverses obesity-associated insulin resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common cardiovascular disease, has been a global health threat. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed to frequently participate in the occurrence and development of DN, however, the role of miR‐325‐3p in DN remains uncharacterized. Our research aimed to explore the function and mechanism of miR‐325‐3p in DN. Bioinformatics analysis (Targetscan, http://www.targetscan.org) and a wide range of experiments including RT‐qPCR, CCK‐8 assay, western blot, luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays, urine protein and blood glucose assays, histology analysis and morphometric analysis were used to explore the function and mechanism of miR‐325‐3p and C‐C motif chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19). CCL19 could facilitate the progression of DN by inhibiting cell viability and promoting inflammation and fibrosis in HK‐2 and HMC cells. In addition, CCL19 was confirmed to be targeted and negatively regulated by miR‐325‐3p. Rescue assays validated that the impacts of miR‐325‐3p mimics on the viability, inflammation and fibrosis of HK‐2 and HMC cells were recovered by CCL19 overexpression. To sum up, miR‐325‐3p inhibits renal inflammation and fibrosis by targeting CCL19 in a DN cell model and mice model, implying miR‐325‐3p as a possible therapeutic target for DN treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The B‐cell receptor (BCR) transmits a tonic survival signal in the absence of antigen stimulation and an antigen‐triggered survival signal. Mature B cells express two types of BCR, IgM and IgD, but it remains unclear how B‐cell survival is differentially regulated by these two receptors. We found that, whereas cross‐linking IgM on spleen B cells greatly enhanced their survival, cross‐linking IgD did not enhance, but rather decreased, their survival. Consistently, cross‐linking both IgM and IgD only moderately enhanced B‐cell survival, suggesting that IgM and IgD play opposing roles in B‐cell survival induced by BCR stimulation. Based on these and additional experimental results, we present a mathematical model integrating IgM‐ and IgD‐mediated survival signals. Our model shows that IgD can transmit a tonic survival signal in the absence of antigen stimulation but cross‐linking IgD not only does not generate a survival signal but also disrupts its tonic signal, resulting in inhibition of B‐cell survival. These results suggest that IgD attenuates BCR‐induced survival in mature B cells, presumably to restrain B‐cell response to weak and/or self‐antigens and prevent nonspecific B‐cell activation and autoimmunity. Cross‐linking IgM on B cells enhances B‐cell survival. In contrast, cross‐linking IgD inhibits B‐cell survival. Based on these and additional experimental results, the authors establish a mathematical model for BCR‐induced B‐cell survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering personal privacy and difficulty of obtaining training material for many seldom used English words and (often non-English) names, language-independent (LI) with lightweight speaker-dependent (SD) automatic speech recognition (ASR) is a promising option to solve the problem. The dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm is the state-of-the-art algorithm for small foot-print SD ASR applications with limited storage space and small vocabulary, such as voice dialing on mobile devices, menu-driven recognition, and voice control on vehicles and robotics. Even though we have successfully developed two fast and accurate DTW variations for clean speech data, speech recognition for adverse conditions is still a big challenge. In order to improve recognition accuracy in noisy environment and bad recording conditions such as too high or low volume, we introduce a novel one-against-all weighted DTW (OAWDTW). This method defines a one-against-all index (OAI) for each time frame of training data and applies the OAIs to the core DTW process. Given two speech signals, OAWDTW tunes their final alignment score by using OAI in the DTW process. Our method achieves better accuracies than DTW and merge-weighted DTW (MWDTW), as 6.97% relative reduction of error rate (RRER) compared with DTW and 15.91% RRER compared with MWDTW are observed in our extensive experiments on one representative SD dataset of four speakers' recordings. To the best of our knowledge, OAWDTW approach is the first weighted DTW specially designed for speech data in adverse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The attenuation characteristics of electromagnetic waves propagation in an arched tunnel cannot be studied by means of the classical theory method. Based on the equivalent analysis method, the lowermost attenuation mode of the arched tunnel was analysed and compared with attenuation modes of the circular tunnel with the equal cross sectional area. The results show that it is feasible to compare the lowermost attenuation mode of the arched tunnel with that of the circular tunnel. The influence of the relative permittivity of tunnel walls is significant. The different equivalent modes are adopted according to different relative permittivity values. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Protein tyrosine phosphatase, nonreceptor type 13 (PTPN13), has emerged as a critical cancer-related gene that is implicated in a wide range of cancer types. However, the role of PTPN13 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is poorly understood. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate whether PTPN13 participates in the progression of ccRCC. Decreased expression of PTPN13 was found in ccRCC tissues, which predicted a shorter survival rate in ccRCC patients. PTPN13 expression was also lower in ccRCC cell lines, and the upregulation of PTPN13 repressed the proliferation, colony formation and invasion, but enhanced the apoptosis of ccRCC cells. In contrast, the silencing of PTPN13 produced the opposite effects. Further data showed that PTPN13 overexpression decreased the phosphorylation of Akt, while PTPN13 silencing increased the phosphorylation of Akt. Treatment with Akt inhibitor markedly abrogated the PTPN13 silencing-evoked oncogenic effect in ccRCC cells. Xenograft tumor experiments revealed that overexpression of PTPN13 remarkably restricted the tumor formation and growth of ccRCC cells in vivo associated with inactivation of Akt. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that overexpression of PTPN13 restricts the proliferation and invasion of ccRCC cells through inactivation of Akt. Our study suggests a tumor suppressive function of PTPN13 in ccRCC and highlights the potential role of PTPN13 in the progression of ccRCC. Image 1 • PTPN13 is decreased in ccRCC. • PTPN13 exerts a tumor suppressive role in ccRCC. • PTPN13 inhibits Akt activation. • PTPN13 inhibits the progression of ccRCC by inhibiting Akt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study published in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation examined the effectiveness of obinutuzumab in treating frequently-relapsing/steroid-dependent minimal change disease (MCD) in adults. The study found that obinutuzumab, a type II anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, was effective in achieving remission in patients with FR/SD MCD. The study included six patients, and the treatment involved a combination of glucocorticosteroids and obinutuzumab. Further research is needed to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab for MCD. The article also discusses the use of obinutuzumab in the treatment of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease (MCD) in adult patients. The study included six patients with FSGS or MCD who were treated with obinutuzumab. After treatment, all six patients achieved complete remission, and there were no relapses during the follow-up period. The study suggests that obinutuzumab may be an effective and safe treatment option for adult patients with FSGS or MCD. However, the study has limitations, including a small sample size and short follow-up time, and further research is needed to fully understand the long-term outcomes and mechanisms of obinutuzumab treatment. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: High serum phosphorus level has been reported to be a risk factor for disease progression in patients with chronic kidney disease, whereas, its role in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) still remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum phosphorus and progression of IgAN. Methods: A total of 247 patients diagnosed with IgAN from 2016.11 to 2019.12 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The association between serum phosphorus and kidney disease progression events, defined as 30% estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline or kidney failure, was evaluated using Cox models. Results: Serum phosphorus was an independent risk factor for poor renal outcome after adjusting for age, gender, urine protein, MAP, eGFR, hemoglobin, Oxford S and T scores (HR, 2.586; 95% CI, 1.238–5.400, p = 0.011). The addition of serum phosphorus to the reference model containing clinical and pathological variables significantly improved the risk prediction of IgAN progression (C statistic, 0.836; 95% CI, 0.783–0.889) as compared with the reference model (C statistic, 0.821; 95% CI, 0.756–0.886). The ability of serum phosphorus level to predict progression was much stronger in IgAN patients without use of immunosuppression (HR 5.173; 95% CI, 1.791–14.944; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Higher serum phosphorus levels were independently associated with kidney disease progression in patients with IgAN, especially in those without immunosuppression. The addition of serum phosphorus to clinical and pathological data at the time of biopsy significantly improved risk prediction of IgAN progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal‐embedded heteroatom carbon composites are regarded as an important branch of bifunctional catalysts for rechargeable Zn‐air batteries. The inevitable transition metal particles on the carbon skeleton may affect the availability of the metal‐heteroatom‐carbon catalytic site. Herein, we propose an acid treatment strategy to remove the bare transition metal particles, thus regulating the electrochemical surface area. The OER activities are highly related to the electrochemical surface area for the catalysts with different acid treatment times. In addition, there exists an optimal acid treatment time to achieve the highest ORR and OER activities with the ΔE value of 0.75 V. Given the superior bifunctional activities after acid treatment, we further assemble the rechargeable Zn‐air batteries with the optimal catalyst, which achieves a peak power density of 364 mW cm−2 and long cycling life of 500 h at 10 mA cm−2. This work affords an efficient strategy to enhance the ORR/OER activities and may guide the design of transition metal/heteroatom carbon composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking-by-detection methods have been widely studied and some promising results have been obtained. These methods use discriminative appearance models to train and update online classifiers. They also use a sliding window to detect samples which will then be classified. Then, the location of the sample with the maximum classifier response will be selected as the new location. Compressive tracking was recently proposed with an appearance model based on features extracted in the compressed domain. However, CT uses a fixed-size tracking box to detect samples, and this is unsuitable for practice applications. CT detects samples around the selected region of the previous frame within a fixed radius. Here, the classifier may become inaccurate if the selected region drifts. The fixed radius is also not suitable for tracking targets that experience abrupt acceleration changes. Furthermore, CT updates the classifier parameters with constant learning rate. If the target is fully occluded for an extended period, the classifier will instead learn the features of the cover object and the target will ultimately be lost. In this paper, we present a multi-scale compressive tracker. This tracker integrates an improved appearance model based on normalized rectangle features extracted in the adaptive compressive domain into the bootstrap filter. This type of feature extraction is efficient, and the computation complexity does not increase as the tracking regions become larger. The classifier response is utilized to generate particle importance weight and a re-sample procedure preserves samples according to weight. A 2-order transition model considers the target velocity to estimate the current position and scale status. In this way, the sampling is not limited to a fixed range. Here, feedback strategies are adopted to adjust learning rate for occlusion. Experimental results on various benchmark challenging sequences have demonstrated the superior performance of our tracker when compared with several state-of-the-art tracking algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: By analyzing the pathological characteristics and clinical data of renal biopsy in our hospital in the past 20 years, to further understand the epidemic characteristics and pathological changes of primary glomerular disease, and to provide regional data for the big data of kidney disease in my country. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 9448 patients with primary glomerular disease who were hospitalized in our hospital from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019, aged 18 years or older, and undergoing renal biopsy. Divided every 5 years into a group, a total of 4 groups (first group 2000.1.1–2004.12.31, second groups 2005.1.1–2009.12.31; third groups 2010.1.1–2014.12.31, fourth groups 2015.1.1–2019.12.31). Results: ① There were more males than females, and male: female vs 1.53:1. The proportion of men in the past five years has increased compared with the previous 15 years. ② Mostly middle-aged, with a median age of 41.39 years old. The age is increasing over time. There are differences between the four groups, P <0.001; ③ The most common clinical manifestations are nephrotic syndrome, followed by chronic glomerulonephritis. Occult glomerulonephritis, the proportion of patients with nephrotic syndrome increases over time, first to fourth group (40.08%< 42.64% < 47.08%< 53.69%); ④ The most common pathology type from 2000 to 2009 was mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. IgA nephropathy was the most common type from 2010 to 2014, but the proportion of membranous nephropathy increased year by year, and it became the most common pathological type from 2015 to 2019; ⑤ The clinical and pathological manifestations of different genders are different, but there is no statistical difference. Conclusion: In the past 20 years, the primary glomerular disease is mainly middle-aged. There are more men than women. The most common type of clinical manifestation is nephrotic syndrome. The pathological type is mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. Over time, the average age is increasing, and the proportion of patients with renal syndrome is increasing. IgA nephropathy is the most common pathological type from 2010 to 2014, and membranous nephropathy has become the main pathological type in the past 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Arabidopsis orphan gene QQS and its interactor NF-YC4 regulate plant metabolism. • QQS and NtNF-YC4 increased the total protein and decreased starch in tobacco. • QQS and NtNF-YC4 improved resistance against common pests: whiteflies and aphids. • NtNF-YC4 expression was boosted upon aphid infestation in pest-resistant varieties. Qua-Quine Starch (QQS), an orphan gene exclusively found in Arabidopsis thaliana , interacts with Nuclear Factor Y subunit C4 (NF-YC4) and regulates carbon and nitrogen allocation in different plant species. Several studies uncovered its potential in increasing total protein and resistance against pathogens/pests in Arabidopsis and soybean. However, it is still unclear if these attributes QQS offers are universal in all flowering plants. Here we studied AtQQS and Nicotiana tabacum NF-YC4 's (NtNF-YC4) influence on starch/protein content and pest resistance in tobacco. Our results showed both AtQQS and NtNF-YC4 had a positive impact on the plant's total protein accumulation. Simultaneously, we have also observed reduced starch biosynthesis and increased resistance against common pests like whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) and aphids (Myzus persicae) in tobacco plants expressing AtQQS or overexpressing NtNF-YC4. Real-time PCR also revealed increased NF-YC4 expression after aphid infestation in tobacco varieties with higher pest resistance but decreased/unchanged NF-YC4 expression in varieties susceptible to pests. Further analysis revealed that QQS expression and overexpression of NtNF-YC4 strongly repressed expression of genes such as sugar transporter SWEET10 and Flowering Locus T (FT), suggesting involvement of SWEET10 and FT in the QQS and NF-YC4 mediated carbon and nitrogen allocation in tobacco. Our data suggested that the activity of species-specific orphan genes may not be limited to the original species or its close relatives. Sequence alignment revealed the conserved sequence of the NF-YC4s in different plant species that may be responsible for the resulting shift in metabolism, pest resistance. Cis -acting DNA element analysis of NtNF-YC4 promoter region may outline potential mechanisms for these phenotypic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Hyperdense lesions are frequently revealed on flat panel CT (FP-CT) immediately after endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke. This study is aimed at discriminating hyperdense lesions caused by extravasation plus hemorrhage from those caused by contrast extravasation alone. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed clinical and radiological data of patients who underwent an immediate postprocedure FP-CT scan and a follow-up noncontrast CT 24 hours after thrombectomy. We especially focused on the Maximum Hounsfield Units (HUmax) of each hyperdense lesion. A hyperdense lesion was judged to be hemorrhagic when it persisted on noncontrast CT and/or developed a mass effect. Results. Of 81 patients included in this study, 32 (39.5%) patients presented 41 hyperdense lesions on FP-CT. The chance of hemorrhagic transformation is higher in patients with hyperdense lesions on FP-CT than that in patients without hyperdense lesions (23/32 vs. 1/49, p < 0.001). The HUmax of hyperdensity on FP-CT can predict hemorrhagic transformation with an area under the curve of 0.805 (95% CI: 0.67-0.94, p = 0.02). The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of hyperdensity on FP-CT for hemorrhagic transformation were 96%, 84%, 72%, and 98%, respectively. A HUmax of >600 predicted hemorrhagic transformation with a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 100%. Conclusions. The presence of hyperdensity on FP-CT can predict hemorrhagic transformation with a high sensitivity and negative predictive value. The measurement of HUmax of hyperdense lesion on FP-CT can be applied to the management of patients undergoing endovascular recanalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood blister-like aneurysm (BBA) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) is highly challenging to treat owing to its variable morphology and tendency for rupture and regrowth. In this study, we attempted to discuss the key techniques for overlapping low-profile visualized intraluminal support (LVIS) stent-assisted coil embolization, which is used for treating BBAs in our center. Clinical characteristics, endovascular treatment details, outcomes, and follow-up results of 13 patients with BBA treated at our center were retrospectively evaluated in this study. Overlapping LVIS stent-assisted coil embolization was successfully performed in all 13 patients of ruptured BBAs located in the ICAs. Recurrence of aneurysm was observed in 4 cases (30.8%) during the angiographic follow-up; in 2 of these cases, spontaneous healing was observed after discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy. Further, 2 patients with recurrence underwent endovascular treatment with complete obliteration of the aneurysm in one and occlusion of the parent artery after Onyx embolization and stent placement in the other. The overall obliteration rate of the BBAs was 92.3% (12/13). One patient (7.7%) developed intraoperative rupture of the aneurysm with coils protruding outside; however, no severe hemorrhage or neurological dysfunction occurred owing to timely embolization. Overlapping LVIS stent-assisted coil embolization is effective for management of BBA of the ICA. Appropriate adjustment in antiplatelet therapy may improve healing in recurrent cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B-cell novel protein 1 (BCNP1) has recently been identified as a new B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling molecule but its physiological function remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mice deficient in BCNP1 exhibit impaired B-cell maturation and a reduction of B-1a cells. BCNP1-deficient spleen B cells show enhanced survival, proliferation and Ca2+ influx in response to BCR cross-linking as compared with wild-type spleen B cells. Consistently, mutant B cells show elevated phosphorylation of SYK, B-cell linker protein (BLNK) and PLCγ2 upon BCR cross-linking. In vivo , BCNP1-deficient mice exhibit enhanced humoral immune responses to T-independent and T-dependent antigens. Moreover, aged mutant mice contain elevated levels of serum IgM and IgG3 antibodies and exhibit polyclonal and monoclonal B-cell expansion in lymphoid organs. These results reveal distinct roles for BCNP1 in B-cell development, activation and homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study mainly aims to evaluate the expression pattern and underlying mechanism of upstream stimulating factor 1 (USF1) in the muscle tissues of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients. In accordance with previous findings, our data showed that muscle strength was significantly decreased in KOA patients compared with controls. Furthermore, several inflammatory factors, including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), IL-8, IL-6 and MCP-1, were associated with reduced muscle strength in KOA patients. Not surprisingly, NF-κB signaling was significantly activated in the muscle tissues of KOA patients compared with control individuals. Furthermore, we showed that USF1 was increased in the muscles of KOA patients compared with controls. More importantly, overexpression of USF1 in primary human skeletal muscle cells significantly increased the activation of NF-κB signaling as well as the levels of pro-inflammatory factors. In summary, we showed novel data that the upregulation of USF1 promoted NF-κB activation-induced inflammatory responses in muscle tissues of KOA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide exists widely in mammalian tissues and plays a vital role in physiological and pathophysiological processes. However, striking differences with orders of magnitude were observed for the detected hydrogen sulfide concentrations in biological matrices among different measurements in literature, which lead to the uncertainty for examination the biological relevance of hydrogen sulfide. Here, we developed and validated a liquid chromatography- mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of hydrogen sulfide in various biological matrices by determination of a derivative of hydrogen sulfide and monobromobimane named sulfide dibimane (SDB). 36S-labeled SDB was synthesized and validated for using as an internal standard. This method has been successfully used to measure hydrogen sulfide levels in a broad range of biological matrices, such as blood, plasma, tissues, cells, and enzymes, across different species. Moreover, a novel mode that hydrogen sulfide could loosely and non-covalently bind to human serum protein (HSA) and hemoglobin (HB) was revealed by using the developed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Previous genome-wide association studies have identified multiple susceptibility loci for IgA nephropathy (IgAN); however, validation of these findings is still needed. Methods We performed a case-control study among 347 Chinese Han IgAN patients and 310 ethnicity-matched controls. Twenty-two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped and association analysis was performed. Results We found three alleles for IgAN in patients: the allele 'C' of rs2188404 in the CCDC132 gene by recessive model (odds ratio (OR), 1.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-2.48; P = 0.014) and additive model (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.03-1.61; P = 0.024) analysis, respectively, the allele 'A' of rs10488764 in FDX1 gene by additive model (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.00-1.61; P = 0.048) analysis, the allele 'A' of rs3803800 in TNFSF13 gene by recessive model (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.16-3.62; P = 0.010) and additive model (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.06-1.72; P = 0.013) analysis, respectively. However, the associations between these SNPs and the risk of IgAN were not significant when adjusted for age and sex. Additionally, we found polymorphisms of rs2188404, rs10488764 and rs3803800 were correlated with urine protein (UPRO), human serum albumin (HSA), total cholesterol (TC) and Lee's pathological grades. Conclusion We did not find any positive association between these SNPs and the risk of IgAN after adjustment by age and sex, but did find a significant and strong correlation with relevant clinical pathological parameters. Our study may provide a new perspective to understanding the aetiology of IgAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide, and its pathogenesis is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. In this study, we evaluated 23 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) in 21 IgAN-associated genes, in 200 subjects with IgAN and 310 healthy gender- and age-matched unrelated control subjects with no history of renal disease or hypertension. Using the co-dominant model, we found that two genotypes of rs3803800 in TNFSF13 were associated with an increased risk of IgAN: “GA” (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.71–1.51, p = 0.018) and “AA” (OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.29–4.65, p = 0.018). The “AA” genotype was also associated with an increased risk of IgAN in the recessive model (OR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.30–4.46, p = 0.018), as was the genotype “AA” rs10488764 in FDX1 (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.01–3.53, p = 0.048). Interestingly, we found that the allele “A” of rs3803800 in TNFSF13 is associated with a decreased risk of IgAN in females (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.20–0.95, p = 0.009), but with an increased risk in males (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.86–3.66, p = 0.009). Our findings, combined with previously reported results, suggest that TNFSF13 and FDX1 have potential roles in IgAN in the Han Chinese population. This information may be useful in the development of early prognostics for IgAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Shh-BMSCs treatment provided long-term stable expression of Shh. [•] More BMSCs were detected by Shh-BMSCs treatment. [•] Shh-BMSCs treatment significantly improved functional recovery. [•] Shh-BMSCs treatment increased the expression of bFGF and VEGF in BMSCs after SCI. [•] Shh-BMSCs treatment promoted NF200 expression and reduced GFAP expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]