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Wenjing Liu,1 Min Li,2 Yingchun Xu,1 Fengchao Wang,3 Jing Wang,4 Huizhu Wang,2 Xinmin Xu,2 Yajie Wang,2 Hongli Sun1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing Key Laboratory for Mechanisms Research and Precision Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Diseases, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Laboratory, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, People’s Republic of China; 3The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Anhui, 233004, People’s Republic of China; 4Chongqing Public Health Medical Center, Chongqing, 400036, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hongli Sun, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Dongdan Campus), No. 1 Shuaifuyuan Wangfujing Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-1069159788, Fax +86-1069159766, Email sunhl2010@sina.com Yajie Wang, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-13611269270, Email wangyajie@ccmu.edu.cnPurpose: To evaluate the performance of a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the simultaneous identification of Aspergillus, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Pneumocystis jirovecii from sputum.Patients and Methods: Sputum samples (n=537) from patients with suspected invasive fungal infection (IFI) were collected from four centers; they were tested by both multiplex real-time PCR assay and DNA sequencing. DNA sequencing was considered as the reference method, and the performance of the multiplex real-time assay was evaluated by determining the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). The interference experiment, repeatability, reproducibility, and stability of the multiplex real-time PCR assay were also evaluated.Results: The detection performance of the multiplex real-time assay, compared with that of DNA sequencing, for the three pathogens was as follows: sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for Aspergillus, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Pneumocystis jirovecii were 99.40%, 98.64%, 97.09%, and 99.73%; 100%, 99.59%, 96.36%, and 100.00%; and 99.28%, 98.50%, 95.80%, and 99.75%, respectively. The consistency of the two methods was almost perfect: the kappa value was between 0.97 and 0.98. The minimum detection limit of the multiplex real-time assay for each of the three pathogens was 1250 copies/mL. Interference experiment showed that blood and normally used antifungal drugs had no effect on the results. No cross-reactivity was detected for any bacteria or fungi. In 40 patients, mixed infections by Aspergillus and/or Cryptococcus neoformans and/or Pneumocystis jirovecii were detected by the multiplex real-time assay. Among these patients, those with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) ranked first, with Aspergillus and Pneumocystis mixed infection accounting for 75%.Conclusion: The multiplex real-time PCR assay is fast, sensitive, and specific and has good clinical application prospects.Keywords: Aspergillus, Cryptococcus neoformans, Pneumocystis jirovecii, multiplex real-time PCR, sequencing, invasive fungal infection

Acinetobacter baumannii has become a major healthcare threat that causes nosocomial infections, especially in critically ill patients. The spread of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) strains has long been a clinical concern. It is important to study the epidemiology and virulence characteristics of different CRAB isolates in order to tailor infection prevention and antibiotic prescribing. In this study, a total of 71 CRAB isolates were collected in the hospital, and clinical characteristics of infections were analyzed. The genomic characteristics and phylogenetic relationships were elucidated based on genome sequencing and analysis. The isolates were assigned to three sequence types (STs, Pasteur) and nine capsular polysaccharide (KL) types, among which ST2/KL22 was the most prevalent CRAB in the hospital. Even though all the ST2/KL22 isolates contained the same reported virulence genes, one specific clade of ST2/KL22 showed more pathogenic in mouse infection model. Complete genomic analysis revealed differences at the oprD locus between the low- and high-virulent isolates. More specifically, a premature stop codon in the low-virulence strains resulted in truncated OprD expression. By evaluating pathogenicity in C57BL/6 J mice, knock-out of oprD in high-virulent isolate resulted in virulence attenuation, and complementing the avirulent strain with full-length oprD from high-virulent isolate enhanced virulence of the former. The oprD gene may be associated with the enhanced virulence of the specific ST2/KL22 clone, which provides a potential molecular marker for screening the hypervirulent A. baumannii strains.

Ependymoblastoma is a rare embryonal neoplasm of the nervous system, and the entity is even rare with distant metastasis. This case can help refine the existing literature and provide lessons for the management of other patients with ependymoblastoma. The present case concerns an adolescent with supratentorial ependymoblastoma, who received gross-total resection (GTR), postoperative radiotherapy, and six cycles of chemotherapy, with disease-free survival (DFS) of about 5.3 years. Subsequently, pulmonary metastasis occurred, but no intracranial lesion was found. Finally, combined treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy significantly reduced the lung lesions, with progression-free survival (PFS) of 10 months and long-term survival of 6.3 years. This case indicates that the lung metastases of ependymoblastoma are relatively sensitive to radiation, but lung metastases have not completely disappeared. Perhaps, increasing the radiation dose to lung metastases can improve the efficacy, which is worth exploring.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory infectious disease responsible for many infections worldwide. Differences in respiratory microbiota may correlate with disease severity. Samples were collected from 20 severe and 51 mild COVID-19 patients. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to analyze the bacterial community composition of the upper and lower respiratory tracts. The indices of diversity were analyzed. When one genus accounted for50% of reads from a sample, it was defined as a super dominant pathobiontic bacterial genus (SDPG). In the upper respiratory tract, uniformity indices were significantly higher in the mild group than in the severe group (

Poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) polymer is widely used in biomedical applications. To control the degradation of PDLLA, as well as to ensure effective quality control of the polymer raw material, it is e...

The Lanshanmiao (LSM) Palaeolithic site, which was excavated in the summer of 2017 by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, is the only excavated palaeolithic site in central Zhejiang Province to date. Luminescence dating methods, including optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermal transfer OSL (TT-OSL) for quartz and post-infrared (IR) stimulated luminescence (pIRIR290) for feldspar, were used to determine the age of the LSM site. The results showed that the LSM section developed before 145.5 ± 12.5 ka and ended after 17.1 ± 1.0 ka. The TT-OSL dating of samples NJU2576 and NJU2615 showed that palaeolithic artifact-bearing layer was between 150 and 100 ka in age. The age range of the palaeolithic layer mainly corresponded to the transition between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 and MIS5. Our study showed that hominins prominently occupied the LSM site during the glacial and interglacial stages, when it exhibited a floodplain environment.

Rhodococcus equi is a zoonotic pathogen that can cause fatal disease in patients who are immunocompromised. At present, the epidemiology and pathogenic mechanisms of R. equi infection are not clear. This study characterized the genomes of 53 R. equi strains from different sources. Pan-genome analysis showed that all R. equi strains contained 11481 pan genes, including 3690 core genes and 602 ~ 1079 accessory genes. Functional annotation of pan genome focused on the genes related to basic lifestyle, such as the storage and expression of metabolic and genetic information. Phylogenetic analysis based on pan-genome showed that the R. equi strains were clustered into six clades, which was not directly related to the isolation location and host source. Also, a total of 84 virulence genes were predicted in 53 R. equi strains. These virulence factors can be divided into 20 categories related to substance metabolism, secreted protein and immune escape. Meanwhile, six antibiotic resistance genes (RbpA, tetA (33), erm (46), sul1, qacEdelta 1 and aadA9) were detected, and all strains carried RbpA related to rifamycin resistance. In addition, 28 plasmids were found in the 53 R. equi strains, belonging to Type-A (n = 14), Type-B (n = 8) and Type-N (n = 6), respectively. The genetic structures of the same type of plasmid were highly similar. In conclusion, R. equi strains show different genomic characteristics, virulence-related genes, potential drug resistance and virulence plasmid structures, which may be conducive to the evolution of its pathogenesis.

Rhodococcus equi is a zoonotic pathogen that can cause fatal disease in patients who are immunocompromised. At present, the epidemiology and pathogenic mechanisms of R. equi infection are not clear. This study characterized the genomes of 53 R. equi strains from different sources. Pan-genome analysis showed that all R. equi strains contained 11481 pan genes, including 3690 core genes and 602 ~ 1079 accessory genes. Functional annotation of pan genome focused on the genes related to basic lifestyle, such as the storage and expression of metabolic and genetic information. Phylogenetic analysis based on pan-genome showed that the R. equi strains were clustered into six clades, which was not directly related to the isolation location and host source. Also, a total of 84 virulence genes were predicted in 53 R. equi strains. These virulence factors can be divided into 20 categories related to substance metabolism, secreted protein and immune escape. Meanwhile, six antibiotic resistance genes (RbpA, tetA (33), erm (46), sul1, qacEdelta 1 and aadA9) were detected, and all strains carried RbpA related to rifamycin resistance. In addition, 28 plasmids were found in the 53 R. equi strains, belonging to Type-A (n = 14), Type-B (n = 8) and Type-N (n = 6), respectively. The genetic structures of the same type of plasmid were highly similar. In conclusion, R. equi strains show different genomic characteristics, virulence-related genes, potential drug resistance and virulence plasmid structures, which may be conducive to the evolution of its pathogenesis.

Background With the increase of detection rate and long treatment period, nocardiosis has become a noticeable problem in China. However, there are limited large-scale studies on the epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of clinical Nocardia spp. in China. The present study aimed to explore the species distribution and drug susceptibility pattern of 82 clinical Nocardia isolates from three tertiary hospitals in China by multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) and broth microdilution (BMD) method. Results Pulmonary nocardiosis (90.2%) was the most common clinical presentation of infection. N. cyriacigeorgica (n = 33; 40.2%) and N. farcinica (n = 20; 24.4%) were the most frequently encountered Nocardia species, followed by N. otitidiscaviarum (n = 7; 8.5%), N. abscessus (n = 5; 6.1%), N. asiatica (n = 4; 4.9%), and N. wallacei (n = 4; 4.9%). Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT) remained high activity against all Nocardia isolates (susceptibility rate: 98.8%). Linezolid and amikacin were also highly active; 100 and 95.1% of all isolates demonstrated susceptibility, respectively. Except for N. otitidiscaviarum, all the Nocardia isolates exhibited high susceptibility rates to imipenem. The resistance rates of all isolates to clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin were 92.7 and 73.2%, respectively, but the resistance rate of N. farcinica to ciprofloxacin was only 25%. Conclusions The clinically isolated Nocardia spp. had diverse antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, which were similar to the reports by other groups elsewhere, but some differences were also observed, mainly including imipenem and ciprofloxacin. According to this study, SXT still can be the first choice for empirical therapy due to the low resistance rate. Linezolid can be chosen when a patient is allergic to SXT, and amikacin and imipenem can be the choice in a combination regimen.

In recent years, facial expression recognition has gained a growing attention in the field of pattern recognition research. Now many previous researches use deeper model or model integration to improve the recognition rate. For these models are more difficult to train and traditional methods have optimizable recognition accuracy, in this paper, we present a novel single network which combines the classic Resnet with the sobel features which can emphasize edge information effectively. We also adopt 10-crop testing to further improve the performance. The model was tested on the CK+ database and FER2013 database and we observed 95.96% and 71.89% classification accuracy respectively. The results showed that the method achieved better or comparable recognition rate with other state-of art methods.

Aim: To investigate the anticancer effects of Jinlong capsule (JLC) against human glioblastoma cells and the possible underlying mechanism. Methods: Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assay were adopted for the analysis of cell viability. Cell invasion and migration were evaluated by transwell and wound healing assays. Then, the expression level of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR), S6 and phosphorylated S6 (p-S6) were determined by western blotting. Results: The results showed that JLC significantly inhibited human glioblastoma cell proliferation, invasion and migration in a dose-dependent manner. The expressions of p-mTOR and p-S6 were dramatically suppressed by JLC. Furtherly, inhibition of mTOR reduced the cell migration and invasion, while the mTOR agonist (MHY1485) could partially reverse the anti-migration and anti-invasion activity of JLC. Conclusion: The above results suggested that JLC would be a potential candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma.

HCV patients are usually under substantial oxidative stress because of viral infection. A total of 177 patients with HCV infection and 198 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the urinary levels of 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-2'deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) and 8-oxo-7, 8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo) in patients with HCV infection and explored the factors affecting the urinary 8-oxodGuo or 8-oxoGuo levels. Biomarkers of liver function, cancer, and inflammation were determined. Nonparametric correlations were used to evaluate the correlation between 8-oxoGuo or 8-oxodGuo and various laboratory biochemical indicators. Results showed that the levels of urinary 8-oxoGuo both in male and female patients with HCV infection were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (both p < 0.0001), while the urinary 8-oxodGuo levels only in male patients with HCV infection were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (p < 0.01). Urinary 8-oxoGuo was significantly associated with the white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, and 8-oxodGuo level (p = 0.016, p = 0.003, and p = 0.000, respectively). Urinary 8-oxodGuo was significantly associated with the white blood cell count and 8-oxoGuo level (p = 0.018 and p = 0.000, respectively). A regression equation of urinary 8-oxoGuo or 8-oxodGuo was also established using the biomarkers in plasma. The results suggested that patients with a high C-reactive protein level are likely to have high urinary 8-oxoGuo levels as well, which may be useful for assessing the level of inflammation and oxidative stress in HCV patients.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15257770.2021.1961272 .

Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental fungal pathogen that causes opportunistic infections and severe disseminated meningoencephalitis, mainly in immunocompromised patients such as those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, the clinical characteristics, treatment protocols, and outcomes of 70 patients with AIDS and Cryptococcus neoformans infection at Beijing Ditan Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. We performed antimicrobial sensitivity tests and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) on C. neoformans isolates from these patients. The most common symptoms were headache (58.6%), fever (54.3%), and high cerebrospinal fluid pressure (≥200 mm H2O) (71.4%). All patients were positive for C. neoformans antigen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid. The CD4 cell counts of 92.8% (65/70) of patients were

Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental fungal pathogen that causes opportunistic infections and severe disseminated meningoencephalitis, mainly in immunocompromised patients such as those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this study, the clinical characteristics, treatment protocols, and outcomes of 70 patients with AIDS and Cryptococcus neoformans infection at Beijing Ditan Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. We performed antimicrobial sensitivity tests and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) on C. neoformans isolates from these patients. The most common symptoms were headache (58.6%), fever (54.3%), and high cerebrospinal fluid pressure (≥200 mm H 2 O) (71.4%). All patients were positive for C. neoformans antigen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid. The CD4 cell counts of 92.8% (65/70) of patients were

We reported that the complete genome sequence of SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was obtained from a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample by ultrahigh-depth sequencing. Fourteen days after onset, seizures, maxillofacial convulsions, intractable hiccups and a significant increase in intracranial pressure developed in an adult coronavirus disease 2019 patient. The complete genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 obtained from the cerebrospinal fluid indicates that SARS-CoV-2 can invade the central nervous system. In future, along with nervous system assessment, the pathogen genome detection and other indicators are needed for studying possible nervous system infection of SARS-CoV-2.

Paleolithic archeological remains were not reported from Zhejiang until 2002. Up to now, over 70 Paleolithic sites and/or localities have been recovered through a series of surveys mainly in the north part of Zhejiang. An overview of the Paleolithic record and archeological sequence in this region during the Early to Late Pleistocene are present from a macroscopic perspective in this article, as well as the brief introduction of lithic technology and human adaptation in south China. In general, the lithic assemblages in Zhejiang represent the features of Pebble Industry in south China and show a trend of reduction on the size of stone artifacts since the Late Paleolithic. It is presumed that prehistoric humankind has shown the behavioral strategies as followed: a) exploited local raw material; b) the utilization of core and the degree of proficiency in knapping have been improved gradually; c) the retouching focused on the areas of edges; and d) preferred to use sharp edges of tools.

Background: SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), not only infects the respiratory tract, but also other organs. About a third of the inpatients of COVID-19 have neurological symptoms and in vitro experiments revealed that SARS-CoV-2 could infect human neural progenitor cells and brain organoids. However, the traditional test often reports negative owing to the low number of virus in the cerebrospinal fluid. To date, timely diagnosis of central nervous system infection of SARS-CoV-2 remains a challenge.Case presentation: On day 14 of COVID-19, seizures, maxillofacial convulsions, intractable hiccups and significant increase in intracranial pressure developed in a 56-year-old man. The RT-PCR of SARS-CoV-2 was negative. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid were detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by ultrahigh depth sequencing. The patient was successfully treated after 14 days of mechanical ventilation and treatment of pneumonia and neurological dysfunction.Conclusions: This case suggests SARS-CoV-2 can invade the central nervous system and relevant examinations with CSF including ultrahigh depth sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 are needed among COVID-19 patients with neurological dysfunction.

Cells sense and respond to extracellular mechanical cues through cell-matrix adhesions. Interestingly, the maturation of focal adhesions (FAs) is reciprocally force dependent. How biomechanical cues dictate the status of cell motility and how FAs spatial temporally coordinate force sensing and self-organization remain enigmatic. Here, we identify that LIMD1, a member of the LIM domain scaffolding proteins, undergoes force-sensitive condensation at the FAs. We also unveil that the multivalent interactions of LIMD1 intrinsically disordered region (IDR) and the LIM domains concertedly drive this phase transition under the regulation of phosphorylation. Intriguingly, formation of condensed LIMD1 protein compartments is sufficient to specifically enrich and localize late FA proteins. We further discover that LIMD1 regulates cell spreading, maintains FA dynamics and cellular contractility, and is critical for durotaxis-the ability of cells to crawl along gradients of substrate stiffness. Our results suggest a model that recruitment of LIMD1 to the FAs, via mechanical force triggered inter-molecular interaction, serves as a phase separation hub to assemble and organize matured FAs, thus allowing for efficient mechano-transduction and cell migration.

Radar scientists typically define the radar beamwidth as a half-power beamwidth (HPBW) in the main lobe of the antenna pattern. However, the microwave radiations outside radar HPBW might also backscatter into the radar receiver and change the distribution of the received signal. To determine an actual and effective beamwidth illuminated on the measured targets, we first generate the simulated-waveforms derived from coincident lidar points and radar equation and then develop a waveform matching method to seek out an optimal beamwidth based on the 95% threshold of correlation coefficients between radar waveforms and the simulated-waveforms. The 8565 measurements of a Ku-band profiling radar named Tomoradar and coincident lidar data in a widespread heterogeneous forest area of southern Finland are employed for resolving the effective beamwidth. The results reveal that about 97% of the effective beamwidth are larger than Tomoradar HPBW, but the effective beamwidth could be changeable for each measurement due to variations in the scattering properties of vegetation. Thus, a fixed average effective beamwidth (AEBW) with 0.1-degree resolution is introduced to determine Tomoradar cone according to the effective beamwidth and corresponding proportions. We discover that Tomoradar AEBW is approximately approaching to 8&deg, which is larger than Tomoradar HPBW of 6&deg, If we regard AEBW as the actual Tomoradar beamwidth rather than HPBW, the simulated-waveforms have substantially stronger correlation strength with Tomoradar waveforms, and canopy tops derived from lidar data within Tomoradar AEBW are much closer to those extracted from Tomoradar waveforms. The results demonstrate that radar AEBW is a more appropriate reference for designing radar antenna and selecting the region size of validation data such as lidar points or the ground truth. However, considering that radar AEBW is variable for different radar antenna pattern, we suggest that actual radar beamwidth should be defined with a fraction of total radiation energy within radar AEBW, just like the definition of laser divergence of lidar based on the percentage of transmitted laser energy. In this paper, for a forest inventory research case, the fraction of total radiation energy within the AEBW for radar system is supposed to be 91%.

The Taihu Lake basin is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization with abundant archaeological sites, but the humid and acidic soil conditions of this part of China limit the application of studies using stable isotope ratios of bone collagen. To circumvent this problem, we explore the suitability of using bone hydroxyapatite for stable isotope ratio measurements of carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) as a substitute to collagen in order to obtain dietary and mobility information about humans (n = 22) and animals (n = 7) from the Neolithic site of Zhuangqiaofen. The human δ13C values range from −14.0‰ to −11.5‰ and have an average of −12.8 ± 0.7‰ which indicates that they were mainly consuming a C3 diet, most likely rice (Oryza sativa). The range of δ13C values of the dogs (−13.6‰ to −12.5‰; n = 5) and pigs (−13.9‰ and −12.7‰; n = 2) are similar to the humans and also suggest that they consumed C3 foods. Humans have a wide range of δ18O values (−12.7‰ to −8.5‰) with an average value of −10.8 ± 1.2‰, which suggests that they were mobile and ingested water from a variety of different sources. This human mobility might be attributed to: the need for labor to construct public works at larger sites in the area, trade networks involving jade and pottery in the Jianghuai region or to the unique funerary customs of the Liangzhu Culture that were based on blood relationships. In contrast, the dog δ18O values have a much smaller range (−12.0‰ to −11.4‰) and have an average value of −11.7 ± 0.2‰. The δ18O values of the two pigs are nearly identical at −12.1‰ and −12.2‰ and similar to the dogs, and these results can be used as an isotopic baseline with which to compare the human δ18O results.

An airborne Ku -band frequency-modulated continuous waveform (FMCW) profiling radar terms as Tomoradar provides a distance-resolved measure of microwave radiation backscattered from the canopy surface and the underlying ground. The Tomoradar waveform data are acquired in the southern Boreal Forest Zone with Scots pine, Norway spruce, and birch as major species in Finland. A weighted filtering algorithm based on statistical properties of noise is designed to process the original waveform. In addition, another algorithm of estimating canopy height for the processed waveform is developed by extracting the canopy top and ground position. A higher-precision reference data from a Velodyne VLP-16 laser scanner and a digital terrain model are introduced to validate the accuracy of extracted canopy height. According to the processed results from 127 765 copolarization measurements in 32 stripes of Tomoradar field test, the mean error of canopy height varies from −0.04 to 1.53 m, and the root-mean-square error approximates 1 m. Moreover, the estimated canopy heights highly correlate with the reference data in view of that the correlation coefficients maintain from 0.86 to 0.99 with an average value of 0.96. All these results demonstrate that Tomoradar presents an important approach in estimating the canopy height with several meters footprint and is feasible of being a validation instrument for satellite LiDAR with large footprint in the forest inventory.

Qiliting is an Early to Middle Pleistocene open-air site sealed within Vermiculated Laterite and Xiashu Loess in Zhejiang Province, southeast China. Based on palaeomagnetic work at this site and stratigraphic comparisons, the position of the artifacts in the Xiashu Loess indicates that human activities occurred in an upper cultural layer ca 0.30–0.12 Ma. A lower cultural layer in the Vermiculated Laterite is dated palaeomagentically by the Kamikatsura Event above this horizon in comparative section and the Santa Rosa Event below it, which estimated its age to 0.94–0.886 Ma BP. The flaking and tool modification strategies in the Qiliting assemblages are those of a typical Mode 1 industry, which includes simple flakes and cores, with limited modification of the modified tools, scrapers and picks. These features are also characteristic of the other regional sites, as well as of many other early sites in south China. No core preparation occurs, nor any extensively retouched specimens. The stone working is represented by a system of debitage sensu stricto and not by a compound system of debitage and shaping as occurs in Mode 2 industry.

The presence of multiple or diffuse lesions on imaging is a contraindication to surgery for patients with intractable epilepsy. Theoretically, as a functional imaging technique, electrical impedance tomography (EIT) can accurately image epileptic foci. However, most current studies are limited to examining epileptic spikes and few studies use EIT for real-time imaging of seizure activity. Moreover, little is known about changes in electrical impedance during seizures. In this study, we used EIT to monitor seizure progression in real time and analyzed changes in electrical impedance during seizures. EIT and electroencephalography data were recorded simultaneously in rats. Sixty-three seizures were recorded from the cortices of eight rats. During 54 seizures, the average impedance decreased by between 4.86 and 9.17% compared with the baseline. Compared with the control group, the average impedance of the experimental group decreased significantly (P=0.004). Our results indicate that EIT can be used to detect and image electrical impedance reduction within lesions during epileptic seizures.

Background This study aimed to investigate the correlation of long intergenic non‐coding RNA 511 (LINC00511) with clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival (OS) in osteosarcoma patients and to explore its function in osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. Methods Tumor tissues and adjacent tissues from 45 osteosarcoma patients were acquired, and LINC00511 expression was detected. In vitro, LINC00511 expression was detected in osteosarcoma cell lines and osteoblast cell line. LINC00511 overexpression‐treated (OE‐LINC00511) and nonsense overexpression‐treated (OE‐control) MG‐63 and Saos‐2 cells were cultured, followed by the assessment of cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. In vivo, tumor weight and volume were measured in OE‐LINC00511 and OE‐control xenografted mice. Results LINC00511 expression was decreased in tumor tissues compared with adjacent tissues (P

Multiphase rifting with tectonic quiescence intervals is one of the most distinguishing features during the evolution of rift basins and rifted margins, which always produce oceanward rift migration. However, this law seems to be challenged in the proximal domain of the northern South China Sea (SCS) rifted margin. Based on high-quality 2D/3D seismic reflection data and borehole data from the Zhu 1 Depression located in the northern SCS, we examine the temporal and spatial variations of rifting. The regional unconformity, cyclicity of faulting, and rotation in extension direction indicate that the Zhu 1 Depression experienced continuous two-phase rifting with four stages but without distinct tectonic quiescence intervals. In Stage 1 of Syn-rift 1, rifts were distributed across the whole depression. They began to migrate towards the continent in stage 2 of Syn-rift 1, which continued until stage 1 of Syn-rift 2, and then migrated to the east. Rifting was also accompanied by a clockwise rotation of the strikes of fault systems, which were ~N065°E and ~N080°E in stage 1 and stage 2 of Syn-rift 1, respectively, and then rotated to ~ S085°E during Syn-rift 2. We suggest that the interactions between the pre-existing basement fabrics and the regional stress fields rotating clockwise can account for this rotation and the eastward rift migration. The rift migration towards the continent is supposed to be caused by the emplacement of the high-velocity lower crust (HVLC) underneath the Dongsha Uplift, which may initiate in the Eocene. The distinctive multidirectional, multiphase, and multi-mechanical rift migration reflects the uniqueness of the SCS rifted margin. This study helps us understand the complicated rifting process that interacts with pre-existing fabrics, regional stress field, and the emplacement of high-velocity lower crust.

Aim: To investigate the anticancer effects of Jinlong capsule (JLC) against human glioblastoma cells and the possible underlying mechanism. Methods: Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assay were adopted for the analysis of cell viability. Cell invasion and migration were evaluated by transwell and wound healing assays. Then, the expression level of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR), S6 and phosphorylated S6 (p-S6) were determined by western blotting. Results: The results showed that JLC significantly inhibited human glioblastoma cell proliferation, invasion and migration in a dose-dependent manner. The expressions of p-mTOR and p-S6 were dramatically suppressed by JLC. Furtherly, inhibition of mTOR reduced the cell migration and invasion, while the mTOR agonist (MHY1485) could partially reverse the anti-migration and anti-invasion activity of JLC. Conclusion: The above results suggested that JLC would be a potential candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma.

To evaluate the urinary levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGsn) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxo-Gsn) in liver injury patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and to explore the relationship between urinary 8-oxo-dGsn or 8-oxo-Gsn and degree of liver damage. We enrolled 138 liver injury patients with HBV infection and 169 age- and sex-matched healthy controls in this study. A sensitive and accurate isotope-diluted liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer/mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) method was used to measure the urinary levels of 8-oxo-Gsn and 8-oxo-dGsn. Simultaneously, pathological analysis of liver biopsy tissues was carried out, and immunohistochemistry was carried out for 8-oxo-Guo, 8-oxo-dGuo and MTH1 protein in some liver injury tissues. We analysed the correlation between the degrees of inflammation and fibrosis and levels of 8-oxo-Gsn and 8-oxo-dGsn. We also analysed the levels of urinary 8-oxo-Gsn and 8-oxo-dGsn with clinical data of HBeAg, HBsAg, and HBV genotype and detected the levels of plasma aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (AST), platelet, alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin time (PT) and HBV DNA, and calculated the aspartate amino transferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) score. Nonparametric correlations were used to evaluate the correlation between 8-oxo-Gsn, 8-oxo-dGsn or APRI and various laboratory biochemical indicators. Results showed that the levels of urinary 8-oxo-Gsn and 8-oxo-dGsn in patients with liver injury were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (both p .001). Urinary 8-oxo-Gsn was significantly associated with AST, APRI and PT (p = .013, p = .026 and p = .049). The receiver operating characteristic curves of 8-oxo-Gsn were 0.696 (0.632-0.759) and 0.731 (0.672-0.790) for inflammatory activity and fibrosis, respectively. Patients with higher levels of urinary 8-oxo-Gsn are more likely to have a high degree of fibrosis and urinary 8-oxo-Gsn may have a great potential in assessing liver fibrosis.

In this paper we discuss the stroke rehabilitation by robotic device and a novel exoskeleton, which is based on the patient's self-guided control will be presented. It is realized by moving the patient's own healthy arm in order to provide the movement trajectories for the exoskeleton. The main advantage of the exoskeleton is its flexibility and adaptivity for individual patient's rehabilitation training. A new model predictive control (MPC) algorithm for handling coupling and nonlinearity is also proposed and a microprocessor-based drive system for the exoskeleton will be adopted. In addition, to measure the angular positions corresponding to the joint angles of arm high resolution potentiometers are used. Stroke is a medical emergency which can cause permanent neurological damage, complications, and lead to death. It is a rapid development leading to the loss of brain functions due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. As a result, the affected area of the brain is unable to function, which might result in an inability to move one or more limbs on one side of body. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 15 million individuals suffer from stroke every year around the world. At least one-third of them will require rehabilitation from disabilities after a stroke while another five million of these people will die. It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long term disability in the world. Stroke rehabilitation is the process by which patients with disabling strokes undergo treatment to help them return to normal life as much as possible. This process is usually supported by one rehabilitation team which is multidisciplinary as it involves staff with different skills working together to assist patients. Obviously, this traditional means of rehabilitation is extremely resource-limited and time-consuming, resulting in inadequate therapeutic practice received by patients. In the field of Bio-Engineering, one of most important goals is to develop technology and systems for patients with motor impairment. Rehabilitation robotics research is dedicated to the understanding and augmenting rehabilitation

SUMMARY The red soil sequences in southern and southeastern China provide important terrestrial archives of palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment and are important sources of Palaeolithic settlements and, therefore, early human occupation. Here we present detailed palaeomagnetic investigation coupled with mineral magnetic and petrographic analyses of a red soil sequence at Qiliting, southeastern China. The sediments contain both strongly magnetic minerals (such as maghemite and magnetite) and weakly magnetic minerals (such as haematite and possibly goethite). Maghemite and haematite were identified as the main carriers of the natural remnant magnetisations. Only haematite dominates the characteristic remnant magnetisations. Palaeomagnetic findings suggest that the Qiliting sedimentary sequence recorded the early Brunhes Chron and the late Matuyama Chron, including the Jaramillo Subchron. Our finding, coupled with previously published magnetostratigraphy, establishes that the red soil sequences in southern China began to accumulate no later than the Jaramillo age (i.e. ∼1.0 Ma). It is further suggested that the capabilities of recording magnetic polarity stratigraphy in Chinese red soil sequences are variable between areas because of different climate regimes.

In this paper, we have reported on a near-infrared diamond anti-reflective filter window and its application in industry. Using the hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method, a near-infrared diamond anti-reflective filter window was designed and fabricated. The detector with the diamond window was successfully used in the on-line position monitoring of seamless steel tubes at the Shanghai Baosteel Works. It was sensitive and reliable, and worked very well in the high temperature, corrosive environment.

Spirooxindole epoxides undergo smooth rearrangement either under photosensitization conditions or under Lewis acid catalysis to give different products. The photosensitized rearrangement of spirooxindole epoxides leads to 3-acyl-2-indolones, such as spiro[cycloalkane-1,3′-indolin]-2,2′-diones, by cleavage of the Cα–O bond followed by alkyl migration. The SnCl4-catalyzed rearrangement of spirooxindole epoxides gives 4,4-dialkylquinolin-2,3-diones, such as spiro[cycloalkane-1,4′-quinolin]-2′,3′-diones, by cleavage of the Cβ–O bond followed by aryl migration.

Spirooxindole epoxides undergo smooth rearrangement either under photosensitization conditions or under Lewis acid catalysis to give different products. The photosensitized rearrangement of spirooxindole epoxides leads to 3-acyl-2-indolones, such as spiro[cycloalkane-1,3′-indolin]-2,2′-diones, by cleavage of the Cα–O bond followed by alkyl migration. The SnCl4-catalyzed rearrangement of spirooxindole epoxides gives 4,4-dialkylquinolin-2,3-diones, such as spiro[cycloalkane-1,4′-quinolin]-2′,3′-diones, by cleavage of the Cβ–O bond followed by aryl migration.

Optical quality diamond thin films have been deposited using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system. The diamond films were characterized by Raman shift spectra, X-ray diffraction spectra, scanning electron microscopy. Diamond near infrared antireflective filter window and diamond X-ray window have been fabricated using above technology. The diamond near infrared antireflective filter windows have been successfully used in on-line monitoring at Shanghai Baosteel Works. It has produced annual benefit as much as 2.4 million RMB Yuan.

The reaction of bis(ethyl-3-oxo-butanolato-O1, O3)-bis(2-propanolato)titanium (Tyzor DCR) and 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM) in different molar ratios, at room temperature produced the trimer of IEM in high yields with ethyl acetoacetate, isopropyl acetoacetate, and titanium dioxide, which are derived from Tyzor DCR, as by-products. The reaction products were identified by FTIR,1H NMR,13C NMR, G.C. and M.S. procedures. The study showed that Tyzor DCR acts as a catalyst in this reaction.

The traditional bias circuit in an LCD driver, by means of resistors dividing a voltage, consumes power continuously as it works. Based on the properties of liquid crystals with a large parasitic capacitance and resulting in a large time constant during charge and discharge, a novel bias circuit using dynamic resistors is proposed in this paper. The new bias circuit has been applied in a 32/spl times/4 LCD driver. The power dissipation in the biasing circuitry part could be reduced by about 36/spl times/ to more than 100/spl times/.

Abundant evidence has substantiated the positive effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) and static magnetic fields (SMF) on inhibiting osteopenia and promoting fracture healing. However, the osteogenic potential of rotating magnetic fields (RMF), another common electromagnetic application modality, remains poorly characterized thus far, although numerous commercial RMF treatment devices have been available on the market. Herein the impacts of RMF on osteoporotic bone microarchitecture, bone strength and bone metabolism were systematically investigated in hindlimb-unloaded (HU) rats. Thirty two 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the Control (n = 10), HU (n = 10) and HU with RMF exposure (HU+RMF, n = 12) groups. Rats in the HU+RMF group were subjected to daily 2-hour exposure to moderate-intensity RMF (ranging from 0.60 T to 0.38 T) at 7 Hz for 4 weeks. HU caused significant decreases in body mass and soleus muscle mass of rats, which were not obviously altered by RMF. Three-point bending test showed that the mechanical properties of femurs in HU rats, including maximum load, stiffness, energy absorption and elastic modulus were not markedly affected by RMF. µCT analysis demonstrated that 4-week RMF did not significantly prevent HU-induced deterioration of femoral trabecular and cortical bone microarchitecture. Serum biochemical analysis showed that RMF did not significantly change HU-induced decrease in serum bone formation markers and increase in bone resorption markers. Bone histomorphometric analysis further confirmed that RMF showed no impacts on bone remodeling in HU rats, as evidenced by unchanged mineral apposition rate, bone formation rate, osteoblast numbers and osteoclast numbers in cancellous bone. Together, our findings reveal that RMF do not significantly affect bone microstructure, bone mechanical strength and bone remodeling in HU-induced disuse osteoporotic rats. Our study indicates potentially obvious waveform-dependent effects of electromagnetic fields-stimulated osteogenesis, suggesting that RMF, at least in the present form, might not be an optimal modality for inhibiting disuse osteopenia/osteoporosis.

The noise induced stochastic behaviors, in terms of stochastic resonance (SR) and coherence resonance (CR), have been widely reported in many nonlinear systems in different disciplines. In particular, in neuroscience, both the phenomena of SR and CR have been discovered. However, the traditional studies only focus on the dynamical behaviors of the neurons without considering the effects of other biological cells. It is known that neurons are surrounded by a number of glial cells. Being a subgroup of glial cells, astrocytes have been argued to take part in neuronal signal processing. Therefore, it is more reasonable to study the dynamics of a neuron by incorporating the effect of astrocyte, which is termed as dressed neuron. In this paper, the stochastic behaviors of a dressed Hodgkin–Huxley neuron with mutual neuron-astrocyte interaction are studied, and the effects of astrocyte on different resonance mechanisms are analyzed. Simulation results show that the astrocyte plays a similar role as noise in the stochastic behaviors of a neuron, which enhances the performance of a neuron in signal transduction via resonance mechanisms.

Percutaneous microballoon compression of the trigeminal ganglion is a brand new operative technique for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. However, it is unclear how the procedure mediates pain relief, and there are no standardized criteria, such as compression pressure, compression time or balloon shape, for the procedure. In this study, percutaneous microballoon compression was performed on the rabbit trigeminal ganglion at a mean inflation pressure of 1,005 ± 150 mmHg for 2 or 5 minutes. At 1, 7 and 14 days after percutaneous microballoon compression, the large-diameter myelinated nerves displayed axonal swelling, rupture and demyelination under the electron microscope. Fragmentation of myelin and formation of digestion chambers were more evident after 5 minutes of compression. Image analyzer results showed that the diameter of trigeminal ganglion cells remained unaltered after compression. These experimental findings indicate that a 2-minute period of compression can suppress pain transduction. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that vascular endothelial growth factor expression in the ganglion cells and axons was significantly increased 7 days after trigeminal ganglion compression, however, the changes were similar after 2-minute compression and 5-minute compression. The upregulated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in the ganglion cells after percutaneous microballoon compression can promote the repair of the injured nerve. These findings suggest that long-term compression is ideal for patients with recurrent trigeminal neuralgia.

A hospital-based case-control study of oesophageal cancer was carried out in the Heilongjiang Province, a low-risk area for oesophageal cancer in China. From May 1985 to May 1989, 196 histologically confirmed cases and 392 controls with other (non-neoplastic) diseases were personally interviewed in the wards of 5 major hospitals. Information was obtained about usual consumption in the early 1980s of 32 major contributors to the diet in the province, socio-demographic status, smoking and alcohol consumption. Odds ratios (OR) were obtained from logistic regression models, and confounding was controlled by means of multivariate models. Smoking and alcohol consumption were major risk factors for oesophageal cancer in this population. Smokers of handmade cigarettes exhibited a particularly high risk. A near multiplicative synergism was found between smoking and alcohol consumption. There was a significant inverse dose-risk trend for combined consumption of vegetables and fruits; a 300-g increase per day lowered risk by 35%. Vitamin C intake was negatively associated with risk; a 100-mg increase per day lowered risk by 39%. Our data suggest a modifying effect of vitamin C and beta-carotene on risk associated with smoking, but the power of analyses was low. Salt, salt-preserved foods and pickled vegetables were not associated with increased risk. High temperature of meals and drinks was a strong risk indicator in this population. The strength of tea and overall tea consumption were independent determinants of the risk.

The reaction of bis(ethyl-3-oxo-butanolato-O1, O3)-bis(2-propanolato)titanium (Tyzor DCR) and 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM) in different molar ratios, at room temperature produced the trimer of IEM in high yields with ethyl acetoacetate, isopropyl acetoacetate, and titanium dioxide, which are derived from Tyzor DCR, as by-products. The reaction products were identified by FTIR,1H NMR,13C NMR, G.C. and M.S. procedures. The study showed that Tyzor DCR acts as a catalyst in this reaction.

It was proposed a novel dual-mode transmitter with controlled slew rate under test based on USB 2.0. When the transmitter drives 12Mbps data, it works in voltage mode, and 480Mbps in current mode. The circuit simulation is based on using Cadence's SPECTRE software and TSMC's library of 0.25 /spl mu/m mixed-signal CMOS model. The simulation results revealed that the transmitter designed in this method supports 12Mbps and 480Mbps data rate according to USB 2.0 specification. Since the transmitter is with controlled and desired slew rate circuits, the waveform for output signal of transmitter is agreement with USB 2.0 specification.