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Baicalin has antioxidative, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its ability to alleviate oxidative stress (OS) and DNA damage in liver cells exposed to aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1), a highly hepatotoxic compound, remains uncertain. In this study, the protective effects of baicalin on AFB 1 -induced hepatocyte injury and the mechanisms underlying those effects were investigated. Stable cell lines expressing CYP3A4 were established using lentiviral vectors to assess oxidative stress levels by conducting assays to determine the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Additionally, DNA damage was evaluated by 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and comet assays. Transcriptome sequencing, molecular docking, and in vitro experiments were conducted to determine the mechanisms underlying the effects of baicalin on AFB 1 -induced hepatocyte injury. In vivo , a rat model of hepatocyte injury induced by AFB 1 was used to evaluate the effects of baicalin. In vitro , baicalin significantly attenuated AFB 1 -induced injury caused due to OS, as determined by a decrease in ROS, MDA, and SOD levels. Baicalin also considerably decreased AFB 1 -induced DNA damage in hepatocytes. This protective effect of baicalin was found to be closely associated with the TP53-mediated ferroptosis pathway. To elaborate, baicalin physically interacts with P53, leading to the suppression of the expression of GPX4 and SLC7A11, which in turn inhibits ferroptosis. In vivo findings showed that baicalin decreased DNA damage and ferroptosis in AFB 1 -treated rat liver tissues, as determined by a decrease in the expression of γ-H2AX and an increase in GPX4 and SLC7A11 levels. Overexpression of TP53 weakened the protective effects of baicalin. Baicalin can alleviate AFB 1 -induced OS and DNA damage in liver cells via the TP53-mediated ferroptosis pathway. In this study, a theoretical foundation was established for the use of baicalin in protecting the liver from the toxic effects of AFB 1. • AFB 1 exposure triggered oxidative stress and DNA damage of hepatocytes. • Provided the first experimental evidence that baicalin protects against AFB 1 -induced liver injury in the rat. • TP53-related ferroptosis pathway was involved in the process of baicalin alleviating AFB 1 -induced hepatocyte injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and the severity of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 2961 patients were enrolled in the present cross-sectional study. The severity of DN was determined by 24-hour urinary albumin excretion (UAE), which was classified as normal (UAE <30 mg/24 h), microalbuminuria (UAE: 30-299 mg/24 h), and macroalbuminuria (≥300 mg/24 h). The severity of DR was determined by non-mydriatic retinal photography and was classified as non-diabetic retinopathy (NDR), non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and proliferative DR (PDR). Results: Patients with high SUA levels (≥420 μmol/L for males and ≥360 μmol/L for females) had a significantly higher prevalence of DN (UAE ≥30 mg/24 h, 39.3% vs 26.3%; p < 0.001), higher UAE levels (140 ± 297 vs 63 ± 175 mg/24 h; p < 0.001), and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; 79.3 ± 26.8 vs 96.8 ± 19.6 mL/min/1.73 m2; p < 0.001), when compared with patients with normal SUA levels. However, the prevalence of DR, NPDR, or PDR did not differ. Furthermore, the concentration of SUA was higher in patients with higher severity of DN (all, p < 0.001) and patients with PDR (compared with NDR or NPDR, p < 0.05). SUA levels were positively associated with male gender, body mass index, the use of diuretics, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and UAE levels, whereas they were negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and eGFR. After adjustment, SUA remained significantly associated with UAE (r = 0.069, p < 0.001). Conclusion: For patients with T2DM, higher SUA levels are associated with higher UAE, lower eGFR, and higher prevalence of DN, but not DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current cancer therapy such as chemotherapy and radiography are known to possess many side effects that could lead to serious complications. The application of natural product as complementary and alternative treatment provides significant advantages. It could increase the sensitivity of chemotherapy and radiography while at the same time reducing their associated side effects and complications. With regards to anticancer drugs, more than 50% of the modern oncological drugs are derived from natural products. An edible mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum has long been used in traditional and conventional medicine in China, for the prevention and treatment of various human diseases. The fungus possesses a wide variety of bioactive compounds present in its fruiting bodies, mycelium and spores, including anticancer property that has been proven in in vitro and in vivo studies. The carcinostatic effects of G. lucidum have been shown in a variety of cancer cell lines, including breast, pancreas, lung, colon, skin and prostate. This paper presents in vitro and in vivo studies of the anticancer properties of G. lucidum in cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Def6 protein has been highly associated with autoimmune diseases and become one of risk gene in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease. Def6 deficiency is spontaneously affecting the development of systemic autoimmune disorder in mice as well as in human. Def6 or IRF-4- binding proteins (IBP) that mostly found among lymph node and thymus are associated with cell survival and cell proliferation. Def6 protein as a novel biomarker has many important functions and roles in human immune system. Def6 is believed to be a potential therapeutic pharmacological target or/and potential drug for some malignancy diseases and pathological disorders. Current studies reveal Def6 expression and regulations not only are found in autoimmune diseases but also in human cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. High expression of Def6 is correlated with invasive tumours and malignant stage of various cancers. This review article sums up Def6 expression and regulation in some diseases stated above. Collectively, this review article provides novel studies concerning Def6 as a protein, its correlation with other genes, its mechanism and its expression in some diseases, particularly in cancer, autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.18Ti0.02O2 cathode powders were ball-milled for various lengths of time. The structural properties of the pristine and milled powders, which have different particle sizes were examined with X-ray diffraction, soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to determine the effect of milling on structure. Electrochemical testing in halfcells was also carried out and shows that milling plays an important role in the performance of these cathode materials; as milling time increases, there is a decrease in initial discharge capacity. The first cycle irreversible capacity also increases for milled samples, as does capacity loss upon cycling under some regimes. The electrochemical degradation is strongly correlated with damage to the lamellar structure of cathode particles induced by milling, and lithium carbonate formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calculation of design drainage modulus is of great importance for the safety of farmland and reduction of waterlogging loss. We investigated the effects of main meteorological factors on design farmland drainage modulus by focusing on a closed farmland area in Ninghe District of Tianjin City. To resolve the problem of limited observation, the parameter sensitivity was analyzed according to mutual information and partial rank correlation coefficient aiming at the total runoff depth based on field observation experiment. The reasonable parameters were obtained by combining with soil water content and the relative variation of groundwater level. Then, a three-source runoff yield model coupling of excess infiltration and saturation was established to estimate runoff and design drainage modulus, and the effects of meteorological factors such as precipitation and evaporation on drainage modulus were analyzed. Results showed that summer precipitation significantly reduced and evaporation varied a little during 1960-2015. The corresponding drainage modulus decreased with the reduction of precipitation. When return period increased, the magnitude of the reduction in precipitation as well as the design drainage modulus increased. However, the effects of meteorological factors on design drainage modulus was generally inapparent. Thus, we concluded that the current drainage modulus is suitable for the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothyroidism is a very common hormonal deficiency and the stem cell technology which developed in the recent years may offer a therapeutic strategy for treating this disorder. Hypoxia has been demonstrated to play an important role in embryonic formation and development and to modulate stem cell differentiation. However, the influence of oxygen tension on thyroid differentiation has not been studied. In this study, we used murine induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for thyroid cell differentiation under normoxic and hypoxic conditions and compared differentiation efficiency in morphology, function, gene and protein expression under both conditions. We found that hypoxia promoted adhesion and outgrowth of embryoid bodies (EBs) derived from murine iPS cells. Expression of endodermal markers (Foxa2 and Gata4) and thyroid transcription factors (Pax8 and Nkx2.1) was increased by hypoxia at both gene and protein levels during earlymid differentiation stages (p<0.05). And so were the thyroid specific markers NIS and TSHR at the end of the experiment (p<0.05). In addition, functional iodide uptake by differentiated cells was also increased after hypoxia. Thyroid differentiation from iPS cells is enhanced under hypoxia and this may involve hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) and their downstream gene FGF2. Our data offer a foundation for understanding thyroid development and provide a potentially more efficient way to use cell therapy for treating thyroid deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic inflammatory response was reported to be associate with a poor survival in gastric cancer. However, these results remain inconsistent. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic role of neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) and platelet count in gastric cancer.Methods: Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library. Data was pooled using a fixed-effects models or random-effects models.Results: A total of 29 studies were included for meta-analysis (19 for NLR, 10 for platelet count). Elevated NLR and platelet count were associated with an increased lymph node metastasis and serosal invasion (T3+T4) risk with individual ORs being 1.70 (95% CI: 1.05-2.75) and 2.93 (95% CI: 2.27-3.78), 1.62 (95% CI: 1.08-2.42) and 2.09 (95% CI: 1.57-2.77), respectively. The incidence of stage (III + IV) in elevated NLR group was higher than in normal NLR group (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.48-2.35). The disease-free survival in patients with elevated NLR was markedly shorter (HR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.28-1.94). For the overall survival, both indicators were strong predictors with individual HRs being 1.65 (95% CI: 1.47-1.83), 1.61 (95% CI: 1.35-1.86), respectively.Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that elevated NLR and platelet count predict poor survival in patients with gastric cancer, and may provides some useful evidence for the clinical application of the two prognostic indicators in gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Conventional karyotyping has been a routine method to identify chromosome abnormalities in products of conception. However, this process is being transformed by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array, which has advantages over karyotyping, including higher resolution and dispensing with cell culture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the advantage of high-resolution SNP array in identifying genetic aberrations in products of conception. Methods We consecutively collected 155 products of conception specimens, including 139 from first-trimester miscarriage and 16 from second-trimester miscarriage. SNP array was performed on these samples in parallel with G-banded karyotyping. Results The test success rate was 98.1% (152/155) using SNP array, which was higher than that using karyotyping (133/155, 85.8%). It yielded a 63.8% (97/152) abnormality rate, and the frequency of various chromosome abnormalities was in agreement with other previous studies. The results between array and karyotyping demonstrated a 94.0% (125/133) concordance. SNP array obtained additional aberrations in 3.8% (5/133) of those cases unidentified by karyotyping, which included three cases with whole-genome uniparental disomy, one with pathogenic copy number variation, and one with del(4)(q35.1q35.2) and dup(12)(q24.31q24.33). However, chromosome translocations presented in two cases and tetraploidy presented in one case were detected by karyotyping instead of array. Additionally, two out of three cases with mosaic trisomy were revealed by array but recognized as pure trisomy by karyotyping. Conclusion This study demonstrated that SNP array had certain advantages over G-banded karyotyping, including a higher success rate, additional detection of copy number variations and uniparental disomy, and improved sensitivity to mosaicism. Therefore, it would be an alternative method to karyotyping in clinical genetic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel NiCo2O4@Au nanotubes (NTs) with a mesporous structure and hollow interiors have been synthesized by the electrospinning method followed by calcination in air. For supercapacitor application, the specific capacitance of NiCo2O4@Au NTs reached 1013.5 F g-1 and could be maintained at 85.13% after 10,000 cycles at a current density of 10 A g-1. The NiCo2O4@Au NTs were also used as the positive electrode to fabricate an asymmetric supercapacitor device with a maximum voltage of 1.45 V. The device exhibited high energy density (~19.56 Wh kg-1), high power density (~2115.01 W kg-1 at 2.75 Wh kg-1) and outstanding cycling stability (79.05% retention after 4000 times). For LIBs application, the as-obtained NiCo2O4@Au nanotube electrodes showed a high reversible capacity of 732.5 mA h g-1 even after 200th cycles at a current density of 100 mA g-1 with good cycling stability. Au nanoparticles had not only penetrated into the whole electrode to form three dimensional percolation networks but also served as adhesion centers or mechanic anchoring points to tightly hold the adjacent NiCo2O4 particles together, which led to the superior tolerance ability of this electrode to volume expansion due to strain or stress from faster ion/electron transfer during cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The structures and stabilities of the mixed Si m N n (m + n =2–9) clusters have been investigated systematically by using Amsterdam Density Functional (ADF) program with TZ2P basis set in conjunction with self-consistent field (SCF). In the silicon–nitrogen binary cluster system, their structures transfer gradually from the three-dimensional structures of Si-rich clusters into the like-planar or like-linear structures of N-rich clusters. Near m = n stoichiometry, the lowest energy structures have higher stability. They usually feature a strong alternation of Si and N atoms. In addition, some N dimers and one small isomer can be observed in N-rich clusters. The binding energy between the N dimers and the small isomer is less than 0.02eV. The most stable structures for pure N n clusters with odd atom number also contain one N trimer besides some N dimers. A series of meta-stable like-zigzag linear structures in the pure N n clusters have been also studied. The investigation on magnetism for the mixed clusters indicates that only SiN2 cluster presents the magnetic moment of 2.0μB. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the results of a study aimed at presenting systematic information on age- and sex-biased patterns of alopecic syndrome in Rickett's big-footed bat Myotis ricketti (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) examined in Guilin, southern China. It is cited that alopecic syndrome (hair loss over areas of the body, including the head, chest, and abdomen, among others) rarely happens in non-human mammals. Findings suggest that parasitism, androgens, anthropogenic activities, or a combination of these factors might describe the age and sexual differences in alopecia. It is recommended that future studies should focus on likely causes so that sex-biases in the occurrence of alopecia can be clarified.

Line spectra in the radiated noise of marine vessels are the most visible signals, which can be detected, tracked and identified by passive sonar of the enemy, and hence it is of great significance to reduce the line spectra for improving the acoustic stealth of marine vessels. The technology of chaos spectra reduction was used to reduce line spectra in the radiated noise of submarines based on the fact that response spectrum of a nonlinear system under harmonic excitation is a continuous one when chaos occurs. The feedback chaotification of the single-degree-of-freedom vibration system and multi-degree-of- freedom vibration systems subjected to harmonic excitation were analyzed, and the chaotification method of the multi-degree- of-freedom vibration system subjected to multi-frequency excitation was proposed. The study discovered the condition and approach that the vibration system enters the chaos state subjected controller effect, and overcome the difficulties that how to maintain the chaotic motion when the operation condition and the environment change. The experimental platform of the two- degree-of-freedom VIS for discretization and chaotification was designed, and the dynamics of the system with different feedback plus was experimentally studied. The results confirmed the effectiveness of this method, and can provide the theoretical and experimental bases of design for chaos VIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Riparian ecosystems are an important transition zone between river ecosystem and the terrestrial ecosystems and play an important role in the global carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. The study was carried out in littoral in XiangXi river, which was the larger tributary and nearest to the Three Gorges Dam. Gas exchange rates were measured to explore the main factors controlling the carbon flux of littoral in XiangXi river using chamber method during water discharge in 2011. The results showed that in the early of water discharge, net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of 165- 175m a.s.l. was 2.17±0.53μmol m-2s-1, which was markedly lower than that of over 175m a.s.l. (-1.04±0.62μmol m- 2s-1, P<0.05). Total ecosystem respiration (TER) of 165-175m a.s.l. was 3.21±0.52μmol m-2s-1, which was little lower than that of over 175m a.s.l. (3.79±0.94μmol m-2s-1), but there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). The study indicated that being experienced flooding, the lower areas in littoral of the main stream of Xiangxi river might be a weak carbon source due to lower vegetation cover, higher soil water content and different soil microbial in the early of water discharge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]