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The rapid variation of influenza challenges vaccines and treatments, which makes an urgent task to develop the high-efficiency and low-toxicity new anti-influenza virus drugs. Selenium is one of the essential trace elements for the human body that possesses a good antiviral activity. In this study, we assessed anti-influenza A virus (H1N1) activity of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified gray selenium nanoparticles (PEG-SeNPs) on Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells in vitro. CCK-8 assay showed that PEG-SeNPs had a protective effect on H1N1-infected MDCK cells. Moreover, PEG-SeNPs significantly reduced the mRNA level of H1N1. TUNEL-DAPI test showed that DNA damage reached a high level but effectively prevented after PEG-SeNPs treatment. Meanwhile, JC-1, Annexin V-FITC and cell cycle assay demonstrated the apoptosis induced by H1N1 was reduced greatly when treated with PEG-SeNPs. Furthermore, the downregulation of p-ATM, p-ATR and P53 protein, along with the upregualation of AKT protein indicated that PEG-SeNPs could inhibit H1N1-induced cell apoptosis through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated related signaling pathways. Finally, Cytokine detection demonstrated PEG-SeNPs inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory factors after infection, including IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, and TNF-α. To sum up, PEG-SeNPs might become a new potential anti-H1N1 influenza virus drug due to its antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

As the burgeoning field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to permeate the fabric of healthcare, particularly in the realms of patient surveillance and telemedicine, a transformative era beckons. This manuscript endeavors to unravel the intricacies of recent AI advancements and their profound implications for reconceptualizing the delivery of medical care. Through the introduction of innovative instruments such as virtual assistant chatbots, wearable monitoring devices, predictive analytic models, personalized treatment regimens, and automated appointment systems, AI is not only amplifying the quality of care but also empowering patients and fostering a more interactive dynamic between the patient and the healthcare provider. Yet, this progressive infiltration of AI into the healthcare sphere grapples with a plethora of challenges hitherto unseen. The exigent issues of data security and privacy, the specter of algorithmic bias, the requisite adaptability of regulatory frameworks, and the matter of patient acceptance and trust in AI solutions demand immediate and thoughtful resolution .The importance of establishing stringent and far-reaching policies, ensuring technological impartiality, and cultivating patient confidence is paramount to ensure that AI-driven enhancements in healthcare service provision remain both ethically sound and efficient. In conclusion, we advocate for an expansion of research efforts aimed at navigating the ethical complexities inherent to a technology-evolving landscape, catalyzing policy innovation, and devising AI applications that are not only clinically effective but also earn the trust of the patient populace. By melding expertise across disciplines, we stand at the threshold of an era wherein AI's role in healthcare is both ethically unimpeachable and conducive to elevating the global health quotient., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). We aimed to investigate whether HCV antibody (Ab) seropositivity is associated with diabetic micro- and macro-vascular diseases. In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, we retrospectively collected data from patients who participated in the diabetes pay-for-performance program and underwent HCV Ab screening in the annual comprehensive assessment between January 2021 and March 2022. We examined the relationships of HCV Ab seropositivity with the spot urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in patients aged ≥ 50 years with type 2 DM. A total of 1758 patients were enrolled, and 85 (4.83%) of the enrolled patients had HCV Ab seropositivity. Multivariable regression analyses revealed that albuminuria showed a dose-dependent association with HCV Ab seropositivity (UACR [30-299 mg/g]: odds ratio [OR] = 1.463, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.872‒2.456); UACR [≥ 300 mg/g]: OR = 2.300, 95% CI 1.160‒4.562; P for trend = 0.015) when compared with normal albuminuria (UACR < 30 mg/g). However, the proportion of patients with peripheral arterial disease, defined as an ABI ≤ 0.9, was not significantly different between the groups with and without HCV Ab seropositivity (3.5% vs. 3.9%, P = 0.999). In conclusion, severely increased albuminuria, but not the ABI, showed a significant association with HCV Ab seropositivity in patients aged ≥ 50 years with type 2 DM., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Infection is a common cause of hospitalization in patients with heart failure (HF). The impact of infection on long term cardiovascular outcome in HF is not well studied. The aim of this study was to compare the long term risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in HF patients with or without prior hospitalization for infection. From 2009 to 2015, 310,485 patients with their first HF admissions were enrolled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Among the patients, those with readmission due to infection within one year after HF discharge were defined as infection group and those without any infection admission were controls. The propensity score matching method was used to balance covariates between the two groups. Patients were followed until the occurrence of any component of the MACE or the end date of the study, December 31, 2019. In a mean follow-up time of 4.29 ± 2.92 years, 86.19% of patients in the infection group and 63.63% of patients in the control group had MACE. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed the infection group had a higher risk of MACE (HR 1.760, 95% CI 1.714-1.807), including all-cause mortality (HR 1.587, 95% CI 1.540-1.636), myocardial infarction (HR 1.332, 95% CI 1.224-1.450), stroke (HR 1.769, 95% CI 1.664-1.882) and hospitalization for HF (HR 1.993, 95% CI 1.922-2.066). In conclusion, many HF patients discharged from the hospital experienced acute infection that required readmission. The patients had worse cardiovascular outcome after readmission for infectious disease compared to those without any infection., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

With the serious shortage of water resources and the development of water-saving agriculture, the application of drip irrigation has been paid more and more attention. But there was lack of oat planting methods suitable for drip irrigation, currently. In order to establish an efficient oat planting method for drip irrigation, a study was conducted at Agriculture and Forestry Sciences of Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia during the season (2019-2020) to evaluate the effect of strip cropping with reducing row spacing and super absorbent polymer on the yield and water use efficiency of oat. To conduct the field trials, a split plot system in three replications was established. Three planting patterns were in the main plots, including conventional cropping with 20 cm equal row spacing (PA), strip cropping with the 15 cm row spacing (PB) and strip cropping with the 10 cm row spacing (PC), and two super absorbent polymer levels were in the subplots, including 22.5 kg ha -2 (Y) and 0 (N). The results showed that, compared with PA, PB and PC both decreased the irrigation volumes by 4.5-18.4 mm, and the irrigation volumes of PB was lower than that of PC. When super absorbent polymers were applied, compared with PA, PB significantly increased grain yield and above-ground biomass, but PC had the opposite effects. The grain yield and above-ground biomass of PB significantly increased by 16.65% and 7.31% on average in two years, respectively. And the increasing of grain yield was attributed by the significant increasing of pike number and kernel number per spike. But when super absorbent polymers were not applied, PB had no significant effects on grain yield and above-ground biomass. PB also had the significant effects on regulating water use of oats weather or not super absorbent polymers were applied, it significantly increased the precipitation ratio by 2.64% (PBY) and 2.13% (PBN) and decreased irrigation ration by 3.32% (PBY) and 5.28% (PBN) on average in two years. Although PB and PC both decreased the total evapotranspiration, but PB increased WUE and PC deceased WUE. The WUE of PB increased by 19.70% (PBY) and 9.87% (PBN) on average in two years. Also PB had the highest economic benefits in all treatments. In conclusion, a drip irrigation oat planting pattern was proposed, which the row spacing is 15 cm, adjusted the equal row spacing planting to 8-row strip planting, with a belt spacing of 30 cm, combined with the application of 22.5 kg ha -2 applying super absorbent polymers. And this oat planting pattern is a viable strategy to improve oat productivity., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Tumor endothelial marker 1 (TEM1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that appears on mesenchymal lineage-derived cells during embryogenesis, but its expression greatly reduces after birth. Re-upregulation of TEM1 is found in tumor angiogenesis, organ fibrosis and wound healing indicating its potential role in tissue remodeling and repair. The expression level and function of TEM1 in adult heart are unknown. In explanted hearts from heart failure (HF) patients received cardiac transplantation, immunofluorescence staining showed TEM1 was expressed in cardiomyocytes (CMs) and cardiac fibroblasts. Bioinformatics analysis showed TEM1 upregulation in mouse heart after coronary ligation. Cardiac TEM1 expression was reconfirmed in mouse HF induced by coronary ligation or doxorubicin injection. TEM1 expression increased in cultured CMs stimulated with mechanical stretch, doxorubicin and hypoxia. Further studies showed recombinant TEM1 (rTEM1) was a functional protein that influenced cell behaviors of CMs. It directly activated Erk and Akt through interaction with PDGF receptor. TEM1 lacZ/lacZ mice had less collagen deposition and worse cardiac function than wild type mice. These results indicate that TEM1 expression increases in the heart after cardiac injury and works as a functional protein that participates in cardiac remodeling., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Many methods are used to locate preoperative small pulmonary nodules. However, deficiencies of complications and success rates exist. We introduce a novel magnetic gel for small pulmonary nodules localization in rabbit model, and furtherly evaluate its safety and feasibility. Rabbits were used as the experimental objects. A magnetic gel was used as a tracer magnet, mixed as sodium alginate-Fe 3 O 4 magnetic fluid and calcium gluconate solution. In short-term localization, a coaxial double-cavity puncture needle was applied to inject the gel into the lung after thoracotomy, and a pursuit magnet made of Nd-Fe-B permanent magnetic materials was used to attract the gel representing location of the nodule. In long-term localization, the gel was injected under X-ray guidance. Imaging changes to the lung were observed under X-ray daily. Thoracotomy was performed to excise tissue containing the gel, and hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the tissue on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Observe tissues morphology of heart, liver, spleen, and kidney in the same way. The gel was formed after injection and drew lung tissue to form a protrusion from the lung surface under the applied magnetic field. No complication was observed. The shape and position of the gel had not changed when viewed under X-ray. Pathological analysis showed the gel had a clear boundary without diffusion of magnetic fluid. All tissues retained good histologic morphology and no magnetic fluid was observed. Our study preliminarily suggested that the technique using sodium alginate-Fe 3 O 4 magnetic gel to locate small pulmonary nodules with guidance of X-ray, and to search for them under an applied magnetic field during the operation is safe and feasible., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Deformed wing virus (DWV) prevalence is high in honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations. The virus infects honey bees through vertical and horizontal transmission, leading to behavioural changes, wing deformity, and early mortality. To better understand the impacts of viral infection in the larval stage of honey bees, artificially reared honey bee larvae were infected with DWV (1.55 × 10 10 copies/per larva). No significant mortality occurred in infected honey bee larvae, while the survival rates decreased significantly at the pupal stage. Examination of DWV replication revealed that viral replication began at 2 days post inoculation (d.p.i.), increased dramatically to 4 d.p.i., and then continuously increased in the pupal stage. To better understand the impact of DWV on the larval stage, DWV-infected and control groups were subjected to transcriptomic analysis at 4 d.p.i. Two hundred fifty-five differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (fold change ≥ 2 or ≤ -2) were identified. Of these DEGs, 168 genes were downregulated, and 87 genes were upregulated. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that 141 DEGs (55.3%) were categorized into molecular functions, cellular components and biological processes. One hundred eleven genes (38 upregulated and 73 downregulated) were annotated by KO (KEGG Orthology) pathway mapping and involved metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism pathways. Validation of DEGs was performed, and the related gene expression levels showed a similar tendency to the DEG predictions at 4 d.p.i.; cell wall integrity and stress response component 1 (wsc1), cuticular protein and myo-inositol 2-dehydrogenase (iolG) were significantly upregulated, and small conductance calcium-activated potassium channel protein (SK) was significantly downregulated at 4 d.p.i. Related gene expression levels at different d.p.i. revealed that these DEGs were significantly regulated from the larval stage to the pupal stage, indicating the potential impacts of gene expression levels from the larval to the pupal stages. Taken together, DWV infection in the honey bee larval stage potentially influences the gene expression levels from larvae to pupae and reduces the survival rate of the pupal stage. This information emphasizes the consequences of DWV prevalence in honey bee larvae for apiculture., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

This study determines the effect of the configuration of the magnetic field on the movement of gas bubbles that evolve from platinum electrodes. Oxygen and hydrogen bubbles respectively evolve from the surface of the anode and cathode and behave differently in the presence of a magnetic field due to their paramagnetic and diamagnetic characteristics. A magnetic field perpendicular to the surface of the horizontal electrode causes the bubbles to revolve. Oxygen and hydrogen bubbles revolve in opposite directions to create a swirling flow and spread the bubbles between the electrodes, which increases conductivity and the effectiveness of electrolysis. For vertical electrodes under the influence of a parallel magnetic field, a horizontal Lorentz force effectively detaches the bubbles and increases the conductivity and the effectiveness of electrolysis. However, if the layout of the electrodes and magnetic field results in upward or downward Lorentz forces that counter the buoyancy force, a sluggish flow in the duct inhibits the movement of the bubbles and decreases the conductivity and the charging performance. The results in this study determine the optimal layout for an electrode and a magnetic field to increase the conductivity and the effectiveness of water electrolysis, which is applicable to various fields including energy conversion, biotechnology, and magnetohydrodynamic thruster used in seawater.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an essential mediator of atherosclerotic plaque progression and instability leading to intracoronary thrombosis, therefore contributing to coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we investigated the relationship between MIF gene polymorphism and CAD in Chinese Han population. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP, rs755622, rs1007888 and rs2096525) of MIF gene were genotyped by TaqMan genotyping assay in 1120 control participants and 1176 CAD patients. Coronary angiography was performed in all CAD patients and Gensini score was used to assess the severity of coronary artery lesions. The plasma levels of MIF and other inflammatory mediators were measured by ELISA. The CAD patients had a higher frequency of CC genotype and C allele of rs755622 compared with that in control subjects (CC genotype: 6.5% vs. 3.9%, P = 0.008, C allele: 24.0% vs. 20.6%, P = 0.005). The rs755622 CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of CAD (OR: 1.804, 95%CI: 1.221-2.664, P = 0.003). CAD patients with a variation of rs755622 CC genotype had significantly higher Gensini score compared with patients with GG or CG genotype (all P < 0.05). In addition, the circulating MIF level was highest in CAD patients carrying rs755622 CC genotype (40.7 ± 4.2 ng/mL) and then followed by GC (37.9 ± 3.4 ng/mL) or GG genotype (36.9 ± 3.7 ng/mL, all P < 0.01). Our study showed an essential relationship between the MIF gene rs755622 variation and CAD in Chinese Han population. Individuals who carrying MIF gene rs755622 CC genotype were more susceptible to CAD and had more severe coronary artery lesion. This variation also had a potential influence in circulating MIF levels.

In patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) under statin treatment, the influence of on-treatment level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) on cardiovascular (CV) events is controversial. Statin-treated patients were selected from the Taiwanese Secondary Prevention for patients with AtheRosCLErotic disease (T-SPARCLE) Registry, a multicenter, observational study of adult patients with ASCVD in Taiwan. Low HDL-C was defined as < 40 mg/dL for men and < 50 mg/dL for women. The primary outcome was a composite CV events including CV death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or cardiac arrest with resuscitation. A total of 3731 patients (mean age 65.6 years, 75.6% men) were included. Patients with on-treatment low HDL-C (44%, mean HDL-C 34.9 ± 6.8 mg/dL) were younger and with more diabetes and higher body weight. The mean follow-up time was 2.7 years. We used restricted cubic spline curves to examine the potential non-linear association between HDL-C and adverse outcomes. Decreased HDL-C levels were associated with a significantly increased risk of CV events in women (< 49 mg/dL in women) but not in men (< 42 mg/dL in men). However, the protective effect of elevated HDL-C levels was more prominent in men than in women. In ASCVD patients with statin therapy, low on-treatment HDL-C was common in Taiwan and associated with an increased risk of CV events in women. Higher HDL-C levels provided more protective effect in men than in women.

Myocardial infarction (MI), the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, is a disease in which multiple environmental and genetic factors are involved. Recently, researches suggested that insertion/deletion (ins/del) variation of NFKB1 gene rs28362491 is a functional polymorphism. In the present study, we aimed to explore the relation between variation of NFKB1 gene rs28362491 and MI by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 359 MI patients and 1085 control participants. Gensini score was used to evaluate the degree of coronary artery stenosis in MI patients. The plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, malonaldehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were randomly measured by ELISA both in MI patients and control participants. We found that the detected frequencies of D allele (41.2% vs. 36.4%, P = 0.021) and DD genotype (17.5% vs. 12.0%, P = 0.022) were significantly higher in MI patients than in control participants. Compared with II or ID genotype carriers, the Gensini score in MI patients with DD genotype was 32-43% higher (both P < 0.001). Moreover, DD genotype carries had more diseased coronary arteries (P = 0.001 vs. II or ID genotype). Of note, IL-6 levels in MI patients carrying DD genotype were significantly higher than that in control participants and other genotype carriers in MI patients (both P < 0.05). In conclusion, NFKB1 gene rs28362491 DD genotype was associated with a higher risk of MI and more severe coronary artery lesion, which also had a potential influence on the level of inflammatory cytokine IL-6.

We aimed to assess the ankle-brachial index (ABI) in patients with Graves' disease. In the cross-sectional assessments, 81 patients with drug-naïve Graves' disease and 235 with euthyroidism were enrolled. ABI and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) levels were assessed. In the prospective follow-up, 32 patients with Graves' disease were assessed again after antithyroid drugs for at least 4 weeks, and 32 age- and sex-matched controls with euthyroidism were also followed up. Patients with Graves' disease had a higher VCAM-1 level (1309 ± 292 vs. 1009 ± 168 ng/mL, P < 0.001) and a lower ABI (0.98 ± 0.11 vs. 1.06 ± 0.10, P < 0.001) than those with euthyroidism. ABI was significantly lower in patients with hyperthyroidism and a high VCAM-1 level than in those with euthyroidism and a low VCAM-1 level (regression coefficient: - 0.050, 95% confidence interval [CI] between - 0.080 and - 0.019; P = 0.001). After treatment with antithyroid drugs, the change in free thyroxine (T4) level was inversely associated with the percentage change in ABI (regression coefficient: - 0.003, 95% CI between - 0.005 and - 0.001, P = 0.001). A synergistic effect of VCAM-1 and free T4 on ABI reduction was observed. After a longitudinal follow-up, an increase in ABI was significantly correlated with a decrease in the free T4 level.

A series of Eu 3+ -activated strontium silicate phosphors, Sr 2 SiO 4 :xEu 3+ (SSO:xEu 3+ , x = 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0%), were synthesized by a sol-gel method, and their crystalline structures, photoluminescence (PL) behaviors, electronic/atomic structures and bandgap properties were studied. The correlation among these characteristics was further established. X-ray powder diffraction analysis revealed the formation of mixed orthorhombic α'-SSO and monoclinic β-SSO phases of the SSO:xEu 3+ phosphors. When SSO:xEu 3+ phosphors are excited under ultraviolet (UV) light (λ = 250 nm, ~ 4.96 eV), they emit yellow (~ 590 nm), orange (~ 613 nm) and red (~ 652 and 703 nm) PL bands. These PL emissions typically correspond to 4f-4f electronic transitions that involve the multiple excited 5 D 0  →  7 F J levels (J = 1, 2, 3 and 4) of Eu 3+ activators in the host matrix. This mechanism of PL in the SSO:xEu 3+ phosphors is strongly related to the local electronic/atomic structures of the Eu 3+ -O 2- associations and the bandgap of the host lattice, as verified by Sr K-edge and Eu L 3 -edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES)/extended X-ray absorption fine structure, O K-edge XANES and K α X-ray emission spectroscopy. In the synthesis of SSO:xEu 3+ phosphors, interstitial Eu 2 O 3 -like structures are observed in the host matrix that act as donors, providing electrons that are nonradiatively transferred from the Eu 5d and/or O 2p-Eu 4f/5d states (mostly the O 2p-Eu 5d states) to the 5 D 0 levels, facilitating the recombination of electrons that have transitioned from the 5 D 0 level to the 7 F J level in the bandgap. This mechanism is primarily responsible for the enhancement of PL emissions in the SSO:xEu 3+ phosphors. This PL-related behavior indicates that SSO:xEu 3+ phosphors are good light-conversion phosphor candidates for use in near-UV chips and can be very effective in UV-based light-emitting diodes.

Abundant earthquakes clustered within a particular zone often reflect an active geological feature, such as clustering seismicity along a fault zone and a huge number of volcanic-earthquakes around the erupting conduit. Herein we perform a double-difference tomographic inversion and relocate the seismicity at the long-resting Tatun volcano group (TVG) in northern Taiwan. A dramatic improvement of the earthquake location model surprisingly show that, from 2014 to 2017, two clustered seismic zones are identified in the TVG. One major group of events (>1000) persistently clustered within a ~500 m diameter vertical conduit with a ~2 km height. The clustering seismicity conduit is just located nearby Dayoukeng, one of the strongest fumaroles in the TVG, and is connected to a fracture zone characterized by low Vp/Vs in the shallow crust. The other group of events is clustered within a sphere-like zone beneath Mt. Chihsin around the depths between 0.5 km and 2 km. Both seismic zones are probably triggered by the significantly volcanic gases and fluids ascending from the deep magma reservoir. Combined with a variety of results from literature, the seismicity conduit near the strong fumarole is the evidence for an active volcano and also identifies a likely pathway for ascending magma if the TVG erupts again in the future. But possibility of developing different magma pathways at other clustered seismic zones such as beneath Mt. Chihsin may not be totally excluded.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been recognized as a major player in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study determined the association between polymorphisms of MIF gene and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The polymorphism of MIF gene (rs755622, rs1007888 and rs2096525) was analyzed in 1153 healthy controls and 699 ACS cases in Chinese Han population. Plasma MIF level was also measured in part of ACS patients (139/19.9%) and healthy controls (129/11.2%) randomly. Most participants including healthy controls and ACS patients carried rs755622 GG (63.1% vs. 56.7%) and CG genotypes (33.1% vs. 38.9%) and G allele of rs755622 (79.6% vs. 76.1%, respectively), while CC genotype (3.8% vs. 4.4%) and C allele (20.4% vs. 23.9%) carriers were the lowest. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that carriers with rs755622 C allele had a higher risk of ACS compared to other genotypes (AOR = 1.278, 95% CI: 1.042-1.567). In addition, CC genotype carriers had the highest plasma levels of MIF than other genotype carriers. The MIF level in ACS patients with CC genotype was significantly higher than ACS patients carrying GG genotype and healthy controls carrying 3 different genotypes of MIF gene rs755622. Our findings indicate that MIF gene rs755622 variant C allele is associated with increased risk of ACS. Identification of this MIF gene polymorphism may help for predicting the risk of ACS.

Significant debate has been noted in the α-ω and ω-β phase transformations of zirconium. The initial pressure of the α-to-ω transformation at room temperature has been reported to vary from 0.25 to 7.0 GPa, while the hydrostatic transformation is believed to occur at approximately 2.2 GPa. Shear stress is commonly considered as a key factor leading to the discrepancy. However, the principal mechanisms previously proposed concluded that the phase transformation pressure would be decreased in the presence of shear stress. The experimental results of the α-ω transformation in zirconium are contrary to this conclusion. In the ω-β phase diagram of zirconium, the dT/dP along the phase boundary near the α-ω-β triple-point was reported to be either positive or negative, but no theoretical explanation, especially a quantitative one, has been proposed. This article aimed to quantitatively investigate and explain the controversies reported in the α-ω and ω-β phase transformations of zirconium by applying a new nonhydrostatic thermodynamic formalism for solid medium, which has recently been proposed and is capable of quantitatively estimating the impact of shear stress on phase transformations in solids.

Although largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides has shown its extremely economic, ecological, and aquacultural significances throughout the North American and Asian continents, systematic evaluation of genetic variation and structure of wild and cultured populations of the species is yet to be documented. In this study, we investigated the genetic structure of M. salmoides from 20 wild populations and five cultured stocks across the United States and China using eight microsatellite loci, which are standard genetic markers for population genetic analysis. Our major findings are as follows: (1) the result of Fst showed largemouth bass had high genetic differentiation, and the gene flow indicated the genetic exchange among wild populations is difficult; (2) AMOVA showed that 14.05% of the variation was among populations, and 85.95% of the variation was within populations; (3) The majority of largemouth bass populations had a significant heterozygosity excess, which is likely to indicate a previous population bottleneck; (4) Allelic richness was lower among cultured populations than among wild populations; (5) Effective population size in hatcheries could promote high levels of genetic variation among individuals and minimize loss of genetic diversity; China's largemouth bass originated from northern largemouth bass of USA. The information provides valuable basis for development of appropriate conservation policies for fisheries and aquaculture genetic breeding programs in largemouth bass.

The activities and gene expression of antioxidative enzymes and the ROS content were analyzed in two typical storage-tolerant cultivars (Xushu 32 and Shangshu 19) and another two storage-sensitive cultivars (Yanshu 25 and Sushu 16) to explore the association between the storage capacity of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) and ROS scavenging capability. The storage roots of the storage-tolerant cultivars maintained higher activities and expression levels of antioxidative enzymes, including ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD); lower activity and expression of lipoxygenase (LOX); and lower accumulation of ROS metabolites compared with the storage-sensitive cultivars. The antioxidative capability and ROS parameters of leaves were positively correlated with those of storage roots. Our results provide valuable insight for evaluating the storability of sweetpotato cultivars by analyzing the capabilities of the antioxidative system and the contents of ROS metabolites.

The combustible gas produced by coal pyrolysis can be used as a clean fuel to reduce environmental pollution caused by coal combustion. In order to improve the efficiency of coal pyrolysis to prepare flammable gases, Ni-Co supported pyrolysis catalysts were prepared by equal volume impregnation method using the pyrolysis coke of different pyrolysis final temperatures as the carrier in this study. The effects of different pyrolysis final temperatures and different metal loadings on pyrolysis products were studied. The cracking mechanism of the catalysts was characterized by BET, XRD, XPS and SEM. The results show that: (1) the catalytic efficiency of pyrolysis coke catalyst is mainly related to the metal type and loading of the additive. (2) The optimum preparation conditions for the supported catalyst are: use pyrolysis coke with 750 °C final pyrolysis temperature as the carrier, the loading amount of Ni is 5%, and the loading amount of Co is 8%.

Endogenous K. pneumoniae endophthalmitis (EKE) has a higher incidence among East Asians, and the most common infectious source of EKE is pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). We investigate the risk factors for poor visual outcomes in patients with PLA-related EKE. The retrospective medical records of 104 patients (120 eyes) diagnosed with PLA-related EKE between 1996 and 2015. In univariate logistic regression analysis, the risk factors for poor visual outcomes were initial visual acuity (VA) worse than counting fingers (CF) (p < 0.001), eye pain (p = 0.013), hypopyon (p = 0.003), ocular hypertension (p = 0.003), positive intraocular fluids cultures (p < 0.001), subretinal abscess (p = 0.025), unilateral involvement (p = 0.017), delayed ophthalmologic visit (p = 0.022), initially presented with ocular symptoms ahead of systemic symptoms (p < 0.001), and corneal edema (p < 0.001). Intravitreal dexamethasone reduced the requirement of enucleation or evisceration (p = 0.01). The multivariate logistic regression revealed that poor initial VA worse than CF (p = 0.004) and initially presented with ocular symptoms ahead of systemic symptoms (p = 0.007) were the significant independent factors for poor visual outcomes. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment may salvage useful vision in some eyes.

Human polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly heritable disease regulated by genetic and environmental factors. Identifying PCOS genes is time consuming and costly in wet-lab. Developing an algorithm to predict PCOS candidates will be helpful. In this study, for the first time, we systematically analyzed properties of human PCOS genes. Compared with genes not yet known to be involved in PCOS regulation, known PCOS genes display distinguishing characteristics: (i) they tend to be located at network center; (ii) they tend to interact with each other; (iii) they tend to enrich in certain biological processes. Based on these features, we developed a machine-learning algorithm to predict new PCOS genes. 233 PCOS candidates were predicted with a posterior probability >0.9. Evidence supporting 7 of the top 10 predictions has been found.

This study investigatedthe different effects of long-term glucocorticoid (GC) interventions on the microarchitectures of cortical and cancellous bones of the femoral head. Eighteen female skeletal mature sheep were randomly allocated into 3 groups, 6 each. Group 1 received prednisolone interventions (0.60 mg/kg/day, 5 times weekly) for 7 months. Group 2 received the same interventions as Group 1 and then further observed 3 months without interventions. Control Group was left nonintervention. After killing the animals, all femoral heads were scanned by micro-CT to determine their microstructural properties. In cancellous bone of femoral head, GC interventions led to significant decrease of bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, but increase of structure model index and bone surface density (p < 0.05). While in cortical bone, there were no differences between the Group 1 and in microstructural properties (p > 0.05) except greater trabecular thickness in the control group. In addition, three months after cessation of glucocorticoid interventions, most microstructural properties of cancellous bone were significant reversed, but not cortical thickness of femoral head. In contrast to cancellous bone, the microarchitectures of cortical bone were not changed obviously after long-term GC interventions.

Transient technology is deemed as a paramount breakthrough for its particular functionality that can be implemented at a specific time and then totally dissolved. Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) with high wave-vector modes for negative refraction or with high photonic density of states to robustly enhance the quantum transformation efficiency represent one of the emerging key elements for generating not-yet realized optoelectronics devices. However, HMMs has not been explored for implementing in transient technology. Here we show the first attempt to integrate transient technology with HMMs, i.e., transient HMMs, composed of multilayers of water-soluble and bio-compatible polymer and metal. We demonstrate that our newly designed transient HMMs can also possess high-k modes and high photonic density of states, which enables to dramatically enhance the light emitter covered on top of HMMs. We show that these transient HMMs devices loss their functionalities after immersing into deionized water within 5 min. Moreover, when the transient HMMs are integrated with a flexible substrate, the device exhibits an excellent mechanical stability for more than 3000 bending cycles. We anticipate that the transient HMMs developed here can serve as a versatile platform to advance transient technology for a wide range of application, including solid state lighting, optical communication, and wearable optoelectronic devices, etc.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is associated with endothelial dysfunction and vasoconstriction. Increased circulating ET-1 levels are associated with long-term cardiovascular mortality. Renalase, released from kidney, metabolizes catecholamines and regulates blood pressure. An increase in circulating renalase levels has been reported in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesized the existence of a synergistic effect of serum renalase levels and CKD on ET-1 levels in patients with CAD. We evaluated 342 non-diabetic patients with established CAD. ET-1 and renalase levels were measured in all patients after an overnight fast. Patients with CKD had higher ET-1 (1.95 ± 0.77 vs. 1.62 ± 0.76 pg/ml, P < 0.001) and renalase levels (46.8 ± 17.1 vs. 33.9 ± 9.9 ng/ml, P < 0.001) than patients without CKD. Patients with both CKD and high renalase levels (>the median of 36.2 ng/ml) exhibited the highest serum ET-1 (P value for the trend <0.001). According to multivariate linear regression analysis, the combination of high serum renalase levels with CKD was a significant risk factor for increased serum ET-1 levels (regression coefficient = 0.297, 95% confidence interval = 0.063‒0.531, P = 0.013). In conclusion, our data suggest a synergistic effect of high serum renalase levels and CKD on increases in ET-1 levels in patients with established CAD.

Numerous variations are known to occur in the chloroplast genomes of parasitic plants. We determined the complete chloroplast genome sequences of two hemiparasitic species, Taxillus chinensis and T. sutchuenensis, using Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies. These species are the first members of the family Loranthaceae to be sequenced. The complete chloroplast genomes of T. chinensis and T. sutchuenensis comprise circular 121,363 and 122,562 bp-long molecules with quadripartite structures, respectively. Compared with the chloroplast genomes of Nicotiana tabacum and Osyris alba, all ndh genes as well as three ribosomal protein genes, seven tRNA genes, four ycf genes, and the infA gene of these two species have been lost. The results of the maximum likelihood and neighbor-joining phylogenetic trees strongly support the theory that Loranthaceae and Viscaceae are monophyletic clades. This research reveals the effect of a parasitic lifestyle on the chloroplast structure and genome content of T. chinensis and T. sutchuenensis, and enhances our understanding of the discrepancies in terms of assembly results between Illumina and PacBio.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ is involved in both normal physiological processes and pathology of various diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the function and underlying mechanisms of PPAR-γ in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) proliferation and migration. In the present study, we found PPAR-γ expression was remarkably reduced in RA synovium patient compare with OA and normal, as well as it was low-expression in Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA). Moreover, inhibition PPAR-γ expression by T0070907 (12.5 μM) or PPAR-γ siRNA could promote FLSs proliferation and expressions of c-Myc, Cyclin D1, MMP-1, and MMP-9 in AA FLSs, except for TIPM-1. These date indicate that up-regulation of PPAR-γ may play a critical role in RA FLSs. Interestingly, co-incubation FLSs with Pioditazone (25 μM) and over expression vector with pEGFP-N1-PPAR-γ reduced proliferation and expressions of c-Myc, Cyclin D1, MMP-1, and MMP-9 in AA FLSs, besides TIMP-1. Further study indicates that PPAR-γ may induce activation Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In short, these results indicate that PPAR-γ may play a pivotal role during FLSs activation and activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Rhodoterpenoids A‒C (1‒3), three new rearranged triterpenoids, together with one new biogenetically related compound, rhodoterpenoid D (4), were isolated and efficiently elucidated from Rhododendron latoucheae by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-solid-phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance (HPLC‒MS‒SPE‒NMR). Compounds 1 and 2 possess an unprecedented skeleton with a 5/7/6/6/6-fused pentacyclic ring system, while compound 3 contains a unique 6/7/6/6/6-fused pentacyclic carbon backbone. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic methods and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) analyses. Plausible biogenetic pathways for 1‒4 were proposed. Compounds 1 and 4 showed potential activity against herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) with IC 50 values of 8.62 and 6.87 μM, respectively.

Stress-induced alteration in endothelial cells (ECs) integrity precedes the development of atherosclerosis. Previous studies showed that the soluble recombinant thrombomodulin (rTM) not only increases ECs proliferation but also exerts anti-apoptotic activity in ECs. However, the functional significance of soluble rTM on autophagy-related apoptosis in ECs is still undetermined. Implicating a cytoprotective role for rTM in persistent serum starvation (SS)-induced autophagy in cultured ECs, we found that treatment of rTM decreased the expression of SS-induced autophagy-related proteins, ATG5 and LC3, and the formation of autophagosomes through activation of AKT/mTOR pathway. In addition, treatment of rTM decreased SS-induced EC apoptosis, but this effect of rTM could not be recapitulated by co-treatment with a potent autophagy inducer, rapamycin and in ECs with ATG5 knockdown. In human atherosclerosis specimens, expression of autophagy markers, ATG13 and LC3, were more abundant in aortic intimal ECs with severe atherosclerosis than those without atherosclerosis. Moreover, compared to saline treatment group, administration of rTM reduced LC3 and ATG13 expression, intimal EC apoptosis, and atherosclerotic lesion severity in the aorta of apolipoprotein E deficient mice. In conclusion, treatment with rTM suppressed stress-induced autophagy overactivation in ECs, provided ECs protective effects, and decreased atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E deficient mice.

Network biology is a useful strategy to understand cell's functional organization. In this study, for the first time, we successfully introduced network approaches to study properties of human DNA repair genes. Compared with non-DNA repair genes, we found distinguishing features for DNA repair genes: (i) they tend to have higher degrees; (ii) they tend to be located at global network center; (iii) they tend to interact directly with each other. Based on these features, we developed the first algorithm to predict new DNA repair genes. We tested several machine-learning models and found that support vector machine with kernel function of radial basis function (RBF) achieve the best performance, with precision = 0.74 and area under curve (AUC) = 0.96. In the end, we applied the algorithm to predict new DNA repair genes and got 32 new candidates. Literature supporting four of the predictions was found. We believe the network approaches introduced here might open a new avenue to understand DNA repair genes and pathways. The suggested algorithm and the predicted genes might be helpful for scientists in the field.

Phototherapy shows some unique advantages in clinical application, such as remote controllability, improved selectivity, and low bio-toxicity, than chemotherapy. In order to improve the safety and therapeutic efficacy, imaging-guided therapy seems particularly important because it integrates visible information to speculate the distribution and metabolism of the probe. Here we prepare biocompatible core-shell nanocomposites for dual-modality imaging-guided photothermal and photodynamic dual-therapy by the in situ growth of porphyrin-metal organic framework (PMOF) on Fe 3 O 4 @C core. Fe 3 O 4 @C core was used as T 2 -weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) agent. The optical properties of porphyrin were well remained in PMOF, and PMOF was therefore selected for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and fluorescence imaging. Fluorescence and MR dual-modality imaging-guided PTT and PDT dual-therapy was confirmed with tumour-bearing mice as model. The high tumour accumulation of Fe 3 O 4 @C@PMOF and controllable light excitation at the tumour site achieved efficient cancer therapy, but low toxicity was observed to the normal tissues. The results demonstrated that Fe 3 O 4 @C@PMOF was a promising dual-imaging guided PTT and PDT dual-therapy platform for tumour diagnosis and treatment with low cytotoxicity and negligible in vivo toxicity.

Salusin-β is a bioactive peptide involved in vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, vascular fibrosis and hypertension. The present study was designed to determine the effects of silencing salusin-β on hypertension and cardiovascular remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thirteen-week-old male SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were subjected to intravenous injection of PBS, adenoviral vectors encoding salusin-β shRNA (Ad-Sal-shRNA) or a scramble shRNA. Salusin-β levels in plasma, myocardium and mesenteric artery were increased in SHR. Silencing salusin-β had no significant effect on blood pressure in WKY, but reduced blood pressure in SHR. It reduced the ratio of left ventricle weight to body weight, cross-sectional areas of cardiocytes and perivascular fibrosis, and decreased the media thickness and the media/lumen ratio of arteries in SHR. Silencing salusin-β almost normalized plasma norepinephrine and angiotensin II levels in SHR. It prevented the upregulation of angiotensin II and AT 1 receptors, and reduced the NAD(P)H oxidase activity and superoxide anion levels in myocardium and mesenteric artery of SHR. Knockdown of salusin-β attenuated cell proliferation and fibrosis in vascular smooth muscle cells from SHR. These results indicate that silencing salusin-β attenuates hypertension and cardiovascular remodeling in SHR.

Cry1Ie protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been proposed as a promising candidate for the development of a new Bt-maize variety to control maize pests in China. We studied the response of the midgut bacterial community of Apis cerana cerana to Cry1Ie toxin under laboratory conditions. Newly emerged bees were fed one of the following treatments for 15 and 30 days: three concentrations of Cry1Ie toxin (20 ng/mL, 200 ng/mL, and 20 μg/mL) in sugar syrup, pure sugar syrup as a negative control and 48 ng/mL imidacloprid as a positive control. The relative abundance of 16S rRNA genes was measured by Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction and no apparent differences were found among treatments for any of these counts at any time point. Furthermore, the midgut bacterial structure and compositions were determined using high-throughput sequencing targeting the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rDNA. All core honey bee intestinal bacterial genera such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Snodgrassella, and Gilliamella were detected, and no significant changes were found in the species diversity and richness for any bacterial taxa among treatments at different time points. These results suggest that Cry1Ie toxin may not affect gut bacterial communities of Chinese honey bees., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

FSD-C10, a Fasudil derivative, was shown to reduce severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), through the modulation of the immune response and induction of neuroprotective molecules in the central nervous system (CNS). However, whether FSD-C10 can promote neuroregeneration remains unknown. In this study, we further analyzed the effect of FSD-C10 on neuroprotection and remyelination. FSD-C10-treated mice showed a longer, thicker and more intense MAP2 and synaptophysin positive signal in the CNS, with significantly fewer CD4 + T cells, macrophages and microglia. Importantly, the CNS of FSD-C10-treated mice showed a shift of activated macrophages/microglia from the type 1 to type 2 status, elevated numbers of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and oligodendrocytes, and increased levels of neurotrophic factors NT-3, GDNF and BDNF. FSD-C10-treated microglia significantly inhibited Th1/Th17 cell differentiation and increased the number of IL-10 + CD4 + T cells, and the conditioned medium from FSD-C10-treated microglia promoted OPC survival and oligodendrocyte maturation. Addition of FSD-C10 directly promoted remyelination in a chemical-induced demyelination model on organotypic slice culture, in a BDNF-dependent manner. Together, these findings demonstrate that FSD-C10 promotes neural repair through mechanisms that involved both immunomodulation and induction of neurotrophic factors.

As a non-substance addiction, gambling disorder represents the model for studying the neurobiology of addiction without toxic consequences of chronic drug use. From a neuropsychological perspective, impulsivity is deemed as a potential construct responsible in the onset and development of drug addiction. The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between impulsivity and gambling status in young adults with varying severity of gambling. A sample of 1120 college students, equally divided into non-problem, at-risk and problem gamblers, were administered multiple measures of impulsivity including the UPPSP Impulsive Behaviors Scale (UPPSP), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and the Delay-discounting Test (DDT). Compared with non-problem gamblers, both at-risk gamblers and problem gamblers displayed elevated scores on Negative Urgency, Positive Urgency, Motor Impulsiveness, and Attentional Impulsiveness. Problem gamblers showed higher scores than at-risk gamblers on Positive Urgency. Logistic regression models revealed that only Negative Urgency positively predicted both at-risk gambling and problem gambling compared to non-problem gambling. These results suggest that dimensions of impulsivity may be differentially linked to gambling behavior in young adults, with Negative Urgency putatively identified as an important impulsivity-related marker for the development of gambling disorder, which may provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis.

Two new grayanoids, rhodomollin A (1) and rhodomollin B (2), possessing an unprecedented D-homo grayanane carbon skeleton, were isolated from the fruits of Rhododendron molle. The structures of 1 and 2 were fully characterized using a combination of spectroscopic analyses and X-ray crystallography. Rhodomollin B (2) exhibited modest activity against influenza virus A/95-359, with an IC 50 value of 19.24 μM.

Chemical stimulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) causes adipose afferent reflex (AAR) and sympathetic activation. This study is to investigate the effects of AAR on lipolysis and the mechanisms of attenuated lipolysis response to enhanced AAR in obesity. Obesity was caused by high-fat diet for 12 weeks in rats. AAR was induced by injection of capsaicin into inguinal WAT or electrical stimulation of epididymal WAT afferent nerve. AAR caused sympathetic activation, which was enhanced in obesity rats. AAR increased cAMP levels and PKA activity, promoted hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and perilipin phosphorylation, and increased lipolysis in WAT, which were attenuated in obesity rats. PKA activity, cAMP, perilipin and β-adrenoceptor levels were reduced, while HSL was upregulated in adipocytes from obesity rats. In primary adipocytes, isoproterenol increased cAMP levels and PKA activity, promoted HSL and perilipin phosphorylation, and increased lipolysis, which were attenuated in obesity rats. The attenuated effects of isoproterenol in adipocytes from obesity rats were prevented by a cAMP analogue dbcAMP. The results indicate that reduced lipolysis response to enhanced AAR in obesity is attributed to the impaired activation of β-adrenoceptor-cAMP-PKA-HSL pathway. Increased cAMP level in adipocytes rectifies the attenuated lipolysis in obesity.

It has been demonstrated that Src could modulate NMDA receptor, and PAR1 could also affect NMDAR signaling. However, whether PAR1 could regulate NMDAR through Src under ICH has not yet been investigated. In this study, we demonstrated the role of Src-PSD95-GluN2A signaling cascades in rat ICH model and in vitro thrombin challenged model. Using the PAR1 agonist SFLLR, antagonist RLLFS and Src inhibitor PP2, electrophysiological analysis showed that PAR1 regulated NMDA-induced whole-cell currents (INMDA) though Src in primary cultured neurons. Both in vivo and in vitro results showed the elevated phosphorylation of tyrosine in Src and GluN2A and enhanced interaction of the Src-PSD95-GluN2A under model conditions. Treatment with the PAR1 antagonist RLLFS, AS-PSD95 (Antisense oligonucleotide against PSD95) and Src inhibitor PP2 inhibited the interaction among Src-PSD95-GluN2A, and p-Src, p-GluN2A. Co-application of SFLLR and AS-PSD95, PP2, or MK801 (NMDAR inhibitor) abolished the effect of SF. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that activated thrombin receptor PAR1 induced Src activation, enhanced the interaction among Src-PSD95-GluN2A signaling modules, and up-regulated GluN2A phosphorylation after ICH injury. Elucidation of such signaling cascades would possibly provide novel targets for ICH treatment.

Quorum sensing activation by signal pheromone (CSP) in Streptococcus mutans depends on the membrane-associated receptor ComD, which senses the signal and triggers the signaling cascade for bacteriocin production and other cell density-dependent activities. However, the mechanism of the signal recognition via the ComD receptor in this species is nearly unexplored. Here, we show that the membrane domain of the ComD protein forms six transmembrane segments with three extracellular loops, loopA, loopB and loopC. By structural and functional analyses of these extracellular loops, we demonstrate that both loopC and loopB are required for CSP recognition, while loopA plays little role in CSP detection. A deletion or substitution mutation of four residues NVIP in loopC abolishes CSP recognition for quorum sensing activities. We conclude that both loopC and loopB are required for forming the receptor and residues NVIP of loopC are essential for CSP recognition and quorum sensing activation in S. mutans.

The honey bee has been regarded as a key species in the environmental risk assessment of biotech crops. Here, the potential adverse effects of Cry1Ie toxin on the midgut bacteria of the worker bees (Apis mellifera ligustica) were investigated under laboratory conditions. Newly emerged bees were fed with different concentrations of Cry1Ie toxin syrups (20 ng/mL, 200 ng/mL, and 20 μg/mL), pure sugar syrup, and 48 ppb of imidacloprid syrups, then sampled after 15 and 30 d. We characterized the dominant midgut bacteria and compared the composition and structure of the midgut bacterial community in all samples using the Illumina MiSeq platform targeting the V3-V4 regions of 16S rDNA. No significant differences in the diversity of the midgut bacteria were observed between the five treatments. This work was the first to show the effects of Cry1Ie toxin on honey bees, and our study provided a theoretical basis for the biosafety assessment of transgenic Cry1Ie maize.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are indispensible components in foam cell formation. Salusin-β is a stimulator in the progression of atherosclerosis. Here, we showed that salusin-β increased foam cell formation evidenced by accumulation of lipid droplets and intracellular cholesterol content, and promoted monocyte adhesion in human VSMCs. Salusin-β increased the expressions and activity of acyl coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase-1 (ACAT-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in VSMCs. Silencing of ACAT-1 abolished the salusin-β-induced lipid accumulation, and silencing of VCAM-1 prevented the salusin-β-induced monocyte adhesion in VSMCs. Salusin-β caused p65-NFκB nuclear translocation and increased p65 occupancy at the ACAT-1 and VCAM-1 promoter. Inhibition of NFκB with Bay 11-7082 prevented the salusin-β-induced ACAT-1 and VCAM-1 upregulation, foam cell formation and monocyte adhesion in VSMCs. Scavenging ROS, inhibiting NADPH oxidase or knockdown of NOX2 abolished the effects of salusin-β on ACAT-1 and VCAM-1 expressions, p65-NFκB nuclear translocation, lipid accumulation and monocyte adhesion in VSMCs. Salusin-β increased miR155 expression, and knockdown of miR155 prevented the effects of salusin-β on ACAT-1 and VCAM-1 expressions, p65-NFκB nuclear translocation, lipid accumulation, monocyte adhesion and ROS production in VSMCs. These results indicate that salusin-β induces foam formation and monocyte adhesion via miR155/NOX2/NFκB-mediated ACAT-1 and VCAM-1 expressions in VSMCs.

β-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA) is a nature thymine catabolite, and contributes to exercise-induced protection from metabolic diseases. Here we show the therapeutical effects of BAIBA on hepatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and glucose/lipid metabolic disturbance in diabetes. Type 2 diabetes was induced by combined streptozotocin (STZ) and high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. Oral administration of BAIBA for 4 weeks reduced blood glucose and lipids levels, hepatic key enzymes of gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis expressions, attenuated hepatic insulin resistance and lipid accumulation, and improved insulin signaling in type 2 diabetic mice. BAIBA reduced hepatic ER stress and apoptosis in type 2 diabetic mice. Furthermore, BAIBA alleviated ER stress in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells with glucosamine-induced insulin resistance. Hepatic AMPK phosphorylation was reduced in STZ/HFD mice and glucosamine-treated HepG2 cells, which were restored by BAIBA treatment. The suppressive effects of BAIBA on glucosamine-induced ER stress were reversed by knockdown of AMPK with siRNA. In addition, BAIBA prevented thapsigargin- or tunicamycin-induced ER stress, and tunicamycin-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. These results indicate that BAIBA attenuates hepatic ER stress, apoptosis and glucose/lipid metabolic disturbance in mice with type 2 diabetes. AMPK signaling is involved to the role of BAIBA in attenuating ER stress.

Although anthropogenic disturbances are often perceived as detrimental to plant biodiversity, the relationship between biodiversity and disturbance remains unclear. Opinions diverge on how natural diversity is generated and maintained. We conducted a large-scale investigation of a temperate grassland system in Inner Mongolia and assessed the richness-disturbance relationship using grazing intensity, the primary anthropogenic disturbance in the region. Vascular plant-species richness peaked at an intermediate level of anthropogenic disturbance. Our results support the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, which provides a valid and useful measure of biodiversity at a metacommunity scale, indicating that anthropogenic disturbances are necessary to conserve the biodiversity of grassland systems.

The cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) is a membrane protein related to lipid metabolism. We show that HCV infection in vitro increased CD36 expression in either surface or soluble form. HCV attachment was facilitated through a direct interaction between CD36 and HCV E1 protein, causing enhanced entry and replication. The HCV co-receptor effect of CD36 was independent of that of SR-BI. CD36 monoclonal antibodies neutralized the effect of CD36 and reduced HCV replication. CD36 inhibitor sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO), which directly bound CD36 but not SR-BI, significantly interrupted HCV entry, and therefore inhibited HCV replication. SSO's antiviral effect was seen only in HCV but not in other viruses. SSO in combination with known anti-HCV drugs showed additional inhibition against HCV. SSO was considerably safe in mice. Conclusively, CD36 interacts with HCV E1 and might be a co-receptor specific for HCV entry; thus, CD36 could be a potential drug target against HCV.

FGF10 is a member of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). We previously showed that FGF10 protects neuron against oxygen-glucose deprivation injury in vitro; however, the effect of FGF10 in ischemic stroke in vivo is unknown. In the present study, we showed that FGF10 was mainly expressed in neurons but not astrocytes, and detected FGF10 in mouse cerebrospinal fluid. The FGF10 levels in neurons culture medium and cell lysate were much higher than those in astrocytes. FGF10 expression in brain tissue and FGF10 level in CSF were increased in mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. Administration of FGF10 into lateral cerebroventricle not only decreased MCAO-induced brain infarct volume and neurological deficit, but also reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells and activities of Caspases. Moreover, FGF10 treatment depressed the triggered inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) and NF-κB signaling pathway, and increased phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Blockade of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by wortmannin and Akt1/2-kinase inhibitor, partly compromised the neuroprotection of FGF10. However, blockade of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway did not impair the anti-inflammation action of FGF10. Collectively, our results demonstrate that neuron-derived FGF10 ameliorates cerebral ischemia injury via inhibiting NF-κB-dependent neuroinflammation and activating PI3K/Akt survival signaling pathway in mice.

A novel and convenient copper (II) bromide and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.1]undec-7-ene (DBU) or 1,10-phenanthroline catalysis protocol for the construction of α-alkyl-β-keto sulfones via C(sp(3))-H bond functionalization followed by C(sp(3))-S bond formation between aryl ketones and sodium sulfinates at room temperature has been developed. This method is applicable to a wide range of aryl ketones and sodium sulfinates. The electronic effects of aryl ketones and ligands effects of the copper salts are crucial for this transformation. Typically, substituted aryl ketones with electron-withdrawing group do not need any ligand to give a good to excellent yield, while substituted aryl ketones with electron-donating group and electron-rich heteroaromatic ketones offer a good to excellent yield only under the nitrogen-based ligands. The practical value of this transformation highlights the efficient and robust one-pot synthesis of α-alkyl-β-keto sulfones.

The synthesis of gallium nitride nanowires (GaN NWs) by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) are successfully demonstrated in this work. The simple and green synthesis route is to introduce gallium oxide (Ga2O3) and nitrogen (N2) for the growth of nanowires. The prepared GaN nanowires have a single crystalline wurtzite structure, which the length of some nanowires is up to 20 μm, with a maximum diameter about 140 nm. The morphology and quantity of the nanowires can be modulated by the growth substrate and process parameters. In addition, the photoluminescence and field emission properties of the prepared GaN nanowires have been investigated, which were found to be largely affected by their structures. This work renders an environmentally benign strategy and a facile approach for controllable structures on nanodevice.

During the past norovirus (NoV) epidemic season, a new GII.17 variant emerged as a predominant NoV strain, surpassed the GII.4 NoVs, causing outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in China. Here we report a study of an AGE outbreak in an elementary school in December 2014 caused by the new GII.17 NoV to explore the potential mechanism behind the sudden epidemics of the GII.17 NoV. A total of 276 individuals were sick with typical NoV infection symptoms of vomiting (93.4%), abdominal pain (90.4%), nausea (60.0%), and diarrhea (10.4%) at an attack rate of 5.7-16.9%. Genotyping of the symptomatic patients showed that individuals with a secretor positive status, including those with A, B, and O secretors and Lewis positive blood types, were sensitive to the virus, while the non-secretors and the Lewis negative individual were not. Accordingly, the recombinant capsid P protein of the GII.17 isolate showed a wide binding spectrum to saliva samples of all A, B, and O secretors. Thus, the broad binding spectrum of the new GII.17 variant could explain its widely spread nature in China and surrounding areas in the past two years.

This study intends to identify biomarkers that could refine the selection of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) for bevacizumab treatment. Pretreatment 36 plasma cytokines and angiogenic factors (CAFs) were first measured by protein microarray analysis in patients who received first-line bevacizumab-containing therapies (discovery cohort, n = 64), and further evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients treated on regimens with or without bevacizumab (validation cohort, n = 186). Factor levels were correlated with clinical outcomes, predictive values were assessed using a treatment by marker interaction term in the Cox model. Patients with lower pretreatment levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or VEGF-A(121) gain much more benefit from bevacizumab treatment as measured by progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), while angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) levels negatively correlated with PFS and response rate following bevacizumab (all adjusted interaction P < 0.05). A baseline CAF signature combining these three markers has greater predictive ability than individual markers. Signature-negative patients showed impaired survival following bevacizumab treatment (PFS, 7.3 vs 7.0 months; hazard ratio [HR] 1.03; OS, 29.9 vs 21.1 months, HR 1.33) compared with signature-positive patients (PFS, 6.5 vs 11.9 months, HR 0.52; OS, 28.0 vs 55.3 months, HR 0.67). These promising results warrant further prospective studies.

Alcohols and alkenes are the most abundant and commonly used organic building blocks in the large-scale chemical synthesis. Herein, this is the first time to report a novel and operationally simple coupling reaction of vinylarenes and aliphatic alcohols catalyzed by manganese in the presence of TBHP (tert-butyl hydroperoxide). This coupling reaction provides the oxyalkylated products of vinylarenes with good regioselectivity and accomplishes with the principles of step-economies. A possible reaction mechanism has also been proposed.