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Zihao Qin, Ke Xu, Wen Mo, Jie Ye, Jinhai Xu Orthopedics Department, Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jinhai Xu; Jie Ye, Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 725, South Wanping Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200030, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18016006692 ; +86 3301880301, Email jinhaixu@126.com; yejie1977@126.comPurpose: This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Jianyao Migu granules (JYMGG) in the treatment of primary osteopenic low back pain (LBP).Patients and Methods: A total of 108 patients with primary osteopenic LBP were randomly divided into the JYMGG group and placebo group. Both groups took 600 mg of oral Caltrate D daily; in addition, the JYMGG group was given oral JYMGG, while the placebo group was given placebo granules. The treatment period was 6 months for both groups. The pre- to post-treatment changes in the bone mineral density (BMD), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and bone turnover markers were compared between the two groups.Results: The post-treatment VAS score and ODI were significantly lower than baseline in both groups (P< 0.05). In the JYMGG group, the lumbar BMD increased from 0.88± 0.07 g/cm2 to 0.90± 0.13 g/cm2 and the hip BMD increased from 0.77± 0.08 g/cm2 to 0.78± 0.10 g/cm2, giving increases of 2.70% and 1.96% respectively, but the differences were not statistically significant. The post-treatment levels of ALP, osteocalcin, P1NP, and β-CTX were increased compared with baseline in both groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. The thyrotropin level was significantly increased after treatment in the placebo group (P< 0.05). There were no abnormalities detected in routine blood and kidney function tests performed during the observation period. Some patients showed elevated liver enzymes and gastrointestinal reactions.Conclusion: JYMGG effectively relieved the bone pain, and improved the quality of life of patients with primary osteopenic LBP.Keywords: chinese herb, clinical trial, Jianyao Migu granules, osteoporosis

Wenhui Mo,* Ying Dai,* Jianqing Chen, Liwei Liang, Shuqi Xu, Xuanfu Xu Department of Gastroenterology, Shidong Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xuanfu XuDepartment of Gastroenterology, Shidong Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-21-25066666Email xuxuanfu0217@163.comIntroduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) MT1JP on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro.Patients and Methods: Thirty pairs of tumor and adjacent normal tissues were collected from HCC patients. Tissue pathology and MT1JP expression were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and in situ hybridization (ISH), respectively. The correlation between MT1JP and HCC prognosis was investigated. MTT assays, cloning, flow cytometry, transwell assays, and wound-healing assays were used to evaluate the effects of MT1JP on HCC cell lines. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to measure the relative mRNA and protein expression levels.Results: The expression of MT1JP was downregulated in HCC tumor tissues compared with that in adjacent normal tissues, while the percent survival was significantly greater in the high MT1JP expression group than in the low MT1JP expression group (P=0.0238). In vitro, overexpression of MT1JP suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration, reduced colony cell number, increased cell apoptosis, and induced G1-phase cell cycle arrest in Bel-7402 and Huh-7 cells. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein expression levels of RUNX3 and P21 were significantly upregulated, whereas those of MMP2 and MMP9 were significantly downregulated, in Bel-7402 and Huh-7 cells overexpressing MT1JP (all P< 0.001).Conclusion: LncRNA MT1JP may function as a tumor suppressor in HCC. Overexpression of MT1JP suppressed HCC cell biological activities through the regulation of RUNX3.Keywords: MT1JP, HCC, Bel-7402, Huh-7, cell biological activities

The 3-D physical models for FeNi/Cu/FeNi films with two different types of structures that are linear and meander are developed. The relationship between the impedance of the films and the applied magnetic field or excitation frequency is obtained, and the influence of geometric parameters and structures of the films on the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect is analyzed. The result shows that the GMI effect in the film with a horizontal meander structure appears to be much stronger compared with that in a linear structure. The negative mutual inductance of the meander FeNi/Cu/FeNi films reduces the total inductance and decreases the frequency response. Meanwhile, the GMI effect and the negative mutual inductance are enhanced by increasing the number of turns or decreasing the space width between each segment. Based on these effects, the FeNi/Cu/FeNi film with a vertical meander structure is proposed and simulated, which reflects the design of the meander structure in the thickness direction. The distance between each segment is reduced to 500 nm. The GMI effect and the negative mutual inductance are greatly enhanced (the maximum value of the GMI ratio increases from 207% to 1247% when the excitation frequency changes from 50 to 300 MHz). Furthermore, the spatial resolution of the film is further improved. The results obtained could be useful both for a better understanding of the GMI effect of the FeNi/Cu/FeNi film with a meander structure and for providing a choice for the device preparation of highly sensitive magnetic sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current-induced perpendicular magnetization switching in $L1$ 0-FePt single layer and Ta/FePt bilayer thin films was investigated. Here, $L1$ 0-FePt (6 nm) single-layer film and Ta (1–5 nm)/FePt (6 nm) bilayer films were deposited on MgO substrate at 700 °C, showing good perpendicular anisotropy with out-of-plane coercivity of 7.5 kOe for FePt and around 5 kOe for Ta/FePt bilayers. It was found that the current-induced partial magnetization-based switching was realized with the spin–orbit torque (SOT) switching ratio of about 3% in all films. For adding the Ta capping layer, the critical current density is reduced and the stability of the switching loop is relatively better when compared to the single FePt layer. Furthermore, harmonic Hall voltage results demonstrate that the SOT efficiency ($\beta _{\mathrm {DL}}$) of FePt single layer is approximately 50 Oe/(107 A cm−2) and significantly higher than that of Ta/FePt bilayers, which is several times higher than that of the traditional Ta/CoFeB/MgO structure reported earlier. More importantly, Ta/FePt bilayer structure exhibits very good memristive switching behavior, which is expected to be applied to the spin-synapse of neural networks in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of TiN/HfO2/Ag resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices combining the oxygen-based RRAM (OxRRAM) and conducting bridge random-access memory (CBRAM) was studied. Current compliance (CC) values could significantly affect the resistive switching process: with unidirectional CC, permanent breakdown for the devices was observed. With bidirectional smaller CC, the stable bipolar resistive switching mode was obtained, and the cation injection played a leading role in the resistive switching process, while the devices with higher CC always remained in low-resistance state (LRS). The resistance–voltage (R–V) curve and conducting mechanism were analyzed for the bidirectional smaller CC devices, indicating ohmic conduction for the LRS, while the space charge limited the current for the high-resistance state. The results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that oxygen vacancies participated in the resistive switching process. It could be concluded that conducting paths were formed from conducting filaments of oxygen vacancies and conducting bridges of Ag grains, and the different formation rate of conducting filaments related to the values of CC was the prime reason for the various changes. Moreover, the characteristics of TiN/HfO2/Ta devices proved the universality of bidirectional CC. The method of making the OxRRAM and CBRAM coexist in the RRAM devices may offer a way to fabricate devices with low power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) is an inflammatory demyelinating autoimmune disease, associated with blood‐nerve barrier breakdown, inflammatory cells infiltration, and cytokine leakage in the peripheral nervous system. Currently, it has been revealed that monocytes play key roles in the inflammatory response. Therefore, we aimed to assess the correlation between monocyte count and GBS in this study. Methods: Retrospective study was conducted in 114 patients with GBS and 120 age‐ and gender‐matched individuals. Results: Absolute monocyte count in patients with GBS was higher than that in healthy controls (0.61 ± 0.24 vs 0.41 ± 0.10; P  < .001). Interestingly, monocyte count had significant positive correlations with CRP, ESR, and disease severity of GBS (r = .244, P = .009; r = .269, P = .004; r = .322, P < .001). A cutoff value of 0.515 for monocyte count was observed in patients with GBS (areas under the curve = 0.808, 95% confidence interval = 0.749‐0.868, P  < .001). Meanwhile, absolute monocyte count was independently associated with GBS in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 2.291, 95% confidence interval = 3.557‐27.493, P < .001). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that elevated monocyte count is independently associated with GBS patients, and suggested monocyte count is positively associated with disease severity of GBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is extremely sensitive to waterlogging stress. A pot experiment was conducted to study the morpho-physiological characteristics of 18 differrent maize cultivars (widely grown in South China) under waterlogging stress at seedling stage. Results showed that maize shoot growth was inhibited in terms of plant height and dry weight whilst leaf chlorophyll contents were also decreased under waterlogging stress. Root length, root hairs, root surface area and root volume were also declined under waterlogged conditions. Furthermore, activity of antioxidants i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were increased considerably under waterlogging stress compared to control. The soluble protein content also increased in some maize cultivars whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were found to be decreased in some cultivars that may be due to higher antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, the principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the coefficients of comprehensive indices (Z) for protein contents, SOD, POD and CAT were higher in Z1, the soluble protein content and MDA content in Z2 while the SPAD and Fv/Fm values in Z3 were remained higher than other parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of various doping materials (amorphous phases: TiO2, SiO2, MgO, and C and crystalline phases: HfO2 and ZrO2) on the microstructure and magnetic properties of FePt thin films have been investigated. It is found that FePt films with amorphous doping materials especially MgO and C have better (001) texture and grain isolation than doping with crystalline materials. Nevertheless, doping with crystalline materials, FePt films were preferred to form columnar structures with a larger aspect ratio compared with semi-spherical grain shape for amorphous doping materials. Moreover, all the FePt-X films exhibit better perpendicular anisotropy except for FePt-ZrO2 films due to some FePt (200) textured films epitaxial grown directly on tetragonal (002) textured ZrO2. For crystalline materials doping, the (001) texture and perpendicular anisotropy could be improved by tuning crystalline oxide materials with appropriate lattice structure, which may offer a method for application in FePt in heat-assisted magnetic recording media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For both environmental and economic consideration, the use of recycled glass fiber-reinforced flame retardant poly(butylene terephthalate) (RGFFRPBT) is of significant importance. In the study, the mechanical, thermal, rheological, and flame retardant properties of RGFFRPBT granulated by different extruders were evaluated. To explore the relationship between the screw structure and the properties of the extruded RGFFRPBT, the carboxyl content (CC), and intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of the processed polymer and the average GF length (L¯) were investigated. Increasing the shear force of the extruder caused both [η] and L¯ to decrease, whereas the CC increase. Variations of these parameters had a different effect on the properties of the RGFFRPBT. Both of mechanical and thermal properties of extruded RGFFRPBT deteriorated with the increase of screw shear force, while the thermal flowability improved. Furthermore, all the extruded products were classified as V-0 with LOI of 32.2%, and passed the glow wire ignition temperature test (GWIT). The results confirmed that the degradation of properties of RGFFRPBT can be controlled by screw-type extrusion. RGFFRPBT granulated by a single screw extruder with 30 mm diameter and length to diameter ratio of 30 was found to produce material with properties meeting the requirements for electronic and electrical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast growing of global aquaculture industry accompanied with increasing pressure on the supply and price of traditional feed materials (e.g., fish meal and soy bean meal). This circumstance has urged the need to search alternative sources of feed stuff. Food waste was used as feed stuff in rearing fish which possess substantial protein and lipid. Grass carp are major species reared in Hong Kong with lower nutritional requirements; it is also an ideal species for investigating the feasibility of using food waste as fish feeds for local aquaculture industry. The growth and immunity, reflected by total protein, total immunologlobulin (IgI), and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) activity of grass carp blood, were depressed when feeding with food waste feeds without enzymes. However, the supplementation of bromelain and papain in fish feed enhanced the efficient use of food waste by grass carp, which in turn improved the fish immunity. The present results indicated that the addition of those enzymes could enhance the feed utilization by fish and hematological parameters of grass carp, and the improvement on growth and immunity superior to the control (commercial feed) was observed with the addition of bromelain and papain supplement. Addition of 1 and 2 % mixture of bromelain and papain could significantly enhance the lipid utilization in grass carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different types of food wastes, e.g., meats, bones, cereals, fruits, and vegetables, were collected from hotels in Hong Kong, mixed in different ratio, and processed into feed pellets (food wastes (FWs) A, B, and C) for feeding trials in aquaculture species. Grass carp fed with cereal-dominant feed (FW A) showed the best growth (in terms of specific growth rate, relative weight gain, and protein efficiency ratio), among all food waste feeds. However, the growth rates of food waste groups especially the meat product-contained feeds (FW B and FW C) were lower than the commercial feed, Jinfeng 613 formulation (control). The results indicated that grass carp utilized plant proteins better than animal proteins and preferred carbohydrate as a major energy source than lipid. The high-lipid content in feed containing meat products was also a possible reason for hindering growth and resulted high body lipid. It is suggested that lipid should be removed in the preparation of food waste feed or further investigations by implementing supplements, e.g., enzymes in feed to enhance lipid or protein utilization by fish. This utilization of food waste could be an effective and practical way to deal with these wastes in this densely populated city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactococcosis is prevalent on grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) in Hong Kong aquaculture resulting in serious economic loss. A compound formulation of Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) (modified Huanglian Jiedu decoction (HLJDD)) comprising Rhizoma coptidis, Radix scutellaria, Cortex phellodendri, Fructus gardeniae, Fructus forsythiae and Flos lonicerae japonicae (in a ratio of 3:2:2:3:3:5) were applied as feed supplements to deal with the disease. The Nitroblue tetrazolium activity in blood, bactericidal activity and total immunoglobulin in plasma were significantly enhanced after feeding 1% of this TCM for 28 days. The disease resistances to Lactococcus garvieae in 1% and 2% TCM feeding groups were significantly enhanced. In the in vitro study, the modified HLJDD also activated the plasma bactericidal activities (p < 0.01). Based on this study, 1% modified HLJDD feeding for 28 days may be an optimal dose to prevent L. garvieae infection and could be used in aquaculture industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThere is a growing trend in the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and telemedicine, especially during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Tongue diagnosis is an important component of TCM, but also plays a role in Western medicine, for example in dermatology. However, the procedure of obtaining tongue images has not been standardized and the reliability of tongue diagnosis by smartphone tongue images has yet to be evaluated. ObjectiveThe first objective of this study was to develop an operating classification scheme for tongue coating diagnosis. The second and main objective of this study was to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of tongue coating diagnosis using the operating classification scheme. MethodsAn operating classification scheme for tongue coating was developed using a stepwise approach and a quasi-Delphi method. First, tongue images (n=2023) were analyzed by 2 groups of assessors to develop the operating classification scheme for tongue coating diagnosis. Based on clinicians’ (n=17) own interpretations as well as their use of the operating classification scheme, the results of tongue diagnosis on a representative tongue image set (n=24) were compared. After gathering consensus for the operating classification scheme, the clinicians were instructed to use the scheme to assess tongue features of their patients under direct visual inspection. At the same time, the clinicians took tongue images of the patients with smartphones and assessed tongue features observed in the smartphone image using the same classification scheme. The intra-rater agreements of these two assessments were calculated to determine which features of tongue coating were better retained by the image. Using the finalized operating classification scheme, clinicians in the study group assessed representative tongue images (n=24) that they had taken, and the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of their assessments was evaluated. ResultsIntra-rater agreement between direct subject inspection and tongue image inspection was good to very good (Cohen κ range 0.69-1.0). Additionally, when comparing the assessment of tongue images on different days, intra-rater reliability was good to very good (κ range 0.7-1.0), except for the color of the tongue body (κ=0.22) and slippery tongue fur (κ=0.1). Inter-rater reliability was moderate for tongue coating (Gwet AC2 range 0.49-0.55), and fair for color and other features of the tongue body (Gwet AC2=0.34). ConclusionsTaken together, our study has shown that tongue images collected via smartphone contain some reliable features, including tongue coating, that can be used in mHealth analysis. Our findings thus support the use of smartphones in telemedicine for detecting changes in tongue coating.

We have combined the NEOWISE and Sloan Digital Sky Survey data to study the albedos of 24,353 asteroids with candidate taxonomic classifications derived using Sloan photometry. We find a wide range of moderate to high albedos for candidate S-type asteroids that are analogous to the S complex defined by previous spectrophotometrically based taxonomic systems. The candidate C-type asteroids, while generally very dark, have a tail of higher albedos that overlaps the S types. The albedo distribution for asteroids with a photometrically derived Q classification is extremely similar to those of the S types. Asteroids with similar colors to (4) Vesta have higher albedos than the S types, and most have orbital elements similar to known Vesta family members. Finally, we show that the relative reflectance at 3.4 and 4.6 µm is higher for D-type asteroids and suggest that their red visible and near-infrared spectral slope extends out to these wavelengths. Understanding the relationship between size, albedo, and taxonomic classification is complicated by the fact that the objects with classifications were selected from the visible/near-infrared Sloan Moving Object Catalog, which is biased against fainter asteroids, including those with lower albedos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the NEOWISE portion of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) project, we have carried out a highly uniform survey of the near-Earth object (NEO) population at thermal infrared wavelengths ranging from 3 to 22 µm, allowing us to refine estimates of their numbers, sizes, and albedos. The NEOWISE survey detected NEOs the same way whether they were previously known or not, subject to the availability of ground-based follow-up observations, resulting in the discovery of more than 130 new NEOs. The survey's uniform sensitivity, observing cadence, and image quality have permitted extrapolation of the 428 near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) detected by NEOWISE during the fully cryogenic portion of the WISE mission to the larger population. We find that there are 981 ± 19 NEAs larger than 1 km and 20,500 ± 3000 NEAs larger than 100 m. We show that the Spaceguard goal of detecting 90% of all 1 km NEAs has been met, and that the cumulative size distribution is best represented by a broken power law with a slope of 1.32 ± 0.14 below 1.5 km. This power-law slope produces ~ 13,200 ± 1900 NEAs with D > 140 m. Although previous studies predict another break in the cumulative size distribution below D ~ 50-100 m, resulting in an increase in the number of NEOs in this size range and smaller, we did not detect enough objects to comment on this increase. The overall number for the NEA population between 100 and 1000 m is lower than previous estimates. The nurnbers of near-Earth comets and potentially hazardous NEOs will be the subject of future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NEOWISE data set offers the opportunity to study the variations in albedo for asteroid classification schemes based on visible and near-infrared observations for a large sample of minor planets. We have determined the albedos for nearly 1900 asteroids classified by the Tholen, Bus, and Bus-DeMeo taxonomic classification schemes. We find that the S-complex spans a broad range of bright albedos, partially overlapping the low albedo C-complex at small sizes. As expected, the X-complex covers a wide range of albedos. The multiwavelength infrared coverage provided by NEOWISE allows determination of the reflectivity at 3.4 and 4.6 µm relative to the visible albedo. The direct computation of the reflectivity at 3.4 and 4.6 µm enables a new means of comparing the various taxonomic classes. Although C, B, D, and T asteroids all have similarly low visible albedos, the D and T types can be distinguished from the C and B types by examining their relative reflectance at 3.4 and 4.6 µm. All of the albedo distributions are strongly affected by selection biases against small, low albedo objects, as all objects selected for taxonomic classification were chosen according to their visible light brightness. Due to these strong selection biases, we are unable to determine whether or not there are correlations between size, albedo, and space weathering. We argue that the current set of classified asteroids makes any such correlations difficult to verify. A sample of taxonomically classified asteroids drawn without significant albedo bias is needed in order to perform such an analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]