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Objectives: The relationship between Noggin (NOG)and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) has been reported participate in craniofacial development but need further evidence. To indicate the susceptibility between the 2 genes and NSCLP, rs227731 and rs1801131 polymorphisms were included in the present research. This research may provide some genetic clues for disease detection and surveillance.Design: Seventeen studies including 4023 cases and 5691 controls were provided for meta-analysis, and odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI were obtained to estimate NSCLP risk.Results: Our analysis suggested potential association of rs227731C on increasing the risk of NSCLP in the Caucasian group and total group but not Asian group under all models: allele (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.21-1.75, P< .0001), homozygote (OR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.42-2.90, P< .0001), heterozygote (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.19-1.73, P= .0001), dominant (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.27-2.04, P< .0001), and recessive models (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.25-2.12, P= .0003). Besides, increased risk is related to rs1801131 in Asian group under 3 models: allele (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.06-1.44, P= .006), heterozygote (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.02-1.52, P= .03), and dominant models (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.06-1.56, P= .009).Conclusions: Our analysis indicates polymorphisms rs227731 and rs1801131 are associated with NSCLP, with predominance of different ethnic group and deepen understanding of NSCLP.

Background Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common spinal disease that can cause severe radicular pain. Massage, also known as Tuinain Chinese, has been indicated to exert an analgesic effect in patients with LDH. Nonetheless, the mechanism underlying this effect of massage on LDH remains unclarified.Methods Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. A rat LDH model was established by autologous nucleus pulpous (NP) implantation, followed by treatment with or without massage. A toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonist TAK-242 was administrated to rats for blocking TLR4. Behavioral tests were conducted to examine rat mechanical and thermal sensitivities. Western blotting was employed for determining TLR4 and NLRP3 inflammasome-associated protein levels in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH). Immunofluorescence staining was implemented for estimating the microglial marker Iba-1 expression in rat SDH tissue.Results NP implantation induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in rat ipsilateral hindpaws and activated TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling transduction in the ipsilateral SDH. Massage therapy or TAK-242 administration relieved NP implantation-triggered pain behaviors in rats. Massage or TAK-242 hindered microglia activation and blocked TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome activation in ipsilateral SDH of LDH rats.Conclusion Massage ameliorates LDH-related radicular pain in rats by suppressing microglia activation and TLR4/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling transduction.

The objective of the study is to assess the association between rs1801278 and rs2943641 of insulin receptor substrate 1 gene (IRS1) and the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. A literature search strategy was conducted to identify all references lists of relevant studies. The fixed or random effect model was used to calculate the pooled ORs on the basis of heterogeneity. Further analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity by sensitivity analysis, meta-regression analysis, and subgroup analysis. There was significant association between rs1801278 and type 2 diabetes risk in recessive model (AA vs. GA + GG, p= 0.043) and codominant model (AA vs. GG, p= 0.007). Subgroup analysis showed that the association between rs1801278 and type 2 diabetes risk was significant in dominant model (GA + AA vs. GG, p= 0.044), codominant model (GA vs. GG, p= 0.039), codominant model (AA vs. GG, p= 0.044), overdominant model (GG + AA vs. GA, p= 0.037) in Asian and codominant model (AA vs. GG, p= 0.039) in Caucasian of rs1801278. The association between rs2943641 and type 2 diabetes risk was significant in codominant model (CT vs. CC, p= 0.023) in Caucasian. This meta-analysis suggests that rs1801278 may play a role in type 2 diabetes risk, especially in Asian. It also indicates that rs2943641 may be associated with type 2 diabetes risk in Caucasian. Further larger studies should be performed to warrant confirmation.

Farmers’ compensation for land acquisition is not only critical to increasing their income and to playing a pivotal role in maintaining rural stability, but also to the promotion of sustainable land use. Based on analysis of Chinese land acquisition policy under the Land Management Law, which provides principles or guidelines for determining compensation according to agricultural land use in regard to farmers’ previous quality of life, the Life Satisfaction Approach is introduced in this article to evaluate farmers’ compensation for land acquisition. Employing data from a questionnaire survey on 346 farming households in Wuhan Suburbs, this article examined the influence of farmland on farmers’ life satisfaction and evaluated the level of compensation for land acquisition. Results show that farmland has a significantly positive impact on life satisfaction, which fell by 0.033 on a five-point scale following a reduction farmland by of 1 mu. Respondents were willing to accept approximately RMB 3066.44 annual household income for the loss of 1 mu farmland; the level of compensation after discounting by 6.2% is RMB 750,000 per hectare. It was found in a further comparative study that the level of farmers’ compensation for land acquisition is decidedly low, and it was also shown that their compensation standards, as well as the actual compensation, could be substantially improved by expanding economic compensation to non-economic compensation to embody farmland multifunction in terms of production and non-production against farmers’ previous quality of life. This article proposes a compensation model that enriches the content of land acquisition compensation, extends the current literature on measuring compensation, and provides economic theory bases for increasing compensation standards and improving policies related to land acquisition. We consider that if this compensation model is applied, it could raise the cost of land acquisition and improve usage of land, reduce the speed of rural–urban land conversion, and improve farmers’ well-being.

A number of fluorescent benzothiadiazole dyes have been synthesised and their optical properties, when dispersed in a liquid crystal host phase, examined. These dyes have five linearly π-conjugated aromatic ring systems (both with and without ethene and 1,3-butadiene spacers). The liquid crystalline host medium, used was the nematic phase of MLC-2039. The emission colours observed ranged from green to red, depending on the unsaturated chains attached at the 4- and 7- positions of the bezo-2,1,3-thiadiazole core. A highly dichroic and efficient fluoresence was observed. The dye 4,7–bis[5-bis(phenylethenyl)thiophen-2-yl]-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole is of particular importance. This is the first example of a dye emitting strong red fluorescence (633 nm). When dispersed in MLC-2039, dichroic ratio values up to 12.3 were obtained.

The highly dichroic fluorescent dyes 4,7-bisp-alkoxyphenyl-, 4,7-bisp-alkoxymethylphenyl-, and 4,7-bisp-alkoxycarbonylphenyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazoles have been synthesized and their dichroic properties evaluated. A solution of the former dye dispersed in the commercial liquid crystalline MLC-2039 host phase showed a dichroic ratio value for fluorescence up to 9.1.

The highly dichroic fluorescent dyes 4,7-bis(p-alkoxyphenyl)-, 4,7-bis(p-alkoxymethylphenyl)-, and 4,7-bis(p-alkoxycarbonylphenyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazoles have been synthesized and their dichroic properties evaluated. A solution of the former dye dispersed in the commercial liquid crystalline MLC-2039 host phase showed a dichroic ratio value for fluorescence up to 9.1.

4,7-Di(p-alkoxyphenyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazoles having linear alkyl chains were prepared by the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction of 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole with the corresponding p-alkoxyphenylboronic acids. All compounds exhibited stable crystalline phase 1 (Cr1), quasi-stable polycrystalline phase 2 (Cr2), smectic liquid crystalline phase (A and C), and isotropic liquid. By conventional time-of-flight measurement using N2 laser, the hole mobility of benzothiadiazole derivatives was evaluated to be about 1 x 10[?]1 cm2 V[?]1 s[?]1 in the Cr1 phase, while the hole mobility of these in the smectic phases was on the order of 10[?]4-10[?]5 cm2 V[?]1 s[?]1. From a powder X-ray diffraction analysis, it was demonstrated that the interlayer spacing in the Cr1 phase was smaller than those in the smectic A and C phases. Microscopy observation of the polycrystalline films showed that the films in the Cr1 phase had less grain boundary structure. The high hole mobility of the benzothiadiazole derivatives in the Cr1 phase may be due to their small interlayer spacing and less grain boundary structure.