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Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) is a highly pathogenic double-stranded DNA virus, and the fatality rate of SGIV-infected grouper is more than 90%. Up to now, there is no effective methods to control the disease. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) might play an important role in individual growth and development, immune regulation and other life processes. In this study, lncRNAs were identified in Epinephelus coioides, an important economic aquaculture marine fish in China and Southeast Asia, and the regulatory relationships of lncRNAs and mRNA response to SGIV infection were analyzed. A total of 11,678 lncRNAs were identified and classified from the spleen and GS (grouper spleen) cells. 105 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) were detected during SGIV infection. The lncRNAs and the regulated mRNAs were analyzed using co-expression network, lncRNA target gene annotation and GO enrichment. At 24 and 48 h after SGIV infection, 118 and 339 lncRNA-mRNA pairs in GS cells were detected, and 728 and 688 differentially expressed lncRNA-mRNA pairs in spleen were obtained, respectively. GO and KEGG were used to predict the DE lncRNAs' target genes, and deduce the DE lncRNAs-affected signaling pathways. In GS cells, lncRNAs might participate in cell part, binding and catalytic activity; and lncRNAs might be involved in immune system process and transcription factor activity in spleen. These data demonstrated that lncRNAs could regulate the expression of immune-related genes response to viral infection, and providing a new insight into understanding the complexity of immune regulatory networks mediated by lncRNAs during viral infection in teleost fish.

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) in mammals is a multifunctional protein. In this study, PCSK9 of marine fish Epinephelus coioides was characterized. The full-length cDNA of E. coioides PCSK9 was 2458 bp in length containing 185 bp 5' UTR, 263 bp 3' UTR and 2010 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 669 amino acids with the predicted molecular weight of 71 kDa and the theoretical PI of 6.6. Similar to other members of PCSK9 family, E. coioides PCSK9 has three conserved domains: Inhibitor_ I9 super family, Peptidases_ S8_ PCSK9_ Proteinase K_ like, and PCSK9_ C-CRD super family. E. coioides PCSK9 mRNA could be detected in all the tissues examined by real-time quantitative PCR, with the highest expression in the brain, followed by skin, trunk kidney, head kidney, intestine, blood, liver, spleen, gill, muscle and heart. E. coioides PCSK9 was distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus. The expression of E. coioides PCSK9 was significantly upregulated during Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection. Upregulated PCSK9 could significantly affect the activities of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-κB) promoter, SGIV-induced apoptosis, and the expressions of the key SGIV genes (ICP18, LITAT, MCP, and VP19) and the E. coioides proinflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α). The results illustrated that E. coioides PCSK9 might be involved in the pathogen infection by regulating the innate immune response.

Objective Nurse practitioners (NPs) have drawn significant attention recently and played a major role in healthcare. We aim to find the evaluation of NPs through published studies and then visualize the research status and hotspots in this field. Methods All data came from the Web of Science Core Collection, and the data were counted and entered into Excel 2016. The key documents nodes were excavated by analyzing the knowledge network map using CiteSpaceV software. In this study, these nodes of “author, country, institution, keyword, co-citation (reference\cited-author\cited-journal), and grant” were harvested for analysis and comparison. Results A total of 4912 records, which were published between 2007 and 2018 and pertained to NPs, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database (WoSCC) from a diversity of languages. The total and the annual number of publications and citations of these continually increased over time. Most publications were in 2018 (618 records). This study involved 8241 authors located in 98 countries and 4557 institutions totally. The United States (2737 records) and the University of Michigan (90 records) dominated in publication frequency. There are 902 journals and 2449 articles with funding support that have been analyzed. Most articles were from JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association (1386, IF = 47.661), followed by the Journal of Advanced Nursing (1359, IF = 2.267), and The New England Journal of Medicine (1109, IF = 79.258). The reference “The Role of Nurse Practitioners in Reinventing Primary Care” was co-cited most frequently, which revealed it as the highest landmark article in NP. The top-ranked keyword was “Care,” other than “Nurse practitioner,” which has an ultra-high frequency. Some of the high-frequency keywords represent the significant direction of NPs. Conclusions NPs are at the crux of health-care delivery and play an important role in providing high-quality nursing. Publications on NPs in WoSCC have increased notably during the recent years, and have appeared in some journals that have a high impact factor. Research frontiers and developmental trends were revealed by the analysis in this study, which can be used to forecast future research developments in NPs and taken as a reference to choose the right directions by subsequent researchers who wish to use these results. However, the grant support from administration or research institutions is still in need of improvement and the scope of research in NPs should be broadened in the future.

Exocyst complex component 3 Sec6 of mammals, one of the components of the exocyst complex, participates in numerous cellular functions, such as promoting cell migration and inhibiting apoptosis. In this study, the Sec6 was obtained from Epinephelus coioides, an economically important cultured fish. The full length of E. coioides Sec6 was 2655 bp including a 245 bp 5' UTR, a 154 bp 3' UTR, and a 2256 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 751 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 86.76 kDa and a theoretical pI of 5.57. Sec6 mRNA was detected in all the tissues examined, but the expression level is different in these tissues. Using fluorescence microscopy, Sec6 were distributed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. After SGIV infection, the expression of E. coioides Sec6 was significantly up-regulated in both trunk kidney and spleen response to Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), an important pathogens of E. coioides. Sec6 could increase the SGIV-induced cytopathic effects (CPE), the expression of the SGIV genes VP19, LITAF, MCP, ICP18 and MCP, and the viral titers. Besides, E. coioides Sec6 significantly downregulated the promoter of NF-κB and AP-1, and inhibited the SGIV-induced apoptosis. The results demonstrated that E. coioides Sec6 might play important roles in SGIV infection.

In mammals, mature miR-122 is 22 nucleotides long and can be involved in regulating a variety of physiological and biological pathways. In this study, the expression profile and effects of grouper Epinephelus coioides miR-122 response to Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) infection were investigated. The sequences of mature microRNAs (miRNAs) from different organisms are highly conserved, and miR-122 from E. coioides exhibits high similarity to that from mammals and other fish. The expression of miR-122 was up-regulated during SGIV infection. Up-regulation of miR-122 could significantly enhance the cytopathic effects (CPE) induced by SGIV, the transcription levels of viral genes (MCP, VP19, LITAF and ICP18), and viral replication; reduce the expression of inflammatory factors (TNF-a, IL-6, and IL-8), and the activity of AP-1 and NF-κB, and miR-122 can bind the target gene p38α MAPK to regulate the SGIV-induced cell apoptosis and the protease activity of caspase-3. The results indicated that SGIV infection can up-regulate the expression of E. coioides miR-122, and up-regulation of miR-122 can affect the activation of inflammatory factors, the activity of AP-1 and NF-κB, and cell apoptosis to regulate viral replication and proliferation.

PurposeTo explore the effect of half 18F-FDG dose on image quality of pediatric oncological patients using total-body PET/CT. and investigate the ultra-low dose of administered tracer activity. Methods100 pediatric oncological patients who underwent total-body PET/CT using the uEXPLORER scanner with half 18F-FDG dose (1.85 MBq/kg) were retrospectively enrolled. The PET images were firstly reconstructed using all the 600s data, and then split into 300s, 180s, 60s, 40s and 20s duration groups. The subjective analysis method was assessed using a 5-point Likert scales. Objective quantitative metrics included the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), SUVmean, standard deviation (SD), signal to noise ratio (SNR) and SNRnorm of the backgrounds. The variability in lesion SUVmean, SUVmax, and tumor-to-background ratio (TBR) were also calculated. ResultsThe overall image quality scores in Group 600s, 300s, 180s and 60s were 4.9 ± 0.2, 4.9 ± 0.3, 4.4±0.5 and 3.5±0.5 respectively. All the lesions identified in half-dose images were localised down to G60s (1/20-dose) images; while 56% of the lesion could be clearly identified in G20s (1/60-dose) images. With stimulated reduced doses, SUVmax and SD of backgrounds were gradually increased, while TBR values showed no statistically significant deviation among all the groups (all p > 0.1). Using the half-dose images as reference, the variability of lesion SUVmax gradually increased from G180s to G20s, while lesion SUVmean remained stable for all the age groups. SNRnorm was highly correlated with the age in a negative direction.ConclusionsThe total-body PET/CT with half 18F-FDG dose achieved good performance in pediatric patients considering the sufficient image quality and lesion conspicuity. Sufficient image quality and lesion conspicuity could be maintained with an administered dose reduced down to 1/20-dose (0.185 MBq/kg, , estimated effective dose: 0.18–0.26 mSv).

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication of diabetes that has a serious impact on the quality of life of patients. VEGFA is necessary in the physiological state to maintain endothelial activity and physical properties of blood vessels. VEGFA plays an important role in the promotion of neovascularization; therefore, inhibition of VEGFA can degrade the structure of blood vessels and reduce neovascularization. In the present study, HERB, a high-throughput experimental and reference-oriented database of herbal medicines, was used for compound mining targeting VEGFA. The compounds most likely to interact with VEGFA were screened by molecular docking. Next, the compounds were used to verify whether it could inhibit the activity of the VEGF signaling pathway

Viral infections seriously affect the health of organisms including humans. Now, more and more researchers believe that microRNAs (miRNAs), one of the members of the non-coding RNA family, play significant roles in cell biological function, disease occurrence, and immunotherapy. However, the roles of miRNAs in virus infection (entry and replication) and cellular immune response remain poorly understood, especially in low vertebrate fish. In this study, based on the established virus-cell infection model, Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV)-infected cells were used to explore the roles of miR-124 of Epinephelus coioides, an economically mariculture fish in southern China and Southeast Asia, in viral infection and host immune responses. The expression level of E. coioides miR-124 was significantly upregulated after SGIV infection; miR-124 cannot significantly affect the entry of SGIV, but the upregulated miR-124 could significantly promote the SGIV-induced cytopathic effects (CPEs), the viral titer, and the expressions of viral genes. The target genes of miR-124 were JNK3/p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Overexpression of miR-124 could dramatically inhibit the activation of NF-κB/activating protein-1 (AP-1), the transcription of proinflammatory factors, caspase-9/3, and the cell apoptosis. And opposite results happen when the expression of miR-124 was inhibited. The results suggest that E. coioides miR-124 could promote viral replication and negatively regulate host immune response by targeting JNK3/p38α MAPK, which furthers our understanding of virus and host immune interactions.

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are important for maintaining protein homeostasis and cell survival. In this study, Hsp27 of Epinephelus coioides, an economically important marine fish in China and Southeast Asian countries, was characterized. E. coioides Hsp27 contains the consered ACD_HspB1_like domain and three p38 MAPK phosphorylation sites, located at Thr-13, Thr-60 and Ser-167. E. coioides Hsp27 was distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, its mRNA was detected in all 14 tissues examined, and its expression was up-regulated after challenge with Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), an important E. coioides pathogen. Over-expression of E. coioides Hsp27 significantly upregulated the expressions of the key SGIV genes (VP19, LITAF, MCP, and ICP18), downgraded the expressions of the E. coioides immune factors (IRF3, IRF7, ISG15, and TRAF6) and proinflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-8), downgraded the activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), and substantially inhibited the cell apoptosis induced by SGIV infection. These data illustrated that E. coioides Hsp27 might be involved in SGIV infection by negatively regulating the innate immune response.

Objective To discuss the possible effects of microRNA-141 (miR-141) in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) via targeting death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1). Methods An SIC mouse model was constructed by abdominal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and divided into control, LPS, LPS + pre-miR-141, and LPS + anti-miR-141 groups. Hemodynamic indicators and heart function indexes of mice were detected. ELISA was used to determine the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, while TUNEL staining to observe the apoptosis of myocardial cells of mice, as well as qRT-PCR and Western blotting to clarify the expression of miR-141 and DAPK1. Lastly, in vitro experiment was also conducted on the primary neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NRVCMs) to validate the results. Results Mice in the LPS group, as compared to the control group, had lower left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular fractional shortening, left ventricular systolic pressure, and ±dp/dt, but a higher left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, while the serum expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and cTn-T was up-regulated evidently with the increased apoptotic index of myocardial tissues. However, miR-141 and Bcl-2/Bax were down-regulated with elevated DAPK1 and cleaved caspase-3. The above changes were ameliorated in mice from the LPS + pre-miR-141 group relative to the LPS group, while those in the LPS + anti-miR-141 group were further deteriorated. In vitro experiment showed that miR-141 overexpression could reduce the apoptosis of LPS-induced NRVCMs and the levels of inflammatory cytokines with the increased cell viability. Conclusion MiR-141 could decrease inflammatory response and reduce myocardial cell apoptosis by targeting DAPK1, thereby playing the promising protective role in SIC.

Recently, a skin ulcerative disease caused by Vibrio mimicus has led to heavy economic losses in catfish, including yellow catfish, southern catfish, and Zhengchuan catfish in China. Currently, there was no effective method of controlling the outbreak of this disease. In this study, the bacterial isolates were obtained from dying channel catfish and identified as V. mimicus, which consist of formalin-inactivated V. mimicus (antigen). After first immunization, four weeks later, fishes were exposed to V. mimicus and the immune response was analyzed: Fish survival, respiratory burst activity of blood leukocytes, serum agglutination titers, and lysozyme activity, every week (during four weeks). Survival was up 90%. Respiratory burst activity of blood leukocytes, serum agglutination titers, and lysozyme activity were determined at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after primary immunization. Immunization of channel catfish protected hosts against V. mimicus infection with a survival percentage of more than 90%. Respiratory burst activity of blood leukocytes was not affected by vaccination. Serum agglutination titer and lysozyme activity were significantly increased after immunization, in comparison with un-vaccinated control fish. The obtained results indicated that vaccination is an effective method to control the outbreaks of V. mimicus through regulation of the humoral immune response. Key words: Vibrio mimicus, catfish, skin ulcer, vaccine.

BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia have an increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus that has shown a significant association with the rs7754840 polymorphism in the gene encoding the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like 1 (CDKAL1). OBJECTIVE To examine whether this polymorphism was involved in the susceptibility in first-episode drug-naive schizophrenic patients (FDSP), and further influenced their clinical symptoms. METHODS This polymorphism was genotyped in 239 FDSP and 368 healthy controls. The clinical symptoms in FDSP were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) five-factor models. RESULTS There was no significant difference in the allelic and genotypic frequencies of this polymorphism between two groups (both p > 0.05) after adjusting for covariates. However, the PANSS depressive score significantly differed by genotype in FDSP after adjusting for covariates (F = 5.25, p = 0.006). This significant difference also persisted after Bonferroni correction (p

AIM: To identify the disease-causing mutation in a four-generation Chinese family diagnosed with Nance-Horan syndrome (NHS). METHODS: A Chinese family, including four affected patients and four healthy siblings, was recruited. All family members received ophthalmic examinations with medical histories provided. Targeted next-generation sequencing approach was conducted on the two affected males to screen for their disease-causing mutations. RESULTS: Two male family members diagnosed with NHS manifested bilateral congenital cataracts microcornea, strabismus and subtle facial and dental abnormalities, while female carriers presented posterior Y-sutural cataracts. A novel frameshift mutation (c.3916_3919del) in the NHS gene was identified. This deletion was predicted to alter the reading frame and generate a premature termination codon after a new reading frame. CONCLUSION: The study discovers a new frameshift mutation in a Chinese family with NHS. The findings broaden the spectrum of NHS mutations that can cause NHS in Chinese patients.

To explore the combined influences of temperature-sensitive bone mesenchymal stem cells (tsBMSCs) and mild hypothermia (MH) on neurological function and glucose metabolism in rats with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).SD rats were randomly divided into sham, TBI, TBI + MH, TBI + BMSCs and TBI + MH +tsBMSCs groups. Then, the brain water content, serum-specific proteins (S100β, NSE, LDH, and CK), and blood glucose at different time points were measured. Furthermore, GLUT-3 expression was detected by Western blotting, and apoptotic rate was determined by TUNEL staining.After TBI rat establishment, the brain injury resulted in significant increases in mNSS scores and brain water content, and upregulations in serum levels of S100β, NSE, LDH and CK, and blood glucose, with the elevated cell apoptotic rate in the injured cortex. However, these changes were reversed by MH alone, BMSCs alone, or combination treatment of MH and tsBMSCs in varying degrees, and the combination treatment was superior to the treatment with BMSCs or MH alone.Combination therapy of tsBMSCs and MH can reduce the neuronal apoptosis in severe TBI rats, with the suppression of serum biomarkers and hyperglycemia, contributing to the recovery of neurological functions.tsBMSCs: temperature-sensitive bone mesenchymal stem cells; MH: mild hypothermia; TBI: traumatic brain injury; mNSS: modified Neurological Severity Score.

This meta-analysis aimed to assess the effectiveness of moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO) for diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). Two researchers independently assessed the quality and validity of included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in 7 electronic databases. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane handbook guidelines. Twenty seven trials which include 1,979 patients were involved for analysis. Comparison of the same intervention strategies revealed significant differences in total effectiveness rates between BEBO and conventional therapy group (Risk Ratio [RR], 6.36, [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.20, 12.64], P < 0.00001); MEBO combined with standard therapy (Risk Ratio [RR], 1.19, [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08, 1.31], P = 0.0007); and healing time of DFU (Mean Difference [MD], 14.15, [95% confidence interval (CI), -18.14, -10.17], P < 0.00001). MEBO may be effective for treating DFU. However, a firm conclusion could not be reached because of the poor quality of the included trials. Further trials with higher quality are justified. Key words: Exposed wound ointment (MEBO), diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), recombinant bovine, basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF), vacuum sealing drainage (VSD).

To evaluate the therapeutic effects of moisture exposed burn ointment (MEBO) on phlebitis, seven electronic databases where checked until September, 2016 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of MEBO on phlebitis. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane handbook guidelines. Thirty eight randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria in which the aggregated results indicated that comparison revealed significant differences in total effectiveness rate of MEBO versus conventional therapy (RR=1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.06, 1.52, and P=0.009), and there were some beneficial evidence regarding the effects on reducing incidence of phlebitis MEBO versus conventional therapy in preventing phlebitis (RR=2.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.94, 3.85, and P

Objective The purpose of this study is to uncover the controversial problems and review the safety of extracranial-intracranial arterial bypass (EC-IC arterial bypass) in the treatment of moyamoya disease. Methods Published randomized controlled clinical trials were searched from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of science without date or language limitations until September 2016. Meta-analysis was performed as recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration of trials. Results In total 2 studies were included by strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The result of meta-analysis showed that surgical group had a greater reduction of the primary end points (OR [0.35], 95% CI [0.15, 0.84], I = 0%) than that of the nonsurgical group. Conclusion Surgical therapy significantly lowers incidence of the primary end points (including rebleeding attack; completed stroke resulting in significant morbidity; mortality from any medical cause and requirement for bypass surgery fora nonsurgical patient as determined by a registered neurologist) compared with nonsurgical therapy. High-quality randomized controlled trials are required to confirm this conclusion.

For many years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat patients with intestinal adhesion. However, no meta-analysis has been previously conducted to investigate the benefits of TCM therapy in patients with such disorder. This paper aims to summarize the beneficial effects of applying TCM as an adjuvant in patients with intestinal adhesion through conducting a meta-analysis. Until October 2016, seven databases have been retrieved to conduct randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and investigate the effects of applying TCM as an adjuvant treatment in patients with the mentioned disorder. The risk of bias has been assessed according to Cochrane Handbook guidelines. 24 of the 169 potentially relevant trials met the inclusion criteria. However, their methodological qualities were low. The application of TCM as an adjuvant was associated with a significantly lower incidence of intestinal adhesion, as well as higher total effective rate. Compared with the controls as adjuvant treatment, TCM therapy promoted incision healing and reduced the recovery time of borborygmus, anal exhaust time and first defecation time as well as gastrointestinal decompression duration. However, the pooled data for the studies showed there was no difference in blood plasma fibrinogen (FIB). This meta-analysis suggests that TCM therapy appears to cause additional beneficial effects in patients with intestinal adhesion. However, available studies are not adequate to draw a conclusion on the efficacy of TCM due to the methodological flaws of the included trials. Hopefully this work will provide useful experience for further studies; better designed trials are needed to confirm the findings in this study. Key words: Traditional Chinese medicine, intestinal adhesion, meta-analysis

Sorbus cibagouensis sp. nov. (Rosaceae subfam. Rosaceae), a new taxon from Cibagou National Nature Reserve, Zayu County, southeastern Xizang (Tibet), China, is described and illustrated. It is related to S. monbeigii (Cardot) Balakr., but primarily differs in the number of styles (S. cibagouensis = 5; S. monbeigii = 4) and the shape of stipules and leaves (S. cibagouensis: stipules caducous, small, with entire margin, leaflets in 9-11 pairs; S. monbeigii: stipules persistent, large, serrate, leaflets in 6-8 (-10) pairs).

nanostructured Al2O3 coated ZrO2-Y2O3 thermal barrier coatings were prepared by plasma spraying method using nanostructured alumina coated 8mol%Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 powder as starting material and the thermal insulation property was investigated as a function of the thickness of the coating. The results indicate that the structure and property of thermal barrier coating using nanoAl2O3 coated ZrO2-Y2O3 powder was superior to that of using single zirconia powder. The thermal insulation property of the thermal barrier coating increased with thickness of the coating increasing, and the advantage is more obvious with temperature increasing.

Background: Several studies were published to assess the association between serum uric acid levels and atrial fibrillation risk, but no consistent results were reported. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the evidence of the association between hyperuricemia and atrial fibrillation risk. Material/Methods: Pubmed and Embase databases were searched for prospective cohort studies assessing the association between hyperuricemia and atrial fibrillation risk. Relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were pooled using random-effect of meta-analysis to assess the risk of atrial fibrillation in individuals with hyperuricemia. Results: Six cohort studies were finally included into the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of those 6 studies showed that hyperuricemia was significantly associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation (RR = 1.49, 95%CI 1.24-1.79, P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis by omitting single study sequentially by turns did not have any obvious influence on the pooled risk estimates. There was no obvious risk of publication bias in the meta-analysis. Conclusions: Based on the currently available data, hyperuricemia is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation.

Background The present meta-analysis aimed to summarize the inconsistent findings on the association of apolipoprotein M gene (ApoM) rs805296 polymorphism with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), and to obtain a more authentic result about this topic. Material/Methods A total of 7 available articles were identified through electronic databases – PubMed, EMBASE, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) – and their useful data were carefully extracted. The relationship between ApoM rs805296 polymorphism and CAD risk was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), which were calculated using the fixed- or random-effects model, according to the degree of heterogeneity. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test, sensitivity test, and publication bias examination were also performed in this meta-analysis. Results According to the pooled results, ApoM rs805296 polymorphism conferred an increased risk of CAD under all the genetic contrasts: CC versus TT, CC + TC versus TT, CC versus TT+TC, C versus T, and TC versus TT (OR=2.13, 95% CI=1.16–3.91; OR=1.80, 95% CI=1.50–2.17; OR=1.91, 95% CI=1.04–3.51; OR=1.72, 95% CI=1.45–2.04; OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.47–2.15). Conclusions ApoM rs805296 polymorphism may be a risk factor for developing CAD.

Background: Acarbose and voglibose are alpha-glucosidase inhibitors and they are an effective therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus. Our aim is to directly compare the efficacy and safety of acarbose and voglibose for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We searched the international web databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science) with an English language restriction (up to August, 2016). In addition, we checked bibliographies of each included study and the latest reviews to identify additional studies. For each clinical outcome, dichotomous data were analyzed by using the risk ratio (RR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI). Continuous outcomes measured on the same scale and units were analyzed by using weighted mean differences (WMD) with the 95% confidence interval (CI); if continuous outcomes were measured on the different scale or units, it were analyzed by using standardised mean differences (SMD) with the 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: There are no differences in glycemic control between acarbose and voglibose while adverse events in acarbose group were higher than voglibose group.Conclusion: Our limited evidence finds that voglibose is more suitable for the treatment of type 2 diabetes compared with acarbose. Further well-designed and multicentric RCTs with larger sample are required to confirm these findings.

TiC powders have been prepared with titanium dioxide and charcoal powders as raw materials by vacuum carbothermal reduction technique. Meanwhile the as-prepared TiC powders were characterized by acid corrosion resistance test and oxidizability test. The results show as follows: the acid corrosion resistance of titanium carbide powders prepared at the optimum experiment conditions is better than that of industrial powders. It hardly dissolves in HCl, H2SO4, HNO3, HF, HClO4and aqua regia, and slightly dissolves in mixed solution HF+HNO3. The TiC powders are gradually oxidized at 352°C~917°C at air atmosphere and the product may be titanium dioxide and titanium oxides with lower valence. When the temperature rises to 546°C, a large quantity of titanium carbide powders are oxidized. And when the temperature rises to 688°C, besides the titanium carbide powders are oxidized to release heat, the free carbon is also oxidized and transformed into CO2gas to escape.

In this paper, TiC powders have been prepared under vacuum condition using titanium dioxide powders and charcoal powders as raw materials. The impacts of temperature and holding time on TiC were studied. The results show as follows: the products will absorb lots of heat and transform into titanium oxide with lower valence with the increasing of holding time at the same temperature and at last be converted into titanium carbide. At a higher temperature, the time of the product transforms into single-phase titanium carbide is shorter.

This paper proposes that arrays of spatio-temporal data matrix was constructed by the arrays of the received signal delayed in time gradient, Meanwhile, applying the method of ESPIRT to get the twiddle factor of the received signal array element and the array element of the time and the space, finally get the final information of Doppler frequency and the information of arrival angle though applying least squares method.

Effect of different Sn contents on combustion synthesis of Ti2SnC was studied using elemental Ti, Sn, C and TiC powders as raw materials in the Ti-Sn-C and Ti-Sn-C-TiC system, in which the molar ratio of Ti/C was set as 2:1. The reaction mechanism for the formation of Ti2SnC was also investigated. The results showed that the amount of Ti2SnC in combustion products firstly increased with increasing of Sn content (0.6 to 0.8 mol), and then decreased with further increasing of Sn content (1.0 to 1.2 mol). Upon addition of 15 % TiC instead of Ti and C, the optimum addition of Sn decreased to 0.7 mol and a higher purity of Ti2SnC was obtained. The Ti2SnC powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

In this paper, the basis function of TDCS system (Transform Domain Communication System) is used to design cognitive radar transmitter waveform. Based on the noise environment, the waveform can be adjusted adaptively. Then after clipping to reduce the PAPR (Peak to Average Power Ratio) of radar echo signal, the obtained signal is used as the next launch of the radar signal. The cognitive radar transmitter requires a nonlinear waveform to improve the efficiency of radar transmitter power amplifier, so reducing the PAPR of signal is essential. This paper presents the gray complementary sequence is applied to TDCS communication systems, and then it needs to reduce PAPR of signals by clipping. Proven, PAPR of the transmitted signal is maintained at about 3.25dB, and the signal has a low probability of intercept, high anti-interference ability and distant target detection range.

Sjogren’s syndrome (SjS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are common systemic autoimmune diseases, which impact not only patient health but also their quality of life. miRNA-146a is a microRNA that participates in the pathophysiology of SjS and SLE. In this investigation, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the relationship of miR-146a to primary SjS (PSS) and to SLE. The following databases were interrogated; Pubmed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, WANFANG, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WEIPU. Standard mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to study the relationship between miRNA-146a expression and thee diseases by random-effects model. A total of six studies, with 158 cases and 124 controls were included for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis shows that miRNA-146a expression is associated with the risk of PSS (MD = 6.32, p = 0.005). No relationship between miR-146a expression and SLE was identified (MD = −0.86, p = 0.26). SLE subgroup analysis (peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum) confirmed this result. The risk for PSS is related to miR-146a expression, while miRNA-146a expression is not related to SLE. As such, miRNA-146a may serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of PSS, but not SLE.

The volume FeO and TiO2 abundances (FTAs) of lunar regolith can be more important for understanding the geological evolution of the Moon compared to the optical and gamma-ray results. In this paper, the volume FTAs are retrieved with microwave sounder (CELMS) data from the Chang’E-2 satellite using the back propagation neural network (BPNN) method. Firstly, a three-layered BPNN network with five-dimensional input is constructed by taking nonlinearity into account. Then, the brightness temperature (TB ) and surface slope are set as the inputs and the volume FTAs are set as the outputs of the BPNN network. Thereafter, the BPNN network is trained with the corresponding parameters collected from Apollo, Luna, and Surveyor missions. Finally, the volume FTAs are retrieved with the trained BPNN network using the four-channel TB derived from the CELMS data and the surface slope estimated from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) data. The rationality of the retrieved FTAs is verified by comparing with the Clementine UV-VIS results and Lunar Prospector (LP) GRS results. The retrieved volume FTAs enable us to re-evaluate the geological features of the lunar surface. Several important results are as follows. Firstly, very-low-Ti (2 > 5 wt.% constitute less than 10% of the maria. Also, two linear relationships occur between the FeO abundance (FA) and the TiO2 abundance before and after the threshold, 16 wt.% for FA. Secondly, a new perspective on mare volcanism is derived with the volume FTAs in several important mare basins, although this conclusion should be verified with more sources of data. Thirdly, FTAs in the lunar regolith change with depth to the uppermost surface, and the change is complex over the lunar surface. Finally, the distribution of volume FTAs hints that the highlands crust is probably homogeneous, at least in terms of the microwave thermophysical parameters.