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RNA molecules harbor diverse modifications that play important regulatory roles in a variety of biological processes. Over 150 modifications have been identified in RNA molecules. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and 1-methyladenosine (m1A) are prevalent modifications occurring in various RNA species of mammals. Apart from the single methylation of adenosine (m6A and m1A), dual methylation modification occurring in the nucleobase of adenosine, such as N6,N6-dimethyladenosine (m6,6A), also has been reported to be present in RNA of mammals. Whether there are other forms of dual methylation modification occurring in the nucleobase of adenosine other than m6,6A remains elusive. Here, we reported the existence of a novel adenosine dual methylation modification, i.e. 1,N6-dimethyladenosine (m1,6A), in tRNAs of living organisms. We confirmed that m1,6A is located at position 58 of tRNAs and is prevalent in mammalian cells and tissues. The measured level of m1,6A ranged from 0.0049% to 0.047% in tRNAs. Furthermore, we demonstrated that TRMT6/61A could catalyze the formation of m1,6A in tRNAs and m1,6A could be demethylated by ALKBH3. Collectively, the discovery of m1,6A expands the diversity of RNA modifications and may elicit a new tRNA modification-mediated gene regulation pathway.

RNA molecules contain diverse modifications that play crucial roles in a wide variety of biological processes. Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-Ino) RNA editing is one of the most prevalent modifications among all types of RNA. Abnormal A-to-InoRNA editing has been demonstrated to be associated with many human diseases. Identification of A-to-Ino editing sites is indispensable to deciphering their biological roles. Herein, by employing the unique property of human endonuclease V (hEndoV), we proposed a hEndoV-mediated sequencing (hEndoV-seq) method for the single-base resolution detection of A-to-InoRNA editing sites. In this approach, the terminal 3'OH of RNA is first blocked by 3'-deoxyadenosine (3'-deoxy-A). Specific cleavage of Ino sites by hEndoV protein produces new terminal 3'OH, which can be identified by sequencing analysis, and therefore offers the site-specific detection of Ino in RNA. The principle of hEndoV-seq is straightforward and the analytical procedure is simple. No chemical reaction is involved in the sequencing library preparation. The whole procedure in hEndoV-seq is carried out under mild conditions and RNA is not prone to degradation. Taken together, the proposed hEndoV-seq method is capable of site-specific identification of A-to-Ino editing in RNA, which provides a valuable tool for elucidating the functions of A-to-Ino editing in RNA.

Background An increasing number of studies are indicating that caring behavior is an important indicator of quality nursing care and positive outcomes for patients and nurses. For this reason, identifying the factors that predict nurses’ caring behavior is crucial. Studies showed authentic leadership and psychological capital are the predictors of nurses’ caring behaviors, but the three relationships are still unclear.Methods An online survey was conducted in December 2021 with 3,495 registered nurses working in Ahhui Province, China. The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and Caring Behavior Inventory were used in this study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the bootstrapping procedure were utilized to examine the role of psychological capital in mediating the relationship between authentic leadership and nurses’ caring behaviour.Results Authentic leadership, psychological capital, and caring behavior among nurses exhibited significant correlations. Furthermore, psychological capital showed a significant mediating impact (β = 0.378, p Conclusion According to the findings of this research, enhancing psychological capital could help nurses who experience an authentic leadership style improve their caring behaviors effectively. This finding suggests that nursing managers should actively develop an authentic leadership style and take actions or provide education to increase the psychological capital of nurses, which can effectively promote nurses’ caring behaviors toward patients in clinical practice.

After angiogenesis-activated embryonic and early postnatal vascularization, endothelial cells (ECs) in most tissues enter a quiescent state necessary for proper tissue perfusion and EC functions. Notch signaling is essential for maintaining EC quiescence, but the mechanisms of action remain elusive. Here, we show that microRNA-218 (miR-218) is a downstream effector of Notch in quiescent ECs. Notch activation upregulated, while Notch blockade downregulated, miR-218 and its host gene Slit2, likely via transactivation of the Slit2 promoter. Overexpressing miR-218 in human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) significantly repressed cell proliferation and sprouting in vitro. Transcriptomics showed that miR-218 overexpression attenuated the MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor (MYC, also known as c-myc) signature. MYC overexpression rescued miR-218-mediated proliferation and sprouting defects in HUVECs. MYC was repressed by miR-218 via multiple mechanisms, including reduction of MYC mRNA, repression of MYC translation by targeting heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1), and promoting MYC degradation by targeting EYA3. Inhibition of miR-218 partially reversed Notch-induced repression of HUVEC proliferation and sprouting. In vivo, intravitreal injection of miR-218 reduced retinal EC proliferation accompanied by MYC repression, attenuated pathological choroidal neovascularization, and rescued retinal EC hyper-sprouting induced by Notch blockade. In summary, miR-218 mediates the effect of Notch activation of EC quiescence via MYC and is a potential treatment for angiogenesis-related diseases., Graphical abstract, Endothelial cell (EC) quiescence is important for vessel homeostasis and function, but the mechanism remains elusive. Han and colleagues report that miR-218 mediates the effect of Notch activation on promoting EC quiescence via repressing MYC, which holds potential in the treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features and prognosis of children and their family members with family clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infection under the admission mode of parent-child ward. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 190 children and 190 family members with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection who were admitted to Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, the designated hospital for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), April 8 to May 10, 2022. RESULTS: Both the child and adult groups were mainly mild COVID-19, and the proportion of mild cases in the child group was higher than that in the adult group (P

Aim MiR-326 has been investigated to be correlated with multiple types of malignancies; however, the role of miR-326 in endometrial cancer (EC) remains rarely reported. The aim of our research is to investigate the functions of miR-326 in EC and the potential molecular mechanism. Methods RT-qPCR was performed to compare the expression of miR-326 and Bcl-2 in normal endometrial epithelial cell line (End1/e6e7) and EC cells lines (HEC-1A, Ishikawa), respectively. Bioinformatic analysis and luciferase assay verified the relationship between miR-326 and the 3'-UTR of Bcl-2. 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, soft agar colony formation assay and the flow cytometry were performed to investigate the functions of miR-326 and Bcl-2 on proliferation and apoptosis in EC. Western blotting was employed to explore the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl2-associated X (Bax) and caspase-3. Results The expression of miR-326 decreased in EC cell lines compared to normal endometrial epithelial cell line, while Bcl-2 expression was increased in EC cells. Results of MTT and soft agar colony formation assays showed that miR-326 suppressed proliferation in EC cells. In addition, flow cytometry revealed that miR-326 promoted apoptosis in EC cells. Western blotting showed that silencing miR-326 promoted the expression of Bcl-2. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay verified the 3'-UTR of Bcl-2 was a target of miR-326. Furthermore, MTT assay, soft agar colony formation assay and the flow cytometry proved that miR-326 acts as tumor suppressor via inhibiting the expression of Bcl-2. Conclusion MiR-326 acts as a cancer suppressor to inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis via targeting Bcl-2 axis in EC.

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of serum ceruloplasmin (CER), hyaluronic acid (HA) and free thyroxine 3 (FT3) in detecting liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods One hundred and thirtysix cases of CHB patients, 44 cases of post-CHB cirrhosis patients, 20 cases with HBsAg-positive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and 50 healthy controls were randomly selected from July 2014 to January 2018. Serum CER was detected by immune scattering turbidimetry, and direct chemiluminescence method was used for the detection of HA and FT3, one-way ANOVA analysis or rank sum test was used to compare the levels of serum CER, HA, FT3 and other related indexes between each group and the control group. Analysis of the correlation between CER, HA, FT3 and diagnosis model of liver fibrosis was performed and its results were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results (1) The level of serum CER in severe CHB and decompensated liver cirrhosis group was significantly lower than that in control group (P

The relationship between subjective and objective evaluations on the steering performance of passenger vehicles is investigated to realize the subjective evaluation with objective measurement and to completely replace the objective measurement by subjective evaluation. The subjective evaluation uses steering performance as the study point, and objective evaluation focuses on angle pulse, wheel, snaking, and central tests. The subjective and objective evaluation systems are established, which consist of 7 subjective evaluation indicators (inherent steering characteristics, steering transient response, yawing response, and others) and 17 objective evaluation indicators (formant frequency, average steering angle, yaw velocity gain, et al.). A total of 7 groups of subjective evaluation score and 17 groups of objective evaluation score are obtained by evaluating 4 vehicles. The functional relationship between subjective and objective evaluations is established through regression analysis. Result shows that a 1D binary linear relationship exists between subjective and objective evaluation indicators under a small sample condition. Most of the subjective evaluation indicators have a negative relationship with formant level within the linear function. The formant level is a critical indicator that influences the steering performance of passenger vehicles on the basis of hypothesis testing and dynamic analysis. The lower the formant level is, the higher the subjective evaluation score will be.

BACKGROUND The albumin to fibrinogen ratio (AFR) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) have emerged as useful biomarkers to predict systemic inflammation. The aim here is to investigate the relation between AFR/CAR and Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS 28) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS This retrospective study included 160 patients with RA and 159 healthy controls. We divided the RA patients into two groups according to the DAS 28-ESR score. Group 1 included 40 patients with a score of lower than 2.6 (patients in remission) and Group 2 included 120 patients with a score of 2.6 or higher (patients with active disease). The correlations between AFR, CAR and the disease activity were analyzed. RESULTS For RA patients, the AFR was lower than those in the control group (P

Background Diabetes can lead to serious pathological changes in the microvascular system, which in turn leads to functional damage of related tissues that affects the quality of life of patients. The mechanism of microcirculation disturbance in diabetes is not well understood; however, the inflammatory damage and dysgenesis of blood vessels based on oxidative and hyperosmotic stress is considered to be a key factor. In addition, with in-depth studies of platelet function, the study of platelet inflammatory function has become popular in recent years. Objective The present manuscript reviews the new knowledge of platelet immune inflammatory function and the mechanism of diabetic microangiopathy, and emphasizes the relationship between them. Conclusion The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway has always been regarded as a typical pro-inflammatory signaling pathway in different nucleated cells, and NF-κB is also expressed in platelets. Although the signaling pathway of NF-κB in platelets is not completely understood, numerous studies have confirmed its function in platelet immune inflammation. The signaling pathway of the development of diabetic microangiopathy is partially cross-linked with the platelet NF-κB pathway. In addition, platelets can release various chemokines to aggravate vascular endothelial cell injury, indicating that platelets may serve a key role in the mechanism of diabetic microangiopathy.

To detect the expression of Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and to analyze its relationship with clinicopatholgical characteristics and prognosis of this disease.Sixty-three patients with pathologically diagnosed GISTs who underwent surgical resection at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2011 to January 2015 and had complete clinical, pathological, and follow-up data were included. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of RKIP in GIST tissue samples from these patients. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate of 60 patients with complete follow-up data, and Cox regression analysis was performed to identify factors affecting the prognosis of patients GISTs to evaluate further the diagnostic and prognostic value of RKIP in GISTs.In GIST tissues, RKIP positive signals, manifesting as brownish yellow or brown granules, were located in the cytoplasm or on the membrane. Of 63 tissue samples included in this study, 34 (54%) were positive and 29 (46%) were negative for RKIP expression. Statistical analysis showed that RKIP expression in GISTs was significantly associated with tumor size, National Institutes of Health (NIH) risk grade, and mucosal invasion, but had no significant association with age, gender, tumor location, or the number of mitotic figures. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 94.4%, 89.2%, and 80.5% for patients with positive RKIP expression, and 88.6%, 68.2%, and 48.2% for patients with negative RKIP expression, suggesting that patients with high RKIP expression had significantly higher survival rates than those with low expression (Log-rank test,This study demonstrated that: (1) RKIP expression in GISTs is associated with tumor size, NIH risk grade, and mucosal invasion, and low or no expression of RKIP predicts a high malignancy potential; (2) high RKIP correlates positively with the survival of patients with GISTs; and (3) RKIP expression has appreciated value for predicting the survival of patients with GISTs, although it is not an independent prognostic factor in GISTs.

Purpose This study aimed to examine the impact of family resilience on the individual resilience of couples during cancer and explore the potential mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of sex in this association in cancer patient-spouse dyads. Method The participants were 272 cancer patients and their spouses (N = 544) who completed the Family Resilience Assessment Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale and the Resilience Scale. We adopted the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine whether and how patients' and their spouses' family resilience was associated with their own and their partners’ perceived social support and individual resilience. Results The results indicated that the patients' and their spouses' level of family resilience was positively associated with their own individual resilience directly and indirectly by increasing their own perceived social support. The family resilience of the spouses was associated with an increase in the patients' individual resilience only indirectly by increasing the patients’ perceived social support. The spouse-actor effects between family resilience and individual resilience differed significantly by sex. Conclusion Enhancing family resilience and perceived social support within the family can improve individual resilience. The findings regarding the sex differences serve as a rationale for gender-based approaches to improving individual resilience in the family context.

Glypican-3(GPC3), an oncofetal protein, is a potential novel marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we attempted to establish a new method to detect serum GPC3 using the antibodies identified in our previous research, and then evaluated its clinical application for the diagnosis of HCC. Herein, a sandwich time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) for detecting serum GPC3 was developed. The detection limit, analytical recovery, specificity and precision of the proposed TRFIA assay were satisfactory. A total of 415 patients were collected and divided into seven groups: hepatocellular carcinoma (101), colorectal cancer (67), gastric cancer (44), esophageal cancer (15), cirrhosis (55), hepatitis (61), normal liver (72). Using this proposed method, the concentration of serum GPC3 in these clinical samples was detected. The results demonstrated that the levels of GPC3 in serum from HCC patients were significantly higher than that in others. Compared with the results of chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), a high consistency (Kappa =0.84) was observed. Thus, an effective, sensitive and reliable TRFIA-GPC3 kit for diagnosing HCC was successfully developed. It offers a suitable alternative to existed methods of determining GPC3 and is expected to be used in clinic in the future.

Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is elevated in different cancers. However, relationships between serum IGF-1 and thyroid cancer (TC) are scarce. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of serum IGF-1 in TC.Serum was collected from 124 TC patients, 50 patients with benign nodules, and 50 healthy controls. Serum IGF-1 levels were measured and compared. Relationships were investigated between IGF-1 and clinical characteristics. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to explore the diagnostic value of IGF-1 in TC.Serum IGF-1 levels were significantly higher in TC than that of healthy controls and benign nodules (P = .003; P 1 cm) than that of patients without lymph node metastasis (P = .018) and (tumor size ≤1 cm) (P = .031). Serum IGF-1 levels were higher in patients with a solitary nodule than multinodular nodules (P = .043). The serum IGF-1 cutoff value for a TC diagnosis was 216 ng/mL with a sensitivity of 53.2%, a specificity of 74.0%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 83.5%, and an area under the curve was of 0.71.Serum IGF-1 was significantly correlated with tumor stage, size, and lymph node metastasis. Serum IGF-1 shows great potential as a laboratory marker for TC.

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effect of a guided self-disclosure intervention (GSDI) promoting benefit finding (BF) for breast cancer patients.A total of 40 women with breast cancer were randomized either to a GSDI group, which included a 6-session face-to-face self-disclosure intervention, or to a control group. The Benefit Finding Scale (BFS) was used to measure BF, the Distress Disclosure Index (DDI) was used to measure self-disclosure, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to measure cognitive reappraisal. The outcomes were evaluated at baseline and the 3rd and 6th months.The GSDI group had more satisfaction (t = 2.35, P = .02) than the control group and had significant group effects of higher BF (t = 2.214, P = .03) and a lower avoidance of the IES-R (t = -2.353, P = .024) at the 3rd month. There was a significant difference of BF (t = 2.036, P = .049) between the two groups at the 6th month, and other outcomes were not significant (P .05). Intention-to treat (ITT) analysis showed significant time effects for all outcomes (P .05); there were slightly significant time × group effects for BF (F = 4.15, P = .052) and disclosure (F = 2.719, P = .090). There were no time × group effects for the other outcomes (all P .05).This study suggests that the GSDI intervention may be feasible in the clinic and might improve BF for breast cancer patients. However, future research needs to further refine the intervention and expand the sample to carry out a full-scale randomized controlled trial.

Background: Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has been identified as marker for renal fibrosis. Present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of serum HE4 in liver fibrosis. Methods: Serum from 65 liver fibrosis patients, 68 hepatic patients without fibrosis, and 50 controls was collected respectively. Serum HE4 levels were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay and compared among the groups. The relationships between serum HE4 levels and the clinical characteristics of liver fibrosis were also analyzed. A receiver operator characteristic curve was plotted to investigate the diagnostic efficacy of serum HE4 for liver fibrosis. Child–Pugh (C–P) score and liver fibrosis score were also evaluated. Data were analyzed by statistical software 13.0. Results: Serum HE4 levels were significantly higher in liver fibrosis than that of controls [105.35 (82.64, 164.18) vs 46.2 (39.9, 58.9) pmol L−1, P = .00] and hepatic patients without liver fibrosis [105.35 (82.64, 164.18) vs 51.00 (44.02, 65.65) pmol L−1, P

PURPOSE Damage to the uterosacral ligaments is an important contributor to uterine and vaginal prolapse. The aim of this study is to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the uterosacral ligaments of women with and without pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and analyze their relationships to cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of POP. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Uterosacral ligament connective tissue from four patients with POP and four control women undergo iTRAQ analysis followed by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) of DEPs. DEPs are validated using Western blot analysis. RESULTS A total of 1789 unique protein sequences are identified in the uterosacral ligament connective tissues. The expression levels of 88 proteins are significantly different between prolapse and control groups (≥1.2-fold, p < 0.05). IPA demonstrates the association of 14 DEPs with "Connective Tissue Function." Among them, fibromodulin, collagen alpha-1 (XIV) chain, calponin-1, tenascin, and galectin-1 appear most likely to play a role in the etiology of POP. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE At least six proteins not previously associated with the pathogenesis of POP with biologic functions that suggest a plausible relationship to the disorder are identified. These results may be helpful for furthering the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of POP.

To research the diagnostic performance of clinical potential bone turnover indexes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicated with osteoporosis (OP).This study involved 87 RA patients, 48 with OP, and 39 without OP, and 204 non-RA control patients, including those with systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, primary Sjogren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis, and healthy patients. The levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], β-crosslaps (β-CROSSL), parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured by electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA), and the level of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) was measured by lectin affinity method.The serum concentration of 25(OH)D in the RA with OP group was significantly lower than the control group (The significantly reduced levels of 25(OH)D and excessive β-CROSSL may indicate a high risk of the secondary osteoporosis in RA patients.

To express and purify the mouse endothelial cell-targeted recombinant Notch ligand protein mD1R, and to investigate its effect on hematopoiesis after carbon tetrachloride damage.PCR was performed to clone and construct the expression vector pET22b(+)-mD1R. The mD1R successfully transformed into E. coli was induced by IPTG, and purified with NiThe prokaryotic expression vector was successfully cloned and constructed. The purity and the activity were confirmed in mD1R recombinant protein. The purified mD1R activated the Notch signaling pathway of hematopoietic stem cells in carbon tetrachloride damaged mouse, and internally elevated the number of HSC and long-term HSC to 2.96-fold and 6.18-fold. In addition, mD1R improved the amplification of the myeloid progenitor cells and the myeloid-derived suppressor cells, particularly the granulocyte/monocyte into blood. Mechanistically, the further analyses suggested that Notch pathway could increase the proliferation of HSC and enhance expression of IL-10 after stress injury.A new and activated recombinant Notch ligand protein has been obtained successfully to communicate hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoietic microenvironment. The Notch- mediated intrinsic hematopoiesis has been regulated by the anti-inflammatory factor after stress injury.

The information of ploidy, karyotype and genetic relationship is useful for interspecific hybridization in ornamental plants. For Tulipa species native to China, very limited cytological information is available now. The objective of this study was to verify the chromosome number, karyotype and genetic relationship of the eight Tulipa species: T. edulis, T. schrenkii, T. iliensis, T. thianschanica, T. altaica, T. sinkiangensis, T. heterophylla and T. buhseana. And the interspecific crosses were made between T. altaica and ten tulip cultivars to obtain novel germplasm. The ovary-swelling, fruit-setting and bulblet formation rates were surveyed when different ploidy cultivars were used as female parents. This work confirmed that all eight species collected in China were diploid (2n = 2x = 24), among which chromosome numbers of T. thianschanica, T. sinkiangensis and T. heterophylla were firstly reported and the karyotypes of all any other species except for T. edulis were determined for the first time. The karyotypes of eight Tulipa species were classified as 3A, 4A or 3B. The results of interspecific hybridization showed significant difference when different ploidy cultivars were used as female parents. The highest fruit-setting rate was obtained when diploid cultivars were used as female parents crossed with diploid T. altaica, whereas the ovary swelling was observed in two out of four triploid cultivars as female parents, and no seeds were harvested when tetraploid cultivars were used as female parents. Our findings provided an effective means of cultivar improvement in tulip.

GNE myopathy is an autosomal recessive distal myopathy caused by biallelic mutation in the GNE gene. It shows great genetic heterogeneity among different ethnic groups. In this study, we summarized the mutational spectrum and clinical profiles in 35 unrelated GNE myopathy patients from mainland China. Molecular analysis revealed 16 novel (p.G47D, p.F66Y, p.E173A, p.Y186H, p.R246L, p.R263*, p.R306*, p.A366D, p.V512M, p.C520Y, p.G545R, p.G548S, p.V622G, p.A638P, IVS2+1G>A and c.2112delC) and 13 reported mutations. Notably, the p.D176V mutation was detected in 65.7% (23/35) of this patient cohort, giving an allele frequency of 34.3% (24/70). We estimated the carrier frequency of p.D176V to be 0.19% (1/520) in the normal population, although haplotype analysis indicated no founder effect in the patients carrying p.D176V mutation. Clinically, 29 patients presented with the classic phenotype of predominant distal weakness, while six patients presented with atypical phenotype. However, muscle magnetic resonance imaging showed that the vastus lateralis was spared in both subgroups. In conclusion, p.D176V mutation in the GNE gene, which was the second most common mutation in Japanese patients, was the most common mutation in this cohort of Chinese patients. Novel GNE mutations found in this study expanded the mutational spectrum associated with GNE myopathy. There is phenotypic heterogeneity among patients with GNE myopathy, but muscle magnetic resonance imaging can be useful for differential diagnosis.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISAs) specific for Epstein–Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1)-immunoglobulin A (IgA) are most commonly used in the clinical diagnosis of EBV infection. But they have a low sensitivity and the enzyme-labeled antibodies are unstable. In this study, a novel immunoassay based on an indirect time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) was developed. Microtiter plates were coated with recombinant EBNA1. We used Eu3+-labeled anti-human IgA as probe. The precision, sensitivity, specificity, and stability were evaluated, and comparison with traditional and commercially available ELISAs was also made. The cut-off value for our TRFIA was 2.7. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation for the TRFIA were 1.56–4.99% and 3.92–6.95%, respectively; whereas those for the ELISA were 4.54–8.16% and 7.07–10.52%, respectively. Sensitivity was obviously better than traditional ELISA when diluted positive samples serially. Additionally, stability, specificity test and comparison of sensitivity and specificity between the TRFIA and commercial ELISAs all proved satisfactory. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that EBNA1 IgA TRFIA was a sensitive immunoassay and had potential value in large-scale screening of human serum samples in developing countries. J. Med. Virol. 87:1940–1945, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The graphene containing Ni-based composite coatings with different graphene addition amounts were prepared on 45 steel surface by using dipulse composite electrodeposition technology. The tribological behavior of composite coating was tested by against GCr15 steel pin under the dry condition. The friction coefficient of composite coating is 20-30% lower than pure Cr coating, their wear rates are almost in the same magnitude. Compared with 45 steel, the friction coefficient of composite coating decreases and wear rate falls over 50%.

A novel mercury non-sulfur and simple fluorescent chemosensor L based on the benzimidazole group and quinoline group as the fluorescence signal group has been designed and synthesized. The receptor could instantly detect the Hg2+ cation over other cations such as Fe3+, Ag+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Cr3+, and Mg2+ by fluorescence spectroscopy changes in H2O/DMSO (1 : 9, v/v) solution with specific selectivity and high sensitivity. The fluorescence color of the solution containing sensor L showed a remarkable change from blue to colorless only after the addition of Hg2+ in aqueous media while other cations did not cause obvious color changes. Moreover, further study demonstrates that the detection limit on the fluorescence response of the sensor to Hg2+ is down to 9.56 × 10−9 M, which is far lower than the maximum level for mercury of 0.01 M in drinking water, from EPA guidelines. Test strips based on L were fabricated, which could act as convenient and efficient Hg2+ test kits. Thus, the probe should have potential applications in an aqueous environment for the monitoring of mercury.

A novel cyanide selective fluorescent chemosensor S1 based on benzimidazole group and naphthalene group as the fluorescence signal group had been designed and synthesized. The receptor could instantly detect CN(-) anion over other anions such as F(-), Cl(-), Br(-), I(-), AcO(-), H2PO4(-), HSO4(-), SCN(-) and ClO4(-) by fluorescence spectroscopy changes in aqueous solution (H2O/DMSO, 8:2, v/v) with specific selectivity and high sensitivity. The fluorescence color of the solution containing sensor S1 induced a remarkable color change from pale blue to mazarine only after the addition of CN(-) in aqueous solution while other anions did not cause obvious color change. Moreover, further study demonstrates the detection limit on fluorescence response of the sensor to CN(-) is down to 8.8×10(-8)M, which is far lower than the WHO guideline of 1.9×10(-6)M. Test strips based on S1 were fabricated, which could act as a convenient and efficient CN(-) test kit to detect CN(-) in pure water for "in-the-field" measurement. Thus, the probe should be potential applications in an aqueous environment for the monitoring of cyanide.

Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are heterogeneous complex autoimmune diseases involving muscle damage. Patients with DM and PM display a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and serological biomarkers, which may mislead and delay the proper diagnosis. Therefore, specific biomarkers or indicators for diagnosing DM and PM and monitoring disease activity are essential. Significant progress has been made through identifying novel serological biomarkers for DM and PM in recent years. Our aim is to focus on novel biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring disease activity in DM and PM to highlight their predictive value and applicability in clinical practice.

Intestine is vulnerable to irradiation injury, which induces cell death and compromises regeneration of intestinal crypts. It is well accepted that cryptic stem cells, which are responsible for cryptic regeneration under physiological and pathological conditions, are controlled by multiple cell-intrinsic and environmental signals such as Notch signaling. Therefore, in the present study, we tested whether a soluble Notch ligand tethered to endothelial cells—mD1R—the Delta–Serrate–Lag2 (DSL) domain of mouse Notch ligand Delta-like1 fused with a RGD motif could protect cryptic cells from irradiation-induced intestinal injury. The result showed that administration of mD1R, which activated Notch signaling in intestinal cells, ameliorated loss of body weight and reduction of cryptic structures in intestine after total body irradiation (TBI) in mice. Histological staining showed that injection of mD1R after TBI promoted cryptic cell proliferation and reduced cell apoptosis in crypts. Immunofluorescence staining and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR showed that mD1R increased the level of Lgr5, Bmi1, Olfactomedin-4 (OLFM4), and IRIG1 in crypts, suggesting a protective effect on cryptic stem and progenitor cells after irradiation. Moreover, we found that administration of mD1R increased the number of Paneth cells and the mRNA level of Defa1, and the number Alcian Blue+ Goblet cells decreased first and then increased after irradiation, suggesting that mD1R promoted the maturation of the intestinal crypt after irradiation injury. Our data suggested that mD1R could serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of irradiation-induced intestinal injury.

According to the characteristics of normal education experimental teaching, theory and practice, combined with the biological and ecological characteristics, we design and develop a virtual simulation application using the Unity3D engine, which is an application of logistic growth curve for a mobile terminal. Practice has proved that by adjusting the corresponding parameters students can set parameters for different experiments.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) specific for anti-HSV glycoprotein G (gG) are most commonly used in the clinical diagnosis of HSV infection. But most of them are qualitative and with narrow detection ranges. A novel time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) methodology was developed for the quantitative determination of HSV IgG in human serum. The assay was based on an indirect immunoassay format, and performed in 96-well microtiter plates. HSV-1 and HSV-2 were used as the coating antigens. Eu3+-labeled goat anti-(human IgG) polyclonal antibodies were used as tracers. The fluorescence intensity of each well was measured and serum HSV IgG levels quantified against a calibration curve. The detection range of the novel TRFIA was between 5 and 500 AU/mL. Assay sensitivity was 0.568 AU/mL. The intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were 0.59–3.63% and 3.65–6.81%, respectively. Analytical recovery, dilution tests and serum panel tests were performed using TRFIA and the results proved satisfactory. There were no statistically significant differences in sensitivity and specificity between the TRFIA and commercial ELISAs. An effective, sensitive and accurate quantitative HSV type 1 and type 2 IgG TRFIA was successfully developed and provided diagnostic value in clinical use. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In order to reduce the power consumption of circulating pump in secondary network., the adjustment that combines quantity adjustment and quality adjustment is proposed in the paper;and the control strategy and adjustment equations in different stages of this adjustment mode are present. Then taken a community in Zhangjiakou as an example, the adjustment curve of this mode in indirectconnected heating systems and direct-connected heating systems are obtained. Finally the power consumptions of the adjustment mode proposed in the paper with that of quality adjustment and quality adjustment with different quantitative ratio in each period are compared; the result indicates that the adjustment mode has more potential in energ-saving.

Based on the characters of wholesale and retail market, it owns larger amount of inventory, bigger fire load, larger crowds and bigger daily trading volume of the wholesale market, and lager size of the mall. Through investing the occupant density of Wuhan Financing Brand Square which used normal population mean and variance of interval estimation principle, the paper drew the occupant density interval of the wholesale and retail market, and it provided the basis for formulation and revision of the future specification.

The payment system of wireless communication is a whole of the various types of software used by the wireless communication network, wireless payment terminals and payment terminals, which together constitute the user applications. Compared to traditional network, wireless communication network is an more open system. According to this, users personal is easier to be stolen in the transfer process and the type of attack has become more diverse and innovative. The article introduces two types attack and solutions. Fishing Wifi is a common means of attack in the wireless network nowadays. Mobile banking is a typical example too. It involves the security of payment in mobile banking which becomes the new problem within e-commerce.

Objectives The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical significance of serum mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in lung cancer. Design and methods Serum mtDNA from 65 lung cancer patients, 20 patients with benign lung diseases and 55 healthy individuals was quantified using real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR). Data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS 13.0. Results Serum mtDNA levels in lung cancer patients were significantly higher, compared to those in patients with benign lung diseases and healthy individuals (u = 108, p = 0.000; u = 293, p = 0.000), and closely associated with TNM stage ( p = 0.01). The use of serum mtDNA facilitated detection of lung cancer at a cutoff value of 0.74 × 10 4 copies/μL with a sensitivity of 86.2% and specificity of 80.7%. However, serum mtDNA levels were not associated with patient age, gender, histological type, and lymph node metastasis ( p > 0.05). Conclusions Quantification of serum mtDNA using FQ-PCR potentially serves as a novel complementary tool to improve the clinical screening and detection of lung cancer.

Taking a city underwater tunnel as an example, temperature variation and smoke movement under longitudinal ventilation smoke control system and central smoke exhaust system were measured by full-scale experiment. Different longitudinal airflow speeds under central exhaust system were discussed. Based on the results, a fire caused by an accidental vehicular(3MW), longitudinal ventilation smoke control system accelerate the smoke spread to the downstream and the smoke sedimentation, increase smoke spread distance and decrease the temperature in tunnel. For central smoke exhaust system, smoke is being exhaust through the duct, reduces the speed of fire smoke movement and smoke sedimentation. But the temperature of central smoke exhaust system is higher than using longitudinal ventilation system at the downstream of tunnel.

Due to the limited space, the lateral pattern to control tunnel fire smoke spread is usually used by double-decked tunnel. There is a smoke exhaust dust in one side, and an exit passageway in the other. FDS is adopted in this article to discuss the lateral ventilation changes caused by different smoke vent area, number, and spacing. According to the research, for the lateral smoke exhaust system in the condition of no longitudinal wind, the area, the number and the spacing of smoke vent obviously impact the spread of fire smoke only in the beginning of the fire.

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have emerged as useful biomarkers to predict systemic inflammation. However, there is no study to investigate the relationship between the biomarkers and dermatomyositis (DM).Seventy-three newly diagnosed patients with DM and 147 healthy subjects were selected in this retrospective study. We divided the 73 DM patients into 2 groups: 55 without interstitial lung disease (ILD) and 18 with ILD. Complete clinical characteristics were extracted from the medical records of DM patients. The correlations between NLR, PLR, the clinical characteristics and the disease activity were analyzed.For DM patients without ILD, the NLR and PLR were significantly higher than those in the control group (both P0.001). For DM patients with ILD, the NLR and PLR were higher than in DM patients without ILD (P=0.004 and P=0.026, respectively). The NLR was positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) (r=0.543, P0.001) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (r=0.513, P=0.001). The global activity scores correlated positively and significantly with NLR, PLR, and CRP (r=0.486, P0.001; r=0.240, P=0.041; and r=0.343, P=0.003, respectively). Based on the ROC curve, to predict DM patients with ILD, the best cut-off value of the NLR was 3.98 (sensitivity 88.9%, specificity 52.7%, AUC=0.727), and the best cutoff value of PLR was 221.69 (sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 69.1%, AUC=0.722).Both NLR and PLR exhibit favorable diagnostic performance in predicting pulmonary involvement and disease activity in patients with DM. We provide the optimal cut-off values for DM patients with ILD that would maximize the diagnostic efficiency.

Physical and chemical insult-induced bone marrow (BM) damage often leads to lethality resulting from the depletion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and/or a deteriorated BM stroma. Notch signaling plays an important role in hematopoiesis, but whether it is involved in BM damage remains unclear. In this study, we found that conditional disruption of RBP-J, the transcription factor of canonical Notch signaling, increased irradiation sensitivity in mice. Activation of Notch signaling with the endothelial cell (EC)-targeted soluble Dll1 Notch ligand mD1R promoted BM recovery after irradiation. mD1R treatment resulted in a significant increase in myeloid progenitors and monocytes in the BM, spleen and peripheral blood after irradiation. mD1R also enhanced hematopoiesis in mice treated with cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapeutic drug that induces BM suppression. Mechanistically, mD1R increased the proliferation and reduced the apoptosis of myeloid cells in the BM after irradiation. The β chain cytokine receptor Csf2rb2 was identified as a downstream molecule of Notch signaling in hematopoietic cells. mD1R improved hematopoietic recovery through up-regulation of the hematopoietic expression of Csf2rb2. Our findings reveal the role of Notch signaling in irradiation- and drug-induced BM suppression and establish a new potential therapy of BM- and myelo-suppression induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

An efficient colorimetric anion sensor, N4-nitrophenylthiosemicarbazone of salicylaldehyde, behaves with a good selectivity and sensitivity in the recognition for F- anions by naked eye observations and UV–Vis spectral changes in DMSO. The colour of the solution containing the sensor had an obvious change from colourless to purple only after the addition of F- in DMSO while other anions did not cause obvious colour changes. The sensor reacted with F- to form a stable complex and the association constant Ka is calculated as 1.415×104 M−1.

This paper introduces the adjustment curve equations of district heating system commonly used in secondary network. On this basis, adjustment curve equations of the adjustment that combines quantity adjustment and quality adjustment are proposed. Then taken a community in Zhangjiakou as an example, we compare the power consumption of the adjustment scheme proposed in the paper with that of quality adjustment and quality adjustment with different quantitative ratio in each period. The analysis shows that the adjustment scheme has much more potential in energy-saving.

We propose a scheme for deterministically teleporting a pure quantum state, making use of the Faraday rotation of photonic polarization in cavity QED system. Based on the single-photon input-output process regarding cavities, the scheme works well even in low-Q cavities. Since only virtual excitation of the atoms is involved, it is also insensitive to atomic spontaneous emission. Besides, the CNOT operation replaced by the Faraday rotation is not needed in the scheme, which could greatly relax the experimental difficulty.

Aim: The molecular mechanisms of the affinity regulation of αvβ3 integrin are important in tumor development, wound repairing, and angiogenesis. It has been established that the cytoplasmic domains of αvβ3 integrin play an important role in integrin-ligand affinity regulation. However, the relationship of structure-function within these domains remains unclear. Methods: The extracellular and transmembrane domain of αIIb was fused to the αv integrin cytoplasmic domain, and the chimeric α subunit was coexpressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with the wild-type β3 subunit or with 3 mutant β3 sequences bearing truncations at the positions of T741, Y747, and F754, respectively. The CHO cells expressing these recombinant integrins were tested for soluble fibrinogen binding and the cell adhesion and spreading on immobilized fibrinogen. Results: All 4 types of integrins bound soluble fibrinogen in the absence of agonist stimulation, and only the cells expressing the chimeric α subunit with the wild-type β3 subunit, but not those with truncated β3, could adhere to and spread on immobilized fibrinogen. Conclusion: The substitution αIIb at the cytoplasmic domain with the αv cytoplasmic sequence rendered the extracellular αIIbβ3 a constitutively activated conformation for ligands without the need of “inside-out” signals. Our results also indicated that the COOH-terminal sequence of β3 might play a key role in integrin αIIb/αvβ3-mediated cell adhesion and spreading on immobilized fibrinogen. The cells expressing αIIb/αvβ3 have enormous potential for facilitating drug screening for antagonists either to αvβ3 intracellular interactions or to αIIbβ3 receptor functions.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transactivator protein (ZEBRA) is an immediate-early protein that plays an important role in the switch from latency to productive cycle in EBV virus. ZEBRA is an important marker of EBV reactivation. In order to diagnose EBV infection status correctly and timely, a novel immunoassay was developed based on an indirect time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) for Zta IgA, which used recombinant Zta antigen as solid-phase antigen and Eu(3+)-labeled mouse antihuman IgA as corresponding probe. The precision, sensitivity, specificity test, and stability of the TRFIA kit were evaluated, and comparison with the traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was also investigated. The cutoff value for the TRFIA was 2.5. Intra- and interassay coefficients of variation for the TRFIA were 2.45-3.30% and 3.38-4.61% respectively. There was no cross-reactivity with the antibodies of cytomegalovirus (CMV) or herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2, or other potential interferences. The established assay kit also behaved better in sensitivity and stability than the ELISA one. Additionally, the results in 382 serum samples using two analytical methods showed there was good agreement between the TRFIA and commercial ELISA kit. In the current study, the results demonstrated that the TRFIA that was developed for Zta IgA detection was more sensitive and reliable for the diagnosis of EBV infection and had potential value in automation and high-throughput screening.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISAs) specific for Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1)-immunoglobulin A (IgA) are most commonly used in the clinical diagnosis of EBV infection. But they have a low sensitivity and the enzyme-labeled antibodies are unstable. In this study, a novel immunoassay based on an indirect time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) was developed. Microtiter plates were coated with recombinant EBNA1. We used Eu(3) (+)-labeled anti-human IgA as probe. The precision, sensitivity, specificity, and stability were evaluated, and comparison with traditional and commercially available ELISAs was also made. The cut-off value for our TRFIA was 2.7. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation for the TRFIA were 1.56-4.99% and 3.92-6.95%, respectively; whereas those for the ELISA were 4.54-8.16% and 7.07-10.52%, respectively. Sensitivity was obviously better than traditional ELISA when diluted positive samples serially. Additionally, stability, specificity test and comparison of sensitivity and specificity between the TRFIA and commercial ELISAs all proved satisfactory. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that EBNA1 IgA TRFIA was a sensitive immunoassay and had potential value in large-scale screening of human serum samples in developing countries.

Viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgA is one of the most commonly tested antibodies for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the clinic and is a proven biomarker to predict the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and other diseases. At present, a VCA-IgA antibody is used for clinical diagnosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which can detect samples only qualitatively or semi-quantitatively, with unsatisfactory sensitivity and specificity. In this study, an indirect time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) using Eu(3+) labeled mouse anti-human IgA monoclonal antibodies as a tracer was developed. This method produced a linear range of 0-30 AU/mL, with a limit of detection of 0.018 AU/mL. The intra- and inter-assay precisions were 1.62-4.30% and 3.56-7.57%, respectively. TRFIA showed no cross-reactivity against potentially interfering substances and a better sensitivity and specificity compared with commercial ELISA. This study confirmed that an indirect TRFIA meets the requirement for clinical testing and could be an alternative to detect VCA-IgA levels in human serum in the clinic.

According to the fire characteristics of building fire, the paper employed AHP (analytic hierarchy process) to establish building fire risk assessment system, including categories of factories, hotels, malls, schools and public amenities, based on the using properties of buildings. Meanwhile, the questionnaires and the cluster analysis were proposed to calculate the experts' weight coefficient, and then the index weight values in the five systems were computed. The system not only can make the government, the public and the unit knows the fire safety situation, but also can provide gist for insurance.