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• HV004 strain showed higher proliferation efficiency and pathogenicity. • The inactivated HTNV vaccine was administered safely in immunized BALB/C mice. • The vaccine induced sufficient neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune response. Hantaan virus (HTNV, Orthohantavirus hantanensae species, Hantaviridae family) is the main etiological agent responsible for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The novel HTNV may pose a potential danger to the control and prevention of HFRS in China, which highlights the importance of vaccine development in public health management. In previous studies, our laboratory discovered and successfully isolated a new HTNV strain, HV004 strain, from Apodemus agrarius captured in an epidemic area in Hubei, China. An initial biological and pathogenicity characterization of HTNV 76–118 (standard train), HV114 strain (a clinical isolate from Hubei province in 1986), and the novel isolate HV004 strain from the epidemic areas of Hubei province were performed in susceptible cells and in vivo. An experimental HV004 strain inactivated vaccine was prepared, and its corresponding immunogenicity was analyzed in BALB/c mice. HV004 strain had a similar but higher pathogenicity than HTNV 76–118 and HV114 in suckling mice. A subcutaneous vaccination (s.c.) with the inactivated HTNV vaccine adjuvanted with aluminum, followed by a challenge intraperitoneally with 106 FFU/ml HTNV, afforded full protection against an HTNV challenge. All immunized mice in every group elicited serum neutralizing antibodies with increasing dosages, which may protect mice from HTNV infection. A dose-dependent stimulation index of splenocytes was also observed in immunized mice. The percentage of IFN-γ-producing CD3+CD8+ T cells was significantly higher in the spleens of immunized mice than in those of control mice. These findings suggest that the inactivated HTNV vaccine may stimulate mice to produce high levels of antibodies with neutralization activity and elicit specific anti-HTNV humoral and cellular immune responses in BALB/c mice against the prevalent strain of HTNV in south central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous study, our group reported the fabrication of a series of colorless polyamide–imide (PAI) films (named TFDB-DABPO-TPC-6FDA) with good thermal stability. To further improve their properties, herein, the effect of adding blocks in molecules on the performance of polyimide (PI) films was studied. By changing the order and amount of the four reactants added each time, seven PAIs with different structures and block lengths were obtained. Their glass transition temperatures (T g) ranged from 359 °C to 368 °C, and their transmittance at 430 nm (T 430) was 82.7%–85.1 %. Importantly, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of these seven PAIs decreased almost linearly from 31.1 to 18.5 ppm/K, making it possible to fabricate PI films with a desired CTE value for specific applications. Furthermore, the PAI-6-T film, which had the longest polyamide block and the best overall performance (T g = 362 °C, CTE = 18.5 ppm/K, T 430 = 83.1 %, tensile strength = 179.4 MPa, dielectric constant (D k) = 2.53, and dielectric loss (D f) = 0.0088 at 10 GHz) was used as a substrate to fabricate a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Mechanical–electrical test shows that Ag was firmly bonded with the PAI-6-T film, and the resistance of FPCB@PAI-6-T only increased by 14.8 % after 150,000 folding tests. The flexible OLED@PAI-6-T exhibited pure green emission, a turn-on voltage of 3.0 V, a luminance of 1000 cd/m2 at 6 V, a current efficiency of 1.31 cd/A, and an external quantum efficiency of 0.44 %. [Display omitted] • Seven PAI films were prepared by changing the order and amounts of reactants. • The effect of structure and block length on the properties of PAI was studied. • PAI-6-T film shows the best properties with T 430 of 83.1 %, CTE of 18.5 ppm/K. • A colorless FPCB and flexible OLED were successfully fabricated with PAI-6-T film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to use pharmacokinetic quantitative parameters with histogram and texture features on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to differentiate between the luminal A and luminal B molecular subtypes of breast cancer.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 94 patients with histopathologically proven breast cancer. The pharmacokinetic quantitative parameters (Ktrans, Kep, and Ve) with their corresponding histogram and texture features based on preoperative DCE-MRI were obtained. The parameters were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test between the luminal A and luminal B groups, the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive luminal B and HER2-negative luminal B groups, and the lymph node metastasis (LNM)-positive and LNM-negative groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated for parameters that presented significant between-group differences.Results: The maximum values of Ktrans, Kep, and Ve, and the mean and 90th percentile values of Ve were significantly higher in the luminal B group than in the luminal A group. Among the texture features, only skewness of Ktrans significantly differed between the luminal A and B groups. All histogram features of Ktrans were higher in the HER2-positive luminal B group than in the HER2-negative luminal B group. However, no parameter differed between the LNM-positive and LNM-negative groups.Conclusion: Pharmacokinetic quantitative parameters with histogram and texture features obtained from DCE-MRI are associated with the molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and may serve as potential imaging biomarkers to differentiate between the luminal A and luminal B molecular subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]