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Human pegivirus (HPgV-1), previously known as GB virus C (GBV-C) or hepatitis G virus (HGV), is a single-stranded positive RNA virus belonging to the genus Pegivirus of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted by percutaneous injuries (PIs), contaminated blood and/or blood products, sexual contact, and vertical mother-to-child transmission. It is widely prevalent in general population, especially in high-risk groups. HPgV-1 viremia is typically cleared within the first 1–2 years of infection in most healthy individuals, but may persist for longer periods of time in immunocompromised individuals and/or those co-infected by other viruses. A large body of evidences indicate that HPgV-1 persistent infection has a beneficial clinical effect on many infectious diseases, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis C. The beneficial effects seem to be related to a significant reduction of immune activation, and/or the inhabitation of co-infected viruses (e.g. HIV-1). HPgV-1 has a broad cellular tropism for lymphoid and myeloid cells, and preferentially replicates in bone marrow and spleen without cytopathic effect, implying a therapeutic potential. The paper aims to summarize the natural history, prevalence and distribution characteristics, and pathogenesis of HPgV-1, and discuss its association with other human viral diseases, and potential use in therapy as a biovaccine or viral vector.

The clock-drawing test (CDT) has been used as a screening tool to identify cognitive deficit in patients with dementia. However, it has not been extensively evaluated for categorizing patients with vascular mild cognitive impairment (vMCI). This study aimed to examine the discrimination of vMCI using various CDT scoring methods.A total of 120 vMCI patients and 119 normal control (NC) subjects were tested using three CDT quantitative scoring systems: the one from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (CDT3) and the systems of Rouleau (CDT10) and Babins (CDT18). We used a revised scoring method to evaluate the effectiveness in differentiating vMCI patients from NC subjects, which combined the CDT10 quantitative score and three qualitative errors with a significantly higher prevalence in vMCI group (called hereinafter CDTcomb, including CDTcomb13 and CDTcomb16 based on different weights of the three error types). The sensitivity and specificity of the CDT methods were determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The results of the scoring systems were compared with those of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).The results of the ROC analyses with the CDT3, CDT10, and CDT18 systems produced a sensitivity of 71.1%, 81.8%, and 60.3%, and a specificity of 66.12%, 58.68%, and 73.55%, respectively, for the diagnosis of vMCI. Compared with the separate MMSE score, the combination of MMSE with the CDT3, CDT10 and CDT18 scores did not increase the sensitivity and specificity. When three qualitative errors were incorporated into the CDT10 quantitative score, CDTcomb13 and CDTcomb16 provided a sensitivity of 87.6% and 86.78%, and a specificity of 74.79% and 80.67%, respectively, in differentiating vMCI patients from the NC group.Our findings suggest that the combination of CDT quantitative score with qualitative observations of the clock-drawing errors can provide a better discrimination between vMCI patients and cognitively normal subjects.

The mechanism of local scour under two vibrating pipelines is investigated numerically in this research. A sediment scour model is adopted to estimate the motion of sediment. The general moving obj...

To evaluate the safety and long-term outcomes of microwave ablation (MWA) combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in a single stage for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a maximum diameter of 5.0-10.0 cm.From January 2013 to December 2016, 84 consecutive HCC patients with cirrhosis from two medical centers who underwent MWA-TACE as a first-line treatment for up to three HCCs with maximum diameters of 5.0-10.0 cm were included. Feasibility, safety and effectiveness were evaluated. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression models were used to identify the prognostic factors.The technique was successfully performed in all the patients. Grade 3 complications consisted of two cases of hemoperitoneum requiring blood transfusions and embolization. The cumulative incidence of local tumor progression was 25.8% at 3 years, with tumor size found to be the only significant predictive factor (p = .007). The cumulative incidence of OS was 81%, 68% and 49% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively. According to the Cox proportional hazards model analysis, serum AFP level, Child-Pugh class and tumor number were significant prognostic factors for OS.MWA-TACE is a safe, feasible and effective therapy for the treatment of 5.0- to 10.0-cm HCC lesions in patients with cirrhosis.

Research on the response of random wave on offshore structures has received great deal of attention of many researchers and engineers in the design of marine structures. Most previous investigations have been limited to the regular waves. In this paper, based on Longuet–Higgins random wave theory and finite element method, a numerical model for random wave-induced seabed response is established. The seabed is treated as poroelastic medium and characterized by Biot’s partly dynamic equations (u–p model). The JONSWAP spectrum is adopted in Longuet–Higgins model, which is based on the cumulative superposition of linear diffraction solution. Based on the numerical results, the effects of random wave on seabed response are investigated by comparing with the corresponding Stokes wave and cnoidal wave. Then, a parametric study is conducted to examine the effect of wave and soil characteristic on the seabed.

Elucidation of mechanisms underlying the establishment, maintenance of and reactivation from HIV-1 latency is essential for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at eliminating HIV-1 reservoirs. Microbial translocation, as a consequence of HIV-1-induced deterioration of host immune system, is known to result in a systemic immune activation and transient outbursts of HIV-1 viremia in chronic HIV-1 infection. How these microbes cause the robust HIV-1 reactivation remains elusive. Dendritic cells (DCs) have previously been shown to reactivate HIV-1 from latency; however, the precise role of DCs in reactivating HIV-1 from latently infected T-cell remains obscure. In this study, by using HIV-1 latently infected Jurkat T cells, we demonstrated that AIDS-associated pathogens as represented by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and bacterial component lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were unable to directly reactivate HIV-1 from Jurkat T cells; instead, they mature DCs to secrete TNF-α to accomplish this goal. Moreover, we found that HIV-1 latently infected Jurkat T cells could also mature DCs and enhance their TNF-α production during co-culture in a CD40-CD40L-signaling-dependent manner. This in turn led to viral reactivation from Jurkat T cells. Our results reveal how DCs help AIDS-associated pathogens to trigger HIV-1 reactivation from latency.

The process to produce hydrogen (H2) from cotton stalk (CS) wastes by anaerobic fermentation was systematically investigated under various experimental conditions. The optimal condition for H2 production was determined to be fermentation concentration of 15 g/L CS, soaked with 0.6 wt% HCl at 90°C for 2 h, which could produce the maximum cumulative H2 yield (Y(H2)) of 92.68 mL g−1 with an average H2 production rate (η(H2)) of 10.29 mL g−1 h−1 and an H2 rate (r(H2)) of 59.06% in the mixed gas obtained at 37°C and an initial pH of 7.0 through the optimal pretreatment process.

Drilled displacement (DD) piles with a screw-shaped shaft (referred to as DD piles) are installed using a continuous full thread hollow rod (without a displacement body) inserted and advanced in the soil by both a vertical force and a torque. As a type of newly developed pile, current understanding of the bearing mechanism of DD piles is unsatisfactory, which restricts their further applications in engineering. The primary aim of this paper is to study the bearing mechanism of this type of pile using a numerical method. First, a numerical model for calculating the bearing capacity of the DD piles was created and validated by a laboratory test. Then, the effects of the parameters of pile–soil interface, soil strength, and pile geometrical parameters on the bearing mechanism of the DD piles were investigated in parametric studies. The results of parametric studies show that the limit shear stress on the pile–soil interface, the friction angle of surrounding sand, screw pitch, and thread width signif...

Homalium (Salicaceae) is mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Here we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequences of Homalium paniculiflorum, H. stenoph...

Arisaema ringens is a dioecious herb of the family Araceae. So far, there have been no studies on the genome of A. ringens. Here we report and characterize the complete plastid genome seque...

Antirhea chinensis is a plant of the family Rubiaceae. So far, there is no study on the genome of A. chinensis. Here we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of A. chinensis ...

Mussaenda hirsutula is a plant of the family Rubiaceae. So far, there is no study on the genomic information of M. hirsutula. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence o...

Saprosma merrillii is a plant of the family Rubiaceae. So far, there is no study on the genome of S. merrillii. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of S. merrillii...

Artocarpus heterophyllus is an evergreen tree with 10–20 m height. It is distributed in tropical low-altitude areas, and is a tropical fruit with great economic value. Here, we report and character...

Hedyotis ovata is a plant of the family Rubiaceae. So far, there is no study on the genome of H. ovata. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of H. ovata in an effor...

Triaxial test with local displacement transducers is an effective technique to obtain the small-strain stiffness of soils. Many previous studies provided feasible solutions for reducing or avoiding potential sources of error in conventional triaxial tests. However, little literature gave out detailed explanations on how to identify those potential errors from the measured testing data and corresponding solutions. Therefore, nowadays, it is still not easy for a new user to gain proficiency in such kind of advanced tests. In this article, by conducting triaxial tests featured with Hall effect transducer on Shanghai soft marine clay, it is found that the influence of the specimen misalignment to the measured small-strain stiffness cannot be neglected. The typical symptom of specimen misalignment, namely the tilting of specimen, was described carefully. An improved connection between top cap and load cell was applied to overcome the problem. The new connection can reduce the disturbance to specimen in...

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) has been proved to serve as the functional receptor for enterovirus 71 (EV71). We found the abundant expression of PSGL-1 on monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). However, we have previously demonstrated that MDDCs did not support efficient replication of EV71. Dendritic cells (DCs) have been described to be subverted by various viruses including EV71 for viral dissemination, we thus explore the potential contribution of PSGL-1 on DC-mediated EV71 transmission. We found that the cell-surface-expressing PSGL-1 on MDDCs mediated EV71 binding, and intriguingly, these loaded-viruses on MDDCs could be transferred to encountered target cells; Prior-treatment with PSGL-1 antibodies or interference with PSGL-1 expression diminished MDDC-mediated EV71 transfer and rescued virus-induced cell death. Our data uncover a novel role of PSGL-1 in DC-mediated EV71 spread, and provide an insight into blocking primary EV71 infection.

Transition metals possess a paradoxical role in living organisms. While acting as indispensable cofactors for proteins, transition metals at elevated levels lead to protein dysfunction or inactivation, disease, or even death. The tracing of transition metals in living cells offers a better understanding of intracellular transition metal homeostasis and related diseases. Genetically encoded fluorescent sensors are attractive approaches for intracellular transition metal imaging and monitoring, due to their intrinsic advantages, including noninvasive and subcellular localization. Recent studies have achieved fruitful progress for intracellular imaging of zinc and copper using genetically encoded fluorescent sensors, yet challenges still remain. In this review we present a general view on the intracellular transition metal homeostasis and basic concepts on genetically encoded fluorescent sensors and focus on the recent developments in genetically encoded fluorescent sensors for transition metals, esp...

The fragmentation of patterns of moxifloxacin, 2-N-methylated moxifloxacin (analog 1), and 1-cyclopropyl-6,7-difluoro-8-methoxy-4-oxo-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid (analog 2) were investigated by electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry in the positive-ion mode. Many unusual ions were detected in the tandem mass spectra of moxifloxacin. Although the structures of moxifloxacin and analog 1 were similar, the relative abundances of products varied greatly. Comparison of the relative abundances of the product ions that lost CO2 or H2O and complementary product ions resulting from sequential four-membered hydrogen rearrangement showed that the differences were related to the protonation sites. The loss of HF, probably though the formation of an ion/neutral complex, is of scientific interest. The identities of the major product ions were confirmed by deuterium-labeling experiments that demonstrated an unusual loss of a deuterium atom. The major differences in fragmentation patterns were compared to previous reports in the literature.

Clinacanthus nutans (Burm.f.) Lindau. is a medicinal species occurring in southern Guangdong province, Guangxi province, Hainan province and Yunnan province of China, which has been widely used in ...

Syzygium forrestii Merr. et Perry is an evergreen broad-leaved tree, 8–15 metres tall. It is mainly distributed in the Southwest of China (Nu river valley to Xishuangbanna area), growing from 800 t...

Heptacodium miconioides Rehd. is a rare and endangered plant species occurring in Anhui, Hubei, and Zhejiang Provinces of China, which is endemic to China. Here, we report and characterize the comp...

Pandanus tectorius Parkinson ex Du Roi (Pandanaceae) is a tree or shrub which is widely distributed in seashores and sandy beaches in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan Pro...

Dillenia indica Linn. is an endangered plant species occurring in southern Guangxi province and Yunnan province of China, which has been grown in gardens as an ornamental plant and is widely used i...

Piper laetispicum is dioecious climbers woody with 10 m tall, which is an endemic species in China. It grows on trees or rocks in forests (100–600 m) in Guangdong and Hainan Province of China. Here...

Hoya is the largest genus (about 350–450 species) within Apocynaceae. It is a subshrub or liana, epiphytic or epilithic. Most species grow in tropical and subtropical South and Southeast Asia. Here...

Changiostyrax dolichocarpa is a critically endangered plant species occurring in central and southeastern China. Although the systematic position of Changiostyrax was still unclear, morphological characters, plastid and nSSR evidence supported that C. dolichocarpa should be separated from Sinojackia (Styracaceae). Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of C. dolichocarpa in an effort to provide genomic resources useful for promoting its conservation. The complete plastome is 158,821 bp in length and contains the typical structure and gene content of angiosperm plastome, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,000 bp, a large single copy (LSC) region of 88,038 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,784 bp. The plastome contains 120 genes, consisting of 83 unique protein-coding genes, 37 unique tRNA gene, and eight unique rRNA genes. The overall A/T content in the plastome of C. dolichocarpa is 62.70%. The complete plastome sequence of C. dolichocarpa will provide a useful resource for the conservation genetics of this species as well as for the phylogenetic studies for Changiostyrax.

Dracaena cambodiana (Asparagaceae) is a treelike plant ranging from 3 to 10 m tall. It grows in low-elevation forests (0–300 m) having dry and sandy soils. It is distributed in Southern Hainan Island in China and other Southeast Asian countries (e.g. Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam). The dried resin can be used medicinally as a substitute for that of Dracaena cochinchinensis. It has been ranked as a Vulnerable (VU) species in China. Here we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of D. cambodiana. The complete plastome is 156,697 bp in length. It contains the typical structure and gene content of angiosperm plastomes, including two Inverted Repeat (IR) regions of 26,526 bp, a Large Single-Copy (LSC) region of 84,988 bp and a Small Single-Copy (SSC) region of 18,657 bp. The plastome contains 113 genes, consisting of 76 unique protein-coding genes, 30 unique tRNA genes, four unique rRNA genes and three pseudogenes (i.e. matK, infA, ndhF). The overall A/T content in the plas...

Scurrula notothixoides (Loranthaceae) is a hemiparasitic shrub distributed in forest margins of Southeast Asian countries. Here, we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequence of S. notothixoides in an effort to provide genomic resources useful for the phylogenetic studies for Santalales. The complete plastome is 123,810 bp in length and contains the typical structure and gene content of angiosperm plastomes, including two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 23,101 bp, a large single copy (LSC) region of 71,448 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 6160 bp. The plastome contains 88 genes, consisting of 61 unique protein-coding genes, 23 unique tRNA genes and four unique rRNA genes. The overall A/T content in the plastome of S. notothixoides is 62.7%. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the entire plastome, including spacers, introns, etc. and we recovered that S. notothixoides and Taxillus sutchuenensis was closely related. The complete plastome sequence of S. notothixoides will provide a useful resource for the phylogenetic studies for Santalales.

During the last 30 years, flow injection analysis has gone through three generations, that is, the first generation in 1970s, supplemented by sequential injection in the 1990s as the second generation, and the recently emerged lab‐on‐valve system as the third generation, which holds clear advantages for instrumental miniaturization. The three generations have revolutionized the concept of sample pretreatment by facilitating on‐line operation and coupling with various detection techniques, among which its hyphenation with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) has been one of the most attractive research field offering vast potentials and versatilities in the quantification of ultra‐trace metal species in complex matrices. In the present mini‐review, the state‐of‐the‐art developments for flow injection on‐line sample pretreatment coupled to ETAAS for trace metal analysis since 2003 were summarized, with special emphasis on the exploitations of the lab‐on‐valve system.

We obtained the high-density rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) filled with expandable graphite (EG) by airtight cast molding, and its fire performance was evaluated. The results show that the LOI values increase linearly with EG content, especially the LOI value of the 20 wt% EG-filled RPUF composites increases rapidly to 39.5% from 22.5% of pure RPUF. When the pure RPUF was burned, no clear transition process between burning spots and virgin material is observed. But when the EG/RPUF composite was burned, EG produced high-volume expanded graphite and covered the surfaces of the materials, which can prevent combustible gases from feeding the flame, and it also separates oxygen from the burning material efficiently. The thermal degradation of foam was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The result shows that the thermo-oxidative degradation of pure RPUF takes place in the range of 220–350°C and 450–650°C, respectively. The thermal stability of RPUF composites increased slightly when ...

Phase transfer catalysis has been found to be effective for the preparation of symmetrical bis-sulfides (4) in high yields by a one-pot proudure which consists of generating the thiolate ions from s-alkylisothiouronium salys (2) and then reacting with alkyl halides (3).

Zhu-Ting Fang,1,2,† Wei Zhang,1,† Guang-Zhi Wang,1 Bo Zhou,1 Guo-Wei Yang,1 Xu-Dong Qu,1 Rong Liu,1 Sheng Qian,1 Liang Zhu,1 Ling-Xiao Liu,1 Jian-Hua Wang1 1Department of Interventional Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 2Department of Interventional Radiology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Provincial Clinic College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China†These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: The aims of this study were to assess the effect of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) on circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood and right atrium of patients with HCC and to evaluate whether perioperative shedding of CTCs affects time to progression of HCC. Before and after TACE, peripheral and right atrial blood samples (7.5 mL) were collected from 42 patients with HCC. CTCs were enriched using EpCAM antibody-conjugated magnetic beads. The number of CTCs was 0–30 and 0–54 in peripheral blood before and after TACE, respectively (P=0.166), and 0–65 and 0–98 in the right atrium before and after TACE, respectively (P=0.102). The number of CTCs was significantly different between the two samples both before (P=0.007) and after (P=0.021) TACE. There was no difference in time to progression between patients with and without an increase in the number of CTCs after TACE in either sample (P>0.05 for both). There were more CTCs in right atrial blood than in peripheral blood. The numbers of CTCs in both samples remained unchanged after TACE. Shedding of tumor cells did not affect time to progression of disease in patients with HCC. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, circulating tumor cells, metastasis, positive screening

Zhu-Ting Fang,1,2,* Guang-Zhi Wang,1,* Wei Zhang,1 Xu-Dong Qu,1 Rong Liu,1 Sheng Qian,1 Liang Zhu,1 Bo Zhou,1 Jian-Hua Wang1 1Department of Intervention Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Intervention Radiology, Provincial Hospital of Fujian Province, Teaching Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China *Authors who have contributed equally to this article Abstract: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is widely used as an effective palliative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and can prolong survival time. However, the high incidence of tumor recurrence and metastasis after TAE is still a major problem. Recent studies demonstrated that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) contribute to tumor metastasis. In this study, we tried to clarify whether the residual HCC after TAE can increase metastasis by increasing the number of CTCs. An orthotopic liver tumor model in the Buffalo rat was established using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transfected HCC cell line, McA-RH7777. Two weeks after orthotopic liver tumor implantation, the rats underwent TAE treatment from the gastroduodenal artery. Iodized oil or saline was injected intra-arterially. Blood samples were taken on day 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 for detection of CTCs after TAE treatment. We analyzed the number of CTCs and assessed the metastatic potential of surviving tumor cells in rats between TAE and control groups. Our results demonstrated that the metastatic colonies in the lung were significantly increased by TAE treatment. The number of CTCs was also significantly increased by TAE treatment from day 7 to day 21. The expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker proteins (N-cadherin and vimentin) was upregulated, but E-cadherin was downregulated after TAE treatment. In conclusion, the metastatic potential of residual HCC can be induced by TAE treatment in a rat liver tumor model, which involves the acquisition of EMT features and an increased number of CTCs. Keywords: transcatheter arterial embolization, hepatocellular carcinoma, circulating tumor cells, epithelial–mesenchymal transition

Wei Zhang,1,* Rong Liu,1,* Yingying Wang,1 Sheng Qian,1 Jianhua Wang,1 Zhiping Yan,1 Hongwei Zhang21Department of Interventional Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 2Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workObjective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of image-guided delivery of intraarterially infused chemotherapeutic drugs for patients with locally advanced breast cancer.Methods: Twenty-eight patients with pathologically proven, locally advanced breast cancer received intraarterial chemoinfusion therapy (chemoinfusion) with docetaxel 75 mg/m2 and epirubicin 50 mg/m2. Digital subtraction angiography was performed to determine tumor arterial blood supply and to guide chemotherapy infusion. Patients were evaluated for complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR).Results: Twenty-eight patients received a total of 64 intraarterial chemoinfusions, 20 patients (71.4%) received two infusions, and eight patients (28.6%) received three infusions. One patient (3.6%) had CR and 23 (82.1%) had PR. The total effectiveness rate (CR and PR) was 85.7% (24/28). All stage 3 patients underwent Phase II surgical resection after chemoinfusion, and the surgical resection participation rate was 100% (26/26). The mean time from the first chemoinfusion to surgery was 2 ± 1.2 months. Two patients with stage 4 cancer died of distant metastasis and cachexia, and the remaining 26 patients were still alive.Conclusion: Intraarterial chemoinfusion is a safe and effective therapy, achieving down-staging in a relatively short period for locally advanced breast cancer.Keywords: advanced breast cancer, intraarterial infusion, chemotherapy, therapeutic effect