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Scaffold diversity is a key feature of a compound library and plays a pivotal role in its success in biological screening. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop efficient strategies to rapidly construct structurally distinct and diverse "privileged" molecular scaffolds, thereby giving rise to compound libraries with selective and differing biological activities. This review covers recent efforts in this emerging field of Ni-catalyzed divergent and selective synthesis, and will focus on reactions using the same substrate to generate structurally diverse molecular scaffolds by varying the ligand backbone under otherwise almost identical reaction conditions. We hope that the field will be encouraged by the progress achieved, drawing attention to the design and development of new selective catalytic systems, and revealing new modes of catalytic transformation for broader synthetic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is to identify the pathogenic mutation of a child with Sots syndrome and provide prenatal diagnosis for his pregnant mother. Chromosome microarray technology was used to detect whether there were minor deletions/duplication in patients' chromosomes. The gene mutation of patients was screened by next-generation sequencing technology, and it was verified by Sanger sequencing. Prenatal diagnosis of the fetus was conducted according to the selected pathogenic sites, and genetic counseling was conducted for her parents. Chromosome microarray results showed that there was no minor deletion in a chromosome 5q35 region, and the second-generation sequencing results showed that there was a c.4138delG heterozygous mutation in the patient's NSD1 gene, and the pathogenic of this mutation was not reported in related databases. Sanger sequencing found that there was a c.4138delG heterozygous mutation in the NSD1 gene of the patient and her parents' genotype at this locus was wild type. The prenatal gene test results indicated that there was heterozygous mutation of NSD1 gene c.4138delG in the fetus, so it was suggested to terminate the pregnancy. Gentling results indicated that the fetus and the patient inherited the same maternal chromosome 5. The heterozygous mutation of NSD1 gene c.4138delG is the pathogenic mutation of this Sots syndrome patient, and the mother may be germinal mosaicism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral blood cell counts and cytokines can be used as predictors of multiple myeloma (MM) patients' outcomes. 313 newly diagnosed MM patients treated with novel agents were divided into training and validation cohorts. We selected the common peripheral blood cell counts, including the lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and serum cytokines which contained tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) as related variables. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was conducted to sort the predictor variables in the training cohort, and then the developed nomogram was assessed in the training and validation cohort. Our study showed that SIRI, PLR, and IL-8 were independent prognostic factors for the survival of MM patients. Patients with lower SIRI (≤ 0.87) had superior survival than patients with higher SIRI (> 0.87). Further, according to the LASSO regression, a nomogram embracing LMR (> 3.78), SIRI (> 0.87), PLR (≤ 106.44), and IL-8 was established. The nomogram demonstrated a better correlation with the outcomes of MM patients in the training cohort than International Staging System (ISS) and Revised-International Staging System (R-ISS). The same results were verified in the validation cohort. The nomogram incorporating inflammatory cells and cytokines could be a helpful tool to stratify MM patients in the era of novel agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan coatings have shown good bioactive properties such as antibacterial and antiplatelet properties, especially on blood-contacted biomedical materials. However, as blood-contacted biomedical device, the intravascular metal stent has a burden with adverse effects on the structural integrity, such as mechanical load during implantation and substrate degradation if a biodegradable metal is used as the substrate. It is unquestionably true that the structural integrity of the coated stent is essential. The adhesion strength between the coating and the substrate positively affects it. Silane and polydopamine (PDA) interstitial layers have been investigated to improve the corrosion resistance, biosafety and adhesion strength. This work addressed this challenge by using PDA as an intermediate and glutaraldehyde as a linking agent to establish a strong link between the polymer coating and the intermediate coating. Compared with PDA-only and glutaraldehyde-linked silane layer, the novel coating displayed a notable increase in adhesion. When compared with the bare Ni-free stainless steel, the performance of the novel coating was not significantly different. This novel chitosan film on the glutaraldehyde linked-PDA interface can be applied to various metallic substrates where synergic bioactive and anticorrosive effects of PDA interstitial coating and chitosan are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim was to systematically select blood markers routinely tested in clinical settings, which are independently associated with overall survival (OS) and are able to stratify prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients undergoing esophagectomy. Methods: We selected optimal blood markers for prognostic stratification from 60 candidates in a clinical cohort of 1819 consecutive patients with resectable ESCC in China. Selection was carried out using two-step multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for multifaceted confounders. A composite index was developed by multiplying risk factors and dividing them by protective factors. Results: With a median follow-up of 48.07 months, 641 deaths occurred in the 1819 patients and the 5-year OS was 56.30%. Two risk factors (mean corpuscular hemoglobin, fibrinogen) and a protective factor (albumin), all dichotomized and assigned values 1 and 2, were used to construct the composite index marker "MF-A". Three risk groups were created based on the MF-A score including low- (0.5), moderate- (1), and high-risk groups (2 and 4). Compared with patients in the low-risk group (1184/1778, 66.59%), those in the moderate- (488, 27.45%), and high-risk (106, 5.96%) groups were at elevated risk of death (adjusted HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.11–1.57; adjusted HR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.56–2.75; Ptrend < 10-7). Within each TNM stage grouping, OS also trended to be significantly worse as the MF-A score increased. Conclusions: "MF-A" is a novel independent predictor which may be used to estimate and stratify prognosis for ESCC patients undergoing esophagectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the activity changes in neurology clinical practice that have occurred in tertiary public hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Outpatient and inpatient data from the neurology department were extracted from the electronic medical record system of three tertiary Grade A hospitals in Wenzhou. Data were analyzed across 5 months following the beginning of the pandemic (from January 13 to May 17) and compared with the same period in 2019. Data on reperfusion therapy for acute infarction stroke were extracted monthly from January to April. Results: The number of outpatients declined from 102,300 in 2019 to 75,154 in 2020 (26.54%), while the number of inpatients in the three tertiary Grade A hospitals decreased from 4641 to 3437 (25.94%). The latter trend showed a significant drop from the 3rd week to the 7th week. The number of patients in these hospitals decreased significantly, and a significant drop was seen in the neurology department. As usual, stroke was the most common disease observed; however, anxiety/depression and insomnia increased dramatically in the outpatient consultation department. Conclusions: The results of our study revealed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the clinical practice of neurology in Wenzhou during the outbreak. Understanding the pandemic's trends and impact on neurological patients and health systems will allow for better preparation of neurologists in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cohen syndrome (CS) is an autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by mutation in the vacuolar protein sorting 13 homolog B (VPS13B; formerly COH1) gene. In the current study, a Chinese family has two young sibling cases having a developmental delay, physical obesity, high myopia, and a special face, which suspected to be CS. The purpose of the study was to identify variants and further analyze their pathogenicity for CS. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed a compound heterozygous mutation in VPS13B gene in the proband, which comprises a frameshift mutation in NM_017890.4: c.10076_10077delCA (p.T3359fs*29) and a putative splice site mutation in c.6940 + 1G > T. Both Minigene assay in vitro and splicing assay in vivo confirmed that the splicing mutation in c.6940 + 1G > T generates a frameshift transcript with whole exon 38 skipping. Eventually, quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that either of the two mutations can lead to degradation of the VPS13B gene at the transcriptional level. Functional studies of variants identified in CS patients are essential for their subsequent genetic counseling and prenatal diagnoses and could also be the start point for new therapeutic approaches, currently based only on symptomatic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Cu43Zr48Al9)98Y2 amorphous alloy bar was prepared by the arc melting copper mold absorption casting method, and then, the amorphous alloy was annealed at different temperatures for different times. The influence of heating rate on thermal expansion and thermal stability was studied by thermomechanical analysis (TMA), and the microstructure evolution of the amorphous alloy during structural relaxation and crystallization was studied by XRD and TEM. Results show that the structural evolution behavior of the (Cu43Zr48Al9)98Y2 amorphous alloy can be divided into five different stages (structural relaxation preparation stage, structural relaxation stage, first crystallization stage, second crystallization stage, and grain growth stage). When the heating rate is 20 K/min, the amorphous alloy has the smallest thermal expansion coefficient and the best thermal stability. The width of the supercooled liquid region is 66.42 K. Samples with different relaxation states were prepared by annealing at the heating rate of 20 K/min. The structural evolution of amorphous alloys with different relaxation states is as follows: amorphous → CuZr2 + AlCu2Zr7 → CuZr2 + AlCu2Zr7 + CuZr(B2) + CuZr(M) + Cu10Zr7 → CuZr2 + AlCu2Zr7 + CuZr(B2) + CuZr(M). After annealing at 706 K and 726 K (in the supercooled liquid region) for 1.5 h, the amorphous-nanocrystalline composites were obtained. When the annealing temperature is 706 K, the crystallization process of the sample is as follows: amorphous → Cu10Zr7 → Cu10Zr7 + CuZr, and for the sample at 726 K, it is as follows: amorphous → CuZr2 + AlCu2Zr7 + Cu10Zr7 → Cu10Zr7 + CuZr2 → CuZr2 + CuZr (B2) + Cu10Zr7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isothermal compression experiments have been adopted to systematically examine hot deformation behavior of 316L stainless steel on a simulator with 0.01–5 s−1 strain rate and 900–1100 °C temperature, and the results demonstrate that, in flow curves, both features of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and dynamic recovery (DRV) can be observed. Besides, the constitutive model has been established, and the value of activation energy is obtained as 465.532 kJ mol−1. In addition, processing maps of different strains are also constructed. With microstructural observation, it can be found that the flow localization and mischcrystal structure occur while the hot deformation is performed on the instability domains (efficiency of power dissipation, η , < 23%). The processing window is located at 0.01–0.056 s−1 strain rate and 1040–1100 °C temperature with the η higher than 35%. The optimal hot compression parameters are 1050 °C–0.01 s−1 with a peak efficiency of 38%, and the corresponding EBSD analysis shows a random distribution of DRX grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary immune thrombocytopenia is an autoimmune disease, characterized with decreased platelet and increased risk of bleeding. Recent studies have shown the reduction and dysfunction of regulatory T (Treg) cells in ITP patients. CD39 is highly expressed on the surface of Treg cells. It degrades ATP to AMP and CD73 dephosphorylates AMP into adenosine. Then adenosine binds with adenosine receptor and suppresses immune response by activating Treg cells and inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines from effector T (Teff) cells. Adenosine receptor has several subtypes and adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) plays a crucial role especially within lymphocytes. The CD39+ Treg cells and the expression of A2AR showed abnormality in some autoimmune disease. But knowledge of CD39+ Treg cells and A2AR which are crucial in the adenosine immunosuppressive pathway is still limited in ITP. Thirty-one adult patients with newly diagnosed ITP were enrolled in this study. CD39 and A2AR expression was measured by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. The function of CD39 was reflected by the change of ATP concentration detected by CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay. CD39 expression within CD4+CD25+ Treg cells in ITP patients was decreased compared to normal controls. After high-dose dexamethasone therapy, response (R) group showed increased CD39 expression within Treg cells while non-response (NR) group did not show any difference in contrast to those before treatment. The expression of A2AR in CD4+CD25− Teff and CD4+CD25+ Treg cells was both lower in ITP patients than that of normal controls. After therapy, CD4+CD25− Teff cells had higher A2AR expression while CD4+CD25+ Treg cells did not show any difference in comparison to that before treatment. The enzymatic activity of CD39 was damaged in ITP patients and improved after high-dose dexamethasone therapy. In ITP, there was not only numerical decrease but also impaired enzymatic activity in CD39+ Treg cells. After high-dose dexamethasone treatment, these two defects could be reversed. Our results also suggested that ITP patients had reduced A2AR expression in both CD4+CD25+ Treg cells and CD4+CD25− Teff cells. CD4+CD25− Teff cells had increased A2AR expression after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Population-level endoscopic screening for esophageal cancer has been conducted in China for years. In this study, we aim to provide an updated and precise cost estimation for esophageal cancer screening based on a randomized controlled trial in a high-risk area in China.Methods: We estimated the cost of esophageal cancer screening with chromoendoscopy using a micro-costing approach based on primary data of the ESECC (Endoscopic Screening for Esophageal Cancer in China) randomized controlled trial (NCT01688908) from a health sector perspective. Unit costs and quantities of resources were collected to obtain annual screening costs. The screening project was then theoretically expanded to a 10-year period to explore long-term trends of costs. Costs were adjusted to US dollars for the year 2018.Results: In the ESECC trial, screening cost per endoscopy with a valid pathologic diagnosis was $196, accounting for 3.82% of the gross domestic product per capita in Hua County, and the costs for detecting one esophageal cancer and one early-stage esophageal cancer were $26,347 and $37,687, respectively. In conventional screening in which protocol-driven costs were excluded, costs as above were $134, $18,074, and $25,853. The cost for detecting one gastric cardia cancer or stomach cancer was nine times higher than detecting one esophageal cancer owing to low prevalences of the two cancers. In a simulated 10-year screening project, annual cost decreased notably over time.Conclusions: Despite the relatively low absolute cost, population-level endoscopic screening will still be a heavy burden on local government considering the socioeconomic conditions. Long-lasting programs would be less costly and population-level screening would make little sense in non-high-risk regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Taraxasterol has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity. However, the effect and potential mechanisms of Taraxasterol on the growth of human liver cancer have not been clarified. Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (Hint1) is a tumor suppressor and its downregulated expression is associated with the development of cancer. Here, we report that Taraxasterol treatment significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis in liver cancer cells, but not in non-tumor hepatocytes. Furthermore, Taraxasterol upregulated Hint1 and Bax, but downregulated Bcl2 and cyclin D1 expression, accompanied by promoting the demethylation in the Hint1 promoter region in liver cancer cells. The effects of Taraxasterol were abrogated by Hint1 silencing and partially mitigated by Bax silencing, Bcl2 or cyclin D1 over-expression in HepG2 cells. Moreover, oral administration with Taraxasterol did not affect body weight, urinary protein levels, and the heart, liver, and kidney morphology in BALB/c mice but effectively inhibited the growth of implanted SK-Hep1 tumor in vivo. Collectively, we demonstrate that Taraxasterol inhibits the growth of liver cancer at least partially by enhancing Hint1 expression to regulate Bax, Bcl2, and cyclin D1 expression. Taraxasterol may be a drug candidate for the treatment of human liver cancer.Key messages: Taraxasterol inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in human liver cancer cells.Taraxasterol enhances Hint1 expression by promoting demethylation in Hint1 promoter.Taraxasterol increases Hint1 levels to regulate Bax, Bcl2, and cyclinD1 expression.The effects of Taraxasterol are abrogated by Hint1 silencing in liver cancer cells.Taraxasterol inhibits the growth of subcutaneously implanted liver cancers in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restructuring-induced catalytic activity is an intriguing phenomenon of fundamental importance to rational design of high-performance catalyst materials. We study three coppercomplex materials for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction. Among them, the copper(II) phthalocyanine exhibits by far the highest activity for yielding methane with a Faradaic efficiency of 66% and a partial current density of 13 mA cm−2 at the potential of – 1.06 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Utilizing in-situ and operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we find that under the working conditions copper(II) phthalocyanine undergoes reversible structural and oxidation state changes to form ~ 2 nm metallic copper clusters, which catalyzes the carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion. Density functional calculations rationalize the restructuring behavior and attribute the reversibility to the strong divalent metal ion–ligand coordination in the copper(II) phthalocyanine molecular structure and the small size of the generated copper clusters under the reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shot-peened CM400 maraging steel was used to study the mechanism of enhanced notch fatigue properties of ultra-high strength materials. After shot peening, the specimen surface became rougher, but the transversal machining traces were reduced. The yield strength was slightly improved while the ultimate tensile strength and hardness maintained constant; as a result, the fatigue limit was promoted by about 1.5 times. The nucleated sites of the fatigue fracture were partly changed from the surface to subsurface/interior of the specimen. To further analyze the influencing factors of fatigue properties, the fatigue damage process may be resolved to two aspects: (a) fatigue damage rate affected by shear deformation and (b) fatigue damage tolerance controlled by the dilatation fracture process. Considering the stress state near the notch tip, the hydrostatic stress and maximum shear stress are considered for better understanding these two aspects. It is observed that the fatigue damage tolerance increased while the fatigue damage rate decreased after shot peening. Therefore, the notch fatigue properties of CM400 maraging steels can effectively be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (Hint1) is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor gene. Its role in cancer cell migration has not been previously speculated. In the current study, we examined the expression of Hint1 in metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and further elucidated the effect of Hint1 expression on girdin expression and phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2 and on the migration of HCC cells in vitro. Expression of Hint1 and girdin in primary HCC tissues and metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes was determined by RT-PCR assays. HepG2 cells were transfected with plasmid vectors overexpressing Hint1 or small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Hint1, girdin, Hint1 plus girdin, or the scrambled RNA. Migration and invasion of HCC cells were examined by wound and Transwell assays. Protein expression was detected by immunofluorescence and immunoblotting assays. RT-PCR assays revealed that the messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript levels of Hint1 were markedly lower than those of primary HCC tissues and non-metastatic lymph nodes ( P < 0.01). By contrast, the mRNA transcript levels of girdin were significantly higher than non-metastatic lymph nodes ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, siRNA knockdown of HINT1 resulted in a significant increase in the mRNA transcript levels of girdin in HepG2 cells ( P < 0.05). Wound assays and Transwell assays showed that Hint1 knockdown by siRNA significantly enhanced the migration and invasion of HepG2 cells compared to HepG2 cells transfected with scrambled siRNA. Hint1 knockdown also led to significantly increased phosphorylation of girdin and AKT in HepG2 cells ( P < 0.05), which, however, was effectively aborted by girdin knockdown by siRNA ( P < 0.05). Hint1 is downregulated in metastatic lymph nodes and is implicated in migration and invasion of HCC cells in vitro by modulating girdin and AKT expression and phosphorylation. The Hint1-girdin-AKT signaling axis should be further dissected for its role in HCC migration and invasion and may be therapeutically targeted to suppress tumor growth and metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: There is increasing evidence that histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (HINT1) is a novel tumor suppressor. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which HINT1 promotes the stability of inhibitor of NF-κB α (IκBα) in the cytoplasm of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, which was observed in our previous study (Wang et al. in Int J Cancer 124:1526-1534, 2009).Methods: We examined HINT1 and IκBα expression in HCC cell lines and determined the effect of HINT1 overexpression and knockdown on IκBα protein and mRNA expression in these cell lines. Then, ubiquitination assays were performed to investigate the effects of HINT1 expression plasmid transfection on IκBα ubiquitination. Next, the interaction between HINT1 and β-TrCP was investigated in immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assays.Results: Our data showed that increased HINT1 expression in HepG2 and SMMC7702 cells markedly increased IκBα protein levels, while decreased HINT1 expression markedly decreased them. Overexpression or knockdown of HINT1 did not alter the transcription of IκBα, but HINT1 inhibited proteasomal IκBα degradation and reduced its ubiquitination levels. This inhibition might occur because HINT1 is a component of the SCF(β-TrCP) E3 ligase, which is responsible for IκBα ubiquitination and degradation.Conclusion: This study provides new evidence that HINT1 is a regulator of IκBα through SCF(β-TrCP) E3 ligase. These findings help to clarify the mechanism underlying the anticancer effects of HINT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, FD coefficients can be obtained by using Taylor series expansion (TE) or optimization methods to minimize the dispersion error. However, the TE-based FD method only achieves high modeling precision over a limited range of wavenumbers, and produces large numerical dispersion beyond this range. The optimal FD scheme based on least squares (LS) can guarantee high precision over a larger range of wavenumbers and obtain the best optimization solution at small computational cost. We extend the LS-based optimal FD scheme from two-dimensional (2D) forward modeling to three-dimensional (3D) and develop a 3D acoustic optimal FD method with high efficiency, wide range of high accuracy and adaptability to parallel computing. Dispersion analysis and forward modeling demonstrate that the developed FD method suppresses numerical dispersion. Finally, we use the developed FD method to source wavefield extrapolation and receiver wavefield extrapolation in 3D RTM. To decrease the computation time and storage requirements, the 3D RTM is implemented by combining the efficient boundary storage with checkpointing strategies on GPU. 3D RTM imaging results suggest that the 3D optimal FD method has higher precision than conventional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with or without antiviral therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after radical hepatectomy. This retrospective study examined 176 patients after radical hepatectomy, 118 of whom were treated using TACE alone and 58 using TACE combined with antiviral therapy. To reduce confounding bias due to baseline differences, propensity score matching was used to generate 51 pairs of patients from both treatment groups. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed for both groups before and after propensity score matching. Analysis of all patients showed that OS was better in the combination therapy group than in the TACE-only group ( P = 0.048), while DFS was similar between the two groups ( P = 0.322). Analysis of only propensity score-matched pairs confirmed the significantly better 5-year OS in the combination therapy group (64.6 vs. 37.5 %, P = 0.033) and also suggested better 5-year DFS (37.9 vs. 14.6 %, P = 0.048). Among patients experiencing HCC recurrence, radical surgery was the treatment choice for a significantly larger proportion of patients from the combination therapy group than from the TACE-only group ( P = 0.018). Our results suggest that combining antiviral therapy with TACE significantly improves OS and potentially DFS relative to TACE alone in patients with HCC. Combination therapy also appears to leave patients with greater remnant liver function, increasing the possibility of curative resection in the event of recurrence. Combination therapy may be useful for preventing HCC recurrence after radical hepatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune heterogeneous disorder. Excessive activated CD4 T effector cells (Teffs) and compromised regulatory T cells (Tregs) were reported in ITP patients, yet little is known about the mechanisms. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important regulatory cytokine of Tregs in inflammatory condition. It has been recently highlighted that IL-10-producing Tregs contribute to the effective controls of several autoimmune diseases. Hence this study was aimed to examine the role of IL-10 produced by Tregs in newly diagnosed ITP patients. Newly diagnosed ITP patients and healthy volunteers were enrolled to assess the numbers of peripheral Th1, Th17 cells and Tregs. CD4CD25Teffs and CD4CD25Tregs were purified. CD4CD25Teffs, labeled with CFSE, were cultured alone or with Tregs for 5 days, and the supernatants were then collected for IL-10 concentration test. The role of IL-10 in Tregs' inhibitory function was also determined. In ITP patients, Teffs were excessively activated, while the Tregs were numerically and functionally impaired. The percentages of IL-10 Tregs in Tregs' population were found elevated dramatically in ITP patients but decreased in the remitted patients. The IL-10 concentrations in the cultured supernatant were decreased in ITP patients but elevated in the remitted patients. Furthermore, the IL-10 secretion by Tregs was dramatically decreased in ITP patients. IL-10 treatment enhanced the suppression effect of Tregs toward Teffs, whereas anti-IL-10 treatment boosted the proliferation of Teffs and Th17 cells. Excessive activated Teffs and impaired Tregs play major roles in the exuberant CD4 T cells immune responses of ITP. The inhibitory effect of Tregs toward Teffs is largely exerted by IL-10. Insufficient secretion of IL-10 compromises the inhibitory capability of Tregs against Teffs in newly diagnosed ITP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase transition of solid-state materials is a fundamental research topic in condensed matter physics, materials science and geophysics. It has been well accepted and widely proven that isostructural compounds containing different cations undergo same pressure-induced phase transitions but at progressively lower pressures as the cation radii increases. However, we discovered that this conventional law reverses in the structural transitions in 122-type iron-based superconductors. In this report, a combined low temperature and high pressure X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement has identified the phase transition curves among the tetragonal (T), orthorhombic (O) and the collapsed-tetragonal (cT) phases in the structural phase diagram of the iron-based superconductor AFe2As2 (A=Ca, Sr, Eu, and Ba). The cation radii dependence of the phase transition pressure (T R cT) shows an opposite trend in which the compounds with larger ambient radii cations have a higher transition pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fundamental contribution of the gut microbiota to host physiology, the extent of its variation in genetically-identical animals used in research is not known. We report significant divergence in both the composition and metabolism of gut microbiota in genetically-identical adult C57BL/6 mice housed in separate controlled units within a single commercial production facility. The reported divergence in gut microbiota has the potential to confound experimental studies using mammalian models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that Bit1 and AIF as mitochondrial proteins are implicated in the development and progression of a variety of tumors. However, their expressions and biological functions in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain to be delineated. In the present study, we found that Bit1, AIF, and Bcl-2 levels in ESCC tissues were significantly higher than those in normal esophageal epithelial tissues and dysplasia tissues ( P < 0.05). Stepwise investigation demonstrated that Bit1 and Bcl-2 levels were both tightly associated with lymphatic metastasis and TNM staging ( P < 0.05), and the levels of Bit1 mRNA as well as AIF and Bcl-2 proteins were both closely related to tumor differentiation ( P < 0.05), but not related to the patients' age and gender ( P > 0.05). Importantly, Bit1 mRNA and protein levels in ESCC with lymphatic metastasis and TNM staging in III and IV were markedly higher than that without lymphatic metastasis and TMN staging in I and II. Further analysis showed that expression of Bit1 protein was both positively correlated with expressions of AIF and Bcl-2 proteins ( r = 0.408 and 0.405, respectively; P < 0.05). Correctively, our data cited earlier suggest that Bit1 plays pivotal roles in the development and progression of ESCC, and its biological functions in ESCC may be closely associated with AIF and Bcl-2 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to compare the dose distribution of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in 7 and 5 fields as well as 3-D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) plans for gastric cancer using dosimetric analysis. In 15 patients with gastric cancer after D1 resection, dosimetric parameters for IMRT (7 and 5 fields) and 3D-CRT were calculated with a total dose of 45 Gy (1.8 Gy/day). These parameters included the conformal index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), maximum dose spot for the planned target volume (PTV), dose-volume histogram (DVH) and dose distribution in the organs at risk (OAR), mean dose (Dmean), maximal dose (Dmax) in the spinal cord, percentage of the normal liver volume receiving more than 30 Gy (V30) and percentage of the normal kidney volume receiving more than 20 Gy (V20). IMRT (7 and 5 fields) and 3D-CRT achieved the PTV coverage. However, IMRT presented significantly higher CI and HI values and lower maximum dose spot distribution than 3D-CRT ( P=0.001). For dose distribution of OAR, IMRT had a significantly lower Dmean and Dmax in spinal cord than 3D-CRT ( P=0.009). There was no obvious difference in V30 of liver and V20 of kidney between IMRT and 3D-CRT, but 5-field IMRT showed lower Dmean in the normal liver than other two plans ( P=0.001). IMRT revealed favorable tumor coverage as compared to 3D-CRT and IMRT plans. Specifically, 5-field IMRT plan was superior to 3D-CRT in protecting the spinal cord and liver, but this superiority was not observed in the kidney. Further studies are needed to compare differences among the three approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fragile X mental retardation syndrome is caused by the transcriptional silence of FMR1. Here, a quantitative PCR technique was used to examine the effect of Fmr1p on the expression of GABA β subunits in different mouse brain regions. Our results demonstrated the reduction of GABA β2 mRNA in all brain regions assessed, and the reduction of GABA β3 mRNA in the cortex, suggesting that the expression of GABA β subunits is transcriptionally regulated by Fmr1p. This finding may help to establish the link between the transcriptional profile of the GABAergic inhibitory system and the development of fragile X mental retardation syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical excision and postoperative radiotherapy are widely accepted therapeutic modalities for sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma (SNTCS). Previous studies have shown that intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is safe and effective for the treatment of some sinonasal malignancies. We hypothesize that use of IMRT for SNTCS may result in clinical benefits. We report here two cases of SNTCS that were treated by IMRT. One patient was given extensive IMRT involving elective neck irradiation. Follow-up examinations revealed no recurrence and metastasis 3.5 years after IMRT. Another patient simultaneously suffered from multiple systematical diseases and was administered involved-field radiotherapy. He was found to have a marginal recurrence during the follow up and eventually died 8 months after disease diagnosis. It was suggested in this study that appropriate use of IMRT for the treatment of SNTCS may achieve excellent local control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line was generated by Thomson et al. (in Science 282:1145-1147, ), hundreds of hESC lines have been reported by different labs, providing resources for basic research and regenerative medicine as well. However it has been widely recognized that hESC lines varied on their properties, in terms of gene expression profile, epigenetic modify profile, and differentiation tendency. Generation of more hESC lines will largely enhance our knowledge of hESCs innate character. In this current work, we reported the generation of HN4, a hESC line derived from grade III IVF human embryo by using a mixture of human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) and mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) as feeder layers, and a whole-mechanical method in inner cell mass (ICM) isolation. HN4 satisfied the criteria of hESCs pluripotency, with high expression of hESC surface markers (SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81), transcription factors (OCT-4, NANOG, REX-1), and alkaline phosphatase. It is able to differentiate to three germ layer derivatives when cultured in vitro, or in teratoma formation. Moreover, it displayed promising potential in neural differentiation under a proper culture condition, suggesting the advantage of HN4 in further investigation. Additionally, the whole-mechanical protocol for ICM isolation facilitates hESC line generation for its ease to handle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

-Effects of mechanical wounding on gene expression involved in artemisinin biosynthesis and artemisinin production in Artemisia annua leaves were investigated. HPLC-ELSD analysis indicated that there was a remarkable enhancement of the artemisinin content in 2 h after wounding treatment, and the content reached the maximum value at 4 h (nearly 50% higher than that in the control plants). The expression profile analysis showed that many important genes ( HMGR, ADS, CPR, and CYP71AV1) involved in the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway were induced in a short time after wounding treatment. This study indicates that the artemisinin biosynthesis is affected by mechanical wounding. The possible mechanism of the control of gene expression during wounding is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical corrosion behavior of novel Cu-containing antibacterial austenitic and ferritic stainless steels in 0.05 mol/L NaCl solution has been investigated by dc polarization and ac impedance measurements and compared with that of the conventional stainless steels. Cu was found to particularly affect the kinetics of the anodic reaction. The corrosion performance of the austenite was greatly improved by Cu addition in the studied anodic potential range, whereas Cu effects on the ferrite showed remarkable sensitivity to the applied potential and improved corrosion resistance only in the low anodic potential range. Three-dimensional presentation of the variable-potential impedance data was employed in analyzing the electrochemical corrosion processes and revealed a close relationship between the impedance parameters and the applied potential. The trends of impedance results agree well with those obtained from potentiodynamic polarization measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1A6/DRIM has been identified as UTP20, a small subunit processome component, functioning in 18S rRNA processing. In the present study, the maturation of 28S rRNA and 5.8S rRNA was inhibited when 1A6/DRIM was silenced in HeLa cells; and coincidently, an accumulation of 32S rRNA precursor was observed. Immunoprecipitation was performed with the anti-1A6/DRIM antibody, followed by Northern blot with the ITS2 probe. The results showed that 1A6/DRIM was associated with both 32S and 12S rRNA precursors in vivo. The expression profile of 1A6/DRIM during rRNA processing was investigated by sucrose density gradient fractionation in combination with Western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that 1A6/DRIM was involved in the pre-60S particles in addition to the pre-40S particles and co-sediment with the 32S and 12S rRNA precursors in the nucleolus. Furthermore, the interaction of U8 snoRNA with 1A6/DRIM was revealed by immunoprecipitation. These results demonstrated that 1A6/DRIM interacted with both 32S rRNA and U8 snoRNA, being involved in 28S rRNA and 5.8S rRNA processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the disadvantage of classical recognition model that cannot perform well enough when there are some noises or lost frames in expression image sequences, a novel model called fuzzy buried Markov model (FBMM) is presented in this paper. FBMM relaxes conditional independence assumptions for classical hidden Markov model (HMM) by adding the specific cross-observation dependencies between observation elements. Compared with buried Markov model (BMM), FBMM utilizes cloud distribution to replace probability distribution to describe state transition and observation symbol generation and adopts maximum mutual information (MMI) method to replace maximum likelihood (ML) method to estimate parameters. Theoretical justifications and experimental results verify higher recognition rate and stronger robustness of facial expression recognition for image sequences based on FBMM than those of HMM and BMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain thermoplastic starch plastics with improved properties, a novel method of starch modification was developed in this study. Starch derivatives were prepared using the following procedures: pea starch was first oxidized to make dialdehyde starch (DAS) by sodium periodate under mild conditions, and this was then acetalized with glycol to give Gly-ADS. The modified starch was characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, TG, DSC, and XRD. The TG curves indicated that the thermal stability of Gly-ADS was better than that of DAS. The glass transition temperature of Gly-ADS with 95% carbonyl content (Gly-ADS95) was 97 °C by DSC. Although the intrinsic viscosity of DAS was less than that of pea starch, thermoplastic Gly-ADS (TPGly-ADS) exhibited good mechanical properties. The influence of moisture absorption on the mechanical properties of TPGly-ADS was also investigated. The results showed that TPGly-ADS possesses improved water resistance: the highest moisture absorption of TPGly-ADS95 was about 11%, and the tensile strength and the elongation at break were 18.1–14.6 MPa and 5.3–18%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red recombinase system of the λ phage is widely used for recombination of short linear DNA fragments and genome. Using this system, we obtained T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) substitution mutants in Burkholderia cepacia. To test the expression abilities of the T7 mutants, four different lipase expression vectors were transformed and the lipase activity of these recombinants was evaluated. Our results suggest that 500 nt homology between the unit and the genome is sufficient to generate mutations and this strategy enables the rapid establishment of mutant strains with efficiencies of 85%. After expression and purification, the highest purified lipase activity obtained was 3,990 U/l, nearly triple that of the wild-type organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of microwave radiation intensity, radiation time and initial wood moisture content (MC) on the properties of temperature development in Eucalyptus urophylla wood samples during the microwave explosion pretreatment have been investigated using a new microwave pretreatment equipment. The results show that 1) with the increase of microwave radiation intensity and a decrease in initial wood MC, both the average temperature and its rate of increase in wood rise rapidly; 2) with an increase in microwave radiation time, the average temperature of wood clearly increases, while the rate of increase in temperature shows a decline. In the microwave explosion pretreatment, the temperature development curve presented two patterns of variation: i) a sharp increase in temperature — a constant temperature — a slow warm-up and ii) a sharp increase in temperature — a rapid decline in temperature — a slow warm-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Bromine (Br) and nitrogen (N) co-doped TiO2 ((Br–N–TiO2) photocatalysts were prepared by a sol–gel method. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption and desorption isotherms, X-ray Photoelectron Spectra (XPS), UV-Vis Diffraction Spectra and Electron Spin Response (ESR) Spectra. Experiments on photodegradation of Methylene Blue (MB) and Sulfosalicylic Acid (SSA) under visible light were carried out to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of the catalysts. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) analysis was also conducted to evaluate the mineralization degrees of the catalysts in MB photodegradation. Enhanced photocatalytic activities were observed for the Br–N–TiO2 catalysts in the experiments of MB and SSA photodegradation. A possible mechanism was proposed to explain the improved photocatalytic activities of the Br–N–TiO2 catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phosphating treatment was applied to Mg–Mn–Zn alloy in order to improve the corrosion resistance. Surface morphology and phase constitute were observed and identified by SEM, EDS, SAXS, XRD and XPS. SEM observation showed that a rough and crystalline reaction layer was formed on the surface of Mg alloy. With the increasing of phosphating time, the layer became thicker and denser. It has been showed that the reaction layer was mainly composed of brushite (CaHPO4 · 2H2O). Small amount of Zn2+ was also detected by XPS and EDS. The corrosion resistance of the phosphated samples was measured by the electrochemical polarization and the immersion test in comparison with the bare alloy. The results manifested that the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy was improved by the phosphating treatment, and the corrosion resistance increased with the increase of the phosphating time within 50 min. Immersion tests showed that the phosphate layer could protect magnesium alloy from fast corrosion. The brushite layer has been transformed into hydroxyapatite (HA) during the immersion in the simulated body fluid (SBF) solution, which suggested the brushite layer could provide good biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was made on the antibacterial mechanism of copper-bearing austenitic antibacterial stainless steel by a series of methods such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation, force–distance curves and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer test. It was observed by AFM that the structure of the outer cell membrane responsible for the cell permeability was substantially changed for the bacteria after contacting with the antibacterial stainless steel, showing that cell walls were seriously damaged and a lot of contents in the cells leaked. It was also found that the adhesion force of bacteria to antibacterial stainless steel was considerably greater than that to the contrast steel, indicating that the electrostatic forces by Cu2+ being an important factor for killing bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Poly(lactic acid-b-p-dioxanone) block copolymers (P(LA-b-PDO)) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of p-dioxanone using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with different molecular weights as macroinitiators in N2 atmosphere. The copolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR spectra. The thermal and crystalline behaviors and thermal stability of these copolymers were investigated by DSC, TGA and WAXD. The results indicated that the contents of each segment and the intrinsic viscosities affected the properties of copolymers obviously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Olfactory stimuli play an important role in the host searching of larval phytophagous insects. Previous studies indicate that larvae that have to find feeding sites after hatching are generally attracted to host volatiles. However, there are few studies on the olfactory responses of neonate larvae to host volatiles in cases when those larvae hatched on the host plant. In the present study, we determined the olfactory responses of neonate larvae of the specialist flea beetle, Altica koreana Ogloblin, to host and six non-host plants, using a static-air “arena.” Larvae responded significantly to the host plant Potentilla chinensis Ser. and five of six non-host plants, compared to the control. Larvae did not prefer the host plant over the non-host plants (except Artemisia sp.) when offered a choice. Additionally, odours of a non-host plant, which were unattractive to neonate larvae, may have masked the attractive odour of the host plant. These results indicate that common volatiles can play a major role in attracting larvae of this specialist to plants, but attraction to such odours may not be the major mechanism of host choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niobium pentaoxide (Nb2O5) and nitrogen co-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by mechanical alloying with Nb2O5, TiO2 and urea as raw materials. The pure TiO2 powders of Degussa P25 were chosen as precursor. Chemical and physical properties of the Nb2O5 and N co-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were investigated, including XRD patterns, XPS spectra, DRS spectra, FT-IR spectra and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. Experiments on photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) under visible light were carried out to evaluate the photoactivities of the prepared samples, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) analysis was also conducted as a comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behaviour of Mg–Mn and Mg–Mn–Zn magnesium alloy in a phosphate buffered simulated body fluid (SBF) has been investigated by electrochemical testing and weight loss experiment for bone implant application. Long passivation stage and noble breakdown potential in the polarization curves indicated that a passive layer could be rapidly formed on the surface of magnesium alloy in the phosphate buffered SBF, which in turn can protect magnesium from fast corrosion. Surfaces of the immersed magnesium alloy were characterized by SEM, EDS, SAXS and XPS. Results have shown that Mg–Mn and Mg–Mn–Zn alloy were covered completely by an amorphous Mg-containing phosphate reaction layer after 24 h immersion. The corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloys can be described by the dissolving of magnesium through the reaction between magnesium and solution and the precipitating of Mg-containing phosphate on the magnesium surface. Weight loss rate and weight gain rate results have indicated that magnesium alloys were corroded seriously at the first 48 h while Mg-containing phosphate precipitated fast on the surface of magnesium alloy. After 48–96 h immersion, the corrosion reaction and the precipitation reaction reach a stable stage, displaying that the phosphate layer on magnesium surface, especially Zn-containing phosphate layer could provide effective protection for magnesium alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the lipase from Aspergillus niger F044, a potential homologous gene A84689 to the lipanl (the gene encoding the lipase from Aspergillus niger F044) was identified. A pair of primers were designed according to the nucleotide sequence of A84689, and the lipanl was cloned by PCR. Nucleotide sequencing revealed that the lipanl has an ORF of 1,044 bp, containing three introns. The deduced amino acid sequence corresponds to 297 amino acid residues. The cloned cDNA fragment encoding the mature lipase from Aspergillus niger F044 was over-expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(De3) and the recombinant protein was refolded in vitro by dilution followed by DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow chromatography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth (RE) elements inhering in low toxicity have been widely used in biomedicine. The RE elements can also improve the hot workability, corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of stainless steels. However, the antibacterial mechanisms of the RE elements are still under discussion and the antibacterial property of RE-bearing stainless steels has not yet been investigated or reported so far. In this paper several Ce-bearing stainless steels were prepared, the microstructure of the steels was examined, and the antibacterial property of Ce-bearing stainless steels was investigated. It was found that Ce-rich zones were precipitated in the Ce-bearing stainless steels and the volume fraction of the Ce-rich zones increased with increasing Ce content. The Ce-bearing stainless steels showed excellent antibacterial property when the amount of Ce added was above a critical value. Compared to the conventional Cu-bearing antibacterial stainless steels, the Ce-bearing stainless steels investigated presently exhibited good antibacterial ability without any thermal aging treatment. The antibacterial mechanism of Ce-bearing stainless steels is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary  A rapid synthesis of poly(p-dioxanone) (PPDO) was carried out smoothly and effectively from the monomer p-dioxanone (PDO) with constant microwave powers of 90, 180, 270, and 360 W, respectively, in a microwave oven at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. The temperature of the polymerization ranged from 158 to 198 °C. PPDO with a viscosity-average molecular weight (Mv) of 156,000g/mol and yield of 63% was obtained at 270W for 25 min using 1/1000 (mol/mol) Sn(Oct)2 as a catalyst, while it took more than 14h to obtain PPDO with high molecular weight and monomer conversion by conventional heating method when Sn(Oct)2 used as a catalyst. Therefore, it is obvious that the polymerization rate is faster than that of the conventional polymerization method when microwave irradiation is used in polymerization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curve of absorbed energy vs test temperature for an ultrafine grained ferrite/cementite steel showed a transition from an upper shelf energy to a lower shelf energy, i.e., a transition from an energy-absorbent ductile mode to an energy-absorbent brittle mode. Some dense and small-sized dimples were observed in the lower shelf region. A significant and consistent difference existed between ductile-to-brittle transition temperature and impact energy transition temperature, that is, low absorbed energy but undergoing a ductile dimple fracture at a certain low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triblock copolymers of poly(p-dioxanone)-b-poly(tetrahydrofuran)-b-poly(p-dioxanone) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of p-dioxanone in the presence of dihydroxyl poly(tetrahydrofuran)(PTHF) using stannous octoate (SnOct2) as a catalyst. The effects of feed ratio, reaction time and reaction temperature on the copolymerization were investigated. It was found that the optimal reaction temperature and time were 80 °C and 42 hours, respectively, and the molar ratio of p-dioxanone/SnOct2 (PDO/cat.) had little influence on the inherent viscosity of the copolymers. The triblock copolymers were characterized by various analytical techniques such as 1H-NMR and DSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructural evolution of submicron sized ferrite in bimodal structural ultrafine grained ferrite/cementite steels with 0.15 pet carbon content and 0.45 pct carbon content upon annealing below the austenized temperature was investigated. The average grain sizes of the territes with a normal density and with a high density of cementite particles were plotted, respectively, as a function of the annealed temperature and time, and exhibited different coarsening behaviors. The average grain sizes of the ferrites with a normal density of cementite particles gradually coarsened by increasing the annealing temperature or time. while those with a high density of cementite particles hardly changed at first, and then coarsened after reaching a certain annealing condition. The coarsening of the ferrite grain size in the steel with 0.15 pct carbon content occurred much more readily than that in the steel with 0.45 pet carbon content upon annealing. The spacing and the critical spacing of cementite particle were measured and hypothetically calculated, respectively. The size and the distribution of cementite particles was one of the critical factors affecting the microstructural evolution in this type of cementite particle spherodized steels. Most of the coarsening of the ferrite grain size occurred after the cementite particle spacing reached the required critical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]