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Background: Atrial fibrosis is one of the main causes of the onset and recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF), for which there is no effective treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on AF in rats. Methods: The rat model of AF was established by rapid pacing induction after angiotensin-II (Ang-II) induced atrial fibrosis to verify the relationship between atrial fibrosis and the AF. The expression levels of TGF-β/Smad3 pathway molecules and lysyl oxidase (LOX) in AF were detected. Subsequently, EGCG was used to intervene Ang-II-induced atrial fibrosis to explore the role of EGCG in the treatment of AF and its inhibitory mechanism on fibrosis. It was further verified that EGCG inhibited the production of collagen and the expression of LOX through the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway at the cellular level. Results: The results showed that the induction rate and maintenance time of AF in rats increased with the increase of the degree of atrial fibrosis. Meanwhile, the expressions of Col I, Col III, molecules related to TGF-β/Smad3 pathway, and LOX increased significantly in the atrial tissues of rats in the Ang-II induced group. EGCG could reduce the occurrence and maintenance time of AF by inhibiting the degree of Ang-induced rat atrial fibrosis. Cell experiments confirmed that EGCG could reduce the synthesis of collagen and the expression of LOX in cardiac fibroblast induced by Ang-II. The possible mechanism is to down-regulate the expression of genes and proteins related to the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway. Conclusion: EGCG could downregulate the expression levels of collagen and LOX by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway, alleviating Ang-II-induced atrial fibrosis, which in turn inhibited the occurrence and curtailed the duration of AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although acids and esters are the trace chemical compounds in Chinese liquor, they affect primarily the flavor and quality of Chinese liquor. The detection of these compounds is important for the control of Chinese liquor. FTIR spectroscopy has gradually been used to detect Chinese liquor in recent years, but this technology has not been directly employed to measure the infrared spectra of acids and esters in Chinese liquor. In this paper, novel FTIR difference spectroscopy is proposed to extract the infrared spectra of acids and esters in Chinese liquor. This difference spectrum is mainly obtained by subtracting the FTIR spectra of aqueous ethanol from that of Chinese liquor. The FTIR spectra of some kinds of Chinese liquor were measured, and it was found that three vibrational peaks at ~ 1260 cm−1, ~ 1377 cm−1, and ~ 1710 cm−1, which were also observed in the infrared spectra of acids and esters in Chinese liquor, were obtained. The flavor of Chinese liquor can be distinguished through the difference spectra. Since the acquisition of FTIR spectra only takes less than 1 min, this FTIR difference spectrum can be developed as a quick control method for Chinese liquor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is an association between abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and circulating immune cell phenotypes, the exact causal relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the causal relationships between immune cell phenotypes and AAA risk using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization approach. Data from genome-wide association studies pertaining to 731 immune cell traits and AAA were systematically analyzed. Using strict selection criteria, we identified 339 immune traits that are associated with at least 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms. A comprehensive MR analysis was conducted using several methods including Inverse Variance Weighted, Weighted Median Estimator, MR-Egger regression, Weighted Mode, and Simple Median methods. CD24 on switched memory cells (OR = 0.922, 95% CI 0.914–0.929, P = 2.62e−79) at the median fluorescence intensities level, and SSC-A on HLA-DR + natural killer cells (OR = 0.873, 95% CI 0.861–0.885, P = 8.96e−81) at the morphological parameter level, exhibited the strongest causal associations with AAA. In the reverse analysis, no significant causal effects of AAA on immune traits were found. The study elucidates the causal involvement of multiple circulating immune cell phenotypes in AAA development, signifying their potential as diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets. These identified immune traits may be crucial in modulating AAA-related inflammatory pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the relationship between neutrophil apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in sepsis and its mechanism. A prospective cohort study was conducted by recruiting a total of 58 patients with sepsis. Peripheral blood samples were collected on 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after admission to the ICU. The expressions of endoplasmic reticulum specific glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), Bcl-2-like 11 (BIM), death receptor 5 (DR5), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and p38 were detected by Western blot and PCR. The subcellular location of CHOP and GRP78 was observed by immunofluorescence analysis. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the expression of chop protein and the apoptosis rate of peripheral blood neutrophils. Healthy volunteers in the same period were selected as the healthy control group. The expression of GRP78 protein was significantly elevated on the first day of ICU admission and showed a decreasing trend on the third, fifth and seventh day, but was significantly higher than the corresponding healthy control group. The expression of CHOP protein reached the highest level on the third day. The expression of chop protein in each group was significantly higher than that in the corresponding healthy control group. Immunofluorescence staining clearly showed that the CHOP protein accumulated in the nucleus, with an elevation in the intensity of GRP78. The neutrophil apoptosis rate of sepsis patients on the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th day of ICU stay was significantly higher than that of the healthy control group, with the highest apoptosis rate on the 3rd day, and then decreased gradually. CHOP protein expression level was significantly positively correlated with neutrophil apoptosis rate in sepsis patients. Endoplasmic reticulum stress occurs in neutrophils during the development of sepsis. GRP78 protein and CHOP protein may be involved in the pathological process of neutrophil apoptosis in sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local structure and molecular interactions of Li+ salt in aqueous solutions is important in many fields. However, whether solvent shared ion pairs and the direct contact ion pairs exist in aqueous LiCl solutions or not, and the details about these ion pairs are still under debate. Here, we proposed a novel IR ratio method. Using this method, the hydration spectra of Cl− in LiCl, NaCl, and KCl aqueous solutions were measured from the diluted concentration to the highly concentrated solution. Hydration number of Cl− from the hydration spectra was determined to be ~ 2 in the aqueous LiCl. These data demonstrated that about 3–4 Li+ replaced some water molecules in the first hydration shell of Cl−. As the concentration of LiCl increased, an abnormal increase in the hydration number was observed. This is because the water molecule that bridges Li+ and Cl− in the solvent-shared ion pair are particularly stable, which was directly proven by the red shift of the hydration spectra of Cl− in the O–H stretching region. All the hydration spectra and hydration numbers not only applied to uncover the solvent shared ion pairs and direct contacted ion pairs in LiCl aqueous solution, but also can be employed to the benchmark of force fields in the classical molecular dynamics simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer mortality, with mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) and/or microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC making up more than 80% of metastatic CRC. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and programmed death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are approved as monotherapy in many cancers including a subset of advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) with deficiency in mismatch repair (dMMR) and/or high microsatellite instability (MSI-H). However, proficient mismatch repair and microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS) cold CRCs have not shown clinical response to ICIs alone. To potentiate the anti-tumor response of PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitors in patients with MSS cold cancer, combination strategies currently being investigated include dual ICI, and PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) /VEGF receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors, and signal transducer and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3) inhibitors. This paper will review the mechanisms of PD-1/PD-L1 ICI resistance in pMMR/MSS CRC and potential combination strategies to overcome this resistance, summarize the published clinical experience with different combination therapies, and make recommendations for future avenues of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess the perioperative safety, oncological outcomes, and determinants influencing the oncological outcomes of salvage liver resection for initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rendered resectable through transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anti-PD-1 antibodies (α-PD-1). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 83 consecutive patients across six tertiary hospitals who underwent salvage liver resection for initially unresectable HCC following conversion by TACE combined with TKIs and α-PD-1, emphasizing perioperative and oncological outcomes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was employed to discern independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results: The median operative duration was 200 min, with a median blood loss of 400 ml. Intraoperative blood transfusions were necessitated for 27 patients. The overall perioperative complication rate was 48.2%, with a major complication rate of 16.9%. One patient died during the perioperative period due to postoperative liver failure. During the median follow-up period of 15.1 months, 24 patients experienced recurrence, with early and intrahepatic recurrence being the most common. Seven patients died during follow-up. Median RFS was 25.4 months, with 1- and 2-year RFS rates of 68.2% and 61.8%, respectively. Median overall survival was not reached, with 1- and 2-year overall survival rates of 92.2% and 87.3%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that pathological complete response (pCR) and intraoperative blood transfusion served as independent prognostic determinants for postoperative RFS. Conclusions: Our study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that salvage liver resection may be an effective and feasible treatment option for patients with unresectable HCC who achieve resectability after conversion therapy with TACE, TKIs, and α-PD-1. The perioperative safety of salvage liver resection for these patients was manageable and acceptable. However, further research, particularly prospective comparative studies, is needed to better evaluate the potential benefits of salvage liver resection in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary autoimmune cerebellar ataxia (PACA) is an idiopathic sporadic cerebellar ataxia that is thought to be immune-mediated but lacks biomarkers or a known cause. Here, we report two cases of immune-mediated cerebellar ataxia that responded favorably to immunotherapy, in which tissue-based indirect immunofluorescence test for serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples yielded positive results. Case 1 was a 78-year-old man who presented with subacute progressive gait ataxia with truncal instability and dysarthria in response to steroids. Case 2 was a 62-year-old man who presented with relapses and remissions of acute progressive cerebellar ataxia occurring 1–2 times per year. Despite a favorable response to steroid treatment, he relapsed repeatedly in the absence of long-term immunosuppression. In the case of "idiopathic" cerebellar ataxia, immune-mediated causes should be investigated, and immunotherapy may have therapeutic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the current surgery strategies for bilateral proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), as well as the surgical outcomes of patients with bilateral PDR who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Materials: Patients undergoing bilateral vitrectomy for PDR from January 2019 to December 2020 at The Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University were enrolled. Clinical data were collected from the electronic medical records. Factors associated with the time interval between the surgeries on two eyes and postoperative visual outcomes were analyzed. Results: In total, 152 patients with bilateral PDR who underwent bilateral PPV were included in this analysis. Mean age was 53.7 ± 11.4 years. Compared with second-surgery eyes, 60.5% of first-surgery eyes had worse preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). The overall PPV time (median, quartile range) between first and second surgeries eye was 1.40 (0.70, 3.15) months. Multivariate analysis showed that the preoperative BCVA of the second-surgery eye had a significant effect on the inter-surgery time interval (P = 0.048). First-surgery eyes had greater vision improvement than second-surgery eyes (Difference of the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [LogMAR] BCVA: − 1.00 [− 1.48, − 0.12] versus 0.00 [− 1.30, 0.00], respectively, P < 0.001), especially when eyes with poorer BCVA underwent PPV first (− 1.15 [− 1.87, − 0.54] versus 0.00 [− 0.70, 0.00], respectively, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Visual acuity is a significant factor that influences surgical strategies, including both surgery order and interval, for patients with bilateral PDR. The eyes operated upon first show more vision improvement due to prompt surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon emissions of the beer industry have always been a concern. To reduce environmental pollution, this paper systematically calculates the carbon emissions of the beer supply chain and studies the optimization of carbon emissions reduction through scenario simulation. In this study, the boundary of the beer supply chain carbon emissions system is constructed. The scenario simulation and simulation analysis are carried out based on five factors: water recycling utilization rate, power generation mode, weight–volume ratio, recovery ratio, and transportation mode. To obtain the optimal scheme of economic cost and emissions reduction, the cost of the beer supply chain is analyzed under the condition of carbon trading. The results show that the proportion of carbon emissions in each link of the beer supply chain is production, packaging, transportation, and storage, which are 59.58%, 22.27%, 17.67%, and 0.5%, respectively. The improvement of the water recycling utilization rate of manufacturing enterprises can reduce the overall carbon emissions of the supply chain, and the effect is obvious. The highest proportion of carbon emissions in the packaging link is the bottle consumption stage (22.43%). Raw materials transportation accounts for the highest proportion of total carbon emissions in transportation (63.73%). The waterway/railway ratio will be increased to 0.6/0.4, and the carbon emissions in the supply chain will be reduced by 5.7%. In the context of carbon trading, when the carbon trading price is higher than 49.16 yuan/ton, enterprises can achieve a win-win situation in reducing emissions and maintaining positive economic growth by the measures given in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Gout is a common metabolic disorder characterized by deposits of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals (tophi) in soft tissue, triggering intense and acute arthritis with intolerable pain as well as articular and periarticular inflammation. Tophi can also promote chronic inflammatory and erosive arthritis. 2015 ACR/EULAR Gout Classification criteria include clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings, where cases of gout are indicated by a threshold score of ≥ 8. Some imaging-related findings, such as a double contour sign in ultrasound, urate in dual-energy computed tomography, or radiographic gout-related erosion, generate a score of up to 4. Clearly, the diagnosis of gout is largely assisted by imaging findings; however, dual-energy computed tomography is expensive and exposes the patient to high levels of radiation. Although musculoskeletal ultrasound is non-invasive and inexpensive, the reliability of the results depends on expert experience. In the current study, we applied transfer learning to train a convolutional neural network for the identification of tophi in ultrasound images. The accuracy of predictions varied with the convolutional neural network model, as follows: InceptionV3 (0.871 ± 0.020), ResNet101 (0.913 ± 0.015), and VGG19 (0.918 ± 0.020). The sensitivity was as follows: InceptionV3 (0.507 ± 0.060), ResNet101 (0.680 ± 0.056), and VGG19 (0.747 ± 0.056). The precision was as follows: InceptionV3 (0.767 ± 0.091), ResNet101 (0.863 ± 0.098), and VGG19 (0.825 ± 0.062). Our results demonstrate that it is possible to retrain deep convolutional neural networks to identify the patterns of tophi in ultrasound images with a high degree of accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

People with booster vaccination only had the lowest serum neutralization activity, with almost undetectable titers against BQ.1, BQ.1.1, CA.3.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1, and XBB.1.5. For instance, the neutralization GMTs against BA.2 dropped ~2-3-fold in BA.2 breakthrough infection groups, compared to the ~7-fold in the booster vaccination or Delta breakthrough infection groups (Fig. When comparing the BA.2 breakthrough infection with the Delta breakthrough infection (both groups had the same 2-dose vaccination history), the BA.2 breakthrough infection sera kept higher titers against BA.2 and BA.5, as well as some of their descendant viruses (Supplementary Fig. Certain BA.2 descendant viruses, such as BA.2.75.2, BN.1, CA.3.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 exhibited stronger evasion from the BA.5 breakthrough infection sera, but they still retained GMTs ~200 or higher (Fig. [Extracted from the article]

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a remarkable two-dimensional (2D) material that hosts solid-state spins and has great potential to be used in quantum information applications, including quantum networks. However, in this application, both the optical and spin properties are crucial for single spins but have not yet been discovered simultaneously for hBN spins. Here, we realize an efficient method for arraying and isolating the single defects of hBN and use this method to discover a new spin defect with a high probability of 85%. This single defect exhibits outstanding optical properties and an optically controllable spin, as indicated by the observed significant Rabi oscillation and Hahn echo experiments at room temperature. First principles calculations indicate that complexes of carbon and oxygen dopants may be the origin of the single spin defects. This provides a possibility for further addressing spins that can be optically controlled. Optically active defects in hBN are promising for quantum sensing and information applications, however, coherent control of a single defect has not been achieved so far. By using an efficient method to produce arrays of defects in hBN, Guo et al. isolate a new carbon-related defect and show its coherent control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine whether a deep learning approach using generative adversarial networks (GANs) is beneficial for the classification of retinal conditions with Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Methods: Our study utilized 84,452 retinal OCT images obtained from a publicly available dataset (Kermany Dataset). Employing GAN, synthetic OCT images are produced to balance classes of retinal disorders. A deep learning classification model is constructed using pretrained deep neural networks (DNNs), and outcomes are evaluated using 2082 images collected from patients who visited the Department of Ophthalmology and the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Tri-service General Hospital in Taipei from January 2017 to December 2021. Results: The highest classification accuracies accomplished by deep learning machines trained on the unbalanced dataset for its training set, validation set, fivefold cross validation (CV), Kermany test set, and TSGH test set were 97.73%, 96.51%, 97.14%, 99.59%, and 81.03%, respectively. The highest classification accuracies accomplished by deep learning machines trained on the synthesis-balanced dataset for its training set, validation set, fivefold CV, Kermany test set, and TSGH test set were 98.60%, 98.41%, 98.52%, 99.38%, and 84.92%, respectively. In comparing the highest accuracies, deep learning machines trained on the synthesis-balanced dataset outperformed deep learning machines trained on the unbalanced dataset for the training set, validation set, fivefold CV, and TSGH test set. Conclusions: Overall, deep learning machines on a synthesis-balanced dataset demonstrated to be advantageous over deep learning machines trained on an unbalanced dataset for the classification of retinal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish-inspired motion is an important research area with many applications in real-world tasks such as underwater vehicles or robotic fish control design. Owing to robust, smooth, and coordinated oscillatory signals generated by Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) for locomotion control of robots with multiple degrees of freedom, CPGs are the most versatile solution for robotic control systems, especially in robotic fish. However, tuning central pattern generator parameters is difficult for complex mechanical system designs. Besides, most current CPG-based methods only consider one aspect (e.g., speed), which widens the gap between theory and practice in robotic fish design. Also, it may affect the practical applicability of the designed motion model to a certain extent. This paper addresses this problem by constructing a multi-objective evolutionary design of a central pattern generator network to control the proposed biomimetic robotic fish. A new CPG model is proposed to help biomimetic robotic fish swim efficiently. In addition, an efficient multi-objective evolutionary algorithm proposed in our previous work is also applied to assist the biomimetic robotic fish in obtaining faster-swimming speed, good stability of the head, and higher propulsive efficiency simultaneously. Considering that the result of multi-objective optimization is a set of non-dominated solutions rather than a solution, a screening method based on fuzzy theory is adopted to assist decision-makers in selecting the most appropriate solution. Based on this, the control model of biomimetic robotic fish is constructed. The proposed control model is simulated and compared with seven well-known algorithms and a series of robotic fish designs. After that, the proposed control model is validated with extensive experiments on the actual biomimetic robotic fish. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the proposed control model's effectiveness and good performance, especially when the control model has been applied to the real biomimetic robotic fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) are available locoregional curative treatments for nonsurgical Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. We aimed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of SBRT versus RFA for HCC. Methods: A computerized bibliographic search was performed using PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science to identify comparative studies. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), and the secondary outcomes were freedom from local progression (FFLP) and treatment-related complications. Results: In total, there were 17 trials involving 22,180 patients. Patients receiving RFA showed significantly better 1-, 2- year OS (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50–0.96, P = 0.141,OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.53–0.89, P = 0.082), whereas SBRT resulted in significantly better 1-, 2-, 3- year FFLP (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.44–3.34, P = 0.303; OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.12–2.19, P = 0.268; OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.70–2.90, P = 0.470). There were no significant differences for 3-, 5- year OS in both groups (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.65–1.38, P = 0.001; OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.68–1.34, P = 0.016). The overall treatment-related complication rate did not differ significantly between the two treatment arms, while SBRT was significantly associated with Child–Pugh worsening. Conclusions: Though SBRT has excellent FFLP, RFA yields superior short-term survival for HCC. But the discrepancy between FFLP and OS requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is the first time that the mitigation and mechanism of tin whisker on micro-bumps by different types of underfills are investigated under high temperature and humidity (55 ℃/88% RH) storage. Hard epoxy, soft silicone and polyurethane are selected as underfills to spin-coat the 10 μm-diameter and 20 μm-pitch Cu/Ni/SnAg micro-bumps. After six-month storage, underfills exhibite a good mitigation effect despite the surface decomposition, delamination, cracks and voids in varying degrees. Compared with the micro-bumps without underfill, the probability of whisker or hillock and oxidation or corrosion in micro-bumps is reduced by up to 66% and 96%, respectively. Based on the statistics and characterization results, the mitigation mechanism of tin whisker by underfills is proposed. The diameter and critical length of tin whisker are discussed as well to estimate its buckle or penetrate growth. Besides, several underfills failures are summarized. The findings are of great significance to the study of tin whisker mitigation on micro-bumps and provide insights into the reliability of advanced packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster dose can induce a robust humoral immune response, however, its cellular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigated the durability of antibody responses and single-cell immune profiles following booster dose immunization, longitudinally over 6 months, in recipients of a homologous BBIBP-CorV/BBIBP-CorV or a heterologous BBIBP-CorV/ZF2001 regimen. The production of neutralizing antibodies was dramatically enhanced by both booster regimens, and the antibodies could last at least six months. The heterologous booster induced a faster and more robust plasmablast response, characterized by activation of plasma cells than the homologous booster. The response was attributed to recall of memory B cells and the de novo activation of B cells. Expanded B cell clones upon booster dose vaccination could persist for months, and their B cell receptors displayed accumulated mutations. The production of antibody was positively correlated with antigen presentation by conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), which provides support for B cell maturation through activation and development of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells. The proper activation of cDC/Tfh/B cells was likely fueled by active energy metabolism, and glutaminolysis might also play a general role in promoting humoral immunity. Our study unveils the cellular mechanisms of booster-induced memory/adaptive humoral immunity and suggests potential strategies to optimize vaccine efficacy and durability in future iterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slope is easy to lose its stability under rainfall scouring and infiltration after excavation, and soil improvement can effectively improve the erosion resistance of the slope. At present, there are few studies on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the improved slope under field conditions, which leads to insufficient research on the mechanism of soil and water conservation and ecological restoration of the slope by the improver, and is not conducive to the further promotion and application. In this paper, a new polymer composite material (ADNB) was used to carry out the field rainfall erosion test. By comparing the slope runoff velocity, average runoff depth, resistance coefficient, runoff shear stress and runoff power of the test slope and the natural slope, the enhancement effect of ADNB on the erosion resistance of slope was studied. Through long-term monitoring of soil physical properties and plant growth, the mechanism of ADNB to enhance soil erosion resistance is revealed. The results show that ADNB can effectively improve the compactness and air permeability of slope soil and reduce rainfall erosion. The germination time, germination rate, average height and coverage of plants can also be improved. In summary, ADNB can enhance the ecological self-repairing ability of slope by improving soil erosion resistance and promoting plant growth, and ultimately improve the stability of slope soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the association between the Distress Thermometer (DT) score and risk of suicide in patients with cancer. In addition, we aimed to determine the best cutoff score to predict patients at risk of suicide.Methods: From 2015 to 2016, we retrospectively collected data on patients with cancer. DT scores were collected, and the association between DT score and risk of suicide (suicide ideation or death ideation) was analyzed. Furthermore, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the appropriate cutoff score for predicting risk of suicide.Results: A total of 260 patients with cancer were included, and suicidal ideation was identified in 33 cases referred for psychological intervention. The DT scores of the patients with suicidal ideation were significantly higher than those of patients without suicidal ideation (6.30±2.11 vs. 4.29±1.72, p<0.05). In addition, the area under the ROC curve for predicting risk for suicide was 0.758. The cutoff DT score of 3 had the highest sensitivity of 1.00 to rule out suicidal ideation, while 9 had the highest specificity of 1.00 to rule in suicidal ideation. Moreover, the appropriate cutoff DT score to predict patients with suicidal ideation was 5, with a sensitivity of 0.52, specificity of .84, positive likelihood ratio of 3.24, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.58.Conclusion: The DT score may be a helpful clinical tool to evaluate emotional distress and risk of suicide in patients with cancer. Clinically, for DT scores greater than 5 in patients with cancer, the risk of suicide greatly increases. In view of the DT's widespread use internationally by non-mental health clinicians in cancer to guide the need for specialist mental health interventions, its potential utility in also predicting suicide risk is of great interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: The association of vitamin D deficiency with female urinary incontinence is unclear. Methods: A systematic review of English and non-English articles was conducted. All observational studies in databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library Trials Register, and Google Scholar were searched until 5 October 2020. Additional studies were identified by contacting clinical experts and searching the bibliographies and abstracts of the compiled articles. Search terms included urinary incontinence and vitamin D. Article data, including study quality indicators, were independently extracted by two authors using predefined data fields. Results: Two cohort studies, four case-control studies and five cross-sectional studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Two cohort studies and one cross-sectional study, with a total of 2501 females, were included in the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity among the three studies was not observed (I2 = 0.0%, P = 0.69). All pooled analyses were based on fixed-effects models. No difference in vitamin D level was observed between the urinary incontinence group and the control group (mean difference 0.07 ng/ml; 95% confidence interval [CI] –0.57–0.72, P = 0.81, I2 = 0%). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis revealed that adult females with urinary incontinence did not have lower serum vitamin D levels than control females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of framework materials possessing specific spatial structures or containing functional ligands has attracted tremendous attention. Herein, a halogen hydrogen-bonded organic framework (XHOF) is fabricated by using Cl− ions as central connection nodes to connect organic ligands, 7,7,8,8-tetraaminoquinodimethane (TAQ), by forming a Cl−···H3 hydrogen bond structure. Unlike metallic node-linked MOFs, covalent bond-linked COFs, and intermolecular hydrogen bond-linked HOFs, XHOFs represent a different kind of crystalline framework. The electron-withdrawing effect of Cl− combined with the electron-rich property of the organic ligand TAQ strengthens the hydrogen bonds and endows XHOF-TAQ with high stability. Due to the production of excited electrons by TAQ under light irradiation, XHOF-TAQ can efficiently catalyze the reduction of soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) with a capacity of 1708 mg-U g−1-material. This study fabricates a material for uranium immobilization for the sustainability of the environment and opens up a new direction for synthesizing crystalline framework materials. While hydrogen bonded organic frameworks are well covered in the scientific literature, halogen hydrogen-bonded organic framework (XHOF) remain less explored. Here, the authors demonstrate a highly stable diradical-based XHOF and demonstrate photoreduction of uranyl ions and high capacity of uranyl immobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent and serious disorder among children. Video games have shown potential for aiding in child healthcare. Video games could contribute to the assessment and management of ADHD, but there are no previous reviews on this topic. Here, we systematically review the evidence about video game-based assessment tools and interventions for children diagnosed with ADHD. This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO database. We searched four databases—PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and clinicaltrials.gov—to identify original studies exploring either video game-based interventions or video game-based assessment tools in children with ADHD. After initial screening, full text revision and study selection, 22 articles were finally included in the review. Most studies used PC as platform, with a minority using a video console, pad, or 3D device. Video game-based assessment tools were generally effective in discriminating ADHD cases from controls, and in discriminating between ADHD subtypes. Video game-based therapeutic interventions were well accepted and generally effective in improving cognitive areas and decreasing ADHD symptoms. Gamification and cognitive training could be the main mechanisms underlying the usefulness and effectiveness of video game-based assessment tools and interventions. Software optimization and greater collaboration between developers and healthcare professionals are some of the priorities for future research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive comparison of paleoclimate change based on records constrained by precise chronology and high-resolution is essential to explore the correlation and interaction within earth climate systems. Here, we propose a new stalagmite-based multidecadal resolved Asian summer monsoon (ASM) record spanning the past thirty-seven thousand years (ka BP, before ad 1950) from Furong Cave, southwestern China. This record is consistent with the published Chinese stalagmite sequences and shows that the dominant controls of the ASM dynamics include not only insolation and solar activity but also suborbital-scale hydroclimate events in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, such as the Heinrich events, Bølling-Allerød (BA), and Younger Dryas (YD). Benefit from the unprecedented accurate chronology, the timings of these events are precisely dated, with uncertainties of, at most, 40 years (2σ). The onset of the weak ASM during the YD began at 12.92 ka BP and lasted for 430 years. The occurrence of the 200-yr Older Dryas during the BA period was dated from 13.87 to 14.06 ka BP. The durations of the three Heinrich (H) events, H1, H2, and H3, are 14.33–18.29, 23.77–24.48, and 28.98–30.46 ka BP, respectively. Furong record shows surprisingly variable onset transitions of 980, 210, and 40 years for the corresponding weak ASM events. These discrepancies suggest different influences of the H events on ASM dynamics. During the periods of H 1–3, the obvious difference between our Furong record and NGRIP δ18O record indicated the decoupling correlation between the mid-low latitudes and high latitudes. On the other hand, synchronous climate change in high and low latitudes suggests another possibility which different to the dominant role of Northern high latitudes in triggering global climate change. Our high quality records also indicate a plausible different correlation between the high and mid-low latitudes under glacial and inter-glacial background, especially for the ASM regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-speed (HS) permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor (HSPMSM) with a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) protective sleeve in the surface-mounted rotor was explored in this study. In view of retaining the PMs at HS operations, the high-strength CFRP sleeve was designed on the basis of a process that could be summarized as follows. First, a multi-physics analysis of the rotor was conducted. The requirements to the CFRP sleeve were obtained from electromagnetic analysis, loss analysis, heat flow coupling computational fluid dynamics analysis, structural analysis, and rotor dynamics analysis. Second, the CFRP sleeve was designed by theoretical analysis. From the results, the thickness values of the carbon fibers in the circumferential and helical directions were chosen to be 4 and 1 mm, respectively, while the helical angle of carbon fibers was chosen to be 70°. Then, a plate-shaped CFRP product and a cylindrical CFRP product were fabricated to verify the strength and stiffness of the CFRP sleeve. The performance test results show that the hoop strength and elastic modulus and the axial strength and elastic modulus of the plate-shaped CFRP products at 20 °C are 1963 MPa @ 156 GPa and 550 MPa @ 36 GPa, respectively. The hoop strain and axial strain of the cylindrical CFRP product under 35 MPa are about 3000 and 1900 με, which meet the design requirements of the HSPMSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocompatible zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared using a simple co-precipitation method. Through this method, the synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles that are of uniform size and highly crystalline in nature. The particle formation and stability were confirmed with UV–visible spectrometry and the functional groups which present in the particles were identified with FT-IR analysis. The particle size was confirmed with DLS analysis and the charges of the particles were determined by Zeta analysis. Particle size and shape were depicted from SEM analysis. The characterized particles were highly effective against the 6-OHDA induced cell damage in SH-SY5Y cells. The synthesized particles were found to be highly compatible to the selected cells. It recovers the neural cell damage at the concentration of 50 μg/mL. Our formulation thus can be used as an effective drug system for neurotherapy in near future Furthermore, it was found to be capable of inhibiting apoptotic activities in the selected SH-SY5Y cells thus it execute the damage recovery mechanism. Taken as a whole, our synthesized nanomaterials significantly recover the SH-SY5Y cells from 6-OHDA induced cell damage in in vitro system. Further evaluation should be needed to optimize the prepared nanomaterials as a candidate for treating various neural related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact deuterium–deuterium neutron generator for prompt gamma neutron activation analysis was developed at Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry. A neutron yield of 3.6 × 108 s–1 was achieved during of the bombardment of a titanium drive-in target by a 6.8 mA deuteron beam at 115 keV. The deuteron beam was generated by a permanent magnet microwave ion source. An 85 h long run with 1.2 × 108 s–1 average neutron yield was performed at 85 keV and 3.7 mA. The operating mode of the neutron generator reached 99.95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust fiber sensor for salinity measurement based on encapsulated long-period grating in microfiber is proposed. The long-period grating is fabricated in microfiber by inducing periodical deformation with CO2 laser, which is then encapsulated in a holey capillary tube. The encapsulation tube is designed to effectively protect the microfiber from external interference, but does not change the optical properties of the fiber and the response speed of the sensor, which makes the sensor more robust for real applications. Experimental results show that the sensor can achieve a sensitivity of 2.16 nm/% with a good linearity for concentration from 0% to 20%. It is theoretically proved that the sensitivity can be further improved by optimizing the diameter parameters. Such structure may be used as low loss evanescent-wave-coupled optical absorption, fluorescent and gain cells, photoacoustic cells, and etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we study dynamic properties of classical solutions to a homogenous Neumann initial-boundary value problem (IBVP) for a two-species and two-stimuli chemotaxis model with/without chemical signalling loop in a 2D bounded and smooth domain. We detect the product of two species masses as a feature to determine boundedness, gradient estimate, blow-up and exponential convergence of classical solutions for the corresponding IBVP. More specifically, we first show generally a smallness on the product of both species masses, thus allowing one species mass to be suitably large, is sufficient to guarantee global boundedness, higher order gradient estimates and W j , ∞ (j ≥ 1) -exponential convergence with rates of convergence to constant equilibria; and then, in a special case, we detect a straight line of masses on which blow-up occurs for large product of masses. Our findings provide new understandings about the underlying model, and thus, improve and extend greatly the existing knowledge relevant to this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a fundamental fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomenon, vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) of circular cylinders have been the center of the FSI research in the past several decades. Apart from its scientific significance in rich physics, VIVs are paid great attentions by offshore engineers, as they are encountered in many ocean engineering applications. Recently, with the development of research and application, wake-induced vibration (WIV) for multiple cylinders and galloping for VIV suppression attachments are attracting a growing research interest. All these phenomena are connected with the flow-induced vibration (FIV). In this paper, we review and give some discussions on the FIV of offshore circular cylinders, including the research progress on the basic VIV mechanism of an isolated rigid or flexible cylinder, interference of multiple cylinders concerning WIV of multiple cylinders, practical VIV suppression and unwanted galloping for cylinder of attachments. Finally, we draw concluding remarks, give some comments and propose future research prospects, especially on the major challenges as well as potentials in the offline/online modelling and prediction of real-scale offshore structures with high-fidelity CFD methods, new experimental facilities and applications of artificial intelligence tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circadian clock perceives seasonal changes in day length and temperature and then regulates numerous internal cellular processes. Arabidopsis thaliana EARLY FLOWERING4 (ELF4) is a key circadian clock component that is involved in transcriptional regulation of the central oscillator and multiple output pathways. However, the functions of ELF4 orthologues in other organisms are poorly understood. Here, we identified ELF4 orthologous genes in two non-flowering organisms, the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas (CrELF4) and the moss Physcomitrella patens (PpELF4). Constitutive expression of CrELF4 and PpELF4 in the Arabidopsis elf4 mutant not only completely rescued its early flowering phenotype, but also induced late flowering. This was associated with decreased transcript levels of CONSTANS (CO) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), two key positive regulators of flowering-time pathways. In addition, expression of CrELF4 and PpELF4 in the Arabidopsis elf4 mutant inhibited hypocotyl elongation and altered the expression of circadian clock-related genes. Taken together, these data suggest that ELF4 orthologous genes in Chlamydomonas and Physcomitrella share an evolutionary conserved role with Arabidopsis ELF4 and indicate that the plant clock component ELF4 is functionally conserved from basal plants to angiosperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at providing a substantial step toward the global boundedness and blow-up of solutions to a two-species and two-stimuli chemotaxis model, in which the process of the species results in a short-ranged chemical signaling loop. More precisely, we consider the following Neumann initial-boundary value problem ut=Δu-χ1∇·(u∇v),x∈Ω,t>0,0=Δv-μ2+w,x∈Ω,t>0,wt=Δw-χ2∇·(w∇z)-χ3∇·(w∇v),x∈Ω,t>0,0=Δz-μ1+u,x∈Ω,t>0in the unit disk Ω:=B1(0)⊂R2 with chemotactic sensitivities χ1>0,χ2>0 and χ3≥0 and radially symmetric nonnegative initial data u0 and w0, where μ1andμ2 are given, respectively, by μ1:=m1|Ω| and μ2:=m2|Ω| with m1=∫Ωu0, m2=∫Ωw0.Explicit conditions on χi,μi, u0 and w0 are given for the simultaneous global boundedness and simultaneous finite-time blow-up of classical solutions. Specifically, when the effect of χ3>0 is strong enough in the sense that the dynamical properties of the above system behave like one single-species Keller-Segel chemotaxis system, it is shown that if only the total mass m2<4πχ1 and m2<4πχ3, the solutions are globally bounded, while blow-up may occur provided that m2>4πχ1 and m2>8πχ3. Moreover, in view of the chemotactic signaling loop, one can find a critical mass phenomenon:if 2m1+m2χ3χ2<8πχ2, the problem possesses only globally bounded solutions, whereasif 8πm1χ1+8πm2χ2<2m1m2+m22χ3χ2 and ∫Ωu0|x|2 and ∫Ωw0|x|2 are sufficiently small, the corresponding solution blows up in finite time in the sense that lim supt↗T||u(·,t)||L∞(Ω)+||w(·,t)||L∞(Ω)→∞ with some finite time T>0. The simultaneous blow-up phenomenon for two species is also given in this paper.This, in particular, shows, when χ3=0, that smallness of mass of each species implies global solvability, whereas largeness of masses induces blow-up to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of a population of PC3 prostate epithelial cancer cells to become resistant to docetaxel therapy and progress to a mesenchymal state remains a fundamental problem. The progression towards resistance is difficult to directly study in heterogeneous ecological environments such as tumors. In this work, we use a micro-fabricated "evolution accelerator" environment to create a complex heterogeneous yet controllable in-vitro environment with a spatially-varying drug concentration. With such a structure we observe the rapid emergence of a surprisingly large number of polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) in regions of very high drug concentration, which does not occur in conventional cell culture of uniform concentration. This emergence of PGCCs in a high drug environment is due to migration of diploid epithelial cells from regions of low drug concentration, where they proliferate, to regions of high drug concentration, where they rapidly convert to PGCCs. Such a mechanism can only occur in spatially-varying rather than homogeneous environments. Further, PGCCs exhibit increased expression of the mesenchymal marker ZEB1 in the same high-drug regions where they are formed, suggesting the possible induction of an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in these cells. This is consistent with prior work suggesting the PGCC cells are mediators of resistance in response to chemotherapeutic stress. Taken together, this work shows the key role of spatial heterogeneity and the migration of proliferative diploid cells to form PGCCs as a survival strategy for the cancer population, with implications for new therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical oxidation was proposed as a promising technology for algal control in drinking water treatment. To be effective, the electrogenerated oxidants should have long half-lives and could continually inhibit the growth of algae. In this study, we used the electrochemical system equipped with a Ti/RuO2 anode which focus on generating long half-life chlorines and H2O2. We explored the impact of electrical field and electrogenerated oxidants on algal inhibition, and we investigated the production of electrogenerated reactive species and their contributions to the inhibition of Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) in simulated surface water with low Cl− concentrations (< 18 mg/L). We developed a kinetic model to simulates the concentrations of chlorines and H2O2. The results showed that electrical field and electrogenerated oxidants were both important contributors to algal inhibition during electrochemical oxidation treatment. The Ti/RuO2 anode mainly generates chlorines and H2O2 from Cl− and water. During the electrolysis at current density of 20 mA/cm2, when initial Cl− concentrations increased from 0 to 18 mg/L (0-5.07 × 10−4 mol/L), the chlorines increased from 0 to 3.62 × 10−6 mol/L, and the H2O2 concentration decreased from 3.68 × 10−6 to 1.15 × 10−6 mol/L. Our model made decent predictions of other Cl− concentrations by comparing with experiment data which validated the rationality of this modeling approach. The electrogenerated chlorine species were more effective than H2O2 at an initial Cl− concentration of 18 mg/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a low-power compact wideband signaling (WBS) human body channel (HBC) receiver for wearable vital sensing application in wireless body-area network. By investigating the characterization of HBC in frequency-domain and time-domain, a simply empirical HBC channel model over 1-100 MHz is proposed, and represented as a bandpass filter with its output signals of weak narrow pulses in 30 ns-width. According to the measurement and modeling for HBC, the proposed WBS based HBC receiver exploits an architecture with a low-power compact two-stage analog front end (AFE) followed by an all-digital data recovery circuit. To further reduce the power consumption and chip area, the AFE incorporates a capacitor-coupling pre-amplifier and a fully adjustable process, voltage, temperature independent 1-bit digitizer based on Schmitt trigger. Furthermore, the all-digital data recovery circuit adopts the feedforward 3-phase oversampling algorithm for low-jitter output with approximate 50% duty-cycle. With implementation in SMIC 130 nm CMOS technology, the proposed WBS based HBC receiver achieves 5 Mb/s operation with the power dissipation of 0.82 mW at a 1.2 V supply voltage while occupying a chip area of 0.26 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cognitive heterogeneous network, when multitudes of femtocells coexist, effective resource management become important to enhance network performance. Based on the base station location and terminal distribution density, we propose spectrum management and power configuration scheme for femtocells deployment network. In the beginning, we consider two femtocells adjacent network and propose the resource management scheme. The scheme allocates time frequency resource by adopting complete reusing and private usage in non-overlapping and overlapping areas respectively. Subsequently the scheme optimizes base station power under the constraints of cross-tier interference and maximal transmission power to maximize network capacity. According to the analysis of the power variation effect to femtocell coverage, a near-optimal solution of the transmission power is derived, and the corresponding power configuration scheme is proposed. After then we extend the spectrum and power management to multiple femtocells coexisting networks, and propose the management scheme applied for multiple femtocells deployment networks. The simulation results indicate that in capacity performance, the proposed power solution is close to the optimal solution, and the proposed resource management outperforms the existing schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the two-species chemotaxis system with two indirect signal production and logistic source in a bounded smooth domain $$\Omega \subset \mathbb {R}^3$$ with zero-flux boundary conditions, where the parameters $$\chi _{i}$$ and $$\mu _{i}$$ $$(i=1,2)$$ are positive. It is shown that this system possesses a unique global-bounded classical solution under the conditions $$\mu _{1}\ge \max \Big \{7\chi _{1}^{2}+1,\frac{51}{2}\Big \}$$ and $$\mu _{2}\ge \max \Big \{7\chi _{2}^{2}+1,\frac{51}{2}\Big \}$$ . Furthermore, whenever $$u_{0}\not \equiv 0$$ , the solution of the system exponentially stabilizes to the constant stationary solution $$\big (1,1,1,1\big )$$ in the norm of $$L^{\infty }(\Omega )$$ as $$t\rightarrow \infty $$ under the additional conditions $$\mu _{1}>\frac{\chi _{2}^{2}}{8}$$ and $$\mu _{2}>\frac{\chi _{1}^{2}}{8}$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome drawbacks of the conventional wet Ag/AgCl electrodes, this paper proposed a novel flexible dry electrode with stacked double-micro-domes array for wearable biopotential recording system. By utilizing flexible printed circuit (FPC) substrate and fabrication technologies, we designed a unique structure of a small dome stacking on top of a large dome. Experiments results showed that the proposed electrode could partially disrupt the stratum corneum of the skin without harm: on one hand this allowed to increase the electrode-skin contacting area; on the other hand it ensured the electrode anchoring firmly on the skin surface. And the key specifications of the dry electrode, such as electrode-skin impedance (ESCI) and the signal-noise-ratio (SNR), were shown to be comparable with these of a standard wet Ag/AgCl electrode. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of the proposed electrode in the practical application, a prototype wearable ECG recording system was developed. The measured ECG waveform proved that the proposed electrode was much more flexible than the standard wet Ag/AgCl electrode and still retained good signal quality for long run with super skin compliance and comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the prevalence of diabetes, it is becoming important to analyze the diabetic wound age in forensic practice. The present study investigated the time-dependent expression of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) during diabetic wound healing in mice and its applicability to wound age determination by immunohistochemistry, double immunofluorescence, and Western blotting. After an incision was created in genetically diabetic db/db mice and control mice, mice were killed at posttraumatic intervals ranging from 6 h to 14 days, followed by the sampling of wound margin. Compared with control mice, diabetic mice showed the delayed wound healing. In control and diabetic wound specimens, RAGE immunoreactivity was observed in a small number of polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs), a number of macrophages, and fibroblasts. Morphometrically, the positive ratios of RAGE in macrophages or fibroblasts considerably increased in diabetic wounds during late repair, which exceeded 60% at 7 and 10 days post-injury. There were no control wound specimens to show a ratio of >60% in macrophages or fibroblasts. By Western blotting analysis, the ratios of RAGE to GAPDH were >1.4 in all diabetic wound samples from 7 to 10 days post-injury, which were >1.8 at 10 days after injury. By comparison, no control wound specimens indicated a ratio of >1.4. In conclusion, the expression of RAGE is upregulated and temporally distributed in macrophages and fibroblasts during diabetic wound healing, which might be closely involved in prolonged inflammation and deficient healing. Moreover, RAGE is promising as a useful marker for diabetic wound age determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illicit drugs and their metabolites have recently been recognized as an emerging group of contaminants due to their potential ecotoxicological impact in aquatic ecosystems. To date, information on the occurrence of these compounds in the aquatic environment of China remains limited. In this study, we collected surface water samples from 36 rivers in north China that discharge into the Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea and measured the concentrations of amphetamine-like compounds, ketamines, cocainics, and opioids. The occurrence and spatial patterns of these substances show significant differences between the rivers and regions. Two designer drugs, methamphetamine (METH) and ketamine (KET), were the most abundant compounds detected in the entire set of samples (detection frequency of 92 and 69 %). The concentrations of METH and KET ranged from <0.1 to 42.0 ng L (mean = 4.53 ng L) and <0.05 to 4.50 ng L (mean = 0.49 ng L), respectively. The high detection frequencies of METH and KET are consistent with the fact that they are the main illicit drugs consumed in China. The high concentrations of these illicit drugs and their metabolites were found in areas that have a high population density. The riverine input of total illicit drugs into the Bohai Sea and north Yellow Sea was estimated to be in the range of 684 to 1160 kg per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes frequently presents accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which might induce excessive TNF-α production from macrophages to cause impaired wound healing. Recent studies have shown that activation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages efficiently suppressed TNF-α synthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the accumulation of AGEs in the wounds and determine whether PNU282987, an α7nAChR agonist, can improve wound repair by inhibiting AGE-mediated TNF-α production in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse model. Animals were assigned into four groups: wounded control group, wounded diabetic group, wounded diabetic group treated intraperitoneally with PNU282987, or wounded diabetic group treated intraperitoneally with vehicle. Compared with the non-diabetic control mice, the diabetic mice exhibited delayed wound healing that was characterized by elevated accumulation of AGEs, increased TNF-α level and macrophage infiltration, and decreased fibroblast number and collagen deposition at the late stage of repair. Besides, macrophages of diabetic wounds showed expression of α7nAChR. During late repair, PNU282987 treatment of diabetic mice significantly reduced the level of TNF-α, accelerated wound healing, and elevated fibroblast number and collagen deposition. To investigate the cellular mechanism of these observations, RAW 264.7 cells, a macrophage cell line, were incubated with AGEs in the presence or absence of PNU282987. TNF-α production from AGE-stimulated macrophages was significantly decreased by PNU282987 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, PNU282987 significantly inhibited AGE-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and receptor for AGE (RAGE) expression. These results strongly suggest that activating α7nAChR can promote diabetic wound healing by suppressing AGE-induced TNF-α production, which may be closely associated with the blockage of NF-κB activation in macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post-genomic era, many useful tools have been developed to accelerate the investigation of gene functions. Fluorescent proteins have been widely used as protein tags for studying the subcellular localization of proteins in plants. Several fluorescent organelle marker lines have been generated in dicot plants; however, useful and reliable fluorescent organelle marker lines are lacking in the monocot model rice. Here, we developed eight different GFP-based organelle markers in transgenic rice and created a set of DsRed-based gateway vectors for combining with the marker lines. Two mitochondrial-localized rice ascorbate peroxidase genes fused to DsRed and successfully co-localized with mitochondrial-targeted marker lines verified the practical use of this system. The co-localization of GFP-fusion marker lines and DsRed-fusion proteins provide a convenient platform for in vivo or in vitro analysis of subcellular localization of rice proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B (Hyg) inhibits prokaryotic, chloroplast and mitochondrial protein synthesis. Because of the toxic effect of Hyg on plant cells, the HPT gene, encoding hygromycin phosphotransferase, has become one of the most widely used selectable markers in plant transformation. Yet the mechanism behind Hyg-induced cell lethality in plants is not clearly understood. In this study, we aimed to decipher this mechanism. With Hyg treatment, rice calli exhibited cell death, and rice seedlings showed severe growth defects, leaf chlorosis and leaf shrinkage. Rice seedlings also exhibited severe lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation, for oxidative stress damage at the cellular level. The production of reactive oxygen species such as O, HO and OH was greatly induced in rice seedlings under Hyg stress, and pre-treatment with ascorbate increased resistance to Hyg-induced toxicity indicating the existence of oxidative stress. Overexpression of mitochondrial Alternative oxidase1a gene without HPT selection marker in rice enhanced tolerance to Hyg and attenuated the degradation of protein content, whereas the rice plastidial glutathione reductase 3 mutant showed increased sensitivity to Hyg. These results demonstrate that Hyg-induced cell lethality in rice is not only due to the inhibition of protein synthesis but also mediated by oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aging lung is increasingly susceptible to infectious disease. Changes in pulmonary physiology and function are common in older populations, and in those older than 60 years, pneumonia is the major cause of infectious death. Understanding age-related changes in the innate and adaptive immune systems, and how they affect both pulmonary and systemic responses to pulmonary challenge are critical to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of the elderly patient. In this observational study, we examined age-associated differences in inflammatory responses to pulmonary challenge with cell wall components from Gram-positive bacteria. Thus, male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 6 months or greater than 18 months (approximating humans of 20 and 55-65 years), were challenged, intratracheally, with lipoteichoic acid and peptidoglycan. Cellular and cytokine evaluations were performed on both bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) and plasma, 24 h post-challenge. The plasma concentration of free thyroxine, a marker of severity in non-thyroidal illness, was also evaluated. The older animals had an increased chemotactic gradient in favor of the airspaces, which was associated with a greater accumulation of neutrophils and protein. Furthermore, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), an inflammatory mediator and putative biomarker in acute lung injury, was increased in both the plasma and BAL of the older, but not young animals. Conversely, plasma free thyroxine, a natural inhibitor of MIF, was decreased in the older animals. These findings identify age-associated inflammatory/metabolic changes following pulmonary challenge that it may be possible to manipulate to improve outcome in the older, critically ill patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with an initial-boundary value problem for the chemotaxis system under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions in a convex smooth bounded domain $${\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^n}$$ with $${n\geq3}$$ , where the diffusion function D( u) satisfying with some c > 0 and m > 1. The main goal of this paper was to extend a previous result on global existence of solutions by Wang et al. (Z Angew Math Phys 65:1137-1152, ) under the condition that $${m > 2-\frac{2}{n}}$$ can be relaxed to $${m > 2-\frac{6}{n+4}}$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural condition assessment technology has gained widespread applications for providing desired solution to assess safety and serviceability of civil engineering structures. The structural reliability assessment which incorporates structural health monitoring (SHM) data is capable of providing authentic information about in-service performance of the instrumented structure and accommodating uncertainties in the measurement data. Because the peak values of the measurands which illustrate the critical condition/status of the structure are random in nature, it is important to adopt appropriate statistical counting methods to extract favorable peak values for reliability assessment. Several algorithms, such as the sampling method, the peak counting method, and the pointwise counting method, have been proposed for peak counting. In the present study, different statistical counting methods for the selection of peak data targeted for SHM-based reliability assessment of instrumented bridges are examined and compared, through the application of the above methods for the purpose of constructing peak-stress histograms and formulating probability density functions by use of long-term strain monitoring data from an instrumented bridge. Peak covering rate is defined to serve as a common basis for relating the amount of peak data and the control parameters for peak counting and helping determine the values of the control parameters in different statistical counting methods which ensure identical peak covering rate. The reliability indices obtained from the different statistical counting methods under the same amount of peak data are also compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]