Search

A new polysaccharide (MSPW70-1) was isolated from Morchella sextelata.Structural analysis indicated that MSPW70-1was characterized as a repeating unit consisting of → 2)-α-d-Galp-(1 → , → 3,6)-α-d-Manp-(1 → and → 2,3,6)-α-d-Manp-(1 → , → 4)-β-d-Glcp-(1 → , → 4)-α-d-GlcpNAc-(1 → , → 6)-α-d-Manp-(1 → , t-α-d-Galp, t-β-d-Glcp, and t-α-d-GlcpNAc. This is the first polysaccharide containing N-acetylglucosamine isolated from M. sextelata.Furthermore, three sulfated derivatives of MSPW70-1 (MSPW70-M1, MSPW70-M2, and MSPW70-M3) were also synthesized. Antioxidant assays revealed that the sulfated derivatives with a proper DS value could enhance the scavenging activities of MSPW70-1 against DPPH· and ABTS+· radicals with IC50 values of 871.68 and 622.18 μg/mL, which was 1.22 and 1.35 times higher than that of MSPW70-1. Moreover, immunoregulatory assays in vitro showed that MSPW70-M1 could markedly promote the proliferation of mouse spleen lymphocyte with proliferation rate value of 681.35%, which was 1.36 times higher than that of MSPW70-1. All of the activity evaluations indicated that the sulfated derivatives with an appropriate DS value could improve the activity of M. sextelata polysaccharide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to study the optimization of the extraction process of total flavonoids from Ligusticum chuanxiong and its biological activity. The flavonoid components of Chuanxiong (LCTF) were extracted by ultrasonic assisted method and optimized by response surface methodology to determine the best extraction process. The obtained total flavonoid extracts were purified by AB-8 macroporous resin, and their hypoglycaemic levels and antioxidant levels were determined. The optimal conditions were as follows: ethanol concentration of 72%, extraction time of 61 min, liquid–solid ratio of 28 mL/g, extraction temperature of 40 ℃ and ultrasonic power of 320 W. The yield was (3.07 ± 0.03) mg/g, compared with (2.22 ± 0.05) mg/g obtained by conventional water extraction. The purity of total flavonoids of Ligusticum chuanxiong after purification (LCPTF) was 6.36%, which was 2.3 times higher than that of LCTF. The IC50 values of LCPTF for α-glucosidase, α-amylase, DPPH and ABTS assays were 0.024 mg/mL, 0.677 mg/mL, 0.232 mg/mL and 0.317 mg/mL, respectively. and the overall inhibition rates were positively correlated with the concentrations. The total flavonoids of Ligusticum chuanxiong exhibited high levels of inhibition of α-glucosidase, α-amylase, DPPH radicals and ABTS radicals, and the activity levels were further increased after purification, which had certain reference significance for the development and application of products related to the total flavonoids of Ligusticum chuanxiong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To research the optimization of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of total flavonoids from Cortex Lycii and its biological activities. Box-Behnken design experiment was used to optimize the extraction process, and AB-8 macroporous resin was used for purification. Its biological activities were studied by the inhibition rate of α-glucosidase and α- amylase and the scavenging rate of DPPH and ABTS. The optimal extraction parameters of total flavonoids from Cortex Lycii were as follows: the extraction temperature was 63 ℃, the ethanol volume fraction was 71%, the solid–liquid ratio was 28 mL/g, the extraction time was 61 min. Under this optimal condition, the yield of total flavonoids was 1.674 mg/g, which was consistent with the predicted value of 1.637 mg/g, and was 5.85 times higher than that of the traditional water extraction method. The inhibitory rate (IC50) of total flavonoids extract from Cortex Lycii on α-glucosidase was 3 μg/mL and on α-amylase was 5 μg/mL. The scavenging rate (IC50) of DPPH radical was 0.648 mg/mL and the scavenging rate (IC50) of ABTS radical IC50 was 0.012 mg/mL. The optimized extraction process with response surface design was reliable, which could be used for the extraction of total flavonoids from Cortex Lycii. It has strong hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities and has a good prospect for future utilization and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrasound-assisted extraction process of total polyphenols from Toona sinensis (T. sinensis) was optimized, and the biological activities of the extracted total polyphenols were studied in vitro. A Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology was employed to further optimize ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions for T. sinensis total polyphenols (TSTP). The results showed that optimized extraction conditions were ultrasonic power of 200 W, liquid–solid ratio of 50 mL/g, ultrasonic temperature of 60 °C, and ultrasonic time of 22 min. Under these conditions, the mean experimental value of extraction yield (8.13%) was achieved, which was about 49.44% higher than that of distilled water leaching extraction. As compared to TSTP, TSTP after purification (TSPTP) had higher purity of 57.70%, which was nearly 45.33% higher than that of TSTP (12.37%). TSPTP had higher α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities as well as DPPH· and ABTS·+ scavenging activities with an IC50 value of 0.201, 0.041, 0.27, and 0.07 mg/mL. TSPTP extracted from T. sinensis can be used as a multifunctional bioactive ingredient in the formulation of hypoglycemic drugs and antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to evaluate the polysaccharides extracted from Toona sinensis seeds using ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent (DES). The extracted polysaccharides (TSRP) were purified and studied for their hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities. The purified polysaccharides (TSRPs-1) were hydrolyzed and derivatized to study their monosaccharide composition. The optimum extraction conditions were DES (choline chloride to oxalic acid) at a molar ratio of 1.473:1, ultrasound time of 50.643 min, and a material-to-liquid ratio of 1:31.838 g/mL. The ultrasound-assisted DES extraction was more effective (56.1%) as compared to the water extraction (35.89%). The inhibition of α-glucosidase by TSRPs-1 was 42.77% at a concentration of 0.8 mg/mL. At 3.2 mg/mL, TSRPs-1 inhibited α-amylase by 34.38%. The clearance of DPPH by TSRPs-1 was 24.36% at 3.2 mg/mL. The IC50 for ABTS·+ clearance by TSRPs-1 was 0.233 mg/mL. It was shown that the monosaccharides of TSRPs-1 were composed of Man, Rha, GlcA, GalA, Glc, Gal, Xyl, and Ara in a molar ratio of 1:563.13:41.81:51.20:21.81:2244.58:3.73:1130.48. In this paper, the process of extracting TSRP with ultrasound-assisted DES was investigated and optimized. TSRPs-1 possesses certain hypoglycemic and antioxidant activities. Therefore, this paper can provide an experimental basis for the establishment of an industrialized production process of polysaccharides and the study of their biological activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extended Kalman filter (EKF) has been widely used to estimate the state-of-charge (SoC) of batteries over the past decade. Battery SoC estimation with the EKF is initialized without knowing the true value of the SoC. Thus, it requires a fast convergence rate to provide users with an accurate SoC value in the shortest time. Applying an adaptive rule into the EKF is an unfussy way to improve both the accuracy and convergence rate of SoC estimation. However, an adaptive rule requires additional calculations and consumes additional memory space to store the learning history. This paper applies Busse's adaptive rule to improve the accuracy and convergence rate of EKF battery SoC estimation. Experimental data from a lithium titanate battery is applied to examine the battery SoC estimation with EKF, covariance-matching adaptive EKF (CM-AEKF), and Busse's adaptive EKF (Busse-AEKF) algorithms. The findings showed that the Busse-AEKF method has the shortest convergence time with an accuracy that is comparable to that of the CM-AEKF method. After the SoC value is converged, the algorithm gives estimation accuracy of a 1.42% root-mean-square error (RMSE) and a 3.15% of maximum error. In addition, Busse's AEKF does not require a large memory space to operate. Thus, it is a promising solution for battery SoC estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with fascinating electronic energy band structures, rich valley physical properties and strong spin–orbit coupling have attracted tremendous interest, and show great potential in electronic, optoelectronic, spintronic and valleytronic fields. Stacking 2D TMDs have provided unprecedented opportunities for constructing artificial functional structures. Due to the low cost, high yield and industrial compatibility, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is regarded as one of the most promising growth strategies to obtain high-quality and large-area 2D TMDs and heterostructures. Here, state-of-the-art strategies for preparing TMDs details of growth control and related heterostructures construction via CVD method are reviewed and discussed, including wafer-scale synthesis, phase transition, doping, alloy and stacking engineering. Meanwhile, recent progress on the application of multi-functional devices is highlighted based on 2D TMDs. Finally, challenges and prospects are proposed for the practical device applications of 2D TMDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a set of lecture notes for the first author's lectures on the difference equations in 2019 at the Institute of Advanced Study for Mathematics at Zhejiang University. We focus on explicit computations and examples. The convergence of local solutions is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary breast neuroendocrine tumors (BNETs) represent < 1% of breast cancers. Diagnosing BNETs can be challenging, and a limited amount of cohort data currently exists in literature. We aimed to describe primary BNET characteristics, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes through the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the NCDB from 2004 to 2017. BNET cases were compared with patients with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). A matched IDC cohort was created by matching patient age, race, and disease stage. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed, and hazard ratios (HR) were calculated through the bootstrap sampling method. Results: A total of 1389 BNET and 1,967,401 IDC cases were identified. When compared with IDC patients, BNET patients were older, had more comorbidities, and were more often male (p < 0.01). BNETs were larger, higher grade, and more frequently hormone receptor negative (p < 0.01). While BNET patients were treated with surgery and radiotherapy (p < 0.01) less often compared with IDC patients, they presented at later disease stage (p < 0.001) and received systemic treatment more frequently (53.5% vs. 40%, p < 0.01). Patients with BNET had increased mortality compared with the matched IDC cohort: stage 1 HR 1.8, stage 2 HR 2.0, stage 3 HR 1.8, and stage 4 HR 1.5 (p < 0.001 for all). Conclusion: Patients with BNET tend to present at higher clinical stages, are more frequently hormone receptor negative, and have inferior overall survival compared with patients with IDC. Further treatment strategies and studies are needed to elucidate optimal therapies to maximize patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of magnetism in ultrathin crystals opens up opportunities to explore new physics and to develop next-generation spintronic devices. Nevertheless, two-dimensional magnetic semiconductors with Curie temperatures higher than room temperature have rarely been reported. Ferrites with strongly correlated d-orbital electrons may be alternative candidates offering two-dimensional high-temperature magnetic ordering. This prospect is, however, hindered by their inherent three-dimensional bonded nature. Here, we develop a confined-van der Waals epitaxial approach to synthesizing air-stable semiconducting cobalt ferrite nanosheets with thickness down to one unit cell using a facile chemical vapor deposition process. The hard magnetic behavior and magnetic domain evolution are demonstrated by means of vibrating sample magnetometry, magnetic force microscopy and magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements, which shows high Curie temperature above 390 K and strong dimensionality effect. The addition of room-temperature magnetic semiconductors to two-dimensional material family provides possibilities for numerous novel applications in computing, sensing and information storage. Van der Waals crystals allow for magnetism down to the monolayer limit, however, this magnetism, and frequently the material itself, is fragile. Ferrites, conversely, have robust material stability and magnetic order, but are three dimensional. Here the authors succeed in creating a single unit cell thickness of Cobalt Ferrite via chemical vapour deposition, with hard magnetic properties, and curie temperature exceeding room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a simple method to prepare TiO2/Bi4Ti3O12 nanorod (TiO2/BTO NR) arrays for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Compared with other complex processes, the Bi4Ti3O12 was directly decorated on the hydrothermal grown TiO2 NR arrays by simple drop-coating of a precursor solution and subsequent reaction, which procedure is featured with the simple operation, time-cost, and uniform modification of the Bi4Ti3O12. The prepared TiO2/BTO composite NR arrays have significantly expanded visible light absorption than pristine TiO2. PEC measurements have stated that the obtained TiO2/BTO photoanode exhibits fast light response. Due to the promotion of light absorption and charge separation, stable and reproducible photocurrent density of 0.25 mA/cm2 can be achieved for the optimum TiO2/BTO composite photoanode, which is largely improved compared to the pristine TiO2. This work provides a feasible and low-cost pathway to establish TiO2/BTO photoanode, therefore, is suitable for practical applications. Highlights: TiO2/Bi4Ti3O12 nanorod arrays are easily prepared by drop-coating and calcination process. TiO2/Bi4Ti3O12 nanorod arrays exhibit significantly enhanced photocurrent density. This work provides a feasible and low-cost strategy to establish other Bi4Ti3O12 based composited photoanode. [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.)

At present, chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is difficult to prevent and cure clinically because of our lack of understanding of its mechanisms. Surgical injury induces the upregulation of voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, suggesting that Nav1.7 is involved in the development of CPSP. However, the mechanism leading to persistent dysregulation of Nav1.7 is largely unknown. Given that nerve growth factor (NGF) induces a long-term increase in the neuronal hyperexcitability after injury, we hypothesized that NGF might cause the long-term dysregulation of Nav1.7. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether Nav1.7 regulation by NGF is involved in CPSP and thus contributes to the specific mechanisms involved in the development of CPSP. Using conditional nociceptor-specific Nav1.7 knockout mice, we confirmed the involvement of Nav1.7 in NGF-induced pain and identified its role in the maintenance of pain behavior during long-term observations (up to 14 days). Using western blot analyses and immunostaining, we showed that NGF could trigger the upregulation of Nav1.7 expression and thus support the development of CPSP in rats. Using pharmacological approaches, we showed that the increase of Nav1.7 might be partly regulated by an NGF/TrkA-SGK1-Nedd4-2-mediated pathway. Furthermore, reversing the upregulation of Nav1.7 in DRG could alleviate spinal sensitization. Our results suggest that the maintained upregulation of Nav1.7 triggered by NGF contributes to the development of CPSP. Attenuating the dysregulation of Nav1.7 in peripheral nociceptors may be a strategy to prevent the transition from acute post-surgical pain to CPSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We conduct a cost-utility analysis of inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO) versus chemotherapy as the standard of care (SOC) for adults with relapsed or refractory B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Methods: A Markov model incorporating transition probabilities between health states was applied to simulate disease progression. The model inputs, including overall survival, progression-free survival, and utility parameters, were obtained from the INO-VATE ALL trial and literatures. The Taiwan Cancer Registry Database and the Health and Welfare Database were utilized to identify the patient cohort and medical costs from the perspective of National Health Insurance Administration. The lifetime medical costs (in 2017 US dollars), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, and associated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were the main study outcomes.Results: The lifetime medical costs for INO and SOC were $176,795 and $69,496, and the QALYs gained were 2.25 and 0.84, respectively. The ICER for INO versus SOC was $76,044 per QALY gained, which is slightly more than three times Taiwan's gross domestic product per capita (i.e., $73,224). Favorable economic results for INO versus SOC were found with an increased time horizon for model simulation, less discounting for the future benefit, and higher stem cell transplantation (SCT) rate after INO treatment; and among patients aged less than 55 years, with no SCT history, or in the first salvage treatment.Conclusions: INO versus SOC has higher costs but is more effective. The use of INO is favorable for patients in the early treatment course and when more future benefit associated with INO is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of this study is to develope a scoring system to predict the likelihood of excess body weight loss (EBWL) ≥ 50% 6-months after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). From April 2016 to September 2018, data was collected from 160 patients (BMI ≥ 32) who underwent primary LSG with at least 6-months follow-up. They were separated into score generation (operated by one surgeon, n = 122) and validation groups (operated by 3 different surgeons, n = 38). EBWL at 6-months ≥ 50% was considered adequate weight loss. Independent variables including age, gender, initial body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, life-style habits, percentage of EBWL and percentage of total body weight loss at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-months were analyzed with mutivariate logistic regression to generate the scoring system. The system was applied to internal and external validation groups to determine efficacy. As results, between the score generation and internal validation groups, the only significant difference in patient characteristics was in exercise participation. EBWL at 1-month > 19.5% (1 point) and EBWL at 3-months > 37.7% (2 points) were identified as independent factors to predict EBWL at 6-months ≥ 50%. When scores were > 1, the system had 94.03% positive predictive value (PPV) and 81.82% negative predictive value (NPV) (AUC: 0.923). Internal validation scores > 1 had a 95.83% PPV and 85.71% NPV (AUC: 0.975). External validation results showed 88.59% PPV and 72.00% NPV (AUC: 0.802). We concluded that this scoring system provides a reliable, objective prediction of EBWL at 6-months ≥ 50%. Patients requiring more aggressive clinical follow-up and intervention can be detected as early as 1- to 3-months after LSG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A proper edge coloring of a graph G is acyclic if there is no 2-colored cycle in G. The acyclic chromatic index of G is the least number of colors such that G has an acyclic edge coloring and denoted by Χ′a(G). An IC-plane graph is a topological graph where every edge is crossed at most once and no two crossed edges share a vertex. In this paper, it is proved that Χ′a(G) ≤ Δ(G) + 10, if G is an IC-planar graph without adjacent triangles and Χ′a(G) ≤ Δ(G) + 8, if G is a triangle-free IC-planar graph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) causes a sudden loss of vision and lacks effective treatment. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) provides neuroprotection against the experimental optic nerve injuries but also induce leukocytosis upon typical administration. We found synergetic neuroprotective effects of meloxicam and low dose G-CSF without leukocytosis in a rat model of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (rAION). The WBC counts in the low-dose G-CSF-plus meloxicam-treated group were similar to the sham-operated group. Combination treatment of low-dose G-CSF plus meloxicam preserved RGCs survival and visual function, reduced RGC apoptosis and the macrophages infiltration, and promote more M2 phenotype of macrophage/microglial transition than the low-dose GCSF treatment or the meloxicam treatment. Moreover, the combination treatment induced higher serine/threonine kinase 1 (Akt1) expression. The combination treatment of low-dose G-CSF plus meloxicam lessened the leukocytotic side effect and provided neuroprotective effects via Akt1 activation in the rAION model. This approach provides crucial preclinical information for the development of alternative therapy in AION. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graph is IC-planar if it admits a drawing in the plane such that each edge is crossed at most once and two crossed edges share no common end-vertex. A proper total-k-coloring of G is called neighbor sum distinguishing if ∑c(u) ≠ ∑c(v) for each edge uv ∈ E(G), where ∑c(v) denote the sum of the color of a vertex v and the colors of edges incident with v. The least number k needed for such a total coloring of G, denoted by X′′∑(G), is the neighbor sum distinguishing total chromatic number. Pilśniak and Woźniak conjectured X′′∑(G) ≤ △(G) + 3 for any simple graph with maximum degree △(G). By using the famous Combinatorial Nullstellensatz, we prove that above conjecture holds for any triangle free IC-planar graph with △(G) ≥ 7. Moreover, it holds for any triangle free planar graph with △(G) ≥ 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubility data for ternary systems Na2SO4–Na2B4O7–H2O and Li2B4O7–Na2B4O7–H2O at 273 K were obtained experimentally by the isothermal solution equilibrium method, and the solid phases were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. On the base of the experimental results, the stable phase equilibrium diagrams for these two systems were constructed at 273 K. The stable phase equilibrium diagrams indicate that both phase diagrams show an invariant point, two univariant solubility curves and two solid phase crystalline regions. The two solid phases corresponding to the invariant point of ternary system Na2SO4–Na2B4O7–H2O are Na2B4O7 · 10H2O and Na2SO4 · 10H2O, and the two crystallization regions of the ternary system Li2B4O7–Na2B4O7–H2O are Na2B4O7 · 10H2O and Li2B4O7 · 3H2O, respectively. Thus, the two ternary systems belong to simple co-saturated type without complex salt or solid solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Three iridium(III) polypyridyl complexes [Ir(ppy)2(PYTA)](PF6) (1) (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine), [Ir(bzq)2(PYTA)](PF6) (2) (bzq = benzo[h]quinolone) and [Ir(piq)2(PYTA)](PF6) (3) (piq = 1-phenylisoquinoline, PYTA = 2,4-diamino-6-(2′-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The cytotoxic activity of the complexes toward cancer SGC-7901, Eca-109, A549, HeLa, HepG2, BEL-7402 and normal LO2 cell lines was investigated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. Complex 3 shows the most effective on inhibiting the above cell growth among these complexes. The complexes locate at the lysosomes and mitochondria. AO/EB, Annex V and PI and comet assays indicate that the complexes can induce apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells. Intracellular ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential were examined under fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrate that the complexes increase the intracellular ROS levels and induce a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential. The complexes can enhance intracellular Ca2+ concentration and cause a release of cytochrome c. The autophagy was studied using MDC staining and western blot. Complexes 1-3 can effectively inhibit the cell invasion with a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, the complexes target tubules and inhibit the polymerization of tubules. The antimicrobial activity of the complexes against S. aureus, E. coli, Salmonella and L. monocytogenes was explored. The mechanism shows that the complexes induce apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells through ROS-mediated lysosomal-mitochondrial, targeting tubules and damage DNA pathways.Graphical Abstract: Three iridium(III) complexes [Ir(N-C)2(PYTA)](PF6) (N-C = ppy, 1; bzq, 2; piq, 3) were synthesized and characterized. The anticancer activity of the complexes against SGC-7901 cells was studied by apoptosis, comet assay, autophagy, ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential, intracellular Ca2+ levels, release of cytochrome c, tubules and western blot analysis. The antibacterial activity in vitro was also assayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of bariatric surgery on gallstone disease in obese patients.Materials and Methods: This large cohort retrospective study was conducted based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. All patients 18-55 years of age with a diagnosis code for obesity (ICD-9-CM codes 278.00-278.02 or 278.1) between 2003 and 2010 were included. Patients with a history of gallstone disease and hepatic malignancies were excluded. The patients were divided into non-surgical and bariatric surgery groups. Obesity surgery was defined by ICD-9-OP codes. We also enrolled healthy civilians as the general population. The primary end point was defined as re-hospitalization with a diagnosis of gallstone disease after the index hospitalization. All patients were followed until the end of 2013, a biliary complication occurred, or death.Results: Two thousand three hundred seventeen patients in the bariatric surgery group, 2331 patients in the non-surgical group, and 8162 patients in the general population were included. Compared to the non-surgery group (2.79%), bariatric surgery (2.89%) did not elevate the risk of subsequent biliary events (HR = 1.075, p = 0.679). Compared to the general population (1.15%), bariatric surgery group had a significantly higher risk (HR = 4.996, p < 0.001). In the bariatric surgery group, female gender (HR = 1.774, p = 0.032) and a restrictive procedure (HR = 1.624, p = 0.048) were risk factors for gallstone disease.Conclusion: The risk for gallstone disease did not increase after bariatric surgery, although the risk was still higher than the general population. The benefit of concomitant cholecystectomy during bariatric surgery should be carefully evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(N-N)2(nfip)](ClO4)2 (N-N = dmb, 1; bpy, 2; ttbpy, 3, phen, 4, dmp, 5) were synthesized and characterized. The cytotoxic activities of the complexes against cancer SGC-7901, Eca-109, HepG2, A549, HeLa and normal LO2 cells were investigated using the MTT method. Complexes 1-4 show high cytotoxicity against SGC-7901 cells with low IC50 values of 12.4 ± 1.4, 6.7 ± 1.6, 1.3 ± 0.5 and 1.1 ± 0.4 µM, respectively. Complex 5 is active against HeLa cells with an IC50 value of 2.2 ± 0.6 µM. Among these complexes, complexes 3 and 4 exhibit higher cytotoxic activity than cisplatin toward SGC-7901 cells under identical conditions. Apoptosis was assayed using the AO/EB staining method and flow cytometry. The location of the complexes at lysosomes and mitochondria, the permeability of lysosomes, the levels of reactive oxygen species, and the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential were studied by fluorescence microscopy. The cell cycle distribution of SGC-7901 cells induced by the complexes was studied by flow cytometry. The expression of caspase-3, PARP and Bcl-2 family proteins was investigated by Western blot. The complexes were shown to accumulate in the lysosomes and then enter into the mitochondria. The mechanism demonstrates that the complexes induce apoptosis in SGC-7901 cells through three pathways: (1) ROS-mediated lysosomal-mitochondrial dysfunction; (2) inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway; and (3) DNA damage and inhibition of the cell growth at G0/G1 or S phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Traditional nonselective, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are known to cause salt and fluid retention and should thus be used cautiously in patients with documented heart failure. Recent studies have found that some NSAIDs, including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, are associated with an increased risk of incident heart failure regardless of the related medical history of the patient.Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential link between NSAIDs (both COX-2 inhibitors and traditional nonselective NSAIDs) and heart failure in patients without a history of heart failure.Methods: We conducted a case-crossover study using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. A total of 5615 subjects with a first hospitalization for heart failure between 2005 and 2013 were identified from the NHIRD. Exposure to individual NSAIDs between the case period (1-30 days before the index date) and control period (121-150 days before the index date) were retrieved. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of the incident heart failure associated with NSAID use after adjustments for potential confounders. Multiple sensitivity analyses, including the case-time-control analysis, were performed to test the robustness of the study results.Results: Overall, NSAID use was associated with a 1.58-fold risk [aOR 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40-1.79] of heart failure leading to hospitalization in the main analysis, and similar results were obtained in the case-time-control analysis [aOR 1.40 (95% CI 1.18-1.67)]. The increased risks of heart failure were comparable between traditional NSAIDs [aOR 1.53 (95% CI 1.35-1.74)] and COX-2 inhibitors [aOR 1.74 (95% CI 1.25-2.44)]. Among all NSAIDs, ketorolac was associated with the highest risk of heart failure [aOR 1.98 (95% CI 1.37-2.86)].Conclusion: Both traditional NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors were associated with an increased risk of heart failure leading to hospitalization in patients without a related history of heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study design the sand column tests in the laboratory to evaluate permeability and efficiency of substrates by using permeation grouting technology. The results show, the coarser the test sand and the lower the substrates viscosity, the better the grouting effect. If more than 5% fines added will affect the grouting results significantly. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and stepwise regression method were applied to analysis 36 sets of sand columns testing results. The relationships among the effective size of test sand (D10), the viscosity of substrates and grouting height, grouting time, grouting rate and outflow rate were obtained. The results of this study might be helpful for applying the permeation grouting technology to remedy the contaminated groundwater in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stable phase equilibria of the ternary system MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O and the two quaternary systems NaCl + MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O and KCl + MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O at 373 K were investigated using an isothermal method. Based on the experimental results, the isothermal solubility diagram of the ternary system MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O, and the solubility diagrams and water content diagrams of the two quaternary systems were constructed. The results show that the ternary system MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O at 373 K belongs to the simple co-saturated type without complex salt or solid solution. There are two invariant points, three univariant curves and three crystallization fields corresponding to SrCl2·2H2O, SrCl2·H2O and MgCl2·6H2O. The quaternary system NaCl + MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O at 373 K is of the simple co-saturated type and no complex salt or solid solution are found. The phase diagram contains two invariant points, five univariant curves and four crystallization fields (where the solids are NaCl, MgCl2·6H2O, SrCl2·H2O and SrCl2·2H2O). The system KCl + MgCl2 + SrCl2 + H2O at 373 K has a double salt named carnallite (KCl·MgCl2·6H2O) without solid solution formation. The phase diagram contains three invariant points, seven univariant curves and five crystallization fields (where the solids are KCl, MgCl2·6H2O, SrCl2·H2O, SrCl2·2H2O and KCl·MgCl2·6H2O). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An iridium(III) complex [Ir(ppy)2(MHPIP)]PF6 (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, MHPIP = 2-(1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1, 10]phenanthroline, Ir-1) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of the free proligand MHPIP and the complex Ir-1 against HepG2, A549, BEL-7402, SGC-7901 and normal LO2 cells were evaluated by the MTT method. MHPIP has no cytotoxic activity toward the selected cell lines, while Ir-1 shows a moderate cytotoxic effect against HepG2. This complex also displays no cytotoxicity against normal LO2 cells, with an IC50 of more than 200 µM. The apoptosis of HepG2 cells induced by the complex was studied with AO/EB and DAPI staining methods, which showed that the complex can effectively induce apoptosis. A comet assay was performed by gel electrophoresis, and the results further show that the complex can cause apoptosis. The level of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential, autophagy, intracellular Ca2+ levels and cell invasion were investigated by fluorescence microscopy, and the cell cycle arrest was studied by flow cytometry. The expression of caspase and Bcl-2 family proteins was investigated by western blot. The results of these experiments indicate that Ir-1 accumulates preferentially in the mitochondria of HepG2 cells and induces apoptosis through inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the solubilities of the salt minerals and the densities of solution in two ternary systems sodium chloride-zinc chloride-water and magnesium chloride-zinc chloride-water were measured at 373 K using an isothermal solution saturation method. Based on the determined equilibrium solubility data and the corresponding equilibrium solid phase, the phase diagrams and density diagrams of the two systems were plotted. The results show that the two ternary systems are complex and the eutectic points, the univariant solubility curves and the solid crystalline phase regions are shown and discussed. The phase diagram of the ternary system NaCl−ZnCl−HO at 373 K is constituted of two eutectic points, three univariant solubility curves and three solid crystalline phase regions corresponding to NaCl, ZnCl and 2NaCl · ZnCl. And the phase diagram of the ternary system MgCl−ZnCl−HO at 373 K includes two eutectic points, three univariant solubility curves and three solid crystalline phase regions corresponding to MgCl · 6HO, MgCl · ZnCl · 5HO and ZnCl. The experimental results were simply discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new novel blue light emitting polymer containing carbazole and anthracene derivatives has been successfully synthesized via polycondensation chemical reaction of diol and difluoro monomers. An effort has been made to raise the band gap of blue light emitter by lowering the conjugation extent in the backbone. The synthesized blue polymer exhibits decent solubility, good process ability, high thermal stability, high glass transition temperature (272 °C) and the decomposition temperature of 358 °C. The UV-vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence spectra depict that the light emission lies in blue region. The solid state photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the polymer (λ = 456 nm) shows red shift (Δλ = 37 nm) as compared with the corresponding solution PL spectra, presumably due to lower intermolecular distance in solid state. The multi-layered polymer light emitting diode was fabricated, using blue polymer with ITO/PEDOT: PSS/BP/LiF/Al architecture. The luminance-voltage (L-V) and current density-voltage (J-V) curves show a maximum luminance of 7544 cd m, a maximum emission efficiency of 4.2 cd A, a maximum current density of 453 mA cm at a turn-on voltage of 4.5 V. Moreover, the PLED instigate pure blue EL emission, stable at 436 nm with outstanding CIE coordinates of (x = 0.15, y = 0.08), which is close to the pure NTSC blue coordinates of (0.14, 0.08). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) decorated CoO nanowires (NWs) grafted on the three-dimensional (3D) network architecture of Ni foam (denoted as Ag-NP@CoO-NW/Ni-foam) arrays are manufactured. In the experiment, the hierarchical Ag-NP@CoO-NW/Ni-foam arrays exhibit strong SERS activity due to the higher density of the 'hot spots' created from the large quantities of neighboring Ag NPs. Using this hierarchical 3D SERS substrates, the crystal violet (a banned drug of aquaculture) with concentration down to 10 mol/L can be detected, which shows potential application in SERS-based rapid trace-level detection of harmful food additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of sterically encumbered, sulfonated, alternating poly(arylene ether) copolymers were synthesized so as to compare the effects of incorporating ketone and sulfone groups on the proton conductivity and performance of fuel cells of membranes prepared. Therefore, the polymers were prepared by polymerization of 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone or bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfone with a novel monomer, 2′′,3′′,5′′,6′′-tetraphenyl-[1,1′:4′,1′′:4′′,1′′′:4′′′,1′′′′-quinquephenyl]-4,4′′′′-diol. Subsequent sulfonation and solution casting provided membranes possessing ion exchange capacities ranging from 2.1 to 2.8 mmol g. The water uptake of sulfonated polymers increased with increasing IEC, ranging from 68 to 146 % at 80 °C in water compared with 30 % for N117. Proton conductivities ranged between 3 and 17 mS cm at 30 °C/40 % RH, and 88 and 263 mS cm at 80 °C/95 % RH compared with 10 and 100 mS cm for N117, respectively. The proton mobilities ranged between 76.6 × 10 cm V S and 170.4 × 10 cm V S at 80 °C, greater than that of N117. No substantial difference is observed between membrane prepared from polymers incorporating ketone and analogous membranes incorporating sulfone groups, thus inferring that ketone and sulfone groups in the polymer main chain do not appear to have any discernible difference upon membrane properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that the rings O of algebraic integers in $$\mathbb{Q}\left( {{1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 {\sqrt { - d} }}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {\sqrt { - d} }}} \right)$$ for d = 19, 43, 67, and 163 are principal ideal domains but not Euclidean. In this article we shall provide a method, based on a result of P. M. Cohn, to construct explicitly pairs ( b, a) of integers in O for d = 19, 43, 67, and 163 such that, in O , there exists no terminating division chain of finite length starting from the pairs ( b, a). That is, a greatest common divisor of the pairs ( b, a) exists in O but it can not be obtained by applying a terminating division chain of finite length starting from ( b, a). Furthermore, for squarefree positive integer d ∉ {1, 2, 3, 7, 11, 19, 43, 67, 163}, we shall also construct pairs ( b, a) of integers in O which generate O but have no terminating division chain of finite length. It is of interest to note that our construction provides a short alternative proof of a theorem of Cohn which is related to the concept of GE -rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to conduct measurement uncertainty assessment of a new method for determination of Sudan colorants (Sudan I, II, III and IV) in food by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Samples were extracted with organic solvents (hexane, 20% acetone) and first purified by magnesium trisilicate (2MgO·3SiO2). The Sudan colorants (Sudan I-IV) were also initially separated on C8 by gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phases and detected with diode-array detector (DAD). The uncertainty of mathematical model of Sudan I, II, III and IV is based on EURACHEM guidelines. The sources and components of uncertainty were calculated. The experiment gave a good linear relationship over the concentration from 0.4 to 4.0 μg/mL and spiked recoveries were from 74.0% to 97.5%. The limits of determination (LOD) were 48, 61, 36, 58 μg/kg for the four analytes, respectively. The total uncertainty of Sudan colorants (Sudan I, II, III and IV) was 810±30.8, 790±28.4, 750±27.0, 730±50.0 μg/kg, respectively. The recovery uncertainty was the most significant factor contributing to the total uncertainty. The developed method is simple, rapid, and highly sensitive. It can be used for the determination of trace Sudan dyes in food samples. The sources of uncertainty have been identified and uncertainty components have been simplified and considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury and polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) accumulate in organisms through food webs and exert potentially toxic effects on aquatic organisms and humans. This study examined the levels of mercury and PCDD/Fs in organisms and sediment samples collected from a saltwater pond at the An-Shun site, a chloralkali factory that shut down in Tainan City, Taiwan. It was also a pentachlorophenol production plant. After the factories were shut down in the 1980s, mercury and PCDD/Fs contamination remained, posing severe health hazards. The correlation between PCDD/Fs congener accumulation patterns in distinct fish organs and the sediment was evaluated. Mercury and PCDD/Fs levels in all the fish samples exceeded food safety limits, and the concentrations of mercury and PCDD/Fs in each species were closely correlated (n=12, Spearman’s rank correlation [R]=0.811, p<0.01). The mercury concentrations were positively but non-significantly correlated with the weight (n=11, R=0.741, p<0.01) and length (n=11, R=0.618, p<0.05) of the species. The fish likely accumulated the contaminants through ingestion of other organisms or the sediment. However, after the pollutants entered a fish, they exhibited distinct accumulation patterns because of their differing chemical properties. Specifically, the mercury concentration was correlated with organism weight and length, whereas the PCDD/Fs concentration was associated with organ lipid content. The study results are valuable for assessing the health risks associated with ingesting mercury- and PCFF/F-contaminated seafood from the study site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron plays a detrimental role in the intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced brain damage, while hepcidin is the most important iron-regulated hormone. Here, we investigate the association between serum hepcidin and serum iron, outcome in patients with ICH. Serum samples of 81 cases with ICH were obtained on consecutive days to detect the levels of hepcidin, iron, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) was measured at admission and on days 7 and 30, and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score was evaluated at 3 months after ICH. Additionally, the correlations of serum hepcidin with serum iron and the mRS score were analyzed by a generalized linear model. Higher serum hepcidin levels were detected in patients with poor outcomes (P < 0.001), and the mRS score increased by a mean of 1.135 points (95% CI 1.021-1.247, P < 0.001) for every serum hepcidin quartile after adjusting for other prognostic variables. Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum hepcidin was negatively correlated with serum iron (r = -0.5301, P < 0.001), and a significantly lower concentration of serum iron was found in patients with poor outcomes (P = 0.007). Additionally, serum hepcidin was independently correlated with mRS scores of ICH patients (OR 1.115, 95% CI 0.995-1.249, P = 0.021). Our results suggest that serum hepcidin is closely related to the outcome of patients with ICH and may be a biological marker for outcome prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the growth of CuO nanowires from copper foils oxidized in air at temperatures between 400 and 800 $$^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ . The synthesized nanowires have two different morphologies, straight and bent, with diameters of 50-400 nm and lengths of 1-55 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$ . Here, we demonstrate, highly dense, regular arrays of nanowires with high uniformity and few composite particles of CuO and $$\hbox {Cu}_{2}\hbox {O}$$ by a simple contact printing process, in assistant with the viscosity and lubrication of the silicone oil. The average length of nanowires is approximately 15 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$ and the longest NW's length is around 55 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$ . The distribution is uniform, basically in a direction and the density is very large. The nanowires are rarely damaged. Compare to the conventional way, the contact printing used in this paper is an easy, efficient method of the nanowires transferred from one substrate to another substrate and significantly reduced the experiment cost of the nanowire transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fan life forms are bryophytes with shoots rising from vertical substratum that branch repeatedly in the horizontal plane to form flattened photosynthetic surfaces, which are well suited for intercepting water from moving air. However, detailed water relations, gas exchange characteristics of fan bryophytes and their adaptations to particular microhabitats remain poorly understood. In this study, we measured and analyzed microclimatic data, as well as water release curves, pressure-volume relationships and photosynthetic water and light response curves for three common fan bryophytes in an Asian subtropical montane cloud forest (SMCF). Results demonstrate high relative humidity but low light levels and temperatures in the understory, and a strong effect of fog on water availability for bryophytes in the SMCF. The facts that fan bryophytes in dry air lose most of their free water within 1 h, and a strong dependence of net photosynthesis rates on water content, imply that the transition from a hydrated, photosynthetically active state to a dry, inactive state is rapid. In addition, fan bryophytes developed relatively high cell wall elasticity and the osmoregulatory capacity to tolerate desiccation. These fan bryophytes had low light saturation and compensation point of photosynthesis, indicating shade tolerance. It is likely that fan bryophytes can flourish on tree trunks in the SMCF because of substantial annual precipitation, average relative humidity, and frequent and persistent fog, which can provide continual water sources for them to intercept. Nevertheless, the low water retention capacity and strong dependence of net photosynthesis on water content of fan bryophytes indicate a high risk of unbalanced carbon budget if the frequency and severity of drought increase in the future as predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The influence of high peritonitis rate (HPR) on clinical outcomes of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients has been far less studied in the Chinese population than in those of the USA, Australia and Europe. Furthermore, concerning the peritonitis risk, most studies primarily examined the risk of developing the first peritonitis episode, rather than a HPR. Methods: A single-center, retrospective, observational study was carried out over 10 years in Taiwan. A total of 124 patients with at least one peritonitis episode were the study subjects. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the impact of HPR on clinical outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the independent factors associated with a HPR. Results: In the multivariate Cox regression model, HPR was still a significant predictor for technique failure, patient mortality and dropout from peritoneal dialysis (PD). Factors independently associated with a HPR were peritonitis occurrence during the first year after the start of CAPD and the first peritonitis infected with streptococcus species. Conclusion: Peritonitis during the first year after PD commencement and the first peritonitis infected by streptococcus species were significantly associated with an increased risk of a HPR. Our data also indicate that HPR was correlated with technique failure, patient mortality and dropout from PD, thus highlighting the need and role of future studies to reduce this complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the decision on the pros and cons of the optical and electrical properties of organic solar cells, the morphology has proven to be very important. Easy to change the morphology via adding a small amount of additive, because proton dissociation constant is the main reason for their application. In this study, the use of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and [6,6]-phenyl C-butyric acid methyl ester as the donor and acceptor materials, and were subsequently doped with different quantity of 4,4′-sulfonyldiphenol, 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl, biphenyl-4,4′-dithiol. When the proton dissociation constant is higher and lower respectively, the morphology reveals earthworms-like and fiber-like. For the reason that when the additive is biphenyl-4,4′-dithiol, it can improve the power conversion efficiency of about 27% and the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of about 12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propofol is one of the most commonly used intravenous anesthetic agents during cancer resection surgery. It can influence proliferation, motility, and invasiveness of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. However, the role of the propofol in the lung cancer cells remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated the effects of propofol on the proliferation and the apoptosis of lung cancer cell H460 by using colony formation assay and flow cytometry. Propofol also decreased tumor size and weight in established xenografted tumors. Furthermore, propofol-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was determined by Western blot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates a strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of crystal violet (CV) dye by using SiO shell/Ag core nanoparticle in gradient-size surface plate. The excitation of CV dye can be enhanced by the localized surface plasmons of Ag core/shell SiO grains due to electromagnetic (EM) enhancement induced. For SERS resonance, the change of dielectric environment of grains results in red shift and magnification of spectra in varying SiO thickness. Herein, the enhanced SERS conducted the core/shell grain with an SiO thickness of 8.7 nm to magnify the intensity about 83 %-fold that is a direct evidence in enhanced charge transport and mutative dielectric environment. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a 48-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis who presented with polyarthritis. Painless cloudy peritoneal dialysis effluent was also noted incidentally. Analyses of the effluent dialysate showed increased leukocyte count with a predominance of lymphocytes. Empirical intraperitoneal cefazolin was given initially. Routine cultures of effluent dialysate were negative for bacteria, fungi, and mycobacteria. Cytology revealed no malignant cells. However, the turbidity of effluent dialysate was still increased after 1 week of antibiotic treatment. In the meantime, laboratory tests showed significant antinuclear antibody positivity. Additional serology testing found positive antihistone antibody. On reviewing the patient's current medications, we found that she had been taking hydralazine for the past 3 months. Because drug-induced lupus was suspected, hydralazine was discontinued and low-dose steroids were initiated. Clinical symptoms and cloudy dialysate rapidly abated afterwards. There was no relapse of arthralgia during the next 1-year period of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]