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Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a promising technique for the autonomous healing of concrete cracks. In this study, the effect of pH on MICP was investigated. The results indicate that the MICP process was inhibited when the pH was higher than 11. Both vaterite and calcite were produced when the pH was < 8, whereas only calcite was produced when the pH was > 8. Recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) coated with sodium silicate have been proposed as protective carriers for microbial healing agents. Although the presence of the coated RCA resulted in a loss of the splitting tension strength of the concrete, the loaded healing agents were highly efficient in self-healing cracks. Concrete incorporated with 20% RCA loaded with healing agents exhibited the best self-healing performance. When the initial crack widths were between 0.3 and 0.4 mm, the 7-d mean healing rate was approximately 90%. At 28 d, the crack area filling ratio was 86.4%, while its water tightness recovery ratio was 74.4% and 29.8%, respectively, for rapid and slow absorption. This study suggests that RCA coated with sodium silicate is an effective method for packaging microbial healing agents and has great potential for developing cost-effective self-healing concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a wide range of environmental toxicants, may act on humans through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact, resulting in a range of toxic reactions. Epidemiological studies showed that long-term exposure to PAHs in the occupational and living environment results in a substantial rise in the incidence rate of many cancers in the population, so the prevention and treatment of these diseases have become a major worldwide public health problem. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification greatly affects the metabolism of RNA and is implicated in the etiopathogenesis of many kinds of diseases. In addition, m6A-binding proteins have an important role in disease development. The abnormal expression of these can cause the malignant proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of cancers. Furthermore, a growing number of studies revealed that environmental toxicants are one of the cancer risk factors and are related to m6A modifications. Exposure to environmental toxicants can alter the methylation level of m6A and the expression of the m6A-binding protein, thus promoting the occurrence and development of cancers through diverse mechanisms. m6A may serve as a biomarker for early environmental exposure. Through the study of m6A, we can find the health injury early, thus providing a new sight for preventing and curing environmental health-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibrosis is a response to ongoing cellular injury, disruption, and tissue remodeling, the pathogenesis of which is unknown, and is characterized by extracellular matrix deposition. The antifibrotic effect of Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), as an inducer of Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), in liver, kidney and pulmonary fibrosis has been supported by multiple preclinical evidence. However, despite advances in our understanding, the precise roles of HSP70 in fibrosis require further investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether GGA could participate in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis in mice through apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation. Methods and results: B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and Bcl2-Associated X (Bax) are two proteins related to apoptosis. Anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic factor Bax are often involved in the apoptotic process in the form of dimer. Immunofluorescence and Western blot results showed that bleomycin (BLM) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibited Bcl-2 expression and promoted Bax expression in vitro and in vivo, respectively. In contrast, GGA treatment reverses this change. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are markers of oxidative stress, which often reflect oxidative injury of cells. The detection of ROS, MDA and SOD expression showed that TGF-β and BLM treatment could significantly promote oxidative stress, while GGA treatment could alleviate oxidative stress damage. In addition, BLM significantly elevated Tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), Interleukin1β (IL-1β) and Interleukin 6 (IL-6), while scutellarin reversed the above alterations except for that of GGA. Results: Taken together, GGA suppressed apoptotic, oxidative stress and inflammation in BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: Myxopapillary ependymoma (MPE) was classified as grade 2 tumor in the 2021 World Health Organization central nervous system classification because of its high recurrence probability. This study aimed to investigate predictive factors and management of tumor recurrence. Methods: Seventy-two patients with spinal MPE underwent initial surgical treatment at our hospital between 2011 and 2021. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression were used to analyze the correlation between clinical variables and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: The median age at diagnosis was 33.5 years (range 8–60 years). Twenty-one patients (29.2%) had preoperative spinal drop metastases. Gross total resection (GTR) was performed in 37 patients (51.4%). The median follow-up was 7.2 years, and the follow-up rate was 88.9% (64 of 72 cases). Twelve of the 64 patients (18.9%) relapsed, and preoperative drop metastasis occurred in 7 patients (58.3%). The estimated 5-year and 10-year PFS rates were 82% and 77%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that GTR was associated with improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.149, p = 0.014), while preoperative drop metastasis (HR 3.648, p = 0.027) and tumor involvement sacrococcygeal region (HR 7.563, p = 0.003) were associated with tumor recurrence. Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) was significantly associated with improved PFS in patients with preoperative drop metastasis (p = 0.039). Conclusion: Complete surgical resection under the premise of protecting neurological function is an important factor in reducing spinal MPE recurrence. Adjuvant RT is recommended when the tumor invades the capsule with preoperative drop metastasis or adhesion to the nerve and cannot reach GTR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is a common parasite that invades the epithelial cytoplasm in the hepatopancreas of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and results in slow growth of the host shrimps to cause significant economic loss in shrimp aquaculture. In this study, a TaqMan probe–based qPCR for quantitative detection of EHP was established. A pair of specific primers and a TaqMan probe were designed based on the sequence of cysteine desulfurase gene (NFS1) of EHP. The standard curve between cycle threshold (Ct) and the logarithmic starting quantity (SQ) of the template was determined as Ct = − 3.231 lg (SQ) + 40.638, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.998 and an amplification efficiency of 103.9%. The lower limit of quantification was 1.67 × 101 copies/μL for this TaqMan probe–based qPCR and 1.67 × 103 copies/μL for the conventional PCR. The TaqMan probe–based qPCR established in the research was 100 times more sensitive than the conventional PCR method. In addition, the results of clinical sample detection indicated that the present technique was efficient in detecting EHP in the hepatopancreas, feces, water, and pond bottom mud samples. Therefore, the established TaqMan probe–based qPCR is a suitable technique for detecting EHP in both shrimp and aquatic environment samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relationship between statistical mechanics and nonlocal mechanical theories. Specifically, the relationship among statistical mechanics, nonlocal vector calculus, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), and peridynamics is established. Furthermore, a general particle dynamics method is proposed to solve the solid mechanics problem based on the nonlocal vector calculus and peridynamic bond constitutive model. The proposed method is a successful nonlocal mechanics theory; the convergence of the nonlocal property is verified by numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Himalaya–Hengduan Mountain (HHM) region consists of two global biodiversity hotspots characterized by a high degree of plant endemism. However, little is known about how these endemic species are formed and maintained in relation to the regional geomorphology of the past or current time. Thus, this study investigated the genetic structure of the herbaceous genus Acanthocalyx (Caprifoliaceae) endemic to the HHM to demonstrate if major geographic or ecological barriers in the HHM region have influenced its phylogeographic patterns. Our analyses revealed distinct genetic structures within A. alba and A. nepalensis and indicated that A. delavayi may have recently evolved from isolated peripheral populations of A. nepalensis. In particular, we not only confirmed a well-known genetic structure of alpine plants between the Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains but also discovered a notable floristic boundary (bounded by 30° to 31°N latitude) within the Hengduan Mountains from A. alba. This study provides new insights into the dispersal and intraspecific genetic variation of Acanthocalyx and highlights the importance of geomorphological features for the diversification of HHM alpine flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upregulation of thrombin receptor protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1) is verified to contribute to chronic kidney diseases, including diabetic nephropathy; however, the mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of PAR-1 on high glucose-induced proliferation of human glomerular mesangial cells (HMCs), and explored the mechanism of PAR-1 upregulation from alteration of microRNAs. We found that high glucose stimulated proliferation of the mesangial cells whereas PAR-1 inhibition with vorapaxar attenuated the cell proliferation. Moreover, high glucose upregulated PAR-1 in mRNA level and protein expression while did not affect the enzymatic activity of thrombin in HMCs after 48 h culture. Then high glucose induced PAR-1 elevation was likely due to the alteration of the transcription or post-transcriptional processing. It was found that miR-17 family members including miR-17-5p, -20a-5p, and -93-5p were significantly decreased among the eight detected microRNAs only in high glucose-cultured HMCs, but miR-129-5p, miR-181a-5p, and miR-181b-5p were markedly downregulated in both high glucose-cultured HMCs and equivalent osmotic press control compared with normal glucose culture. So miR-20a was selected to confirm the role of miR-17 family on PAR-1 upregulation, finding that miR-20a-5p overexpression reversed the upregulation of PAR-1 in mRNA and protein levels induced by high glucose in HMCs. In summary, our finding indicated that PAR-1 upregulation mediated proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells induced by high glucose, and deficiency of miR-17 family resulted in PAR-1 upregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes-associated affective disorders are of wide concern, and oxidative stress plays a vital role in the pathological process. This study was to investigate the cerebroprotective effects of hesperetin against anxious and depressive disorders caused by diabetes, exploring the potential mechanisms related to activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were intragastrically administrated with hesperetin (0, 50, and 150 mg/kg) for 10 weeks. Forced swimming test, open field test, and elevated plus maze were used to evaluate the anxiety and depression-like behaviors of rats. The brain was collected for assays of Nrf2/ARE pathway. Moreover, high glucose-cultured SH-SY5Y cells were used to further examine the neuroprotective effects of hesperetin and underlying mechanisms. Hesperetin showed anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in diabetic rats according to the behavior tests, and increased p-Nrf2 in cytoplasm and Nrf2 in nucleus followed by elevations in mRNA levels and protein expression of glyoxalase 1 (Glo-1) and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) in brain, known target genes of Nrf2/ARE signaling. Moreover, hesperetin attenuated high glucose-induced neuronal damages through activation of the classical Nrf2/ARE pathway in SH-SY5Y cells. Further study indicated that PKC inhibition or GSK-3β activation pretreatment attenuated even abolished the effect of hesperetin on the protein expression of Glo-1 and γ-GCS in high glucose-cultured SH-SY5Y cells. In summary, hesperetin ameliorated diabetes-associated anxiety and depression-like behaviors in rats, which was achieved through activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway. Furthermore, an increase in nuclear Nrf2 phosphorylation from PKC activation and GSK-3β inhibition contributed to the activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway by hesperetin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Due to the rarity of diffuse spinal cord astrocytoma, an effective model is still lacking to stratify their prognosis. Here, we aimed to establish a prognostic model through comprehensively evaluating clinicopathological features and preoperative peripheral blood inflammatory markers in 89 cases. Methods: We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression to identify prognosis factors. The Kaplan–Meier curves and ROC curves were employed to compare the prognostic value of selected factors. Results: In addition to clinicopathological factors, we revealed the preoperative peripheral blood leukocyte count, neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were also significantly correlated with overall survival of spinal cord astrocytoma in univariate Cox regression, and NLR was still significant in multivariate Cox analysis. Further, we demonstrated that NLR ≤ 3.65 and preoperative McCormick score (MMS) ≤ 3 were independently correlated with better survival of WHO grade IV tumors. Meanwhile, Ki-67 < 10% and resection extent ≥ 90% were independent prognostic factors in WHO grade II/III tumors. Finally, we developed a prognostic model that had better predictive efficiencies than WHO grade and histological grade for 1-year (AUC = 76.6), 2- year (AUC = 80.9), and 3-year (AUC = 80.3) survival. This model could classify tumors into 4 classifications with increasingly poor prognosis: 1, WHO grade II/III, with Ki-67 < 10% and resection extent ≥ 90%; 2, WHO grade II/III, Ki-67 ≥ 10% or resection < 90%; 3, WHO grade IV, NLR ≤ 3.65 and MMS ≤ 3; 4, WHO grade IV, with NRL > 3.65 or MMS = 4. Conclusion: We successfully constructed a comprehensive prognostic model including preoperative peripheral blood inflammatory markers, which can stratify diffuse spinal cord astrocytoma into 4 subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the prevalence of Internet access and online services, various big graphs are generated in many real applications (e.g., online social networks and knowledge graphs). An important task on analyzing and mining these graphs is keyword search. Essentially, given a graph G and query Q associated with a set of keywords, the keyword search aims to find a substructure (e.g., rooted tree or subgraph) S in G such that nodes in S collectively cover part of or all keywords in Q, and in the meanwhile, S is optimal on some user specified semantics. Keyword search on graphs can be applied in many real-life applications, such as point-of-interests recommendation and web search facility. In spite of the great importance of graph keyword search, we, however, notice that the latest survey on this topic is far out of date. Consequently, there is prompt need to conduct a comprehensive survey in this research direction. Motivated by this, in this survey, we systematically review graph keyword search studies by classifying the existing works into different categories according to the specific problem definition. This survey aims to provide the researchers a comprehensive understanding of existing graph keyword search solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legume plant alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a widely cultivated perennial forage due to its high protein content, palatability, and strong adaptability to diverse agro-ecological zones. Alfalfa is a self-incompatible cross-pollinated autotetraploid species with tetrasomic inheritance. Therefore, maintaining excellent traits through seed reproduction is a prime challenge in alfalfa. However, the cutting propagation technology could enable consistent multiplication of quality plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant. The current study aimed to develop a simple, cost-effective, reproducible, and efficient hydroponic cutting method to preserve alfalfa plants and for molecular research. In this study, alfalfa landrace 'Wudi' was grown in hydroponics for 30 days and used as source material for cuttings. The top, middle and bottom sections of its stem were used as cuttings. The rooting rate, root length, and stem height of the different stem sections were compared to determine the best segment for alfalfa propagation in four nutrient treatments (HM, HM + 1/500H, HM + 1/1000H and d HM + 1/2000H). After 21 days of culture, the rooting rates of all the three stem types under four cutting nutrient solutions were above 78%. The rooting rate of the middle and bottom parts in HM + 1/1000 H and HM + 1/2000 H nutrient solutions reached more than 93%, with a higher health survey score (> 4.70). In conclusion, this study developed a de novo cutting propagation method that can be used to conserve and propagate germplasm in breeding programs and research. This method is a new report on the cutting propagation of alfalfa by hydroponics, which could supplement the existing cutting propagation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), transforming growth factor β(TGF-β) and reactive oxygen species(ROS) plays a central role in cancer metastasis. Moreover, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate 4(NOX4) is one of the main sources of ROS in lung cancer cells suggesting that NOX4 is associated with tumor cell migration. NF-κB(Nuclear factor-Kappa-B) is known to regulate ROS-mediated EMT process by activating Snail transcription factor in A549 cells. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between NF-κB and NOX4 in ROS production during TGF-β induced EMT process. Several fractions have been pooled to evaluates the EMT process on lung cancer cells through real-time PCR, Western Blot and flow cytometry with DCFH-DA probe etc. Cells proliferation and migration activities were monitored by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay and wound healing assay respectively. The result showed that TGF-β induction decreased the expression of E-cadherin, increased the Vimentin and the EMT transcription factor Snail in A549 cells. DPI (Diphenyleneiodonium chloride, an inhibitor of NOX4) inhibited the NOX4 expression and reduced ROS production induced by TGF-β, but didn't affect the activation of NF-κB induced by TGF-β (P > 0.05). BAY11-7082 (an inhibitor of NF-κB) inhibited the NF-κB (p65) expression and prevented the increase of NOX4 expression and ROS production induced by TGF-β (P < 0.001), which has also verified reduced TGF-β induced cell migration by inhibiting the EMT process, and also reduced cell proliferation of A549 cells (P < 0.001). The current research confirmed the TGF-β mediated EMT process via NF-κB/NOX4/ROS signaling pathway, NF-κB and NOX4 are likely to be the potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glyoxalase 1 (Glo-1) is an ubiquitous cellular enzyme that participates in the detoxification of methylglyoxal (MG), a cytotoxic byproduct of glycolysis that induces protein modification (advanced glycation end products [AGEs]), oxidative stress, and inflammation. The concentration of MG is elevated under high-glucose conditions, such as diabetes. Therefore, Glo-1 and MG have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic encephalopathy. We investigated the effect of quercetin on brain damage that was caused by diabetes in rats and the mechanisms associated with Glo-1. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated orally with quercetin (30, 60, and 90 mg/kg) or distilled water for 14 weeks. The temporal cortex and hippocampus were harvested and analyzed for different indices assays. Quercetin, especially at a high dose, increased the levels of reduced glutathione and the activity of superoxide dismutase and decreased the levels of AGEs, the receptor for AGEs (RAGE), and malondialdehyde in the diabetic brain. Quercetin also significantly decreased the levels of inflammatory markers (cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α) in diabetic brains. Most importantly, Glo-1 activity and protein expression were increased in quercetin-treated diabetic rat brains compared with untreated diabetic brains. These results indicate that quercetin exerts beneficial effects by decreasing protein glycation, oxidative stress, and inflammation through the upregulation of Glo-1, which may ameliorate diabetic encephalopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a mixture of pig manure and 13C-labeled rice straw was vermicomposted with Eisenia fetida for 40 days. The results showed that after they acclimated to the vermicomposting environment, the earthworms helped to degrade the substrate residues. After 40 days, the vermicomposting led to much higher pH, EC, C/N, available K, available P, available Zn, and CEC values but much lower available N and available Cu values in the substrate residues compared to the initial values. The earthworms accumulated 13C, Cu, and Zn with a heavy metal enrichment capacity in the order of Cu > Zn. Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed that the Cu and Zn content in the DOM was mainly controlled by the Cu and Zn content in the pig manure. The earthworms accumulated Cu and Zn by feeding on the substrate residues, but the DOM from the 13C-labeled rice straw helped to extract Zn from the substrate residues and promoted the migration of Zn into the earthworm tissues and/or DOM. Moreover, the characterization of the DOM extracted from the substrate residues revealed a decrease in the content of the aliphatic alcohols or polysaccharide-like substances and an increase in the aromatic compounds and fulvic or humic acid-like substances in the DOM as the vermicomposting time increased. This indicated that the higher humification degree in the DOM caused by vermicomposting contributed to the increased mobility of Zn in the substrate residues and helped Zn migrate into the earthworms or DOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin-orbit coupled lattice system under Zeeman fields provides an ideal platform to realize exotic pairing states. Notable examples range from the topological superfluid/superconducting (tSC) state, which is gapped in the bulk but metallic at the edge, to the Fulde-Ferrell (FF) state (having a phase-modulated order parameter with a uniform amplitude) and the Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) state (having a spatially varying order parameter amplitude). Here, we show that the topological FF state with Chern number (C = -1) (tFF1) and topological LO state with C= 2 (tLO2) can be stabilized in Rashba spin-orbit coupled lattice systems in the presence of both in-plane and out-of-plane Zeeman fields. Besides the inhomogeneous tSC states, in the presence of a weak in-plane Zeeman field, two topological BCS phases may emerge with C = -1 (tBCS1) far from half filling and C = 2 (tBCS2) near half filling. We show intriguing effects such as different spatial profiles of order parameters for FF and LO states, the topological evolution among inhomogeneous tSC states, and different non-trivial Chern numbers for the tFF1 and tLO1,2 states, which are peculiar to the lattice system. Global phase diagrams for various topological phases are presented for both half-filling and doped cases. The edge states as well as local density of states spectra are calculated for tSC states in a 2D strip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative solar cell based on a nanowire/quantum dot hybrid nanostructure array is designed and analyzed. By growing multilayer InAs quantum dots on the sidewalls of GaAs nanowires, not only the absorption spectrum of GaAs nanowires is extended by quantum dots but also the light absorption of quantum dots is dramatically enhanced due to the light-trapping effect of the nanowire array. By incorporating five layers of InAs quantum dots into a 500-nm high-GaAs nanowire array, the power conversion efficiency enhancement induced by the quantum dots is six times higher than the power conversion efficiency enhancement in thin-film solar cells which contain the same amount of quantum dots, indicating that the nanowire array structure can benefit the photovoltaic performance of quantum dot solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate effects and potential mechanisms of sarsasapogenin (Sar), an active component purified from Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, on high glucose-induced amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide overproduction in HT-22 cells. HT-22 cells were divided into normal glucose; high glucose (HG); HG co-treated with low, middle, and high concentration of Sar (1, 5, 25 μmol/L); and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist (10 μmol/L pioglitazone). After treatment for 24 h, protein expression of Aβ and β-site Aβ precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) and activated PPARγ level were determined by Western blot; Aβ42 levels were also measured by using both immunofluorescence and ELISA methods. BACE1 activity and mRNA level were assessed by fluorospectrophotometry and quantitative PCR, respectively. Cell viability was assayed with a CCK-8 kit. Elevated Aβ expression and Aβ42 level were found in HG-treated HT-22 cells, accompanied by increased BACE1 protein and mRNA levels as well as enzymatic activity, which was markedly attenuated by three concentrations of Sar and pioglitazone. Moreover, HG reduced nuclear PPARγ levels, which was reversed by middle and high concentrations of Sar as well as pioglitazone. PPARγ antagonist GW9662 (20 μmol/L) pretreatment reversed the effect of Sar on BACE1 protein expression in HG-cultured HT-22 cells. Additionally, Sar suppressed HG-induced decreases in cell viability of HT-22 cells. High glucose can induce an increase in Aβ levels and a decrease in cell viability in HT-22 cells, while co-treatment with Sar improves these results, which is mediated likely through activation of PPARγ and subsequent downregulation of BACE1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using ascorbic acid as reducing agent and different organic acids (e.g., oxalic acid, DL-malic acid and citric acid) as structure-directing agents, a novel class of hierarchical flower-like silver mesoparticles with tunable size and shape were synthesized in high yield. The chemical structures of organic acids with different carbon chain length and functional groups have been found to play critical roles in the process of assembling metal nanoparticles into hierarchical complex structures. The anisotropic morphologies of as-synthesized silver structures could readily be tuned by simply varying the concentrations of reagents and the growth temperature. This synthesis method provides a new synthetic strategy for the anisotropic growth and morphology control of metallic particles. The textured flower-like Ag mesoparticles with hierarchical three-dimensional structures could generate abundant surface plasmon resonance hot spots and exhibit an excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity, revealing the promising potential for practical applications in single-particle and particle-array SERS sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An arbitrary unknown quantum state cannot be measured precisely or replicated perfectly. However, quantum teleportation enables unknown quantum states to be transferred reliably from one object to another over long distances, without physical travelling of the object itself. Long-distance teleportation is a fundamental element of protocols such as large-scale quantum networks and distributed quantum computation. But the distances over which transmission was achieved in previous teleportation experiments, which used optical fibres and terrestrial free-space channels, were limited to about 100 kilometres, owing to the photon loss of these channels. To realize a global-scale 'quantum internet' the range of quantum teleportation needs to be greatly extended. A promising way of doing so involves using satellite platforms and space-based links, which can connect two remote points on Earth with greatly reduced channel loss because most of the propagation path of the photons is in empty space. Here we report quantum teleportation of independent single-photon qubits from a ground observatory to a low-Earth-orbit satellite, through an uplink channel, over distances of up to 1,400 kilometres. To optimize the efficiency of the link and to counter the atmospheric turbulence in the uplink, we use a compact ultra-bright source of entangled photons, a narrow beam divergence and high-bandwidth and high-accuracy acquiring, pointing and tracking. We demonstrate successful quantum teleportation of six input states in mutually unbiased bases with an average fidelity of 0.80 ± 0.01, well above the optimal state-estimation fidelity on a single copy of a qubit (the classical limit). Our demonstration of a ground-to-satellite uplink for reliable and ultra-long-distance quantum teleportation is an essential step towards a global-scale quantum internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangiferin, a natural C-glucoside xanthone, has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, neuroprotective actions. Our previous study showed that mangiferin could attenuate diabetes-associated cognitive impairment of rats by enhancing the function of glyoxalase 1 (Glo-1) in brain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Glo-1 upregulation by mangiferin in central neurons exposed to chronic high glucose may be related to activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway. Compared with normal glucose (25 mmol/L) culture, Glo-1 protein, mRNA, and activity levels were markedly decreased in primary hippocampal and cerebral cortical neurons cultured with high glucose (50 mmol/L) for 72 h, accompanied by the declined Nrf2 nuclear translocation and protein expression of Nrf2 in cell nucleus, as well as protein expression and mRNA level of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) and superoxide dismutase activity, target genes of Nrf2/ARE signaling. Nonetheless, high glucose cotreating with mangiferin or sulforaphane, a typical inducer of Nrf2 activation, attenuated the above changes in both central neurons. In addition, mangiferin and sulforaphane significantly prevented the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) reflecting Glo-1 activity, while elevated the level of glutathione, a cofactor of Glo-1 activity and production of γ-GCS, in high glucose cultured central neurons. These findings demonstrated that Glo-1 was greatly downregulated in central neurons exposed to chronic high glucose, which is expected to lead the formation of AGEs and oxidative stress damages. We also proved that mangiferin enhanced the function of Glo-1 under high glucose condition by inducing activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dactylogyrus ctenopharyngodonid and Ichthyophthirius multifiliis are two important ectoparasites of freshwater fish. Co-infection by the two parasites leads to high fish mortality and results in heavy economic losses. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of medicated feed and a ginger extract bath against D. ctenopharyngodonid and I. multifiliis on grass carp and investigate the hematological response of grass carp co-infected by the two parasites. These results demonstrated that red blood cell (RBC) and thrombocyte percentage among leucocytes significantly decreased after grass carp were co-infected by D. ctenopharyngodonid and I. multifiliis. The monocyte and neutrophil percentages significantly increased with the increment of parasite mean intensities, while the lymphocyte percentage decreased. The activities of serum acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), lysozyme (LZM), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly increased after co-infection. When grass carp treated with medicated feed containing 4% of Astragalus membranaceus, Allium sativum, Morus alba, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, the activities of ACP, AKP, LZM, and SOD were significantly enhanced, and the mean intensities of D. ctenopharyngodonid and I. multifiliis were significantly decreased. When grass carp was treated with medicated feed and a 4-mg/L ginger extract bath, all parasites were eliminated during 28 days. The bath of ginger extract at a concentration of 4 mg/L kept a low mean intensity of I. multifiliis and D. ctenopharyngodonid, then the two parasites were eliminated by oral administration of the medicated feed with an immunostimulant (Chinese medicine compound). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the electrodeposition mechanism of Ti, electrochemistry experiments were conducted using a KF-KCl-KTiO molten salt at a Cu electrode at 950 °C. Transient electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square-wave voltammetry were used in this study. The main phases and compositions of the product were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The resulting product has the structure of metallic Ti. The results indicate that Ti is reduced to metallic Ti by a two-step mechanism, corresponding to the reduction pathway: Ti → Ti → Ti. Moreover, Cu-Ti alloy could be obtained by the potentiostatic electrolysis at a Cu electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory responses play an important role in the development of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and dysfunction. Recent studies demonstrated that increased T-cell infiltration and T-cell activation contribute to LV hypertrophy and dysfunction. Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that orchestrate immune responses, especially by modulating T-cell function. In this study, we investigated the role of bone marrow-derived CD11c DCs in transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced LV fibrosis and hypertrophy in mice. We observed that TAC increased the number of CD11c cells and the percentage of CD11c MHCII (major histocompatibility complex class II molecule positive) DCs in the LV, spleen and peripheral blood in mice. Using bone marrow chimeras and an inducible CD11c DC ablation model, we found that depletion of bone marrow-derived CD11c DCs significantly attenuated LV fibrosis and hypertrophy in mice exposed to 24 weeks of moderate TAC. CD11c DC ablation significantly reduced TAC-induced myocardial inflammation as indicated by reduced myocardial CD45 cells, CD11b cells, CD8 T cells and activated effector CD8CD44 T cells in LV tissues. Moreover, pulsing of autologous DCs with LV homogenates from TAC mice promoted T-cell proliferation. These data indicate that bone marrow-derived CD11c DCs play a maladaptive role in hemodynamic overload-induced cardiac inflammation, hypertrophy and fibrosis through the presentation of cardiac self-antigens to T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration disturbances with variable instantaneous frequencies can be found in many industrial applications. Therefore, rejecting vibration disturbances is a key point for accuracy machining. This paper presents a new method for synthesizing repetitive controllers capable of rejecting variable instantaneous frequencies disturbance. The instantaneous frequencies of the disturbance signal are always consisted of multiple-periods characteristics. Therefore, multiple-periodic repetitive control scheme is obtained and multiple-periods are estimated by Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). HHT is a way to decompose a signal into so-called intrinsic mode functions, and obtain instantaneous frequency data. It is designed to work well for data that is non-stationary and non-linear. Control performance and stability of the proposed repetitive controller with a multi-periodic disturbance are analyzed and its control scheme can be obtained. The decay rate of the rejecting error due to the multiple-periodic disturbance inputs is related to the peak value of a defined regeneration spectrum function. The control performance of the present method is evaluated in an experimental disturbance rejecting control system. Both computer simulation and experimental results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed repetitive controller design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is impaired in brain of diabetic animals, which may be one of the reasons for diabetes-associated cognitive decline. However, the mechanism is still unknown. The present study was designed to investigate whether the increased expression of AChE in central neurons under high glucose (HG) condition was due to activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. It was found that more production of reactive oxygen species, and higher levels of phospho-Akt, phospho-mTOR, phospho-p70S6K, and AChE were detected in HT-22 cells in HG group than normal glucose group after culture for 24 h, which were all attenuated by an antioxidant N-acetyl- l-cysteine. A PI3K inhibitor LY294002 significantly decreased the levels of phospho-Akt, phospho-mTOR, phospho-p70S6K, and AChE protein expression in HG-cultured HT-22 cells, and an mTOR inhibitor rapamycin markedly reduced the levels of phospho-mTOR, phospho-p70S6K, and AChE expression. Furthermore, compared with normal rats, diabetic rats showed remarkable increases in levels of AChE activity and expression, malondialdehyde, phospho-mTOR, phospho-p70S6K, and a significant decrease in total superoxide dismutase activity in both hippocampus and cerebral cortex. However, much lower levels of phospho-mTOR, phospho-p70S6K, and AChE expression occurred in both brain regions of diabetic rats treated with rapamycin when compared with untreated ones. These results indicated that mTOR signaling was activated through the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway mediated by oxidative stress in HG-cultured HT-22 cells and diabetic rat brains, which contributed to the elevated protein expression of AChE in central neurons under the condition of HG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imbalance classification techniques have been frequently applied in many machine learning application domains where the number of the majority (or positive) class of a dataset is much larger than that of the minority (or negative) class. Meanwhile, feature selection (FS) is one of the key techniques for the high-dimensional classification task in a manner which greatly improves the classification performance and the computational efficiency. However, most studies of feature selection and imbalance classification are restricted to off-line batch learning, which is not well adapted to some practical scenarios. In this paper, we aim to solve high-dimensional imbalanced classification problem accurately and efficiently with only a small number of active features in an online fashion, and we propose two novel online learning algorithms for this purpose. In our approach, a classifier which involves only a small and fixed number of features is constructed to classify a sequence of imbalanced data received in an online manner. We formulate the construction of such online learner into an optimization problem and use an iterative approach to solve the problem based on the passive-aggressive (PA) algorithm as well as a truncated gradient (TG) method. We evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms based on several real-world datasets, and our experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in comparison with the baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new process of producing magnesium by thermal vacuum reduction using dolomite and magnesite as materials and silicocalcium as reductant was studied in this study. The reduction process of MgO by silicocalcium was analyzed by phases analysis of reduction slag through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the factors influencing the reduction ratio of MgO were investigated. The experimental results show that when using silicocalcium as reductant, the reduction ratio of MgO can be over 93 %. In the reduction process, calcium in silicocalcium takes part in the reduction reaction of MgO firstly below 1,000 °C and it makes CaSi decompose. It also releases elemental silicon which has more reactive activity and improves the reduction reaction of MgO. That is the main cause that the reduction ratio of MgO using silicocalcium as reductant is 8 %-10 % higher than that by Pidgeon process using ferrosilicon as reductant under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixture of pig manure and maize straw was vermicomposted with Eisenia fetida or naturally composted for 60 days; basic parameters, heavy metal variation, dissolved organic matter (DOM) content, and its characterization were determined, aiming to explore different dynamics of DOM characterization and heavy metal variation during composting or vermicomposting. The results showed that vermicomposting led to higher pH, TC, and available P but lower EC, TN, available N, and available K in the substrate residues compared with natural composting; the total or available Cu/Zn content in the substrate residues similarly increased after composting or vermicomposting, but Cu was easily enriched in earthworm bodies and its intestinal vermicompost while vermicomposting enhanced the formation of dissolved Zn in DOM; moreover, much more fulvic and humic acid-like materials and much greater aromaticity were exhibited in DOM obtained from vermicomposting residues compared with DOM from composting residues, which may contribute to the variations of Cu/Zn enrichment in earthworms and its migration to the vermicomposting residues or its DOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since malachite green was banned for using in food fish due to its carcinogenic and teratogenic effects on human, the search of alternative drug to treat Ichthyophthirius multifiliis becomes urgent. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the ethanol extracts of medicinal plants Cynanchum atratum, Zingiber officinale, Cynanchum paniculatum, immunostimulant (A), and immunostimulant (B) for their efficacy against I. multifiliis, and (2) determine effects of medicated feeds with C. atratum, Z. officinale, C. paniculatum, and immunostimulant (A) to treat I. multifiliis in grass carp. The results in this study showed that the minimum concentrations of C. atratum, Z. officinale, and C. paniculatum extracts for killing all theronts were 16, 8, and 16 mg/L, respectively. In vivo experiments, fish fed with medicated feeds of C. atratum for 10 days, or Z. officinale for 3 days, or combination of three plants for 10 days resulted in a significant reduction in the I. multifiliis infective intensity on grass carp after theronts exposure. Grass carp fed with medicated feeds of immunostimulant (A) for 21 days showed no infection and 100 % of survival 15 days post theronts exposure. Therefore, immunostimulant (A) is a promising feed supplement to treated I. multifiliis with good antiparasitic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protection of telomeres protein 1 (POT1) plays pivotal roles in protection of chromosome ends and regulation of telomere length with other telomere binding proteins; its genetic polymorphisms are associated with many diseases. In this study, we explored a novel PCR-RFLP method for typing the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1034794 of the human POT1 gene. A new restriction enzyme site was introduced into a POT1 gene amplification product by created restriction site PCR (CRS-PCR). One primer was designed based on changed sequence; after PCR amplification, a new restriction enzyme site for AluI was introduced into the PCR products. One hundred and seventy eight samples from Han Chinese individuals were tested to evaluate this new method. The 3′-end of the forward primer was next to the polymorphic site, and the third base from the 3′-end was the mismatched base A. The final PCR product contained the AGCT sequence (AluI recognition site) when the ancestral POT1 alleles were amplified. The data obtained with the new method perfectly matched those obtained with the sequencing method. Thus, CRS-PCR is a new low-cost and high-efficiency alternative for rs1034794 typing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human protection of telomeres 1 ( POT1) gene is a single stranded telomere binding proteins with a critical role in ensuring chromosome stability. There have been variants of POT1 gene, and the polymorphisms of POT1 gene were associated with some diseases. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) is a traditional method to detect the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and it can be used to detect the polymorphism of rs10250202. But the restriction enzymes required for the detection of the polymorphism of rs10250202 are expensive. So we designed a novel PCR-RFLP assay for genotyping the POT1 rs10250202 SNP. In the study, a new restriction enzyme cutting site was created by created restriction site PCR (CRS-PCR), and the restriction enzyme BclI for CRS-PCR was cheaper than other enzymes. After detecting Han Chinese workers, Allele frequencies were found to be 51.54 % for allele A and 48.46 % for allele C respectively. The PCR results were confirmed by DNA sequencing. CRS-PCR provides a simple, low-cost, practical, and reproducible method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: The Agrobacterium -mediated transient expression assay by leaf infiltration in Mimulus lewisii is robust. Fluorescent proteins EGFP, EYFP and DsRed give bright fluorescence signals in the infiltrated tissue. Abstract: Mimulus lewisii is an emerging developmental genetic model system. Recently developed genomic and genetic resources and a stable transformation protocol have greatly facilitated the identification and functional characterization of genes controlling the development of ecologically important floral traits using this species. To further expedite gene and protein function analyses in M. lewisii, we adopted and simplified the Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression method routinely used in tobacco plants. With the validated transient assay, we examined the performance of fluorescent proteins EGFP, EYFP and DsRed in M. lewisii. All three proteins gave bright fluorescence signals when transiently expressed in agroinfiltrated leaves. Furthermore, we demonstrated the utility of fluorescent proteins in M. lewisii by showing the nuclear localization of Reduced Carotenoid Pigmentation 1 (RCP1), a recently discovered R2R3-MYB transcription factor that regulates carotenoid pigmentation during flower development. Both the transient assay and the fluorescent proteins are valuable additions to the M. lewisii toolbox, making this emerging genetic and developmental model system even more powerful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions using solidified landfilled sewage sludge and its modified sludges as adsorbents. After the sludge was characterized using instrumental techniques, adsorption studies were performed in a batch system, and the effects of various experimental parameters were evaluated upon phenol adsorption. The characterization results revealed that more irregular pores, higher surface roughness, and a greater content of oxygen-containing functional groups formed in adsorbents derived from ZnCl or ZnCl and HSO activation. Batch experiments revealed that pH had the weakest effect on phenol adsorption, regardless of the adsorbent type. With increasing adsorbent dosage, the phenol adsorption capacity decreased, and the phenol adsorption rate gradually increased. The maximum adsorption capacity occurred within 120 min, and a first-order kinetic model best described the adsorption. The equilibrium data fitted both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models well, whereas a much higher adsorption capacity and better adsorption strength were observed for phenol adsorption onto adsorbents derived from ZnCl or ZnCl and HSO activation. The results demonstrated that the solidified landfilled sewage sludge previously modified by activator treatment had a heterogeneous surface and was an effective adsorbent for phenol removal from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cedrelospermum (Ulmaceae) is an extinct genus with extensive fossil records in Europe and North America. However, no fossil of the genus has been reported from Asia. Here we describe Cedrelospermum asiaticum L.B. Jia, Y.J. Huang et Z.K. Zhou sp. nov. based on compressed fruits from the late Miocene of Yunnan, southwestern China. The fossil fruits are characterized by an ovate fruit body adjoined by double wings, with the veins on the primary wing converging toward a stigmatic area. According to the historical geographic distribution of the genus, we hypothesize that Cedrelospermum originated in North America where both single-winged and double-winged fruits were reported. The single-winged form subsequently spread into Europe via the North Atlantic land bridge and the double-winged form dispersed into Asia via the Bering land bridge. From the Eocene to Oligocene, a southward retreat of the genus distribution probably took place, which coincided with the global surface cooling initiated during the Eocene-Oligocene transition. The extinction of Cedrelospermum from Asia may be related to the intensification of the East Asian monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explored the developmental trend of orthographic awareness in Chinese-speaking preschoolers. A total of 184 children between 3 and 5 years of age participated in the study. Two developmental patterns of orthographic awareness were obtained. One pattern was dependent on a traditional Chinese orthographic hierarchy, with a sequence of writing system specificity, radical, whole character, radical combination rules, and stroke. Three-year-olds fully understood the writing-system-specific features of Chinese characters, and could distinguish characters from alphabetic scripts and drawings; the average accuracy was >80 %. Five-year-olds were able to distinguish radicals from numbers, as well as regard non-characters with rotated radicals and missing radicals as illegal; the average accuracy was 87 %. At 5 years of age, children could detect whole character rotated non-characters with an average accuracy of 78 %, but were not proficient in identifying non-characters with absent strokes (the average accuracy was 69 %). The 5-year-old children did not know well about radical combination rules; the average accuracy was 67 %. The other pattern was associated with violation means of non-characters, which could be characterized as progressing from form types, to spatial formats, and finally to combination conventions. Children grasped legal form types of scripts (Chinese characters and radicals) at 3 years of age, with an average accuracy approaching 80 %. Five-year-old children detected illegal spatial characteristics of characters, such as up-down reversal, with an average accuracy of 78 %. However, children were unable to understand radical combination conventions even at 5 years of age; average accuracy was 67 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to examine the effect of ovariectomy on visceral fat, serum adiponectin levels and lipid profile. Forty-five female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups ( n=15 each): ovariectomized group (OVX), ovariectomized plus estrogen-treated group (OVX+E), and sham-operated group (SHAM). Body weight, abdominal adipose tissues, serum adiponectin and lipid profile were measured and compared among the groups after three-month feeding post-surgery. Significant increases in body weight and visceral fat were found in ovariectomized rats when compared with sham-operated ones and significant increases were also observed in serum adiponectin, triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in ovariectomized rats. Body weight, visceral fat and serum adiponectin levels were profoundly reduced in OVX+E group as compared with OVX group. It was concluded that ovarian hormone deficiency induced by ovariectomy leads to significant increases in body weight and visceral fat, along with increased serum adiponectin, triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in rats. Attenuation in these changes can be achieved by estrogen supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly method for disposing of livestock and poultry manure. In addition, dissolved organic matter (DOM) can serve as a carrier that enhances the migration and transformation of heavy metals. Here, pig manure amended with rice straw was vermicomposted with Eisenia fetida. The DOM content, molecular weight distribution, and spectroscopic properties of the amended pig manure were measured before and after vermicomposting. The Cu and Zn concentrations in the earthworms increased from 8.24 and 17.63 to 40.75 and 362.78 mg/kg separately after vermicomposting, and the earthworms also increased the heavy metal availability in the vermicompost. Relative to the DOM properties of conventional compost, the DOM molecular weight decreased and varied widely following vermicomposting, and the C/N ratio of the DOM in the vermicompost treatments decreased from 10.37 to 8.60. The Fourier transform far-infrared (FTIR) and fluorescence spectra of the DOM indicated that the amounts of oxygen-containing structures increased while the ratio of humic acid to fulvic acid decreased following vermicomposting. Accordingly, the earthworms augmented the heavy metal mitigation risk in the pig manure. This augment potentially resulted from the decreased humic acid-to-fulvic acid (HA/FA) ratio from DOM structural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality degradation occurs during transmission of video streaming over the error-prone network. By jointly using redundant slice, reference frame selection, and intra/inters mode decision, a content and end-to-end rate-distortion based error resilience method is proposed. Firstly, the intra/inter mode decision is implemented using macro-block (MB) refresh, and then redundant picture and reference frame selection are utilized together to realize the redundant coding. The estimated error propagation distortion and bit consumption of refresh MB are used for the mode and reference frame decision of refresh MB. Secondly, by analyzing the statistical property in the successive frames, the error propagation distortion and bit consumption are formulated as a function of temporal distance. Encoding parameters of the current frame is determined by the estimated error propagation distortion and bit consumption. Thirdly, by comparing the rate-distortion cost of different combinations, proper selection of error resilience method is performed before the encoding process of the current frame. Finally, the MB mode and bit distribution of the primary picture are analyzed for the derivation of the texture information. The motion information is subsequently incorporated for the calculation of video content complexity to implement the content based redundant coding. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves significant performance gains over the LA-RDO and HRP method when video is transmitted over error-prone channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been important developments in the joint analysis of the travel behavior based on discrete choice models as well as in the formulation of increasingly flexible closed-form models belonging to the generalized extreme value class. The objective of this work is to describe the simultaneous choice of shopping destination and travel-to-shop mode in downtown area by making use of the cross-nested logit (CNL) structure that allows for potential spatial correlation. The analysis uses data collected in the downtown areas of Maryland-Washington, D.C. region for shopping trips, considering household, individual, land use, and travel-related characteristics. The estimation results show that the dissimilarity parameter in the CNL model is 0.37 and significant at the 95% level, indicating that the alternatives have high spatial correlation for the short shopping distance. The results of analysis reveal detailed significant influences on travel behavior of joint choice shopping destination and travel mode. Moreover, a Monte Carlo simulation for a group of scenarios arising from transportation policies and parking fees in downtown area, was undertaken to examine the impact of a change in car travel cost on the shopping destination and travel mode switching. These findings have important implications for transportation demand management and urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhaled zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) can induce lung inflammation through released inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin 8 (IL-8), from airways. However, the mechanisms underlying ZnO-NP-induced IL-8 gene expression have not been fully characterized. The transcription inhibitor actinomycin D (Act D) and the BEAS-2B cells stably overexpressing wild-type or mutated IL-8 promoter at the NFκB or C/EBPβ binding site were used to determine the involvement of transcriptional mechanisms. The effect of ZnO-NPs on IL-8 mRNA stability was examined using mRNA decay assay. The phagocytosis inhibitor cytochalasin B (CB) was utilized to define the role of endocytosis in ZnO-NP-induced IL-8 expression. In addition, the solubility of ZnO-NPs in culture medium was assessed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Exposure to ZnO-NPs significantly increased the expression of IL-8 mRNA and protein in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with Act D blocked ZnO-NP-induced IL-8 expression. Both NFκB and C/EBPβ transcription factors were required for ZnO-NP-induced IL-8 transcription. mRNA decay assay showed that ZnO-NP stimulation delayed IL-8 mRNA degradation in BEAS-2B cells. Pretreatment of BEAS-2B cells with CB blocked ZnO-NP-induced IL-8 expression by 30 %. Exposure to ZnO-NPs induced IL-8 gene expression through transcriptional activation and mRNA stabilization. Internalization of nanoparticles was partially involved in ZnO-NP-induced IL-8 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to assess the anthelmintic property of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds extracted and isolated from Dryopteris crassirhizoma against Dactylogyrus intermedius in goldfish. The active ethyl acetate extract was loaded on an open silica gel column and eluted with chloroform–methanol. According to 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, and mass spectral data, the structures of three purified compounds were identified as protocatechuic acid, sutchuenoside A, and kaempferitrin. Among these compounds, sutchuenoside A and kaempferitrin were observed to be effective with median effective concentration (EC 50) of 3.01 and 2.71 mg L −1, respectively. The alterations in the tegument of the parasites treated with isolated compound were examined using scanning electron microscopes. Ultrastructural micrographs revealed shrinkage of body surface, dense tegumental folds, and disheveled protuberances. The structural deformities in the treated parasites were indicative of an efficient anthelmintic activity of the isolated compound kaempferitrin. In addition, the 48-h median lethal concentration for sutchuenoside A and kaempferitrin against goldfish were 12.03- and 11.98-fold higher than corresponding EC 50. The present results showed that ethyl acetate extract of D. crassirhizoma may be considered as a potent source, and sutchuenoside A and kaempferitrin as new natural parasitic agents against D. intermedius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the clinicopathological features of 9 breast malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) patients. Immunohistochemistry was used to make both diagnosis and differential diagnosis, and to identify prognostic factors. All tumors lacked epithelial markers but expressed mesenchymal markers, suggesting a mesenchymal origin. Of the five cases expressing Ki-67, two of three patients with axillary lymph node involvement died between 6-8 months, and two died at 17 and 26 months after diagnosis. The two remaining cases, with low Ki-67 expression, had no recurrent or metastatic disease at 145 months after diagnosis. Previous studies have shown that surgery is the primary treatment of choice, but no clear benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy was observed. We demonstrate that axillary lymph node involvement and high expression of Ki-67 are associated with poorer prognosis. A literature review indicates surgery remains the first choice for MFH, but benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy remain unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Evidences indicate that methylglyoxal, a highly reactive metabolite of hyperglycemia, can enhance protein glycation, oxidative stress, or inflammation. Mangiferin, a polyphenol compound of C-glucoside, has many beneficial biological activities, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, neuroprotection, cognitive enhancement, etc. Whether mangiferin alleviates diabetes-associated cognitive impairment is still unclear. Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of mangiferin on the behavioral deficits of diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin; the mechanisms associated with methylglyoxal toxicity are especially investigated. Methods: Diabetic rats were treated with mangiferin (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg, p.o.) for 9 weeks. Cognitive performances were evaluated with the Morris water maze. Hippocampus and blood were obtained for evaluation of the effects of mangiferin on protein glycation, oxidative stress, and inflammation in diabetic state. Results: Mangiferin significantly improved the behavioral performances of diabetic rats, evidenced by a decrease in escape latency as well as increases in numbers of crossing the platform and percentage of time spent in the target quadrant, which were accompanied by decreases in the levels of advanced glycation end-products and their receptor (RAGE), interleukin-1β, TNF-α, and malondialdehyde and increases in the activity and expression of glyoxalase 1 as well as glutathione level in the hippocampus of diabetic rats. Furthermore, mangiferin produced a significant decrease in malondialdehyde level and increased glutathione level and superoxide dismutase activity in the serum of diabetic rats. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that mangiferin can markedly ameliorate diabetes-associated cognitive decline in rats, which is done likely through suppressing methylglyoxal hyperactivity (promoting protein glycation, oxidative stress, and inflammation) mediated noxious effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]