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Background Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare neurological disorder with complex physiopathological mechanisms that have not been fully understood. Early identification is of great prognostic significance, of which the symptoms and radiological abnormalities can be completely reversed. If the diagnosis and treatment are delayed, ischemia and massive infarction may be developed in some patients. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been reported mainly in association with postpartum eclampsia, which have been rarely reported, while the association with hypothyroidism has not been reported at home or abroad. Case presentation Here we report on a pregnant 29-year-old with multipara and a chief complication of hypothyroidism. She presented in the emergency department with frequent attacks of severe headache symptoms resulting from reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), accompanied with prenatal eclampsia. PRES was determined by radiological examination. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of PRES complicated by hypothyroidism and prepartum eclampsia.Clinicians should be alert for the co-occurence of eclampsia, PRES, and RCVS when patients have convulsions after a typical throbbing headache. Moreover, regular monitoring of thyroid function during pregnancy should also occupy certain special attention.

The full-length nucleotide sequence and genome organization of a novel mycovirus designated as “Rhizoctonia fumigata partitivirus 1” (RfPV1) from Rhizoctonia fumigata AG-Ba strain C-314 Baishi was determined. The genome of RfPV1 consists of two double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs): dsRNA1 (2003 bp) and dsRNA2 (1802 bp). Each of the two dsRNAs contains one open reading frame, coding for a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and a coat protein, respectively. The 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of both dsRNAs were conserved, and the 3′-UTRs of the two dsRNAs had interrupted poly(A) tails, similar to other partitiviruses. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that RfPV1 is a new species in the genus Alphapartitivirus, family Partitiviridae.

Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum) has been harnessed for multi-million-ton scale production of glutamate and lysine. To further increase its amino acid production for fermentation industry, there is an acute need to develop next-generation genome manipulation tool for its metabolic engineering. All reported methods for genome editing triggered with CRISPR-Cas are based on the homologous recombination. While, it requires the generation of DNA repair template, which is a bottle-neck for its extensive application. In this study, we developed a method for gene knockout in C. glutamicum via CRISPR-Cpf1-coupled non-homologous end-joining (CC-NHEJ). Specifically, CRISPR-Cpf1 introduced double-strand breaks in the genome of C. glutamicum, which was further repaired by ectopically expressed two NHEJ key proteins (Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ku and ligase D). We provide the proof of concept, for CC-NHEJ, by the successful knockout of the crtYf/e gene in C. glutamicum with the efficiency of 22.00 ± 5.56%, or something like that. The present study reported a novel genome manipulation method for C. glutamicum.

Background Avian coccidiosis is an important parasitic disease that has serious adverse effects on the global poultry industry. The extensive use of anticoccidial drugs has resulted in an increase in drug resistance. Ethanamizuril (EZL) is a novel triazine with high anticoccidial activity. Methods We compared oocyst production and sporulation between EZL-sensitive (S) and EZL-resistant Eimeria tenella strains (R10 and R200) and used label-free quantitative proteomics to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between these strains. Results We generated two EZL-resistant E. tenella strains: strain R10, which was induced using a constant dose of 10 mg EZL/kg poultry feed, and strain R200, which was generated by gradually increasing the EZL dosage to 200 mg EZL/kg poultry feed. With an increase in resistance, the total oocyst output decreased, but the percentage of sporulation did not change significantly. We identified a total of 7511 peptides and 1282 proteins, and found 152 DEPs in the R10 strain versus the S strain, 426 DEPs in the R200 strain versus the S strain and 494 DEPs in the R200 strain versus the R10 strain. When compared with the S strain, 86 DEPs were found to have consistent trends in both resistant strains. The DEPs were primarily involved in ATP and GTP binding, invasion, and membrane components. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses of the DEPs suggested that they are involved in transcription and translation processes. Protein–protein interaction network analysis of the 86 DEPs showed that 10 proteins were hubs in the functional interaction network (≥ 8 edges) and five of them were ribosomal proteins. Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that the resistance mechanisms of E. tenella against EZL might be related to the transcriptional and translational processes, especially in the factors that inhibit the growth of parasites. The DEPs found in this study provide new insights into the resistance mechanisms of E. tenella against EZL. Further research on these potential targets holds promise for new chemotherapeutic approaches for controlling E. tenella infections. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide and the most prevalent cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases. At present, there is no available vaccine, and recurrences after antibiotics treatment are substantial problems. Major outer membrane protein (MOMP) accounts for 60% of the outer mass of C. trachomatis, functioning as trimeric porin, and it is highly antigenic. Therefore, MOMP is the most promising candidate for vaccine developing and target therapy of Chlamydia. Affibody, a new class of affinity ligands derived from the Z-domain in the binding region of Staphylococcus aureus protein A, has been the focus of researchers as a viable alternative to antibodies. In this study, the MOMP-targeted affibody molecule (ZMOMP:461) was screened by phage-displayed peptide library. Further, the affinity and specificity were characterized by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and Western blot. Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) indicated that the MOMP-binding affibody could recognize native MOMP in HeLa229 cells infected C. trachomatis. Immunoprecipitation assay confirmed further that ZMOMP:461 molecule specifically recognizes the epitope on relaxed trimer MOMP. Our findings provide strong evidence that affibody molecule (ZMOMP:461) serves as substitute for MOMP antibody for biological applications and has a great potential for delivering drugs for target therapy. Key points • We screened a novel affibody molecule ZMOMP:461 targeting Chlamydia trachomatis MOMP. • ZMOMP:461 recognizes the recombinant and native MOMP with high affinity and specificity. • ZMOMP:461 could be internalized into live target cells.

In this work, Gd2O3-doped BZT ceramics were prepared by the sol–gel method. Microstructure, dielectric properties, relaxation behavior, and ferroelectric properties were investigated. The grain size changed significantly with the increase of doping content. When the doping content x = 0.9, the system demonstrated excellent dielectric properties (er = 7788, tan δ = 0.021)., and the dielectric constant remained stable in the high frequency range. As the doping content increased, the relaxation behavior of the system enhanced due to the lattice distortion and the generation of oxygen vacancies. In addition, when x = 0.9, the system had excellent ferroelectricity (Pr = 8.84 μm/cm3, Ec = 2.35 kV/cm), because of the domain inversion and the movement of the domain wall. It is believed that the system with enhanced dielectric properties and piezoelectric properties may be a suitable candidate to replace the lead-based materials.

Facial image editing is one of the hot topics in recent years due to the great development in deep generative models. Current models are either based on variational autoencoder(VAE) or generative adversarial network(GAN). However, VAE-based models usually generate oversmooth images, while GAN-based-only models cannot randomly generate images with specific attributes and suffer from unstable training. To overcome these limitations, a novel attribute-disentangled generative model based on the combination of VAE and GAN is proposed for facial image editing by manipulating specific attributes and synthesizing facial images conditioned on the specified attributes. In the encoder-decoder architecture of the proposed model, the latent space mapped by the encoder is split into two subspaces: the attribute-irrelevant space and the attribute-relevant space. The attribute-irrelevant space characterizes the factors such as identity, position, background etc, which are expected to be kept unchanged during the editing. The attribute-relevant space is used to represent the attributes such as hair color, gender, age etc that we want to manipulate. We use the adversarial training scheme to train the model, where images generated by the proposed model are re-feeded to the encoder to ensure their distribution is close to the real data distribution in the attribute-irrelevant subspace while they can be correctly classified in the attribute-relevant subspace, without explicitly giving the discriminators such as in GANs. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model, quantitative and qualitative comparisons between the proposed model and other state-of-the-art algorithms were tesed on the CelebA dataset. The evaluation results show that the proposed model can effectively generate high-quality facial images with diverse specified attributes.

In this article, the Nb5+-doped BaZr0.1Ti0.89Fe0.01O3 ceramics were prepared by sol–gel method. The effects of the crystallographic structure, micro-morphology, dielectric properties, and dispersive phase transition of Nb5+ dopant BaZr0.1Ti0.89Fe0.01O3 ceramics were studied. The results show that all samples show a unitary characteristic perovskite-type peak. The dopant of Nb5+ could increase these samples density and the grain size, thereby improving their electrical properties. The increase of dispersive phase transition can be ascribed to the larger grain size and the decrease of long-range ordered micro-regions. When the Nb5+ doping amount is 0.75 mol%, it has the largest dispersive phase transition and the optimal dielectric properties: e25 °C = 7671, Tc = 40 °C, tanδ = 0.0067, and γ = 1.89.

The simultaneous chemical phosphorus removal (SCPR) process has been widely applied in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to the high phosphorus removal efficiency through the synergy of biological and chemical phosphorus removal (BPR and CPR). However, phosphorus removal reagents could affect the bacterial community structure in the SCPR system and further affect the BPR process. The BPR phenotypes and community structures in the SCPR system, especially the population of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), are not completely clear. In order to clarify these problems, the phosphorus removal performance and the PAO population in a full-scale SCPR system were investigated. Results showed that diverse PAOs still existed in the SCPR system though the BPR phenotypes were not observed. However, the relative abundances of Accumulibacter and Tetrasphaera, the two most important genera of PAOs, were only 0.59% and 0.20%, respectively, while the relative abundances of Competibacter and Defluviicoccus, two genera of glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs), were as high as 5.77% and 1.28%, respectively. Batch tests showed that PAOs in the SCPR system still had a certain polyphosphate accumulating metabolic activity, which could gradually recover after stopping the addition of chemical reagents. This study provided a microbiological basis for the SCPR system to recover the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) performance under suitable conditions, which could reduce the dosage of chemical reagents and the operational cost.

Ethanamizuril (EZL) is a novel triazine compound with excellent anticoccidial activity. We carried out a preliminary investigation of the effects of EZL on the different life cycle stages of Eimeria tenella. EZL mainly acted on the schizogony stage, with peak activity during the second-generation merozoite stage. We also studied the possible target of EZL by identifying the majorly differentially expressed gene affected by EZL in second-generation merozoites using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and screening for surface antigen proteins (SAGs). The relative expression levels of SAGs were compared by Western blot analysis showing that expression levels of surface antigen family member (SAGfm) and SAG19 were significantly downregulated by EZL. Immunofluorescence analysis indicated that SAGfm and SAG19 were localized on the surface of second-generation merozoites. In addition, fluorescence signals were significantly stronger in second-generation merozoites of infected non-medicated control (INC) group compared with that of the EZL group. Therefore, it was speculated that SAGs might be a potential target of EZL action. The inhibitory effects of anticoccidial drugs on SAG levels in coccidia thus warrant further research.

The purpose of this study was to compare dynamic 18F-FGln PET/CT images of healthy subjects and cancer patients and explore the best imaging phase for different cancers. Thirteen healthy volunteers and 31 cancer patients separately underwent 18F-FGln and 18F-FDG PET/CT scans within 1 week. The distributions of 18F-FGln and 18F-FDG in the whole body and the tumor avidity were analyzed and compared. The tumor maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) and tumor-to-nontumor SUV ratio (SUR) of 18F-FGln/PET at different scan phases were compared. Compared to the healthy subjects, the cancer patients had lower 18F-FGln activity (SUVmean) in most normal organs, especially in the lung, muscle, spleen, and heart (p

Objective This study aimed to identify risk factors for 30-day mortality in patients who received DeBakey type I aortic dissection (AD) repair surgery. Methods A total of 830 consecutive patients who received acute DeBakey type I AD surgery between 2014 and 2019 were included in the study. The associations between 30-day mortality and perioperative parameters were examined in order to identify risk factors. Results Our data suggested that the overall 30-day mortality rate of all enrolled patients was 11.7%. Unsurprisingly, non-survivors were older and more frequently accompanied with histories of cardiovascular diseases. For intraoperative parameters, the prevalence of coronary artery bypass grafting and cardiopulmonary bypass times were increased in non-survivors. In addition, acute kidney injury (AKI), dialysis, stroke, and deep sternal wound infection were more commonly seen among non-survivors. The multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that cardiovascular disease history, preoperative D-dimer level, drainage volume 24 h after surgery, and postoperative AKI were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality after DeBakey type I aortic dissection repair surgery. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that cardiovascular disease history, preoperative D-dimer level, drainage volume 24 h after surgery as well as postoperative AKI were risk factors for 30-day mortality after DeBakey type I aortic dissection repair surgery.

The material used for soft tissue should be flexible and elastic. Poly (1,3-trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) and poly (L-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) (PLCL) were flexible and elastic bioabsorbable polymers. PLCL of various content (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%) was blended into PTMC by the solution co-precipitation method to improve the mechanical properties and adjust the degradation rate of PTMC. The thermal, mechanical, and degradation properties of PTMC/PLCL blends were studied. FTIR showed that the blend of PTMC and PLCL was a physical process. The morphology of fracture surfaces showed that the compatibility of PTMC and PLCL changed with the composition. There was obvious phase separation in PTMC/PLCL (50/50). PTMC / PLCL blends had two glass transition temperatures. The compatibility observed by DSC was consistent with the results of the SEM images of the fracture surfaces. PTMC / PLCL (70/30) had the largest tensile strength up to 19.0 Mpa. The elastic modulus of the blends didn’t change very much with their composition. Compared with pure PTMC, PTMC/PLCL blends showed a higher rate of degradation. However, the PTMC/PLCL blend can provide higher mechanical strength than PTMC during the 12-week degradation period. Meanwhile, cell experiments showed that the PTMC/PLCL blend was non-toxic and didn’t affect the growth and proliferation of the cell. Therefore, PTMC/PLCL with suitable flexibility and elasticity, excellent biocompatibility, and inherent biodegradability can provide a promising alternative choice for the application of soft tissue implants, such as a ureteral stent.

Background Hepatic dysfunction (HD) increases the morbidity and mortality rates after cardiac surgery. However, few studies have investigated the association between HD and acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection (ADIAD) surgery. This retrospective study aimed to identify risk factors for developing HD in patients who received acute type I aortic dissection repair and its consequences. Methods A total of 830 consecutive patients who received ADIAD surgery from January 2014 to December 2019 at our center were screened for this study. The End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score more than 14 was applied to identify postoperative HD. Logistic regression model was applied to identify risk factors for postoperative HD, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression assay were conducted to analyze the association between HD and postoperative long-term survival. Results Among 634 patients who eventually enrolled in this study, 401 (63.2%) experienced postoperative HD with a 30-Day mortality of 15.5%. Preoperative plasma fibrinogen level (PFL) [odds ratio (OR): 0.581, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.362–0.933, P = 0.025], serum creatinine (sCr) on admission (OR: 1.050, 95% CI 1.022–1.079, P P = 0.039), and postoperative mechanical ventilation (MV) duration (OR: 1.019, 95% CI 1.003–1.035, P = 0.020) were identified as independent risk factors for developing postoperative HD by multivariate analyses. In addition, the Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that the long-term survival rate was significantly different between patients with or without postoperative HD. However, the hazard ratios of long-term survival for these two groups were not significantly different. Conclusions HD was a common complication after ADIAD surgery and associated with an increasing 30-Day mortality rate. Decreased PFL, elevated sCr, prolonged CPB duration, and longer postoperative MV time were independent risk factors for postoperative HD.

The structural, mechanical, thermodynamic, and electronic properties of PdSn4 with Ni addition are investigated by first-principles calculations. Substitution of Ni for Pd in PdSn4 causes a decrease of the lattice constants as well as cell volume due to the smaller atomic radius of Ni compared with Pd. The studied structures are thermodynamically stable, but the stability decreases with increasing Ni concentration. The bulk modulus increases while the shear modulus, Young’s modulus, hardness, Debye temperature, and minimum heat transfer ability decrease on Ni substitution. PdSn4 is elastic–brittle. Substitution leads to a ductile structure, and the ductility increases with the Ni fraction except for Pd2Ni2Sn16. The anisotropic character is estimated both based on the formula and graphically, revealing an increasing anisotropic tendency after substitution. Based on their total density of states, all the compounds are metallic. Substitution decreases the hybridization of Pd-d and Sn-p states in the lower energy range but increases the hybridization of Ni-d and Sn-p electrons near the Fermi level.

Ethanamizuril (EZL) is a novel anti-coccidiosis triazine compound synthesized in our laboratory. The marker residue of EZL in chicken tissues was EZL and its metabolite deacetylethanamizuril (deacetylEZL). In order to quantitatively analyze the EZL and deacetylEZL in chicken tissues, a rapid, simple, and specific ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed. Validation was performed according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC guidelines. The detection limit was 5 μg kg−1, 10 μg kg−1, and 5 μg kg−1 in muscle, liver, and skin+fat for EZL. And the detection limit of deacetylEZL was 2 μg kg−1, 10 μg kg−1, 2 μg kg−1, and 10 μg kg−1 in muscle, liver, skin+fat, and kidney, respectively. The mean recoveries from fortified samples ranged from 80.15 to 99.50%, with inter assay coefficients of variation ranging between 5.03 and 15.84%. Based on this method, the depletion profile of EZL was studied in 60 healthy chickens after administration of 10 mg L−1 via drinking water for 3 days. Six medicated and one control chicken were sacrificed at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 60, 72, 96, and 120 h after the cessation of treatment. The highest residue concentrations of marker residue were attained at the first day, and those of all samples were below the MRL at 68.74 h post-treatment. The concentration of marker residue in kidney tissue was significantly higher than those in liver, skin+fat, and muscle tissues. The statistically estimated withdrawal period of EZL with oral administration was 4 days.

The poly(para-dioxanone) (PPDO) was blended with various contents of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (10wt%, 20wt%, 30wt%) by solution co-precipitation in this study. The advantage of PLGA is derived from its safety and low cost. The hydrolytic degradation of PPDO / PLGA blends in vitro was studied by weight loss, water absorption, thermal properties, surface morphology, and mechanical properties in phosphate-buffered saline (pH = 7.44) at 37 ℃ for 8 weeks. After degradation, the weight loss and water absorption of all blends increased significantly. PPDO/PLGA (70/30) showed the largest weight loss during the whole degradation period. With the prolongation of hydrolysis degradation time, higher crystallinity of the PPDO was attributed to the chain breakage of unstable ester bonds. A fenestral structure with defects was formed on the surface of the blend bars with degradation. Besides, the glass transition temperature (Tg), the melting temperature (Tm), tensile strength, and breaking elongation of the blends decreased with the hydrolysis rate varying with the blend composition. Compared with pure PLGA and pure PPDO, the PPDO/PLGA blends exhibited a higher hydrolysis rate because of poor miscibility. Therefore, PPDO/PLGA blends with tailored degradation times have a lot of potential as a biomaterial for biomedical applications, such as high-performance absorbable sutures or a filler for ameliorating facial wrinkles.

Background Prevalence of neonatal microcephaly in populations without Zika-epidemics is sparse. The study aimed to report baseline prevalence of congenital microcephaly and its relationship with prenatal factors in an area at risk of Zika outbreak. Methods This study included singletons born after 24 gestational weeks in 2017–2018 at four hospitals in Guangzhou, China. Microcephaly was defined as a head circumference at birth >3SD below the mean for sex and gestational age. Prevalence of microcephaly was estimated by binomial exact method. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the associations of microcephaly with prenatal factors. The population attributable fraction (PAF) for associated risk factors was calculated. Results Of 46,610 live births included, 154 (3.3, 95% CI 2.8–3.9 per 1000 live births) microcephalies were identified. Maternal hepatitis B virus carriers (HBV, OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.05–3.10) and primipara (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.89–3.81) had higher risk of having a microcephalic baby. Higher prevalence of microcephaly was observed in women who had premature labor (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.17–3.34) and had a baby with fetal growth restriction (OR 16.38, 95% CI 11.81–22.71). Four identified factors (HBV, primiparity, preterm labor, and fetal growth restriction) contributed to 66.4% of the risk of microcephaly. Conclusions The prevalence of microcephaly in Guangzhou was higher than expected. This study identified four prenatal risk factors that, together, contributed to two-thirds of the increased risk of microcephaly. This is the first reported association between maternal HBV carrier status and microcephaly.

Over the past 30 years, human disturbance and habitat fragmentation have severely endangered the survival of common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) in China. A better understanding of the genetic structure of O. rufipogon populations will therefore be useful for the development of conservation strategies. We examined the diversity and genetic structure of natural O. rufipogon populations at the national, provincial, and local levels using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Twenty representative populations from sites across China showed high levels of genetic variability, and approximately 44% of the total genetic variation was among populations. At the local level, we studied fourteen populations in Guangxi Province and four populations in Jiangxi Province. Populations from similar ecosystems showed less genetic differentiation, and local environmental conditions rather than geographic distance appeared to have influenced gene flow during population genetic evolution. We identified a triangular area, including northern Hainan, southern Guangdong, and southwestern Guangxi, as the genetic diversity center of O. rufipogon in China, and we proposed that this area should be given priority during the development of ex situ and in situ conservation strategies. Populations from less common ecosystem types should also be given priority for in situ conservation.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) induced by latent infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) remains the most common head and neck cancer in Southeast Asia, especially in the southern part of China. It is well known that persistent expression of two EBV latent membrane proteins (LMP1/LMP2A) plays a key role in nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis. Therefore, the therapeutic approach of targeting the LMP1/LMP2A protein and subsequently blocking the LMP1/LMP2A-mediated signalling pathway has been considered for treating patients with NPC. Recently, affibody molecules, a new class of small (~6.5 kDa) affinity proteins, have been confirmed to be powerful generalisable tools for developing imaging or therapeutic agents by targeting specific molecules. In this study, three EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain-binding affibody molecules (ZLMP2A-N85, ZLMP2A-N110 and ZLMP2A-N252) were identified by screening a phage-displayed peptide library, and their high affinity and specificity for the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), indirect immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation and near-infrared small animal fluorescence imaging in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, affibody molecules targeting the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain significantly reduced the viability of the EBV-positive cell lines C666-1, CNE-2Z and B95-8. Further investigations showed that affibody ZLMP2A-N110 could inhibit the phosphorylation of AKT, GSK-3β and β-catenin signalling proteins, leading to suppression of β-catenin nuclear translocation and subsequent inhibition of c-Myc oncogene expression, which may be responsible for the reduced viability of NPC-derived cell lines. In conclusion, our findings provide a strong evidence that three novel EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain-binding affibody molecules have great potential for utilisation and development as agents for both molecular imaging and targeted therapy of EBV-related NPC.

Three-dimensional (3D) molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) arrays were used for electrochemical sensor to detect sulfadimidine (SM2) residue in food. NiCo2O4 nanoneedle arrays were decorated on the free-standing and highly conductive 3D graphene by a hydrothermal process. Polypyrrole (PPy) was coated onto NiCo2O4 nanoneedle arrays via electropolymerization in the presence of template molecule SM2 to obtain MIP/NiCo2O4 nanoneedle/3D graphene electrode. The desirable detectability of the composite electrode can be ascribed to the unique structure and the synergistic effects of the components: Nanoneedle arrays on 3D graphene offered the matrix to MIP and each nanoneedle as sensing unit was accessible to analyte, resulting in high specific surface area, desirable conductivity, short ion diffusion path and excellent adsorption capacity, which could powerfully boost the electrochemical property for the detection of SM2. Under optimized conditions, a wide linear range over SM2 of 0.2–1000 ng/mL with a detection limit of 0.169 ng/mL (S/N = 3) was obtained. The developed sensor also had favorable recovery of 92.3–102.23% and the relative standard deviation of 2.27–4.10%. The MIP array sensor provided an efficient tool for the selective and rapid detection of SM2 in food.

This study aimed to identify key genes (microRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA)) and associated signaling-regulated pathways in a drug-induced epilepsy model in mice by microarray profiling. The related microarray dataset of seizures was obtained from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO), and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two control samples or multi-treated samples and samples were analyzed using the statistical software R. To identify the expected function of DEGs, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was utilized to conduct Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. The interaction relationship between microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs in normal and epilepsy mouse models was identified using Cytoscape software. TargetScan7.1 was applied to determine the binding sites of DEGs. The dual-luciferase assay was used to verify the target relationship between miRNA and mRNA. Four miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed genes in both 24-h and 28-day status epilepticus (SE)-treated samples. Ppp2ca expression in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was downregulated in the pilocarpine-induced SE mouse model. The expression of Ppp2ca was also downregulated in the kinase-induced SE model group compared with that in the untreated group and MAP kinase (MEK) inhibitor-treated group of mice. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the MAPK signaling pathway was upregulated in the kinase-induced SE model group compared with that in both the untreated group and the MEK inhibitor-treated group of mice. miR-203 had a targeted relationship with Ppp2ca in both humans and mice. The miR-203-3p target Ppp2ca aggravates the seizures of the SE model in mice.

A wild rice QTL qGL12.2 for grain length was fine mapped to an 82-kb interval in chromosome 12 containing six candidate genes and none was reported previously. Grain length is an important trait for yield and commercial value in rice. Wild rice seeds have a very slender shape and have many desirable genes that have been lost in cultivated rice during domestication. In this study, we identified a quantitative trait locus, qGL12.2, which controls grain length in wild rice. First, a wild rice chromosome segment substitution line, CSSL41, was selected that has longer glume and grains than does the Oryza sativa indica cultivar, 9311. Next, an F2 population was constructed from a cross between CSSL41 and 9311. Using the next-generation sequencing combined with bulked-segregant analysis and F3 recombinants analysis, qGL12.2 was finally fine mapped to an 82-kb interval in chromosome 12. Six candidate genes were found, and no reported grain length genes were found in this interval. Using scanning electron microscopy, we found that CSSL41 cells are significantly longer than those of 9311, but there is no difference in cell widths. These data suggest that qGL12.2 is a novel gene that controls grain cell length in wild rice. Our study provides a new genetic resource for rice breeding and a starting point for functional characterization of the wild rice GL gene.

The Xianshuihe fault zone consists of left-lateral, segmented strike-slip faults, which produce strong and relatively frequent earthquakes, and exposes millions of people to the risk of strong motion and earthquake-induced geologic hazards in Southwest China. Seismicity in this fault zone exhibits typical features of characteristic earthquakes. The stochastic finite-fault model was used to generate time-histories and peak values of strong ground motion at near-fault locations for the characteristic earthquakes. First, the source parameters were determined and verified by comparing them with the simulated time-histories and intensity distribution and observations from the 2014 Kangding earthquake (M w 6.0). Then, scenario-based ground-motion hazard maps were produced from simulated ground motions of characteristic earthquakes. The scenario-based ground-motion hazard maps can be directly compared with historical and future earthquakes in the Xianshuihe fault zone. Scenario-based seismic hazard analysis also has other advantages. Our results show that current design ground motion for the Xianshuihe Fault area is not adequate.

PPy/PANI double-layer nanotubes anchored reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets with three-dimensional architecture (3DGP) have been obtained for supercapacitors applications. The freestanding electrode yields specific capacitance (542 F g−1 at current density of 1 A/g) and excellent cycle stability (92.1% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles in a three-electrode cell configuration). The further assembled symmetric supercapacitor device exhibits a high energy density of 20.8 W h kg−1 at a power density of 250 W kg−1 and good cycle stability (capacitance loss of 7% up to 2000 cycles). The exceptional electrochemical performance of 3DGP can be ascribed to the unique structure and the synergistic effects of the components: (1) Integrating the highly capacitance matrix PPy/PANI coaxial nanotubes hybrid in rGO to enhance the reversible faradic reactions can boost the utilization rate of the electrode materials and circumventing the predicament of pseudo materials. (2) The desirable π–π interactions between highly conductive rGO films and polymer chains construct a high-performance network, which facilitates rapid transport of the electrolyte ions in the electrode. (3) The as-prepared electrode materials fabricated into electrodes directly decrease the “dead weight,” for the addition of binder and conductive agents can be avoided.

Nitromezuril is a novel triazine compound for preventing coccidiosis in broiler chickens. A single treatment of chickens inoculated with Eimeria tenella during the endogenous phase were used to evaluate the developmental stages of action of nitromezuril by clinically anticoccidial indices and histopathology. Results showed that a single dose of nitromezuril at 5 mg/kg b.w. during 56 to 80 h post-inoculation can most effectively prevent weight loss and reduce both oocyst shedding and caecal lesions. The anticoccidial index reached the level of middle efficacy. Histological examinations indicated that administration of nitromezuril during 44 to 104 h after infection significantly reduced the merozoite population and the pathological damage to the caecum. Nitromezuril treatment could disturb the process of schizonts division into schizoites and produce abnormal schizonts. Overall, nitromezuril may exert its effects during the entire endogenous stage of the parasites but the schizogony stages were intrinsically more vulnerable. Nitromezuril is a potential novel anticoccidial agent suitable for further development.

We designed the hollow ZnCo2O4 microsphere with meshy surface by means of ormaldehyde bubble-induced method. To avoid the occurring of the side reaction on the interface caused by its high specific surface area, three-dimensional (3D) polypyrrole/sodium alginate (PPy/SA) composite via the situ polymerization of pyrrole in an aqueous solution of SA was used as the coating layer of ZnCo2O4 to form lychee-shaped ZnCo2O4@PPy/SA microsphere. The PPy/SA was found to have a more favorable conductivity and mechanical strength than PPy. As anode material for lithium-ion battery, ZnCo2O4@PPy/SA possesses numerous merits compared with ZnCo2O4 and ZnCo2O4@PPy. The more outstanding electrochemical performance of ZnCo2O4@PPy/SA electrode with higher reversible capacity, more excellent long-term cycling stability and better rate capability can be attributed to the porous hollow structure and PPy/SA coating, which not only reduce the path length for Li+ ions but also accommodate the volume expansion. Such structured composite electrode may have great potential for the application in lithium-ion batteries.

Background: The exact pathogenesis of idiopathic choroidal neovascularization (ICNV) remains unclear. Cytokine-mediated inflammation has been thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of ICNV. The purpose of this study was to investigate serum cytokine profiles in patients with ICNV and to explore the relationship between serum cytokine levels and ICNV severity. Methods: This case-control study was conducted in 32 ICNV patients and 30 healthy volunteers. Clinical and demographic information was obtained from the medical data platform and the serum was analysed with a multiplex assay to determine the levels of seven cytokines: interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, IL-15, IL-17, basic fibroblast growth factor (basic FGF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Results: Serum levels of IL-2, IL-10, IL-17, basic FGF, and VEGF were elevated in ICNV patients compared to controls. Serum GM-CSF levels were positively related to central retinal thickness, and serum IL-17 levels were positively related to CNV lesion area. Conclusion: Serum inflammatory cytokines were significantly elevated in ICNV patients compared to controls. This suggests that systemic inflammation may play a critical role in the physiopathology of ICNV.

Here, a supramolecular self-assembly hydrogel was designed for SnO2-based anode through electrostatic interaction and ionic bonding between poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) chain and gelator phytic acid. Microrheology measurement was employed to investigate the self-sorting mechanism of the hierarchical nanostructured PAH. Results confirmed that ionically cross-link PAH improves the structural integrity of SnO2 nanospheres due to the reversible ionic bonding and thus increases the lifetime of the electrodes obviously. Besides, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were applied to improve the electrochemical performance of hollow SnO2 nanospheres due to their high conductivity. Results confirmed that the conductive network constructed by MWCNTs reduces the polarization of the composites while increases the specific capacity of the electrodes. Attributed to the synergistic effect of PAH-60 and MWCNTs, the composite electrodes show excellent electrochemical performance with a reversible capacity of 574 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g−1, a discharge capacity of 321 mAh g−1 at 2000 mA g−1 and a spring-back capacity of 506 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1. Additionally, the prepared composite electrodes were observed to have a complete network structure after rate capability test, demonstrating a superior structural stability.

Glomerulopathy with fibronectin deposits (GFND) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by massive fibronectin deposits, leading to end-stage renal failure. Although mutations within the heparin-binding domains of the fibronectin 1 gene (FN1) have been associated with GFND, no mutations have been reported within the integrin-binding domains. In this study, FN1 mutational analysis was conducted in 12 families with GFND. Biochemical and functional features of mutated proteins were examined using recombinant fibronectin fragments encompassing both the integrin- and heparin-binding domains. We report six FN1 mutations from 12 families with GFND, including five that are novel (p.Pro969Leu, p.Pro1472del, p.Trp1925Cys, p.Lys1953_Ile1961del, and p.Leu1974Pro). p.Pro1472del is localized in the integrin-binding domain of fibronectin, while the others are in heparin-binding domains. We detected p.Tyr973Cys, p.Pro1472del, and p.Leu1974Pro mutations in multiple families, and haplotype analysis implied that p.Pro1472del and p.Leu1974Pro are founder mutations. The protein encoded by the novel integrin-binding domain mutation p.Pro1472del showed decreased cell binding ability via the integrin-binding site. Most affected patients developed urine abnormalities during the first or second decade of life, and some mutation carriers were completely asymptomatic. This is the second large-scale analysis of GFND families and the first report of an integrin-binding domain mutation. These findings may help determine the pathogenesis of GFND.

To explore the primary stage or site of action of acetamizuril (AZL), a novel triazine anticoccidial compound, the ultrastructural development of Eimeria tenella at different endogenous stages was studied in experimentally infected chickens treated with a single oral dose of 15 mg/kg AZL. As a result of drug action, the differentiations of second-generation schizonts and microgamonts were largely inhibited and merozoites became irregular in shape. Meanwhile, the outer membrane blistering and perinuclear space enlargement were obvious in the second-generation schizonts and microgamonts, which were never observed in the classic triazine anticoccidiosis drug diclazuril-treated E. tenella. The chromatin aggregation, anachromasis, and marginalization were visible in merozoites and microgamonts. Furthermore, the abnormal evagination of microgametes finally resulted in the degeneration of microgamonts and the failure of subsequent fertilization. The most marked micromorphological alteration occurring in the macrogamonts was the WFB2. Even if the fertilization occurred, the formation of oocyst wall became malformed and the zygote proceeded to the obvious degeneration. In addition, mitochondria swelling and cytoplasm vacuolization were discerned in respective intracellular stages, while endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi body swelling was less seen. These alterations may be the causes leading to the final death of E. tenella and also provide some information for further exploring the mechanism of action of AZL at the molecular level.

The sequential ring-opening polymerizations (ROP) of e-caprolactone (e-CL) and L-lactide (LLA) with benzo-12-crown-4-imidazole carbene (B-12-C-4imY) as the catalyst have been performed. Using either benzyl alcohol or ethylene glycol as an initiator, the corresponding poly(e-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) (PCL-b-PLLA) diblock or poly(L-lactide)-poly(e-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) (PLLA-PCL-PLLA) triblock copolymers were easily prepared. The results indicated that B-12-C-4imY was quite effective for the copolymerization. The diblock copolymerization of e-CL with LLA could only be achieved when e-CL was first polymerized followed by LLA. Feeding the two monomers simultaneously, however, only resulted in the formation of LLA homopolymers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements demonstrated that block copolymers exhibited the decomposition temperature lower than the PCL homopolymer. The copolymers were characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR, FT-IR, GPC, and DSC analyses. 20 × 10 mm2 rectangular specimens made of the triblock copolymer were allowed to degrade in a pH = 7.4 phosphate buffer at 37 °C. Degradation was monitored by various analytical techniques such as GPC, IR, and ESEM.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. The presence of α-synuclein (α-Syn)-positive intracytoplasmic inclusions, known as Lewy bodies, is the cytopathological hallmark of PD. Increasing bodies of evidence suggest that cell-to-cell transmission of α-Syn plays a role in the progression of PD. Although extracellular α-Syn is known to cause abnormal cell motility, the precise mechanism remains elusive. Here we show that impairment of platelet-derived growth factor-induced cell motility caused by extracellular α-Syn is mainly attributed to selective inhibition of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) signalling. Treatment of human neuroblastoma cells with recombinant α-Syn caused S1P type 1 (S1P1) receptor-selective uncoupling from inhibitory G-protein (Gi) as determined by both functional and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based structural analyses. By contrast, α-Syn caused little or no effect on S1P2 receptor-mediated signalling. Both wild-type and α-Syn(A53T), a mutant found in familiar PD, caused uncoupling of S1P1 receptor, although α-Syn(A53T) showed stronger potency in uncoupling. Moreover, S1P1 receptor-mediated β-arrestin signal was unaltered by α-Syn(A53T). These results suggest that exogenous α-Syn modulates S1P1 receptor-mediated signalling from both Gi and β-arrestin signals into β-arrestin-biased signal. These findings uncovered a novel function of exogenous α-Syn in the cells.

To combine the self-setting property of $$\upalpha $$ -calcium sulphate hemihydrate ( $$\upalpha $$ -CSH) with the bioactive property of bioactive glass (BG), BG was added into $$\upalpha $$ -CSH to prepare $$\upalpha $$ -CSH/BG composites. The in vitro bioactivity and cytocompatibility of the $$\upalpha $$ -CSH/BG composites were assessed by soaking the composites in simulated body fluid (SBF) and co-culturing with the osteoblasts, respectively. Formation of a bone-like apatite layer on the composite surface was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Variations in ionic concentration and pH of the SBF solution were detected. The incorporation of BG into $$\upalpha $$ -CSH, effectively compensated for the pH decrease caused by the dissolution of $$\upalpha $$ -CSH and the ion exchange. Osteoblast-like cells (MG63) were cultured on the samples, and the MTT results confirmed that the composites containing BG were more favourable for the proliferation of these cells. Hence, $$\upalpha $$ -CSH/BG composites might have great potential for the use as a bone regeneration material.

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential association between air pollutants and respiratory diseases (RDs). Generalized additive models were used to analyze the effect of air pollutants on mortalities or outpatient visits. The average concentrations of air pollutants in Hangzhou (HZ) were 1.6–2.8 times higher than those in Zhoushan (ZS), except for O3. In a single pollutant model, the increased concentrations of PM2.5, NO2, and SO2 were strongly associated with deaths caused by RD in HZ, while PM2.5 and O3 were associated with deaths caused by RD in ZS. All air pollutants (PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and O3) were strongly associated with outpatient visits for RD in both HZ and ZS. In multiple pollutant models, a significant association was only observed between PM2.5 and the mortality rate of RD patients in both HZ and in ZS. Moreover, strong associations between SO2, NO2, and outpatient visits for RD were observed in HZ and ZS. This study has provided evidence that both the mortality rates and outpatient visits for RD were significantly associated with air pollutants. Furthermore, the results showed that different air pollutant levels lead to regional differences between mortality rates and outpatient visits.

A series of highly interconnected porous poly(D,L-lactide acid) (PDLLA)/pyrite (Zi-Ran-Tong, FeS2) scaffold containing 5–20% of pyrite was fabricated by particle leaching combined with the thermal-induced phase separation method. Pyrite (FeS2, named as Zi-Ran-Tong in Chinese medicine), as a traditional Chinese medicine, has been used in the Chinese population to treat bone diseases and to promote bone healing. The mechanical properties of the PDLLA scaffold were significantly enhanced after the addition of pyrite. The osteoblastic ROS17/2.8 cell line was used and seeded on the PDLLA/pyrite scaffold to study its potential to support the growth of osteoblastic cells and to estimate the optimal dose of pyrite for bone tissue engineering. The effects of pyrite on cell proliferation and differentiation were evaluated by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and alkaline phosphatase activity assay. The cells on the porous composite scaffold formed a continuous layer on the outer and inner surface observed by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscope. The results strongly suggested that the PDLLA/pyrite composite scaffold could stimulate the growth of ROS17/2.8 cells in vitro and it could be potentially used as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a β-herpes virus subfamily member, leads to a lifelong, latent infection in most humans, but the correlation between HCMV infection and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains controversial. We analyzed the relevance of HCMV infection in SLE by analyzing the peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) and serum samples of 60 patients with SLE and 111 healthy individuals. HCMV genes UL55 and UL138 were detected in PBLs by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and HCMV-specific serum IgG and IgM antibodies were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relationship between cellular HCMV infection in PBLs and common clinical indicators of SLE was further explored. Data indicated that the frequency of positive IgG and IgM anti-CMV antibodies was not significantly different in SLE patients and controls. However, compared to the healthy controls, the titers of IgG and IgM anti-CMV antibodies in SLE patients were significantly higher. The detection of cellular HCMV infection showed that almost all subjects were positive for UL138 gene in PBLs, but the positivity for UL55 gene was lower in PBLs. HCMV UL138 detection in PBLs was highly consistent with the frequency of the HCMV-specific IgG test and did not show significant difference in SLE patients and healthy controls. However, compared with that in healthy people, the positivity rate for cellular HCMV UL55 detection was significantly higher in SLE patients (P < 0.001). In addition, cellular HCMV UL55 with positive detection in PBLs was associated with significantly different clinical characteristics of SLE than that with negative detection. In conclusion, our data confirmed that the HCMV infection was related to the development of SLE. Especially, some clinical strains or substrains of HCMV, such as containing the UL55 gene in HCMV’s genome, might play a vital role in the development of SLE.

To investigate the differential contribution of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation by fungi and bacteria, the PAH-degrading ability and characteristics of EPS from the bacterium Mycobacterium gilvum SN12 and the fungus Mucor mucedo were compared. The fungus degraded 11% more pyrene and 21% more benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) than the bacterium. The biodegradation of pyrene and B[a]P increased after EPS were introduced into the PAH degradation solution, and 5.0% more pyrene and 4.5% more B[a]P were achieved for the added EPS from the fungal compared with the bacterial isolate. The comparison of two EPS indicated that the amount of protein and carbohydrate in EPS from the fungus was greater than that from the bacterium and was especially enriched for tryptophan, which is positively related to the increase of PAH biodegradation by fungal EPS. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) further revealed that higher molecular weight (HMW) of proteins over 200 kDa only existed in EPS from the fungus, and the polymorphism of proteins in EPS from the fungus was more abundant than that from the bacterium. The HMW proteins with stronger hydrophobicity in the fungal EPS also enabled the fungus to absorb more PAH than the bacterium. The results demonstrated that the pronounced differences in the characteristics of EPS from the fungal and the bacterial sources are responsible for the differential effects on PAH biodegradation.

Block aliphatic polyesters can be useful for medical and pharmaceutical applications. These materials can be prepared by sequential ring-opening polymerization reactions. In this work, a set of poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) aliphatic polyester AB diblock copolymers and poly(L-lactide)-poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) aliphatic polyester ABA triblock copolymers were prepared by consecutive controlled ring-opening polymerizations. Ring-opening polymerization of ɛ-caprolactone in the presence of 1-isopropyl-3-(4-methoxyphenyl) imidazol-2-ylidene and ethylene glycol offered α, ω-dihydroxyl-terminate poly( ɛ-caprolactone). An array of poly(L-lactide)-poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) triblock copolymers with controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions was synthesized using the telechelic poly( ɛ-caprolactone) samples as macroinitiators for the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide. 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectral data of copolymers showed the chemical structures without random placement. Meanwhile, the spectral data also indicated that this polymerization mechanism was in agreement with the activated monomer mechanism.

Osteosarcoma is the most commonly diagnosed primary malignant bone tumor, with similar global incidence rate across childhood and adolescence. Patients with localized disease have a 5-year survival period of 80 %; however, the prognosis is poor in those with metastatic osteosarcoma. The origin of the primary tumor is most frequently the metaphyseal (actively growing) regions of the distal femur, proximal tibia, and proximal humerus, although the tumor can develop in any bone, and the most likely sites for metastasis are the lungs and bone. Ezrin is a member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family of proteins that functions as a cross-linker between the actin cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane, and ezrin also plays a positive role in maintaining cell shape and polarity and facilitates membrane-trafficking pathways, cell migration, cell signaling, growth regulation, and differentiation. There is strong evidence to suggest that ezrin is necessary for osteosarcoma metastasis. The objective of the current review is to summarize the know-how about metastatic progression in osteosarcoma, with a focus on ezrin. Despite the promise that preliminary studies on ezrin have shown, there is a great need to further analyze the role of ezrin in osteosarcoma metastasis and to determine its usefulness as a biomarker for the disease.

To investigate the potential interactive effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) and valproic acid (VPA) on hepatic steatosis and hepatotoxicity in rats. Male SD rats were orally administered VPA (100 or 500 mg·kg−1·d−1) combined with HFD or a standard diet for 8 weeks. Blood and liver samples were analyzed to determine lipid levels and hepatic function biomarkers using commercial kit assays. Low-molecular-weight compounds in serum, urine and bile samples were analyzed using a metabonomic approach based on GC/TOF-MS. HFD alone induced extensive hepatocyte steatosis and edema in rats, while VPA alone did not cause significant liver lesions. VPA significantly aggravated HFD-induced accumulation of liver lipids, and caused additional spotty or piecemeal necrosis, accompanied by moderate infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver. Metabonomic analysis of serum, urine and bile samples revealed that HFD significantly increased the levels of amino acids, free fatty acids (FFAs) and 3-hydroxy-butanoic acid, whereas VPA markedly decreased the levels of amino acids, FFAs and the intermediate products of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) compared with the control group. HFD aggravated VPA-induced inhibition on lipid and amino acid metabolism. HFD magnifies VPA-induced impairment of mitochondrial β-oxidation of FFAs and TCA, thereby increases hepatic steatosis and hepatotoxicity. The results suggest the patients receiving VPA treatment should be advised to avoid eating HFD.

To evaluate the significance of MAGE-A3 novel immunodominant epitopes in serological diagnosis of gastric cancer.B cell, CTL, and Th epitopes of MAGE-A3 were analyzed using computer-assisted techniques. Three possible immunodominant epitope peptides located at 5aa-23aa (QRSQHCKPEEGLEARGEAL), 112aa-131aa (KVAELVHFLLLKYRAREPVT), and 232aa-246aa (EGREDSILGDPKKLL) with potential B cell-dominant epitope, high-score HLA-A2 and A24 restriction CTL epitope, and HLA-DRB restriction Th epitope were selected. After optimized by prokaryotic codon, these genes were expressed as Trx-His-tag recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni-NTA agarose beads. Three recombinant proteins were identified by Western blotting using His-tag monoclonal antibody and the serum antibodies from the patient of gastric cancer. The level of specific antibodies in the sera from 210 patients with gastric cancer, 56 patients with chronic gastritis, and 116 healthy controls was further analyzed by indirect ELISA.Three MAGE-A3 epitope recombinant proteins about 20 kDa molecular weight were specifically recognized by His-tag monoclonal antibody and the serum of gastric cancer patients. ELISA based on the epitope recombinant protein indicated that gastric cancer patients had significantly higher reactivity to these immunodominant epitope proteins compared with chronic gastritis and healthy individuals (P 0.05). Furthermore, the serum antibody positive rate in the gastric cancer group was also significantly higher than that in the chronic gastritis patients and healthy controls (P 0.05), while there was no significant difference in gastritis group and the healthy control group (P 0.05).These study results demonstrated that these three predictive epitopes may be potential targets for applications in the design of serological diagnosis tools for gastric cancer.

A sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous determination of trimethoprim and diaveridine in edible tissue samples (chicken and porcine muscle; liver, kidney, and fat tissues as well as fish muscle) was developed and validated in this study. Trimethoprim, diaveridine, and the internal standard trimethoprim-D3 were extracted from samples using acetonitrile. The Oasis MCX Solid-Phase Extraction Cartridge was selected for cleaning up the extracts. Chromatographic separation was performed on a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column with gradient elution. The analytes were determined using triple–quadrupole mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring mode. The relative recoveries from spiked samples ranged from 82.5 to 117.2 %, with the relative standard deviations generally being below 15.4 %. Limits of detection and quantification for analytes were within 0.3–1 and 1–2 μg kg−1, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to detect trimethoprim and diaveridine in real samples.

High-resolution differential dilatometry was employed to study the kinetics of the martensite formation upon isochronal cooling/quenching of substitutional Fe-(0.5, 0.7, and 1.0) at. pct Al alloys at fast cooling/quenching rates in the range of 17 K (17 °C) through 100 K (100 °C) s−1, with an emphasis on the as-yet unexpected influence of cooling/quenching rate. The martensite transformation initiated at nearly the same temperature (i.e., the $$ M_{\text{S}} $$ temperature) in the ferrite-phase region for all cooling/quenching rates applied, which indicates athermal nucleation: the chemical driving force governs the initiation of the nucleation of the martensite plates. Variation of the cooling/quenching rates revealed two principal kinetic features: both the temperature ranges passed during transformation and the grain size of the product martensite increase with the increase of cooling/quenching rates. A modular phase-transformation model, incorporating a classic partitioning analysis for nucleation and anisotropic growth for impingement, has been employed to extract the velocity of the migrating martensite/austenite interface from the dilatometric data. The thus obtained velocity of the martensite/austenite interface as function of temperature indicates a thermally activated growth governed by relatively lower activation energy, as determined by evaluation of the martensite-formation-rate maximum as function of cooling/quenching rate.

Random copolymer of e-caprolactone with 2,2-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate has been synthesized by using N-heterocyclic carbene organocatalysts for the first time. A series of N-heterocyclic carbenes namely, imidazol-2-ylidenes substituted at 1,3 position by benzyl, isopropyl, ethyl and methyl were demonstrated to bring about the metal-free ring-opening copolymerization of e-caprolactone and 2,2-dimethyltrimethylene initiated by benzyl alcohol in THF. The influences of reaction conditions, such as monomer, catalyst, and initiator concentration, as well as reaction temperature and time on the copolymerization have been examined in detail. The results show that 1-isopropyl-3-benzyl imidazol-2-ylidene carbene was potent organic catalyst for the ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic esters to generate well-defined linear polyesters of controlled molecular weight and narrow polydispersity. 1H NMR spectral data of copolymer obtained showed that the polymerization mechanism is in agreement with the activated monomer mechanism.