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Objective: We conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy of low‐ and high‐dose radioiodine for remnant ablation in patients with low‐risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in China. The first‐stage results showed equivalence was observed between the two groups. Here, we report recurrence and survival at 3–5 and 6–10 years and biochemical parameters. Design, Patients and Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2014, adult patients with DTC were enroled. Patients had undergone total or near‐total thyroidectomy, with or without cervical lymph node dissection, with tumour stages T1–T3 with or without lymph node metastasis, but without distant metastasis. Patients were randomly assigned to the low‐dose (1850 MBq) or high‐dose (3700 MBq) radioiodine group. They were then followed up for 3–5 and 6–10 years. Data on biochemical abnormalities, recurrence and survival were analysed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov and χ2 tests. Results: The data of 228 patients (mean age = 42 years; 70.6% women) were analysed, with 117 patients in the low‐dose group and 111 in the high‐dose group. There were no significant differences in biochemical abnormalities, recurrence, or survival rates at the 6–10‐year follow‐up (all p >.05). Nine patients experienced recurrence in the low‐dose group (8.7%), while eight patients experienced recurrence in the high‐dose group (8.2%). The survival rates were 100% and 98.2% in the low‐ and high‐dose groups, respectively. Conclusions: The long‐term effectiveness and safety of low‐dose (1850 MBq) radioiodine are the same as those of high‐dose (3700 MBq) radioiodine for thyroid remnant ablation in Chinese patients with low‐risk DTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights With the gradual acceleration of development in the modern electronics, there is a higher demand for insulating polymer composites with high thermal conductivity. Herein, the functionalized fillers were fabricated through first deposition of polydopamine (PDA) on boron nitride (BN) plates and then covalent modification of BN‐PDA and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) by γ‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), respectively. Hybridized filler‐filled polycarbonate (PC) composites were prepared by partially substituting Al2O3 for BN plates with constant filler content. The PC composite filled with 9 wt% Al2O3 and 21 wt% BN (PCA3B7) achieved a thermal conductivity of 0.734 W mk−1, which is 217% and 21% higher than that of pure PC (0.231 W mk−1) and PCB (0.605 W mk−1), respectively. Besides, the PC composites exhibit excellent electrical insulation properties (1013 Ω cm), relatively good mechanical properties, and enhanced thermal stability. This PC composite, characterized by its superior comprehensive performance, holds significant promise as a thermal management material in electrical and electronic device applications. Functionalized fillers were fabricated via covalent and non‐covalent methods. The appropriate proportion of hybridized fillers showed synergistic effects. The composite's thermal conductivity was 217% higher than pure PC. The composite exhibited desirable electrical insulating characteristics and thermal stability. The composite could act as a thermal management material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indol‐3‐ones are readily available reaction substrates, but their utility in asymmetric reactions is underdeveloped. Herein, we describe the organocatalytic asymmetric aza‐Friedel‐Crafts‐type reaction of indol‐3‐ones with 1‐ and 2‐naphthols. By using spirocyclic chiral phosphoric acids and quinine‐incorporated squaramides as the organocatalysts, two classes of structurally distinct chiral compounds, namely 2‐(hydroxylnaphthyl)‐indolin‐3‐ones and tetrahydrofuroindoles, are formed respectively. These quaternary centre‐containing indoline derivatives may find use in the synthesis of biologically active molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an immune‐mediated disease that targets the myelin sheaths of the peripheral nerves. Fingolimod is a sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) receptor antagonist with a high affinity for S1P receptors through the Akt–mTOR pathway, and prior research has suggested that it might be helpful in autoimmune illnesses. Methods: Chronic experimental autoimmune neuritis (c‐EAN) was induced by immunizing Lewis rats with the S‐palm P0(180–199) peptide, and then the treatment group was intraperitoneally injected with fingolimod (1 mg/kg) daily. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to assess the severity of nerve injury. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that fingolimod's anti‐inflammatory effects on c‐EAN rats might be realized through the NF‐κB signaling pathway. Tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interferon‐γ (INF‐γ), interleukin‐1beta (IL‐1β), interleukin 6 (IL‐6), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) were measured to evaluate the inflammation levels, and pAkt, p‐S6, and p‐p65 were used to measure the abundance of downstream activation markers to determine whether the Akt/mTOR/NF‐κB signaling pathway was activated in the c‐EAN model. Results: Fingolimod treatment reduced the inflammatory reaction and the expression of NF‐κB in sciatic nerves. It also decreased the mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, IFN‐γ, IL‐1β, IL‐6, iNOS, and ICAM‐1 and pAkt, p‐S6, and p‐p65, representing the Akt/mTOR/NF‐κB signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our data showed that fingolimod could improve the disease course, alleviate the decrease in inflammation, and reduce proinflammatory cytokines through the Akt/mTOR/NF‐κB axis in c‐EAN rats, which could be beneficial for the development of CIDP‐related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An asymmetric decarboxylative Mannich reaction of phosphonate sultam‐ketimines with malonic acid half esters is developed enabled by saccharide‐derived bifunctional amino thiourea catalysis. This protocol provides access to a broad range of α‐amino‐β‐carboxylic phosphonates featuring the N,P‐containing tetrasubstituted stereocenters with 78–99% ee. Further synthetic derivatizations could allow the introduction of amide, alcohol, and azetidine scaffolds to the core structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the microenvironment for peripheral nerve regeneration is permissive, such a mechanism is defective in diabetes, and the molecular mediators remain elusive. [Correction added on May 11, 2022, after first online publication: In the preceding sentence, "is ok" was changed to "is defective".] This study aimed to (1) investigate the relationship between skin innervation and collagen pathology in diabetic neuropathy and to (2) clarify the molecular alterations that occur in response to hyperglycemia and their effects on axon regeneration. Methods: We addressed this issue using two complementary systems: (1) human skin from patients with diabetic neuropathy and to (2) a coculture model of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) with rat dorsal root ganglia neurons in the context of intrinsic neuronal factor and extrinsic microenvironmental collagen and its biosynthetic pathways. Results: In diabetic neuropathy, the skin innervation of intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFd), a measure of sensory nerve degeneration, was reduced with similar expression of a growth associated protein 43, a marker of nerve regeneration. In contrast, the content and packing of collagen in the diabetic skin became more rigid than the control skin. Sec31a, a protein that regulates the collagen biosynthetic pathway, was upregulated and inversely correlated with IENFd. In the cell model, activated HDFs exposed to high‐glucose medium enhanced the expression of Sec31a and collagen I through the activation of transforming growth factor β, a profibrotic molecule. Sec31a upregulation impaired neurite outgrowth. This effect was reversed by silencing Sec31a expression and neurite outgrowth was resumed. Interpretation: The current study provides evidence that Sec31a plays a key role in inhibiting nerve regeneration in diabetic neuropathy. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:821–833 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Sensory symptoms, especially neuropathic pain, are common in polyneuropathy. Conventional diagnostic tools can evaluate structural or functional impairment of nerves but cannot reveal mechanisms of neuropathic pain. Changes in the brain after polyneuropathy may play roles in the genesis of neuropathic pain. Methods: This cross‐sectional study investigated changes of cortical excitability within left primary motor cortex (M1) by measuring resting motor thresholds, short‐interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and afferent inhibition between polyneuropathy patients and controls, and investigated the correlates of these parameters with neuropathic pain and M1 structural and functional connectivity assessed by diffusion tractography imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Thirty‐three painful and 15 nonpainful neuropathic patients and 21 controls were enrolled. There were no differences in intraepidermal nerve fiber density, nerve conduction studies, thermal thresholds, or autonomic functional tests between patients with and without neuropathic pain. Compared to controls, neuropathic patients exhibited similar resting motor thresholds or afferent inhibition, but attenuated SICI and augmented ICF, especially in painful patients. Changes of intracortical excitability in neuropathic patients were correlated with intensities of neuropathic pain, and different presentations of SICI and ICF were noted between patients with and without thermal paresthesia. Additionally, short‐latency afferent inhibition at an interstimulus interval of 20 ms was associated with structural connectivity of left M1 with brain areas associated with pain perception. Conclusions: Maladaptive cortical excitability with altered structural connectivity in left M1 developed after peripheral nerve degeneration and was associated with neuropathic pain and sensory symptoms in polyneuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology and the advent of the 5G era, the role of UAV-enabled mobile edge computing (MEC) system has attracted much attention, especially in the event of some emergencies. However, considering the limited battery life and computing capabilities of UAVs, it is challenging to provide energy-efficient services for mobile devices. To solve this challenge, we propose an energy-efficient dynamic task migration algorithm (EDTM) that minimizes the total energy consumption of the system while ensuring UAVs system load balance. Based on the improved ant colony algorithm and path elimination strategy, the proposed algorithm comprehensively considers task migration distance between UAVs, the load situation of UAVs, and environmental factors (e.g., wind speed and air density) and finally plans a reasonable task migration path. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed EDTM is superior to the benchmark schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the wide clinical use of the third‐generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor osimertinib for the treatment of EGFR‐mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), acquired resistance caused by EGFR C797S tertiary mutation has become a concern. Therefore, fourth‐generation EGFR inhibitors that could overcome this mutation have gained increasing attention in recent years. Here, we identified LS‐106 as a novel EGFR inhibitor against C797S mutation and evaluated its antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. In cell‐free assay, LS‐106 potently inhibited the kinase activities of EGFR19del/T790M/C797S and EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S with IC50 values of 2.4 nmol/L and 3.1 nmol/L, respectively, which was more potent than osimertinib. Meanwhile, LS‐106 exhibited comparable kinase inhibitory effect to osimertinib on EGFRL858R/T790M and wild‐type EGFR. Results from cellular experiments demonstrated that LS‐106 potently blocked the phosphorylation of EGFR C797S triple mutations in the constructed BaF3 cells that highly expressed EGFR19del/T790M/C797S or EGFRL858R/T790M/C797S, and thus inhibited the proliferation of these cells. We also constructed tumor cells harboring EGFR19del/T790M/C797S (named PC‐9‐OR cells) using the CRISPR/Cas9 system and found that LS‐106 markedly suppressed the activation of EGFR19del/T790M/C797S and the proliferation of PC‐9‐OR cells. Moreover, cells harboring EGFR19del/T790M/C797S underwent remarkable apoptosis upon LS‐106 treatment. In vivo experiments further demonstrated that oral administration of LS‐106 caused significant tumor regression in a PC‐9‐OR xenograft model, with a tumor growth inhibition rate (TGI) of 83.5% and 136.6% at doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg, respectively. Taken together, we identified LS‐106 as a novel fourth‐generation EGFR inhibitor against C797S mutation and confirmed its preclinical antitumor effects in C797S–triple‐mutant tumor models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screen printing is an important technique for creating 2D conductive patterns with high conductivity and resolution. Non‐conductive additives are thus required in printable ink formulation in order to achieve appropriate viscosity and rheological behaviors. However, it is still a challenge to recover the conductivity of the printed networks after screen printing, while keeping the integrity of the patterns during repeated water‐washing. Herein, a series of post‐treatments are introduced into the washing process in order to achieve high‐quality silver nanowire (Ag NW) transparent conductive films. Screen‐printed patterns can be well maintained because of the enhanced adhesion between the Ag NW networks and flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrates. High‐performance transparent conductive film with extremely low sheet resistance (0.72 Ω sq−1) is achieved by combining plasma treatment, thermal annealing, and high pressure, making screen‐printed Ag NW conductive networks promising to be used in the next‐generation flexible optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the icing mechanism and anti-icing technology, a small low-speed reflux icing wind tunnel test system was designed and constructed. The refrigeration system and spray system were added to the small reflux low-speed wind tunnel to achieve icing meteorological conditions. In order to verify the feasibility of the test system, the flow field uniformity, temperature stability, and liquid water content distribution of the test section were tested and calibrated. On this basis, the icing tests of an aluminium cylinder, an NACA0018 airfoil, and an S809 airfoil were carried out, and the two-dimensional ice shape obtained by the test was compared with the two-dimensional ice shape obtained by the numerical simulation software. The results show that in the icing conditions and icing time studied, the parameters of the test system are stable, and the experimental ice shape is consistent with the simulated ice shape, which can meet the needs of icing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Disease‐modifying therapies provide new horizons for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv‐PN) to slow neuropathic progression. Initiating treatment at the earliest time requires biomarkers reflecting both small‐ and large‐fiber degeneration in carriers. Methods: This study included examinations of pathology (intraepidermal nerve fiber [IENF] density), physiology (nerve conduction studies, autonomic function test, and nerve excitability), and psychophysics (thermal thresholds) in carriers to compare to healthy controls and asymptomatic diabetic patients. Results: There were 43 carriers (44.2 ± 11.4 years, p.Ala117Ser in 42 carriers), 43 controls (43.4 ± 12.7 years) including 26 noncarrier families, and 50 asymptomatic diabetic patients (58.1 ± 9.5 years). Carriers had lower IENF densities than controls and similar densities as diabetic patients. Median nerve conduction parameters, especially distal motor latency, were the most frequent neurophysiological abnormality in carriers, could differentiate carriers from controls and diabetic patients, were correlated with IENF densities in carriers but not in controls and diabetic patients, and were correlated with nerve excitability parameters in carriers but not in controls. Fifteen carriers (34.9%) with electrophysiological evidence of median nerve entrapment at the wrist had lower IENF densities and more abnormal conduction parameters than carriers without. We defined nerve dysfunction index—the ratio of median distal motor latency to IENF density—which differentiated carriers from controls. Conclusions: In late‐onset ATTRv‐PN carriers with predominant p.Ala117Ser, median conduction parameters were the most common neurophysiological abnormalities and served as surrogate signatures of small‐ and large‐fiber impairment. Combination of median distal motor latency and IENF density can reflect early neuropathy in carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A silver‐catalyzed regioselective 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition transformation of coumarin‐diazo building blocks with arenediazonium salts was documented. This simple and scalable reaction pattern offers a variety of coumarin‐decorated tetrazoles in good yields with excellent regioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the method of preparing strong hydrophobic polypyrrole (PPy) on wind turbine blades. The water contact angle of strong hydrophobic PPy coatings was 127.2°. The strong hydrophobic PPy coatings exhibited excellent anti-icing properties. The maximum icing weight of strong hydrophobic PPy coating blade was almost 0.10 g while the maximum icing weight of no coating blade was found to be 26.13 g. The maximum icing thickness of a strong hydrophobic PPy coating blade was only 1.08 mm. The current research will provide a better technique to create anti-icing coatings on wind turbine blades and other outdoor equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enantioselective addition of enamides to cyclic ketimines generated in situ from 3‐hydroxyisoindolin‐1‐ones was developed. This reaction takes advantage of readily available substrates, mild reaction conditions, as well as enlarged reaction generality, affording chiral 3,3‐disubstituted isoindolin‐1‐ones with a quaternary stereogenic center in high yields (up to 98%) and enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal sulfide photocatalysts are typically required during water splitting to produce hydrogen. However, the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs in these highly unstable photocatalysts has restricted hydrogen production to small‐scale batch reactions. In this work, porous transition‐metal thiophosphites were used to enable continuous long‐term hydrogen production through photocatalysis. A wide bandgap (2.04 eV) was essential for generating hydrogen at a rate of 305.6 μmol h−1 g−1, 180 % faster than nonporous FePS3 nanosheets. More importantly, the high in‐plane stiffness of these approximately 7 nm thick porous FePS3 nanosheets ensured structural stability during 56 h of continuous photocatalysis reactions. The reaction results with D2O instead of H2O indicated that hydrogen mainly came from H2O. Furthermore, a sacrificial reagent (triethylamine) was photodegraded into diethylamine and acetaldehyde through a monoelectronic oxidation process, as indicated by HPLC and LC–MS. This synthesis strategy reported for FePS3 porous nanosheets paves a new pathway for designing other dianion‐based inorganic nanocrystals for hydrogen energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the Straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (SB-VAWT), a rotor structure with auxiliary blade installed behind the main blade was proposed in this study. To investigate the effects of relative thickness and the fixing angle of the auxiliary blade on aerodynamic characteristics of SB-VAWT, numerical simulations were carried out. Two shapes of NACA 4-digital series blade-section, NACA0018 and NACA0024, were selected as the main blades in this work. Effects of relative thickness and fixing angles of auxiliary blade on the aerodynamic performance of SB-VAWT had been analyzed in detail, which had 5 kinds of relative thickness and 3 kinds of fixing angles combined into 13 working conditions. And the main blades and the auxiliary blades were also decided as the NACA series airfoil with five kinds of relative thickness. Three kinds of fixing angle of auxiliary blade installed behind main blade were used including 0°, 5°, and 10°. The simulations included the output power coefficients, the static torque coefficients, and the flow fields around the main blade and auxiliary blade for both the dynamic and static conditions at some typical azimuth angles. The results show that the auxiliary blade with certain relative thickness and fixing angle can improve the output power characteristics and static torque characteristics of SB-VAWT, which can also provide research reference for improving the performance of VAWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore a set of methods to analyze the structure of Lift-Drag Combined-Type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (LD-VAWT), a small LD-VAWT was designed according to the corresponding Standards and General Design Requirements for small vertical axis wind turbines. The finite element method was used to calculate and analyze the static mechanical properties and modalities of main parts of a kind of small-scale LD-VAWT. The contours of corresponding stress and displacement were obtained, and first six-order mode vibration profiles of main parts were also obtained. The results show that the main structure parts of LD-VAWT meet the design requirements in the working condition of the rated speed. Furthermore, the resonances of all main parts did not occur during operation in the simulations. The prototype LD-VAWT was made based on the analysis and simulation results in this study and operated steadily. The methods used in this study can be used as a reference for the static mechanical properties and modal analysis of vertical axis wind turbine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. In order to investigate the effect of aerodynamic characteristics of S series airfoils on the straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (SB-VAWT), numerical simulations and wind tunnel experiments were carried out using a small SB-VAWT model with three kinds of blade airfoils, which are asymmetric airfoil S809, symmetric airfoil S1046, and NACA0018 used for performance comparison among S series. The aerodynamics characteristics researched in this study included static torque coefficient, out power coefficient, and rotational speed performance. The flow fields of these three kinds of blade under static and dynamic conditions were also simulated and analyzed to explain the mechanism effect of aerodynamic performance. According to the results, the SB-VAWT with airfoil S1046 has better dynamic aerodynamic characteristics than other two airfoils, while the SB-VAWT with airfoil S809 is better in terms of the static characteristics. As the most suitable airfoil for SB-VAWT, the S series airfoil is worth researching deeply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this study, antifouling poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blend membranes were prepared by blending the PVC based amphiphilic copolymer PVC -g-poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PVC- g-PHEMA), synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), into the hydrophobic PVC matrix via the nonsolvent-induced phase separation method. The in situ ATRP reaction solutions were also used as the blend additives to improve membrane performance. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the blend membranes based on the two blend routes exhibited similar surface chemical compositions. The membrane morphology and surface wettability were determined by scanning electronic microscopy and water contact angle measurement, respectively. The blend membranes showed improved water permeability, comparable rejections and enhanced antifouling properties compared with the pure PVC membrane. The PVC blend membranes also had excellent long-term stability in terms of chemical compositions and fouling resistance. The results demonstrated that ATRP was a promising technique to synthesize amphiphilic copolymer and prepare stable blend antifouling membranes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45832. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction has been used to treat damp-heat jaundice for centuries in China. However, the absorbed components of the decoction and their related metabolites are little known until now. In this work, an integrative strategy based on liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (time-of-flight/triple-quadruple tandem) was adopted to effectively identify the prototypes and their metabolites and to speculate the possible transformation pathways among these compounds. Using pattern recognition approaches, the exogenous compounds in rat plasma were screened out from endogenous compounds and then distinguished into prototypes and metabolites according to the characteristic information from the self-building database of Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction. On this basis, the metabolic profiles of main prototypes (such as iridoid glycosides, alkaloids, and anthraquinones) were proposed. As a result, a total of 62 related prototypes and their metabolites were detected and tentatively identified in rat plasma after administration, and among them, three prototypes were found for the first time. Glucuronidation and sulfation were deduced to be the main metabolic pathways of alkaloids, iridoid glycosides, and anthraquinones. The integrative strategy used in this study was an effective approach to rapidly discover and characterize the prototypes and their metabolites from a complex bio-sample without the use of standard substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur fumigation has recently been used during the postharvest handling of rhubarb to reduce the drying duration and control pests. However, a few reports question the effect of sulfur fumigation on the bioactive components of rhubarb, which is crucial for the quality evaluation of the herbal medicine. The bottleneck limiting the study comes from the complex compounds that exist in herb samples with diverse structural features, wide concentration range and the difficulty to obtain all the reference standards. In this study, an integrated strategy based on the highly effective separation and analysis by liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and time-of-flight/triple-quadruple tandem mass spectrometry combined with multivariate analysis was established. 68 phenolic compounds that exist in nonfumigated and sulfur-fumigated herb samples of rhubarb were tentatively assigned based on their retention behavior, UV spectra, accurate molecular weight, and mass spectral fragments. Qualitative and semiquantitative comparison revealed a serious reduction of the majority of phenolic compounds in sulfur-fumigated rhubarb. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was applied to holistically discriminate nonfumigated from sulfur-fumigated rhubarb and explore the characteristic chemical markers. The established approach was specific and rapid for characterizing and screening sulfur-fumigated rhubarb among commercial samples and could be applied for the quality assessment of other sulfur-fumigated herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Pale, soft and exudative ( PSE) meat is a quality problem that causes a large economic loss to the pork industry. In the present work, near infrared ( NIR) quantification and identification methods were used to investigate the feasibility of differentiating potential PSE meat from normal meat. RESULTS NIR quantification models were developed to estimate meat pH and colour attributes ( L*, a*, b*). Promising results were reported for prediction of muscle pH ( R2CV = 70.10%, RPDCV = 1.83) and L* ( R2CV = 77.18%, RPDCV = 1.91), but it is still hard to promote to practical application at this level. The Factorisation Method applied to NIR spectra could differentiate potential PSE meat from normal meat at 3 h post-mortem. Correlation analysis showed significant relationship between NIR data and LF-NMR T2 components that were indicative of water distribution and mobility in muscle. PSE meat had unconventionally faster energy metabolism than normal meat, which caused greater water mobility. CONCLUSION NIR spectra coupled with the Factorisation Method could be a promising technology to identify potential PSE meat. The difference in the intensity of H2O absorbance peaks between PSE and normal meat might be the basis of this identification method. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction, consisting of Rheum officinale Baill, Mirabilitum, Phellodendron amurense Rupr. and Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of jaundice. As described in ' Jin Kui Yao Lue', a traditional multistep decoction of Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction was required while simplified one-step decoction was used in recent repsorts. To investigate the chemical difference between the decoctions obtained by the traditional and simplified preparations, a sensitive and reliable approach of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was established. As a result, a total of 105 compounds were detected and identified. Analysis of the chromatogram profiles of the two decoctions showed that many compounds in the decoction of simplified preparation had changed obviously compared with those in traditional preparation. The changes of constituents would be bound to cause the differences in the therapeutic effects of the two decoctions. The present study demonstrated that certain preparation methods significantly affect the holistic quality of traditional Chinese medicines and the use of a suitable preparation method is crucial for these medicines to produce special clinical curative effect. This research results elucidated the scientific basis of traditional preparation methods in Chinese medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhi-Zi-Hou-Po decoction (ZZHPD) is one of the famous antidepressant Chinese formulas and is composed of Magnolia officinalis cortex (HP), Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (ZZ) and Citrus aurantium L. (ZS). Magnolol (MN) and honokiol (HN) from HP are the major active ingredients responsible for the therapeutic effects of ZZHPD. The aim of this study is to compare the pharmacokinetics and rat brain distribution of MN and HN after oral administration of HP extract and its compatibility with other herbal medicines in ZZHPD by HPLC-FLD. Compared with the HP group, Tmax (time to reach peak drug concentration in plasma) and AUC(0- τ) significantly increased in the ZZHPD and HP-ZZ groups. There was little change in the HP-ZS group in comparison with the HP group, which indicated that ZZ promotes absorption extent and defers the absorption rate of MN. The different compatibility of ZZHPD had a different degree of impact on the concentration of MN and HN in brain. The concentration of MN significantly increased in the HP-ZZ group while it decreased in the HP-ZS group compared with the HP group, which explained the concentration of compounds being slightly greater in the ZZHPD group than in the HP group. HP mixed with other medicines resulted in a decrease in HN concentration in the brain, particularly HP compatible with ZS. The results could be helpful for revealing the compatibility mechanism and providing clinical medication guidance for ZZHPD. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been numerous studies concerning the associations of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D), angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1R) gene A1166C, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene 4b/a polymorphisms with risk of pregnancy hypertensive disorders (PHDs). However, the results are inconsistent. A total of 83 eligible studies (10,354/18,446 cases/controls) were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were used to calculate these associations. The effects of ethnicity and types of PHDs were also considered. Results showed significant associations between the ACE gene polymorphism and PHDs in all of the populations except that in Africa. The associations also existed in AT1R, eNOS gene polymorphism and PHDs in part of the gene models in the overall population. These results indicated the ACE gene polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of PHDs, whereas the eNOS and AT1R gene polymorphism only have increased susceptibility to PHDs in part of the gene models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of FDG uptake in the physiologic and malignant nasopharynx were investigated in the paper which was correlated with either pathologic findings or clinical follow-up. Three patients had pathologically established nasopharyngeal malignancy. In the 3 nasopharyngealmalignancies, 2 had diffusely and expansively increased FDGuptake, and one had asymmetric uptake. Our results indicated that the difference between adenoid hypertrophy and malignancy is asymmetric or diffusely expansive 18F-FDG uptake with or without correlating morphologic lesion on diagnostic CT in children under 10 years of age. The typical characteristics of physiologic and inflammatory 18F-FDG uptake in nasopharynx are symmetrically trapezoid. Diffusely increased nasopharyngeal FDG uptake can be considered physiologic if SUVmax is less than 7.6 but should be carefully assessed by pharyngorhinoscopy if SUVmax is greater than 11 and there is no correlating morphologic lesion on diagnostic CT. The diffusely, expansively increased uptake, and asymmetric uptake in particular, should be considered asmalignancy. Further biopsy is especially indicated in patients with retropharyngeal space and bilateral cervical lymph node abnormality but no history of malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, as it can express the human brain’s activities and reflect awareness, have been widely used in many research and medical equipment to build a noninvasive monitoring index to the depth of anesthesia (DOA). Bispectral (BIS) index monitor is one of the famous and important indicators for anesthesiologists primarily using EEG signals when assessing the DOA. In this study, an attempt is made to build a new indicator using EEG signals to provide a more valuable reference to the DOA for clinical researchers. The EEG signals are collected from patients under anesthetic surgery which are filtered using multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) method and analyzed using sample entropy (SampEn) analysis. The calculated signals from SampEn are utilized to train an artificial neural network (ANN) model through using expert assessment of consciousness level (EACL) which is assessed by experienced anesthesiologists as the target to train, validate, and test the ANN. The results that are achieved using the proposed system are compared to BIS index. The proposed system results show that it is not only having similar characteristic to BIS index but also more close to experienced anesthesiologists which illustrates the consciousness level and reflects the DOA successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorhydroxyapatite/strontium-substituted hydroxyapatite (FHA/SrHA) biphasic coatings with F and Sr elements incorporated simultaneously into one coating layer were prepared on titanium substrate via colloidal sol-gel method. The bioactivity of the as-prepared FHA/SrHA biphasic coatings was evaluated in vitro by immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). All the biphasic coatings exhibited great ability to induce apatite precipitation on their surfaces. In vitro cell responses were evaluated using osteoblast-like MG63 cells in terms of cell proliferation and differentiation (alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin level). The biphasic coatings show significantly positive effects on the viability and functional activity of osteoblastic cells with clear evidence that an optimum SrHA amount dose exists, indicating that the coexistence of FHA and SrHA had a synergistic stimulatory effect. This finding suggests the potential use of this colloidal sol-gel derived FHA/SrHA biphasic coatings for hard tissue applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 621-627, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is one of the most widely used traditional Chinese herbal medicines. It has been used for antiinflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial activities, and so forth. Long-term enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation caused more effect on leaves than on roots of the plant. Liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-UV-ESI-Q/TOF/MS) method was applied for simultaneous quantitative and qualitative analysis of flavonoids in leaves and roots of S. baicalensis by enhanced UV-B radiation. Both low-intensity radiation and high-intensity radiation were not significantly increaseing the contents of baicalin, wogonoside, and wogonin in roots. However different intensity of radiation has different effects on several flavonoids in leaves. Both low-intensity radiation and high-intensity radiation had no significant effect on contents of baicalin and tectoridin in leaves; the content of scutellarin was significantly decreased by low-intensity radiation; chrysin was detected in low-intensity radiation and high-intensity radiation, and chrysin content is the highest in low-intensity radiation, but chrysin was not detected in control group. Different changes of different flavonoids under enhanced UV-B radiation indicate that induction on flavonoids is selective by enhanced UV-B radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study tested the hypothesis that circulating microparticles (MPs) are useful biomarkers for predicting one-year mortality in patients with end-stage non-small cell lung cancer (ES-NSCLC). Methods and Results. One hundred seven patients were prospectively enrolled into the study between April 2011 and February 2012, and each patient received regular follow-up after enrollment. Levels of four MPs in circulation, (1) platelet-derived activated MPs (PDAc-MPs), (2) platelet-derived apoptotic MPs (PDAp-MPs), (3) endothelial-derived activated MPs (EDAc-MPs), and (4) endothelial-derived apoptotic MPs (EDAp-MPs), were measured just after the patient was enrolled into the study using flow cytometry. Patients who survived formore than one year were categorized into group 1 (n = 56) (one-year survivors) and patients who survived less than one year were categorized into group 2 (n = 51) (one-year nonsurvivors). Male gender, incidence of liver metastasis, progression of disease after first-line treatment, poor performance status, and the Charlson comorbidity index were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (all P < 0.05). Additionally, as measured by flow cytometry, only the circulating level of EDAc-MPs was found to be significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (P = 0.006).Multivariate analysis demonstrated that circulating level of EDAc-MPs along with brainmetastasis and male gender significantly and independently predictive of one-year mortality (all P < 0.035). Conclusion. Circulating EDAc-MPs may be a useful biomarker predictive of one-year morality in ES-NSCLC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Aim: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is implicated in several cardiovascular disorders, including atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and cardiac transplant arteriopathy. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between HCMV and stroke. Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA were performed on plasma samples isolated from 200 patients diagnosed with stroke and 200 controls. All participants belonged to the Stroke Hypertension Investigation in Genetics (SHINING) study. Results: HCMV seropositivity was higher in the stroke group than in controls (55.0% vs. 23.5%; P < 0.0001). The presence of HCMV DNA increased the risk of stroke (unadjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.59 to 6.11; P < 0.0001). Risks were also increased for the subtypes ischemic stroke (unadjusted OR, 4.01; 95% CI, 2.57-6.24; P < 0.0001) and hemorrhagic stroke (unadjusted OR, 3.80; 95% CI, 1.64-8.78; P= 0.0018). Increased risk with HCMV remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, and smoking (ischemic stroke: adjusted OR, 4.07; 95% CI, 2.52-6.32; P < 0.0001; hemorrhagic stroke: adjusted OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.61-9.36; P= 0.0026). Conclusions: We demonstrate a novel link between HCMV infection and stroke. These findings may provide important insights into the pathogenesis of stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhi-Zi-Hou-Pu decoction (ZZHPD), a classic antidepressant formula, is composed of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (ZZ), Fructus aurantii immaturus (ZS) and Cortex magnoliae officinalis (HP). ZZHPD has attracted a great deal of attention for its antidepressant effects. The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of geniposide (one of the predominant active ingredients) after oral administration of different combinations of ZZHPD and to explore the influence of herb-herb interaction on the pharmacokinetics of geniposide. Twenty four rats were divided randomly into four groups and were administered one of the four extracts: ZZ, ZZ-HP, ZZ-ZS and ZZHPD (ZZ-HP-ZS) via intragastric gavage with approximately the same dose of 40.65 mg/kg geniposide (an effective human daily dose of ZZHPD). Plasma concentrations of geniposide were determined using an HPLC method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated from the plasma concentration-time data. Compared with ZZ alone, the ZZ-ZS combination delayed Tmax and ZZ-HP, ZZ-ZS, ZZHPD remarkably shortened the T1/2 of geniposide. In addition, ZZ-HP, ZZ-ZS, ZZHPD obviously increased the AUC of geniposide. The result illustrated that the oral bioavailability of geniposide was dramatically enhanced when ZZ was combined with HP or/and ZS. It can be deduced that herb-herb interaction may increase the absorption, and significantly improve the oral bioavailability of geniposide in rats. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse spherical periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) with ethane integrated in the framework were synthesized and their application as stationary phase for chromatographic separation is demonstrated. The ethane-PMOs were prepared by condensation of 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) in basic condition using octadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (C18TMACl) as template and ethanol as co-solvent. The morphology and mesoporous structure of ethane-PMOs were controlled under different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and EtOH. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and elemental analysis showed that ethane-PMOs have spherical morphology, uniform particle distribution, highly ordered pore structure, high surface area and narrow pore-size distribution. The column packed with these materials exhibits good permeability, high chemical stability and good selectivity of mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons in normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new amphiphilic triblock copolymers of poly(N‐vinyl pyrrolidone‐b‐methyl methacrylate‐b‐N‐vinyl pyrrolidone) (P(VP‐b‐MMA‐b‐VP)) were synthesized via a reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization route. Using these copolymers as additives in casting solutions, the porous blend membranes of poly (vinylidene fluoride) and P(VP‐b‐MMA‐b‐VP) were prepared following a typical nonsolvent induced phase separation process. The influences of P(VP‐b‐MMA‐b‐VP) on the morphologies of the blend membranes were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The chemical compositions in membrane surface layers were measured by X‐ray photoelectron measurement. Water contact angle and water flux experiments were used to evaluate the hydrophilicity and permeation properties of the blend membranes. It was found that the P(VP‐b‐MMA‐b‐VP) copolymers could be retained in membrane stably in membrane formation and application process. The copolymers could enrich in surface layer and endowed the blend membrane with efficient hydrophilicity and higher water permeation flux. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the idea of partial root-zone drying (PRD) in crop cultivation, the morphological and physiological responses to partial root osmotic stress (PROS) and whole root osmotic stress (WROS) were investigated in rice. WROS caused stress symptoms like leaf rolling and membrane leakage. PROS stimulated stress signals, but did not cause severe leaf damage. By proteomic analysis, a total of 58 proteins showed differential expression after one or both treatments, and functional classification of these proteins suggests that stress signals regulate photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism. Two other proteins (anthranilate synthase and submergence-induced nickel-binding protein) were upregulated only in the PROS plants, indicating their important roles in stress resistance. Additionally, more enzymes were involved in stress defense, redox homeostasis, lignin and ethylene synthesis inWROS leaves, suggesting a more comprehensive regulatory mechanism induced by osmotic stress. This study provides new insights into the complex molecular networks within plant leaves involved in the adaptation to osmotic stress and stress signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dense, crack-free, and uniform La2Mo2− xW xO9 ( x=0, 0.1, and 0.2) nanocrystalline films were successfully synthesized on poly-alumina substrates via a modified sol–gel method, with inorganic salt of La(NO3)3·6H2O, (NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O, and (NH4)6H2W12O24 as precursors. Pure La2Mo2O9 phase was confirmed by X-ray diffractometer when the annealing temperature was >500°C. The average grain size of the La2Mo2− xW xO9 films is in the range of 90–400 nm, depending upon the conditions of thermal treatment, and the thickness of films can reach 1 μm by repetitive spin-coating. The electrical conductivity increases with decreasing grain size and reaches 0.074 S/cm at 600°C in the film with a grain size of 90 nm, which is one order of magnitude higher than that in the corresponding bulk materials. W-doping can suppress the phase transition that occurs at 580°C in pure La2Mo2O9 and enhance the low-temperature ionic conductivity. Furthermore, the activation energy of conductivity in the nanocrystalline La2Mo2O9 films decreases to about 0.6 eV in comparison with 1.0 eV in the bulk ones, which implies that the grain resistance prevails in the total resistance, when grain size reduces to nanometer domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prompt detection and accurate localization of abdominal injuries are difficult. Some diagnostic modalities, including laboratory tests, ultrasound, and diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) were used to evaluate patients with blunt abdominal trauma, with various advantages and pitfalls. We aimed to evaluate the risk and benefit of using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) as an initial assessment tool for proper diagnosis and treatment planning of patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Methods: Two hundred fifty-two patients with blunt abdominal trauma were prospectively enrolled. Multidetector computed tomography was performed during resuscitation. The risk and benefit of using MDCT in the diagnosis and planning of treatment were analyzed. Results: The time required for a MDCT examination averaged 10.2 minutes. Of the studies done, 224 revealed abdominal injuries. Of those, 34 were performed in patients with unstable hemodynamic status without adverse effect. Prompt diagnosis and proper treatment were given according to the MDCT findings. A total of 43 (17.1%) MDCTs showed contrast extravasation. Active bleeding was confirmed in all and treated with transarterial embolization (30) or surgery (13). Another 58 patients sustained bowel, mesenteric, or pancreatic injuries (BMPI) necessitating laparotomy. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MDCT in identifying patients with active bleeding or BMPI were all 100%. Conclusions: Multidetector computed tomography was useful as a second line initial assessment tool to identify injuries and determine treatment planning in blunt abdominal trauma patients. No increased risk was found if the facility is readily available, the protocol is well designed, and the patient is well prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to the general trend of only a few actual trades occurring within point-nonpoint source water quality trading programs in the United States, two trading projects in the Minnesota River Basin, created under the provisions of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, have generated five major trades and numerous smaller ones. In this paper, these two projects are described to illustrate their origins, implementation, and results. It was found that several factors contributed to the relatively high number of trades in these projects, including the offsetting nature of the projects (hence a fixed number of credits that the point sources were required to obtain), readily available information on potential nonpoint source trading partners, and an effectively internal trading scheme used by one of the two projects. It was also found that long term structural pollution control measures, such as streambank stabilization, offered substantial cost savings over point source controls. Estimates of transaction costs showed that the total costs of the trading projects were increased by at least 35 percent after transaction costs were taken into account. Evidence also showed that in addition to pollution reduction, these two trading projects brought other benefits to the watershed, such as helping balance environmental protection and regional economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]