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The accumulation and incineration of waste tires have caused great damage to the environment. Therefore, recycling waste tires efficiently and economically has become an important issue in protecting world resources and the environment. In this study, 5%, 10%, and 15% rubber particles were used to replace fine sand in concrete, and basalt fibers (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%) and polypropylene fibers (0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2%) were added to rubber concrete to prepare hybrid fiber rubber concrete (HFRC). The experiments investigated the changes of mechanical properties of basalt (BF), polypropylene (PPF) fibers, and rubber particles when they were blended into concrete respectively, and the degree of influence of each factor on the mechanical and carbonation resistance of HFRC was investigated based on the orthogonal test. The results show that the rubber concrete’s mechanical and carbonation properties are improved to varying degrees after adding hybrid fibers. When the basalt fiber content is 0.2% and the polypropylene fiber content is 0.15%, the overall mechanical properties of HFRC reach the best state. When the basalt fiber content is 0.2%, the polypropylene fiber content is 0.15%, and the rubber content is 5%, the carbonation resistance of HFRC is the most ideal. In addition, the microstructure of HFRC was observed by scanning electron microscope.

Objective To explore the effect of inhibiting miR-155 on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammation in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) model. Methods Myocardial cells of H9c2 rats were divided into four groups: blank control group, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion group (MI/R group), negative control group and miR-155 inhibitor group. The expressions of miR-155, NF-κB signaling pathway related genes and Bax, Bcl-2 mRNA were detected by RT-qPCR. The contents of IL-8 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway related genes and Bax, Bcl-2 protein. Results Compared with the control group, the expression of miR-155 in MI/R group was significantly increased (P＜0.05) while the expression of miR-155 in miR-155 inhibitor group was significantly decreased (P＜0.05). In MI/R group, the apoptosis rate, the content of IL-8 and TNF-α, the protein and mRNA expression of Bax and NF-κB signal pathway were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the protein and mRNA expression of Bcl-2 were lower (P＜0.05). After inhibition the expression of miR-155, the apoptosis rate, the content of IL-8 and TNF-α, the protein and mRNA expression level of Bax and NF-κB signal pathway related gene were significantly decreased, while the protein and mRNA expression by Bcl-2 were increased (P＜0.05). Conclusions Inhibition of miR-155 expression can protect MI/R injury through inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation. The potential mechanism is the inhibition of the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To analyze the relationship among electrical conductivity （EC）, total volatile basic nitrogen （TVB-N）, which is an index of decomposition rate for meat production, and postmortem interval （PMI）. To explore the feasibility of EC as an index of cadaveric skeletal muscle decomposition rate and lay the foundation for PMI estimation. Methods Healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were sacrificed by cervical vertebrae dislocation and kept at 28 ℃. Muscle of rear limbs was removed at different PMI, homogenized in deionized water and then skeletal extraction liquid of mass concentration 0.1 g/mL was prepared. EC and TVB-N of extraction liquid were separately determined. The correlation between EC （x1） and TVB-N （x2） was analyzed, and their regression function was established. The relationship between PMI （y） and these two parameters were studied, and their regression functions were separately established. Results The change trends of EC and TVB-N of skeletal extraction liquid at different PMI were almost the same, and there was a linear positive correlation between them. The regression equation was x2=0.14 x1-164.91 （R2=0.982）. EC and TVB-N of skeletal muscle changed significantly with PMI, and the regression functions were y=19.38 x13-370.68 x12+2 526.03 x1-717.06 （R2=0.994）, and y=2.56 x23-48.39 x22+ 330.60 x2-255.04（R2=0.997）, respectively. Conclusion EC and TVB-N of rat postmortem skeletal muscle show similar change trends, which can be used as an index for decomposition rate of cadaveric skeletal muscle and provide a method for further study of late PMI estimation.

Pharyngeal ectopic thymus is a rare cause of pharyngeal masses and is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of neck and head masses in children. In this paper, the case of an infant with a pharyngeal ectopic thymus is presented and our intraoral surgical approach in the patient's treatment is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a standard and repeatable environment, virtual reality (VR) technology can precisely detect even a single sense. As a novel tool to test neural activities, VR is a brand new method to explore the connections between actions and senses. In this review, we summarize the application, prospect and limitation of VR technology in the rehabilitations of nervous system diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peptides and small molecules produced by both the plant pathogen P hytophthora and host plants in the apoplastic space mediate the relationship between the interplaying organisms. Various P hytophthora apoplastic effectors, including small cysteine-rich ( SCR) secretory proteins, have been identified, but their roles during interaction remain to be determined. Here, we identified an SCR effector encoded by scr96, one of three novel genes encoding SCR proteins in P . cactorum with similarity to the P . cactorum phytotoxic protein PcF. Together with the other two genes, scr96 was transcriptionally induced throughout the developmental and infection stages of the pathogen. These genes triggered plant cell death ( PCD) in the Solanaceae, including N icotiana benthamiana and tomato. The scr96 gene did not show single nucleotide polymorphisms in a collection of P . cactorum isolates from different countries and host plants, suggesting that its role is essential and non-redundant during infection. Homologues of SCR96 were identified only in oomycetes, but not in fungi and other organisms. A stable protoplast transformation protocol was adapted for P . cactorum using green fluorescent protein as a marker. The silencing of scr96 in P . cactorum caused gene-silenced transformants to lose their pathogenicity on host plants and these transformants were significantly more sensitive to oxidative stress. Transient expression of scr96 partially recovered the virulence of gene-silenced transformants on plants. Overall, our results indicate that the P . cactorum scr96 gene encodes an important virulence factor that not only causes PCD in host plants, but is also important for pathogenicity and oxidative stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking is a dominant risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema, but not every smoker develops emphysema. Immune responses in smokers vary. Some autoantibodies have been shown to contribute to the development of emphysema in smokers. β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-ARs) are important targets in COPD therapy. β2-adrenergic receptor autoantibodies (β2-AAbs), which may directly affect β2-ARs, were shown to be increased in rats with passive-smoking-induced emphysema in our current preliminary studies. Using cigarette-smoke exposure (CS-exposure) and active-immune (via injections of β2-AR second extracellular loop peptides) rat models, we found that CS-exposed rats showed higher serum β2-AAb levels than control rats before alveolar airspaces became enlarged. Active-immune rats showed increased serum β2-AAb levels, and exhibited alveolar airspace destruction. CS-exposed-active-immune treated rats showed more extensive alveolar airspace destruction than rats undergoing CS-exposure alone. In our current clinical studies, we showed that plasma β2-AAb levels were positively correlated with the RV/TLC (residual volume/total lung capacity) ratio (r = 0.455, p < 0.001) and RV%pred (residual volume/residual volume predicted percentage, r = 0.454, p < 0.001) in 50 smokers; smokers with higher plasma β2-AAb levels exhibited worse alveolar airspace destruction. We suggest that increased circulating β2-AAbs are associated with smoking-related emphysema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trisulfur radical anion (S 3 •- ) mediated reactions with in situ formed azoalkenes and α,β-usaturated N-sulfonylimines for the construction of 1,2,3-thiadiazoles and isothiazoles has been developed. S 3 •- is in situ generated from potassium sulfide in DMF. These two approaches provide a new, safe, and simple way to construct 4-subsituted 1,2,3-thiadiazoles, 5-subsituted 1,2,3-thiadiazoles, and isothiazole in good yields. The reactions include the formation of the new C-S and N-S bonds via S 3 •- addition and electron detosylation under mild conditions.

Peptides and small molecules produced by both the plant pathogen Phytophthora and host plants in the apoplastic space mediate the relationship between the interplaying organisms. Various Phytophthora apoplastic effectors, including small cysteine-rich (SCR) secretory proteins, have been identified, but their roles during interaction remain to be determined. Here, we identified an SCR effector encoded by scr96, one of three novel genes encoding SCR proteins in P. cactorum with similarity to the P. cactorum phytotoxic protein PcF. Together with the other two genes, scr96 was transcriptionally induced throughout the developmental and infection stages of the pathogen. These genes triggered plant cell death (PCD) in the Solanaceae, including Nicotiana benthamiana and tomato. The scr96 gene did not show single nucleotide polymorphisms in a collection of P. cactorum isolates from different countries and host plants, suggesting that its role is essential and non-redundant during infection. Homologues of SCR96 were identified only in oomycetes, but not in fungi and other organisms. A stable protoplast transformation protocol was adapted for P. cactorum using green fluorescent protein as a marker. The silencing of scr96 in P. cactorum caused gene-silenced transformants to lose their pathogenicity on host plants and these transformants were significantly more sensitive to oxidative stress. Transient expression of scr96 partially recovered the virulence of gene-silenced transformants on plants. Overall, our results indicate that the P. cactorum scr96 gene encodes an important virulence factor that not only causes PCD in host plants, but is also important for pathogenicity and oxidative stress tolerance., (© 2015 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.)