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Tick-borne diseases like Rickettsia, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia are widespread infectious zoonoses that threaten the health of both humans and animals worldwide. Ticks and their hosts, such as hedgehogs, can play a crucial role in transmitting tick-borne diseases and the cycle of Rickettsia. To investigate the presence and identity of Rickettsia in hedgehogs and hedgehog-attached ticks in Xuyi County, Southeast China, 114 ticks were collected from 45 hedgehogs captured totally. Via morphological and molecular methods, all these ticks were identified as two species: Haemaphysalis flava (110/114, 96.5%) and Haemaphysalis longicornis (4/114, 3.5%). Rickettsia spp. were genotypically characterized by PCR targeting rrs, gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4 gene fragments. The prevalence of spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) infection found in hedgehogs and ticks was 17.8% (8/45) and 78.1% (89/114), respectively. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that those Rickettsia spp. belong to two species: Rickettsia heilongjiangensis (R. heilongjiangensis XY-1) and a potential new species, Candidatus Rickettsia xuyiensis XY-2. The present study gave the first evidence of R. heilongjiangensis and Candidatus R. xuyiensis in ticks and hedgehogs of Southeast China. Our findings suggest that hedgehogs might be involved in the natural transmission cycle of Rickettsia species.

Lithium ion conducting argyrodites are among the most studied solid electrolytes due to their high ionic conductivities. A major concern in a solid-state battery is the solid electrolyte stability. Here we present a systematic study on the influence of cationic and anionic substitution on the electrochemical stability of Li6PS5X, using step-wise cyclic voltammetry, optical band gap measurements, hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy along with first-principles calculations. We observe that going from Li6PS5Cl to Li6+xP1-xMxS5I (M = Si4+, Ge4+), the oxidative degradation does not change. Considering the chemical bonding shows that the valence band edges are mostly populated by non-bonding orbitals of the PS43- units or unbound sulfide anions and that simple substitutions in these sulfide-based solid electrolytes cannot improve oxidative stabilities. This work provides insights on the role of chemical bonding on the stability of superionic conductors and shows that alternative strategies are needed for long-term stable solid-state batteries.

Acute ischemic stroke has become the major cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Following ischemic stroke, the reperfusion injury is mainly mediated by the burst of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Therefore, blocking the excessive production or removing RONS holds great promise as a potential therapeutic strategy. Herein, we developed a Co-doped Fe3O4 nanozyme that is capable of scavenging H2O2, O2•-, •NO, and ONOO- in vitro and in vivo and provides neuroprotection against ischemic stroke. In vitro experiments showed that pre-incubation with the Co-Fe3O4 nanozyme could prevent neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation induced by H2O2 or lipopolysaccharide, respectively, in HT22 cells. After intravenous administration, the Co-Fe3O4 nanozyme showed no signs of toxicity in peripheral organs of C57BL/6J mice, even after prolonged delivery for 4 weeks. In permanent photothrombotic stroke model and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model, the Co-Fe3O4 nanozyme specifically accumulated in the infarct rim at 72 h post-stroke and was endocytosed by neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and endothelial cells. Importantly, the Co-Fe3O4 nanozyme delivery reduced the infarct volume in both stroke models. The observation that the Co-Fe3O4 nanozyme was efficacious in two well-characterized ischemic stroke models provides strong evidence that it represents a powerful tool for targeting oxidative and nitrosative stress in the ischemic brain.

Thermal error is one of the main sources of errors in CNC machine tools. The thermal error characteristics of CNC machine tools will change with changes in machine temperature and machine operating parameters. An excellent thermal error model should have good prediction accuracy and prediction robustness on the premise of high-precision fitting of thermal error. Based on the Leaderway-V450 CNC machine tool, 18 batches of thermal error measurement experiments are conducted in different periods and rotating speeds throughout the year. Moreover, the change in the thermal error law caused by the coupling of temperature change and spindle rotating speed change is studied. After an in-depth analysis of the ridge regression and state space algorithms, a robust state space model (RSSM) is proposed by combining the advantages of the ridge regression algorithm in eliminating collinearity between independent variables on model robustness and that of the state space algorithm in describing system internal structure and characteristics. RSSM is compared with the multiple linear regression model (MLRM), ridge regression model (RRM) and state space model (SSM). RSSM based on the algorithm fusion is proven to realise the comprehensive description of the relationship between the thermal error of machine tool, temperature increase of temperature sensitive point and spindle speed. Moreover, RSSM has superior model accuracy and prediction robustness under the influence of change in temperature and spindle speed. The mathematical model is ultimately used to accurately describe engineering phenomena and laws. In engineering application, different algorithm features should be extracted according to the laws of engineering objects to integrate them, thereby meeting the actual engineering laws, so that the established model can have sufficient prediction accuracy and also meet the engineering needs of robustness. This research systematically studied the realisation of the RRM and SSM algorithm fusion for the accurate and robust thermal error prediction of CNC machine tools, thereby providing important theoretical reference for the application of algorithm fusion in engineering.

Radiotherapy is one of the main cancer treatments, but it may damage normal tissue and cause various side effects. At present, radioprotective agents used in clinics have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and hypotension, which limit their clinical application. It has been found that exosomes play an indispensable role in radiation injury. Exosomes are lipid bilayer vesicles that carry various bioactive substances, such as proteins, lipids and microRNA (miRNA), that play a key role in cell-to-cell communication and affect tissue injury and repair. In addition, studies have shown that radiation can increase the uptake of exosomes in cells and affect the composition and secretion of exosomes. Here, we review the existing studies and discuss the effects of radiation on exosomes and the role of exosomes in radiation injury, aiming to provide new insights for the treatment of radiation injury.

Cutaneous wound healing requires intricate synchronization of several key processes. Among them, local nerve regeneration is known to be vitally important for proper repair. However, the underlying mechanisms of local nerve regeneration are still unclear. Fibroblasts are one of the key cell types within the skin whose role in local nerve regeneration has not been extensively studied. In our study, we found skin fibroblasts were in tight contact with regenerated nerves during wound healing, while rare interactions were shown under normal circumstances. Moreover, skin fibroblasts surrounding the nerves were shown to be activated and reprogrammed to exhibit neural cell‐like properties by upregulated expressing inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (ID1) and ID3. Furthermore, we identified the regulation of integrin α6 (Itga6) by ID1/ID3 in fibroblasts as the mechanism for axon guidance. Accordingly, transplantation of the ID1/ID3‐overexpressing fibroblasts or topical injection of ID1/ID3 lentivirus significantly promoted local nerve regeneration and wound healing following skin excision or sciatic nerve injury. Therefore, we demonstrated a new role for skin fibroblasts in nerve regeneration following local injury by directly contacting and guiding axon regrowth, which might hold therapeutic potential in peripheral nerve disorders and peripheral neuropathies in relatively chronic refractory wounds., Skin fibroblasts contribute to local nerve regeneration by directly guiding axon regrowth, which suggests a potential therapeutic strategy for peripheral nerve disorders and relatively chronic refractory wounds.

In the pursuit of higher-energy-density lithium-ion batteries, one major challenge is the stability of high-capacity or high-voltage cathodes with electrolytes. An understanding of how different ch...

Granular computing is an efficient and scalable computing method. Most of the existing granular computing-based classifiers treat the granules as a preliminary feature procession method, without revising the mathematical model and improving the main performance of the classifiers themselves. So far, only few methods, such as the G-svm and WLMSVM, have been combined with specific classifiers. Because of the complete symmetry of the ball and its simple mathematical expression, it is relatively easy to be combined with the other classifiers’ mathematical models. Therefore, this paper uses a ball to represent the grain, namely the granular ball, and not only the granular balls’ labels but also the distance between a pair of balls is defined. Based on that, this paper attempts to propose a new granular classifier framework by replacing the point inputs with the granular balls. We derive the basic model of both the granular ball support vector machine and granular ball k-nearest neighbor algorithm (GBkNN). In addition, the GBkNN is compared with the k-means tree based kNN, which is the most efficient and effective kNN as far as we known, on both public and artificial data sets. The Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework.

Rationale: Fibroblasts, the predominant cell type responsible for tissue fibrosis, are heterogeneous, and the targeting of unique fibrogenic population of fibroblasts is highly expected. Very recently, elevated glycolysis is demonstrated to play a pivotal role in the determination of fibrogenic phenotype of fibroblasts. However, it is lack of specific strategies for targeting and elimination of such fibrogenic populations. In this study, a novel strategy to use the a near-infrared (NIR) dye IR-780 for the targeting and elimination of a fibrogenic population of glycolytic fibroblasts to control the cutaneous scarring is developed. Methods: The identification and cell properties test of fibrogenic fibroblasts with IR-780 were conducted by using fluorescence activated cell sorting, transplantation experiments, in vivo imaging, RNA sequencing in human cell experiments and mouse and rat wound models. The uptake of IR-780 in fibroblasts mediated by HIF-1α/SLCO2A1 and the metabolic properties of IR-780H fibroblasts were investigated using RNA interference or signaling inhibitors. The fibrogenic fibroblast-selective near-infrared phototherapy of IR-780 were evaluated in human cell experiments and mouse wound models. Results: IR-780 is demonstrated to recognize a unique glycolytic fibroblast lineage, which is responsible for the bulk of connective tissue deposition during cutaneous wound healing and cancer stroma formation. Further results identified that SLCO2A1 is involved in the preferential uptake of IR-780 in fibrogenic fibroblasts, which is regulated by HIF-1α. Moreover, with intrinsic dual phototherapeutic activities, IR-780 significantly diminishes cutaneous scarring through the targeted ablation of the fibrogenic population by photothermal and photodynamic effects. Conclusion: This work provides a unique strategy for the targeted control of tissue scarring by fibrogenic fibroblast-selective near-infrared phototherapy. It is proposed that IR-780 based theranostic methodology holds promise for translational medicine aimed at regulation of fibrogenic behavior.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in the lung with fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition, leading to chronically compromising lung function and death. However, very little is known about the metabolic alterations of fibroblasts in IPF, and there is still a lack of pharmaceutical agents to target the metabolic dysregulation. Here we show a glycolysis upregulation and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) downregulation in fibroblasts from fibrotic lung, and perturbation of glycolysis and FAO affects fibroblasts transdifferentiation. In addition, there is a significant accumulation of succinate both in fibrotic lung tissues and myofibroblasts, where succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) operates in reverse by reducing fumarate to succinate. Then succinate contributes to glycolysis upregulation and FAO downregulation by stabilizing HIF-1α, which promotes the development of lung fibrosis. In addition, we identify a near-infrared small molecule dye, IR-780, as a targeting agent which stimulates mild inhibition of succinate dehydrogenase subunit A (SDHA) in fibroblasts, and which inhibits TGF-β1 induced SDH and succinate elevation, then to prevent fibrosis formation and respiratory dysfunction. Further, enhanced cell retention of IR-780 is shown to promote severe inhibition of SDHA in myofibroblasts, which may contribute to excessive ROS generation and selectively induces myofibroblasts to apoptosis, and then therapeutically improves established lung fibrosis in vivo. These findings indicate that targeting metabolic dysregulation has significant implications for therapies aimed at lung fibrosis and succinate dehydrogenase is an exciting new therapeutic target to treat IPF., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Glycolysis upregulation and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) downregulation in fibroblasts lead to lung fibrosis. • Succinate contributes to metabolic dysregulation of fibroblasts by stabilizing HIF-1α. • Succinate dehydrogenase is an exciting new therapeutic target to treat IPF. • IR-780 can be a promising agent to control lung fibrosis by targeting succinate dehydrogenase.

Background: The MYC-expressing diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is one of the refractory lymphomas. The pathogenesis of MYC-expressing DLBCL is still unclear, and there is a lack of effective therapy. In this study, we have explored the clinical significance and the molecular mechanisms of transcription co-activator 4 (PC4) in MYC-expressing DLBCL.Methods: We investigated PC4 expression in 54 cases of DLBCL patients’ tissues and matched normal specimens, and studied the molecular mechanisms of PC4 in MYC-expressing DLBCL both in vitro and in vivo.Results: We reported for the first time that targeting c-Myc could induce autophagic cell death in MYC-expressing DLBCL cell lines. We next characterized that PC4 was an upstream regulator of c-Myc, and PC4 was overexpressed in DLBCL and was closely related to clinical staging, prognosis and c-Myc expression. Further, our in vivo and in vitro studies revealed that PC4 knockdown could induce autophagic cell death of MYC-expressing DLBCL. And inhibition of c-Myc mediated aerobic glycolysis and activation of AMPK / mTOR signaling pathway were responsible for the autophagic cell death induced by PC4 knockdown in MYC-expressing DLBCL. Through the CHIP, DLRTM and EMSA assay, we also found that PC4 exerted its oncogenic functions by directly binding to c-Myc promoters.Conclusions: PC4 exerts its oncogenic functions by directly binding to c-Myc promoters. Inhibition of PC4 can induce autophagic cell death of MYC-expressing DLBCL. Our study provides novel insights into the functions and mechanisms of PC4 in MYC-expressing DLBCL, and suggests that PC4 might be a promising therapeutic target for MYC-expressing DLBCL.

Diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) afflicts nearly half of diabetic patients, but effective treatment is lacking. In this study, IR-61, a novel heptamethine cyanine dye with potential antioxidant effects, was investigated to determine whether it can alleviate DBD. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with IR-61 or vehicle after diabetes was induced with streptozotocin. Before evaluating the effects of IR-61 in improving DBD by filling cystometry, we detected its distribution in tissues and subcellular organelles by confocal fluorescence imaging. Near infrared (NIR) imaging showed that IR-61 could accumulate at high levels in the bladders of diabetic rats, and confocal images demonstrated that it was mainly taken up by bladder smooth muscle cells (BSMCs) and localized in mitochondria. Then, filling cystometry illustrated that IR-61 significantly improved the bladder function of diabetic rats. The histomorphometry results showed that IR-61 effectively mitigated the pathological changes in bladder smooth muscle (BSM) in diabetic rats. Furthermore, IR-61 remarkably reduced the number of apoptotic BSMCs and the unfavorable expression of proteins related to the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway (Bcl-2, BAX, Cytochrome C, and cleaved Caspase-9) in diabetic rats. Moreover, the frozen section staining and transmission electron microscopy results proved that IR-61 significantly reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and prevented the mitochondrial mass and morphology damage in the BSM of diabetic rats. In addition, IR-61 upregulated the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its associated antioxidant proteins in the BSM of diabetic rats. Together, these results indicate that IR-61 can improve the voiding function of rats with DBD by protecting the mitochondria of BSMCs from oxidative stress, which is possibly mediated through the activation of the Nrf2 pathway.

There is a growing evidence that Fyn kinase is upregulated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), where it plays a key role in tumor proliferation and invasion. In the present study, the antitumor effects of rosmarinic acid (RA), a Fyn inhibitor, were explored in human‑derived U251 and U343 glioma cell lines. These cells were treated with various concentrations of RA to determine its effects on proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and gene and protein expression levels. The CCK‑8 assay revealed that RA significantly suppressed cell viability of U251 and U343 cells. Furthermore, RA significantly reduced proliferation rates, inhibited migration and invasion, and decreased the expression levels of invasion‑related factors, such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2 and MMP‑9. TUNEL staining revealed that RA resulted in a dose‑dependent increase of U251 and U343 cell apoptosis. In line with this finding, the expression of apoptosis suppressor protein Bcl‑2 was downregulated and that of the pro‑apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved caspase‑3 was increased. In addition, it was revealed that the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase (PI3K)/Akt/nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) signaling pathway was involved in RA‑induced cytotoxicity in U251 and U343 cells. Collectively, the present study suggested RA as a drug candidate for the treatment of GBM.

Over the past decade, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) found in the bone marrow microenvironment have been considered to be important candidates in cellular therapy. However, the application of MSCs in clinical settings is limited by the difficulty and low efficiency associated with the separation of MSCs from the bone marrow. Therefore, distinct sources of MSCs have been extensively explored. Adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), a cell line similar to MSCs, have been identified as a promising source. ASCs have become increasingly popular in many fields, as they can be conveniently extracted from fat tissue. This review focuses on the properties of ASCs in hematopoietic regulation and the underlying mechanisms, as well as the current applications and future perspectives in ASC-based therapy.

Crustal heterogeneity has a fundamental influence on rift development; however, the detailed architecture of structures within crystalline basement is commonly poorly understood, resulting in the exact manner in which basement structures control rift development being rather enigmatic. The Jianghan Basin evolved on a crystalline basement covered by thick prerift strata, providing an excellent opportunity to unravel the enigma. Using extensive 2‐D and 3‐D seismic, borehole and field data from the Jianghan Basin in combination, we investigate the deformation characteristics of basement structures and unravel their relationship with the overlying rift basin. A most striking feature of the basement structures in the Jianghan Basin is that prerift strata near the major rift‐related fault planes in the hanging walls are older than these in the footwalls and for most faults prerift strata in the hanging walls become increasingly older while approaching the fault planes, suggesting that these rift‐related faults have reactivated preexisting thrusts or thrusts associated with unroofed folds through negative structural inversion. All the major rift‐related faults have very high Dmax/L ratios (0.11–0.66) compared to typical normal faults, likely resulting from either constant length fault model or low frictional strength. By unraveling the prerift deformation intensity and structural division of basement structures in the Jianghan Basin, we propose that basement structures not only have crucial influence on rift geometry but also control rift localization. The reactivation of multidirectional basement structures and multidirectional extension with rift localization in the Jianghan Basin provides yet unrecognized insights into the development of tripartite rift systems.

Background Human positive cofactor 4 (PC4) was initially characterized as a multifunctional transcriptional cofactor, but its role in skin wound healing is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of PC4 in skin wound healing through PC4 knock-in mouse model. Methods A PC4 knock-in mouse model (PC4+/+) with a dorsal full-thickness wound was used to investigate the biological functions of PC4 in skin wound healing. Quantitative PCR, Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate the expression of PC4; Sirius red staining and immunofluorescence were performed to explore the change of collagen deposition and angiogenesis. Proliferation and apoptosis were detected using Ki67 staining and TUNEL assay. Primary dermal fibroblasts were isolated from mouse skin to perform cell scratch experiments, cck-8 assay and colony formation assay. Results The PC4+/+ mice were fertile and did not display overt abnormalities but showed an obvious delay in cutaneous healing of dorsal skin. Histological staining showed insufficient re-epithelialization, decreased angiogenesis and collagen deposition, increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation in PC4+/+ skin. Our data also showed decreased migration rate and proliferation ability in cultured primary fibroblasts from PC4+/+ mice in vitro. Conclusions This study suggests that PC4 might serve as a negative regulator of skin wound healing in mice.

Background and purpose There is an urgent but unmet need for mitigating radiation-induced intestinal toxicity while radio sensitising tumours for abdominal radiotherapy. We aimed to investigate the effects of metformin on radiation-induced intestinal toxicity and radiosensitivity of colorectal tumours. Experimental approach Acute and chronic histological injuries of the intestine from mice were used to assess radioprotection and IEC-6 cell line was used to investigate the mechanisms in vitro. The fractionated abdominal radiation model of HCT116 and HT29 tumour grafts was used to determine the effects on colorectal cancer. Key results Metformin alleviated radiation-induced acute and chronic intestinal toxicity by optimising mitophagy which was AMPK-dependent. In addition, our data indicated that metformin increased the radiosensitivity of colorectal tumours with P53 mutation both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion and implications Metformin may be a radiotherapy adjuvant agent for colorectal cancers especially those carrying P53 mutation. Our findings provide a new strategy for further precise clinical trials for metformin on radiotherapy.

Enabling all-solid-state Li-ion batteries requires solid electrolytes with high Li ionic conductivity and good electrochemical stability. Following recent experimental reports of Li3 YCl6 and Li3 YBr6 as promising new solid electrolytes, we used first principles computation to investigate the Li-ion diffusion, electrochemical stability, and interface stability of chloride and bromide materials and elucidated the origin of their high ionic conductivities and good electrochemical stabilities. Chloride and bromide chemistries intrinsically exhibit low migration energy barriers, wide electrochemical windows, and are not constrained to previous design principles for sulfide and oxide Li-ion conductors, allowing for much greater freedom in structure, chemistry, composition, and Li sublattice for developing fast Li-ion conductors. Our study highlights chloride and bromide chemistries as a promising new research direction for solid electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and good stability.

Intracontinental rifting and low-volume volcanism are a globally common phenomenon, yet the underlying driving mechanisms and whether they can be explained through classic plate tectonic concepts, remain hotly debated. A prominent example is the Cenozoic rift and volcanic province in eastern China. Using an integration of geological, geophysical and geochemical data, we unravel the spatial and temporal variations of the rifting and volcanism in the Jianghan Basin. Both rifting and volcanism in the Jianghan Basin show two intense-to-weak cycles (65–50 Ma and 50–26 Ma, respectively) with significant enhancement in activity during the late rift phase. Moreover, rifting and depocentres progressively migrated eastward. The Jianghan basalts all share an asthenospheric origin while the source of the late phase basalts is slightly more enriched and heterogenous in Nd-Hf isotopes than that of the early phase basalts. The late phase basalts also display a smaller extent of partial melting even under a thinner lithosphere, likely indicating a significant decrease of volatile content in the mantle source. Based on regional tectonic correlations, the main stages of tectonic evolution of the Jianghan Basin and eastern China are not synchronous with changes in Pacific plate motion, while they are coincident with India-Asia collision processes. These observations lead us to propose that the asthenospheric flow driven by India-Asia collision rather than the rollback of the subducted Pacific slab has caused the widespread rifting and volcanism in eastern China. The variations of rifting and volcanism in the Jianghan Basin suggest a multiphase and eastward asthenospheric flow beneath eastern China driven by India-Asia collision, with an intense upwelling when passing through the North-South Gravity Lineament (NSGL). The much more intense rifting and volcanism during the late rift phase may indicate a much larger scale of volatile-poor asthenospheric flow than the early rift phase which could result in a more intense erosion of ancient enriched lithospheric mantle and the volatile content in the mantle source dropping sharply. This study provides an improved model based on our multidisciplinary observations for asthenospheric flow which may be an alternative driving mechanism for intracontinental rifting and low-volume volcanism in the regions where there are step changes in lithospheric thickness globally.

PTFE composites has a lower hardness and shear strength than steel. Therefore, wear mainly occurs in PTFE composites itself when rubs with steel. For studying the friction and wear properties of PTFE composites, a series of experimental tests were conducted under different sliding velocities and load pressures using block-on-ring testing machine. Through weighting PTFE composites specimens before and after the experiment, we can get the wear mass losses of specimens, then the wear rate of PTFE composites is obtained by combining material density, loading pressure and wear length. At the same time, the friction coefficient is recorded in real time by the monitoring system of the testing machine The analysis results are as follows: at constant sliding velocities, the wear rate of PTFE composites gradually decreases with the increase of loading pressure; at constant loading pressure, the wear rate of PFTE composites decreases gradually with the increase of sliding speed. This leads to further conclusions that motor should not run in low speed range for a long time when PTFE composites is used as motor bearing material.

With the development of artificial intelligence and big data technology, deep learning has been applied to fault warning and diagnosis. In this paper, the typical failure modes of marine diesel engine cooling system are analyzed, and the characteristic parameters are selected. The fault warning model is established based on the deep belief neural network (DBN). The training and testing of the model are carried out by using the experiment data of a marine diesel engine. The results show that the deep belief neural network can effectively realize the fault warning of marine diesel engine cooling system.

The uniformity of the fuel and air mixture in the cylinder of diesel engine directly affects the smooth running of the combustion process. In order to improve the atomization effect of the fuel in the cylinder, the super-high injection pressure exceeding 180MPa was used. The changing relationship between the physical properties of the non-normal fuel and the pressure under the influence of the super-high injection pressure was derived. The three-dimension combustion model of TBD620 diesel engine is constructed on the FIRE software platform. A numerical simulation of the two injectors’ fuel injection process under different load conditions has been done in the research work. The fuel spray characteristics has been simulated. The results show that the special fuel injector has a good performance under low loading conditions, but the standard fuel injector has better performance for oil and gas fully mixed under high loading conditions.

// Chuntao Li 1 , Zhixiong Liu 1 , Kui Yang 1 , Xin Chen 1 , Yu Zeng 1 , Jinfang Liu 1 , Zhenyan Li 1 , Yunsheng Liu 1 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410008 Hunan, China Correspondence to: Zhixiong Liu, email: zxliu_csu@sina.com Keywords: glioma, microRNA-133b, silent information regulator 1, proliferation, invasion Received: November 16, 2015 Accepted: April 16, 2016 Published: May 06, 2016 ABSTRACT MicroRNAs (miRs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that function as mediators of gene expression. Dysregulations of miRs have been implicated in the development and progression of glioma. In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-133b in mediating the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells, and the potential mechanism. Real-time RT-PCR results showed that miR-133b expression was significantly decreased in glioma tissues compared with normal brain tissues. Luciferase reporter assay further identified silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1) as a novel direct target of miR-133b in glioma U87 cells. Overexpression of miR-133b suppressed Sirt1 expression and reduced the proliferation and invasion of U87 cells, which could be partly rescued by forced expression of Sirt1. In addition, the Sirt1 mRNA level was significantly higher in glioma tissues than in normal brain tissues, and was inversely correlated with miR-133b level in glioma tissues. In summary, our study sheds light on the regulatory mechanism of miR-133b in glioma growth and metastasis via direct mediation of Sirt1 expression, and suggests that Sirt1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for glioma.

New alkali metal zinc selenites, A2Zn3(SeO3)4·XH2O (A=Li, Na, K; X=2 or 0) were prepared through hydrothermal reactions. Li2Zn3(SeO3)4·2H2O (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with lattice parameters a=8.123(4), b=9.139(4), c=7.938(3) A, β=112.838(9)°. Na2Zn3(SeO3)4·2H2O (2) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with lattice parameters a=15.7940(18), b=6.5744(8), c=14.6787(17) A, β=107.396(3)°. K2Zn3(SeO3)4 (3) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with lattice parameters a=11.3584(12), b=8.6091(9), c=13.6816(14) A, β=93.456(2)°. The anionic structures are composed of [Zn3O12]18− sheets, chains, and “isolated” units in compound 1, 2, 3, respectively, and trigonal pyramids SeO32−. The compounds were characterized by the solid state UV–vis–NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, infrared spectra and thermogravimetric analysis.

The stratigraphic and structural characteristics of the initial phase of continental rift basins have been widely studied. However, the initial rifting geodynamic processes in many rift basins remain poorly understood because the relevant structures and stratigraphic successions tend to be deeply buried in result of continued rift evolution. Using an extensive database of geological (stratigraphic and structural) and geophysical data we investigate when and how rift initiation occurred in the Jianghan Basin. The correlation of the Lower Cretaceous strata across the basin reveals that they were deposited within a series of localized depressions distributed on the basin margin while the Late Cretaceous tectonic stage was characterized by widespread rifting with a maximum stratal thickness of ∼4500 m. The major faults controlling this Late Cretaceous sediment distribution are radially striking, suggesting a distributed, transtensional stress system or multi-directional extension during the Late Cretaceous. It is a common feature that pre-rift basement strata of the major faults in the hanging wall are older than that in the footwall and become progressively older approaching the fault plane, indicating a reactivation of pre-existing unroofed fault-related folds. Together with the regional geodynamic context for the South China Block, we divide the initial rifting processes into two distinct stages. During the Early Cretaceous, the lithosphere beneath the Jianghan Basin got rapidly thinned under the influence of the large-scale roll-back and dehydration of the subducted Pacific slab. Meanwhile, the upwelling asthenosphere and intruded dykes/magma heated and weakened the lithosphere, leading to thermal doming of most of the Jianghan Basin. However, on the basin margin, which was relatively unaffected by the thermal doming event, a set of localized depression sequences were deposited. Due to the Early Cretaceous lithospheric thinning, the lithosphere was thin enough to rift during the Late Cretaceous. Under the diapirism of the continuously upwelling asthenospheric mantle, the pre-existing thrusts with radial strikes simultaneously underwent extensional reactivation, forming a series of normal faults with multiple orientations. By providing the detailed stratigraphic and structural evidence for active rifting model, this study provides new insights into the processes of early rift initiation.

The pathological mechanisms of radiation ulcer remain unsolved and there is currently no effective medicine. Here, we demonstrate that persistent DNA damage foci and cell senescence are involved in radiation ulcer development. Further more, we identify cordycepin, a natural nucleoside analogue, as a potent drug to block radiation ulcer (skin, intestine, tongue) in rats/mice by preventing cell senescence through the increase of NRF2 nuclear expression (the assay used is mainly on skin). Finally, cordycepin is also revealed to activate AMPK by binding with the α1 and γ1 subunit near the autoinhibitory domain of AMPK, then promotes p62-dependent autophagic degradation of Keap1, to induce NRF2 dissociate from Keap1 and translocate to the nucleus. Taken together, our findings identify cordycepin prevents radiation ulcer by inhibiting cell senescence via NRF2 and AMPK in rodents, and activation of AMPK or NRF2 may thus represent therapeutic targets for preventing cell senescence and radiation ulcer., Radiation damage causes DNA foci to form and senescence, causing ulcers. Here, the authors show that a naturally occurring adenosine analogue, cordycepin, prevents cell senescence via an increase in AMPK/NRF2, so blocking ulcers caused by radiation on skin/intestine/tongue damage in rodents.

Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are the most frequent pituitary tumors. The elucidation of the mechanisms of aggressive NFPAs in bone destruction is required in order to guide the clinical diagnosis and treatment of NFPAs. In the present study, we investigated the differential proteomics of fibroblasts isolated from clinical specimens of NFPAs with or without bone destruction. Proteomic analysis revealed a group of molecules associated with cytoskeleton organization, including caldesmon, were differentially expressed between fibroblasts isolated from bone destruction NFPAs (BD-NFPAs) and fibroblasts isolated from non-bone destruction NFPAs (NBD-NFPAs). The secreted proteins analysis found that osteopontin was significantly upregulated in BD-NFPAs fibroblasts. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of the NFPAs clinical samples showed that the expression of caldesmon in stromal cells and the expression of osteopontin in both tumor cells and stroma were significantly increased in BD-NFPAs. Taken together, our results indicate a possible way that osteopontin secreted from both NFPA cells and surrounding fibroblasts modify caldesmon expression and polymerization in fibroblasts, which may contribute to bone destruction in NFPA patients.