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Marine oomycetous species produce, among other fatty acids, omega-6 arachidonic acid (ARA) and omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), with implications for the industrial potential of this group of organisms and the need to find an isolate with high production. This study screened 14 isolates of marine oomycetous species: Halophytophthora avicenniae, H. batemanensis, H. exoprolifera, H. polymorphica and Salispina spinosa cultured from fallen mangrove leaves in Taiwan for 24 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in their mycelia. This paper is the first to report C18:1n-7 vaccenic acid, C20:1 eicosenoic acid, C24:1 nervonic acid, C20:2n-6 eicosadienoic acid, C22:4n-6 adrenic acid, C20:4n-3 eicosatetraenoic acid and C22:5n-3 docosapentaenoic acid in mycelia of Halophytophthora and Salispina species, and the fatty acid profiles of H. batemanensis and H. exoprolifera. Five fatty acids were dominant in the mycelia of the isolates, i.e. C16:0 palmitic acid, C18:1n-9 oleic acid, C18:2n-6 linoleic acid, C20:4n-6 arachidonic acid and C20:5n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid. For the essential fatty acids, S. spinosa produced the highest level of arachidonic acid (27–31% of total fatty acid (TFA), 141–188 mg l−1 yield) while H. avicenniae IMB212 produced the highest percentage of EPA (15% of TFA) while H. polymorphica IMB227 produced the highest yield (96 mg l−1). Different species and isolates of the same species produced different fatty acid profiles, and further research effort may yield a high production isolate of industrial significance and also important fatty acids from the marine environment.

Objective: Lower-grade glioma (LGG) arises from glial or precursor cells including the world health organization (WHO) grade glioma, which has a favorable prognosis compared with glioblastomas. However, LGG progression is inevitable due to drug resistance and tumor invasiveness. The inflammatory response has been a well-established hallmark associated with tumor occurrence and recurrence. It is necessary to explore the heterogeneity of the inflammatory response in LGG.Methods: The differential and prognostic inflammatory response-related genes(IRRG) of the cancer genome atlas(TCGA) database were used to perform consensus clustering to identify robust clusters. The Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas(CGGA) database was used to validate this inflammation subtype. The clinical characteristics, immune infiltration, metabolism, and somatic variation of each cluster were assessed. A risk score associated with inflammation was constructed.Results: We successfully observed and validated three distinct inflammatory subtypes in LGG. It is noteworthy that the B subtype has a shorter overall survival than the A and C subtypes. The B subtype had higher immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores than the A and C subtypes but lower tumor purity than the A and C subtypes. In addition, immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores of the A subtype were higher than the hose of the C subtype, while tumor purity was lower than that of the C subtype. Three inflammation subtypes correlated with diverse metabolic characteristics, drug sensitivity, and somatic alterations. Furthermore, we developed and validated an inflammatory signature with better performance of prognosis prediction.Conclusion: This study identified a new classification of LGG according to inflammatory gene profiling and emphasized inflammatory heterogeneity within LGG.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and safety between endoscopic and microscopic surgery via transnasal⁃transsphenoidal approach for recurrent nonfunctional pituitary adenoma, and to explore the best way of operation. Methods The clinical data of 43 patients with recurrent nonfunctional pituitary adenoma who underwent surgery via transnasal ⁃ transsphenoidal approach were analyzed retrospectively from October 2012 to August 2019, including 21 cases of endoscopic surgery (endoscopy group) and 22 cases of microscopic surgery (microscopy group). The bleeding volume during operation, operative time, tumor total resection rate, postoperative symptom remission rate, incidence rate of postoperative complications (including intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak, hypophysis function, olfactory disturbance, epistaxis, bleeding in operation area) and tumor recurrence rate were recorded. Results The bleeding volume during operation [(60.67 ± 33.27) ml vs. (111.33 ± 49.26) ml; t = 0.107, P = 0.030] and operation time [(81.77 ± 26.40) min vs. (168.95 ± 45.34) min; t = 0.006, P = 0.000] in the microscopy group were lower than those in the endoscopy group, but there was no significant difference in tumor total resection rate, postoperative symptom remission rate, incidence rate of postoperative complications and tumor recurrence rate ( P > 0.05, for all). Conclusions Neuroendoscopic and microscopic transnasal ⁃ transsphenoidal surgery are two common methods for the treatment of recurrent nonfunctional pituitary adenoma, which can achieve satisfactory results and high safety. The fusion of neuroendoscopy and microscopy is a trend of pituitary adenoma resection. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.03.011

Two isolates of heterotrophic, facultatively anaerobic, marine bacteria, designated DM1 and DM2T, were recovered from a lagoon sediment sample of Dongsha Island, Taiwan. Cells were Gram-reaction-negative rods. Nearly all of the cells were non-motile and non-flagellated during the late exponential to early stationary phase of growth, while a few of the cells exhibited motility with monotrichous flagellation. The two isolates required NaCl for growth and grew optimally at about 30 °C, 2–3 % NaCl and pH 7–8. They grew aerobically and could achieve anaerobic growth by fermenting d-glucose or other carbohydrates with production of acids and the gases, including CO2 and H2. Ubiquinone Q-8 was the only respiratory quinone. Cellular fatty acids were predominated by C16 : 0, C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 1ω7c. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine. Strains DM1 and DM2T had DNA G+C contents of 52.0 and 51.8 mol%, respectively, as determined by HPLC analysis. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences clearly indicated that the two isolates formed a distinct genus-level lineage in the family Aeromonadaceae of the class Gammaproteobacteria and was an outgroup with respect to a stable supragenic clade comprising species of the genera Oceanimonas , Oceanisphaera and Zobellella . The phylogenetic data and those from chemotaxonomic, physiological and morphological characterizations support the establishment of a novel species and genus inside the family Aeromonadaceae , for which the name Dongshaea marina gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DM2T (=BCRC 81069T=JCM 32096T).

The aim of the present study was to determine whether IL-6 polymorphisms correlate with sepsis. According to the inclusion criteria, the association of IL-6 polymorphisms with sepsis was searched in databases and analysed using comprehensive meta-analysis software. A total of 16 studies were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant association between the IL-6-174G/C polymorphism and sepsis risk in the total population (C vs. G: OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.79–1.38; CC vs. GG: OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.53–1.41; CG vs. GG: OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.79–1.24; dominant model: OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.74–1.29; recessive model: OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.61–1.39). When patients were stratified according to ethnicity, a statistically significant association was observed in Asians and Africans. As for the -572G/C polymorphism, the results showed that the IL-6-572C/G polymorphism was not associated with sepsis susceptibility (G vs. C: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.79–1.22; GG vs. CC: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 0.53–4.03; GC vs. CC: OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.54–1.27; dominant model: OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.55–1.41; recessive model: OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 0.82–2.92). The data indicated that the IL-6-174G/C polymorphism may contribute to sepsis risk, especially in Africans and Asians. No significant association was observed between the IL-6-572G/C polymorphism and sepsis risk.

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, short rod and aerobic bacterium, designated strain SYSU M10001T, was isolated from a water sample collected from the coastal region of Pearl River Estuary, Guangdong Province, PR China. Strain SYSU M10001T showed optimal growth at 28 °C, pH 7.0 and in the absence of NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and concatenation of 20 protein markers revealed a distinct lineage for strain SYSU M10001T in the order Rhizobiales . Strain SYSU M10001T showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to Hyphomicrobium nitrativorans NL23T (91.1 %) and Hyphomicrobium hollandicum IFAM KB-677T (91.1 %). The respiratory ubiquinone was Q-8. The polar lipids of the strain comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified aminophospholipid, two unidentified phospholipids and three unidentified lipids. The predominant cellular fatty acids identified were C19 : 0cyclo ω8c, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c) and C16 : 0. The G+C content was determined to be 65.5 % (genome). On the basis of differences in the phenotypic, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and results of the phylogenetic analyses, strain SYSU M10001T is proposed to represent a novel species in a novel genus for which the name Aestuariivirga litoralis gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of the type species Aestuariivirga litoralis is SYSU M10001T (=NBRC 112960T=KCTC 52945T). Besides, the distinct phylogenetic lineage and the distinct chemotaxonomic profile among the families in the order Rhizobiales indicated that strain SYSU M10001T should represent a new family for which the name Aestuariivirgaceae fam. nov. is proposed.

Previous studies have reported that ginsenoside-Rg1 (G-Rg1) was able to mitigate the loss of dopaminergic neurons in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study provided a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies to pool current evidence on the effect of G-Rg1 on neurogenesis in the treatment of PD. Eligible studies were identified through a search from six databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, VIP, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and the Wanfang database. Primary outcomes were tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in the nigra, Nissl staining-positive cells in the nigra, pole test time and dopamine (DA) levels in the striatum. A total of 18 eligible studies were identified, involving 343 animals. Of these, 13 reported a significant relationship between G-Rg1 and improved TH-positive cells in the nigra compared with the control group (P

Bixasteroid (1), one new steroid together with five known compounds (2–6), were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of ethanol extract of Bixa orellana fruits. All of these known compounds were isolated from the plant for the first time. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, and the absolute configuration of compound 1 was determined by X-ray crystallographic data analysis as well as by the quantum chemical ECD calculations. All the isolated compounds were tested for their anti-inflammatory activities. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibiting NO release activities in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages with the IC50 values of 4.72 ± 0.28 and 5.48 ± 1.48 μM, respectively.

A pair of new enantiomeric trinorsesquiterpenes, (+)-genpenterpene A (1a) and (-)-genpenterpene A (1b), together with seven known compounds (2–8), were isolated from the aerial parts of Justicia gendarussa Burm.f.. All of these known compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. Racemic genpenterpene A was separated by chiral HPLC column. Their chemical structures were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic analysis, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and ECD calculations. (+)-genpenterpene A (1a) exhibited potent inhibitory effect against nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells with an IC50 value of 9.54 ± 1.02 μM.

In this study, we report on the application of a dielectric/ultra-thin metal/dielectric (DMD) multilayer consisting of ytterbium (Yb)-doped molybdenum oxide (MoO3)/silver (Ag)/MoO3 stacked as the transparent cathode in top-emitting green quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLED). By optimizing the Yb doping ratio, we have highly improved the electron injection ability from 0.01 to 0.35. In addition, the dielectric/ultra-thin metal/dielectric (DMD) cathode also shows a low sheet resistance of only 12.2 &Omega, /sq, which is superior to the resistance of the commercially-available indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode (~15 &Omega, /sq). The DMD multilayer exhibits a maximum transmittance of 75% and an average transmittance of 70% over the visible range of 400&ndash, 700 nm. The optimized DMD-based G-QLED has a smaller current leakage at low driving voltage. The optimized DMD-based G-QLED enhances the current density than that of G-QLED with indium zinc oxide (IZO) as a cathode. The fabricated DMD-based G-QLED shows a low turn-on voltage of 2.2 V, a high current efficiency of 38 cd/A, and external quantum efficiency of 9.8. These findings support the fabricated DMD multilayer as a promising cathode for transparent top-emitting diodes.

Seven new phenylpropanoids, including two pairs of enantiomers of 8-O-4′-type neolignans, named (±)-xanthiifructins A-B (1a/1b-2a/2b), a pair of simple phenylpropanoid derivatives (±)-xanthiifructins C (3a/3b), and a racemic phenylpropanoid derivative xanthiifructin D (4), together with four known analogues (5-8) were isolated from the fruits of Xanthium sibiricum. Racemic xanthiifructins A-C were separated on chiral HPLC columns. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and comparison with the literatures. The anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities were evaluated for all isolates. Among them, (-)-xanthiifructin C (3b) exhibited potent inhibitory effect against nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells with an IC50 value of 9.94 ± 0.57 μM. All compounds obviously were inactive for three human tumor cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2, and A549) with IC50 values much more than 10 μM.

Severe trauma has the characteristics of complicated condition, multiple organs involved, limited auxiliary examinations, and difficulty in treatment. Most of the trauma patients were sent to primary hospitals to receive treatments. But the traditional mode of separate discipline management can easily lead to delayed treatment, missed or wrong diagnosis and high disability, which causes a high mortality in severe trauma patients. Therefore, if the primary hospitals, especially county-level hospitals (usually the top general hospital within the administrative region of a county), can establish a scientific and comprehensive trauma care system, the success rate of trauma rescue in this region can be greatly improved. On March 1st, 2013, Tiantai People's Hospital of Zhejiang Province, China set up a trauma care center, which integrated the pre-hospital and in-hospital trauma treatment procedures, and has achieved good economic and social benefits. Till March 1st, 2017, 1265 severe trauma patients (injury severity score >16) have been treated in this trauma center. The rescue success rate reached 95% and the delayed and/or missed diagnosis rate was less than 5%. Totally 86 severe cases of pelvic fractures with unstable hemodynamics were treated, and the success rate was 92%. The in-hospital emergency rescue response time is less than 3 min, and the time from definite diagnosis to surgery is within 35 min. Key words: Severe trauma; Integrated emergency management system; County-level hospital

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common causative agent of nosocomial infections with a high level of resistance toward β-lactam antibiotics. Our previous study showed that TEM-1 and SHV-11 are the predominant β-lactamase-encoding genes of K. pneumoniae isolates in the Zhejiang area, China. In this study, more clinical K. pneumoniae isolates were collected for detecting their β-lactamase-encoding gene profiles by PCR and sequencing. qRT-PCR was then performed to determine the role of cefotaxime or penicillin in low concentrations to induce the β-lactamase gene expression of K. pneumoniae isolates. Moreover, the K. pneumoniae isolates were pretreated with closantel (CLO), a histidine kinase inhibitor, before antibiotic treatment, and qRT-PCR and the β-lactamase phenotype confirmatory test were then applied to determine the effect of CLO on the expression of the β-lactamase genes. The results showed that, except for KPC-2, the 1/4 MIC cefotaxime or penicillin induced significant mRNA elevation of the TEM-1, CTX-M-14, SHV-11 and OXA-1 β-lactamase genes, but this induction could be inhibited by CLO. After pretreatment with CLO, 78.4~81.4% of the β-lactam-resistant isolates became sensitive and the positive rate of the β-lactamase production phenotype in the isolates was decreased from 100% to 27.1%. The data indicate that TEM-1 (70.7%), SHV-11 (64.2%) and CTX-M-14 (40.5%) are the predominant β-lactamase genes of the K. pneumoniae isolates in Zhejiang and sublethal dosage of β-lactam antibiotics can induce the β-lactamase gene expression of K. pneumoniae through histidine kinase-mediated two-component signaling systems. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS160512112Z Received: May 12, 2016; Revised: July 21, 2016; Accepted: August 15, 2016; Published online: October 31, 2016 How to cite: Zhao JF, Wang Q, Ge YM, Tan PL, Chen YM, Yan Jie. Distribution of β-lactamase genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Zhejiang province, China, and regulation of gene expression. Arch Biol Sci. 2017;69(3):399-407.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), the causative agent of white spot disease (WSD), is a serious and aggressive shrimp viral pathogen with a worldwide distribution. At the genome replication stage (12 hpi), WSSV induces a metabolic rerouting known as the invertebrate Warburg effect, which boosts the availability of energy and biosynthetic building blocks in the host cell. Here we show that unlike the lipogenesis that is seen in cancer cells that are undergoing the Warburg effect, at 12 hpi, all of the long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) were significantly decreased in the stomach cells of WSSV-infected shrimp. By means of this non-selective WSSV-induced lipolysis, the LCFAs were apparently diverted into β-oxidation and used to replenish the TCA cycle. Conversely, at 24 hpi, when the Warburg effect had ceased, most of the LCFAs were significantly up-regulated and the composition was also significantly altered. In crayfish these changes were in a direction that appeared to favor the formation of WSSV virion particles. We also found that, at 24 hpi, but not at 12 hpi, the PI3K-Akt-mTOR-HIF1α pathway induced the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), an enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of acetyl-CoA into LCFAs. WSSV virion formation was impaired in the presence of the FAS inhibitor C75, although viral gene and viral DNA levels were unaffected. WSSV therefore appears to use the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway to induce lipid biosynthesis at 24 hpi in order to support viral morphogenesis.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major pathological process implicated in low back pain and is a prerequisite to disk herniation. Interleukin-1 α (IL-1α) was thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of disc degeneration by increasing the production of extracellular matrix degradation enzymes and by inhibiting extracellular matrix synthesis. IL-1α may provide insight about the etiology of IDD. We performed a hospital-based case–control study involving 200 IDD patients and 200 controls in the Chinese Han population. Genotyping was performed using a custom-by-design 48-Plex single nucleotide polymorphism Scan™ Kit. Our study indicated that IL-1α -899C/T polymorphism could increase the risk of IDD under the homozygous, recessive, and allelic models. Subsequently, we validated this significant association by a meta-analysis. Stratification analysis of ethnicity in this meta-analysis also obtained a significant association among Asians and Caucasians. In conclusion, the present study finds that IL-1α -899C/T polymorphism is associated with the risk of IDD. Larger studies with more diverse ethnic populations are needed to confirm these results.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of ethanol treatment on the induction of intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) levels and the inhibition of the activation of the insulin signaling pathway in human hepatocytes. L‑02 cells were treated with various concentrations of ethanol for different periods of time. Cell viability and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase (AST) leakage in the culture supernatant were evaluated. Changes in [Ca(2+)](i) levels were detected by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Total RNA and protein were extracted to examine the mRNA and protein levels of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)1, IRS2, phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase (PI3K) and glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) and western blot analysis, respectively. Furthermore, insulin was added to the ethanol‑treated L‑02 cells, and the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and protein kinase B (PKB) were determined by western blot analysis before and after Ca(2+) blockage. No significant changes were observed in cell viability, [Ca(2+)](i) levels and in the expression and phosphorylation levels of insulin signal transduction molecules when the L‑02 cells were treated with 0.5 or 1% ethanol. However, treatment with 2 or 4% ethanol resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability and in the mRNA levels of IRS1, IRS2, PI3K (p85α) and GLUT2, as well as in an increase in ALT/AST leakage and in the [Ca(2+)](i) levels (P

Aloperine (ALO) exhibits neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress in vitro; however, its protective effect in early brain injury (EBI) following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains to be elucidated. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of ALO in EBI, and its association with nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 and the antioxidant responsive element (Nrf2-ARE) survival pathway. In the present study, an experimental SAH model was induced in rats following a prechiasmatic cistern injection. All rats were randomly divided into five groups: Sham, SAH, SAH+ vehicle, and an SAH+ ALO group (including low and high doses). ALO was administrated intraperitoneally at 2 and 24 h following induction of the SAH model. Brain samples were collected from each group at 48 h after SAH induction. Subsequently, western blotting, immunohistochemistry and cell apoptosis assays were performed, along with assessments for brain edema, neurological deficit, and the activity of oxidant/antioxidant factors. It was observed that the expression of Nrf2-ARE pathway-associated agents, including Nrf2, and heme oxygenase-1, were markedly increased in the high concentration ALO group compared with that of the SAH group. In addition, the level of oxidative damage was reduced. Furthermore, early brain damage, including brain edema, neurological deficit and cellular apoptosis were significantly ameliorated. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that ALO can ameliorate oxidative damage against EBI following SAH, most likely via the Nrf2-ARE survival pathway.

Summary Background Risk factors for stroke, stroke subtypes, and outcomes observed in stroke patients younger than 65 years are different from those observed in elderly stroke patients. The aim of the study was to compare the risk factor profiles, stroke subtypes, and outcomes between stroke patients younger than 65 years and elderly stroke patients. Methods We retrospectively assessed the risk factor, stroke subtypes, and outcomes for 368 younger stroke patients (aged 20–64 years) and 605 elderly stroke patients (aged 65–98 years). Results High stroke prevalence was observed in younger patients who were predominantly males with a history of smoking, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and high body mass index. These patients were less likely to have atrial fibrillation, prior stroke, systemic infection, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission, and prolonged stay in the acute ward of the hospital compared with elderly patients. Further, regarding stroke subtype, younger patients showed a higher frequency of lacunar infarct and stroke of other demonstrated etiology whereas elderly patients were more likely to have cardioembolism and total anterior circulation infarct. Younger patients showed favorable outcomes at the 3-month follow-up after discharge. Conclusion We conclude that, apart from risk factors and stroke subtypes, the functional outcomes observed in the two groups differed. Early identification of these differences with good management may help to improve the clinical outcomes in younger stroke patients.

Polygalacturonic acid (PGA) hydrogel cross-linked via disulfide bonds was synthesized using a thiol oxidation reaction. PGA was grafted with cysteine to yield thiolated PGA (denoted PGAcys). Per gram, PGA-conjugated cysteine was 725 ± 77 μmol, and the degree of modification was 16.24 %. A PGAcys hydrogel film was fabricated under physiological conditions, with gel content 91.6 % and water content 43.3 %. The PGAcys hydrogel was used as a drug carrier for rosmarinic acid (RA) (denoted PGAcys/RA) and to prevent postsurgical adhesion. The in vitro dynamic release behavior of RA from the PGAcys hydrogel was analyzed. The profiles showed that 80 % of the total RA was released from the hydrogel within 15 min, followed by zero-order kinetic release. Animal implant studies showed that PGAcys and PGAcys/RA hydrogel films reduced adhesion incidence by over 90 %, significantly higher than did Hyaluronate/Carboxymethylcellulose (analogous Seprafilm™) (42 %). The PGAcys/RA hydrogel film also reduced the early inflammatory reaction.

The implementation of instrumental analytical methods such as LC-MS for routine monitoring of toxins requires the availability of accurate calibration standards. This is a challenge because many toxins are rare, expensive, dangerous to handle, and/or unstable, and simple gravimetric procedures are not reliable for establishing accurate concentrations in solution. NMR has served as one method of qualitative and quantitative characterization of toxin calibration solution Certified Reference Materials (CRMs). LC with chemiluminescence N detection (LC-CLND) was selected as a complementary method for comprehensive characterization of CRMs because it provides a molar response to N. Here we report on our investigation of LC-CLND as a method suitable for quantitative analysis of nitrogenous toxins. It was demonstrated that a wide range of toxins could be analyzed quantitatively by LC-CLND. Furthermore, equimolar responses among diverse structures were established and it was shown that a single high-purity standard such as caffeine could be used for instrument calibration. The limit of detection was approximately 0.6 ng N. Measurement of several of Canada's National Research Council toxin CRMs with caffeine as the calibrant showed precision averaging 2% RSD and accuracy ranging from 97 to 102%. Application of LC-CLND to the production of calibration solution CRMs and the establishment of traceability of measurement results are presented.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to develop an efficient analytical procedure to evaluate performance of the most general pull production systems particularly when multiple‐part‐types are involved. The authors consider a kanban controlled production system that can be modelled as a closed queuing network with different product classes. The production line is decomposed into stages which consist of one or several stations and an output buffer. Each stage is associated with a given number of kanbans. The main idea of this analytical algorithm is to analyze each subnetwork individually using a product form approximation technique. The iterative procedure is used to find the unknown parameters.Design/methodology/approachThe authors design a multiclass queuing network that can be used to represent kanban controlled production systems. To solve this model, three procedures are used: decompose the original network into M subnetworks, convergence of unknown parameters in each subnetwork, and convergence of unknown parameters in the original network. The authors now describe these procedures separately.FindingsThe main contribution of this paper is the formulation of the problem of kanban controlled production systems with several part‐types. The methodology is based on approximate formula with decomposition and is applicable to more general manufacturing environments. The authors' method can be applied to both limited and unlimited demands. The analytical algorithm designed in this work has demonstrated excellent performance in analyzing kanban controlled production systems.Originality/valueThe methodology of this algorithm is based on approximate formula and is applicable to more general manufacturing environments.

Two miniature electrochemical capacitors, of high power and sufficient energy capacity, are prepared using photolithography and transferred to a plastic substrate. The preparation procedure involves, inverting a 60 μm thick interdigital pattern of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) with a Scotch tape, such that the pre-sputtered gold layer at the bottom effectively collects interfacial charge. The equivalent series resistance (ESR) of the symmetric CNT capacitor measures 0.40 Ω cm2, while that of the asymmetric capacitor with a positive α-Co(OH)2/CNT electrode measures 0.45 Ω cm2, much less than the as-grown CNT capacitor. Electrodeposited α-Co(OH)2 enhances the cell capacitance significantly, especially in a wide potential window. When operated at current density 20 A g−1 and window 1.8 V, the cell capacitance of asymmetric capacitor measures 62.6 F g−1, much higher than that of symmetric capacitor 8.7 F g−1. But the symmetric CNT capacitor displays a better power performance because of a lower ESR. At current density 30 A g−1, its power density reaches 20.6 kW kg−1 with energy density 2.2 Wh kg−1. In contrast, the asymmetric capacitor stores more energy, at 30 A g−1, it exhibits power density 11.4 kW kg−1 and energy density 7.8 Wh kg−1.

Background and purpose: Previous studies demonstrated that post-stroke hyperglycemia was associated with poor outcome in non-diabetic patients. However, evidence was inconclusive amongst patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between initial glucose levels and mortality amongst patients with acute ischaemic stroke, and further, to assess whether the association varied by diabetes mellitus and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Methods: Data were collected from the medical records of 1277 first-ever stroke patients admitted to the emergency room between January 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between initial glucose level and mortality. Results: Compared with the lowest quartile of initial glucose level, a significant association with all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR), 2.18; 95% CI, 1.36–3.48] and cardiovascular death (HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.01–3.61) was seen in the highest quartile. In non-diabetic subgroup, those patients within the highest quartile of initial glucose level had a 3.29-fold relative risks (RR) [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.62–6.68] for all-cause and a 2.54-fold RR (95% CI, 1.43–8.77) for cardiovascular death compared with those within the lowest quartile. However, the association between initial glucose levels and the risk of death was not significant amongst those with diabetes (P for interaction = 0.01). In addition, the risk amongst patients with diabetes varied by the HbA1c levels. Conclusions: A significant association was confirmed between initial glucose level and mortality in non-diabetic ischaemic stroke patients. The possible relationship between initial glucose level, HbA1c level, and mortality amongst ischaemic stroke patients with diabetes warrants further research.

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the effects of country‐of‐manufacture (COM) and country‐of‐design (COD) on industrial brand equity.Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework to assess how international buyers evaluate industrial brand equity when confronted with a single cue and multiple cues is proposed. Data for testing the hypotheses are collected through fax, e‐mail, and online surveys of managers from 102 industrial buyers of Taiwanese fasteners. A quantitative study is undertaken of 64 respondents using PLS analysis.Findings – The main finding is that the single‐cue framework produces more statistically significant COM and COD effects on industrial brand equity than does the multiple‐cue framework. The current results confirm previous findings that the country‐of‐origin effects based on single‐cue and multiple‐cue studies produce conflicting and inconclusive results.Research limitations/implications – These findings underscore the findings that the impacts of COM and COD on indust...

In this study, we used real-time PCR to simultaneously monitor the responses of 12 key genes of the shrimp innate immune system in Litopenaeus vannamei after challenge with Vibrio harveyi. In the proPO activating system, we found that proPO was up-regulated (3.3x control at 36hpi). The hemolymph clotting genes transglutaminase (TGase) and clotting protein were also up-regulated, as were 5 genes in the antimicrobial peptide system (ALF, Crustin, Lyz, PEN2 and PEN4), with only PEN3 showing no significant changes. In the antioxidant defense system, SOD was slightly elevated while GPx was substantially down-regulated. In the pattern recognition receptor system, at 24hpi, the Toll gene (LvToll) showed the highest relative increase in expression level of all the investigated genes (15x greater than the sterile seawater control). In the second part of this study, when LvToll was knocked down by RNAi silencing, there was no effect on either survival rates or bacterial number in unchallenged shrimp. There was also no difference in mortality rates between control shrimp and LvToll-silenced shrimp when these two groups were challenged with a viral pathogen (white spot syndrome virus; WSSV). However, when LvToll-silenced shrimp were challenged by V. harveyi, there was a significant increase in mortality and bacterial CFU counts. We note that the increase in bacterial CFU count occurred even though treatment with EGFP dsRNA had the opposite effect of reducing the CFU counts. We conclude that LvToll is an important factor in the shrimp innate immune response to acute V. harveyi infection, but not to WSSV.

It has recently been suggested that Dscam (Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF), plays an essential role in the alternative adaptive immune system of invertebrates. Here, we isolated and characterized the first shrimp Dscam from Litopenaeus vannamei. The LvDscam protein had an extracellular domain but lacked the expected transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail, both of which are found in all other members of the Dscam family (and may also be found in other L. vannamei Dscams that have not yet been isolated). In nervous tissue, expression levels of LvDscam were unexpectedly low. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that LvDscam is far from the Dscams found in other invertebrates. Nevertheless, the domain architecture of the extracellular region of LvDscam is similar to other invertebrate Dscams, and it exhibits the typical configuration of 10 immunoglobulin (Ig) domains, 6 fibronectin type 3 domains (FNIII) and one cell attachment sequence (RGD). Cloning and characterization of a total of 62 cDNAs from hemocytes collected from WSSV-free, WSSV-persistent and WSSV-acute-infected shrimp revealed 23 alternative amino acid sequences in the N-terminal of Ig2, 30 in the N-terminal of Ig3 and 13 in the Ig7 domain. This implies that LvDscam can potentially encode at least 8970 unique isoforms. Further analysis suggested that the LvDscam Ig2 and Ig3 regions are more functionally important than Ig7 in the shrimp's specific immune response against WSSV. We discuss how this tail-less, soluble Dscam can still play an active role in alternative adaptive immune response even while its axonal guidance functionality may be impaired.

Carteraol E (1), C74H126O24, a polyhydroxyl ichthyotoxin, was isolated from the lab-cultured marine dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae. Carteraol E possessed three tetrahydropyrans, and 19 hydroxyl groups on a C69-linear aliphatic chain with a ketone moiety, an exo-methylene, and three methyl branches. The structure was elucidated by extensive analyses of 2D NMR spectra. Cateraol E exhibited potent ichthyotoxicity with LD50 value of 0.28 μM, and antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger.

Objective: To compare the effect of equivalent doses in two different volumes of botulinum toxin type A (Dysport) on gastrocnemius spasticity. Design: Single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Hospital rehabilitation department Subjects: Twenty-two children with spastic diplegic or quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Intervention: High (500 U/5 mL) and low (500 U/1 mL)-volume preparations of Dysport were injected into the gastrocnemius muscles, each child randomly receiving one preparation in the right and the other in the left leg. Main measures: Dynamic ankle joint range of motion (ROM), passive ROM of the ankle joint, modified Ashworth Scale scores, and the areas of the compound muscle action potential assessed before treatment and at four and eight weeks post treatment. Results: Both legs improved significantly. The mean (SD) improvements between baseline and the end of follow-up were 19.7 (10.83) degrees for dynamic ROM, 8.4 (9.19) degrees for passive ROM, -1.3 (0.6) for modified Ashworth Scale scores, and -9.4 (11.41) mV-ms for compound muscle action potential in the high-volume group; and 13.5 (10.45) degrees for dynamic ROM, 7.4 (7.88) for passive ROM, -0.9 (0.5) for modified Ashworth Scale scores, and -5.9 (7.50) mV-ms for areas of compound muscle action potential in the low-volume group. The high-volume preparation yielded significantly greater improvement in dynamic ROM (P Conclusions: A high-volume preparation of Dysport is more effective than a low volume in reducing spasticity in the gastrocnemius muscle.

This study presents single-phase and two-phase frictional pressure drop data in three rectangular channels with channel width of 3, 6 and 9 mm, and a fixed gap of 3 mm. Adiabatic flows of air–water mixtures are tested at mass flux of 100–700 kg/m 2 s and gas quality ranging from 0.001 to 0.8. The single-phase friction factors agree satisfactorily with the predictions of laminar and turbulent flows. The two-phase frictional pressure drop data are compared to predictions of homogeneous and Chisholm method, Wambsganss and Ide–Fukano correlations. It is found that none of the existing methods or correlations can predict the two-phase pressure gradient in rectangular channels satisfactorily. A modified C factor of Chisholm method considering the effect of aspect ratio is proposed from the empirical fit with the data sets of Wambsganss et al., Ide–Fukano, and this study. The corresponding mean deviations of the proposed correlation against the datasets are 24.99%, 10.83% and 10.73%, respectively. This correlation is applicable in wide rages of mass flux (50 G 2 s), gas quality (0.001 x X A

This article reports the difference between neuralgic amyotrophy and neuropathy caused by chemotherapy and radiation treatment which manifested with severe shoulder pain followed by marked weakness of bilateral upper arms and involvement of cranial nerves. A 62-year-old man presented with acute severe neuropathic pain at the left shoulder, bilateral shoulder weakness, hoarseness of voice from vocal cord palsy, and respiratory insufficiency from left diaphragm palsy, which all occurred sequentially over a 1-month period. The diagnosis of neuralgic amyotrophy was supported and differentiated from tumor-induced and radiation-induced neuropathy by clinical presentation, electrophysiologic and imaging studies. Unlike previous reports of the onset of neuralgic amyotrophy being associated with initiation of radiation treatment in cancer patients, this report demonstrates that neuralgic amyotrophy can occur at any point of the malignant disease process after radiation and chemotherapy.

Epilepsy is an associated feature of patients with the syndrome of mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). A substitution at nucleotide position 3243 A>G of the mitochondrial DNA is the most common mutation encountered both in Caucasians and in Chinese/Taiwanese. We herein report a 38-year-old man with A3243G mutation of the mitochondrial DNA whom developed MELAS. The manifestation of his focal motor epilepsy was aggravated by use of sodium valproate (VPA). The mechanism of this paradoxical effect is proposed.

To date, genome sequences (complete or in draft form) from only six baeocytous cyanobacteria in four genera have been reported: Xenococcus, Chroococcidiopsis, Pleurocapsa, and Stanieria. To expand our knowledge on the diversity of baeocytous cyanobacteria, this study sequenced the genome of GI1, which is a Myxosarcina-like baeocytous cyanobacterium. GI1 is of interest not only because of its phylogenetic niche, but also because it is a cyanobiont isolated from the marine cyanobacteriosponge Terpios hoshinota, which has been shown to cause the death of corals. The ~7 Mb draft GI1 genome contains 6,891 protein-coding genes and 62 RNA genes. A comparison of genomes among the sequenced baeocytous cyanobacterial strains revealed the existence or absence of numerous discrete genes involved in nitrogen metabolism. It will be interesting to determine whether these genes are important for cyanobacterial adaptations and interactions between cyanobionts and their marine sponge hosts.

Background Comparative genomics provides insights into the diversification of bacterial species. Bacterial speciation usually takes place with lasting homologous recombination, which not only acts as a cohering force between diverging lineages but brings advantageous alleles favored by natural selection, and results in ecologically distinct species, e.g., frequent host shift in Xanthomonas pathogenic to various plants. Results Using whole-genome sequences, we examined the genetic divergence in Xanthomonas campestris that infected Brassicaceae, and X. citri, pathogenic to a wider host range. Genetic differentiation between two incipient races of X. citri pv. mangiferaeindicae was attributable to a DNA fragment introduced by phages. In contrast to most portions of the genome that had nearly equivalent levels of genetic divergence between subspecies as a result of the accumulation of point mutations, 10% of the core genome involving with homologous recombination contributed to the diversification in Xanthomonas, as revealed by the correlation between homologous recombination and genomic divergence. Interestingly, 179 genes were under positive selection; 98 (54.7%) of these genes were involved in homologous recombination, indicating that foreign genetic fragments may have caused the adaptive diversification, especially in lineages with nutritional transitions. Homologous recombination may have provided genetic materials for the natural selection, and host shifts likely triggered ecological adaptation in Xanthomonas. To a certain extent, we observed positive selection nevertheless contributed to ecological divergence beyond host shifting. Conclusion Altogether, mediated with lasting gene flow, species formation in Xanthomonas was likely governed by natural selection that played a key role in helping the deviating populations to explore novel niches (hosts) or respond to environmental cues, subsequently triggering species diversification. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1369-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.