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This study aimed to investigate the association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and the risk of coronary artery lesions (CALs) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). A total of 1355 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for KD were reviewed between January 2018 and December 2019, including 636 patients with CALs and 719 patients without CALs. Blood samples for RDW were obtained at admission (before intravenous immunoglobulin treatment). A logistic regression analysis was performed, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to determine the prognostic value of RDW standard deviation (RDW-SD) and RDW coefficient of variation (RDW-CV). The study was registered at www.chictr.org.cn, No.: ChiCTR 2000040980. The results showed that RDW-SD increased in patients with complete KD and CALs compared with patients with complete KD without CALs (39 fL vs. 38 fL, respectively; p = 0.000). RDW-CV in patients with complete KD and CALs was significantly higher compared with patients with completed KD without CALs (p = 0.000). Further multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that RDW-SD was an independent marker of CALs in patients with complete KD (p = 0.001), but no association was found between RDW-CV and CALs. The area under the curve of RDW-SD for predicting CALs in patients with complete KD was 0.606 (95% confidence interval 0.572–0.640; p = 0.000) with a sensitivity and specificity of 61% and 55%, respectively, when the optimal cut-off value of RDW-SD was 38.5 fL. RDW-CV increased in patients with incomplete KD and CALs compared with patients without CALs (13.55% vs 13.3%, respectively; p = 0.004), and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that RDW-CV was an independent marker of CALs in patients with incomplete KD (p = 0.021). The area under the curve of RDW-CV for predicting CALs in patients with incomplete KD was 0.597 (95% confidence interval 0.532–0.661; p = 0.004) with a sensitivity and specificity of 40% and 77%, respectively, when the optimal cut-off value of RDW-SD was 13.85%. Conclusion: RDW can be used as an independent predictive marker of CALs in patients with KD, but the type of KD should be considered. RDW-SD was an independent marker of CALs in patients with complete KD, while RDW-CV was a predictor of incomplete KD.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and it is closely associated with hyperlipidemia, endothelial injury, macrophage-derived foam cells formation, proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), platelet aggregation, and altered gut microbiota. Various symptomatic treatments, that are currently used to inhibit atherosclerosis, need to be administered in long term and their adverse effects cannot be ignored. Berberine (BBR) has beneficial effects on atherosclerosis through regulating multiple aspects of its progression. This review highlights the recent advances in understanding the anti-atherosclerosis mechanism of BBR. BBR alleviated atherosclerosis by attenuation of dyslipidemia, correction of endothelial dysfunction, inhibition of macrophage inflammation and foam cell formation, activation of macrophage autophagy, regulation of the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, attenuation of platelet aggregation, and modulation of gut microbiota. This review would provide a modern scientific perspective to further understanding the molecular mechanism of BBR attenuating atherosclerosis and supply new ideas for atherosclerosis management.

Introduction: Vascular calcification (VC) is a complex, regulated process involved in many disease entities. So far, there are no treatments to reverse it. Exploring novel strategies to prevent VC is important and necessary for VC-related disease intervention. Objective: In this study, we evaluated whether MOTS-c, a novel mitochondria-related 16-aa peptide, can reduce vitamin D3 and nicotine-induced VC in rats. Methods: Vitamin D3 plus nicotine-treated rats were injected with MOTS-c at a dose of 5 mg/kg once a day for 4 weeks. Blood pressure, heart rate, and body weight were measured, and echocardiography was performed. The expression of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the angiotensin II type 1 (AT-1) and endothelin B (ET-B) receptors was determined by Western blot analysis. Results: Our results showed that MOTS-c treatment significantly attenuated VC. Furthermore, we found that the level of phosphorylated AMPK was increased and the expression levels of the AT-1 and ET-B receptors were decreased after MOTS-c treatment. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that MOTS-c may act as an inhibitor of VC by activating the AMPK signaling pathway and suppressing the expression of the AT-1 and ET-B receptors.

Background: There are few studies on inflammatory storms in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with pneumonia. Therefore, we will retrospectively investigate characteristics of inflammatory storms in BALF of children with pneumonia in our hospital.Methods: 161 children with pneumonia were retrospectively divided into two groups: mild and severe pneumonia, according to the clinic diagnosis. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the levels of cytokines, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF-α and IFN-γ. We performed receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) and spearman correlation to evaluate the role of BALF inflammatory cytokines and cells in pneumonia.Results: 1) The levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, and TNF-α, and ratios of IL-6 to IL-10 and TNF-α to IL-10 in BALF of severe pneumonia group were higher than those of mild pneumonia group. 2) The number of inflammatory cells and the percentage of neutrophils in BALF of severe pneumonia group increased, and the percentage of macrophages decreased, compared with the mild pneumonia group. 3) ROC analysis showed that both the increase of the levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α, and ratios of IL-6 to IL-10 and TNF-α to IL-10, number of inflammatory cells and neutrophils, percentage of neutrophils, and the decrease of the percentage of macrophages exceeding the cut-off value could be used to distinguish children with severe pneumonia from mild pneumonia. Conclusion: In severe pediatric pneumonia, BALF inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cell infiltration are more intense. And these inflammatory signals are important biomarkers for reflecting the severity of pediatric pneumonia.Trial registration: This study approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee of Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, registered in http://www.chictr.org.cn/, No. ChiCTR2000034048(registration date, June 22, 2020).

Background: It is difficult to collect bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from children. There are few studies on inflammatory storms in BALF of children with pneumonia. Therefore, we will retrospectively investigate characteristics of inflammatory storms in BALF of children with pneumonia in our hospital.Methods: This retrospective study included 161 children with pneumonia. Pediatric pneumonia was divided into two groups: mild and severe pneumonia, according to the clinic diagnosis. All clinic information and data came from our hospital’s database. Blood and BALF samples were collected and measured by Clinical laboratory and Clinical Molecular Medical Center. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the levels of cytokines, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF-α and IFN-γ. We performed receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) and spearman correlation to evaluate the role of BALF inflammatory cytokines and cells in pneumonia.Results: 1) The levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, and TNF-α, and ratios of IL-6 to IL-10 and TNF-α to IL-10 in BALF of severe pneumonia group were higher than those of mild pneumonia group. 2) The number of inflammatory cells and the percentage of neutrophils in BALF of severe pneumonia group increased, and the percentage of macrophages decreased, compared with the mild pneumonia group. 3) ROC analysis showed that the levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α, and ratios of IL-6 to IL-10 and TNF-α to IL-10, the number of inflammatory cells and neutrophils, as well as the percentage of neutrophils exceeded the cut-off value (60.37pg/mL, 2.54pg/mL, 13.07pg/mL, 29.30, 1.57, 3140.00*109/L, 768.00*109/L, 43.00%, respectively) could be used to distinguish children with severe pneumonia from children with mild pneumonia. While the percentage of macrophages in BALF decreased to below the cut-off value (36.00%) also had the discrimination ability. 4) The BALF levels of IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ were correlated, positively with the inflammatory cell count and the percentage of neutrophils, and negatively with the percentage of macrophages.Conclusion: In severe pediatric pneumonia, BALF inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory cell infiltration are more intense, especially above the cut-off value. This study demonstrates that these inflammatory signals are potential biomarkers for predicting the severity of pediatric pneumonia.Trial registration: This study approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee of Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, registered in http://www.chictr.org.cn/, No. ChiCTR2000034048(registration date, June 22, 2020).

This study aimed to investigate the association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and the risk of coronary artery lesions (CALs) in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). A total of 1355 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for KD were reviewed between January 2018 and December 2019, including 636 patients with CALs and 719 patients without CALs. Blood samples for RDW were obtained at admission (before intravenous immunoglobulin treatment). A logistic regression analysis was performed, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to determine the prognostic value of RDW standard deviation (RDW-SD) and RDW coefficient of variation (RDW-CV). The study was registered at www.chictr.org.cn , No.: ChiCTR 2000040980. The results showed that RDW-SD increased in patients with complete KD and CALs compared with patients with complete KD without CALs (39 fL vs. 38 fL, respectively; p = 0.000). RDW-CV in patients with complete KD and CALs was significantly higher compared with patients with completed KD without CALs (p = 0.000). Further multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that RDW-SD was an independent marker of CALs in patients with complete KD (p = 0.001), but no association was found between RDW-CV and CALs. The area under the curve of RDW-SD for predicting CALs in patients with complete KD was 0.606 (95% confidence interval 0.572-0.640; p = 0.000) with a sensitivity and specificity of 61% and 55%, respectively, when the optimal cut-off value of RDW-SD was 38.5 fL. RDW-CV increased in patients with incomplete KD and CALs compared with patients without CALs (13.55% vs 13.3%, respectively; p = 0.004), and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that RDW-CV was an independent marker of CALs in patients with incomplete KD (p = 0.021). The area under the curve of RDW-CV for predicting CALs in patients with incomplete KD was 0.597 (95% confidence interval 0.532-0.661; p = 0.004) with a sensitivity and specificity of 40% and 77%, respectively, when the optimal cut-off value of RDW-SD was 13.85%. Conclusion: RDW can be used as an independent predictive marker of CALs in patients with KD, but the type of KD should be considered. RDW-SD was an independent marker of CALs in patients with complete KD, while RDW-CV was a predictor of incomplete KD.

Nϵ-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), an advanced glycation end product, is involved in vascular calcification (VC) in diabetic atherosclerosis. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CML on VC in diabetic atherosclerosis induced by vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC)-derived foam cells. Human studies, animal studies and cell studies were performed. The human study results from 100 patients revealed a poor blood glucose and lipid status and more severe coronary lesions and stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus. Intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin combined with a high-fat diet was used to build a diabetic atherosclerosis model in ApoE-/- mice. The animal study results indicated that CML accelerated VC progression in diabetic atherosclerosis by accelerating the accumulation of VSMC-derived foam cells in ApoE-/- mice. The cell study results illustrated that CML induced VSMC-derived foam cells apoptosis and aggravated foam cells calcification. Consistent with this finding, calcium content and the expression levels of alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogenetic protein 2 and runt-related transcription factor 2 were significantly elevated in A7r5 cells treated with oxidation-low-density lipoprotein and CML. Thus, we concluded that CML promoted VSMC-derived foam cells calcification to aggravate VC in diabetic atherosclerosis, providing evidence for the contribution of foam cells to diabetic VC.

We present a new method for the realization of high-throughput protein crystallization screening using an array of 96 capillaries aligned in a circle. In this method, each capillary represents a single crystallization condition, and all capillaries experience identical magnetic field conditions. After crystallization, the crystals in the capillary can be directly diffracted without harvesting. This method proved easy to perform and is applicable for use in magnetic fields and may be further extended for use in other circumstances, for example, under space microgravity conditions.

PurposeIn China the maturity of the industrial development has the demonstration and reference implications for how to achieve enterprises competitiveness among the developing industries in a country. With the development of globalization, how to improve the enterprises competitiveness has became a serious problem to be solved for Chinese enterprises. The management innovation is reasonable and appropriate to solve this problem. Compared with the independent innovation, adoptive management innovation has become the main way for enterprises to fulfill the management innovation and change the management styles under the open economy condition. The research strives to reveal the “black box” in the management innovation adoptive process and give an answer to a series of questions, such as “what is the role of entrepreneurs in management innovation adoptive process?”Design/methodology/approachExploratory case study approach is taken to find the entrepreneurs' role in management innovation adoptive process of Chinese traditional industry.FindingsThis paper constructs the adoptive management innovation model from three dimensions, using exploratory case technique, which explores the key factors and mechanism of realizing management innovation adoption. Through the exploratory case analysis to verify the viewpoint which is proposed by the model: entrepreneurs played a leading role in the adoptive management innovation of non‐procedural process, and the role is the result of the mixed function of the external and internal environment. Entrepreneurs analyze and explore the new problems and opportunities, and their own experience and ability determine the cognition and explore degree towards these problems directly; entrepreneurs' integration ability of resources can be approved and accepted after the new practice has been proposed and become mature. Entrepreneur long‐term shaping on organizational resources determines whether the management innovations introduction would be really integrated into enterprise management system. The entrepreneur's typical behavior on “integration, learning and shaping” is the foundation and guarantee of adoptive management innovation, which have connective effect on adjacent stages.Originality/valueThe article describes Haier BPR process of adoptive management innovation and the adoptive management innovation mode, and analyzes the effect of entrepreneurs' role on adoptive management innovation of China's color TV industry. The Chinese color TV industry as the maturity industry has the demonstration and reference implications for how to achieve enterprises competitiveness in Chinese developing industries.

PurposeThe color TV industry in China has become a mature industry. Its development demonstrates and provides reference implications for how developing industries within a country can achieve a technological leap. This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory case study approach is taken to find the key factors in the technological catch‐up of China's traditional industry.FindingsIn the study it is found that China's color TV industry, as a mature traditional industry, has four‐dimensional key factors affecting the catch‐up of technology in the flat‐panel stage: market; merger and acquisition; international cooperation innovation for patent; and the roles of internal reform. “Market” is the window of opportunity and challenge; “merger and acquisition” is the key factor for making the patent convert from external mode to internal mode by deviant‐track. The “international cooperation innovation for patent” is also a key factor to ensure achievement of technology catch‐up and sustainable technological innovation. The role of internal reform promoter is the key factor in the technological catch‐up process in which taking entrepreneur as the core.Originality/valueThe article describes Changhong's flat‐panel TV technology catch‐up mode, analyzes four‐dimensional key factors affecting the technology catch‐up of China's color TV industry; the Chinese color TV industry as mature industry; and discusses which developments have demonstrated how to achieve a technological leap in developing industries.

The scope of civil aviation transportation ranges from ground to upper air, which the impact of emission varies at the vertical geographical altitude. The aircraft emissions near the airport have very bad effects on the low-altitude environment. The LTO emission calculating methods based on ICAO、EPA and FAA have been analyzed, then the emission results have been calculated and done the comparative study in this paper. The sameness and difference have been remarked on the EI, TIM of the calculation methods. At last the paper refers to the some concerns at the time of developing emission evaluation scheme.

In-flight shutdown (IFSD) of civil aviation engine can result in catastrophic accident and has been attracting more and more attention. This paper presents a new solution, which based on Bayesian Networks, to diagnose IFSD. Fleet data of china occurred in last twelve years was used to establish the network with four layers. After designating the conditional probability between two nodes which were located on the adjacent layers, it can be obtained that to what extent one factor can lead to IFSD. At last, the verification was given to prove that this solution is useful to diagnose IFSD.

Aero2k and SAGE model havebeen developed in the contemporary society when emissions attract extensive attention, especially on aviation emissions. In this paper, origin and functions of SAGE model are introduced simply, while its calculation model is analyzed in detail. Based on SAGE model, process analysis of calculating aviation emissions has been made and Calculation procedure has been designed, then software about calculation of aviation emissions has been developed according to the procedure. There is no much deviation between true values and results based on the software, which is a good proof of feasibility of the software.

Background and Objective Octamer-4 (Oct4), a transcription factor involved in regulating human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), may play a role in tumorigenesis. Since little is known about the efficacy of Oct4 as a potential biomarker for gastric cancer (GC), we investigated its expression in GC tissues and its relationship to various clinicopathological parameters. Methods Primary tumor tissues and matching, adjacent non-cancerous tissues were obtained from 62 GC patients, and Oct4 expression was examined by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR. Twenty biopsy specimens of atrophic gastritis and gastric ulcer individually were collected as control. To detect Oct4 expression in the paired GC and non-cancerous tissues at the protein level, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were employed. Correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between Oct4 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Results Oct4 expression levels were higher in GC tissues compared to matching, adjacent non-cancerous tissues, atrophic gastritis and gastric ulcer tissues. Additionally, Oct4 expression in GC tumors correlated with their differentiation status, but not with patient age or gender, tumor size, TNM stage, depth of invasion, or the presence of lymph node metastasis. Conclusions Oct4 may be a potential biomarker for the initiation, progression, and differentiation of human GC. J. Surg. Oncol. 2009;99:414–419. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

this study presents an empirical study to examine the performance and the determinants of technology outsourcing service in manufacturing firms in the Northeastern China. Using data collected in 94 large or medium-sized firms, we find that there existed a deep gap between the providers and the users of technology outsourcing services. The analysis also says that three factors which influence the outsourcing performance most in the process of innovation should be paid more attention to.

Objectives: The tripeptide tyroservatide (tyrosyl-seryl-valine, p-Tyr-Ser-Val-NH2, YSV) has been shown to have anti-tumor effects on experimental hepatocarcinoma. The study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of YSV on tumor growth, invasion and metastasis of lung cancers. Methods: Anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effects of YSV were evaluated in three experimental systems. In C57BL/6 mice, a spontaneous metastasis model of Lewis lung cancer was used to study the anti-tumor and anti-metastasis effects of YSV. A549 human lung carcinoma was used to create an orthotopic model in nude mice to investigate the anti-metastasis effect of YSV. Finally, an in vitro model using the B16F10 melanoma cell line was selected to observe the effect of YSV on adhesion and invasion, and to use immunocytochemistry to assay the expression of ICAM-1. Results: YSV inhibited subcutaneous tumor growth of Lewis lung carcinoma (p < 0.05) and markedly decreased lung metastases in the spontaneous metastasis model of Lewis lung cancer and the orthotopic model of A549 human lung carcinoma. In vitro, YSV reduced adhesion and invasion as well as the expression of ICAM-1 in tumor cells. Conclusion: YSV was able to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in lung cancer.