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An exaggerated exercise pressor reflex (EPR) causes excessive sympathoexcitation and exercise intolerance during physical activity in the chronic heart failure (CHF) state. Muscle afferent sensitization contributes to the genesis of the exaggerated EPR in CHF. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying muscle afferent sensitization in CHF remain unclear. Considering that voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels critically regulate afferent neuronal excitability, we examined the potential role of Kv channels in mediating the sensitized EPR in male rats with CHF. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting experiments demonstrate that both mRNA and protein expressions of multiple Kv channel isoforms (Kv1.4, Kv3.4, Kv4.2, and Kv4.3) were downregulated in lumbar dorsal root ganglions (DRGs) of CHF rats compared with sham rats. Immunofluorescence data demonstrate significant decreased Kv channel staining in both NF200-positive and IB4-positive lumbar DRG neurons in CHF rats compared with sham rats. Data from patch-clamp experiments demonstrate that the total Kv current, especially I(A), was dramatically decreased in medium-sized IB4-negative muscle afferent neurons (a subpopulation containing mostly Aδ neurons) from CHF rats compared with sham rats, indicating a potential functional loss of Kv channels in muscle afferent Aδ neurons. In in vivo experiments, adenoviral overexpression of Kv4.3 in lumbar DRGs for 1 wk attenuated the exaggerated EPR induced by muscle static contraction and the mechanoreflex by passive stretch without affecting the blunted cardiovascular response to hindlimb arterial injection of capsaicin in CHF rats. These data suggest that Kv channel dysfunction in DRGs plays a critical role in mediating the exaggerated EPR and muscle afferent sensitization in CHF. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The primary finding of this manuscript is that voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel dysfunction in DRGs plays a critical role in mediating the exaggerated EPR and muscle afferent sensitization in chronic heart failure (CHF). We propose that manipulation of Kv channels in DRG neurons could be considered as a potential new approach to reduce the exaggerated sympathoexcitation and to improve exercise intolerance in CHF, which can ultimately facilitate an improved quality of life and reduce mortality.

The versatility and flexibility of organic photoelectric materials endow organic photovoltaic cells fine function modulation and huge commercial potential. In this work, a new noncovalent fused-ring small molecule acceptor (SMA) BID-4F has been synthesized for high-efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). BID-4F consists of a diflurobenzothiadiazole (DFBT) core, ladder-like indacenodithiophene (IDT) spacers, and dicyanoindanone electron-withdrawing end groups, which are supposed to be conformationally interlocked by noncovalent interactions, leading to good molecular planarity. In addition, compact solid state stacking was revealed by UV–vis–NIR absorption spectrum. The optimized PM6:BID-4F based device delivers an eminent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.30% with a high open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.92 V and a high fill factor (FF) of 74.3%. Most importantly, the PCE and FF are among one of the highest values reported for the OSCs based on the unfused-ring SMAs. Overall, our work demonstrates that the unfused ring central framework with high molecular planarity through noncovalent interactions provides a good strategy to construct highly efficient SMAs.

To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CBCT-MRI fused images for articular disc calcification of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Twenty patients (24 TMJs) whose image examinations showed dense bodies in the TMJ space were included in the study. The locations of dense bodies evaluated by the three experts were used as a reference standard. Three oral and maxillofacial radiology residents evaluated whether the dense bodies were disc calcification or not, with a five-point scale for four sets of images (CBCT alone, MRI alone, both CBCT and MRI observed at a time, and CBCT-MRI fused images) randomly and independently. Each set of images was observed at least 1 week apart. A second evaluation was performed after 4 weeks. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the intra- and inter-observer agreement. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) were compared between the four image sets using Z test. Ten cases were determined as articular disc calcifications, and fourteen cases were recognized as loose bodies in the TMJ spaces. The average AUC index for the CBCT-MRI fused images was 0.95 and significantly higher than the other sets (p < 0.01). The intra- and inter-observer agreement in the CBCT-MRI fused images (0.90–0.91, 0.93) was excellent and higher than those in the other images. CBCT-MRI fused images can significantly improve the observers’ reliability and accuracy in determining articular disc calcification of the TMJ. The multimodality image fusion is feasible in detecting articular disc calcification of the TMJ which are hard to define by CBCT or MRI alone. It can be utilized especially for inexperienced residents to shorten the learning curve and improve diagnostic accuracy.

To evaluate the quality of the existing studies and summarize evidence of important outcomes of meta-analyses/systematic reviews (MAs/SRs) of CFS. Potentially eligible studies were searched in the following electronic databases from inception to 1 September, 2019: Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang Database (WF), Web of Science, Embase, PubMed and Cochrane Library. Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the quality of evidence. The methodological quality of the literature was evaluated by A Measure Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) and the quality of the report was assessed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). The intra-class correlation coefficient was used to assess the consistency of the reviewers, with an overall intraclass correlation coefficient score of 0.967. Ten MAs/SRs were included. The overall conclusions were that acupuncture had good safety and efficacy in the treatment of CFS, but some of these results were contradictory. The GRADE indicated that out of the 17 outcomes, high-quality evidence was provided in 0 (0%), moderate in 3 (17.65%), low in 10 (58.82%), and very low in 4 (23.53%). The results of AMSTAR-2 showed that the methodological quality of all included studies was critically low. The PRISMA statement revealed that 8 articles (80%) were in line with 20 of the 27-item checklist, and 2 articles (20%) matched with 10–19 of the 27 items. We found that acupuncture on treating CFS has the advantage for efficacy and safety, but the quality of SRs/MAs of acupuncture for CFS need to be improved.

There are many unknown abnormal working conditions in industrial production. It is difficult to identify unknown abnormal working conditions because there are few relative sample and experience in this field. To solve this problem, a new identification method combining two-step clustering analysis and signed directed graph (TSCA-SDG) is proposed. Firstly, through correlation analysis and R-type clustering analysis, the variables are effectively selected and extracted. Then, a two-step clustering analysis was carried out on the selected variables to obtain the cluster results. Through the establishment of the signed directed graph (SDG) model, the causes of abnormal working conditions and their mutual influence are deduced from the mechanism. The application of the TSCA-SDG method in the catalytic cracking process shows that this method has good performance for abnormal condition identification.

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CBCT–MRI fused image for anterior disc displacement and bone changes of temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which are the main imaging manifestations of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Methods: Two hundred and thirty-one TMJs of 120 patients who were diagnosed with TMD were selected for the study. The anterior disc displacement, bone defect and bone hyperplasia evaluated by three experts were used as a reference standard. Three residents individually evaluated all the three sets of images, which were CBCT images, MRI images and CBCT-MRI fused images from individual CBCT and MRI images in a random order for the above-mentioned three imaging manifestations with a five-point scale. Each set of images was observed at least 1 week apart. A second evaluation was performed 4 weeks later. Intra- and interobserver agreements were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of the three image sets were compared with a Z test, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: One hundred and forty-five cases were determined as anterior disc displacement, 84 cases as bone defect and 40 cases as bone hyperplasia. The intra- and interobserver agreements in the CBCT-MRI fused image set (0.76–0.91) were good to excellent, and the diagnostic accuracy for bone changes was significantly higher than that of MRI image set (p＜0.05). Conclusions CBCT-MRI fused images can display the disc and surrounding bone structures simultaneously and significantly improve the observers’ reliability and diagnostic accuracy, especially for inexperienced residents.

Effective density is one of the most important physical properties of atmospheric particles. It is closely linked to particle chemical composition and morphology, and could provide special information on particle emissions and aging processes. In this study, size-resolved particle effective density was measured with a combined DMA-CPMA-CPC system in Multiphase chemistry experiment in Fogs and Aerosols in the North China Plain (McFAN) in autumn 2019. With a new developed flexible Gaussian fit algorithm, frequent (77–87 %) bimodal distribution of particle effective density is identified, with a low-density mode (named sub-density mode) accounting for 22–27 % of total observed particles. The prevalence of the sub-density mode is closely related to fresh black carbon (BC) emissions. The geometric mean for the main-density mode (eff,main) increases from 1.18 g cm−3 (50 nm) to 1.37 g cm−3 (300 nm) due to larger fraction of high-density components and more significant restructuring effect at large particle sizes, but decreases from 0.89 g cm−3 (50 nm) to 0.62 g cm−3 (300 nm) for the sub-density mode (eff,sub) ascribed to the agglomerate effect. eff,main and eff,sub show similar diurnal cycles with peaks in the early afternoon, mainly attributed to the increasing mass fraction of high material density components associated with secondary aerosol production, especially of secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA). To investigate the impact of chemical composition, bulk particle effective density was calculated based on measured chemical composition (ρeff,ACSM) and compared with the average effective density at 300 nm (eff,tot,300 nm). The best agreement between the two densities is achieved when assuming a BC effective density of 0.60 g cm−3. The particle effective density is highly dependent on SIA and BC mass fractions. The influence of BC on the effective density is even stronger than SIA, implying the importance and necessity of including BC in the estimate of effective density for ambient particles.

Aim Patients suffering from acute lung injury (ALI) are at high risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias. We hypothesized that stellate ganglia (SG) neural inflammation contributes to ALI-induced arrhythmia. Methods We created an ALI rat model using a single tracheal instillation of bleomycin (2.5 mg/kg), with saline as a sham control. We recorded ECGs by implanted radiotelemetry in male bleomycin and sham rats treated with and without oral minocycline (20 mg/kg/d), an anti-inflammatory drug that inhibits microglia/macrophage activation. The SG neuronal excitability was assessed by electrophysiology experiments. Results ECG data showed that bleomycin-exposed rats exhibited significantly more spontaneous premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) from 1- to 3-week post-induction compared with sham rats, which was mitigated by chronic oral administration of minocycline. The bleomycin-exposed rats displayed a robust increase in both the number of Iba1-positive macrophages and protein expression of interferon regulatory factor 8 in the SG starting as early at 1-week post-exposure and lasted for at least 4 weeks, which was largely attenuated by minocycline. Heart rate variability analysis indicated autonomic imbalance during the first 2-week post-bleomycin, which was significantly attenuated by minocycline. Electrical stimulation of the decentralized SG triggered more PVCs in bleomycin-exposed rats than sham and bleomycin + minocycline rats. Patch-clamp data demonstrated enhanced SG neuronal excitability in the bleomycin-exposed rats, which was attenuated by minocycline. Co-culture of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-pretreated macrophages with normal SG neurons enhanced SG neuronal excitability. Conclusion Macrophage activation in the SG contributes to arrhythmogenesis in bleomycin-induced ALI in male rats.

As a distributed computing technology, cloud computing has the characteristics of fast processing speed, large-capacity data processing, and high overall efficiency. With the continuous development of communication technology today, cloud computing technology has begun to be applied in various industries and has promoted the development and progress of the industry. As an important part of college education, ideological and political education in colleges and universities is also constantly developing. The integration of cloud computing and ideological and political education is the main trend in the future. At present, the application research of cloud computing and wireless communication technology in the ideological and political education of colleges and universities has obtained some results, but there are still some problems. Therefore, the research on innovative methods of ideological and political education is extremely important. At present, under the attention of all walks of life, scholars have strengthened the research on new paths of ideological and political education in colleges and universities, and they are also constantly experimenting with innovative methods. In this context, this paper studies the current situation of ideological and political education in colleges and universities through questionnaire surveys and analyzes the innovative mode of ideological and political education in colleges and universities in the context of cloud computing through the K-means clustering algorithm model.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is associated with cytokine release, pulmonary edema and in the longer term, fibrosis. A severe cytokine storm and pulmonary pathology can cause respiratory failure due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is one of the major causes of mortality associated with ALI. In this study, we aimed to determine a novel neural component through cardiopulmonary spinal afferents that mediates lung pathology during ALI/ARDS. We ablated cardiopulmonary spinal afferents through either epidural T1-T4 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) application or intra-stellate ganglia delivery of a selective afferent neurotoxin, resiniferatoxin (RTX) in rats 3 days post bleomycin-induced lung injury. Our data showed that both epidural and intra-stellate ganglia injection of RTX significantly reduced plasma extravasation and reduced the level of lung pro-inflammatory cytokines providing proof of principle that cardiopulmonary spinal afferents are involved in lung pathology post ALI. Considering the translational potential of stellate ganglia delivery of RTX, we further examined the effects of stellate RTX on blood gas exchange and lung edema in the ALI rat model. Our data suggest that intra-stellate ganglia injection of RTX improved pO2and blood acidosis 7 days post ALI. It also reduced wet lung weight in bleomycin treated rats, indicating a reduction in lung edema. Taken together, this study suggests that cardiopulmonary spinal afferents play a critical role in lung inflammation and edema post ALI. This study shows the translational potential for ganglionic administration of RTX in ARDS.

Background Ovarian cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the female reproductive system with the highest mortality rate. Cul4B participates in the oncogenesis and progression of several malignant tumors. However, the role of Cul4B in ovarian cancer has not been studied. Results High expression of intratumor Cul4B was associated with poor patient survival. Cul4B expression was associated with FIGO stage and Cul4B was independent risk factor of ovarian cancer disease-free survival and overall survival. In vitro studies revealed that overexpression of Cul4B promoted tumor proliferation while knockdown of Cul4B significantly inhibited the proliferation capacity of ovarian cancer cells. Mechanistically, Cul4B was found to promotes cell entering S phase from G0/G1 phase by regulating the expression of CDK2 and CyclinD1. Cul4B regulates the expression of CDK2 and CyclinD1 by repressing miR-372. Conclusions The results revealed that high expression of Cul4B is associated with poor ovarian cancer prognosis and Cul4B may serve as a potential treating target for an adjuvant therapy.

To study age-related changes in the morphology of the supratubal recess (STR) and its relationship with the Eustachian tube (ET).Seventy randomly selected computed tomography (CT) images of non-pathological temporal bones of 49 patients were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were grouped according to age into 4 age groups: group A (0-3 years), group B (4-8 years), group C (9-18 years) and group D (19-50 years). Space analytic geometry was assessed to directly calculate the morphology of the STR and the ET.In normal temporal bones, the STR was mostly presented with a solitary cell in life. The length of the STR was significantly longer in group C than that in group A (P0.05). The width of the STR was declined with age and presented with significant difference among age groups (P0.05). No significant difference was observed in the height of the STR in whole age groups (P0.05). The aeration of the STR was intimately related with age-related morphological changes in the ET. But the important factors influencing the aeration of the STR were not always the same in different age stages.The extended length and declined width of the STR with age were mostly related with the prolonging bony part and inwardly bending cartilaginous part of the ET in children and adolescent aged from 0 to 18 years old. In adults aged more than 18 years old, the narrowed caliber of the tympanic orifice of the ET could induce the decline in the width of the STR with age, but unfolded horizontal cartilaginous part of the ET contributed to stable length and height in aeration of the STR.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the position of the internal aperture of vestibular aqueduct and its relationship to hearing level in patients with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA). METHODS The size of the common crus and the position of the internal aperture of vestibular aqueduct were compared among control subjects, EVA patients with and without other inner ear malformations. Auditory steady-state response thresholds were compared between EVA patients with different positions of internal apertures. RESULTS The common crus in EVA patients was shorter than in control subjects (p

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a rare, rapidly expanding, locally destructive, and easily misdiagnosed lesion. An ABC of the condyle is rare. This report presents a 25-year-old female with a giant ABC in the left mandibular condyle. This patient was treated with surgical resection of the affected bone and immediate mandibular reconstruction using autologous bone. Follow-up to date showed no signs of recurrence. The clinical feature, imaging finding, pathogenesis, and treatment methods of ABCs are discussed.

Background: People who suffer lung injury, incurred through a variety of means, are at greatly increased risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias. Treatment options remain limited. We propose that stellate ganglia neuro-inflammation contributes to lung injury-induced arrhythmogenesis. Methods: We created lung injury in adult Sprague-Dawley rats by a single tracheal instillation of Bleomycin (Bleo, 2.5 mg/kg), and used Saline instillation as a control. We recorded ECGs in conscience, freely moving Bleo and Saline rats treated with and without oral minocycline (20 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks, an anti-inflammatory drug to inhibit microglia/macrophage activation) using implantable radio-telemeters. During terminal experimentation we investigated the effect of minocycline on isolated electrical stellate stimulation-induced cardiac arrhythmias in Bleo rats. Results: Bleo rats exhibited lung lesions at necropsy and lung fibrosis histologically. Bleo rats, on average, had more premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) than Saline rats, an effect largely prevented by chronic treatment with minocycline. (PVC data 1-wk post Bleo: Saline 22±12, Bleo 481±394*#, Bleo+Mino 24±9. PVC data 2-wks post Bleo: Saline 6±2, Bleo 255±165*, Bleo+Mino 21±8. Data are AVG±SEM number of PVCs over 24-hr, n=5-6 for all groups. *P Conclusion: Our data showed that stellate ganglia neuroinflammation contributes to arrhythmogenesis in our Bleo lung injury rat model.

The objective of this study was to summarize diagnostic points and treatment strategies for diffuse tenosynovial giant cell tumours (D-TSGCTs) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and to evaluate the expression of proteins related to bone destruction and recurrence. The clinical and histopathological characteristics of 24 cases were analysed retrospectively. TRAP staining and immunohistochemical staining for MMP-9, MMP-13, and Ki-67 were performed. The median age of the patients was 45.5 years; the female to male ratio was 1.7:1. In 11 cases (45.8%), skull base destruction seen on computed tomography was confirmed by surgery. Computer-assisted navigation was performed in six cases. Four patients received adjuvant radiotherapy after first surgery. Five patients had recurrent lesions. Multinucleated giant cells were positive for TRAP, MMP-9, and MMP-13. The average Ki-67 index of the recurrent cases was significantly higher than that of the non-recurrent ones (P0.05). This study demonstrates the aggressive and recurrent nature of D-TSGCT occurring in the TMJ. Computer-assisted navigation is helpful to protect vital structures and determine margins. Adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy is recommended for local control of residual or recurrent tumour. In conclusion, MMP-9 and MMP-13 may play a role in bone destruction of D-TSGCT, and the Ki-67 index has predictive significance for recurrence.

Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key transcription factor that maintains redox homeostasis by governing a broad array of antioxidant genes in response to oxidant stress. We hypothesized that overexpression of Nrf2 in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) ameliorates sympatho-excitation in mice with coronary artery ligation-induced chronic heart failure (CHF). To address this, we overexpressed Nrf2 in the RVLM using an HIV-CamKIIa-Nrf2 lenti virus in C57BL/6 mice. In addition, we used a Lenti-Cre virus in Keap1(flox/flox) mice to upregulate Nrf2 non-selectively in the RVLM. Arterial blood pressure (AP), heart rate (HR), and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were recorded under conscious and anesthetized conditions, respectively. Protein expression was assayed using western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. We found that (1) Nrf2 and two target proteins, NQO1 and HO-1 in the RVLM were significantly lower in CHF compared to Sham mice. Nrf2 viral transfection of the RVLM upregulated Nrf2 protein. (2) Urinary NE excretion in CHF mice was markedly attenuated following Nrf2 upregulation (812 ± 133 vs 1120 ± 271 ng/24hr mean±SE, *p < 0.05, n = 8/group). (3) In the conscious state, CHF mice overexpressing Nrf2 exhibited an enhancement in spontaneous baroreflex gain and in phenylephrine-induced baroreflex control of HR. (4) Acute experiments under anesthetisa revealed a significant decrease in basal RSNA (44.0 ± 6.5 vs 64.7 ± 8.3 % of Max. *P < 0.05 n = 8/group) and enhancement in baroreflex sensitivity (Maximal gain −1.8 ± 0.3 vs 1.1 ± 0.2 of mmHg. **p < 0.01. n = 6/group) in CHF mice that were virally transfected with Nrf2 compared with CHF mice transfected with Lenti-GFP. Finally, Lenti-Cre viral overexpression of Nrf2 in Keap1(flox/flox) mice reduced Keap1 protein and increased Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 in the RVLM of Sham and CHF mice. CHF-Cre mice exhibited a significant decrease in baseline RSNA and plasma NE concentration (8.9 ± 1.1 vs 12.7 ± 0.9 ng/mL. *P < 0.05 n = 6/group) as compared with CHF-GFP mice. Based on the above data, we conclude that upregulating Nrf2 selectively in the RVLM attenuates sympatho-excitation in CHF mice. Nrf2 may be an important central target for autonomic modulation in cardiovascular disease and during stress.

An exaggerated exercise pressor reflex (EPR) is associated with excessive sympatho-excitation and exercise intolerance in the chronic heart failure (CHF) state. We hypothesized that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) causes the exaggerated EPR via sensitizing muscle mechanosensitive afferents in CHF. Increased BDNF expression was observed in lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) from CHF rats compared to sham rats. Immunofluorescence data showed a greater increase in the number of BDNF-positive neurons in medium and large-sized DRG subpopulations from CHF rats. Patch clamp data showed that incubation with BDNF for 4&ndash, 6 h, significantly decreased the current threshold-inducing action potential (AP), threshold potential and the number of APs during current injection in Dil-labeled isolectin B4 (IB4)-negative medium-sized DRG neurons (mainly mechano-sensitive) from sham rats. Compared to sham rats, CHF rats exhibited an increased number of APs during current injection in the same DRG subpopulation, which was significantly attenuated by 4-h incubation with anti-BDNF. Finally, chronic epidural delivery of anti-BDNF attenuated the exaggerated pressor response to either static contraction or passive stretch in CHF rats whereas this intervention had no effect on the pressor response to hindlimb arterial injection of capsaicin. These data suggest that increased BDNF in lumbar DRGs contributes to the exaggerated EPR in CHF.

Excessive sympathoexcitation characterizes the chronic heart failure (CHF) state. An exaggerated cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) contributes to this sympathoexcitation. Prior studies have demonstrated that the CSAR to capsaicin [transient receptor potential (TRP) vanilloid 1 agonist] is exaggerated in CHF animal models. We recently discovered that capsaicin application to the lung visceral pleura in anesthetized, vagotomized, open-chested rats increases mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). We named this response the pulmonary spinal afferent reflex (PSAR). Due to the similarities between TRP vanilloid 1 and TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channels as well as the excessive sympathoexcitation of CHF, we hypothesized that stimulation of the CSAR and PSAR with a specific TRPA1 agonist would result in an augmented response in CHF rats (coronary ligation model) compared with sham control rats. In response to a TRPA1 agonist, both CSAR and PSAR in sham rats resulted in biphasic changes in MAP and increases in HR and RSNA 10–12 wk postmyocardial infarction (post-MI). These effects were blunted in CHF rats. Assessment of TRPA1 expression levels in cardiopulmonary spinal afferents by immunofluorescence, quantitative RT-PCR, and Western blot analysis 10–12 wk post-MI all indicates reduced expression in CHF rats but no reduction at earlier time points. TRPA1 protein was reduced in a dorsal root ganglia cell culture model of inflammation and simulated tissue ischemia, raising the possibility that the in vivo reduction of TRPA1 expression was, in part, caused by CHF-related tissue ischemia and inflammation. These data provide evidence that reflex responses to cardiopulmonary spinal afferent TRPA1 stimulation may be attenuated in CHF rather than enhanced.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Excessive sympathoexcitation characterizes chronic heart failure (CHF). The contribution of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channel-mediated reflexes to this sympathoexcitation is unknown. We found that application of TRPA1 agonist to the heart and lung surface resulted in increased heart rate and sympathetic output and a biphasic change in mean arterial pressure in control rats. These effects were attenuated in CHF rats, decreasing the likelihood that TRPA1 channels contribute to cardiopulmonary afferent sensitization in CHF.

A hallmark of chronic heart failure (HF) with low ejection fraction (HFrEF) is exercise intolerance. We hypothesized that reduced expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in skeletal muscle contributes to impaired exercise performance. We further hypothesized that curcumin, a Nrf2 activator, would preserve or increase exercise capacity in HF. Experiments were carried out in mice with coronary artery ligation-induced HFrEF. Curcumin was deliveried by a subcutaneous osmotic minipump at a dose of 50 mg·kg−1·day−1 for 8 weeks. In vivo, in situ, and in vitro experiments were employed to evaluate exercise capacity, muscle function, and molecular mechanisms. We found that: 1) the maximal speed, running distance to exhaustion, and limb grip force were significantly lower in HFrEF mice compared with sham. Curcumin-treated HF mice displayed enhanced exercise performance compared with vehicle-treated HF mice; 2) both soleus (Sol) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of HFrEF mice exhibited reduced force and rapid fatigue, which were ameliorated by curcumin; and 3) protein expression of Nrf2, hemeoxygenase-1, SOD2, myogenin, and MyoD were significantly lower, but total ubiquitinated proteins, MURF1, and atrogen-1 were higher in Sol and EDL of HFrEF compared with sham mice, whereas these alterations in Nrf2 signaling and antioxidant defenses in HFrEF were attenuated by curcumin, which had no effect on cardiac function per se in mice with severe HFrEF. These data suggest that impaired Nrf2 signaling intrinsic to skeletal muscle contributes to exercise intolerance in HFrEF. Skeletal muscle Nrf2 should be considered as a novel therapeutic target in severe HF. NEW & NOTEWORTHY These studies suggest that impaired nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling is a critical mechanism underlying the enhanced oxidative stress in skeletal muscle in heart failure with low ejection fraction (HFrEF). Curcumin prevents the decline in running performance in HFrEF mice by upregulating antioxidant defenses in skeletal muscle, likely mediated by activating Nrf2 signaling. These findings suggest a novel therapeutic target for the improvement of exercise capacity and quality of life in HFrEF patients.

This study demonstrates the successful implementation of industrially feasible local B doping as a local back surface field via the Si paste technology to fabricate high-efficiency solar cells. Si paste formed by 25 wt% p-type Si nanoparticles and 75 wt% organic solvent is used as the B source. Si paste is fully screen-printed on the preprocessed p-type Si rear surface, and then a homogenous Si cladding layer is formed by picosecond laser cladding. During this process, B diffuses into the Si substrate. The Si cladding layer itself is a heavily doped layer and forms a metallurgical bond between Si substrate. After co-firing with Al paste, cells obviously avoid Kirkendall void formation at contact regions. The heavily doped Si cladding layer and localized B doping can decrease the contact resistance and reduce the minority carrier recombination at the local metal contacts. This optimized rear surface design finally contributes to push the overall average cell efficiency over 20.3% on p-type CZ wafers.

In this study, silicon (Si) paste formed by 25-wt% p-type Si nanoparticles and 75-wt% organic solvent is used as a boron (B) source. After conducting a laser opening in the back surface, the preprocessed Si wafers are used as the substrate. The Si paste is then screen-printed above the openings. Finally, B atoms diffuse into Si wafers after being cofired with aluminum paste. The voids in rear local contacts are located by scanning acoustic microscopy. The successful B doping is demonstrated by secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Cells with an average efficiency of over 20% are fabricated on China sunergy's production line, especially with a 0.7% improvement of the fill factor values for passivated emitter and rear contact cells.

Background Poor ovarian response (POR) is a high-incidence disease of women, which cause in vitro fertilization failure. Various treatment options have been proposed for women with POR to improve their ovarian response, but with little effect. In recent years, there is a wide range of applications of acupuncture in the process of in vitro fertilization. The meta-analysis and systematic review are designed to analyze whether acupuncture is effective for patients with POR. Methods The following databases will be searched from inception to March 2020: Electronic databases consist of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, the Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wanfang Database. Other literature resources will also be searched including clinical trial registries, key journals, and meeting records. The results of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture therapy on POR, which are published in Chinese or English, will be embedded. The primary outcome is the clinical pregnancy rate. Data identification, data selection, data extraction, and assessment of bias risk will be completed independently by 2 or more reviewers. STATA/IC 16 will be used to perform the meta-analysis. We will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system to evaluate the quality of our evidence. A systematic narrative synthesis will be provided if the quantitative analysis is not available. Discussion This study will provide the first meta-analysis and systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in treating POR. This protocol provides details to guide this study. Conclusions From this review may benefit POR patients or clinical decision-makers. Prospero registration number PROSPERO CRD42020169560.

The separation of industrial azeotropes by a new integrated process of distillation-membrane separation has the prominent advantages for energy saving and environmental protection. In view of the variety of industrial azeotrope types, this paper proposes a comprehensive solution strategy based on intelligent genetic programming (GP) for the distillation-membrane separation integration process. Based on Visual Studio platform, GP is written by C++ language. This algorithm can quickly calculate the economic optimal distillation-membrane separation process for any azeotrope separation. In this paper, the tert-Butanol-water azeotrope, the 2-Propanol-water azeotrope and the Pervap® 2510 membrane are taken as calculation examples to verify the feasibility and extensibility of the algorithm. The cost of carbon dioxide emission is taken into account.The results show that the algorithm can quickly and accurately search the optimal integrative process of various feed conditions and carbon dioxide emission conditions. The analysis of multiple optimal data shows that the membrane area has great influenced by the change of feed composition, which further influences the membrane separation cost. The cost models of various kinds of membranes can be modified at any time, thus it can be helpful for the future industrial application and further modification of membrane which is still in the experimental stage.

Sympatho-excitation is a hallmark of the chronic heart failure (CHF) state. The enhanced cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) contributes to the elevated sympathetic tone in CHF. However, the mechanisms underlying the CSAR sensitization have not been fully discovered. We hypothesized that myocardial infarction (MI) will trigger a neuro-inflammatory cascade that includes macrophage activation in thoracic dorsal root ganglia (DRG), which results in cardiac spinal afferent sensitization. Our immunofluorescence data ( Figure 1 ) demonstrated that, the number of Iba-1-positive (a macrophage marker) cells in T1-T4 DRGs of MI rats was significantly increased at 1 week and lasted at least 8 weeks post MI. RNA-seq analysis data in T1-T4 DRGs of MI rats also showed upregulated mRNA expressions of several macrophage-activation related genes such as IRF7, RGD1309362, slfn4 and lfit1. In the in vitro experiments, after the 50B11 DRG cells were co-cultured with LPS-pretreated BV2 cells (activated microglia/macrophage), the protein expressions of voltage-gated potassium channel isoforms (Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3 and Kv3.4) were largely reduced, which explains how macrophage activation cause DRG neuronal sensitization. Lastly, our data showed that 4-week treatment with minocycline (a macrophage inhibitor, 40 mg/kg/day) via drinking water markedly reduced the enhanced CSAR in the post-MI rats (MAP, 30.2±2.6 vs. 18.0±1.9 mmHg, n=6, p

This study was aimed to evaluate the risk factors of recurrence and the value of nodal involvement in patients with serous borderline ovarian tumors (SBOT).Two hundred twenty-five patients who underwent surgery and were diagnosed with SBOT were retrospectively studied. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the risk factors for recurrence. Patients' clinical pathologic characteristics were compared between the patients who presented lymph node involvement and those who did not. The significant values of lymph condition influencing 5-year disease-free survival were also evaluated by statistical analysis.Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that risk factors for recurrence were micropapillary (P = 0.021), fertility-preserving surgery (P = 0.014), and laparoscopic approach (P = 0.009). Of these 112 patients on whom lymphadenectomy was performed, 17 cases showed lymph node positive, whereas the remaining 95 patients did not. Significant differences in terms of lymph node numbers (P0.0001), invasive implant (P = 0.022), and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging (P0.0001) were observed between the 2 groups of lymphatic node involved or not. Kaplan-Meier curves of 5-year disease-free survival revealed that there were no significant differences either between groups of lymphatic node involved or not (P = 0.778) and groups of removed nodes whether more than 10 or not (P = 0.549).Micropapillary, fertility-preserving, and laparoscopic approach were factors significantly affecting the recurrence of SBOT by both univariate and multivariate analysis. Lymph node metastasis did not seem to be correlated to a worse prognosis of SBOT.

Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a complex disease and has a strong genetic component in its pathogenesis. Experimental evidence suggests the involvement of biological pathway in the disease. This case-control study was designed to investigate whether five common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in GDF5, SMAD3, RUNX2, TGFβ1 and CHST11, respectively, are associated with TMJOA in female Han Chinese patients. A total of 240 participants were evaluated comprising 114 female patients diagnosed with TMJOA based on Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders and 126 healthy female controls. The SNPs of the five genes in the genomic DNA were examined by sequencing, and their allelic, genotypic and carriage rate frequency distributions, as well as the triple combination of the risk genotypes, were analysed using the logistic regression model. The SNP in GDF5 or SMAD3 showed significant association with TMJOA, a relatively weak association was observed in RUNX2. In the triple combinational analysis, the risk of TMJOA grew 5·09 times in the patients with five or six risk alleles (P 0·01). This is the first study to evaluate the association of GDF5, SMAD3, RUNX2, TGFβ1 and CHST11 with TMJOA in female Han Chinese. Our study suggests that the SNPs of genes related to TGFβ family might contribute to the risk of TMJOA.

The methods of piezoelectric energy harvest and detection based on forced vibration are introduced in this paper. Firstly, the mechanical energy of the forced vibration is converted into alternating current energy by using the piezoelectric harvester, and then the AC currents are rectified through the full bridge rectifier circuits, and finally the capacitor filter circuits are adopted to obtain the stable DC output. It also implements the voltage waveform detection during above energy harvesting process. The experimental results show that piezoelectric oscillator has the characteristics of simple structure and support stability, and its forced vibration frequency is independent of the structural natural frequency. The piezoelectric harvester forced with the vibration source can obtain an effective energy-harvested electric output.

Objective To investigate characteristics of congenital aural stenosis (CAS) patients' external auditory canal (EAC) (position, length, orientation, etc.) and compare them with normal EAC.CT images of normal people and CAS patient were utilized. We obtained coordinates of EAC landmarks. Then the Matlab program could calculate some anatomic parameters about EAC, including distances from central point of tympanic annulus (CA), central point of osseous EAC opening (CO), central point of cartilaginous EAC inside opening (CCi), central point of cartilaginous EAC outside opening (CCo) to the Frankfurt horizontal plane (Pfrkt), the median sagittal plane (Psag), the coronal plane (Pcor); orientations of EAC bendings; straight and arc lengths of EAC.Distances from CA, CO, CCi and CCo to Pfrkt were all shorter in CAS group than control group (p0.05). The straight and arc lengths of cartilaginous EAC in CAS group were shorter than control group (p0.05). Straight and arc lengths of EAC in CAS group were shorter than those in control group (p0.05). The proportion of one bending in cartilaginous EAC in control group was significantly lower than CAS group (p0.05). Orientations of EAC bendings in CAS group differed from those in control group (p0.05).In addition to smaller diameters, compared with normal EAC, the position of CAS patients' osseous EAC was higher compared with the normal. The majority of CAS patients have a bending and downward slanting cartilaginous EAC. Orientations of EAC bending in CAS patients were different from normal. Besides, the length of CAS patients' cartilaginous EAC was shorter. However, there were no significant differences between CAS patients and normal people in length of osseous EAC. These differences in anatomic parameters could provide the basis for optimizing the meatoplasty.

The flow mechanism and radiate noise by a low-speed turbulent flow over an open cavity has been investigated computationally. After acquired the flow field data which is obtained by using Large Eddy Simulation, hybrid method that couples numerical flow computations with an implementation of the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation is used to capture the flow induced noise. Different cavity length to depth ratios and configurations are used to investigate the influences of cavity deeps and configuration with an incoming flow of 50m/s. In this article, we also discussed the reduction method of cavity noise.

Aerosol effects on summertime low warm clouds over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) are examined using co-located MODIS, CALIOP and CloudSat observations. By taking the vertical locations of aerosol and cloud layers into account, we use simultaneously observed aerosol and cloud data to investigate relationships between cloud properties and the amount of aerosol particles (using aerosol optical depth, AOD, as a proxy). Also, we investigate the impact of aerosol types on the variation of cloud properties with AOD. Finally, we explore how meteorological conditions affect these relationships using ERA Interim Reanalysis data. This study shows that the relation between cloud droplet effective radius (CDR) and AOD depends on the aerosol abundance, with a different behaviour for low and high AOD (i.e. AOD 0.3). Cloud fraction (CF) is found to be little dependent on the AOD when aerosol and cloud physically interact, but has a positive relation in case of well-separated clouds. Cloud optical Thickness (COT) is found to decrease when AOD increases, which may be due to radiative effects and retrieval artefacts caused by absorbing aerosol. Conversely, cloud top pressure (CTP) tends to increase with elevated AOD, indicating that the aerosol is not always prone to expand the vertical extension. Furthermore, separation of cases with either polluted dust or smoke aerosol shows that COT and CF are smaller for clouds mixed with smoke aerosol which is ascribed to the higher absorption efficiency of smoke than dust. The variation of cloud properties with AOD is analysed for different values of relative humidity (RH) and boundary layer thermodynamic and dynamic conditions, showing that high relative humidity and upward motion of air parcels can enhance the strength of aerosol-cloud interaction, especially pronounced in heavily polluted conditions than in moderately polluted conditions. Meteorological conditions play a weak role in the COT-AOD and CTP-AOD relationships throughout the range of AOD. Overall, the interpretation of the observed relationships between cloud properties and AOD requires that ambient environmental conditions are considered in addition to the aerosol and cloud parameters.

OBJECTIVES:: To present a method for image fusion of cone beam CT (CBCT)/CT and MRI and to explore whether the image data sets fused in such a way could aid the detection of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) anatomical structures and lesions. METHODS:: There were five cases included in this study. One case was space occupying lesion giant cell tumour of tendon sheaths, one case was chronic inflammation in the condyle, one case was articular disc calcification of the bilateral TMJs, and the other two cases were TMJ disorders (anterior disc displacement without reduction). The digital imaging and communications in medicine format data of CT/CBCT and MRI of the cases were collected, and then imported to the Amira visual software where the registration process was conducted. Based on the different scan model, the registration process could be separated into automatic registration of CT/CBCT with quadrature slice MR images and the semi-automatic registration of CT/CBCT with oblique slice MR images by altering the registration parameters. Rigid transform model and the similarity metric of normalization mutual information was used for registration in the present study. RESULTS:: The relationship between the soft mass and hard tissue was shown clearly in the fused images when compared to sole observation of CBCT/CT or MR images. The fused images could define the tumour outline and the destructive bone clearly in the same image. The fused results helped the observers to ensure uncertain defects which could not be confirmed only by one image data set. CONCLUSIONS:: The CT/CBCT and MR images could be fused to aid detection of TMJ anatomical structures and related lesions. ispartof: DENTOMAXILLOFACIAL RADIOLOGY vol:48 issue:3 ispartof: location:England status: published

In this paper, a new method of preparing silicon microspheres is introduced. Silicon microspheres have been produced under transient and high temperature generated with pulsed electrical discharge in the liquid. Their micro topography and composition are characterized and analyzed by SEM/EDS. The mechanism of sphere formation is studied by local area temperature field analysis using ANSYS. Various sizes of silicon particles (0.5-30μm) are successfully prepared under the different processing conditions. It is demonstrated that pulsed electrical discharge method is energy controllable, cost-effective, and is of great significance to the preparation of silicon ink which is the important material of new type of TFSC and selective emitter cell.

This study aimed to present a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA) induced allergic diarrhea under a sub-barrier system and investigate the development of gut microbiota in this model. Male BALB/c mice were systemically sensitized with OVA or sham-sensitized with saline, and followed by oral OVA intubation, leading to OVA-specific acute diarrhea. Compared with sham-sensitized mice, sera OVA-specific IgG1 and total IgE in OVA-sensitized mice were dramatically elevated, and the number of mast cells was greatly increased in the jejunum of the OVA-sensitized mice. Principle component analysis of the DGGE profile showed that samples from group of OVA-sensitized mice and group of sham-sensitized mice were scattered into two different regions. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the number of 16S rRNA gene copies of Lactobacillus in the colon of OVA-sensitized mice decreased significantly, while there was no significant difference in the number of Bifidobacterium and total bacteria. In conclusion, OVA-specific allergic diarrhea was successfully induced under a sub-barrier system, and changes of allergic reactions during induction was coupled with changes in gut microbiota, especially the number of colonic Lactobacillus, but the role of gut microbiota in the development of food allergic reactions needs to be further evaluated.

On the basis of research on the theory of the Fourier transform lens, according to the observation and test requirements of a fine particle and the geometrical optics aberration theory, a particle size measuring lens of adjustable high resolution laser beam that worked for wavelength of 660 nm is designed, the laser beam can be controlled through the aperture adjusting device of the lens, and can high definition imaging for the semiconductor fiber laser that core diameter is 4.5μm, numerical aperture N.A is 0.13, the output wavelength is 660nm. In the case of object distance for the next 129.5mm, the spot diameter approximately equal to the theoretical amplification value, the main image spot is clear and no flare.

With 2 figures and 4 tables Abstract Association mapping is a useful alternative to linkage mapping for the detection of marker–phenotype associations. The main objective of this study is to identify simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers associated with the vegetable soybean quality traits of 100-pod weight, 100-seed weight, sucrose content and free amino acid content. The four quality traits were evaluated in 323 soybean cultivar accessions from China, and the 323 accessions were genotyped with 101 SSR markers. Analysis of population structure revealed two subgroups in the population. The mean linkage disequilibrium (LD) value (D′) for all statistically significant loci pairs was 0.258. The decay of the LD based on the D′ value showed little change with the increasing genetic distance between pairs. A total of 79 marker–trait associations related to the four traits were identified, involving 44 different SSR markers. According to the results, the association analysis approach in this study can be an effective method for quantitative trait loci mapping and can help breeders to develop new strategies for improving vegetable soybean quality.

The characteristics of a high-power single-chip green light-emitting diode (LED) operating with a >40 W input power are reported. The single-chip large area LED chip, which consists of 24 stages, was fabricated by using commercial wafers with chip dimensions of 6.5 x 5 mm(2). The electrical and optical characteristics of the LED were measured up to a 500 mA injection current under direct operation conditions. Optical output power and forward voltage at 500 mA were obtained to be 3 W and 83 V, respectively, which demonstrates an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 10.4% with a 41.5 W input power.

Nanotechnology has proven its importance in almost all areas, and textile industry is not an expectation. Several applications of nanotechnology can be extended to attain the performance enhancement of textile manufacturing machines and processes. Using different methods like electro spraying and electro spinning, various materials have been used to increase additional functions in textiles. This treatment is applied to give textiles the desired handle, to make further processing easier and to improve the thermal and antistatic properties. In this manuscript, we have summarized the recent advances made in nanotechnology and the methods of fabricating functional fibers by electrospinning and melt spinning preparation. Applications of the nanotechnology in textile industries are also summarized in this paper with some novel ideas that can be utilized for the future research in this area.

We propose the use of graphene-covered silicon carbide (SiC) nanowire arrays (NWAs) for theoretical studies of near-field radiative heat transfer. The SiC NWAs exhibit a hyperbolic characteristic at an appropriately selected filling-volume fraction. The surface plasmon supported by graphene and the hyperbolic modes supported by SiC NWAs significantly affect radiative heat transfer. The heat-transfer coefficient (HTC) between the proposed structures is larger than that between SiC NWAs. We also find that the chemical potential of graphene plays an important role in modulating the HTC. The tunability of chemical potential through gate voltage enables flexible control of heat transfer using the graphene-covered SiC NWAs.

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process modified with vapor trapping method has been used to synthesize n-type ZnO nanowires with high carrier concentration without incorporating impurity dopants. With this method, a spatial variation of synthesis condition was created and the donors were directly introduced into the nanowires during the synthesis process. Electron microscopy and electrical transport studies show that nanowires having distinct morphologies and electrical properties were obtained at different locations in the CVD system. The vapor trapping method elucidates the effect of synthesis conditions, and provides an approach to control nanowire growth for tailorable device applications.

Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of stroke, but the mechanisms are unclear. The present study tested the hypothesis that diabetes mellitus disturbs the brain microcirculation and increases the susceptibility to cerebral damage in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of ischemia.Diabetes was induced by streptozocin in mice expressing green fluorescent protein in endothelial cells (Tie2-GFP mice). Four weeks later, they were subjected to transient (20 min) MCAO. In vivo blood flow was measured by two-photon laser-scanning microscopy (TPLSM) in cerebral arteries, veins, and capillaries.There was a significant decrease in red blood cell (RBC) velocity in capillaries in diabetic mice as assessed by TPLSM, yet the regional cerebral blood flow, as assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry, was maintained. Brain capillary flow developed turbulence after MCAO only in diabetic mice. These mice sustained increased neurological deficits after MCAO which were accompanied by an exaggerated degradation of tight junction proteins and blunted CaMKII phosphorylation in cerebral tissues indicating disruption of the blood-brain barrier and disturbed cognitive potential.Diabetic mice are more susceptible to disturbances of cerebral capillary blood flow which may predispose them to neurovascular defects following ischemia.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in regulating apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells in a hypoxia-reperfusion model.A hypoxia-reperfusion model was established with NRK-52E cells to assess apoptosis and cell cycle progression after the addition of NGAL. We investigated the expression of four apoptosis factors, Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and FasL, as well as the expression level of two NGAL receptors, 24p3R and megalin, by both Western blot and real-time PCR.NGAL induced cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis by regulating four apoptosis factors Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and FasL. Western blot demonstrated that the two NGAL receptors, 24p3R and megalin, were increased after hypoxia-reperfusion, which was reduced by exogenous NGAL. Moreover, overexpression of the two receptors induced the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 and reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, Fas and FasL.These findings indicate that NGAL reduces apoptosis by regulating the four apoptosis factors Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and FasL through its two receptors 24p3R and megalin. These results also suggest that ectopic expression of NGAL in renal cells might provide a therapeutic strategy in ischemia-reperfusion by reducing apoptosis and promoting renal cell proliferation.

The translation of experimental stroke research from the laboratory to successful clinical practice remains a formidable challenge. We previously reported that PEGylated-lipid nanoparticles (PLNs) effectively transport across the blood-brain barrier along with less inflammatory responses. In the present study, PLNs conjugated to Fas ligand antibody that selectively present on brain ischaemic region were used for therapeutic targeting. Fluorescent analysis of the mice brain show that encapsulated 3-n-Butylphthalide (dl-NBP) in PLNs conjugated with Fas ligand antibody effectively delivered to ipsilateral region of ischaemic brain. Furthermore, the confocal immunohistochemical study demonstrated that brain-targeted nanocontainers specifically accumulated on OX42 positive microglia cells in ischaemic region of mice model. Finally, dl-NBP encapsulated nano-drug delivery system is resulted in significant improvements in brain injury and in neurological deficit after ischaemia, with the significantly reduced dosages versus regular dl-NBP. Overall, these data suggests that PLNs conjugated to an antibody specific to the Fas ligand constituted an ideal brain targeting drug delivery system for brain ischaemia.