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Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) help prevent the irreversible aggregation of denatured proteins that occurs in response to organismal stress. In this study, we identified two intron-free genes encoding sHSPs from Frankliniella occidentalis; these were designated FoHSP11.6 and FoHSP28.0 and belonged to an atypical and typical sHSP family, respectively. Both FoHSPs were transcribed in all developmental stages of F. occidentalis with the highest expression levels in pupae and adults and greater expression in males than females. Although the FoHSPs had different temperature-induced expression profiles, they were generally induced by both low and high temperatures and reached maximal expression levels after 0.5-1 h of temperature stress. The FoHSPs expression levels in pupae were induced by drought and high humidity, and higher expression levels were correlated with lower survival rates. The thermotolerance of F. occidentalis decreased when theFoHSPs were silenced by RNA interference. Our results show that FoHSP11.6 and FoHSP28.0 are involved in the response to temperature and drought and may also function in growth and development of F. occidentalis.

Background: Surgical treatment of both-column acetabular fractures is challenging because of the complex acetabular fracture patterns and the curved surface of the acetabulum. Seldom study has compared the application of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology and traditional methods of contouring plates intra-operatively for the surgical treatment of both-column acetabular fractures. We presented the use of both 3D printing technology and a virtual simulation in pre-operative planning for both-column acetabular fractures. We hypothesized that 3D printing technology will assist orthopedic surgeons in shortening the surgical time and improving the clinical outcomes. Methods: Forty patients with both-column acetabular fractures were recruited in the randomized prospective case-control study from September 2013 to September 2017 for this prospective study (No. ChiCTR1900028230). We allocated the patients to two groups using block randomization (3D printing group, n = 20; conventional method group, n = 20). For the 3D printing group, 1:1 scaled pelvic models were created using 3D printing, and the plates were pre-contoured according to the pelvic models. The plates for the conventional method group were contoured during the operation without 3D printed pelvic models. The operation time, instrumentation time, time of intra-operative fluoroscopy, blood loss, number of times the approach was performed, blood transfusion, post-operative fracture reduction quality, hip joint function, and complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results: The operation and instrumentation times in the 3D printing group were significantly shorter (130.8 ± 29.2 min, t = －7.5, P < 0.001 and 32.1 ± 9.5 min, t = －6.5, P < 0.001, respectively) than those in the conventional method group. The amount of blood loss and blood transfusion in the 3D printing group were significantly lower (500 [400, 800] mL, Mann-Whitney U= 74.5, P < 0.001 and 0 [0,400] mL, Mann-Whitney U = 59.5, P < 0.001, respectively) than those in the conventional method group. The number of the approach performed in the 3D printing group was significantly smaller than that in the conventional method group (pararectus + Kocher-Langenbeck [K-L] approach rate: 35% vs. 85%; x2 = 10.4, P < 0.05). The time of intra-operative fluoroscopy in the 3D printing group was significantly shorter than that in the conventional method group (4.2 ± 1.8 vs. 7.7 ± 2.6 s; t = －5.0, P < 0.001). The post-operative fracture reduction quality in the 3D printing group was significantly better than that in the conventional method group (good reduction rate: 80% vs. 30%; x2 = 10.1, P < 0.05). The hip joint function (based on the Harris score 1 year after the operation) in the 3D printing group was significantly better than that in the conventional method group (excellent/good rate: 75% vs. 30%; x2 = 8.1, P < 0.05). The complication was similar in both groups (5.0% vs. 25%; x2 = 3.1, P = 0.182). Conclusions: The use of a pre-operative virtual simulation and 3D printing technology is a more effective method for treating bothcolumn acetabular fractures. This method can shorten the operation and instrumentation times, reduce blood loss, blood transfusion and the time of intra-operative fluoroscopy, and improve the post-operative fracture reduction quality. Clinical trail registration: No.ChiCTR1900028230; http://www.chictr.org.cn Key words: Both-column; Acetabulum fractures; Computer simulation; Three-dimensional printing; Internal fracture fixation

Hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) plays a critical role in the apoptotic process during cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study aimed to investigate whether post‐treatment with dexmedetomidine (DEX) could protect against I/R‐induced cardiac apoptosis in vivo and in vitro via regulating HIF‐1α signalling pathway. Rat myocardial I/R was induced by occluding the left anterior descending artery for 30 minutes followed by 6‐hours reperfusion, and cardiomyocyte hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) was induced by oxygen‐glucose deprivation for 6 hours followed by 3‐hours reoxygenation. Dexmedetomidine administration at the beginning of reperfusion or reoxygenation attenuated I/R‐induced myocardial injury or H/R‐induced cell death, alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction, reduced the number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes, inhibited the activation of HIF‐1α and modulated the expressions of apoptosis‐related proteins including BCL‐2, BAX, BNIP3, cleaved caspase‐3 and cleaved PARP. Conversely, the HIF‐1α prolyl hydroxylase‐2 inhibitor IOX2 partly blocked DEX‐mediated cardioprotection both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, DEX down‐regulated HIF‐1α expression at the post‐transcriptional level and inhibited the transcriptional activation of the target gene BNIP3. Post‐treatment with DEX protects against cardiac I/R injury in vivo and H/R injury in vitro. These effects are, at least in part, mediated via the inhibition of cell apoptosis by targeting HIF‐1α signalling.

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a key role in cellular energy homeostasis and cell proliferation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression in biological processes. It is unclear to whether miRNAs are involved in AMPK-regulated Sertoli cell (SC) proliferation. To further understand the regulation of miRNAs in the immature boar SC proliferation, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) was added to activate AMPK. By an Illumina small RNA deep sequencing, we obtained sequences and relative expression levels of 272 known mature miRNAs, among which 9 miRNAs were significantly upregulated whereas 16 miRNAs were downregulated following the AICAR treatment. The results identified 38 conserved miRNAs, with 8 significantly downregulated miRNAs whereas no upregulated miRNAs. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses suggested that miR-1285 was involved in many activities and pathways associated with cell proliferation via targeting on AMPKα2. We validated that AICAR significantly downregulated miR-1285 level in SCs. Transfection of miR-1285 mimic increased the SC viability and cell cycle progression but reduced AMPKα2 mRNA and protein levels, indicating that miR-1285 is involved in the immature boar SC proliferation via downregulating AMPKα2 expression.

When using ultrasound imaging of the tongue for speech recording/research, submental transducer stabilization is required to prevent the ultrasound transducer from translating or rotating in relation to the tongue. An iterative prototype of a lightweight three-dimensional-printable wearable ultrasound transducer stabilization system that allows flexible jaw motion and free head movement is presented. The system is completely non-metallic, eliminating interference with co-recorded signals, thus permitting co-collection and co-registration with articulometry systems. A motion study of the final version demonstrates that transducer rotation is limited to 1.25° and translation to 2.5 mm-well within accepted tolerances.

Background Lung cancer has been the leading cause of tumor related death, and 80% ~ 85% of it is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Even with the rising molecular targeted therapies, for example EGFR, ROS1 and ALK, the treatment is still challenging. The study is to identify credible responsible genes during the development of NSCLC using bioinformatic analysis, developing new prognostic biomarkers and potential gene targets to the disease. Methods Firstly, three genes expression profiles GSE44077, GSE18842 and GSE33532 were picked from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to analyze the genes with different expression level (GDEs) between NSCLC and normal lung samples, and the cellular location, molecular function and the biology pathways the GDEs enriched in were analyzed. Then, gene function modules of GDEs were explored based on the protein-protein interaction network (PPI), and the top module which contains most genes was identified, followed by containing genes annotation and survival analysis. Moreover, multivariate cox regression analysis was performed in addition to the Kaplan meier survival to narrow down the key genes scale. Further, the clinical pathological features of the picked key genes were explored using TCGA data. Results Three GEO profiles shared a total of 664 GDEs, including 232 up-regulated and 432 down-regulated genes. Based on the GDEs PPI network, the top function module containing a total of 69 genes was identified, and 31 of 69 genes were mitotic cell cycle regulation related. And survival analysis of the 31 genes revealed that 17/31 genes statistical significantly related to NSCLC overall survival, including 4 spindle assembly checkpoints, namely NDC80, BUB1B, MAD2L1 and AURKA. Further, multivariate cox regression analysis identified NDC80 and MAD2L1 as independent prognostic indicators in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) respectively. Interestingly, pearson correlation analysis indicated strong connection between the four genes NDC80, BUB1B, MAD2L1 and AURKA, and their clinical pathological features were addressed. Conclusions Using bioinformatic analysis of GEO combined with TCGA data, we revealed two independent prognostic indicators in LUAD and LUSC respectively and analyzed their clinical features. However, more detailed experiments and clinical trials are needed to verify their drug targets role in clinical medical use.

Background: Early extubation can reduce pulmonary complications in children undergoing cardiac surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of sugammadex for postoperative respiratory management in children with congenital heart disease. Methods: Sixty children with congenital heart disease undergoing elective cardiac surgery were divided into group S and group C (30 children in each group). When post tetanic twitches count (PTC) = 1-2 and train-of-four (TOF) = 0, the children in group S received sugammadex4 mg/kg for reversal of neuromuscular block at the end of surgery, and the children in group C received the same volume of normal saline. The recovery time to TOF of 0.9, the mechanical ventilation and extubation times were recorded. On the other side, the hemodynamic parameters before and 5 min after administration, and side effects were also recorded. The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) before and 24 h after surgery were measured. Results: The recovery time to TOF of 0.9 and extubation time were significantly shorter in the group S than in the group C (4.2 ± 1.4 vs 108.2 ± 26.7 min, 66.3 ± 6.5 vs 171.6 ± 23.1 min, respectively, P 0.05) with respect to side effects. Conclusion: Sugammadex is rapid and effective in reversing rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block, and significantly reduces the extubation time and the release of postoperative CRP and PCT in children with congenital heart diseases.

A series of 1,6-naphthyridinone-based MET kinase inhibitors bearing quinoline moiety in block A were designed and synthesized based on the structures of Cabozantinib and our reported compound IV. Extensive SAR and DMPK studies led to the identification of 20j, a potent and orally bioavailable MET kinase inhibitor with favorable kinase selectivity. More importantly, 20j exhibited statistically significant tumor growth inhibition (Tumor growth inhibition/TGI of 131%, 4/6 partial regression/PR) in the U-87 MG xeograft model, which is superior to that of Cabozantinib (TGI of 97%, 2/6 PR), and significantly better than that of compound IV (TGI of 15%, 0/6 PR) at the same dose (12.5 mg/kg). Combined with favorable in vitro potency, kinase selectivity, pharmacokinetic profile and in vivo efficacy, the promising antitumor drug candidate 20j has subsequently advanced into preclinical research.

Lactate produced by Sertoli cells plays an important role in spermatogenesis, and heat stress induces lactate production in immature boar Sertoli cells. Extracellular signaling regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) participates in heat stress response. However, the effect of ERK1/2 on heat stress-induced lactate production is unclear. In the present study, Sertoli cells were isolated from immature boar testis and cultured at 32 °C. Heat stress was induced in a 43 °C incubator for 30 min. Proteins and RNAs were detected by western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. Lactate production and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were detected using commercial kits. Heat stress promoted ERK1/2 phosphorylation, showing a reducing trend with increasing recovery time. In addition, heat stress increased heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3), and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) expressions, enhanced LDH activity and lactate production at 2-h post-heat stress. Pretreatment with U0126 (1 × 10(−6) mol/L), a highly selective inhibitor of ERK1/2 phosphorylation, reduced HSP70, GLUT3, and LDHA expressions and decreased LDH activity and lactate production. Meanwhile, ERK2 siRNA1 reduced the mRNA level of ERK2 and weakened ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Additionally, ERK2 siRNA1 reduced HSP70, GLUT3, and LHDA expressions decreased LDH activity and lactate production. Furthermore, HSP70 siRNA3 downregulated GLUT3 and LDHA expressions and decreased LDH activity and lactate production. These results show that activated ERK1/2 increases heat stress-induced lactate production by enhancing HSP70 expression to promote the expressions of molecules related to lactate production (GLUT3 and LDHA). Our study reveals a new insight in reducing the negative effect of heat stress in boars.

Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate whether active intervention can decrease job burnout and improve performance among ED nurses. Methods This study was carried out in the emergency departments of 3 hospitals randomly selected from 8 comprehensive high-level hospitals in Jinan, China. A total of 102 nurses were enrolled and randomly divided into control and intervention groups. For 6 months, nurses in intervention groups were treated with ordinary treatment plus comprehensive management, whereas nurses in the control group were treated with ordinary management, respectively. Questionnaires were sent and collected at baseline and at the end of the study. The Student t test was used to evaluate the effect of comprehensive management in decreasing burnout. Results All ED nurses showed symptoms of job burnout at different levels. Our data indicated that comprehensive management significantly decreased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization ( P Discussion The findings suggest that active intervention with comprehensive management may effectively reduce job burnout in ED nurses and contribute to relieving work-related stress and may further protect against potential mental health problems.

Background & Aims The EncephalApp Stroop test is a high-sensitivity but low-specificity test that has been used to identify patients with covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE). We aimed to develop a new strategy to detect CHE, combining EncephalApp Stroop test score with scores from subtests of the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy scoring system (PHES). Methods We performed a survey of 569 adult volunteers (229 men) in 9 communities in Shanghai, China, administering the EncephalApp Stroop test to determine the range of scores in the general population. Data from the standard PHES, including the number connection test-A, number connection test-B (NCT-B), line tracing test, serial dotting test (SDT), and digit symbol test, were used as the reference standard for diagnosis of CHE. A combination of the EncephalApp Stroop with subtests of the PHES was used to establish a new strategy for CHE diagnosis. We validated our findings using data from 160 patients with cirrhosis from 5 centers China. Results We determined the range of EncephalApp Stroop test scores for the volunteers of different decades of age, education levels, and sexes. Age, education level, and sex were independently associated with EncephalApp Stroop test scores. A combination of scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, the NCT-B, and the SDT identified patients with CHE with the highest level of accuracy, when the standard PHES was used as the reference standard. A combination of scores of 187 sec for the EncephalApp Stroop test and below –1 for the NCT-B or below –1 for the SDT identified patients with CHE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86, 81.0% sensitivity, and 91.9% specificity, and 87.5% accuracy. In the validation cohort, these cutoff scores identified patients with CHE with an AUC of 0.88, 97.1% sensitivity, 79.3% specificity, and 86.9% accuracy. The average time to calculate this score was 374±140 sec, compared 424±115 sec for the entire PHES. Conclusion Scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, NCT-B, and SDT identify patients with CHE with approximately 87% accuracy, and in a much shorter time than the standard PHES. This score combination could be a valid and convenient method for identifying patients with CHE. chictr.org.cn number, ChiCTR-EDC-17012007, ChiCTR1800019954.

Lactate produced by glycolysis in Sertoli cells (SCs) is the main energy substrate for developing germ cells and plays a vital role in spermatogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression in biological processes. We have previously shown that hyperthermia (43°C, 30 min) promotes lactate secretion by inhibiting phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in cultured immature boar SCs. However, it is unclear whether miRNAs are involved in AMPK-modulated glycolysis in SCs. In the present study, we identified 349 miRNAs (227 upregulated and 122 downregulated) in hyperthermia-treated boar SCs by next-generation high-throughput RNA sequencing. MiR-8-3p, which was found to be a novel upregulated miRNA in hyperthermia-treated SCs, suppressed the expression of AMPK upstream genes (protein phosphatase 2 subunit B, PPP2R5B), and further downregulated the expression of p-AMPK. The miR-8-3p mimic upregulated expression of glucose transporter 3, lactate dehydrogenase A and monocarboxylate transporter 1, and increased lactic acid dehydrogenase activity, lactate secretion, and ATP depletion in SCs; the miR-8-3p inhibitor had the opposite effects on these parameters. Our findings indicate that miR-8-3p acts as a novel regulator of AMPK-modulated lactate secretion by targeting PPP2R5B in hyperthermic boar SCs.

To elucidate whether the interaction between Anxa2 and Stat3 could promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and that high co-expression of Anxa2 and Stat3 could predict poor prognosis in HCC patients.We investigated Anxa2 and Stat3 expression using Western blot analysis in 4 HCC and adjacent nontumor tissues and using immunohistochemistry in 100 patients' paraffin sections. Then we assessed the expression of Stat3, Anxa2 and co-expression of Stat3 and Anxa2 with relevant clinical pathological parameters and their prognostic value in HCC patients. The recurrence and overall survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. The prognostic analysis was carried out with univariate and multivariate Cox regressions models.The incidence of high Stat3 expression in HCC tissues (35%) was significantly higher than that in non-HCC tissues (8%) (P 0.001). The same result was observed in Anxa2 (P 0.001). Also, the overexpression of Stat3 or Anxa2 showed a significant relationship with the recurrence of the 100 HCC patients (P = 0.012; P = 0.003). Additionally, tumor size3 cm in diameter, multiple tumor number, and the presence of microvascular tumor thrombus were also significantly associated with recurrence in 100 patients. Then, all enrolled patients were divided into four groups according to IHC score of Stat3 and Anxa2, and the results indicated a significant difference in recurrence time between the subgroups (P 0.001). What's more, co-highexpression of Stat3 and Anxa2 was related to the presence of microvascular tumor thrombus (P = 0.003) and poor tumor differentiation (P 0.001), but not relevant with other clinical features (All P 0.05).The expression of Stat3, Anxa2, or co-high-expression of the two proteins was associated with HCC recurrence and survival.

Heat stress causes reversible changes in tight junction proteins in immature Sertoli cells via inhibition of the AMPK signaling pathway; these effects are accompanied by an increase in the early apoptotic rate and decrease in the cell viability of Sertoli cells. Since heat stress is known to also cause oxidative damage, in the present study, we investigated whether the earlier mentioned effects of heat stress were brought about via the induction of oxidative stress in boar Sertoli cells. Immature Sertoli cells obtained from 3-week-old piglets were subjected to heat treatment (43 °C, 30 min), and the percentage of ROS-positive cells, the malonaldehyde (MDA) concentration, and the activity of the antioxidases, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) were measured. Next, the Sertoli cells were treated with N-acetyl- l -cysteine (NAC) (1 mmol/L, 2 h), an antioxidant agent, before they were exposed to heat stress. The effects of NAC on ROS accumulation, MDA levels, antioxidase activity, the CaMKKβ-AMPK signaling pathway and expression of tight junction proteins were assessed. The results showed that heat stress reversibly increased the percentage of ROS-positive cells and MDA levels, and decreased the activity of SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT. Pretreatment with NAC abrogated these effects of heat stress. Additionally, NAC reversed the heat stress-induced decrease in the expression of CaMKKβ and dephosphorylation of AMPK. NAC also obviously rescued the heat stress-induced downregulation of tight junction proteins (claudin-11, JAM-A, occludin, and ZO-1) both at the mRNA and protein level. In conclusion, the findings indicate that oxidative damage participates in heat stress-induced downregulation of tight junction proteins in Sertoli cells by inhibiting the CaMKKβ-AMPK axis. Further, NAC reversed the effects of heat stress on tight junction proteins; this means that it has potential as a protective agent that can prevent reproductive dysfunction in boars under conditions of heat stress.

Aims To investigate the effects of sevoflurane on proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colon cancer cell line SW480, and to explore its possible mechanism. Materials and methods SW480 and SW620 cells were treated with a mixture of 95% O2+5% CO2 containing different concentrations of sevoflurane (1.7% SAV, 3.4% SAV and 5.1% SAV) for 6 h. Meanwhile, we performed a rescue experiment by treating cells with the ERK pathway activator LM22B-10 prior to treatment of cells with 5.1% sevoflurane。 Key findings High concentration (5.1%) of sevoflurane significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of cells, causing G0/G1 phase arrest and promoted apoptosis and autophagy. 5.1% sevoflurane can participate in the regulation of EMT by regulating the expression of E-cadherin, Vimentin and N-cadherin proteins. LM22B-10 promoted proliferation and invasion of cancer cells and inhibited apoptosis and autophagy, while 5.1% sevoflurane could reverse the effect of LM22B-10 on the biological characteristics of cells. Sevoflurane can significantly inhibit tumor growth in SW480 cells transplanted nude mice. Moreover, 5.1% sevoflurane significantly increased the expression of p-Raf, p-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 in SW480 cells and tumor tissues without affecting p-JNK and p-p38 proteins, meanwhile, 5.1% sevoflurane can inhibit the activation of ERK signaling pathway by LM22B-10 in vitro and in vivo. Significance Sevoflurane can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cells, induce apoptosis and autophagy, and participate in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which may be related to its inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been regarded as critical regulators of human diseases and biological markers in some types of malignancies, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Recently, circ_0007534 has been identified as a novel cancer-related circRNA. Nevertheless, its clinical relevance, functional roles, and mechanism have not been studied in PDAC. In the current study, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of circ_0007534 in 60-paired PDAC tissue samples and different cell lines. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays were performed to detect cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastatic properties affected by circ_0007534. An animal study was also carried out. The luciferase reporter assay was performed to uncover the underlying mechanism of circ_0007534. As a result, circ_0007534 was overexpressed not only in PDAC tissues but also in a panel of PDAC cell lines, and this overexpression is closely associated with advanced tumor stage and positive lymph node invasion. In addition, circ_0007534 may be regarded as an independent prognostic factor for patients with PDAC. For the part of functional assays, circ_0007534 significantly increased cell proliferation, migratory, and invasive potential of PDAC cells. Circ_0007534 could inhibit cell apoptosis partly via a Bcl-2/caspase-3 pathway. The xenograft study further confirmed the cell growth promoting the role of circ_0007534. Mechanistically, miR-625 and miR-892b were sponged by circ_0007534. The oncogenic functions of circ_0007534 is partly dependent on its regulation of miR-625 and miR-892b. In conclusion, our study illuminates a novel circRNA that confers an oncogenic function in PDAC.

To implement a two-level community-based health education pattern of schistosomiasis in residents of endemic areas in marshland and lake regions, so as to explore the suitable pattern of health education under hypo-endemic situation.Two schistosomiasis endemic villages in Jiangling County, Hubei Province were collected as study areas, and among which, one village was treated as an intervention group, where the two-level community-based health education pattern as well as regular control measures was implemented; the other village was a control group, where only regular control measures were implemented. The awareness rates on schistosomiasis control, the rates of correct behavior and the compliance rates of examination, treatment and chemotherapy of the two groups before and after the intervention were compared.According to the results of the baseline survey in 2014, the awareness rates of schistosomiasis control of the intervention and control groups were 84.00% and 77.45%, respectively, the correct rates of behavior of the two groups were 72.00% and 63.73%, respectively, and the compliance rates of the treatment were 80.36% and 82.28%, respectively, there were no statistically significant differences between all the above rates of the two groups (allThrough the two-level community-based pattern of health education, the compliance rates of examination and treatment of the residents have improved, and therefore, the pattern is suitable for popularization and application in marshland and lake regions.

Hyperthermia can cause dysfunction of the tight junctions (TJs) in testes. Adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) participates in the regulation of TJs in testis. However, whether AMPK regulates the expression of TJ proteins in the response of Sertoli cells to heat treatment remains unknown. We subjected Sertoli cells from 3-week-old piglets to heat treatment (43 °C, 30 min), which decreased cell viability, and increased the early apoptosis rate. These effects were reversible and the cells gradually recovered to normal viability at 48 h post-heat treatment. Expression of TJ proteins (claudin 11, JAMA, occludin, and ZO1) was detected in immature porcine Sertoli cells. The mRNA and protein levels of TJ proteins significantly decreased at 1 h after heat exposure, but recovered with increasing recovery time. Additionally, the expression of claudin 11 in the cytoplasm was also markedly decreased by heat treatment. AMPK phosphorylation, the cellular ATP level, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase B (CaMKKB) level, but not the liver kinase B1 (LKB1) level, were downregulated by heat treatment. More importantly, activation or overexpression of AMPK, which is a regulator of the assembly of TJs, partially rescued the heat treatment-induced downregulation of TJ proteins. By contrast, AMPK knockdown using small interfering RNA (siRNA) further decreased the expression levels of TJ proteins. In addition, claudin 11 was almost undetectable post heat treatment. Collectively, this study demonstrated that heat treatment could reversibly perturb the expression of TJ proteins in immature porcine Sertoli cells by inhibiting the AMPK signaling pathway.

To in vestigate potential gender differences in the odds of overweight/obese, weight-related perceptions, and behaviors among Chinese school children.Height, weight, and a survey of weight-related perceptions and behaviors were measured in a nationally representative survey of 12,811 children in primary schools in China. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess gender differences, adjusting for confounders.Boys had higher odds of being overweight/obese compared to girls within both urban [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.30, 95% CI 2.00 to 2.65] and rural areas (OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.20). Girls reported healthier diets (e.g., daily vegetables OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.85) whereas boys consumed fried food (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.38) and sugar-sweetened drinks more often (OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.65). Gender differences included higher odds of boys perceiving themselves as overweight if they had more highly educated mothers (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.68), less educated fathers (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.99), and if they frequently consumed carbonated drinks (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.05).Childhood obesity prevention in China should be gender-focused, particularly for boys who reported an unhealthier diet but were less likely to see they were fat, even though more boys were overweight or obese than girls.

This study investigated the capacity of 10 μM 17β-estradiol to inhibit immature boar Sertoli cell (SC) proliferation and the involvement of microRNA (miR)-1285 in this process. SC viability and cell cycle progression were investigated using a cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry, respectively. Expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), S phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2), and miR-1285 was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting. 17β-Estradiol (10 μM) reduced SC viability and miR-1285 expression and promoted AMPK phosphorylation. A double-stranded synthetic miR-1285 mimic promoted SC viability, increased levels of ATP, and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Skp2 mRNA and protein, whereas p53 and p27 expression decreased, and 17β-estradiol-mediated effects on SCs were significantly attenuated. A single-stranded synthetic miR-1285 inhibitor produced the opposite effects on these measures. Activation of AMPK inhibited SC viability, reduced levels of ATP, phosphorylated mTOR and Skp2 mRNA and protein, and increased p53 and p27 expression. An AMPK inhibitor (compound C) attenuated the effects of 17β-estradiol on SCs. This indicated that 17β-estradiol (10 μM) reduced SC proliferation by inhibiting miR-1285 and thus activating AMPK. Phosphorylated AMPK is involved in the regulation of 17β-estradiol-mediated inhibition of SC viability through increasing p53 and p27 expression and inhibiting mTOR and Skp2 expression. Our findings also implicated Skp2 as the downstream integration point of p53 and mTOR. These findings indicated that miR-1285 may represent a target for the manipulation of boar sperm production.

This study proposes a method of superimposing a physical palatal profile, extracted from a speaker's maxillary impression, onto real-time mid-sagittal articulatory data. A palatal/dental profile is first obtained by three-dimensional-scanning the maxillary impression of the speaker. Then a high resolution mid-sagittal palatal line, extracted from the profile, is sub-divided into articulatory zones and superimposed, by Iterative Closest Point algorithm, onto reconstructed palatal traces in electromagnetic articulometric (EMA) data. Evaluations were carried out by comparing consonant targets elicited by EMA with the proposed method and by static palatography. The proposed method yields accurate results, as supported by palatography.

Accumulating researches show that thyroid hormone (TH) inhibits Sertoli cells (SCs) proliferation and stimulates their functional maturation in prepubertal rat testis, confirming that TH plays a key role in testicular development. However, the mechanism under the T3 regulation of piglet SC proliferation remains unclear. In the present study, in order to investigate the possible mechanism of T3 on the suppression of SC proliferation, the expression pattern of TRα1 and cell cycle-related molecules, effect of T3 on SC proliferation, and the role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway on the T3-mediated SC proliferation in piglet testis were explored. Our results demonstrated that TRα1 was expressed in all tested stages of SCs and decreased along with the ages. T3 inhibited the proliferation of SCs in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and T3 treatment downregulated the expressions of cell cycling molecules, such as cyclinA2, cyclinD1, cyclinE1, PCNA, and Skp2, but upregulated the p27 expression in SCs. Most importantly, the suppressive effects of T3 on SC proliferation seemed dependent on the inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and pre-stimulation of PI3K could enhance such suppressive effects. Together, our findings demonstrate that TH inhibits the proliferation of piglet SCs via the suppression of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of stellate ganglion block (SGB) on gastrointestinal function after thoracolumbar spinal surgery. Methods Forty patients with thoracolumbar fracture scheduled for posterior spinal surgery were randomly assigned to 2 groups: ultrasound-guided SGB or sham (control group). After induction, ultrasound-guided SGB (n = 20) or a sham procedure (n = 20) was conducted with a 6-mL injection of 1% lidocaine or 0.9% saline, respectively. Primary outcomes were postoperative gastrointestinal function, including auscultation of bowel sounds, incidence and degree of abdominal bloating, flatus time, and paralytic ileus. Findings Patients in the SGB group had better gastrointestinal function compared with those in the sham (control) group, as indicated by more regular bowel sounds at 24 and 36 hours postoperatively (80% vs 40%, P = 0.024, and 95% vs 60%, P = 0.023), lesser abdominal bloating (10% vs 45%, P = 0.034), and slightly shorter flatus time (mean [SD], 12.0 [4.4] vs 14.7 [4.6] hours, P = 0.068). Survival analysis based on regular bowel sounds found a significant difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.004). In addition, more patients had higher satisfaction after SGB (85% vs 45%, P = 0.020). No postoperative ileus or mortality occurred. Implications In this preliminary study, ultrasound-guided SGB accelerated the return of gastrointestinal transit, alleviated bowel symptoms, and improved patient satisfaction after thoracolumbar spinal surgery. chictr.org.cn identifier: ChiCTR-TRC-14004289.

The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the analgesic effects of intra-articular dexmedetomidine (DEX) in arthroscopic knee surgery. A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing intra-articular DEX versus control for postoperative analgesia in knee arthroscopy. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was applied to determine the reliability of the evidence. Twelve RCTs including 594 patients met the eligibility criteria. DEX treatment significantly improved postoperative pain outcomes, with weighted mean differences (95% confidence interval) between the DEX and control groups of −1.57 (−1.94 to −1.20, P

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of atopy on the expression of glucocorticoid receptors in children with bronchiolitis. METHODS: ELISA was used to measure the changes in the serum levels of glucocorticoid receptor α (GRα) and glucocorticoid receptor β (GRβ) in the bronchiolitis group (77 children, including 34 children with atopy) and pneumonia group (68 children). Thirty-eight children who were prepared to undergo surgeries for non-infectious diseases and had no atopy or family history of allergic diseases were enrolled as the control group. RESULTS: The bronchiolitis group and the pneumonia group had significant increases in the serum levels of GRα and GRβ compared with the control group (P < 0.01), and the bronchiolitis group had significant increases in these levels compared with the pneumonia group (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group and the pneumonia group, the bronchiolitis group had a significant increase in the GRα/GRβ ratio (P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, the children with or without atopy in the bronchiolitis group had significant increases in the serum levels of GRα and GRβ (P < 0.01). The non-atopic children in the bronchiolitis group had a significant increase in the serum level of GRβ compared with the atopic children (P < 0.01). The atopic children in the bronchiolitis group had a significant increase in the GRα/GRβ ratio compared with the control group and non-atopic children in the bronchiolitis group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Children with bronchiolitis have increased serum levels of GRα and GRβ. The children with atopy have an increased GRα/GRβ ratio, suggesting that the atopic children with bronchiolitis are highly sensitive to glucocorticoids.

Liriomyza trifolii is a highly-invasive leafmining insect that causes significant damage to vegetables and horticultural crops worldwide. Relatively few studies have quantified gene expression in L. trifolii using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), which is a reliable and sensitive technique for measuring gene expression. RT-qPCR requires the selection of reference genes to normalize gene expression data and control for internal differences between samples. In this study, nine housekeeping genes from L. trifolii were selected for their suitability in normalizing gene expression using geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, the ΔCt method and RefFinder. HSP21.7, which encodes heat shock protein 21.7, was used as a target gene to validate the expression of candidate reference genes. Results indicated that ACTIN and 18S were optimal for developmental stage and low temperature, TUB and 18S showed the most stable expression for sex, and GAPDH and ACTIN were the best reference genes for monitoring gene expression at high temperature. Selection and validation of appropriate reference genes are critical steps in normalizing gene expression levels, which improve the accuracy and quality of expression data. Results of this study provide vital information on reference genes and is valuable in developing a standardized RT-qPCR protocol for functional genomics research in L. trifolii.

In recent years, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become one of the most common multi-drug resistant bacteria in both hospital and community. The aim of this study is to investigate the selective inhibition of MRSA by a modified photosensitizer (LAEtNBS) in vitro and the efficacy of MRSA infection treatment by photodynamic therapy (PDT) with LAEtNBS in vivo. LAEtNBS was synthesized by adding a cationic photosensitizer molecule (EtNBS-COOH) and a quencher molecule to two side chains of cephalosporin, which was then shown to have similar absorption and emission wavelengths with EtNBS-COOH, but suppressed yields of fluorescence quantum and singlet oxygen. The selective inactivation and less phototoxicity of LAEtNBS, compared to that of EtNBS-COOH, were assessed and confirmed by conducting PDT to two Staphylococcus aureus strains and human skin cells at a fluence of 15 J/cm(2) with 640±10 nm LED light. Furthermore, using mouse skin wound model infected with 10(8) CFU of MRSA, we found that both LAEtNBS and EtNBS-COOH were able to treat MRSA infection and enhance wound repair. However, there was no significant difference in the two photosensitizers that might be due to the environment in vivo. Modification of the photosensitizer will be very beneficial for developing new strategies to treat drug resistant bacterial infection with less harm to host tissue.

An electromyography-driven robot system integrated with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) was developed to investigate its effectiveness on post-stroke rehabilitation.The performance of this system in assisting finger flexion/extension with different assistance combinations was evaluated in five stroke subjects. Then, a pilot study with 20-sessions training was conducted to evaluate the training's effectiveness.The results showed that combined assistance from the NMES-robot could improve finger movement accuracy, encourage muscle activation of the finger muscles and suppress excessive muscular activities in the elbow joint. When assistances from both NMES and the robot were 50% of their maximum assistances, finger-tracking performance had the best results, with the lowest root mean square error, greater range of motion, higher voluntary muscle activations of the finger joints and lower muscle co-contraction in the finger and elbow joints. Upper limb function improved after the 20-session training, indicated by the increased clinical scores of Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Action Research Arm Test and Wolf Motor Function Test. Muscle co-contraction was reduced in the finger and elbow joints reflected by the Modified Ashworth Scale.The findings demonstrated that an electromyography-driven NMES-robot used for chronic stroke improved hand function and tracking performance. Further research is warranted to validate the method on a larger scale. Implications for Rehabilitation The hand robotics and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) techniques are still separate systems in current post-stroke hand rehabilitation. This is the first study to investigate the combined effects of the NMES and robot on hand rehabilitation. The finger tracking performance was improved with the combined assistance from the EMG-driven NMES-robot hand system. The assistance from the robot could improve the finger movement accuracy and the assistance from the NMES could reduce the muscle co-contraction on finger and elbow joints. The upper limb functions were improved on chronic stroke patients after the pilot study of 20-session hand training with the combined assistance from the EMG-driven NMES-robot. The muscle spasticity on finger and elbow joints was reduced after the training.

Loss of hand function and finger dexterity are main disabilities in the upper limb after stroke. An electromyography (EMG)-driven hand robot had been developed for post-stroke rehabilitation training. The effectiveness of the hand robot assisted whole upper limb training was investigated on persons with chronic stroke (n=10) in this work. All subjects attended a 20-session training (3-5times/week) by using the hand robot to practice object grasp/release and arm transportation tasks. Significant motor improvements were observed in the Fugl-Meyer hand/wrist and shoulder/elbow scores (p

The yellow peach moth (YPM), Conogethes punctiferalis (Guenée), is a multivoltine insect pest of crops and fruits. Antennal-expressed receptors are important for insects to detect olfactory cues for host finding, mate attraction and oviposition site selection. However, few olfactory related genes were reported in YPM until now. In the present study, we sequenced and characterized the antennal transcriptomes of male and female YPM. In total, 15 putative odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 46 putative odorant receptors (ORs) and 7 putative ionotropic receptors (IRs) were annotated and identified as olfactory-related genes of C. punctiferalis. Further analysis of RT-qPCR revealed that all these olfactory genes are primarily or uniquely expressed in male and female antennae. Among which, 3 OBPs (OBP4, OBP8 and PBP2) and 4 ORs (OR22, OR26, OR44 and OR46) were specially expressed in male antennae, whereas 4 ORs (OR5, OR16, OR25 and OR42) were primarily expressed in female antennae. The predicted protein sequences were compared with homologs in other lepidopteran species and model insects, which showed high sequence homologies between C. punctiferalis and O. furnacalis. Our work allows for further functional studies of pheromone and general odorant detection genes, which might be meaningful targets for pest management.

Background It is a challenge to reduce the muscular discoordination in the paretic upper limb after stroke in the traditional rehabilitation programs. Method In this study, a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and robot hybrid system was developed for multi-joint coordinated upper limb physical training. The system could assist the elbow, wrist and fingers to conduct arm reaching out, hand opening/grasping and arm withdrawing by tracking an indicative moving cursor on the screen of a computer, with the support from the joint motors and electrical stimulations on target muscles, under the voluntary intention control by electromyography (EMG). Subjects with chronic stroke (n = 11) were recruited for the investigation on the assistive capability of the NMES-robot and the evaluation of the rehabilitation effectiveness through a 20-session device assisted upper limb training. Results In the evaluation, the movement accuracy measured by the root mean squared error (RMSE) during the tracking was significantly improved with the support from both the robot and NMES, in comparison with those without the assistance from the system (P

This study aimed to determine whether heat stress (HS) could induce autophagy in immature boar Sertoli cells (SCs) and test whether HS-induced autophagy could regulate lactate secretion by SCs. Cultured immature boar SCs were incubated at 43 °C for 30 minutes. The ratio of LC3B-II to LC3B-I and the mRNA transcript levels of LC3B showed time-dependent changes 0 to 48 hours after HS treatment, which peaked at 24 hours and increased by 30.25% or 260%, respectively, compared with control SCs. The density of autolysosomes, which were labeled with a red dye, was higher at 24 hours than at any other time point. However, the apoptosis rate, cleavage of caspase-3, and mRNA transcript levels of CASP3 (caspase-3) at 24 hours after HS were lower than at 12 hours. Furthermore, lactate secretion, and mRNA transcript levels of SLC2A3 (GLUT3), LDHA (LDHA), and SLC16A1 (MCT1) also showed time-dependent changes with a peak at 24 hours. In addition, LY294002 (20 μM) significantly inhibited changes in ratio of LC3B-II to LC3B-I, LC3B mRNA transcript levels, and autolysosome formation. It also resulted in significantly less lactate secretion and increased apoptosis but showed no effect on B-cell lymphoma-2 expression in heat-treated immature SCs. These findings indicated that HS-induced autophagy regulates lactate secretion by inhibiting apoptosis and increasing mRNA transcript and protein levels of SLC2A3, LDHA, and SLC16A1, which suggests that HS-induced autophagy may enhance lactate secretion by SCs.

The study used a focal ischemia rat hindlimb model to investigate muscle activity changes during a 10-day body weight support (BWS) treadmill training program. The changes being studied included fatigue effects, EMG burst duration in the gait cycle, and the symmetry of muscle activation between affected and unaffected sides. Intramuscular EMG of medial gastrocnemius (MG) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in male Sprague Dawley rats at affected side (n=10) and unaffected side (n=10) were recorded during the treadmill running before a middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAo/r) surgery and poststroke recovery stage. Behavioral test score and bodyweight were recorded at a daily basis after stroke. The mean power frequency (MPF) of the EMG, EMG burst duration in the gait cycle, and symmetry index between two sides were used for analysis. The drop rate of MPF of MG at the unaffected side increased (P0.05) at poststroke day 2 and it generally decreased along the poststroke training days and almost returned to baseline value at poststroke day 6. Symmetry index of MG and TA showed a large imbalance right after stroke and tended to return to normal. Our findings of the MPF drop after stroke might indicate fatigue effects due to the compensation loading share of the ipsilateral side muscle and the increase of the symmetry index reflects abnormal gait pattern after the onset of stroke. The recovery rate after stroke could be investigated with EMG parameters together with the behavioral score, and both were improved during and after the BWS treadmill training.

Using an anaesthetized cat's central footpad pressed against an object as the model of a paralyzed human hand, a nerve signal recording system was developed to measure the effect of a group of consecutive slips between the footpad and the object. Electroneurographic (ENG) activity was recorded using a cuff electrode implanted around the tibial nerve. The relationship between the recorded nerve signals during consecutive slips was investigated. The analyzed results showed that the amplitude of the ENG signal corresponding to the first slip was significantly greater than subsequent slips. It was also shown that there was no significant difference in the amplitude of the ENG signal in subsequent slips. When the slip signal is used as a feedback and control signal for FES, two different thresholds or scaling factors should be applied for consecutive slips.

BACKGROUND: We report an alternative to the modified Weaver-Dunn technique that can achieve stable coracoclavicular reconstruction while avoiding sacrifice of the coracoacromial arch. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the functional outcomes and radiographic features of patients treated with coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction with use of a proximally based conjoined tendon transfer. METHODS: The cases of thirty-eight patients with type-IV, type-V, and selected type-III acromioclavicular dislocations according to the Rockwood classification system, who were followed for an average follow-up of 38.7 months, were evaluated retrospectively. Transfer of the lateral half of the conjoined tendon to the distal aspect of the clavicle in a proximally based fashion, with additional coracoclavicular fixation, was performed in all patients. At the latest follow-up evaluation, radiographic analysis and the scores on the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, Constant and Murley, and Simple Shoulder Test questionnaires were used to provide a final evaluation of shoulder function. The ability to return to work and the ability to return to sports were also recorded. RESULTS: At the time of final follow-up, the mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score was 91.4, with a mean pain score on the visual analog scale of 1.8, mean forward flexion of 148.2°, and mean external rotation of 38.0°. The mean Constant and Murley score was 90.6. The new number of positive answers on the Simple Shoulder Test was 10.9. The overall rate of satisfaction (an excellent or good result) was 89% (thirty-four patients). Thirty-five (92%) of the thirty-eight patients returned to their previous work, and thirty-two (84%) returned to their preinjury level of sports. CONCLUSIONS: The proximally based conjoined tendon transfer is a reliable treatment for a high-grade acromioclavicular dislocation. The lateral half of the conjoined tendon is a safe graft source with ample length, and this technique avoids sacrifice of the coracoacromial ligament. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. ORIGINAL ABSTRACT CITATION: “Proximally Based Conjoined Tendon Transfer for Coracoclavicular Reconstruction in the Treatment of Acromioclavicular Dislocation” (2007;89:[2408-12][1]). [1]: /lookup/volpage/89/2408

Objective: Successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) requires reconstitution normal T-cell immunity. Measurement of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and T-cell receptor β (TCRBV) CDR3 repertoire is a means of quantifying recent thymic T-cell production and reflecting antigen-specific T-cell clones proliferation. Methods: We used real-time quantitative PCR to detect TRECs from 43 Chinese patients who underwent three kind of allo-HSCT without T-cell depletion. RT-PCR was performed to amplify 24 subfamily genes of TCRBV in 24 patients of them. Results: For haploidentical-D group, the TRECs numbers were lower up to 24 months. For matched-sibling donor (MSD) group, the recovery of TRECs was faster than those of other two groups. TRECs values in matched-unrelated donor (MUD) were in the middle. During 2–19 months after transplantation, there were 6–16 BV subfamilies expressed and 33–48% of them were polyclones. The usage rate of TCRBV and percentage of polyclones in haploidentical-D were less than those of other two groups. Twenty-three CDR3 molecules were obtained from nine patients who were potentially associated with GVHD or CMV infection. Conclusions: Analyzing the changes of TCRBV repertoire and measuring TRECs during immune reconstitution would be useful to determine the host’s current immune status and ability of T-cell immune reconstitution and also to find antigen-specific T-cell clones in the three kinds of HSCT.

Regression analysis and mutual information have been used to measure the degree of dependence between a consonant and a vowel, and this has been used to identify the invariance of consonant place and to quantify the coarticulatory resistance of consonants [e.g., Fowler (1994). Percept. Psychophys. 55, 597–610]. This paper presents the first application of this approach to measure coarticulatory properties of vowels, using regression analysis and mutual information on articulatory data of CV syllables produced by seven Taiwan Mandarin speakers. The results show that vowel /i/ shares the most information with the preceding consonant among vowels for the tongue body, whereas vowels /a/ and /u/ are not significantly different from each other in that respect. For the lip articulator, the degree of information sharing for vowels is in the progression: /u/ > /i/ > /a/. Based on the CV model theory of gestural coordination (C-V in-phase relation) and the present results, this study proposes that landmark statistics for vowels reflect the degree of vowel aggression and that V-to-C effect is dominant over C-to-V effect in C-V coarticulation.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces germ cell apoptosis, but its mechanism of action is not clear. One possibility is that LPS regulates the expression of FAS ligand (FASLG) in Sertoli cells, which will then influence germ cell apoptosis. In this study, LPS reduced the viability of cultured, immature boar Sertoli cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner; enhanced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNFA), interleukin-1β (IL1B), nitric oxide (NO), and transforming growth factor-β (TGFB); and increased the expression of FASLG in a dose-dependent manner. While 10 μg/ml LPS enhanced the expression of FASLG, reduced cell cycle progression, and impaired the ultrastructure of Sertoli cells, this dose did not induce apoptosis. LPS also had no effect on the activity or expression of matrix metalloproteinases 2 or 9 (MMP2 or MMP9). In contrast, the expression of ssc-miR-187 increased following LPS challenge, and inhibition of ssc-miR-187 blocked LPS-induced expression of FASLG. Our results therefore suggest that LPS reduces the viability of and enhances FASLG expression in cultured, immature boar Sertoli cells through elevated secretion of TNFA, IL1B, NO, and TGFB as well as through the regulation of ssc-miR-187 potency.

To evaluate the efficacy of routinely used pattern for schistosomiasis diagnosis in lake and marshland regions.A historically heavy endemic village of schistosomiasis named Jinggan Village from Jiangling County was selected for field survey. The residents aged 6-65 years were screened by indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA) and dipstick dye immunoassay (DDIA) in parallel. The serological positives were examined by Kato-Katz technique and miracidium hatching technique to determine the infection of schistosome. The consistency of the two serological methods was evaluated. In addition, the schistosome infection rates were estimated accordingto the 3 detection patterns namely IHA, DDIA, IHA+DDIA combined with the etiologic examination.A total of 530 individuals were examined by the serological tests. The positive rate of DDIA was 46.98% (249/530), significantly higher than that of IHA (28.49%, 151/530) (χ2 = 59.55, P0.01). Totally 279 individuals were serological positives determined by IHA or DDIA, while 252 of them were detected by stool examination, and 22 cases were determined as parasitological positives, while 7 and 3 cases were diagnosed as antibody negatives by IHA and DDIA, respectively. The estimated infection rates determined by IHA, DDIA, IHA plus DDIA combined with stool examination were 3.14%, 3.97%, 4.60%, respectively.Under the condition of endemic situation becoming more and more waning, the current routinely used pattern for schistosomiasis detection may lead to missed diagnosis. So, more sensitive and effective diagnostic tools or appropriate detection patterns need to be explored.

To estimate the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (EBP) in Chinese children and identify individual and family factors associated with EBP.A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 using stratified cluster sampling. Participants' blood pressure was measured, and their parents completed a questionnaire on personal and family characteristics. Prevalence and correlates of EBP were assessed.Among a total of 24,333 participants, 20.2% of boys and 16.3% of girls had EBP. The prevalence of EBP increased with the ascending trend of waist circumference, Waist-to-height ratio, and body mass index. The adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for obese boys and girls were 2.50 and 2.97, respectively. Fewer urban boys (16.2%) had EBP than rural boys (21.7%). Boys with a family history of hypertension were 12% more likely to have EBP. Children whose mothers received a college education tended to have lower likelihood of EBP; with an aPR was 0.85 among boys and 0.78 among girls.EBP is common among obese students and those who have a family history of hypertension. A negative association between mothers' education levels and EBP risk in children was found.

PurposeModels of speech production often abstract away from shared physiology in pitch control and lingual articulation, positing independent control of tone and vowel units. We assess the validity of this assumption in Mandarin Chinese by evaluating the stability of lingual articulation for vowels across variation in tone.MethodElectromagnetic articulography was used to track flesh points on the tongue (tip, body, dorsum), lips, and jaw while native Mandarin speakers (n= 6) produced 3 vowels, /pa/, /pi/, /pu/, combined with 4 Mandarin tones: T1 “high,” T2 “rising,” T3 “low,” and T4 “falling.”ResultsConsistent with physiological expectations, tones that begin low, T2 and T3, conditioned a lower position of the tongue body for the vowel /a/. For the vowel /i/, we found the opposite effect, whereby tones that begin low, T2 and T3, conditioned a higher tongue body position.ConclusionsThe physiology of pitch control exerts systematic variation on the lingual articulation of /a/ across tones. The effects of tone on /i/ articulation are in the opposite direction predicted by physiological considerations. Physiologically arbitrary variation of the type observed for /i/ challenges the assumption that phonetic patterns can be determined by independent control of tone (source) and vowel (filter) production units.

Background. Augmented physical training with assistance from robot and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may introduce intensive motor improvement in chronic stroke. Objective. To compare the rehabilitation effectiveness achieved by NMES robot–assisted wrist training and that by robot-assisted training. Methods. This study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up. Twenty-six hemiplegic subjects with chronic stroke were randomly assigned to receive 20-session wrist training with an electromyography (EMG)-driven NMES robot (NMES robot group, n = 11) and with an EMG-driven robot (robot group, n = 15), completed within 7 consecutive weeks. Clinical scores, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Modified Ashworth Score (MAS), and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were used to evaluate the training effects before and after the training, as well as 3 months later. An EMG parameter, muscle co-contraction index, was also applied to investigate the session-by-session variation in muscular coordination patterns during the training. Results. The improvement in FMA (shoulder/elbow, wrist/hand) obtained in the NMES robot group was more significant than the robot group ( P < .05). Significant improvement in ARAT was achieved in the NMES robot group ( P < .05) but absent in the robot group. NMES robot–assisted training showed better performance in releasing muscle co-contraction than the robot-assisted across the training sessions ( P < .05). Conclusions. The NMES robot–assisted wrist training was more effective than the pure robot. The additional NMES application in the treatment could bring more improvements in the distal motor functions and faster rehabilitation progress.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and liver X receptor alpha are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to nuclear receptors superfamily and are involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism. PPAR, especially PPAR-alpha, PPAR-gamma agonists and liver X receptor alpha agonists can regulate the expression or biosynthesis of some factors involved in the formation and function of HDL, such as apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). It is well known that HDL plays an important role in the treatment of hyperlipidemia as the carrier of reverse cholesterol transport. In the present study, the anti-hyperlipidemic properties of CM108, a derivative of flavone, 9-Hydroxy-2-mercapto-6-phenyl-2-thioxo-1,3,5-trioxa-2lambda(5)-phospha-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-8-one, were studied. Through the transactivation assays of in vitro study, it was discovered that CM108 could activate PPAR-alpha PPAR-gamma and liver X receptor alpha at 40-150 microg/ml, which subsequently resulted in activating ABCA1 promoter and enhancing apoA-I and apoA-II production, whereas reducing apoC-III production significantly. Furthermore, after in vivo study that the hyperlipidemic rats were treated with CM108 for 4 weeks, a significant increase was found in HDL cholesterol levels (26.7%, P0.05) and a significant decrease was also noticed in triglyceride levels (26.3%, P0.01) at 100 mg/kg CM108 group compared with that of control animals. Meanwhile, the atherogenicity index, represented by total cholesterol/HDL ratio, was significantly reduced (P0.01). In conclusion, CM108 can effectively elevate HDL levels and lower triglyceride levels in hyperlipidemic rats maybe by regulating a series of genes, receptors and proteins related to HDL.

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is known to be involved in mammalian cell proliferation, while S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) plays a vital role in the cell cycle. Within the testis, estrogen also plays an important role in Sertoli cell proliferation, although it is not clear how. The present study asked if mTOR is involved in 17β-estradiol-dependent Sertoli cell proliferation. We specifically assessed if extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and/or phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) exert convergent effects toward the activation of mTOR signaling, and if this signaling regulates the expression of SKP2 through retinoblastoma (RB) and early mitotic inhibitor 1 (EMI1) protein and on CCNE1 and CCND1 mRNA levels. Treatment with 17β-estradiol for 15-90 min activated mTOR, with mTOR phosphorylation peaking after 30 min. U0126 (5 μM), a specific inhibitor of (MEK1/2), and 10-DEBC (2 μM), a selective inhibitor of AKT, both significantly reduced 17β-estradiol-induced phosphorylation of mTOR. Rapamycin suppressed 17β-estradiol-induced Sertoli cell proliferation, appearing to act by reducing the abundance of SKP2, CCND1, and CCNE1 mRNA as well as RB and EMI1 protein. These data indicated that 17β-estradiol enhances Sertoli cell proliferation via mTOR activation, which involves both ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT signaling. Activated mTOR subsequently increases SKP2 mRNA and protein expression by enhancing the expression of CCND1 and CCNE1, and inhibits SKP2 protein degradation by increasing EMI1 abundance.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC) plus Shenmai Injection (SMI) in treating advanced colorectal cancer following radical resections. METHODS Fifty-eight cases of colorectal cancer in stage B2 and C following radical resections were divided into two groups: SMI+IPC group (36 cases) and IPC group (22 cases). In the SMI+IPC group, IPC (5-fluorouracil combined with cisplatin) plus SMI was administered, while in the IPC group, only IPC was administered. Clinical symptoms, quality of life (Karnofsky score), white blood cell counts, natural killer cells and CD4/CD8 were observed, and disease-free survival (DFS) rate was also evaluated. RESULTS The total short-term response rate was 83.33% in the SMI+IPC group, significantly higher than 63.64% in the IPC group (P

The aim of this study was to explore the clinical significance of T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with adult primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in an active phase. T-lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of 90 ITP patients in the active phase and 59 normal controls were detected by flow cytometry. ITP patients were treated with a conventional dose of corticosteroids, and therapeutic response was evaluated after 3 months. The level of CD4 T lymphocytes (35.7 ± 4.6%) and natural killer cells (13.1 ± 2.1%) in the active ITP patients was lower compared with the control group (40.4 ± 3.7% and 23.2 ± 1.1%, respectively, P < 0.05 for both). The level of CD8 T lymphocytes (30.11 ± 4.50%) in ITP showed a significantly wider distribution than that in the normal controls (25.5 ± 5.91%, P < 0.05). Additionally, the patients with higher levels of CD4 T cells were less likely to respond to corticosteroids (r = 0.69, P = 0.04). The detection of immunocyte subsets might be helpful for the ITP patients concerning their diagnosis and determination of therapeutic outcome.

To analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and overweight and obesity among elementary school children.This cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November, 2010. A stratified random cluster sampling was used from sampling frame of eight provinces by the geographical and economic development distributions in mainland China. A total of 19 934 students aged 7-12 years old participated in this study. All subjects were evaluated the status of overweight and obesity. Green's scoring SES was used to evaluate the SES of the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between SES and overweight and obesity among children.According to the scores of Green's SES, the participants' SES were divided into three levels, the prevalence of overweight were 7.4% (538/7295), 9.3% (560/6013) and 12.6% (832/6626), and the prevalence of obesity were 4.4% (321/7295) , 6.4% (387/6013) and 10.2% (677/6626) from low to high SES level, respectively (χ(2) value were 133.82, 180.27, respectively, P0.01). After adjusted by age, urban and rural and economic regions, compared with the participants with low SES, the OR (95%CI) of having overweight and obesity among participants with high SES were 1.83(1.61-2.08) for boys and 1.67(1.42-2.00) for girls; the OR (95%CI) with middle SES were 1.30(1.15-1.48) for boys and 1.23(1.04-1.46) for girls.The prevalence of overweight and obesity rises with the family's SES levels. There was a positive correlation between SES and overweight and obesity among school-aged children.

Introduction To study the relationship between the expression level of the PML-RARalpha fusion transcripts and the clinical status and efficiency of the therapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients, we applied a very sensitive and specific real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) system to quantify the dose of PML-RARalpha fusion transcripts in a series of APL patients at distinct disease stages. Materials and methods A total of 31 APL patients (19 males and 12 females; aged from 8 to 74 years) from eight hospitals in Shanghai were analysed. Real-time Quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure the normalized dose (DoseN) of PML-RARalpha fusion transcripts. Results A wide range of PML-RARalpha DoseN above 1 x 10(3) was noted in 25 newly diagnosed patients. PML-RARalpha DoseN was significantly decreased after remission induction with ATRA, ATRA/chemotherapy or As2O3 and further reduced after consolidation. The fact that all patients with long disease free survival had a constantly low PML-RARalpha DoseN below 2 x 10(2) and a higher level predicted impending relapse suggests that this value could serve as a 'threshold' for molecular remission. PML-RARalpha DoseN was also of prognostic value in a group of relapsed patients, since good response to As2O3 reinduction was accompanied by a remarkable reduction of fusion transcript level, whereas patients with high PML-RARalpha Dose(N) after the second CR tended to relapse again rapidly. Conclusion These results confirm that real-time RT-PCR assay for PML-RARalpha transcripts in APL patients is useful in reflecting leukemic burden, assessing response to treatment and indicating the ultimate clinical outcome or curability of disease.

Acoustic communication is an important behavior in frog courtship. Male and female frogs of most species, except the concave-eared torrent frog Odorrana tormota, have largely similar audiograms. The large odorous frogs (Odorrana graminea) are sympatric with O. tormota, but have no ear canals. The difference in hearing between two sexes of the frog is unknown. We recorded auditory evoked near-field potentials and single-unit responses from the auditory midbrain (the torus semicircularis) to determine auditory frequency sensitivity and threshold. The results show that males have the upper frequency limit at 24 kHz and females have the upper limit at 16 kHz. The more sensitive frequency range is 3–15 kHz for males and 1–8 kHz for females. Males have the minimum threshold at 11 kHz (58 dB SPL), higher about 5 dB than that at 3 kHz for females. The best excitatory frequencies of single units are mostly between 3 and 5 kHz in females and at 7–8 kHz in males. The underlying mechanism of auditory sexual differences is discussed.