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Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. The clinical treatment of ccRCC is strongly associated with the tumor microenvironment (TME). Identifying potential markers of ccRCC is important to improve prognosis. Therefore, in the present study, the levels of immune/stromal components and the proportion of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) were determined in 611 ccRCC samples using the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT analytical tools. Subsequently, hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase-1 (HSD11B1) was identified by univariate Cox regression analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and clinical survival analysis to be associated with ccRCC prognosis. At the same time, the abundance of HSD11B1 increased significantly in ccRCC was verified by western blotting, RT‑qPCR and immunostaining analysis. Furthermore, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and TME suggested that HSD11B1 was involved in TME immune-related status. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that HSD11B1 is a potential prognostic biomarker associated with immune cell infiltration in ccRCC.

Graphical abstract, GS-9669 is a non-nucleos(t)ide inhibitor (NNI) binding to the thumb site II of the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase and has advanced into phase II trials. To clarify the drug resistance mechanisms of GS-9669 caused by M423T/I/V, L419M, R422K, and I482L mutations of NS5B polymerase (GT1b) and the receptor-ligand interactions during the binding process, a series of molecular simulation methods including molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and adaptive steered molecular dynamics (ASMD) simulations were performed for the wild-type (WT) and six mutant NS5B/GS-9669 complexes. The calculated results indicate that the binding free energies of the mutant systems are less negative than that of the WT system, indicating that these mutations will indeed cause NS5B to produce different degrees of resistance to GS-9669. The mutation-induced drug resistances are mainly caused by the loss of binding affinities of Leu419 and Trp528 with GS-9669 or the formation of multiple solvent bridges. Moreover, the ASMD calculations show that GS-9669 binds to the thumb II sites of the seven NS5B polymerases in distinct pathways without any obvious energy barriers. Although the recognition methods and binding pathways are distinct, the binding processes of GS-9669 with the WT and mutant NS5B polymerases are basically controlled thermodynamically. This study clearly reveals the resistance mechanisms of GS-9669 caused by M423T/I/V, L419M, R422K, and I482L mutations of HCV NS5B polymerase and provides some valuable clues for further optimization and design of novel NS5B inhibitors.

Objectives. This study aimed to compare performances of China reference and different national references on high blood pressure (HBP). Methods. A cross-sectional study including 695,302 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years in Suzhou, China, was conducted to determine the prevalence of HBP based on U.S., international, Europe, and China references in 2016. Results. Different percentiles of height and blood pressure were found among four references. Referring to U.S. reference, the prevalence of HBP was the highest with 26.0%, followed by International reference with 20.0%, Europe reference with 19.5%, and China reference with 19.2%. McNemar tests indicated statistically significant differences between HBP prevalence comparing China reference with the other 3 references ( P < 0.001 ). The area under the curve was 0.947, 0.851, and 0.949 for U.S., international, and Europe reference, respectively. U.S. reference showed the highest sensitivity (98.2%), but the lowest specificity (91.2%), and Europe reference showed the highest kappa value (0.893). Conclusions. The prevalence of HBP varied among these four references, and the appropriate choice of reference would be important to recognize high-risk children and judge the trends of HBP prevalence in the targeted population.

Maiwei Yangfei (MWYF) is a compound Chinese herb that is safe and effective in the clinical setting in patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). The aim of the present study was to assess the role of a (MWYF) decoction in a bleomycin (BLM)-induced PF mouse model and to investigate the underlying functional mechanism. Chemical components within the MWYF decoction were analysed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 50 C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to one of the following five groups with 10 mice per group: Control, model, low dose MWYF (20 g/kg), medium dose MWYF (40 g/kg) and high dose MWYF (60 g/kg). A mouse PF model was established by the tracheal instillation of BLM (5 mg/kg) prior to MWYF treatment, except for mice in the control group. After 21 days of treatment with MWYF, the mice were sacrificed and the body weights were recorded. In addition, pulmonary tissues and bronchial alveolar lavage fluid were collected. TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17, hydroxyproline, pyridinoline and collagen I levels were determined using ELISA. Vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin, TGF-β1, Smad3, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17, collagen I and collagen III were determined using western blotting. Vimentin and α-SMA levels were also determined using immunofluorescence analysis. Collagens I and III were detected using immunohistochemical analysis and TGF-β1 and Smad3 levels were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Following treatment with MWYF decoction, the body weight of the mice in the PF group increased, the degree of pulmonary alveolitis and PF was reduced, collagen levels were reduced and the expression levels of α-SMA, vimentin and fibronectin were decreased. Although both protein and mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1 and Smad3 were reduced, they remained higher than those observed in the control group. To conclude, MWYF decoction delayed the development of BLM-induced PF in mice, where the functional mechanism was likely associated with the TGF-β1/Smad3 signalling pathway.

Background To ascertain if concurrent chemotherapy (CCT) benefits people with stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with two‐dimensional radiotherapy (2DRT) or intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods A total of 4157 patients diagnosed with stage II NPC were evaluated. Patients received radiotherapy (RT) with/without CCT. Patients were divided into 2DRT and IMRT subgroups. After propensity score matching, the role of CCT was explored in these two subgroups. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint and progression‐free survival (PFS), locoregional relapse‐free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) were secondary endpoints. Results In the 2DRT subgroup, CCT addition to RT benefited cases with T1N1/T2N1 in OS, PFS and LRFS (P, In this study, we explored if concurrent chemotherapy (CCT) benefits people with stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with two‐dimensional radiotherapy (2DRT) or intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

Purpose We combined conventional clinical and pathological characteristics and pathological architectural grading scores to develop a prognostic model to identify a specific group of patients with stage I lung adenocarcinomas with poor survival following surgery. Methods This retrospective study included 198 patients with stage I lung adenocarcinomas recruited from 2004 to 2013. Multivariate analyses were used to confirm independent risk factors, which were checked for internal validity using the bootstrapping method. The prognostic scores, derived from β-coefficients using the Cox regression model, classified patients into high- and low-risk groups. The predictive performance and discriminative ability of the model were assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), concordance index (C-index) and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses. Results Three risk factors were identified: T2 (rounding of β-coefficients = 81), necrosis (rounding of β-coefficients = 67), and pathological architectural score of 5–6 (rounding of β-coefficients = 58). The final prognostic score was the sum of points. The derived prognostic scores stratified patients into low- (score ≤ 103) and high- (score > 103) risk groups, with significant differences in 5-year overall survival (high vs. low risk: 49.3% vs. 88.0%, respectively; hazard ratio: 4.55; p Conclusion An integrated prognostic model was developed to discriminate resected stage I adenocarcinoma patients into low- and high-risk groups, which will help clinicians select individual treatment strategies.

Background. Cinobufacini capsule, an anticancer traditional Chinese patent medicine, has been widely used as adjunctive treatment to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cinobufacini capsule combined with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC. Study Design. A systematic review and meta-analysis of eight outcome measures selected for this study were performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Methods. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in 7 electronic databases to identify all the relevant randomised controlled trials. Cochrane handbook 5.1.0 was applied to evaluate the quality of included trials, and the RevMan 5.3 and Stata 15.1 software were used to combine the trials for data analysis and assess the publication bias. Results. From the 19 studies reviewed, a total of 1,564 patients were included. Compared with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy alone, cinobufacini capsule combined with chemotherapy showed significant effects in improving ORR (RR = 1.49, 95% CI (1.33, 1.66)), 1-year survival rate (RR = 1.44, 95% CI (1.28, 1.63)), and 2-year survival rate (RR = 1.78, 95% CI (1.42, 2.22)), raising the percentages of CD3+ cells (SMD = 1.25, 95% CI (1.05, 1.45)), CD4+ cells (SMD = 1.52, 95% CI (1.33, 1.71)), and ratio of CD4+/CD8+ (SMD = 1.36, 95% CI (1.17, 1.54)), and reducing chemotherapy toxicity including leukopenia (RR = 0.61, 95% CI (0.51, 0.72)), thrombocytopenia (RR = 0.52, 95% CI (0.41, 0.67)), and vomiting (RR = 0.79, 95% CI (0.70, 0.88)). Conclusion. Cinobufacini capsule may increase the therapeutic effectiveness, improve cellular immune function, and reduce the toxicity of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC. These results require confirmation by further rigorously designed randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Backgroud: Danhong injection has been proven to be reliable and practical in the clinical treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF), whereas the mechanism of action is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of Danhong injection in the treatment of PF through network pharmacology and experimental validation. Methods: In this paper, multiple databases were utilized to capture the targets of Danhong injection and PF disease-related targets. The interaction network such as active ingredient-target was constructed and protein interaction analysis was performed via Cytoscape software. Bioprocess and signaling pathway analysis of the targets was carried out through DIVID database. Based on the analytical results, pharmacodynamic validation and mechanistic investigation were conducted in mice. Results: In this study, 111 compounds and common targets for diseases were filtered, with key targets involving MDM2, IL-2, CCL5, AKT1, MMP9, CASP3, MMP2, etc. The KEGG and GO enrichment analysis identified 16 significantly different signaling pathways, encompassing bioprocesses such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, programmed death and immune response. Animal experiments demonstrated that Danhong injection could reduce bleomycin-induced PF in mice, and could decrease the mRNA of AKT1 and the protein expression of p-Pi3k and p-Akt, thereby reducing apoptosis in mouse lung tissues. Conclusions: This study initially revealed that Danhong injection may inhibit apoptosis through the Pi3k/Akt signaling pathway and thus reduce PF in mice.

BACKGROUND Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease related to aging, which has become increasingly prevalent as the population has aged. However, there remains no effective treatment for the disease. Alveolar epithelial type II cell (AEC II) senescence plays an important role in the occurrence and development of IPF. Therefore, enhancing our understanding of aging AEC IIs might facilitate the development of a new therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of IPF. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of citrus alkaline extracts (CAE) on senescence in A549 cells and elucidate the mechanism by which CAE function. MATERIAL AND METHODS Adriamycin RD (ARD) induces the senescence of A549 cells. Relevant indicators were identified following administration of 3 concentrations of CAE (50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, and 200 μg/mL) to A549 cells. RESULTS CAE inhibited senescence in ARD-induced A549 cells. It inhibited p16, p21, p53, and a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and reduced expression of the senescence-related positive cells of ß-galactosidase. Further study revealed that activation of the ß-catenin signaling pathway is closely associated with p53. CAE inhibited senescence in A549 cells via the ß-catenin/p53 pathway. Further, inhibition of b-catenin was associated with reduced expression levels of p53 and p21, and the anti-aging effects of CAE were enhanced. When expression of p53 was inhibited, expression levels of ß-catenin also tended to decrease. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our study showed that CAE can inhibit aging in A549 cells to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis, and thus limit the secretion of the extracellular matrix and collagen in lung fibroblasts.

Objective:Many tissues contained resident mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) that facilitated tissue hemostasis and repair. However, there is no typical marker to identify the resident cardiac MSCs. We aimed to determine if CD51 could be an optimal marker of cardiac MSCs and assess their therapeutic potential for mice with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods:Cardiac-derived CD51+CD31–CD45–Ter119–cells (named CD51+cMSCs) were isolated from C57BL/6 mice(7-day-old) by flow cytometry. The CD51+cMSCs were characterized by proliferation capacity, multi-differentiation potential, and expression of typical MSC-related markers. Adult C57BL/6 mice (12-week-old) were utilized for an AMI model via permanently ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The therapeutic efficacy of CD51+cMSCs was estimated by echocardiography and pathological staining. To determine the underlying mechanism, lentiviruses were utilized to knock down gene (stem cell factor [SCF]) expression of CD51+cMSCs.Results:In this study, CD51 was expressed in the entire layers of the cardiac wall in mice, including endocardium, epicardium, and myocardium, and its expression was decreased with age. Importantly, the CD51+cMSCs possessed potent self-renewal potential and multi-lineage differentiation capacityin vitroand also expressed typical MSC-related surface proteins. Furthermore, CD51+cMSC transplantation significantly improved cardiac function and attenuated cardiac fibrosis through pro-angiogenesis activity after myocardial infarction in mice. Moreover, SCF secreted by CD51+cMSCs played an important role in angiogenesis bothin vivoandin vitro.Conclusions:Collectively, CD51 is a novel marker of cardiac resident MSCs, and CD51+cMSC therapy enhances cardiac repair at least partly through SCF-mediated angiogenesis.

Background The clinical efficacy of matrine in treating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been confirmed; however, its underlying mechanism of action remains unknown. Methods TCMSP, SwissTargetPrediction, SEA, GeneCards, CTD, and TTD were used to identify potential targets for matrine in SARS-CoV-2. Cytoscape software was used to determine the target-pathway network for topographical analysis. The online STRING analysis platform and Cytoscape were together used to generate a PPI network and for GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, molecular docking simulations were performed to study matrine-Mpro, matrine-ACE2, and matrine-RdRp interactions. Results Ten common matrine targets were obtained, particularly including TNF-α, IL-6, and CASP3. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed five significantly enriched signalling pathways involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, programmed cell death, and immune responses. Conclusions During COVID-19 treatment, matrine regulates viral replication, host cell apoptosis, and inflammation by targeting the TNF-α, IL-6, and CASP3 in the TNF signalling pathway.

Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, fibrotic disease. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, the effect of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC IIs) is increasingly thought to be a critical mechanism. Purpose We investigated the effects of citrus alkaline extracts (CAE) on AEC IIs and elucidated the underlying mechanism for their possible use in ameliorating pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Methods A bleomycin-induced mouse model of PF, and an in vitro tunicamycin (TM) -induced ER stress model in A549 cells were successfully established. Accumulation of collagen in lung tissues in vivo was assessed using histological analysis and western blotting. The expression levels of the ER-stress marker BiP and other related proteins were assessed by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed to evaluate mitochondrial homeostasis. Results CAE mitigated collagen deposition to ameliorate PF in vivo. CAE suppressed the bleomycin or TM-induced increases in ER-stress biomarker, BiP, and PERK pathway proteins, resulting in a decrease in ER stress in mouse lung tissues and A549 cells, respectively. Additionally, CAE treatment suppressed the bleomycin or TM-induced increase in the ER-stress downstream proteins, activating ATF3 and increased the levels of PINK1 in AEC IIs, both in vivo and in vitro. The reduced mitochondrial homeostasis induced by TM was restored by CAE-treatment in A549 cells. Furthermore, conditioned media from TM-treated A549 cells increased collagen deposition in MRC5 cells mainly via TGF-β1. The increased collagen deposition was not seen using conditioned media from CAE-treated A549 cells. Conclusion These results provide novel insights into the potential mechanism of CAE in inhibiting ER stress in AEC IIs, and suggests that it has great potential to ameliorate PF via the ATF3/PINK1 pathway.

Background.The efficacy and safety of combined treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using Shenyi capsules and platinum-based chemotherapy were comprehensively evaluated. Methods. A computer-based search was used to identify reports on clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on this combined treatment for NSCLC from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, China Biomedical (CBM), and Wanfang Data electronic databases. The databases were searched from their start to February 2020. The quality of the included studies was evaluated and then crosschecked by two independent evaluators. A meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan5.3. Results. A total of 27 RCTs involving 2,663 patients were included in the meta-analysis, including 1,380 and 1,283 patients in the treatment and control groups, respectively. The results of the meta-analysis showed that, compared to platinum-based chemotherapy alone, the 1-year survival rate (relative risk (RR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.10, 1.47], P < 0.01 ), 2-year survival rate (RR = 1.35, 95% CI [1.10, 1.65], P < 0.01 ), objective tumour remission rate (RR = 1.52, 95% CI [1.35, 1.71], P < 0.01 ), and body CD4+/CD8+ ratio (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.12, 95% CI [0.07, 0.17], P < 0.01 ) were increased for the combined treatment of NSCLC using Shenyi capsules and platinum-based chemotherapy; moreover, quality of life was also improved (RR = 2.09, 95%CI [1.75, 2.50], P < 0.01 ) and it reduced leukocyte toxicity (RR = 0.49, 95%CI [0.39, 0.63], P < 0.01 ), haemoglobin toxicity (RR = 0.48, 95% CI [0.28, 0.81], P < 0.01 ), platelet toxicity (RR = 0.44, 95% CI [0.28, 0.70], P < 0.01 ), vomiting reaction (RR = 0.60, 95% CI [0.45, 0.78], P < 0.01 ), and serum vascular endothelial growth factor level (SMD = −63.67, 95% CI [−67.59, −59.75], P < 0.01 ). Conclusions. The treatment of NSCLC using Shenyi capsules together with routine platinum-based chemotherapy could enhance short- and long-term efficacy, improve patient quality of life, alleviate toxicity and side-effects of platinum-based chemotherapeutic drugs, boost body immune function, and inhibit tumour neovascularisation. These findings require further validation in large-sample, high-quality RCTs.

Cough variant asthma (CVA) is a unique type of asthma characterized by cough as the only or primary clinical presentation. Inhaled glucocorticoid is the main treatment in clinical practice currently, but its efficacy remains relatively unsatisfactory. Traditional Chinese medicine has certain advantages in the treatment of CVA, and at present, the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicine is Suhuang Zhike Capsule (SZC). The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of SZC in the treatment of CVA using a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search of papers published in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature database (CBM), Wanfang Database, and VIP Information (VIP) from January 2018 to June 2019 was conducted. Review Manager 5.3 was used to carry out a meta-analysis of 10 studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In a total of 10 randomized controlled trials, 896 CVA patients were included. The results showed the following: (1) compared with conventional Western medicine, SZC can effectively increase the efficacy rate of CVA (RR 1.25, 95% CI, 1.16–1.35, P < 0.00001 ) and (2) compared with other traditional Chinese medicines, SZC can effectively increase the efficacy rate of CVA (RR 1.44, 95% CI, 1.01–2.05, P = 0.05 ), In conclusion, our study builds on existing clinical evidence showing that SZC is safe and effective in treating CVA. However, larger randomized controlled trials are required for further validation.

To observe the effect of acupuncture on blood oxygen concentration in the brain of rats with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), thus to reveal the mechanisms of acupuncture in intervening the brain function of PTSD rats. Sixty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, a grasping group, a paroxetine group and an acupuncture group, with 12 rats in each group. Except the blank group, rats in the other groups all received incarceration plus electric shock for 7 d to prepare the PTSD animal model. One hour before the stress model was established, rats in each group received the designated intervention: rats in the blank group and the model group did not receive any intervention; rats in the grasping group received grasping and fixation; rats in the paroxetine group received paroxetine hydrochloride solution by intragastric administration; and rats in the acupuncture group received acupuncture. Six-day treatment was a course, with 2 courses of treatment conducted for a total of 12 d. After the modeling, rats in each treatment group received intervention for 5 d, and the fNIRS system was used to collect and record the changes in the concentrations of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2), deoxygenated hemoglobin (d-Hb) and total hemoglobin (t-Hb) of the involved rat’s brain regions, and also to assess the brain function. Compared with the blank group, the concentration of HbO2 was significantly increased, the concentration of d-Hb was significantly decreased, and the concentration of t-Hb was significantly increased in the model group and the grasping group after the intervention, and the differences were statistically significant (all P 0.05). Compared with the grasping group, the concentration of HbO2 was significantly decreased, the concentration of d-Hb was significantly increased, and the concentration of t-Hb was significantly decreased in the paroxetine group and the acupuncture group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P 0.05). Acupuncture can regulate the blood oxygen concentration in the brain of PTSD model rats, which may be an important mechanism of acupuncture in intervening the brain function in PTSD rats.

To observe the effect of liver-soothing and mind-regulating acupuncture method on the resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) in rats with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and to provide evidence for the effect mechanism study and clinical application of acupuncture intervention for PTSD. Sixty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank control group, a model group, a grasping group, a paroxetine group and an acupuncture group, with 12 rats in each group. Except for rats in the blank control group, rats in the other groups were subjected to preparing the PTSD models using ‘incarceration plus electric shock’ method. After interventions, changes in rat behavior of each group were observed; changes in resting-state EEG were collected and analyzed with multichannel EEG acquisition and analysis system, and image analysis and statistical processing were performed. Compared with the blank control group, the average escape latency in the model group was significantly longer (P 0.05). Compared with the blank control group, the α-wave power spectrum value in the model group was significantly decreased, and the power spectrum values of β-wave, δ-wave and э-wave were significantly increased (all P 0.05). Liver-soothing and mind-regulating acupuncture method can significantly improve the abnormal EEG activity in PTSD rats, which may be one mechanism of liver-soothing and mind-regulating acupuncture method in effectively affecting the brain function in PTSD rats.

Objective To explore the brain function mechanism of "liver-soothing and mind-regulating" acupuncture manipulation in intervening post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods According to random number table method, 60 SD rats were randomly divided into blank group, model group, grabbing group, paroxetine group and acupuncture group. Except for the blank group, all the rats were established into PTSD models through electric shock and incarceration, with model replication for 7 days in total. The rats were given gavage, acupuncture intervention and grabbing fixation 1 h before modeling, with 6 days as 1 course of treatment. Grabbing treatment was performed for 2 courses, with 12 days in total. After modeling, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system was adopted to collect and record the changes of concentration of Oxy-Hb, Deoxy-Hb and Total-Hb during 3 min in related brain regions of rats in each group after treatment for 5 consecutive days, and the brain function was evaluated. Results According to the comparison of the time series of blood-oxygen concentration, there were significant differences between model group and blank group as well as grabbing group and blank group (P 0.05); there were significant differences between paroxetine group and grabbing group as well as acupuncture group and grabbing group (P 0.05). Conclusion "Liver-soothing and mind-regulating" acupuncture manipulation has a benign regulatory effect on the blood-oxygen concentration in cerebral cortex of PTSD rats, which may be the important brain function mechanism of "liver-soothing and mind-regulating" acupuncture manipulation in intervening PTSD.

Modified castor oil-based epoxy resin (EP)/polyurethane (PU) grafted copolymer by glycidyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (glycidyl POSS) was synthesized. The damping properties, thermal stability, mechanical properties and morphology of the grafted copolymer modified by glycidyl POSS were studied systematically. The results revealed that the incorporation of glycidyl POSS improved the damping performance evidently and broadened damping temperature range, especially when the glycidyl POSS content was 0.2%–1%. At the same time, there was a slight increase in thermal stability with the increase of POSS content. The tensile properties changed with the change of the copolymer’s Tg, decreased at low POSS contents and increased at high POSS contents. This modified copolymer has the potential to be used as film damping material or constrained damping layer.

Objective: Worldwide, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infection that occurs in older adults, who may have pulmonary comorbidities, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although there have been clinical studies on the coexistence of CAP with COPD, there remain some controversial findings. This review presents the current status of COPD in CAP patients, including the disease burden, clinical characteristics, risk factors, microbial etiology, and antibiotic treatment. Data Sources: A literature review included full peer-reviewed publications up to January 2018 derived from the PubMed database, using the keywords “community-acquired pneumonia” and “chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”. Study Selection: Papers in English were reviewed, with no restriction on study design. Results: COPD patients who are treated with inhaled corticosteroids are at an increased risk of CAP and have a worse prognosis, but data regarding the increased mortality remains unclear. Although Streptococcus pneumoniae is still regarded as the most common bacteria isolated from patients with CAP and COPD, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is also important, and physicians should pay close attention to the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance, particularly in these two organisms. Conclusions: COPD is a common and important predisposing comorbidity in patients who develop CAP. COPD often aggravates the clinical symptoms of patients with CAP, complicating treatment, but generally does not appear to affect prognosis.

Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on symptoms of depression and anxiety complicated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods Literature from 8 electronic medical databases were searched for meta-analysis using RevMan (version 5.3) and Stata (version 12.0) software. The GRADE Pro Guideline Development Tool and TSA Viewer (version.0.9.5.10 beta) were adopted to evaluate the certainty and conclusiveness of the evidence. Results 26 studies involving 2529 participants were identified. CHM demonstrated significant lower scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale compared to the control group without CHM. Moreover, CHM showed favorable safety. Conclusions The evidence verified the efficacy and safety of CHM on relieving depression and anxiety in COPD. However, further large-scale and rigorously designed studies are urgently warranted to strengthen the evidence.

In hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), there are usually several different DC-buses of different voltage levels to handle different loads. DC–DC converters are used to transfer energy between differen...

// Xue-Di Han 1, * , Chen Liu 1, * , Fei Liu 1 , Qing-Hua Xie 1, 2 , Te-Li Liu 1 , Xiao-Yi Guo 1 , Xiao-Xia Xu 1 , Xing Yang 3 , Hua Zhu 1 and Zhi Yang 1 1 Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing 100142, China 2 College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China 3 Russell H. Morgan, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, United States * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Hua Zhu, email: zhuhuananjing@163.com Zhi Yang, email: pekyz@163.com Keywords: prostate specific membrane antigen, neo-vasculature, gastric cancer, PET, 64Cu Received: April 14, 2017 Accepted: May 14, 2017 Published: May 26, 2017 ABSTRACT Here, we report that it’s feasible for imaging gastric adenocarcinoma mice model with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeting imaging agents, which could potentially provide an alternate and readily translational tool for managing gastric adenocarcinoma. DKFZ-PSMA-617, a PSMA targeting ligand reported recently, was chosen to be radio-labeled with nuclide 64 Cu. 64 Cu-PSMA-617 was radio-synthesized in high radio-chemical yield and specific activity up to 19.3 GBq/μmol. It showed good stability in vitro . The specificity of 64 Cu-PSMA-617 was confirmed by cell uptake experiments in PSMA (+) LNCaP cell and PSMA (-) PC-3 and gastric adenocarcinoma BGC-823 cells. Micro-PET imaging in BGC-823 and PC-3 xenografts nude mice was evaluated ( n = 4). And the tumors were visualized and better tumor-to-background achieved till 24 h. Co-administration of N- [[[(1S)-1-Carboxy-3-methylbutyl]amino]-carbonyl]-L-glutamic acid (ZJ-43) can substantially block the uptake in those tumors. Dissected tumor tissues were analyzed by auto-radiography and immunohistochemistry, and these results confirmed the PSMA expression in neo-vasculature which explained the target molecular imaging of 64 Cu-PSMA-617. All those results suggested 64 Cu-PSMA-617 may serve as a novel radio-tracer for tumor imaging more than prostate cancer.

Objective To observe the effect of needling Hegu (LI 4) on functions of the prefrontal cortex using the functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

To enhance the treatment efficiency in tumor therapy, we developed a tumor-targeting protein-based delivery system, DOX&ICG@BSA-KALA/Apt, to efficiently integrate multimodal therapy with tumor imaging and realize synchronous photodynamic therapy/photothermal therapy/chemotherapy. In the delivery system, a chemotherapeutic drug (doxorubicin, DOX) and an optotheranostic agent (indocyanine green, ICG) were co-loaded in bovine serum albumin (BSA) via a hydrophobic-interaction-induced self-assembly to form stable DOX&ICG@BSA nanoparticles. After the decoration of a surface layer composed of a tumor-targeting aptamer (AS1411) and a cell-penetrating peptide (KALA), the obtained DOX&ICG@BSA-KALA/Apt nanoparticles exhibit a significantly improved multimodal cancer therapeutic efficiency due to the enhanced cancer cellular uptake mediated by AS1411 and KALA. In vitro and in vivo studies show that the multimodal theranostic system can efficiently inhibit tumor growth. In addition, the near-infrared fluorescent/photothermal dual-mode imaging enables accurate visualization of the therapeutic action in tumor sites. This study provides a facile strategy to construct self-assembled multimodal theranostic systems, and the functional protein-based theranostic system prepared holds great promise in multimodal cancer therapeutics.

Background Xiao-ai-ping injection (XAPI), as patented Chinese medicine, has shown promising outcomes in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of XAPI in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies in Pubmed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wangfang Database, VIP Database, and Chinese Biology Medical Database from the date of their inception to September 2018. The RevMan 5.3 software was applied to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results We included and analyzed 24 randomized controlled trials. The meta-analysis showed that XAPI adjunctive to platinum-based chemotherapy had better outcomes in objective tumor response rate (ORR) (RR: 1.27, 95% CI, 1.14–1.40); improved Karnofsky performance scores (KPS) (RR: 1.70, 95% CI, 1.48–1.95); reduction in occurrence of grade 3/4 leukopenia (RR: 0.49, 95% CI, 0.38–0.64), anemia (RR: 0.63, 95% CI, 0.46–0.87) and thrombocytopenia (RR: 0.53, 95% CI, 0.38–0.73), nausea and vomiting (RR: 0.57, 95% CI, 0.36–0.90); and enhanced immune function (CD8+ [MD: 4.96, 95% CI, 1.16–8.76] and CD4+/CD8+ [MD: 2.58, 95% CI, 1.69–3.47]). However, it did not increase dysregulated liver and kidney function, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue. Subgroup analysis of ORR and KPS revealed that dosage, treatment duration, and methodological quality did not affect the outcome significantly. Conclusions Our meta-analyses demonstrated that XAPI in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy had a better tumor response, improved the quality of life, attenuated adverse side effects, and enhanced immune function, which suggests that it might be used for advanced NSCLC. Moreover, low dosage (

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and ultimately fatal lung disease with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The incidence of IPF increases with age, and the mechanisms related to aging such as cellular senescence have been strongly implicated in disease pathology. Therefore, a better understanding of fibroblasts senescence might provide a new therapeutic strategy to prevent and treat pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of citrus alkaline extracts (CAE) on the fibroblasts senescence, and elucidate the underlying mechanism to ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis. We demonstrated that CAE mitigated the collagen deposition by the initial early treatment, suggesting a potential preventive effect of CAE on pulmonary fibrosis. The expression of senescence biomarkers P16INK4a and P21, concomitant with down-regulation of the myofibroblasts marker α-SMA, and the number of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) positive cells were decreased by CAE treatment, indicating a significant inhibitory effect of CAE on fibroblast senescence. Additionally, CAE down-regulated the expression of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in etoposide-induced senescent fibroblasts. Further studies indicated that COX-2 activation was required for CAE to inhibit the lung fibroblast senescence through a P53-dependent pathway. Results showed that the anti-senescence effect of CAE was abrogated when COX-2 was knocked down or inhibited by COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 or indomethacin in lung fibroblasts. Meanwhile, the anti-fibrotic and anti-senescence effect of CAE were abolished due to disruption of COX-2 in vivo. Collectively, our results provided a novel insight into the potential mechanism of CAE to inhibit the fibroblasts activation through preventing cellular senescence.

Gastric cancer (GC) development and progression is significantly associated with tumour immune escape. T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) inhibits T-cell responses and is associated with human cancers and T cell exhaustion phenotypes, but its role in cancers remains unclear. TIGIT and programmed cell death protein (PD)-1 levels were detected in 441 human GC specimens using histochemistry. We used flow cytometry to evaluate percentage of TIGIT+ constituting CD8+ T cells of 23 patients with GC who underwent D2 gastrectomy and the S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) regimen. We investigated the influence of SOX regimen and TIGIT functional antibody on CD8 tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Results showed that PD-1 and TIGIT were significantly over expressed in GC and predicted poorer outcome, agreeing with bioinformatics analysis. Significantly reduced percentages of CD8+ TIGIT+ cells were observed in patients after D2 gastrectomy (pre- vs post-surgery, 38 ± 8.7% vs. 26.7% ± 5.2%, p

A DNA repair enzyme, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), plays an important role in the development of gastric cancers. However, the role of MGMT promoter methylation in the occurrence of gastric cancer and its relationships with clinicopathologic characteristics has not been fully clarified. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the associations between MGMT promoter methylation and gastric cancer. Electronic databases, including PubMed and Web of Science, were used to systematically search related clinical studies published in English until April 1, 2016. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to evaluate the associations between MGMT promoter methylation and gastric cancer risk or clinicopathologic characteristics. A total of 16 studies including 1,935 patients and 1,948 control persons were included in the analysis. Our study suggested that MGMT promoter methylation frequency was associated with gastric cancer (OR=3.46, 95% CI: 2.13-5.61, P

// Ya-di Han 1,* , Xue-bin Wang 1* , Ning-hua Cui 2 , Shuai Zhang 1 , Chen Wang 1 and Fang Zheng 1 1 Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China 2 Department of Clinical Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, Henan, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Fang Zheng, email: // Keywords : cervical cancer, squamous intra-epithelial lesion, P16 INK4a promoter hypermethylation, smoking habit, meta-analysis Received : June 04, 2016 Accepted : September 16, 2016 Published : September 22, 2016 Abstract To assess the associations of P16 INK4a methylation status with low-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion (LSIL), high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion (HSIL), cervical cancer (CC) and their clinicopathological features, a meta-analysis with 29 eligible studies was conducted. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the strength of the associations. Heterogeneity, sensitivity of pooled results and publication bias were also evaluated. Overall, there was an increasing trend of P16 INK4a hypermethylation rates among LSIL (21.4%), HSIL (30.9%) and CC (35.0%) specimens. P16 INK4a hypermethylation was significantly associated with the increased risk of LSIL, HSIL and CC, with the pooled ORs of 3.26 (95% CI: 1.86-5.71), 5.80 (95% CI: 3.80-8.84) and 12.17 (95% CI: 5.86-25.27), respectively. A significant association was also found between P16 INK4a hypermethylation and smoking habit (OR = 3.88, 95% CI: 2.13-7.08). Taken together, meta-analysis results support P16 INK4a hypermethylation as an epigenetic marker for the progression of cervical carcinogenesis.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in thioredoxin‐interacting protein (TXNIP) gene may modulate TXNIP expression, then increase the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). In a two‐stage case–control study with a total of 1818 CAD patients and 1963 controls, we genotyped three SNPs in TXNIP and found that the variant genotypes of SNPs rs7212 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, P = 0.001] and rs7211 (OR = 1.23, P = 0.005) were significantly associated with increased CAD risk under a dominant model. In haplotype analyses, compared with the reference haplotype, haplotype ‘G‐T’ had a 1.22‐fold increased risk of CAD (P = 0.003). We also observed the cumulative effects of SNPs rs7212 and rs7211 on CAD risk and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. Moreover, the gene–environment interactions among the variant genotypes of SNP rs7212, smoking habit, alcohol drinking habit and history of type 2 diabetes were associated with a 3.70‐fold increased risk of CAD (P < 0.001). Subsequent genotype‐phenotype correlation analyses further observed the significant effects of SNP rs7212 on TXNIP mRNA expression, plasma TXNIP and malondialdehyde levels. Taken together, our data suggest that TXNIP SNPs may individually and cumulatively affect CAD risk through a possible mechanism for regulating TXNIP expression and gene–environment interactions.

‘Warming-dredging needling technique’ is one of the specific needling techniques created by Prof. Zheng Kui-shan for treating intractable and difficult diseases. Developed from ‘Shao Shan Huo (Mountain-burning Fire)’ and ‘warmingreinforcing method’, this method displays the effects of ‘warming’, ‘dredging’ and ‘reinforcing’. The ‘scapula-penetrating heat’ and ‘eye-transmitting heat’ belong to the representative needling techniques of ‘warming-dredging needling technique’. In order to promote the clinical application of ‘warming-dredging needling technique’, its theoretical foundation and clinical experience are summarized.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the survival trends and patterns of failure in patients with stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy over the last 20 years. Materials and Methods Thirty-eight hundred and eight patients diagnosed with stage II NPC between January 1990 and December 2012 were involved in this retrospective cohort study. All patients were treated with RT. According to the main imaging techniques and RT technology, we categorized these patients into four calendar periods: 1990-1996, 1997-2002, 2003-2007, and 2008-2012. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were served as the clinical outcome. RESULTS After a median follow-up period of 84.7 months, we observed increasing trends in survival and disease control. The 3- and 5-year OS rates increased from 87.1% and 78.7% in the first calendar period to 97.4% and 94.5% in the last calendar period, respectively (p

The impact of specific co-mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated lung adenocarcinoma is unclear. Tissues from 147 consecutive patients with resected EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinomas treated at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center were analyzed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Associations between mutation status, patient baseline characteristics, and survival outcomes (disease-free survival [DFS] and overall survival [OS]) after surgical resection were analyzed. TP53 and protein kinase D (PKD) mutations were the two most frequently observed co-mutations in this cohort. Dual PKD/EGFR and TP53/EGFR mutations were found in 39 (27%) and 72 patients (49%), respectively, with dual TP53/EGFR mutations more commonly observed in male patients (P = 0.021). Both TP53 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23–3.54, P = 0.007) and PKD co-mutations (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.01–2.93, P = 0.044) were associated with shorter DFS, but not OS, in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, patients harboring PKD/TP53 co-mutations had shorter DFS compared with PKD−/TP53− cases (HR 2.49, 95% CI 1.15–5.37, P = 0.02). In a subgroup of never-smokers, TP53 co-mutations were associated with significantly worse OS (HR 50.11, 95% CI 2.39–1049.83, P = 0.012). TP53 and PKD mutations were the two most frequently observed co-mutations in resected EGFR-mutated lung adenocarcinoma. Both mutations were associated with poorer prognoses in affected patients.

Saikosaponin d (SSd) is a major hepatoprotective component of saikosaponins derived from Radix Bupleuri, which was also linked to hepatotoxicity. Previous studies have demonstrated that caspases play a key role in SSd-induced liver cell death. Our in vitro and in vivo studies also showed that treatment with caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk could significantly reduce the L02 hepatocyte cells death and lessen the degree of liver damage in mice caused by SSd. In order to further reveal the underlying mechanisms of caspase inhibition in SSd-induced hepatotoxicity, mass spectrometry based untargeted metabolomics was conducted. Significant alterations in metabolic profiling were observed in SSd-treated group, which could be restored by caspase inhibition. Bile acids and phospholipids were screened out to be most significant by spearman correlation analysis, heatmap analysis and S-Plot analysis. These findings were further confirmed by absolute quantitation of bile acids via targeted metabolomics approach. Furthermore, cytokine profiles were analyzed to identify potential associations between inflammation and metabolites. The study could provide deeper insight into the hepatotoxicity of SSd and the efficacy of caspase inhibition.

Li-Ying Tang,1 Mou-Xin Zhang,2 Di-Han Lu,3 Yong-Xiong Chen,1 Zu-Guo Liu,1,2 San-Gang Wu4 1Eye Institute of Xiamen University, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Medical College, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China; 2Xiamen University Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center, Xiamen 361001, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Radiation Oncology, Xiamen Cancer Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361003, People’s Republic of China Introduction: Orbital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare childhood malignancy with a good prognosis, but the optimal treatment remains unclear. Using a population-based cancer registry, we assessed the prognoses and survival outcomes of patients with orbital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma according to the local treatment strategy.Patients and methods: Patients diagnosed with orbital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma between 1988 and 2012 as part of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program were included. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the prognostic factors associated with cause-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS).Results: In total, 102 patients were included; their median age was 6 years, 78.4% were white, and 56.9% were male. The median tumor size was 30 mm. Of 20 patients with an available histologic grade, the tumors of 90% were poorly differentiated/undifferentiated. Of 92 patients with available surgical and radiotherapy (RT) statuses, 50 (54.3%), 36 (39.1%), and 6 (6.5%) received surgery and RT, primary RT, and primary surgery, respectively. Ninety-five patients (93.1%) received chemotherapy. The 5- and 10-year CSSs of the entire cohort were 94.3% and 92.2%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year OSs were 93.3% and 91.3%, respectively. In 95 patients who were followed up for at least 12 months, there were no significant prognostic factors related to CSS and OS. Furthermore, the local treatment strategy did not significantly affect CSS (P=0.29) or OS (P=0.468).Conclusion: There is no local treatment of choice for orbital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma in terms of survival. However, RT is a reasonable alternative treatment to surgery. Keywords: orbital embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, survival, radiotherapy, surgery, SEER

Fibroblasts are the major effector cells of skin wound healing. Adipose‑derived stem cells can differentiate into fibroblasts under certain conditions. In the present study, it was hypothesized that adipose‑derived stem cells (ADSCs) could be induced by the adipose extracellular matrix (ECM) to differentiate into fibroblasts in order to promote skin wound healing. First, flow cytometry was used to detect the ratio of fibroblasts and relative expression of the fibroblast markers cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and vimentin in ADSCs. Then, the effect of the adipose ECM during the differentiation of ADSCs into fibroblasts was investigated by detecting the total amount of collagen fibers and degree of fibrosis, and the proliferation and cell cycle of differentiated fibroblasts, using the MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis respectively. Finally, a mouse skin wound model was established and treated with PBS, ADSC suspension or ECM + ADSCs to compare wound healing rate and expression of collagen I and collagen III by immunohistochemistry. Following induction of ADSCs with the adipose ECM, more fibroblasts were found, expression of CK19 and vimentin increased, and a greater degree of fibrosis occurred, which revealed the positive effect of the adipose ECM on the differentiation of ADSCs into fibroblasts. In addition, the induced fibroblasts had enhanced proliferation activity, with more cells in the S phase and fewer in the G2/M phase. The in vivo experiment indicated that the ECM produced by the ADSCs had a faster wound healing rate and increased expression of collagen I and collagen III compared with mice injected with PBS or ADSCs alone, which verified that ADSCs induced by the adipose ECM had a positive effect on skin wound healing. The present study demonstrated that the adipose ECM in combination with ADSCs may be a novel therapeutic target for the repair of skin injury, due to the ability of the adipose ECM to induce the differentiation of ADSCs into fibroblasts and to facilitate the wound healing process.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between resting heart rate (RHR) and prevalence of hypertension in Chinese children and to identify if this association was mediated by body mass index (BMI). The data of 5445 children who participated in the Blood Pressure Surveillance Program (2011-2017) were analyzed in this study. Children were divided into four groups according to quartiles of RHR in boys and girls, respectively. Compared to those in the first quartile, boys and girls in the fourth quartile were 3.06 (95% CI 2.12, 4.41) and 4.94 (95% CI 3.21, 7.61) times more likely to have hypertension, respectively. Meanwhile, every 10 beats per minute (bpm) increase in RHR was associated with a 41% (95% CI 1.27, 1.56) and 66% (95% CI 1.49, 1.85) greater risk of hypertension in boys and girls, respectively. There were no significant interactions between RHR and BMI on the prevalence of hypertension. This study confirms the existence of a relationship between elevated RHR and increased risk of hypertension in children, independent of BMI. An elevated RHR could be considered as a risk factor for the risk assessment of hypertension, no matter from a clinical setting or a public health perspective.

In order to find new sources of natural antioxidants, total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacities of 11 fruit seeds before and after in vitro digestion were evaluated by Folin–Ciocalteu method, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity assay (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), and ABTS•+ scavenging activity (ABTS) assay, respectively. The correlations between DPPH, FRAP, ABTS values and total phenolic contents were also evaluated. The results showed that 11 fruit seeds had diverse antioxidant capacities and the variation was very large. Furthermore, the main compounds of 11 fruit seeds were identified and quantified. Four fruit seeds, Dimocarpus longgana Lour, Vitis vinifera Linn (red), Vitis vinifera Linn (black), and Litchi chinensis Sonn showed the strongest antioxidant activities whether before or after digestion, which implied that these fruit seeds are important natural sources for preventing oxidative stress diseases.

In some GWAs studies, GALNT2 and APOE polymorphisms have been identified to be related to alterations of plasma or serum HDL-C and TG concentrations. The purpose of our study is to assess the contribution of GALNT2 rs4846914, APOE rs429358, rs7412, rs405509 variants, and several environmental factors to the development of hypertension disease in the China Han population. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted. Cases were hypertension (n=211) and controls were normal participants (n=434). The AA, AG, and GG genotype frequencies of GALNT2 rs4846914 were 22.8%, 43.1%, and 34.1% in hypertension subjects, and 35.3%, 44.2%, and 20.5% in controls (P

To understand the hepatic metabolic changes during postnatal liver maturation process in breeder roosters, we investigated the hepatic metabolites composition of 1-day-old, 42-day-old, and 35-week-old breeder roosters using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Comprehensive multivariate data analyses were applied to identify the distinguishing metabolites of liver. 84 different kinds of distinguishing metabolites were identified between the livers of 1-day-old and 42-day-old breeder roosters, and 58 different kinds of distinguishing metabolites were identified between the livers from 42-day-old and 35-week-old breeder roosters. Further pathway annotations revealed that the hepatic metabolism was extensively remodeled during the postnatal liver maturation process. The antioxidant capacity of the liver and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, fats, cholesterols, nucleic acids, and vitamins were all significantly changed at different growing periods after birth. Specifically, we found that the hepatic amino acid metabolic function was continuously enhanced from 1-day-old to 35-week-old roosters. However, the glucose and lipid metabolic functions were weakened from 1-day-old to 42-day-old roosters and then elevated from 42-day-old to 35-week-old roosters. In conclusion, the present study revealed that the metabolomic changes are related to the adaption of liver functions in breeder roosters., Summary: This study revealed that hepatic metabolomic changes are related to functional adaption in breeder roosters, which contribute to a better understanding of the hepatic metabolites composition differences during different periods.

For automotive applications, accurate torque production capability and high efficiency of the traction motor is very important. However, the performance of widely used interior permanent magnet (IPM) machine is influenced by temperature variation. In this paper, a control algorithm is proposed to compensate the performance variations in IPM machines due to temperature change utilizing current pulse injection and online multi-parameter estimation. Based on the special driving cycle characteristics of vehicles, current pulse injection is done during idle conditions and has minimum influence on the normal operation of vehicles. Results show that the proposed compensation control method can successfully maintain torque production accuracy and maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) operation during temperature variation.

MicroRNAs (miRs) have been proposed as minimally invasive prognostic markers for various types of cancer, including liver cancer, which is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In the present study, the expression of miR‑34a in human liver cancer tissues and cell lines was evaluated and the effects of miR‑34a on cell proliferation, invasion and glycolysis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells were determined. The results indicated that miR‑34a was downregulated in human liver cancer tissues. Overexpression of miR‑34a significantly inhibited liver cancer cell proliferation and clone formation. In terms of the underlying mechanism, miR‑34a was indicated to negatively regulate the expression of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), which consequently inhibited LDHA‑dependent glucose uptake in the cancer cells, as well as cell proliferation and invasion. Collectively, these data suggest that miR‑34a functions as a negative regulator of glucose metabolism and may serve as a novel marker for liver cancer prognosis.

Excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) gene encodes ERCC1 protein, which is mainly responsible for the repair of DNA damage in different diseases including coronary artery atherosclerosis by acting as a rate-limiting element in nucleotide excision repair (NER). Using a three-stage case-control study with 3037 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and 3002 controls, we investigated associations of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with CAD risk and severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis in Chinese Han population. In the discovery set, the variant allele T of rs11615 was significantly associated with higher CAD risk (adjusted OR = 1.27, P = 0.006) and severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis (adjusted OR = 1.54, P = 0.003). These associations were more remarkable in the merged set (adjusted OR = 1.23, P = 8 × 10−6 for CAD risk; adjusted OR = 1.36, P = 4.3 × 10−5 for severity of coronary artery atherosclerosis). And the expression level of ERCC1 was significantly higher in CAD cases than controls. Multiplicative interactions among SNP rs11615, alcohol drinking, history of T2DM, and history of hyperlipidemia could increase 5.06-fold risk of CAD (P = 1.59 × 10−9). No significant association of rs2298881 and rs3212986 with CAD risk was identified. Taken together, SNP rs11615 in ERCC1 gene might confer susceptibility to CAD and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in a Chinese Han population.

In this paper, the influence of temperature variation on the characteristics and performance of flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machines are analyzed and investigated. The flux linkage, torque output capability, and inductance variation as functions of the temperature are simulated and analyzed. The paper also shows the influence of temperature variation on key FSPM machines performance including constant torque curves, voltage limit ellipses, maximum torque per ampere curves, and torque-speed curves. The difference of temperature effects between FSPM machines and interior permanent magnet machines are also discussed. The results and trends shown in this paper set a foundation for developing control algorithm which takes the temperature effects into consideration, especially in the applications where operating temperature varies significantly.