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Serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) is an acute phase protein produced mainly by the liver to participate in immunomodulation in both sterile and non-sterile inflammation. However, non-hepatic tissues can also synthesize SAA1. It remains to be determined whether SAA1 synthesized locally in the placenta participates in parturition via eliciting inflammatory reactions. In this study, we investigated this issue by using human placenta and a mouse model. We found that SAA1 mRNA and protein were present in human placental villous trophoblasts, which was increased upon syncytialization as well as treatments with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and cortisol. Moreover, significant increases in SAA1 abundance were observed in the placental tissue or in the maternal blood in spontaneous deliveries without infection at term and in preterm birth with histological chorioamnionitis. Serum amyloid A1 treatment significantly increased parturition-pertinent inflammatory gene expression including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-8, TNF-α, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), along with increased PGF2α production in syncytiotrophoblasts. Mouse study showed that SAA1 was present in the placental junctional zone and yolk sac membrane, which was increased following intraperitoneal administration of LPS. Intraperitoneal injection of SAA1 not only induced preterm birth but also increased the abundance of IL-1β, TNF-α, and COX-2 in the mouse placenta. Conclusively, SAA1 can be synthesized in the human placenta, which is increased upon trophoblast syncytialization. Parturition is accompanied with increased SAA1 abundance in the placenta. Serum amyloid A1 may participate in parturition in the presence and absence of infection by inducing the expression of inflammatory genes in the placenta.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can affect the haematopoietic system. Thrombocytopenia at admission was prevalent, while late-phase or delayed-phase thrombocytopenia (occurred 14 days after symptom onset) is rare. This retrospective, single-centre study screened 450 COVID-19 patients and enrolled 271 patients at the Union Hospital, Wuhan, China, from January 25 to March 9, 2020. COVID-19-associated delayed-phase thrombocytopenia occurred in 11·8% of enrolling patients. The delayed-phase thrombocytopenia in COVID-19 is prone to develop in elderly patients or patients with low lymphocyte count on admission. The delayed-phase thrombocytopenia is significantly associated with increased length of hospital stay and higher mortality rate. Delayed-phase nadir platelet counts demonstrated a significantly negative correlation with B cell percentages. We also provided and described bone marrow aspiration pathology of three patients with delayed-phase thrombocytopenia, showing impaired maturation of megakaryocytes. We speculated that immune-mediated platelet destruction might account for the delayed-phase thrombocytopenia in a group of patients. In addition, clinicians need to pay attention to the delayed-phase thrombocytopenia especially at 3-4 weeks after symptom onset.

The pandemic COVID-19 pneumonia has engulfed the entire world. Hematopoietic system can also be affected by COVID-19. Thrombocytopenia at admission was prevalent, while late-phase or delayed-phase thrombocytopenia is obscure. This retrospective single-center case series analyzed patients with COVID-19 at the Union Hospital, Wuhan, China, from January 25th to March 9th, 2020. Analysis began on March 11th, 2020. COVID-19 associated delayed-phase thrombocytopenia was occurred in 11.8% percent of enrolled patients. The delayed-phase thrombocytopenia in COVID-19 is prone to develop in elderly patients or patients with low lymphocyte count on admission. The delayed-phase thrombocytopenia is significantly associated with increased length of hospital stay and higher ICU admission rate. Delayed-phase nadir platelet counts demonstrated a high and significantly negative linear correlation with B cell percentages and serum IL-6 levels. We also presented bone marrow aspiration pathology of three patients with delayed-phase thrombocytopenia, showing impaired maturation of megakaryocytes. We speculated that the delayed-phase platelet destruction might be mediated by antibodies, and suggest immunoregulatory treatment in severe patients to improve outcomes. Besides, clinicians need to pay attention to the delayed-phase thrombocytopenia especially at 3-4 weeks after symptom onset.

MicroRNA-3175 (miR-3175) expression is upregulated in prostate cancer, but its roles and the underlying mechanisms in prostate cancer cell growth and invasion need to be elucidated. This study aimed to uncover the roles of miR-3175 in regulating cell growth and migration, as well as the expression of its predicted target gene cardiac sodium channel β4-subunit gene (SCN4B). Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and/or western blotting techniques were used to measure miR-3175 and SCN4B expression levels in prostate cancer cells. Inhibitor or mimics transfections were used to overexpress or silence miR-3175 in prostate cancer cells. MTT and Edu assays were applied to assess cell viability. Scratch assay and transwell chambers were used to examine cell migration and invasion abilities. The interaction between miR-3175 and SCN4B was determined by means of luciferase gene reporter, RT-qPCR, and western blotting assays. The results showed that miR-3175 expression was increased and SCN4B expression was decreased in prostate cancer cell lines as compared with normal human prostatic epithelial cells. Compared with the control group, knockdown of miR-3175 resulted in strong inhibitions of cell growth, migration, invasion, and N-cadherin expression, together with an increase in E-cadherin expression. In addition, knockdown of miR-3175 dramatically increased the luciferase activity of the luciferase vector of SCN4B, and increased SCN4B expression. Together, this study illustrated that downregulation of miR-3175 repressed the proliferation and invasion of prostate cancer cells, which might be induced by SCN4B downregulation.

Background Accurately diagnosing pleural effusion is a frequent and significant problem in clinical practice. Combining pleural biomarkers with patients’ age may be a valuable method for diagnosing TPE. We sought to evaluate the influence of age on diagnostic values of pleural adenosine deaminase (ADA), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin 27 (IL-27) for tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE). Methods Two hundred seventy-four consecutive adult patients with pleural effusion were selected from Beijing and Wuhan between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, and their pleural fluid concentrations of ADA, IFN-γ, and IL-27 were tested. Biomarker performance was analyzed by standard receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves according to different ages. Results Data from the Beijing cohort showed that ADA, IFN-γ, and IL-27 could all accurately diagnose TPE in young patients (≤ 40 years of age). With a cutoff of 21.4 U/L, the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of ADA for diagnosing TPE were 1.000 (95% confidence interval: 0.884–1.000), 100.0, 100.0%, 100.0, and 100.0, respectively. In older patients (> 40 years of age), IL-27 and IFN-γ were excellent biomarkers for discriminating TPE versus non-TPE cases. With a cutoff of 591.4 ng/L, the AUC, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of IL-27 for diagnosing TPE were 0.976 (95% confidence interval: 0.932–0.995), 96.3, 99.0%, 96.3, and 99.0, respectively. Similar diagnostic accuracy among the three pleural biomarkers was validated in the Wuhan cohort. Conclusions Among young patients, ADA is reliable for diagnosing TPE. Conversely, in older patients, IL-27 and IFN-γ are excellent biomarkers to differentiate TPE versus non-TPE cases.

Insect olfactory sensing is crucial for finding food, mating, and oviposition preference. Odorant receptors (ORs) play a central role in the transmission of odorant signals into the environment by the peripheral olfactory system. Therefore, the identification and functional study of ORs are essential to better understand olfactory mechanisms in insects. OR studies on Diptera insects are primarily performed on Drosophila and mosquitoes, but few studies have been reported in Tephritidae. In this study, we examined three candidate ORs (BminOR3, BminOR12, and BminOR16) from Bactrocera minax. Our analysis of tissue expression revealed that the three BminORs were expressed in the antennae, with no difference between the male and female. In in vitro heterologous expression system of Xenopus oocytes. BminOR3/BminOrco responded strongly to 1-octen-3-ol, BminOR12/BminOrco responded to eight compounds [methyl salicylate, benzaldehyde, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate, butyl acrylate, butyl propionate, 1-octanol, (S)-(+)-carvone and benzyl alcohol], and BminOR16/BminOrco slightly responded to undecanol. Our results concluded that BminOR3, BimOR12, and BminOR16 could play an important role in host-finding and oviposition positioning in B. minax.

Molecular tools for double or multimeric G-quadruplexes have recently received high attention due to the possibility to increase detection sensitivity, thermal stabilization and cell imaging opportunities, in oder to determine roles and functions of G-quadruplex aggregation in medical context. In this study, two smart berberine-bisquinolinium conjugates (Ber-360A and Ber-PDS), obtained by linking the berberine fluorophore to established G-quadruplex binders (with bisquinolinium scaffold), have been synthesized and evaluated for their G-quadrulex affinity, as well as to establish mechanisms of aggregation. The conjugates are two highly selective, sensitive and fluorescent sensors able to distinguish human telomere double G-quadruplexes from other type of G-quadruplexes and ds DNA. These ligands are the first example of fluorescent tools that bind to two adjacent G-quadruplex units and optically recognize double structures. Furthermore, microscopy experiments demonstrate that the conjugate Ber-PDS enters the nucleoli and targets G-quadruplex DNA in these organelles, by simultaneously displaying a strong telomerase inhibition and antitumor activity.

Objectives This present study was aimed to examine the associations between childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among mid-late Chinese and disentangle the pathways using structural equation modelling (SEM). Methods Using cross-sectional data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study included 19767 participants aged 45 and over. SEM models were constructed to decompose the intricate relationships between CSES, childhood health history (CHH), adulthood socioeconomic status (ASES), health-related behaviors (HRB) and T2DM. Results The results showed that T2DM was significantly associated with CSES (sβ = -0.239; P = 0.001), CHH (sβ = -0.016; P = 0.005) and ASES (sβ = -0.180; P = 0.002) directly, While the indirect effect of CSES on T2DM was sβ = -0.111; P = 0.001with an acceptable goodness-of-fit. The model presented an acceptable goodness of fit: RMSA0.082, CFI 0.803, GFI 0.938, AGFI 0.904, and SRMR 0.060. Conclusions CSES had direct and indirect effects on later incidence of T2DM, which was mediated by ASES and CHH, supporting the life course theory, indicating that optimal interventions should be conducted in the early stages of life to narrow the socioeconomic and obtain maximal health benefits.

Insect sensing of odorants plays important roles in various behaviors, including host location, mate attraction, and oviposition site selection. The odorant receptor (OR) is a key protein in insect environmental odor recognition. Most Diptera studies of ORs have focused on Drosophila and mosquitos, so there little known about ORs in the agricultural pest insects Tephritidae. To understand the olfactory recognition mechanism of Bactrocera minax, we sequenced and analyzed 12 B. minax transcriptomes to identify a total of 59 OR genes. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) showed that several BminORs were highly expressed in antennae. Available with a complete open reading frame and expressed in the antennae of both sexes at a higher level than those of other BminORs, BminOR24 was selected for further functional analyses. BminOR24/BminOrco expressed in Xenopus oocytes responded significantly to linalool. The identification of B. minax OR genes lays a foundation for further functional studies of OR genes, and functional characterization of BminOR24 provides insight for improving methods for controlling B. minax, a devastating pest insects.

The current reports of COVID-19 focus on the respiratory system, however, intestinal infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 are also worthy of attention. This paper reported persistence of intestinal SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to re-admission after pneumonia resolved in three cases with COVID-19.

Background: The pneumonia associated with the novel coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2) is breaking out in Wuhan, China W

Sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) can be selected as the candidate for proton exchange membrane (PEM) used in the fuel cell for its cheap price, great proton conductivity and stability. To further improve its performance, more SO3H were induced into SPEEK but would result in excessive swelling and losing its stability. Polyimide (PI) nanofibers have excellent mechanical properties and can be a supporter to improve stability. In this work, the PI nanofiber was put in the middle of the SPEEK to create the PI/SPEEK nanofiber composite membranes (NCMs). Its morphology of PI/SPEEK NCMs observed by SEM showed that PI nanofiber was almost in the middle of these NCMs. The proton conductivity and swelling ratio of 3%PI/SPEEK were 271.7 mScm-1 and 20.0% at 60°C and 100% RH, which is 29.6% higher and 90.4% lower than that of pristine SPEEK. It was intact after the single-cell test in the fuel cell and its power density was 199.1 mWcm-2, but for pure SPEEK there was some broken area on it. The reason was that PI/SPEEK can maintain the durability of the channels for the proton to transport and it can be attributed to an interaction at their interface of PI nanofiber and SPEEK. The 3%PI/SPEEK NCM will have a broad application prospect in PEM fuel cells.

With the widespread clinical use of drug combinations, the incidence of drug–drug interactions (DDI) has significantly increased, accompanied by a variety of adverse reactions. Drug transporters play an important role in the development of DDI by affecting the elimination process of drugs in vivo, especially in the pathological state. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is an inevitable pathway in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease. Here, the dynamic expression changes of eleven drug transporters in TIF kidney have been systematically investigated. Among them, the mRNA expressions of Oat1, Oat2, Oct1, Oct2, Oatp4C1 and Mate1 were down-regulated, while Oat3, Mrp2, Mrp4, Mdr1-α, Bcrp were up-regulated. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between transporters and Creatinine (Cr), OCT2 and MATE1 showed a strong negative correlation with Cr. In contrast, Mdr1-α exhibited a strong positive correlation with Cr. In addition, the pharmacokinetics of cimetidine, ganciclovir, and digoxin, which were the classical substrates for OCT2, MATE1 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), respectively, have been studied. These results reveal that changes in serum creatinine can indicate changes in drug transporters in the kidney, and thus affect the pharmacokinetics of its substrates, providing useful information for clinical use.

A highly stable composite proton exchange membrane (PEM) was developed by loading phosphotungstic acid in mesoporous silica nanospheres (HPW@MSNs) and blending with sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK). The SPEEK/HPW@MSNs-0.5 membrane exhibits enhanced comprehensive performance, such as improved and stable proton conductivity and increased methanol barrier property. The proton conductivity decreased by 15.10% after 240 h at 60 °C and was 1.9 times lower than that of the SPEEK/HPW membrane. The selectivity of the SPEEK/HPW@MSNs-0.5 membrane was about 2.0 times that of the pure SPEEK membrane and 3.4 times that of the SPEEK/HPW membrane.

This study investigated the corrosion test of nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) in H2S. Butadiene rubber (BR) and hydrogenated nitrile-butadiene rubber (HNBR) were used to simulate the structural units of 1,4-polybutadiene and polyacrylonitrile in NBR. The characterizations of infrared spectra, CHNS elemental analysis, and XPS may indicate that when double bonds and nitrile groups coexist, NBR has the highest reactivity with H2S and crosslinks of monosulfur and disulfide appear inside the rubber. However, the reactivity of BR and HNBR was reduced and no crosslinking was produced when both were isolated. Therefore, double bonds and nitrile groups have a synergistic effect in the H2S environment.

Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) is an endemic fish species of China listed as a critically endangered (CR) species on the IUCN Red List (since 2010). There was a recent outbreak of a novel disease characterized by haemorrhagic ascites and intestinal and renal haemorrhaging in cultured Chinese sturgeon, which clearly posed a serious threat to this species. Two kinds of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from moribund diseased Chinese sturgeon. Two isolates, AHth‐1 and AVth‐2, were selected as representative strains and were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas veronii based on their morphology, biochemical characteristics, and a phylogenetic analysis derived from 16S rRNA, gyrB, and rpoD gene sequencing. Experimental infection tests showed that both identified isolates were pathogenic to juvenile Dabry's sturgeon (A. dabryanus) via intraperitoneal injection. Histopathology of Dabry's sturgeon infected with A. hydrophila or A. veronii revealed liver hyperaemia, hepatic, and splenic necrosis, and enteritis. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests showed that both bacterial strains were equally sensitive to fluoroquinolones antibiotics, and to third‐ and fourth‐generation cephalosporins. These results provide a scientific reference for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of haemorrhagic septicaemia caused by A. hydrophila or A. veronii in cultured sturgeon.

Attributing to its advantages including no residue, low friction and complete gel breaking, viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fracturing fluids are attracting more and more attention. However, high price and high consumption restrict the wide applications of VES. SiO2 nanoparticle-assisted VES fracturing fluid (NAVES) with low concentration is proposed in this study. The NAVES system consisting of 1% EDAA and 0.01% SiO2 maintains a shear viscosity of above 33 mPa·s at 70 °C for 2 h; in contrast, the viscosity of a 1% EDAA (VES) solution is 24 mPa·s at 70 °C for 2 h. This could be attributing to the formation of a strong dynamic network structure, in which the surfactant micelles attach to the surface of SiO2 nano-particles that are negatively charged through electrostatic interactions. The pseudo-crosslinking between the SiO2 and micelles also improves the shear resistance and relaxation time of the VES, without affecting the gel breaking performance. The NAVES system could break completely within 100 min, as reflected by the fact that its viscosity decreased to less than 3 mPa·s. The settling rate of quartz sand in an EDAA/SiO2 system at 25 °C was 0.0021 cm/s, which was lower than that of traditional VES fracturing fluid. Therefore, NAVES could serve as a low-concentration hydraulic fracturing fluid. In addition, the current study provides a cost-effective approach for hydraulic fracturing.

Summary Introduction Numerous reports showed that nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) plays important roles in the regulation of energy metabolism and in the synthesis of ATP, which indicates that the activity of NNMT may be associated with sport performance. Methods and results To test this speculation, we inhibited NNMT activity of the rats with N-methylnicotinamide (MNA) (MNA group), and observed the effects on the lactate threshold and the maximal blood lactate concentration, and on the performance in the competitions of anaerobic and aerobic endurance exercise, respectively. The results showed: (1) the workloads (% body weight) of the rats in the swimming have no significant differences between MNA group and control group when the lactate threshold appeared (4.54 ± 0.90 vs. 4.60 ± 1.06), and when the maximal exercise intensity (exhaustion) appeared (6.00 ± 0.54 vs. 6.00 ± 0.81); (2) the rats of MNA group showed highly significantly lowered blood lactate concentrations than those of the control group immediately after the swimming with the maximal workload (10.40 ± 1.39 vs. 11.67 ± 1.71 mmol/L), 2 min post-exercise (11.49 ± 1.38 vs. 12.82 ± 1.63 mmol/L) and 4 min post-exercise (12.84 ± 1.36 vs. 14.3 ± 1.54 mmol/L); (3) in the anaerobic endurance exercise competition, 8 rats of the MNA group while 16 of the control group entered the top 24 places in the rank; (4) in the anaerobic endurance exercise competition, the swimming durations from the beginning until exhaustion were not significantly different between the MNA group and the control group (345.37 ± 71.69 vs. 345.30 ± 72.02 min). Conclusion These results suggest that NNMT inhibition significantly impairs the performance in anaerobic endurance exercise but not in aerobic endurance exercise.

In this work, an AIE luminogen-based hydrogel with temperature-responsive fluorescence was designed and synthesized. The polymeric hydrogel consisted of a supramolecular network through coordination and ionic interactions. When the temperature was decreased, due to the motion restriction of the polyacrylic acid macromolecular segments and the enhancement in ionic interaction, the hydrogel exhibited a blue-shift in the fluorescence emission peak and increase in the fluorescence intensity, resulting in the visualization of fluorescence changes. The hydrogel network benefitted from non-covalent crosslinking and thus possessed self-healing properties at room temperature with good toughness and resiliency. Therefore, this fluorescent supramolecular hydrogel might be used as a temperature-responsive material.

Placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PASD) and placenta previa (PP) are two of the most hideous obstetric complications which are usually associated with a history of cesarean section (CS). Moreover, women with PASD, PP and/or a cesarean scarred uterus are more likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes, including blood transfusion, hysterectomy, pelvic organs damage, postpartum hemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation, multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and even maternal or fetal death. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of precesarean internal iliac artery balloon catheterization (BC) for managing severe hemorrhage caused by PASD and PP with a history of CS. This participant-assigned interventional study was conducted in Tongji Hospital. We recruited 128 women with suspected PASD, PP and a history of CS. Women in the BC group accepted precesarean BC of bilateral internal iliac arteries before the scheduled cesarean delivery. Women in the control group underwent a conventional cesarean delivery. Intraoperative hemorrhage, transfusion volume, radiation dose, exposure time, complications and neonatal outcomes were discussed. There were significant differences in calculated blood loss (CBL) between BC group and control group (1015.0±144.9 vs. 1467.0±171.0 mL, P=0.04). Precesarean BC could reduce intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion as compared with control group (799.5±136.1 vs. 1286.0±161.6 mL, P=0.02) and lessen the rate of using blood products (57.1% vs. 76.4%, P=0.02). The incidence of hysterectomy was also lower in BC group than in control group. Postpartum outcomes showed no significant differences between the two groups, except that postoperation hospitalization was longer in BC group than in control group (6.7±0.4 vs. 5.8±0.2 days, P=0.03). Precesarean BC of internal iliac artery is an effective method for managing severe hemorrhage caused by PASD and PP with a cesarean scarred uterus, as it could reduce intraoperative blood loss, lessen intraoperative RBC transfusions and potentially decrease hysterectomies.

Family Nodaviridae consists of two genera: Alphanodavirus and Betanodavirus, and the latter is classified into four genotypes, including red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus, tiger puffer nervous necrosis virus, striped jack nervous necrosis virus, and barfin flounder nervous necrosis virus. Type I interferons (IFNs) play a central role in the innate immune system and antiviral responses, and the interactions between IFN and NNV have been investigated in this study. We have found that the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) from orange-spotted nervous necrosis virus (OGNNV), named protein A, was capable of activating IFN promoter in fathead minnow (FHM) cells. Transient expression of protein A was found to induce IFN expression and secretion, endowing FHM cells with anti-tiger frog virus ability. Protein A from SJNNV can also induce IFN expression in FHM cells but that from Flock House virus (FHV), a well-studied representative species of genus Alphanodavirus, cannot. RdRp activity and mitochondrial localization were shown to be required for protein A to induce IFN expression by means of activating IRF3 but not NFκB. Furthermore, DsRNA synthesized in vitro transcription and poly I:C activated IFN promoter activity when transfected into FHM cells, and dsRNA were also detected in NNV-infected cells. We postulated that dsRNA, a PAMP, was produced by protein A, leading to activation of innate immune response. These results suggest that protein As from NNV are the agonists of innate immune response. This is the first work to demonstrate the interaction between NNV protein A and innate immune system, and may help to understand pathogenesis of NNV.

The self–healing capability of epoxy coatings modified with coaxial core–shell nanofibers loaded with the corrosion inhibitor 2–mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) was investigated using electrochemical techniques. The polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinylidene fluoride core–shell nanofibers were prepared by coaxial electrospinning. Electrochemical impedance results showed that the MBT–loaded coaxial nanofibers improved the barrier properties and decreased the corrosion activity of the coatings. Results of the Scanning Kelvin Probe technique revealed that the MBT–loaded coaxial nanofibers healed corrosion over artificial defects exposed to NaCl electrolytes. These results indicate that adding MBT–loaded coaxial nanofibers to epoxy coatings is a promising strategy toward the development of self–healing epoxy coatings.

We performed single-sensillum recordings from male and female antennae of the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, that included as stimuli the two components of this species' aggregation-sex pheromone in addition to various general odorants. We compared the aggregation-sex-pheromone-component responses of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) to those of OSNs that responded to a variety of plant-related odorants. In the smooth-tipped, tapered, trichoid sensilla on the most distal antennal flagellomeres nos. 10 or 11 of both males and females, we found OSNs with high-amplitude action potentials that were tuned to the aldehyde and alcohol pheromone components and that did not respond to various plant-related volatiles. Because this OSN type responded to both the alcohol and aldehyde components it cannot be considered to be specifically tuned to either component. These large-spiking OSNs were co-compartmentalized in these sensilla with a second, smaller-spiking OSN responding to plant-related volatiles such as geraniol, citronellal, limonene, 1-octanol, nerol and citral. The large-spiking OSNs thus appear to be a type that will be involved in aggregation-sex pheromone pathways targeting a specific glomerulus in the antennal lobe and in generating pheromone-related behavioral responses in A. glabripennis. In other sensilla located in these distal antennal flagellomeres as well as those located more proximally, i.e., mid-length along the antenna on flagellomere nos. 4-7, we found OSNs in blunt-tipped basiconic sensilla that were responsive to other plant-related volatiles, especially the terpenoids, (E,E)-alpha farnesene, (E)-β-farnesene, β-caryophyllene, and eugenol. Some of these terpenoids have been implicated in improving attraction to pheromone-baited traps. Some of these same OSNs responded additionally to either of the two sex pheromone components, but because these OSNs also responded to some of the above plant volatiles as shown by cross-adaptation experiments, these OSNs will not be the types that convey sex-pheromone-specific information to the antennal lobe.

Toxoplasma gondii infects almost all the warm-blooded animals. ROP20 protein is expressed in the rhoptry of Toxoplasma gondii. In this study, the secondary structure of ROP20 was analyzed using SMART software. We constructed and analyzed the 3D model of ROP20 protein using SWISS-MODEL online procedure and Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) software. The structure analysis fully indicated that ROP20 protein is an important member of the ROP family. Furthermore, We used DNASTAR software and Epitope Database online service to analyze liner-B cell epitopes and T-cell epitopes of ROP20 protein. All the analysis results of ROP20 protein can provide positive information on treatment and vaccine for toxoplasmosis. Moreover, ROP20 gene was obtained from PCR, and a recombinant eukaryotic expression vector (pEGFP-C1-ROP20) was constructed in the following study. After restriction enzyme digestion, the constructed plasmid was transfected into HEK 293-T cells. The RT-PCR result indicated that the recombinant plasmid could transcribe successfully in HEK 293-T cell. The results of western blotting indicated the expressed proteins can be recognized by anti-STAg mouse sera.

Mycobacterium ulcerans ecovar Liflandii (MuLiflandii) is emerging as a non-mycobacterial pathogen in amphibians. Here, we make the first report on the prevalence of a new strain of MuLiflandii infection in Chinese sturgeon. All the diseased fish showed the classic clinical symptoms of ascites and/or muscle ulceration. A new slow-growing and acid-fast bacillus ASM001 strain was obtained from the ascites of infected fish; this strain demonstrated pathogenicity when tested in hybrid sturgeon. The complete genome sequence of MuLiflandii ASM001 is a circular chromosome of 6,167,296 bp, with a G + C content of 65.57%, containing 4518 predicted coding DNA sequences and 999 pseudo-genes, 3 rRNA operons, and 47 transfer RNA sequences. In addition, we found 245 copies of IS2404, 34 microsatellites, and 36 CRISPR sequences in the whole MuLiflandii ASM001 genome. Among the predicted genes of MuLiflandii ASM001, we found orthologs of 203 virulence factors of clinical MuLiflandii 128FXT operating in host cell invasion, modulation of phagocyte function, and survival inside the macrophages. These virulence factor candidates provide a key basis for understanding their pathogenic mechanisms at the molecular level. A comparative analysis that used complete, existing genomes showed that MuLiflandii ASM001 has high synteny with MuLiflandii 128FXT. We anticipate the availability of the complete MuLiflandii ASM001 genome sequence will provide a valuable resource for comparative genomic studies of MuLiflandii isolates, as well as provide new insights into the host, ecological, and functional diversity of the genus Mycobacterium.

We discuss how the “spherulites ring” morphology and “coffee ring” profile of PEO film formed by the drying droplet at glass substrate with different heating rate. Upon increasing the heating rate of substrate, it is found that deposited PEO film from drying droplet shows the unusually observed “coffee ring” profile and “spherulites ring” morphology. The main mechanism for this phenomenon is proposed to be an enhanced Marangoni convection which is induced by the increased solute concentration gradient and reduced viscous force above 70 °C. A simple formation mechanism of the unusually observed “coffee ring” profile and “spherulites ring” morphology is proposed. These findings can be exploited to trace the center of Marangoni convection, with potential applications in designing the spherulite patterns of crystalline polymer films in ink-jet printing and self-assembly fields.

// Yi Shao 1, * , Jing Bao 1, * , Xin Huang 1, 2 , Fu-Qing Zhou 3 , Lei Ye 1 , You-Lan Min 1 , Lin Yang 1 , Zubin Sethi 4 , Qing Yuan 1 and Qiong Zhou 1 1 Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi, China 2 Department of Ophthalmology, The People's Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430060, Hubei, China 3 Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi, China 4 University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33146, USA * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Qiong Zhou, email: 375135747@qq.com Keywords: monocular blindness; voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity; resting state; functional magnetic resonance imaging Received: December 05, 2017 Accepted: January 25, 2018 Epub: February 14, 2018 Published: March 06, 2018 ABSTRACT Objective: In the present study, we investigated the brain interhemispheric functional connectivity changes in left eye MB versus right eye MB patients by voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) methods. Methods: A total of 31 patients with MB (15 with left eye MB and 16 with right eye MB), and 31 healthy controls (HCs) closely matched for age were recruited. All subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examinations. The VMHC method was used to evaluate directly functional interactions between the hemispheres. A one-way ANOVA was performed to determine the regions in which the VMHC differs between the three groups. Patients with MB were distinguished from HCs by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The relationships between the mean VMHC signal values in many brain regions and clinical features in MB patients were calculated by pearson correlation analysis. Results: Compared with HCs, MB patients had significantly decreased VMHC values in the cuneus/calcarine/lingual gyrus. Furthermore, left eye MB showed decreased VMHC values in the cuneus/calcarine/lingual gyrus and showed increased VMHC values in the insula and middle frontal gyrus compared with HC. In addition, right eye MB showed decreased VMHC values in the cuneus/calcarine/lingual gyrus, primary motor cortex (M1)/primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and superior parietal lobule. Conclusion: MB subjects showed abnormal brain interhemispheric functional connectivity in visual pathways. Furthermore, different patterns of brain interhemispheric functional connectivity occurred in the left eye and right eye MB. These VMHC values provide much useful information to explain the neural mechanism changes in MB.

Background Galectin-3 plays an important role in modulating cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. It also takes part in the pathways underlying cardiac remodeling. Therefore, LGALS3 gene, encoding galectin-3 protein, is a promising candidate for the genetic study of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). To date, there has been no research evaluating the association between LGALS3 gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility and prognosis of DCM. Methods and Results Genotyping of 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the LGALS3 gene, which were reported to be functional in the literature, was performed in 279 unrelated clinically diagnosed DCM patients and 363 apparently healthy controls from Northern Han Chinese population using iPLEX SNP Genotyping analysis on a Sequenom MassARRAY System. The frequency of G allelic polymorphism of rs1009977 and the C allelic polymorphism of rs4652 were lower in DCM patients (OR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.60–0.99], P = 0.045; OR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.63–0.99], P = 0.042, respectively). The minor variants of rs1009977 and rs4652 were associated with low susceptibility of DCM under additive genetic models (P = 0.045 and P = 0.040, respectively). The AA genotype of both rs2274273 and rs4644 was associated with lower left ventricular ejection fraction (recessive model, P = 0.018 for both; additive model, P = 0.039 for both). The G variant of rs1009977 was related with lower serum galectin-3 level in DCM patients under three genetic models (additive model, P = 0.020, dominant model, P = 0.020, recessive model, P = 0.037). The A variant of both rs2274273 and rs4644 was associated with lower level of galectin-3 in DCM patients under additive model (P = 0.032 for both) and dominant model (P = 0.012 for both). None of the 4 SNPs was associated with the cardiovascular or all-cause death rate of DCM. In Conclusion, LGALS3 gene polymorphisms might be associated with the susceptibility of DCM in a Northern Han Chinese population.

// Amanda B. Pilling 1,2 , Jihye Kim 1 , Adriana Estrada-Bernal 1 , Qiong Zhou 1 , Anh T. Le 1 , Katherine R. Singleton 1 , Lynn E. Heasley 1 , Aik Choon Tan 1 , James DeGregori 1 and Robert C. Doebele 1 1 University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO, USA 2 Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA Correspondence to: Robert C. Doebele, email: // Keywords : ALK; ROS1; NSCLC; MYC; synthetic lethality Received : July 28, 2017 Accepted : January 09, 2018 Published : January 16, 2018 Abstract A subset of lung cancers is dependent on the anaplastic lymphoma kinase ( ALK ) oncogene for survival, a mechanism that is exploited by the use of the ALK inhibitor crizotinib. Despite exceptional initial tumor responses to ALK inhibition by crizotinib, durable clinical response is limited and the emergence of drug resistance occurs. Furthermore, intrinsic resistance is frequently observed, where patients fail to respond initially to ALK-inhibitor therapy. These events demonstrate the underlying complexity of a molecularly-defined oncogene-driven cancer and highlights the need to identify compensating survival pathways. Using a loss-of-function whole genome short-hairpin (shRNA) screen, we identified MYCBP as a determinant of response to crizotinib, implicating the MYC signaling axis in resistance to crizotinib-treated ALK+ NSCLC. Further analysis reveals that ALK regulates transcriptional expression of MYC and activates c-MYC transactivation of c-MYC target genes. Inhibition of MYC by RNAi or small molecules sensitizes ALK+ cells to crizotinib. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a dual oncogene mechanism, where ALK positively regulates the MYC signaling axis, providing an additional oncogene target whose inhibition may prevent or overcome resistance.

Background/Aims: Fish is a protein-rich food and is increasingly favored by consumers. It has been well recognized that the flesh composition of fish is closely related to its maturation and growth stage, but few studies have explored these differences. Additionally, hormone residues in fish after artificial induction of reproduction also attract consumer concern. In this study, we attempt to address these concerns by using a combination of transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses to identify key regulated pathways, genes, and metabolites that may affect the flesh nutrition of one typical aquaculture species in China, blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala). Methods: The four groups of fish were used for transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses, including one-year-old immature (group I), two-year-old immature (group II), two-year-old mature (group III) and successfully spawned (group IV) female M. amblycephala after artificial induction of reproduction. Results: We identified a total of 1460 differential compounds and 1107 differentially expressed unigenes in muscle among the different groups. Differential metabolites related to fish age (group II vs group I, group III vs group I) were largely enriched in “Glycerophospholipid metabolism”, “Linoleic acid metabolism”, “α-Linolenic acid metabolism”, and “Biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids”. Between these two pairwise comparisons, metabolites that are beneficial to human health, such as docosapentaenoic acid, α-Linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were found to be significantly decreased in two-year-old (group II, group III) compared with one-year-old (group I) M. amblycephala. Only one differential metabolite related to fish maturation, a triglyceride, was detected between groups III and II. Transcriptomics data showed that differently expressed genes (between group III vs group II, group III vs group I) related to maturation were highly enriched in “Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)”, “Sphingolipid metabolism” and “Phagosome”. DEGs (between group II vs group I, group III vs group I) relating to fish age were enriched in the “cGMP-PKG signaling pathway”, “FoxO signaling pathway”, and “AMPK signaling pathway”. The gene-metabolite interaction network showed pivotal genes, including fumarate hydratase and GNPAT, which played a major role in the regulation of glycerphospholipid metabolism. The nutritional components were also measured, which verified the metabolomics results. Moreover, the metabolomics results showed that after 24 hours of artificial hormone injection, the drug was completely metabolized. Conclusion: Integrated analysis demonstrated that the nutrition value of fish fillet was much more related to fish age compared with maturation status in M. amblycephala females.

Solid polymer electrolytes of PEO/LiClO4 and PEO/LiTFSI solution casting films were prepared with the EO/Li molar ratio of 3: 1, and the effect of relative humidity (RH) on their complex structures were characterized. It is shown that the complex structures were barely changed at RH ≤ 10% while severe differences were shown at RH ≥ 20%. The reason was attributed to the interactions of water with lithium salt, and the formation of PEO–Li+–H2O decreased the interactions between PEO and lithium ions. Furthermore, it was shown that the hydrated samples after heat treatment were still strikingly different in characters from their anhydrous precursors, and the type of lithium salt affected the final structures. It was found that the structure of (PEO)3LiClO4 (30% RH) was hardly changed after heating; however, an irreversible compositional transition was discovered in (PEO)3LiTFSI (30% RH) in which case (PEO)2LiTFSI was formed.

Cryptococcosis is an infection caused by the yeast-like fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. Pulmonary cryptococcosis is typically identified as a single mass or as multiple nodules, while endobronchial lesions are quite rare. Here we report an uncommon case of pulmonary cryptococcosis presenting as endobronchial lesion in an immunocompetent patient. A 49-year-old male patient complained of intermittent cough with hemoptysis for two years. Computerized tomography of the chest showed a filling defect in the basal segment of the right lower lobe bronchus. A flexible bronchoscopic examination revealed a white smooth-surfaced polypoid lesion completely occluding the medial basal segment of the right lower lobe bronchus. The diagnosis was confirmed by bronchial biopsy under bronchoscopy, and the histopathologic findings showed the organisms were Cryptococcal neoformans. The patient was treated with fluconazole at a dose of 400 mg daily. The endobronchial lesion was found rapidly diminished after 18 days of therapy, and disappeared after 6.5 months of therapy by repeated fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Then the patient continued fluconazole for another 2.5 months. During the total 16 months' follow-up visits, the patient repeated CT scanning for five times, the results of which were all normal. The patient's symptoms disappeared as well, and now he is still under follow-up. This case highlights the fact that pulmonary cryptococcosis can present as endobronchial lesions even in immunocompetent subjects, mimicking lung tumor. Pathological confirmation is important to establish the definite diagnosis. Keywords: Case report, Cryptococcosis, Endobronchial mass, Pulmonary cryptococcosis

We demonstrate two critical rules of designing photonic lanterns for applications in adaptive spatial mode control: (1) optimized input fiber arrangements to effectively control modes; (2) appropriate input fiber core-cladding ratio to expand the optional range of the output fiber. The 3×1 and 5×1 photonic lanterns according to above design requirements have been fabricated. Using stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm, the phases of the inputs are actively modulated to stabilize the output of novel 5×1 photonic lantern with 30/125 µm output fiber. When the control target is the fundamental mode, the M2 factor of output beam is below 1.2 stably, which will provide a possible technical solution to increase the mode instability threshold in large mode area fiber laser systems. Furthermore, we obtain single orbital angular momentum mode (OAM01 or OAM02 mode) and high order linearly polarized mode (LP11 or LP21 mode) with the purity of the corresponding modes over 0.85 by altering evaluation function, which will be of benefit in optical communication and atomic optics.

15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH; encoded by HPGD) is ubiquitously expressed in mammalian tissues and catalyzes the degradation of prostaglandins (PGs; mainly PGE2, PGD2, and PGF2α) in a process mediated by solute carrier organic anion transport protein family member 2A1 (SLCO2A1; also known as PGT, OATP2A1, PHOAR2, or SLC21A2). As a key enzyme, 15-PGDH catalyzes the rapid oxidation of 15-hydroxy-PGs into 15-keto-PGs with lower biological activity. Increasing evidence suggests that 15-PGDH plays a key role in many physiological and pathological processes in mammals and is considered a potential pharmacological target for preventing organ damage, promoting bone marrow graft recovery, and enhancing tissue regeneration. Additionally, results of whole-exome analyses suggest that recessive inheritance of an HPGD mutation is associated with idiopathic hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Interestingly, as a tumor suppressor, 15-PGDH inhibits proliferation and induces the differentiation of cancer cells (including those associated with colorectal, lung, and breast cancers). Furthermore, a recent study identified 15-PGDH as a marker of aging tissue and a potential novel therapeutic target for resisting the complex pathology of aging-associated diseases. Here, we review and summarise recent information on the molecular functions of 15-PGDH and discuss its pathophysiological implications.

Polyoxymethylene (POM)/graphene oxide (GO) composites are fabricated using a melt blending method. GO is modified, respectively, by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH550-GO) and polyethylenimine (PEI-GO) to enable its uniform distribution in the POM matrix. The mechanical properties of the POM/GO composites are dramatically improved compared to those of pure POM even at a very low loading of GO. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus as well as storage and loss moduli increase by 17.1%, 45.4%, 97.3%, and 94.7%, respectively. The thermal stability of the composites is also greatly promoted. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectra reveal that the enhanced properties are mainly stemmed from the notable interfacial interactions between the −NH groups in GO sheets and POM chains.

Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived neurons and astrocytes are attractive cellular tools for nervous system disease modeling and drug screening. Optimal utilization of these tools requires differentiation protocols that efficiently generate functional cell phenotypes in vitro. As nervous system function is dependent on networked neuronal activity involving both neuronal and astrocytic synaptic functions, we examined astrocyte effects on the functional maturation of neurons from human iPS cell-derived neural stem cells (NSCs). We first demonstrate human iPS cell-derived NSCs can be rapidly differentiated in culture to either neurons or astrocytes with characteristic cellular, molecular and physiological features. Although differentiated neurons were capable of firing multiple action potentials (APs), few cells developed spontaneous electrical activity in culture. We show spontaneous electrical activity was significantly increased by neuronal differentiation of human NSCs on feeder layers of neonatal mouse cortical astrocytes. In contrast, co-culture on feeder layers of isogenic human iPS cell-derived astrocytes had no positive effect on spontaneous neuronal activity. Spontaneous electrical activity was dependent on glutamate receptor-channel function and occurred without changes in INa , IK , Vm , and AP properties of iPS cell-derived neurons. These data demonstrate co-culture with neonatal mouse cortical astrocytes but not human isogenic iPS cell-derived astrocytes stimulates glutamatergic synaptic transmission between iPS cell-derived neurons in culture. We present RNA-sequencing data for an immature, fetal-like status of our human iPS cell-derived astrocytes as one possible explanation for their failure to enhance synaptic activity in our co-culture system.

Background The utility of tumor markers (TMs) for differentiating malignant pleural effusion (MPE) from benign pleural effusion (BPE) has been a subject of controversy. The majority of published studies are single center designed and lack validation. We performed a derivation and validation study in China to evaluate the diagnostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as well as carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15-3, CA 19-9 and CA 125 to differentiate between MPE and BPE. Methods Three hundred and twenty seven pleural effusion (PE) and paired serum samples were collected from consecutive patients with MPE or BPE in Beijing (174 patients, derivation) and Wuhan (153 patients, validation) during the same period. The concentrations of four TMs were tested using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay technology. The performance of the TMs was analyzed by standard receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The levels of four TMs were significantly higher in MPE than in BPE and the corresponding serum. The concentrations of CEA and CA 15-3 were more stable than the concentrations of CA 125 and CA 19-9. CEA was the best single marker for discriminating MPE from BPE. With a specificity of 100% in the total population, the highest sensitivity (37.8%) using serum was found in CEA. In addition, CEA presented 19.8% sensitivity in PE and 18.0% sensitivity in the Δ(PE-serum). For CA 15-3, the sensitivity was 32.4% in PE, 15.3% in the PE/serum ratio and 25.2% in the Δ(PE-serum). Conclusions CEA and CA 15-3 rather than CA 125 and CA 19-9 are more reliable to differentiate between MPE and BPE. The use of the Δ(PE-serum) value in TMs, such as CEA and CA 15-3, may improve the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis etiology of PE.

The rod-like silica was modified by silane coupling agent to load phosphotungstic acid (HPW@K-r-SiO2). The interaction between HPW and K-r-SiO2 was verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The SPEEK/HPW@K-r-SiO2-1.0 composite membrane exhibits outstanding performance, such as the improved dimensional stability, proton conductivity and conductivity stability. Compared with SPEEK/HPW, the swelling ratio of SPEEK/HPW@K-r-SiO2-1.0 decreased by 22.2% at 20°C and 7.2% at 60°C. The proton conductivity of SPEEK/HPW@K-r-SiO2-1.0 reaches 203.8 mS cm−1 at 60°C. The activation energy is 7.8% lower than SPEEK/HPW. The proton conductivity decreased by 3.5% after 240 h at 60°C and was 5.8 times lower than that of SPEEK/HPW membrane.

Blending is a convenient method to regulate the crystallization behavior and thus the performance of polymer materials, but poor compatibility in crystalline phase for different components remarkably depresses the co-crystallization capability, which poses a great challenge to effective regulation of the properties for crystalline/crystalline blends. In this work, the co-crystallization between two kinds of polyester with similar chain structure, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and poly(butylene fumarate) (PBF) is investigated and found to be dependent on the blending ratio and crystallization condition. A new type of co-crystal is only discovered in the PBS-rich blends (i.e., PBS/PBF-6/4 and PBS/PBF-8/2), and, further, it is proved as the isomorphism between PBS and PBF by employing various characterizations of differential scanning calorimeter and Fourier transformation infrared spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer. Both the enhancing cooling rate and the increasing PBS content benefit the growth of isomorphic co-crystal, and, its fraction in the blend of PBS/PBF-8/2 can reach as high as ∼75% during a fast cooling rate of 40 °C/min. In addition, the changes of Gibbs free energy for including butylene fumarate unit into PBS-type crystal and including butylene succinate unit into PBF-type crystal are respectively calculated as −0.96 and 1.94 kJ/mol, revealing the intrinsic thermodynamic driving force for the forming of isomorphism and clarifying why isomorphism only occurs in the PBS-rich blends. Finally, a summary of the crystallization behavior of PBS/PBF blend is reasonably sketched, which will help design the crystalline/crystalline blends with desired structure and performance.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease that causes serious liver damage. Exercise is recognized as a non-pharmacological tool to improve the pathology of NAFLD. However, the antioxidative effects and mechanisms by which exercise ameliorates NAFLD remain unclear. The present study conducted exercise training on zebrafish during a 12-week high-fat feeding period to study the antioxidant effect of exercise on the liver. We found that swimming exercise decreased lipid accumulation and improved pathological changes in the liver of high-fat diet-fed zebrafish. Moreover, swimming alleviated NOX4-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and reduced methanedicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) levels. We also examined the anti-apoptotic effects of swimming and found that it increased the expression of antiapoptotic factor bcl2 and decreased the expression of genes associated with apoptosis (caspase3, bax). Mechanistically, swimming intervention activated SIRT1/AMPK signaling-mediated lipid metabolism and inflammation as well as enhanced AKT and NRF2 activation and upregulated downstream antioxidant genes. In summary, exercise attenuates pathological changes in the liver induced by high-fat diets. The underlying mechanisms might be related to NRF2 and mediated by SIRT1/AMPK signaling.

PPy@PDA nanoparticles, prepared by varying ratios of PPy and dopamine hydrochloride, could be used as near infrared (NIR)-absorbing photothermal agents given that the UV–vis–NIR light absorption spectra showed a broad absorption band at 800–900 nm. A NIR-induced shape memory-assisted self-healing epoxy resin coating was obtained, and its shape memory effect was investigated by 808 nm NIR irradiation. Results indicated that the addition of PPy@PDA nanoparticles improved the shape recovery behavior of the composite. The self-healing property of the coatings was investigated by electrochemical test. Results of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) verified that the coating with 5 wt% PPy@PDA nanoparticles had a much better light-induced shape memory effect, self-healing performance, and protective capability than those of other contents of PPy@PDA nanoparticles. Moreover, the shape memory effect of the coating should be affected by the corrosion product of the metallic substrate.

The inertial confinement fusion laser facility usually has several hundred large-aperture laser beams. A focusing off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirror combined with a debris shield to focus the petawatt lasers must be placed outside the target chamber for target space limitation. Further increasing the focusing power density of ps-petawatt lasers for large F-number focusing is difficult. However, a disposable lens with a smaller F-number that is used to simultaneously replace the parabolic mirror and debris shield can be placed inside the chamber by an extension pipe. The lens only needs a small target space and can increase the focusing power density of the petawatt laser over 35 times more than an OAP mirror under a 20° solid angle. The nonlinear effect of self-phase modulation may decrease the quality of the spot distribution, but under the correction of a deformable mirror with νcutoff = 0.0625 mm−1, a better focusing spot distribution can be obtained.

ObjectiveThe neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is recognised as a suitable prognostic biomarker in patients with breast cancer. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this biomarker in predicting the pathological complete response (pCR) and survival in patients with breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is still controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to identify the association between baseline NLR and the prognosis of patients with breast cancer treated with NACT.DesignMeta-analysis.Data sourcesRelevant literature published before 1 May 2021 was searched using the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed and the Web of Science databases.Eligibility criteriaAll studies involving patients with breast cancer treated with NACT and peripheral blood pretreatment NLR recorded as a dichotomous variable were included.Data extraction and synthesisTwo researchers independently extracted and evaluated OR/HR and its 95% CIs of survival outcomes and clinicopathological parameters.ResultsA total of 19 studies were identified. From each study, the impact of NLR on the pCR, OR and HR, with their 95% CIs were extracted and combined using either a random or fixed-effects model. The results indicate that a higher pCR in patients with a low NLR (OR 1.620, 95% CI 1.209 to 2.169, p＜0.001). In addition, an elevated NLR predicted lower disease-free survival (HR 2.269, 95% CI 1.557 to 3.307, pConclusionsNLR is a suitable biomarker for predicting pCR and survival in patients with breast cancer receiving NACT.