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Muscle wound healing process is a typical inflammation-evoked event. The monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor (4-nitrophenyl)4-[bis(1,3-benzodioxol -5-yl)-hydroxymethyl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (JZL184) has been previously reported to reduce inflammation in colitis and acute lung injury in mice, which provide a new strategy for primary care of skeletal muscle injury. We investigated the effect of JZL184 on inflammation in rat muscle contusion model, and found decreased neutrophil and macrophage infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. With extension of post-traumatic interval, myofiber regeneration was significantly hindered with increased collagen types I and ІІІ mRNAfibroblast infiltration as well as promoted fibrosis. Furthermore, 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-4-methyl-N-morpholin-4-ylpyrazole-3-carboxamide (AM281, a selective cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist) and [6-iodo-2-methyl-1-(2-morpholin-4-ylethyl)indol-3-yl]-(4-methoxyphenyl)methanone (AM630, a selective cannabinoid CB2 receptor antagonist) treatment alleviated the anti-inflammatory effect of JZL184. Our findings demonstrate that JZL184 is able to inhibit the inflammatory response and interfere with contused muscle healing, in which the anti-inflammatory action may be mediated through cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors.

Light-induced structural transformation of 4-(amyloxy)cinnamic acid (AOCA) on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). AOCA molecules form highly-ordered adlayer on HOPG spontaneously, stabilized by hydrogen bonding between neighboring molecules. After UV-light irradiation onto the adlayer, the ordered adlayer was disrupted and a new disordered structure was observed, which indicated that dimerization of AOCA molecules took place. The STM results reveal the direct evidence for the photoisomerization of cinnamic acid at atom level.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship of the EphA2 gene with the occurrence, invasion and metastasis of esophageal carcinoma. METHODS The expression of EphA2 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and the EphA2 protein was estimated by immunohistochemistry (SP method) in both esophageal cancerous tissues and normal epithelial tissues. RESULTS The expression of EphA2 mRNA showed no difference between esophageal cancerous tissues and normal epithelium, and there appeared to be no correlation with differentiation of the cancerous tissues, the depth of infiltration or lymph node metastasis (P>0.05). However, the expression of the EphA2 protein was significantly higher in cancerous tissues compared to normal epithelial tissues (P 0.05). CONCLUSION The occurrence of esophagus carcinoma and the formation of invasion and metastasis may be related to overexpression of the EphA2 protein but not to the level of mRNA, a finding which may due to up-regulation at the translation level or by increased protein stability.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value for cardiovascular disease incidence (CVD) of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) based on a general Chinese population. Design and Method: The study group included 4251 participants with an average age of 52.1 ± 12.1 years and a mean baPWV of 14.8 ± 3.3 m/s. Cox regression was used to investigate the prognostic value of baPWV and forced the appropriate interaction term into the regression models to test the absolute risk associated with baPWV at different levels of mean arterial pressure. Results: Over a median follow-up of 4.4 years, the incidence of cardiovascular mortality, stroke and composite cardiovascular endpoints amounted to 21, 48 and 74. We adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, mean arterial pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, current smoking, alcohol intake, blood glucose and use of antihypertensive drugs. With these adjustments, for each 1-SD increment in baPWV (3.23 m/s), the hazard ratios for an all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, stroke or composite cardiovascular outcomes were 1.41(1.13–1.75), 1.68 (95% CI:1.20–2.35), 1.51 (95% CI:1.27–1.80), 1.57 (95% CI: 1.28–1.93), respectively. At any given level of mean arterial pressure (MAP), a higher baPWV was associated with a higher death rate. The area under curve (AUC) of baPWV was larger than pulse pressure in predicting composite cardiovascular events (Z = 2.45,P = 0.014). Conclusions: In conclusion, baPWV predicted a composite of cardiovascular outcomes above and beyond pulse pressure in a general Chinese population.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has long been considered an important cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children throughout the world. Unfortunately, no effective treatment of RSV exists. Therefore, New agents are needed to reduce the impact of RSV. We have studied the anti-viral effect of traditional Chinese midicinal herbs for over ten years and find Herba Patrinea (a Chinese medicinal herb) has the anti-RSV effect in vitro. In this study, the Herba Patrinea was extracted with hot water, condensed and sterilized. The cytotoxicity of the aqueous extract was tested by adding the diluted extract directly to HeLa cells and its effect on anti-RSV was estimated by the CPEI assay. As a result, the median cytotoxic concentration of Herba Patrinea was 32 mg/ ml by morphological observation, the median effective concentration (50% effective concentration, ) of the Herba Patrinea against replication of the Long strain of RSV in HeLa cells were 1.25 mg/ml. The selectivity index is 25.6. Moreover, Herba Patrinea gave a dose-dependent response in inhibiting RSV. In time of addition experiment, Herba Patrinea inhibited replication of RSV in HeLa cells when it was added at 0h, 2h, and 4h after virus infection. In summary, the results of this study suggest Herba Patrinea may be a novel anti-RSV drug and it is worthy of further studying.

Insufficient clinical trial data were available to prove the efficacy of acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis. A multicenter, double-dummy, single-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at the outpatient departments of acupuncture at 5 hospitals in China to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture. A total of 140 patients with migraine without aura were recruited and assigned randomly to 2 different groups: the acupuncture group treated with verum acupuncture plus placebo and the control group treated with sham acupuncture plus flunarizine. Treated by acupuncture 3 times per week and drugs every night, patients from both groups were evaluated at week 0 (baseline), week 4, and week 16. The primary outcome was measured by the proportion of responders (defined as the proportion of patients with a reduction of migraine days by at least 50%). The secondary outcome measures included the number of migraine days, visual analogue scale (VAS, 0 to 10 cm) for pain, as well as the physical and mental component summary scores of the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). The patients in the acupuncture group had better responder rates and fewer migraine days compared with the control group (P .05). The results suggested that acupuncture was more effective than flunarizine in decreasing days of migraine attacks, whereas no significantly differences were found between acupuncture and flunarizine in reduction of pain intensity and improvement of the quality of life.

Metastasis is one of the major challenges for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Unlike other solid tumors, ovarian cancer primarily disseminates within the peritoneal cavity. A crucial step in metastasis formation is the adhesion of ovarian cancer cells onto the peritoneal mesothelium under ascitic shear flow. However, the adhesion mechanisms engaged in this tumor-mesothelium interaction remain elusive due to a lack of physiologically relevant model to manipulate and investigate this dynamic process. In this study, using a 3D microfluidic platform, we found that the metastatic population of cancer stem cells (M-CSCs) exhibited slower rolling velocity and higher binding ability to the peritoneal mesothelium than non-metastatic (NM)-CSCs under flow condition. This adhesion cascade was mediated by P-selectin which expressed on the peritoneal mesothelium. The key carbohydrate determinant on M-CSCs was a glycoprotein, but not a glycolipid, with its recognition as sialyl-Lewis X (sLeX) in a sialic acid- and fucose-dependent manner. Moreover, several glycosyltransferase genes including B4GALT4, ST3GAL3, ST3GAL4 and FUT-5 involved the synthesis of sLeX were upregulated in M-CSCs. Knocking down FUT-5 significantly inhibited ovarian tumor cell adhesion on the mesothelium in vitro and reduced the metastatic potential in vivo. Taken together, our findings revealed that a distinct sLeX-P-selectin axis of ovarian tumor-mesothelium interaction in early metastasis and may offer the possibility of new therapeutic targets. (This work is supported by RGC grant 17122014) Citation Format: Shan-Shan Li, Carman K. M. Ip, Ayon A. Hassan, Matthew Y. H. Tang, Susan Yung, Tak-Mao Chan, Ho Cheung Shum, Alice S. T. Wong. Sialyl Lewis X-P-selectin connection between ovarian tumor-mesothelium in early stage metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5885. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5885

Background This meta-analysis aimed to provide a pooled analysis of prospective controlled trials comparing the diagnostic accuracy of 22-G and 25-G needles on endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS-FNA) of the solid pancreatic mass. Methods We established a rigorous study protocol according to Cochrane Collaboration recommendations. We systematically searched the PubMed and Embase databases to identify articles to include in the meta-analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated for 22-G and 25-G needles of individual studies from the contingency tables. Results Eleven prospective controlled trials included a total of 837 patients (412 with 22-G vs 425 with 25-G). Our outcomes revealed that 25-G needles (92% [95% CI, 89%-95%]) have higher sensitivity than 22-G needles (88% [95% CI, 84%-91%]) on solid pancreatic mass EUS-FNA (P = 0.046). However, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in overall diagnostic specificity (P = 0.842). The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratio of the 22-G needle were 12.61 (95% CI, 5.65-28.14) and 0.16 (95% CI, 0.12-0.21), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 12.61 (95% CI, 5.65-28.14), and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.16 (95% CI, 0.12-0.21) for the 22-G needle. The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 8.44 (95% CI, 3.87-18.42), and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.13 (95% CI, 0.09-0.18) for the 25-G needle. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.97 for the 22-G needle and 0.96 for the 25-G needle. Conclusion Compared to the study of 22-G EUS-FNA needles, our study showed that 25-G needles have superior sensitivity in the evaluation of solid pancreatic lesions by EUS-FNA.

 Premise of the study : We developed microsatellite loci for the biomass crop Miscanthus sinensis to investigate genetic diversity and population structure of M. sinensis and its closely related species.  Methods and Results : Fourteen microsatellite loci were identifi ed from an enriched genomic library of M. sinensis and tested in one M. sinensis population. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 1 to 15, with a mean of 7.0. The observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.318 to 0.864 and from 0.424 to 0.901, respectively. Of them, 12 primers could be applied to three other species in Miscanthus ( M. saccharifl orus, M. fl and M. lutarioriparius ).  Conclusions : These markers will be important for further analyzing population genetics and evolutionary history, as well as facilitating molecular breeding of Miscanthus sinensis and its related species.

Background During fetal brain development in mammals, newborn neurons undergo cell migration to reach their appropriate positions and form functional circuits. We previously reported that the atypical RhoA GTPase Rnd2 promotes the radial migration of mouse cerebral cortical neurons (Nature 455(7209):114–8, 2008; Neuron 69(6):1069–84, 2011), but its downstream signalling pathway is not well understood. Results We have identified BTB-domain containing adaptor for Cul3-mediated RhoA degradation 2 (Bacurd2) as a novel interacting partner to Rnd2, which promotes radial migration within the developing cerebral cortex. We find that Bacurd2 binds Rnd2 at its C-terminus, and this interaction is critical to its cell migration function. We show that forced expression or knockdown of Bacurd2 impairs neuronal migration within the embryonic cortex and alters the morphology of immature neurons. Our in vivo cellular analysis reveals that Bacurd2 influences the multipolar-to-bipolar transition of radially migrating neurons in a cell autonomous fashion. When we addressed the potential signalling relationship between Bacurd2 and Rnd2 using a Bacurd2-Rnd2 chimeric construct, our results suggest that Bacurd2 and Rnd2 could interact to promote radial migration within the embryonic cortex. Conclusions Our studies demonstrate that Bacurd2 is a novel player in neuronal development and influences radial migration within the embryonic cerebral cortex. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13064-015-0032-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To study the roles of type II 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD2) and it's signaling factors in the lung tissue in pathogenesis of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH) in neonatal rats.Six Sprague-Dawley rats on the 19th day of pregnancy were randomly divided into PPH and control groups (n=3 each). The PPH group was intraperitoneally injected with indomethacin (0.5 mg/kg) twice daily and exposed in 12% oxygen for three days, in order to prepare a fetal rat model of PPH. The control group was intraperitoneally injected with an equal volume of normal saline and exposed to air. Neonatal rats were born by caesarean section from both groups on the 22nd day of pregnancy. In each group, 15 neonatal rats were randomly selected and sacrificed. 11β-HSD2 expression in the lung tissue of neonatal rats were observed by Confocal laser technology, and serum cortisol levels and prostacyclin, renin, angiotensin and aldosterone in the lung tissue of both groups were measured using ELISA.11β-HSD2 protein was widely expressed in the lung tissue of the control and PPH groups. The levels of 11β-HSD2 and prostacyclin in the lung tissue were lower in the PPH group than in the control group, while serum cortisol levels and renin, angiotensin and aldosterone in the lung tissue were higher in the PPH group than in the control group (P0.05).11β-HSD2 and it's signaling factors play roles in pathogenesis of PPH in neonatal rats.

Chemerin is a novel adipokine linked to inflammation. The cross-sectional studies have reported that maternal chemerin serum concentrations are significantly increased in pre-eclampsia. However, limited data are available regarding the cause-effect relationship between chemerin and pre-eclampsia. The aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate predictive significance of the first-trimester maternal serum chemerin levels for pre-eclampsia and to further confirm the hypothesis that chemerin is an important causative factor in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. 518 pregnancy women were recruited. The first-trimester maternal serum chemerin levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The first-trimester maternal serum chemerin levels were statistically significantly elevated in women with pre-eclampsia compared with those without pre-eclampsia and in severe pre-eclampsia women compared with mild pre-eclampsia women. Serum chemerin levels remained positively associated with plasma C-reactive protein levels using a linear regression model. A logistic-regression analysis demonstrated that body mass index and serum chemerin levels appeared to be the independent predictors of pre-eclampsia. A receiver–operating characteristic curve analysis identified that serum chemerin levels predicted pre-eclampsia with high predictive value. The predictive value of the chemerin concentrations was similar to that of body mass index. Chemerin improved the predictive value of body mass index statistically significantly. Thus, our results suggest that high serum chemerin levels are associated with inflammation and pre-eclampsia independently, as well as chemerin may play a role as predictive biomarker for pre-eclampsia and be an important causative factor in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.

The vascular isoform of ATP-sensitive K(+) (KATP ) channels regulates blood flow to all organs. The KATP channel is strongly inhibited by reactive oxygen and carbonyl species produced in diabetic tissue inflammation. To address how such channel inhibition impacts vascular regulation as well as tissue viability, we performed studies in experimental diabetic mice. Strikingly, we found that knockout of the Kcnj8 encoding Kir6.1 subunit (Kcnj8-KO) caused mice to be fatally susceptible to diabetes. Organ perfusion studies suggested that the lack of this vascular K(+) channel handicapped activity-dependent vasodilation, leading to hypoperfusion, tissue hypoxia, and multi-organ failure. Morphologically, Kcnj8-KO mice showed greater inflammatory cell infiltration, higher levels of expression of inflammation indicator proteins, more severe cell apoptosis, and worse tissue disruptions. These were observed in the kidney, liver, and heart under diabetic condition in parallel comparison to tissues from WT mice. Patch clamping and molecular studies showed that the KATP channel was S-glutathionylated in experimental diabetes contributing to the inhibition of channel activity as well as the reduced arterial responses to vasodilators. These results suggest that the vascular KATP channel is organ protective in diabetic condition, and since the channel is suppressed by diabetic oxidative stress, therapeutical interventions to the maintenance of functional KATP channels may help to lower or prevent diabetic organ dysfunction.

Due to the demand of an efficient, inexpensive and scalable synthesis of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst for practical application in fuel cell, we demonstrate a facile strategy to fabricate the flexible nitrogen-doped graphene/carbon nanotube/Co3O4 (NG/CNT/Co3O4) paper catalyst. In the hydrothermal process, the in situ formation of Co3O4 nanoparticles, reduction of GO and doping of nitrogen species occur simultaneously in the assembled paper in ammonia solution. Because of the synergistic effects of three active components and the spacing effect of CNTs and Co3O4 nanoparticles on avoiding the re-aggregation of assembled graphene nanosheets, the free-standing NG/CNT/Co3O4 paper exhibits an enhanced ORR catalytic performance with stable durability and strong methanol-tolerant capability, indicating promising potential as ORR electrocatalyst in practical applications.

The microtubule cytoskeleton is critical for the generation and maturation of neurons in the developing mammalian nervous system. We have previously shown that mutations in the β-tubulin gene TUBB5 cause microcephaly with structural brain abnormalities in humans. While it is known that TUBB5 is necessary for the proper generation and migration of neurons, little is understood of the role it plays in neuronal differentiation and connectivity. Here, we report that perturbations to TUBB5 disrupt the morphology of cortical neurons, their neuronal complexity, axonal outgrowth, as well as the density and shape of dendritic spines in the postnatal murine cortex. The features we describe are consistent with defects in synaptic signaling. Cellular-based assays have revealed that TUBB5 substitutions have the capacity to alter the dynamic properties and polymerization rates of the microtubule cytoskeleton. Together, our studies show that TUBB5 is essential for neuronal differentiation and dendritic spine formation in vivo, providing insight into the underlying cellular pathology associated with TUBB5 disease states.

To observe the effect of Taohong Siwu decoction (THSWD) on micro-vascular density (MVD) in rat uterus, the content of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) in serum, and the expression of tyrosine kinasa receptor (Tie-2) in uterus.Early pregnancy rats were intragastrically administrated with misoprostol (100 microg x kg(-1)) and mifepristong (8.3 mg x kg(-1)) to established the incomplete-abortion model. The incomplete-abortion rats were randomly divided into the model group (the same volume of distilled water), the positive control group (at the daily dose of 4.3 g x kg(-1) Motherwort Particles), and THSWD-treated groups (at the daily dose of 18.0, 9.0 and 4.5 g x kg(-1)). Pregnant rats were taken as the control group (the same volume of distilled water). After the successive oral administration for 7 days, blood was collected from aorta abdominalis, and rat uterine tissues were collected. The content of serum Ang-1 and Ang-2 were detected by ELISA; And the levels of Tie-2 and MVD in uterine tissues were detected by SP immunohistochemistry.THSWD remarkably increased the levels of MVD in uterus of medicine-induced abortion rats, the content of Ang-1 and Ang-2 in serum, and the expression of Tie-2 in uterine tissues.THSWD has the effect in markedly promoting angiogenesis in incomplete-abortion rats. Its mechanism may be related to the regulation of concentrations of Ang-1 and Ang-2 in serum and Tie-2 in uterine tissues.

Lessons Learned Novaferon showed moderate efficacy and was well-tolerated in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), especially with the 20 μg injected 3 times a week strategy. Although Novaferon did not provide a survival benefit for mCRC patients who have failed standard treatment, it may play a role in improvement of immune function. Background. To observe the efficacy, safety, and optimal dosage of recombinant antitumor and antivirus protein (Novaferon) in treating patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who failed at least two prior palliative regimens. Methods. We enrolled 108 patients from May 2011 to December 2012. According to different treatment modalities and therapeutic dosages, the participants were randomly divided into four cohorts at a 2:2:2:1 ratio: (a) 20 μg Novaferon (Genova Biotech, Beijing, People's Republic of China, http://www.genovabiotech.net) injected twice per week, (b) 20 μg Novaferon injected 3 times per week, (c) 40 μg Novaferon injected 3 times per week, or (d) saline injected 3 times per week. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Results. There was no significant difference in overall survival among the four cohorts. The 20-μg dose of Novaferon injected 3 times per week had the highest disease control rate (44.0%) at 6 weeks but without significant differences when compared with placebo (p = .159). Major adverse events with Novaferon were influenza-like symptoms, bone marrow suppression, liver dysfunction, and gastrointestinal discomfort. The level of natural killer cells increased and regulatory T cells decreased significantly after treatment with Novaferon, whereas levels in the placebo group remained the same. Conclusion. Novaferon showed moderate efficacy and was well tolerated in patients with mCRC, especially with the 20-μg dose injected 3 times per week. Furthermore, Novaferon might improve immune function of these patients.

To discuss the objective characteristics and mechanism of nystagmus direction, intensity and time in horizontal semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (HSC-BPPV) .A total of 233 patients with HSC-BPPV, whereas 179 horizontal semicircular canalithasis (HSC-Can) and 54 horizontal semicircular cupulolithiasis (HSC-Cup) were involved respectively. The induced nystagmus in roll tests recorded by video-nystagmograph(VNG) , whose direction, intensity and time characteristics were compared in various BPPV.Horizontal nystagmus was both induced by turning left or right in HSC-BPPV roll tests. The direction of the induced nystagmus was the same with turning in HSC-Can. The latency, duration time and intensity ([AKx(-)D] ± s) turning to lesion and normal side were (1.922 ± 1.501)s and (1.447 ± 0.855)s, (25.620 ± 10.409)s, and (22.110 ± 10.931)s, (56.441 ± 33.168)°/s and (24.239 ± 13.892) °/s in HSC-Can. The latency, duration time and intensity turning to lesion side were larger than normal side (t = 3.715, 15.219 and 4.070, P0.01) , the difference was statistically significant, and the intensity rate was about 2: 1. The direction of the induced nystagmus was opposite to turning in HSC-Cup. The intensity turning to normal side was larger than lesion side obviously. The intensity rate was about 2: 1, the difference was statistically significant (t = -7.634, P0.01) . While the latency and intensity of turning to lesion side in HSC-Can were larger than turn to normal side in HSC-Cup, and the difference detected no statistically significant difference (t = 1.554 and 0.305, P0.05).The induced nystagmus intensity of head to two sides in roll tests for HSC-BPPV both follow Ewald's law, and the ratio between stronger and weaker are both 2: 1. These nystagmus parameters of VNG in roll tests are an objective guideline for BPPV diagnosis.

AIM:To assess the effect of myopia on the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measured by 3D optical coherence tomography (3D-OCT) in a group of nonglaucomatous Chinese subjects.METHODS:Two hundred and fifty-eight eyes of 258 healthy Chinese myopic individuals were recruited and four groups were classified according to their spherical equivalent (SE):low myopia (n=42, -0.5Dn=120, -3.0D≤SEn=58, -6.0D≤SEn=38, SE≥-8.0D). The RNFL thickness profile including superior, nasal, inferior and temporal quadrant and each of the 12 clock-hour thicknesses were measured by 3D-OCT. The RNFL thicknesses among four sample groups were performed by one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) and least significant difference test (LSD test). Correlations between RNFL thickness and axial length/spherical equivalent were performed by linear regression analysis.RESULTS: The overall RNFL parameters shown significant differences between groups excluding 7, 9, 10, 11 o’clock hour thickness. The RNFL thickness of superior, nasal, inferior, average and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12 o’clock sectors were decreased with the increasing axial length and higher degree of myopia. In contrast, as axial length and the degree of myopia increased, the temporal and 8, 9 o’clock sectors thicknesses were increased. A considerable proportion of myopic eyes were classified as outside the normal limits. Six o’clock was the most notable of the total, which 43.4% were outside the normal limits.CONCLUSION:On the measurement of RNFL, the characteristics of RNFL with the change of the degree of myopia were observed. As the degree of myopia increases, the RNFL thickness measured by 3D-OCT including the average and superior, nasal, inferior sectors decreases. And due to the change of RNFL thickness, it should be considered when using OCT to access for the damage of glaucoma especially people with myopia.

Tao-Hong-Si-Wu-Tang (THSWT) is a famous traditional Chinese herbal medicine formula, which has traditionally been used in China for about one thousand years. The present study investigated the effect of THSWT on physical fatigue. 32 male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 in each group. All were administered orally and daily for 28 days. Group I received isotonic saline solution as control; Group II, III and IV obtained 5, 10 and 20ml/ kg body weight of THSWT solutions, respectively. After 28 days, the anti-physical fatigue effect of THSWT was evaluated by using a forced swimming test, along with the determination of blood lactic acid, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), liver glycogen and muscle glycogen contents. The data showed that THSWT could extend exhaustive swimming time of mice, as well as decrease the BLA and BUN contents and increase the liver glycogen and muscle glycogen contents. The results support that THSWT had anti-physical fatigue effect.

While optimizing database performance, parallel query technology can significantly improve the throughput and resource utilization of the database server. Interactions among different queries which run concurrently can have a great impact on system performance. However, conventional optimizing strategies of parallel query often only focus on individual queries rather than their interactions. In order to capture the impact of parallel query interactions, we propose an interaction-aware scheduling algorithm of parallel queries. Compared with other traditional algorithms, the experimental results demonstrate that our optimizing approach can effectively improve the database performance by avoiding the negative interactions. Finally, some future trends in this area are prospected and discussed.

To evaluate the correlation of clinical effect and prognosis between patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and different K-ras status.The clinical characteristics, chemotherapeutic regimens and survival of 153 mCRC patients with different K-ras status were analyzed retrospectively.The median overall survival (OS) in patients without K-ras mutation were 31.7 months, significantly longer than 21.3 months in the patients with K-ras mutation (P = 0.037). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and OS in patients who received chemotherapy followed by anti-EGFR antibody treatment were 11.5 and 39.3 months, respectively, significantly longer as compared with the PFS and OS in those received chemotherapy in combination with anti-EGFR antibody concomitantly (5.7, P = 0.02, and 28.7 months, P = 0.034, respectively).K-ras status is a prognostic biomarker for mCRC patients treated with anti-EGFR antibody. The combination settings of anti-EGFR in combination with chemotherapy may improve survival of mCRC patients with wild-type K-ras status.

Stat3 alters the expression of its downstream genes and is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis in several human cancers. Its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been well characterized. We examined the tumor sections of 100 cases of ESCC by immunohistochemistry and observed significant overexpression of Stat3 in the cytoplasm of 89% of ESCC cells and of phosphorylated Stat3 (p-Stat3) in the nuclei of 71% of ESCC when compare with normal esophageal mucosa (72%, p = 0.02; and 31%, p = 0.001). Overexpression of Stat3 and p-Stat3 positively correlated with that of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), a known regulator for cell migration, in 65% of ESCC while only 26% shown in benign esophageal mucosa. To further investigate the association of Stat3 with tumor metastasis in vitro, invasion of EC-1 cells (a human ESCC cell line) were investigated with Boyden chambers. The results showed that transfection of Stat3 not only promoted invasion of EC-1 cells but also significantly induced MMP2 expression in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, suppressing expression of endogenous Stat3 mRNA and protein by Stat3 siRNA significantly reduced EC-1 cell invasion and MMP2 expression. A high-affinity Stat3-binding element was localized to the positions of 648-641 bp (TTCTCGAA) in the MMP2 promoter with electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Our results suggest that Stat3, p-Stat3, and MMP2 were overexpressed in ESCC and associated with invasion of ESCC; and Stat3 up-regulated expression of MMP2 in ESCC through directly binding to the MMP2 promoter.

Lung cancer concerns a worldwide health problem and the efficacy of available treatments is unsatisfactory. Recently, thromboxane A2 (TXA2) synthase (TXAS) and receptor (TXA2R) have been documented to play a role in lung cancer development. Therefore, dual TXA2R modulator (i.e., the dual blocker of TXAS and TXA2R) may be more efficacious to kill lung tumor cells than single TXAS inhibitor or TXA2R antagonism. The close relationship between cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and TXAS also raises whether or how TXA2 contributes to the oncogenic activity of COX-2. This study is therefore conducted to answer these questions.Various inhibitors and siRNA were used to evaluate the roles of TXA2 and COX-2 in the proliferation and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Cell proliferation was detected using both MTS ELISA and BrdU labeling ELISA. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were examined by flow cytometric analysis. TXB2 level, reflecting the biosynthesis of TXA2, was detected by peroxidase-labeled TXB2 conjugates using an enzyme immunoassay kit. Western blotting was performed to evaluate many biomarkers for cell cycles, apoptosis and proliferation. The levels of COXs were screened by reverse transcriptase and real-time quantitative PCR.We found either single TXAS inhibitor/TXA2R antagonist or the dual TXA2 modulators offered a similar inhibition on cell proliferation. Moreover, inhibition of TXA2 arrested cells at the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis. It is further demonstrated that TXA2 was able to function as a critical mediator for tumor-promoting effects of COX-2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells.The present study has for the first shown that dual TXA2 modulators and the single blocker of TXAS or TXA2R offer a similar inhibitory role in lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and that the tumor-promoting effects of COX-2 can largely be relayed by TXA2. Thus, TXA2 should be regarded as a critical molecule in COX-2-mediated tumor growth and a valuable target against lung cancer.

To investigate whether the polymorphisms of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) gene and its regulatory regions are associated with extreme high myopia.A case-control analysis of 302 subjects with extreme high myopia and 401 controls was undertaken. Genomic DNA was obtained from peripheral blood. Seven tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNP) across the IGF-1 gene region were selected to capture the majority of genetic variation. All tSNP were genotyped using the MassArray platform and MALDI-TOF analysis. Genotypic distribution was tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS (version 13.0: SPSS Science, Chicago, IL) software. The genotype and allele frequencies were evaluated using the χ(2) tests and performed by Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons. The significance of the differences in the estimated haplotype frequencies between the myopia and control groups was examined on Haploview 4.2 using χ(2) tests, and haplotypes were corrected by using permutation test after running 50 000 times.Among seven different IGF-1 tSNP tested, the allele frequencies of four tSNP-rs5742629(A/G), rs12423791(G/C), rs35766 (G/A) and rs1457601(T/A) in the myopia and the control groups were A(56.5%, 62.3%)/G(43.5%, 27.7%), G(70.4%, 77.1%)/C(29.6%, 22.9%), G(33.9%, 28.8%)/A(66.1%, 71.2%), T(72.5%, 77.3%)/A(27.5%, 22.7%), respectively. And they showed significant differences (χ(2) = 4.968, 8.059, 4.250, 4.245, P0.05) between the two groups. However, only rs12423791 remained significance after Bonferroni correction. The haplotype GC of rs5742629-rs12423791 was associated with extreme high myopia (P = 0.033) after 50 000 permutations for multiple comparisons as well.The polymorphism of rs12423791 in IGF-1 may be associated with extreme high myopia in the Chinese population.

Variation of anthocyanin and flavonol in Vaccinium uliginosum berry from seven locations in the Lesser Khingan Mountains was examined for the first time. A total of 14 anthocyanins and 10 flavonols were identified using HPLC-DAD and HPLC-ESI-MS(2) analysis. The composition of anthocyanins and flavonols in berries were the same in all of the locations investigated. Malvidin 3-O-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin, and quercetin 3-O-galactoside was the main flavonol compound. The berries from Wuying region had the highest concentrations of both anthocyanins and flavonols. It was found that the concentrations of both anthocyanins and flavonols increased with rising altitude. Furthermore, the concentrations of polyphenols, and especially anthocyanins, in V. uliginosum berry showed significant positive correlation with antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH, ABTS(+) and FRAP assays. This study is valuable for further basic research and applied development of V. uliginosum in the Lesser Khingan Mountains.

A novel image scrambling algorithm based on linear distortion is proposed in this chapter. The scrambling process is performed in frequency domain with a two-dimensional encryption key to change the amplitude and phase components of image signal, respectively. The analysis of the simulation shows the validity of the algorithm.

To analyze the gE gene sequence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) strains of different clades and subclades currently circulating in China. Eighteen skin lesion fluid swabs or skin scab pieces from patients with chickenpox or shingles were obtained from Beijing, Changchun, Lhasa and Urumqi between December 2010 and June 2011. The genotype of the virus strains was determined by a group of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in 15 ORFs, and the full-length gE genes of 18 strains representing all the clades in the study was amplified by PCR and sequenced. In addition to the synonymous mutations and non-synonymous mutations that were reported in the literature, there were 3 novel non-synonymous mutations (C56T, C1109T, C917A) and 4 new synonymous mutations (C54T, T1075C, T816C, G279A) found in the 8 strains analyzed. We found the VZV strains of clade 5 in Xinjiang for the first time,and the genotypes of some VZV strains circulating in Chagnchun could not be determined by the present methods. The analysis of gE gene sequences,revealed a novel non-synonymous mutations in the e1 and c1 epitopes, corresponding to the amino acid change of serine to tyrosine.

To understand the infection status of Enterobius vermicularis of children aged 3-12 years and its influencing factors in Chongqing City.One rural county and 1 urban county were selected as investigation areas. The children aged 3-12 years of 5 towns from 5 different directions of each county were investigated. About 150 children were investigated every town. The Enterobius vermicularis eggs of children were detected by the adhesive cellophane anal swab method. The children's parent education levels and personal circumstances of sanitation were investigated by the questionnaire survey.Among 1 592 children investigated, the total infection rate of Enterobius vermicularis was 6.85%. The infection rates of boys and girls were 6.29% and 7.40%, respectively. The infection rates of rural and urban areas were 12.13% and 2.14%, respectively. The infection rate in children aged 5-7 years was the highest (13.56%) among all the child aged groups. There were significant differences for the infection rates of Enterobius vermicularis among children of different aged groups, different areas, different education levels and occupations of parents, washing hand before meal or not, washing hand after WC or not, different classroom grounds, and lodging or not (P0.01 or P0.05). The multivariate logistic analysis indicated that aged group, different areas, classroom ground and lodging children were independent risk factors for Enterobius vermicularis infection.The infection rate of Enterobius vermicularis in rural area is higher than that in urban area. The control emphases should be the children of low group, rural area, poor classroom and lodging.

Based on Geoeye-1 high spatial resolution images and field canopy hyperspectral reflectance of five mangrove communities located at Beibu Gulf, this paper verified the capability of Geoeye-1 imagery for mangrove canopy species identification by utilizing spectral information. The research investigated that: (1) in the spectrum range between 350 and 1 100 nm, the mangrove canopy reflectance exhibited optimum separability in six wavebands (435, 469, 523, 677, 751 and 761 nm); (2) three mangrove species could be effectively identified through the pixel-based spectrum operation, while the Bruguiera acquired the highest producer accuracy up to 93.03%; (3) species end member of Bruguiera extracted directly from the combined imagery conducted on hyperspectral hypothesis performed higher precision than the field training samples behaved. The spectrum significance of the high spatial resolution image was approved, and reference and basis were also illustrated for the further mangrove species distinguishing from the object-oriented perspective.

Biofiltration is considered an effective method to control volatile organic compounds (VOCs) pollution. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of a bacterial biofilter packed with wood chips and peat for the removal of hydrophobic alpha-pinene. When inoculated with two pure degraders and adapted activated sludge, a removal efficiency (RE) of more than 95% was achieved after a startup period of 11 days. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) of 50 g/(m3 x hr) with RE of 94% was obtained at empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 102 sec. When higher alpha-pinene concentrations and shorter EBRTs were applied, the REs and ECs decreased significantly due to mass-transfer and biological reaction limitations. As deduced from the experimental results, approximately 74% of alpha-pinene were completely mineralized by the consortiums and the biomass yield was 0.60 g biomass/g alpha-pinene. Sequence analysis of the selected bands excised from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed that the inoculated pure cultures could be present during the whole operation, and others were closely related to bacteria being able to degrade hydrocarbons. The kinetic results demonstrated that the whole biofiltration for alpha-pinene was diffusion-limit controlled owing to its hydrophobic characteristics. These findings indicated that this bacterial biofiltration is a promising technology for the remediation of hydrophobic industrial waste gases containing alpha-pinene.

To investigate Enterobius vermicularis infection among primary school students and its influence factors in Chongqing.Beibei and Changshou were selected as investigated points from October to December 2011. One primary school was randomly chosen from each of the 5 different directions in every investigated point. Adhesive cellophane anal swab was used to examine pinworm eggs for 3 consecutive days. Information on children's family, hygiene habits and school environment was collected by questionnaire.The total infection rate of E. vermicularis was 6.7% (71/1 071). The infection rate in rural schools (7.9%, 60/755) was higher than that of urban schools (3.8%, 12/316) (chi2 = 6.1169, P0.05). The rate in males and females was 6.3% (34/536) and 7.1% (38/535), respectively (chi2 = 0.2463, P0.05). Among the investigated children aged 6-12 years, the infection rate in 6-year-old children (16.03%) was highest. There was a statistical significance among age groups (chi2 = 29.1492, P0.01). With the increase of age, the rate decreased. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that location (OR = 0.411), age groups (OR = 0.714), education level of mothers (OR = 0.568), materials of classroom-ground (OR = 0.116) and types of boarding (OR = 0.272) were the influence factors on E. vermicularis infection in primary schools (P0.05).Pinworm control should more focused on rural children, younger group, mothers with lower education, classroom with cement ground and lodging schools in Chongqing City.

The connection between hydrocarbon biodegradation and surface-active substance production has attracted great interest in recent years. Pseudomonas fluorescens PT, isolated from a biotrickling filter, was not only able to degrade α-pinene but also to use it as a carbon source to produce a surface-active substance. Response surface methodology analysis showed that the optimal medium composition was K+, 69.8; Mn2+, 65.1; and NH4 +, 482.5 mg L−1, at which the surface tension of the medium was reduced to 40.7 mN m−1 after 36 h. Based on compositional analysis and information on α-pinene metabolism, the purified compound was identified as perilla acid. The surface-active properties of the purified compound were more stable than those of a synthetic surfactant, and it had lower ecological toxicity to Chlorella vulgaris. The naphthalene solubility and mass transfer of α-pinene were enhanced almost twofold by the surface-active substance (at its critical micelle concentration). The results suggested that the PT strain may be promising for generating surface-active substances with improved physiochemical properties for a wide range of applications in environmental remediation.

To assess the characteristics of the dysfunction of semicircular canal in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and the relationship with the ectopic otoconia.There were 214 patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), including 107 cases of posterior semicircular canal canalithiasis (PSC-Can) 80 cases of horizontal semicircular canal canalithiasis (HSC-Can), 27 cases of horizontal semicircular canal cupulolithiasis (HSC-Cup). One hundred and ninety (88.8%) patients were accompany with relevant diseases while 24 (11.2%) cases were not. They accepted low, middle and high frequency vestibular function tests, including caloric test (CT), head shaking test (HST) and video head impulse test (vHIT) respectively. The parameters of the unilateral weakness (UW), head shaking nystagmus (HSN) and video head impulse test gain (vHIT-G) were observed. Patients classified into three groups (PSC-Can, HSC-Can, HSC-Cup) according to the involvement semicircular canal. The results of the three tests were analyzed with SPSS16.0 software.The positive cases of the three tests were vHIT: 15 (7.0%), HST: 52 (24.3%), CT: 152 (71.0%), a statistically significant difference (P0.05) was found between the three tests. When compared the Caloric Test, HST and vHIT between the BPPV patients with and without relevant diseases, there were no significant differences (P0.05). The variance without statistical significance (P0.05) was showed between three tests' results in each groups, it was also showed that the variance between the three groups in each tests reached no statistical significance (P0.05). The test of affected side UW between PSC-Can, HSC-Can and HSC-Cup showed the variance without statistical significance (F = 0.970, P = 0.383).The lesion of semicircular canals has the same etiological factors with the utricle pathological change in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, and the dysfunction mostly happens in low frequency range of semicircular canal frequency band. The ectopic otoconia is not the main etiological factors for that. HST and vHIT of middle and high frequency can not be ultimately used for the screening test evaluating due to the semicircular canal function in BPPV.

Purpose To assess the genotoxic effect of airborne particulate matter on corneal epithelial cells and investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in this process. Methods Immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) and primary bovine corneal epithelial cells were exposed to airborne particulate matter collected from Guangzhou for 24 hours. The cell viability and toxicity were measured by the CCK-8 test and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, respectively. The DNA breaks and DNA repair were examined by alkaline comet assay and by immunofluorescence staining of the phosphorylated histone variant H2AX (γH2AX), respectively. Reactive oxygen species production was assessed by the fluorescent probe, CM-H2DCFDA. Cell senescence was evaluated with senescence-associated β-Galactosidase staining, and cell ultrastructure was observed with transmission electron microscopy. Results Exposure to PM2.5 at the concentration of 20 μg/mL to 200 μg/mL decreased cell viability and increased LDH release. Remarkably increased DNA double-stand breaks, increased expression of DNA repair-related protein γH2AX, elevated ROS formation, and altered cell ultrastructure were observed in HCECs after treatment with PM2.5. The genotoxic effect of PM2.5 was attenuated by the ROS inhibitor N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC). Conclusions Particulate matter 2.5 could induce DNA damage and cell senescence in corneal epithelial cells, probably by promoting ROS formation. Thus, whether long-term exposure of PM2.5 might be related to potential risk of abnormality in corneal epithelium renewal and regeneration should be further investigated.

Background and Methods The efficacy and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch in Parkinson’s disease (PD) were studied in some clinical trials. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch versus placebo in PD. Results Six randomized controlled trials (1789 patients) were included in this meta-analysis. As compared with placebo, the use of rotigotine resulted in greater improvements in Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale activities of daily living score (weighted mean difference [WMD] –1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] –2.18 to –1.19), motor score (WMD –3.86, 95% CI –4.86 to –2.86), and the activities of daily living and motor subtotal score (WMD –4.52, 95% CI –5.86 to –3.17). Rotigotine was associated with a significantly higher rate of withdrawals due to adverse events (relative risk [RR] 1.82, 95% CI 1.29–2.59), and higher rates of application site reactions (RR 2.92, 95% CI 2.29–3.72), vomiting (RR 5.18, 95% CI 2.25–11.93), and dyskinesia (RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.47–4.32) compared with placebo. No differences were found in the relative risks of headache, constipation, back pain, diarrhea, or serious adverse events. Conclusions Our meta-analysis showed that the use of rotigotine can reduce the symptoms of PD. However, rotigotine was also associated with a higher incidence of adverse events, especially application site reactions, compared with placebo.

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia and excessive production of intermediary metabolites including methylglyoxal (MGO), a reactive carbonyl species that can lead to cell injuries. Interacting with proteins, lipids, and DNA, excessive MGO can cause dysfunction of various tissues, especially the vascular walls where diabetic complications often take place. However, the potential vascular targets of excessive MGO remain to be fully understood. Here we show that the vascular Kir6.1/SUR2B isoform of ATP-sensitive K+(KATP) channels is likely to be disrupted with an exposure to submillimolar MGO. Up to 90% of the Kir6.1/SUR2B currents were suppressed by 1 mM MGO with a time constant of ∼2 h. Consistently, MGO treatment caused a vast reduction of both Kir6.1 and SUR2B mRNAs endogenously expressed in the A10 vascular smooth muscle cells. In the presence of the transcriptional inhibitor actinomycin-D, MGO remained to lower the Kir6.1 and SUR2B mRNAs to the same degree as MGO alone, suggesting that the MGO effect is likely to compromise the mRNA stability. Luciferase reporter assays indicated that the 3′-untranslated regions (UTRs) of the Kir6.1 but not SUR2 mRNA were targeted by MGO. In contrast, the SUR2B mRNAs obtained with in vitro transcription were disrupted by MGO directly, while the Kir6.1 transcripts were unaffected. Consistent with these results, the constriction of mesenteric arterial rings was markedly augmented with an exposure to 1 mM MGO for 2 h, and such an MGO effect was totally eliminated in the presence of glibenclamide. These results therefore suggest that acting on the 3′-UTR of Kir6.1 and the coding region of SUR2B, MGO causes instability of Kir6.1 and SUR2B mRNAs, disruption of vascular KATPchannels, and impairment of arterial function.