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The treatment efficiency of petrochemical wastewater via the traditional activated sludge process is generally unsatisfactory due to the complex and toxic features of petroleum compounds. Redox mediator (RM) can improve the biodegradation of organic contaminants by participating in the microbial extracellular electron transfer process. However, the continuous dosing of the soluble redox mediator would lead to secondary pollution and rise operation cost. In this study, an insoluble and economical redox mediator material (biochar) was introduced into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to prepare suspended biofilm carriers (RM-modified carriers), and applied in anaerobic/oxic (A/O) reactors. The reactor filled with RM-modified carriers (R3) showed the removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phenol in the anaerobic zone were 34.6 % and 43.0 % respectively at organic loading rates (OLRs) of 22.2 kg COD/(m3·d), which increased by 6.8 % and 8.3 % respectively compared with that of the reactor filled with conventional HDPE carriers (R2), and increased by 12.4 % and 17.7 % respectively compared with that of the reactor without filled with carriers (R1). Microbial analysis proved that the relative abundance of Bacteroides that participated in electron transfer of R3 improved by approximately 6.3 % compared with that of R2. These findings demonstrated that RM-modified carriers improved the abundance of relevant functional bacteria and enhanced the degradation efficiency of the contaminants in petrochemical wastewater.

The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is one of the most important criteria for evaluating the image quality in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and metasurfaces with unique electromagnetic properties provide a novel method for SNR improvement. However, their applications in clinical MRI are highly restricted by the inhomogeneous enhancement of the magnetic field and interference in the radio frequency (RF) transmitting field. In this study, an adaptive cylindrical wireless metasurface (ACWM) with homogeneous field enhancement and adaptive resonant modes is reported. The ACWM automatically switches its resonant modes between the partial (transmitting period) and whole (receiving period) resonance, which enables it to not only eliminate the interference in RF transmitting field, but also greatly enhance the SNR. Its adaptability also makes the ACWM applicable to all common clinical sequences without any modifications in the scan parameters. The SNR of MRI images of the human wrist, acquired with ACWM, is two to four times compared with the conventional coil. This work offers a practical control method to fill the scientific knowledge gaps between the preclinical research and medical applications for metasurfaces, and suggests a novel and powerful tool for diagnosing and evaluating human diseases.

BACKGROUND: The cleavage product of Raf-1 kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP), hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide (HCNP) is involved in the promotion of insulin secretion. Studies have shown that liraglutide can inhibit the progression of prediabetes. This study aims to investigate whether the above effects of liraglutide are related to RKIP and HCNP. METHODS: Insulin-1 (INS-1) cells were divided into control group (CON), HCNP group, and HCNP + darifenacin group (H-DAR). The three groups were cultured with Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640, synthetic HCNP (50 pg/mL) and RPMI 1640, and HCNP + RPMI 1640 + darifenacin respectively. Subsequently, twelve 12- to 14-week-old Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the placebo group (PBO) and the liraglutide treatment group (LIRA). Six Long Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats were used as the control group (CON). The LIRA group was given liraglutide 200 µg/kg intraperitoneally twice a day. After 12 weeks, body weight, fasting blood glucose, 2 hours postprandial blood glucose, and insulin resistance index were recorded. Western blot was used to detect expression level of C-RKIP, N-RKIP, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase of phosphorylation (p-ERK). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to detect pancreatic tissue choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and M3 cholinergic receptor (M3R) gene expression levels. RESULTS: At glucose concentrations of 5.6 and 16.7 mmol/L, the insulin content in the HCNP group was higher than that in the CON and H-DAR groups (all P

In the original articles there are data errors in some of the Figure 2 tables. The corrected Figure 2 tables follow.

Although the clinical definitions of sepsis and recommended treatments are regularly updated, a systematic review has not been done for preclinical models. To address this deficit, a Wiggers-Bernard Conference on preclinical sepsis modeling reviewed the 260 most highly cited papers between 2003 and 2012 using sepsis models to create a series of recommendations. This Part II report provides recommendations for the types of infections and documentation of organ injury in preclinical sepsis models. Concerning the types of infections, the review showed that the cecal ligation and puncture model was used for 44% of the studies while 40% injected endotoxin. Recommendation #8 (numbered sequentially from Part I): endotoxin injection should not be considered as a model of sepsis; live bacteria or fungal strains derived from clinical isolates are more appropriate. Recommendation #9: microorganisms should replicate those typically found in human sepsis. Sepsis-3 states that sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, but the review of the papers showed limited attempts to document organ dysfunction. Recommendation #10: organ dysfunction definitions should be used in preclinical models. Recommendation #11: not all activities in an organ/system need to be abnormal to verify organ dysfunction. Recommendation #12: organ dysfunction should be measured in an objective manner using reproducible scoring systems. Recommendation #13: not all experiments must measure all parameters of organ dysfunction, but investigators should attempt to fully capture as much information as possible. These recommendations are proposed as "best practices" for animal models of sepsis.

Preclinical animal studies are mandatory before new treatments can be tested in clinical trials. However, their use in developing new therapies for sepsis has been controversial because of limitations of the models and inconsistencies with the clinical conditions. In consideration of the revised definition for clinical sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3), a Wiggers-Bernard Conference was held in Vienna in May 2017 to propose standardized guidelines on preclinical sepsis modeling. The participants conducted a literature review of 260 most highly cited scientific articles on sepsis models published between 2003 and 2012. The review showed, for example, that mice were used in 79% and euthanasia criteria were defined in 9% of the studies. PartIof this report details the recommendations for study design and humane modeling endpoints that should be addressed in sepsis models. The first recommendation is that survival follow-up should reflect the clinical time course of the infectious agent used in the sepsis model. Furthermore, it is recommended that therapeutic interventions should be initiated after the septic insult replicating clinical care. To define an unbiased and reproducible association between a new treatment and outcome, a randomization and blinding of treatments as well as inclusion of all methodological details in scientific publications is essential. In all preclinical sepsis studies, the high standards of animal welfare must be implemented. Therefore, development and validation of specific criteria for monitoring pain and distress, and euthanasia of septic animals, as well as the use of analgesics are recommended. A set of four considerations is also proposed to enhance translation potential of sepsis models. Relevant biological variables and comorbidities should be included in the study design and sepsis modeling should be extended to mammalian species other than rodents. In addition, the need for source control (in case of a defined infection focus) should be considered. These recommendations and considerations are proposed as "best practices" for animal models of sepsis that should be implemented.

Growing spring wheat in Inner Mongolia is challenging because of the short growing period, dry-hot winds, and heat-forced maturity. There are also problems with growing winter wheat varieties, such as frost damage, spring droughts, and &ldquo, late spring cold&rdquo, These factors have restricted efforts to increase yields. In order to address these challenges, this study adopted a &ldquo, spring wheat winter-sowing&rdquo, planting model for growing wheat in the Hetao Plain Irrigation District in Inner Mongolia and studied wheat varieties with different vernalization requirements through three consecutive field trials. The effects of different sowing dates were analyzed on seed germination and seedling emergence, growth, material accumulation, and yield formation, and the differences were characterized from traditional spring wheat. The results indicated that delaying the sowing date increased the spring emergence rate of the wheat varieties. The winter-seeded spring wheat germinated and ripened after three and seven days, respectively, earlier than the spring-seeded. The grain yield for the winter-seeded wheat was parallel to the spring-seeded wheat. Compared with the spring-seeded wheat, the winter-seeded wheat displayed less panicles, but greater grains per spike, and a 1000-grain weight. When seeded in winter, Yongliang 4 performed better than Ningdong 11 and Henong 7106 in terms of the emergence rate, material accumulation, and grain yield. The best seeding time for the winter-seeded spring wheat in the Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia is early November.

The concept of metabolic obesity phenotypes has been proposed, but its relevance to metabolic features is unclear. To determine a new definition of metabolic obesity phenotype, investigate the characteristics of expressing clustered normal and abnormal metabolic parameters, and analyze factors associated with metabolic abnormalities. Characteristics of 600 patients were analyzed. The definition of metabolic obesity phenotype includes elevated blood pressure, glucose, lipid, and uric acid levels and abnormal lipoprotein levels. Independent sample t test and a general linear model with repeated measures were applied to investigate the differences in metabolic parameters. A total of 108 (18.0%) participants were obese yet metabolically healthy, whereas 492 (82.0%) were obese and metabolically unhealthy. Body weight at baseline was significantly higher in metabolically unhealthy phenotype (P

The associations between blood pressure parameters and intracranial vulnerable plaques have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between systemic blood pressure parameters, as well as their variability, and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) in stroke patients with intracranial atherosclerosis. We retrospectively analyzed the high-resolution MRI data set of intracranial atherosclerosis from a comprehensive stroke center. The atherosclerotic plaque burden and presence of IPH in each vessel were obtained from vessel wall imaging. Blood pressure parameters in the first week of admission were used. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and their variability (standard deviation [SD] and coefficient of variation [CV]) were compared between the IPH (+) and IPH (−) groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to demonstrate the correlations between different blood pressure parameters and IPH. The results indicated that SBP and PP were associated with multiple plaques and severe luminal stenosis after adjusting for confounders, with OR = 1.071, 95% CI: (1.044–1.098) and OR = 1.039, 95% CI: (1.019–1.060) for SBP and OR = 1.058, 95% CI: (1.027–1.089) and OR = 1.044, 95% CI: (1.019–1.070) for PP, respectively. SBP was associated with IPH after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, with OR = 1.021, 95% CI: (1.003–1.038), but not after correcting for plaque burden, with OR = 1.014, 95% CI: (0.996–1.032). No associations between blood pressure variability and atherosclerotic plaque burden or IPH were detected in this study. In conclusion, SBP is associated with IPH after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors but not after further correction for atherosclerotic plaque burden. The association between blood pressure variability and intracranial atherosclerosis requires further study.

To explore the characteristics of hepatic plexuses and celiac ganglia, and their relationships with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) perineural invasion (PNI) by computed tomography (CT) imaging preliminarily.Sixty-five HCCA patients (55 with PNI) between December 2014 and February 2019 were included in this retrospective study. The CT values of hepatic plexuses in Region 1 (the fat tissue around proper hepatic artery), in Region 2 (the fat tissue around common hepatic artery), and in Region 3 (the fat tissue around celiac trunk), and the CT values and diameters of celiac ganglia were measured on the preoperative CT images. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the measurements between PNI group and Non-PNI group. ROC curve was performed to analyze the sensitivity, specificity and optimal threshold of the measurements in discriminating HCCA PNI.The CT values of hepatic plexuses in PNI group were significantly higher than those in Non-PNI group (all P 0.05). The CT values of right celiac ganglia were significantly higher in PNI group than those in Non-PNI group (P = 0.007). There were no significant differences between two groups in other measurements (all P 0.05). The CT values of hepatic plexuses in Region 1 showed the highest sensitivity (90.9%) and the CT values of right celiac ganglia demonstrated the highest specificity (80.0%).The increases of CT values of hepatic plexuses around proper hepatic artery may be used as an indicator of PNI in patients with HCCA and may facilitate treatment planning in considering its early recurrence after surgery and poor prognosis.

The effects of alfalfa polysaccharides (APS) on immunomodulatory and antioxidant functions, as well as intestinal morphology were investigated in vivo in this study. Sixty-four mice were randomly divided into four groups and administered 0, 200, 400 or 800 mg/kg/d body weight APS via gavage for 28 days. The blood parameters and metabolites, viscera indices, antioxidant enzyme activities and intestinal morphology were measured. The results showed that the oral administration of APS improved the immune functions of mice, significantly enhanced the white blood cells and lymphocyte counts, and led to improvements in spleen and thymus indices. APS exhibited significant antioxidant activity by enhancing total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in heart, kidney and liver, and decreasing the malondialdehyde levels of heart and liver. Moreover, administration of APS potently enhanced the small intestinal villous height and the villus-to-crypt ratio, and decreased the crypt depth of duodenum in mice. Therefore, we can conclude that APS possesses pronounced immunomodulatory activities, and plays an important role in the prevention of oxidative stresses and in the improvement of intestinal morphology in the immunological system in vivo. APS thus shows potential for the development as an effective natural immunomodulatory and antioxidant agent.

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of Na-doped, Cr-doped and (Na, Cr) co-doped BaCd2As2 by using first principle calculations. The pure BaCd2As2 shows a non-magnetic semiconductor with a bandgap about 0.5 eV. The Na-doped BaCd2As2 is still non-magnetic semiconductor, and the valence band exist a slight upward shift due to the increase of carries by introducing Na dopant. The doping of Cr atom leads to the magnetic generation of the pure BaCd2As2, which mainly comes from the Cr-3d orbitals, but the anti-ferromagnetic state of most systems plays a leading role. And the (Na, Cr) co-doped system with decoupled charge and spin doping prefers ferromagnetic state to be the ground state, and the origin of magnetism can be explained by p-d hybridization, which is due to the coupling interaction between Cr-3d and As-5p.

Thirty-six, 7-d-old male lambs of similar weights were used in the current study to examine the effects of dietary amylose to amylopectin ratios (amylose/amylopectin) on gastrointestinal development in fattening lambs fed concentrates with different sources of starch (tapioca, wheat, maize, and pea) and amylose/amylopectin (0.12, 0.23, 0.24, and 0.48, respectively). The maize starch (MS) and wheat starch (WS) diets improved weight and volume of gastrointestinal. The pea starch diet significantly increased papillar height (P

With the development of integrated circuits, the fully integrated continuous time filter has been focused widely. A Nth-order universal filter based on Current Feedback Operational Amplifier (CFOA) is proposed. Compared with available circuits, the proposed circuit using less components (2n CFOAs, n capacitors, and 3n resistors) can realize the universal filter functions without changing circuit configuration, and the operating frequency of proposed filter circuit is at least 10 MHz. All of capacitors in proposed circuit are grounded, this is another benefit from integration point of view. PSPICE simulations have been carried out using 0.18 μm CMOS technology, and sensitivity analysis of proposed Nth-order low-pass filter circuit is completed.

Overcoming epidermal growth factor receptor resistance is a critical problem that needs to be solved in clinical practice. Drugs that downregulate the fatty acid synthase-epidermal growth factor receptor will become novel treatments for non-small cell lung cancer. Solanum nigrum, extracted with water at 4°C, shows strong cytotoxic activity and inhibits tumor growth in Lewis tumor bearing-mice in a dose-dependent manner. A novel active compound in S. nigrum, solaoiacid, was successfully separated and purified from S. nigrum by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. The IC50 of solaoiacid on lung cancer cells was 2.3 µmol/L, which was significantly lower than that of the known steroidal glycoalkaloid. Label-free proteomics and STRING Network analysis were used to identify significantly deregulated proteins in lung cancer cells that were treated with the fresh ripe fruit extracts of S. nigrum. S. nigrum regulates multiple signal pathways, including the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway. S. nigrum downregulated 24 main proteins with direct roles in fatty acid biosynthesis. Both S. nigrum and solaoiacid showed strong downregulation of the fatty acid synthase-epidermal growth factor receptor and anti-non-small cell lung cancer effects, and thus will become a novel drug for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

HDL cholesterol is inversely related to the incidence of atherosclerosis. Polyphenols including ellagitannins have been shown to exert antiatherogenic properties. Urolithin B is formed from ellagitannins by components of the gut microbiota, and urolithins might be involved in beneficial effects against cardiovascular diseases in vitro. In this study, the influence of urolithin B on several parameters involved in the lipid plaque deposition and the reverse cholesterol transport is investigated.In apoEUrolithin B can decrease lipid plaque deposition, and urolithin B and urolithin B sulfate are able to induce reverse cholesterol transport by influencing expression of key proteins of this pathway. Urolithin B may represent the basis for development of new drugs for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis in humans.

Alfalfa polysaccharide (APS) is a bioactive component extracted from alfalfa that exhibits potent antioxidant properties. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these properties remain unclear. To explore the molecular mechanism by which APS exerts antioxidant effects, an H2O2-induced oxidative stress mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) model was established. Cell proliferation, antioxidant enzyme activity, immune cytokine expression, and related protein expression were examined in APS-supplemented or non-supplemented conditions. The results suggested that APS strengthened the antioxidative capacity of MEFs, increasing cell proliferation, superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), and the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). In addition, APS reduced the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 as well as expression of the proinflammatory gene retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I). APS was also able to activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which promoted the translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) to the nucleus. However, expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was decreased after APS treatment. Overall, these results suggest that APS relieves H2O2-induced oxidative stress in MEFs by activating MAPK/Nrf2 signaling and suppressing NF-κB signaling. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to link APS with MAPK/Nrf2, NF-κB and RIG-I, thus providing new perspectives regarding the mechanisms of the antioxidant activity of APS.

The high atomic number of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) enables them to offer potential as practical and efficient radiosensitizing agents for cancer radiotherapy applications. In the present study, it was demonstrated that GNPs can significantly modulate the irradiation response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vitro and in vivo, of which the underlying mechanisms were investigated. Cetuximab (C225) is a targeting agent, which binds to the extracellular domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Hepatocyte-targeting, EGFR-specific C225 was synthesized onto GNP surfaces (C225-GNPs) to increase the GNP targeting specificity. C225-GNPs was synthesized successfully and characterized. The cytotoxicity was tested using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and 50% inhibition concentration of SMCC7721 cells was calculated. Cell uptake assay was detected using transmission electron microscopy. Radiosensitization was tested using a cell colony formation assay and cell cycle was detected using flow cytometry. The expression of a number of apoptotic proteins were tested by western blot analysis. Orthotropic SMCC7721 xenografts were used in order to verify its radiosensitizing effect. The results revealed that a higher number of C225-GNPs were effectively uptaken by SMCC7721 cells and markedly enhanced cancer cell death. The sensitization mechanism of C225-GNPs was associated with the apoptotic gene signalling process activated by endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response in cancer cells. In orthotopic SMCC7721 xenografts, the C225-GNPs significantly enhanced the radiation-induced suppression of tumour growth. The results of the present study provided evidence that C225-GNPs are potent radiosensitizers with radiotherapeutic value for HCC with the overexpression of EGFR.

Extracellular nanovesicles (ENV) released by many cells contain lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids that contribute to intercellular communication. ENVs have emerged as biomarkers and therapeutic targets but they have also been explored as drug delivery vehicles. However, for the latter application, clinical translation has been limited by low yield and inadequate targeting effects. ENV vectors with desired targeting properties can be produced from parental cells engineered to express membrane-bound targeting ligands, or they can be generated by fusion with targeting liposomes; however, neither approach has met clinical requirements. In this study, we demonstrate that mechanical extrusion of approximately 107 cells grafted with lipidated ligands can generate cancer cell–targeting ENV and can be prepared in approximately 1 hour. This rapid and economic approach could pave the way for clinical implementation in the future. Significance: A new and rapid method for production of drug-targeting nanovesicles has implications for cancer treatment by chimeric antigen receptor T cells and other therapies. Cancer Res; 78(3); 798–808. ©2017 AACR.

This paper presents automatic parallel parking for car-like vehicle, with highlights on a path planning algorithm for arbitrary initial angle using two tangential arcs of different radii. The algorithm is divided into three parts. Firstly, a simple kinematic model of the vehicle is established based on Ackerman steering geometry; secondly, not only a minimal size of the parking space is analyzed based on the size and the performance of the vehicle but also an appropriate target point is chosen based on the size of the parking space and the vehicle; Finally, a path is generated based on two tangential arcs of different radii. The simulation results show that the feasibility of the proposed algorithm.

This paper presents a navigation system customized for the automatic path tracking movement of the tracked stacking vehicle working in a shipping container. The vehicle is equipped with a 2D laser scanner for localization and navigation. Returned data is continuously sent back to the navigation system to be processed in order to identify the location of the vehicle relative to the container. For localization, a feature extraction algorithm based on the IEPF algorithm and the priori geometric features of the container is proposed. For navigation, a fuzzy logic controller is designed by implementing the path tracking error as input and track speed difference ratio as output. A fuzzy-logic set of rules is proposed based on human driving experience for path following control. The efficiency of the proposed navigation system is demonstrated through experiment.

High salinity and macronutrient deficiencies are two important limitations of coastal saline soils. The present study focused on the changes in electrical conductivity (EC), and the redistribution of water soluble carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and absorbable phosphorus (P) during the reclamation of coastal saline soil using different amendments. Eight soil treatments were tested: cotton straw powder (J), domestic sewage sludge (W), sewage sludge + cotton residue (J + W), beach sand (S), cotton straw powder + beach sand (J + S), domestic sewage sludge + beach sand (W + S), domestic sewage sludge + cotton residue + beach sand (J + W + S), and a control treatment (CK). Triplicate soil samples for each treatment were initially treated once with underground saltwater (with or without bacterial manure). After the first month of incubation, irrigation was conducted weekly. EC measurements in different soil layers showed that sewage sludge was the best amendment for reducing soil EC, while cotton straw powder had no significant effect. Concentrations of N and C increased with soil depth, while the highest P concentration was observed in the uppermost soil. Soil amended with organic matter showed the highest P concentrations, and P availability increased with the application of all amendments except sand, which had no significant effect. The compound treatments had more positive impacts on N availability than did single amendments; however, their effects on P concentration were minimal. The results indicated that sewage sludge was the most effective amendment for reclaiming coastal saline soil and improving the availability of macronutrients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological responses of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel exposed to long-term salt, salt-alkali, and alkali stress in order to elucidate how L. chinensis can survive under alkaline-sodic soils. L. chinensis (30 days after germination) were stressed with salt [SS; sodium chloride (NaCl)], mixed salt-alkali [MS; molar ratio of NaCl: sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) = 2:1] and alkali salt (AS; Na2CO3) at four different levels of sodium (Na+) concentration (0, 75, 150, and 300 mM) for 60 days. L. chinensis showed 100% survival rate at all treatments except 300 mM SS (33.3%) and AS (18.9%). The growth and physiological parameters of survival plants were measured. As anticipated, growth of L. chinensis was inhibited after stresses, which reflected in the decline of plant height, dry weight and tiller number following the increased Na+ concentration. The content of Na+, proline, and soluble sugar in L. chinensis increased with the increasing Na+ concentration, suggesting that ...

Organic

Computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation (CT-RFA) and laparoscopic RFA (L-RFA) have been used to treat intrahepatic recurrent small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) against the diaphragmatic dome. However, the therapeutic safety, efficacy, and hospital fee have never been compared between the two techniques due to scarcity of cases. In this retrospective study, 116 patients were divided into two groups with a total of 151 local recurrent HCC lesions abutting the diaphragm. We compared overall survival (OS), local tumor progression (LTP), postoperative complications, and hospital stay and fee between the two groups. Our findings revealed no significant differences in 5-year OS (36.7% vs. 44.6%, p = 0.4289) or 5-year LTP (73.3% vs. 67.9%, p = 0.8897) between CT-RFA and L-RFA. The overall hospital stay (2.8 days vs. 4.1 days, p p

Scope HDL cholesterol is inversely related to the incidence of atherosclerosis. Polyphenols including ellagitannins have been shown to exert antiatherogenic properties. Urolithin B is formed from ellagitannins by components of the gut microbiota, and urolithins might be involved in beneficial effects against cardiovascular diseases in vitro. In this study, the influence of urolithin B on several parameters involved in the lipid plaque deposition and the reverse cholesterol transport is investigated. Methods and results In apoE-/- mice and two different macrophage cell lines, the influence of urolithin B and its phase II conjugated metabolite on lipid plaque deposition, cholesterol uptake, and expression of ABCA1 and SR-BI is tested. It is shown that urolithin B decreases lipid plaque deposition, both urolithin B and urolithin B sulfate modulate expression of SR-BI and ABCA1, and cholesterol efflux increases from cholesterol laden macrophages to HDL particles as well as to reverse lipid uptake by stimulated THP-1 macrophages. Conclusions Urolithin B can decrease lipid plaque deposition, and urolithin B and urolithin B sulfate are able to induce reverse cholesterol transport by influencing expression of key proteins of this pathway. Urolithin B may represent the basis for development of new drugs for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis in humans.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) originate from the primary tumor mass and enter into the peripheral bloodstream. CTCs hold the key to understanding the biology of metastasis and also play a vital role in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, disease monitoring, and personalized therapy. However, CTCs are rare in blood and hard to isolate. Additionally, the viability of CTCs can easily be compromised under high shear stress while releasing them from a surface. The heterogeneity of CTCs in biomarker expression makes their isolation quite challenging; the isolation efficiency and specificity of current approaches need to be improved. Nanostructured substrates have emerged as a promising biosensing platform since they provide better isolation sensitivity at the cost of specificity for CTC isolation. This review discusses major challenges faced by CTC isolation techniques and focuses on nanostructured substrates as a platform for CTC isolation. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

A new mixed mode filter based on MDDCC (Modify Differential Difference Current Conveyor) is proposed, the structure of filter is simple, the circuit consist of only three active MDDCCs, five resistors and three grounded capacitors. The filter can realize the filter of current mode and voltage mode, which can realize the function of low pass biquad, band pass biquad and high pass biquad simultaneously. The computer simulation of PSPICE uses 0.18μm TSMC CMOS and the theoretical results are validated the proposed circuit.

As an essential measure to mitigate the CO2 emissions, China is constructing a nationwide carbon emission trading (CET) market. The electric power industry is the first sector that will be introduced into this market, but the quota allocation scheme, as the key foundation of market transactions, is still undetermined. This research employed the gross domestic product (GDP), energy consumption, and electric generation data of 30 provinces from 2001 to 2015, a hybrid trend forecasting model, and a three-indicator allocation model to measure the provincial quota allocation for carbon emissions in China’s electric power sector. The conclusions drawn from the empirical analysis can be summarized as follows: (1) The carbon emission peak in China’s electric power sector will appear in 2027, and peak emissions will be 3.63 billion tons, which will surpass the total carbon emissions of the European Union (EU) and approximately equal to 2/3 of the United States of America (USA). (2) The developed provinces that are supported by traditional industries should take more responsibility for carbon mitigation. (3) Nine provinces are expected to be the buyers in the CET market. These provinces are mostly located in eastern China, and account for approximately 63.65% of China’s carbon emissions generated by the electric power sector. (4) The long-distance electric power transmission shifts the carbon emissions and then has an impact on the quotas allocation for carbon emissions. (5) The development and effective utilization of clean power generation will play a positive role for carbon mitigation in China’s electric sector.

Perennial wildflower species are important but not well-understood elements in water-wise landscaping that anchors urban water conservation programs in arid climates. Comparative growth and physiological responses to soil substrate drying of three herbaceous Australian ornamental species from habitats of variable moisture regimes were investigated in the context of isohydric and anisohydric behavior. Clonal Orthosiphon aristatus, Dianella revoluta ‘Breeze’, and Ptilotus nobilis plants were container-grown individually and competitively together in two separate studies. In both studies, plants were water-stressed through cyclical dry downs. We measured stomatal conductance (g S), soil water content, and water potential during each study and osmotic adjustment estimated from pressure-volume data and plant biomass at the end of each study. O. aristatus, a rainforest species, fit a general anisohydric model of high water use and more negative water potential during soil drying until stomatal closure and leaf wilting. D. revolata and P. nobilis, indigenous to Australia's dry interior, fit a general isohydric, drought-tolerant model of stomatal closure from water deficits that moderates leaf water potential but through different mechanisms. P. nobilis and D. revolata moderate water use and maintain acceptable aesthetic performance under water stress, suitable for mixed low-water landscape plantings. O. aristatus would not be suitable for low-water urban landscapes, either isolated or in mixed plantings, because of high soil water depletion and wilting.

Background Biocompatible gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are potentially practical and efficient agents in cancer radiotherapy applications. In this study, we demonstrated that GNPs can significantly modulate irradiation response of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and investigated the underlying mechanisms. We co-grafted galactose (GAL) targeting hepatocyte specific asialoglycoprotein receptor and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) onto GNPs surfaces to increase GNPs targeting specificity and stability. Results This novel GAL-PEG-GNPs and bare GNPs show similar appearance and cytotoxicity profiles, while more GAL-PEG-GNPs can be effectively uptaken and could enhance cancer cell killing. Conclusion GAL-PEG-GNPs have better radiosensitization to HepG2. The sensitization mechanism of GAL-PEG-GNPs is related to the apoptotic gene process activated by generation of a large amount of free radicals induced by GNPs.

272 Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have been used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the subphrenic area. Very few studies focus on ablation of recurrent small HCC against the diaphragmatic dome. The therapeutic safety, efficacy, and hospital fee have never been compared between CT guided RFA and laparoscopic RFA (L-RFA) either. Methods: CT guided RFA and L-RFA were performed in totally 116 patients with 151 local recurrent HCC lesions abutting the diaphragm. We compared major and minor postoperative complications, hospital stay and fee, overall survival (OS), and local tumor progression (LTP) between two groups for evaluating respective therapeutic efficacy and safety. Moreover, in CT-guided percutaneous RFA group, depending on the locations of recurrent HCC nodules differentiated puncture paths and ablation methods were used, and intraoperative complications were recorded. Results: There is no significant difference in OS and LTP between CT- guided RFA and LRFA.In recorded postoperative complications, the morbidity in CT-guided RFA group is lower than that of L-RFA group. The average safety margin is 8 and 11 mm in CT-guided RFA and LRFA group, respectively. The shoulder and back pain is significantly high in L-RFA group probably due to pneumoperitoneum. Moreover, overall hospital stay and cost is also lower in CT-guided RFA group. Conclusions: Both CT-guided RFA and L-RFA are considered to be an effective approach for recurrent small HCC abutting diaphragm. Particularly, CT-guided RFA is an easy and economic with less complications if suitable puncture paths and ablation methods can be applied.

In this study, a novel RNA aptamer biochip was developed for tumor cell capture and detection of single cell resistance. This biochip consists of a polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) cover containing a channel for introducing cells and sustaining their activity and microelectrode matrix ona silicon dioxide layer. Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) aptamers which specifically identify and isolatetumor cells were attached in the gap between two electrodes.After cell biochip incubation, surplus tumor cells were removed, and those dwelling on the intervals were further analyzed. When resistance measurement was completed, these cells were flushed away via controlled flow acceleration, and were collected for further analysis. The results demonstrate the convenience and efficiency of using anti‑EGFR aptamerbiochips for the detection of single cell resistance. This novelaptamer biochip may be used for the isolation of circulating tumor cells from peripheral blood and cell counting, or be assembled with other lab-on-a-chip components for follow-up gene and protein analysis. Refereed/Peer-reviewed