Search

To investigate whether central obesity is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) formation after adjusting for general obesity.The online databases PubMed, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science were searched for studies estimating the influence of central obesity on NAFLD occurrence published through April 2014. Studies that did not adjust for body mass index (BMI) were excluded. In addition, the independent effect of BMI was also assessed with the included studies. The pooled effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random- or fixed-effects models based on the degree of heterogeneity. Furthermore, subgroup analyses, meta-regression, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias were performed.Twenty eligible studies were identified. The summary odds ratio (OR) values per-unit increase in waist circumference (WC) and BMI for NAFLD formation were 1.07 (95%CI: 1.03-1.10, I (2) = 73.9%, n = 11 studies) and 1.25 (95%CI: 1.13-1.38, I (2) = 88.7%, n = 11 studies), respectively. When the indices were expressed as binary variables (with the non-obesity group as reference), the pooled OR in WC, waist-to-hip ratio, and BMI were 2.34 (95%CI: 1.83-3.00, I (2) = 41.8%, n = 7 studies), 4.06 (95%CI: 1.53-10.79, I (2) = 65.7%, n = 3 studies), and 2.85 (95%CI: 1.60-5.08, I (2) = 57.8%, n = 5 studies), respectively. Using the same studies as the latter (n = 5), pooled OR in WC was 3.14 (95%CI: 2.07-4.77), which is greater than that in BMI.Central obesity may pose a greater threat to national health than general obesity, although both are independently associated with increased risk of NAFLD.

Presently, no effective markers are available to facilitate gallbladder cancer (GBC) diagnosis. This study aims to explore available markers for GBC diagnosis. Clinical data of 144 GBC and 116 cholelithiasis patients were retrospectively reviewed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate GBC risk factors. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnosis value of the risk factors. By comparing the characteristic of GBC and cholelithiasis patients, the following factors exhibited statistical difference: age, gender, gallstones, total bilirubin (TB), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), platelet count (PLT), CA125 (carcinoembryonic antigen 125), and CA199 (carbohydrate antigen 199). Logistic regression analysis indicated that age [odds ratio (OR), 1.032; 95%confidence interval (95% CI), 1.004 to 1.061; P = 0.024], gender (OR, 0.346; 95% CI, 0.167 to 0.716; P = 0.004), gallstones (OR, 0.027; 95% CI, 0.007 to 0.095; P < 0.001), ALP (OR, 1.003; 95% CI, 1.000 to 1.006; P = 0.032), TB (OR, 1.004; 95% CI, 1.000 to 1.009; P = 0.042), and CA125 (OR, 1.007; 95% CI, 1.002 to 1.013; P = 0.011) were independent risk factors for GBC. According to the ROC curve, CA125 [area under curve (AUC), 0.720], ALP (AUC, 0.713), TB (AUC, 0.636), and age (AUC, 0.573) were valuable diagnosis markers. Additionally, based on the independent risk factors, the GBC diagnosis model was established. Age, TB, ALP, and CA125 can be used as auxiliary diagnosis factors of GBC. The diagnosis model provides a quantitative tool for GBC diagnosis when comprehensively considering various risk factors.

AIM: To investigate the association between thrombocytopenia and relapse after treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases to obtain eligible studies. The hazard ratios (HRs) values and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled by random effects model. Subsequently, we estimated the heterogeneity, performed a sensitivity analysis, determined the publication bias, and performed subgroup and meta-regression analyses. Study quality was assessed by using the Oxford Center for Evidence Based Medicine tool. RESULTS: We identified 18 eligible studies by retrieval (published during 2000-2014). Out of the 4163 patients with HCC who were recruited, 2746 (66.0%) experienced recurrence. In general, our meta-analysis suggested that low platelet count (PLT) before therapy significantly increased the probability of postoperative recurrence (HR = 1.53, 95%CI: 1.29-1.81). PLT was also valuable in the prediction of intrahepatic distant recurrence (HR = 1.49, 95%CI: 1.25-1.77). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses identified various therapeutic modalities as the source of a high degree of heterogeneity. The pooled HR values showed no obvious change when a single study was removed, but otherwise, an opposite-effects model was used. In addition, no significant publication bias was detected. CONCLUSION: Thrombocytopenia before treatment might be an inexpensive and useful predictor of postoperative recurrence in patients with HCC.

Forkhead box M1 (FoxM1) is a transcription factor that plays important roles in the pathogenesis and progression of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to examine the involvement of FoxM1 in the anti-cancer action of sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, in human HCC cells. HCC cell lines HepG2 and HuH-7 were tested. Cell viability was examined using MTT assay and cell invasion was determined with Transwell migration assay. The relevant mRNA expression was determined with RT-PCR, and the proteins were detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays. RNA interference was used to modify the expression of p53 and FoxM1. HuH-7 cell line xenograft mice were used for in vivo study, which were treated with sorafenib (40 mg/kg, po) daily for 3 weeks. Sorafenib (2–20 μmol/L) inhibited the proliferation of the cells in dose- and time-dependent manners with an IC50 value of nearly 6 μmol/L at 48 h. Sorafenib (6 μmol/L) markedly suppressed the cell invasion. Furthermore, sorafenib (2−6 μmol/L) dose-dependently decreased the expression of FoxM1, MMP-2, and Ki-67, and up-regulated that of p53 in the cells. Silencing p53 abolished the decrease of FoxM1 and increase of p53 in sorafenib-treated cells. Silencing FoxM1 significantly reduced the expression of MMP-2 and Ki-67, and enhanced the anti-proliferation action of sorafenib in the cells, whereas overexpression of FoxM1 increased the expression of MMP-2 and Ki-67, and abrogated the anti-proliferation action of sorafenib. In the xenograft mice, sorafenib administration decreased the tumor growth by 40%, and markedly increased the expression of p53, and decreased the expression of FoxM1, MMP-2, and Ki-67 in tumor tissues. Sorafenib inhibits HCC proliferation and invasion by inhibiting MMP-2 and Ki-67 expression due to up-regulation of P53 and suppressing FoxM1.

AIM: To preliminarily investigate the prognostic significance of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). METHODS: Clinical data of 316 surgical GBC patients were analyzed retrospectively, and preoperative serum platelet and lymphocyte counts were used to calculate the PLR. The optimal cut-off value of the PLR for detecting death was determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The primary outcome was overall survival, which was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used to compare the differences in survival. Then, we conducted multivariate Cox analysis to assess the independent effect of the PLR on the survival of GBC patients. RESULTS: For the PLR, the area under the ROC curve was 0.620 (95%CI: 0.542-0.698, P = 0.040) in detecting death. The cut-off value for the PLR was determined to be 117.7, with 73.6% sensitivity and 53.2% specificity. The PLR was found to be significantly positively correlated with CA125 serum level, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and tumor differentiation. Univariate analysis identified carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA125 and CA199 levels, PLR, TNM stage, and the degree of differentiation as significant prognostic factors for GBC when they were expressed as binary data. Multivariate analysis showed that CA125 > 35 U/mL, CA199 > 39 U/mL, PLR ≥ 117.7, and TNM stage IV were independently associated with poor survival in GBC. When expressed as a continuous variable, the PLR was still an independent predictor for survival, with a hazard ratio of 1.018 (95%CI: 1.001-1.037 per 10-unit increase, P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: The PLR could be used as a simple, inexpensive, and valuable tool for predicting the prognosis of GBC patients.

We aimed to assess the therapeutic effect of reimplantation of biliary metal stents by percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) in patients with recurrent malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). Furthermore, we explored the prognostic value of inflammation-based markers in these patients.We reviewed 33 cases of recurrent MOJ after implantation of biliary metal stents by PTCD, all of which underwent reimplantation of stents under digital subtraction angiography guidance. Levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and bilirubin were compared between before and after reimplantation (1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively). Preoperative clinical data were collected to calculate the inflammation-based markers, including systemic immune-inflammation index (SII, neutrophil × platelets/ lymphocyte), platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR). The primary outcome was overall survival (OS), which was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis.The levels of ALT, AST, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin significantly reduced after the reimplantation operation. During a median follow-up time of 10 months, 18 (54.5%) patients died. Gender, albumin, SII, PLR, NLR, and MLR were found to be associated with OS by the log-rank test and univariate analysis. Multivariate Cox analysis identified elevated levels of SII and PLR as significant factors for predicting poor OS.Reimplantation is clinically feasible in patients with recurrent MOJ after implantation of biliary metal stents. SII and PLR are independent, useful inflammation-based prognostic models for predicting outcomes in these patients.

The treatment of 6-chloroindolo[3,2-c]quinoline 6 with NaH–MeI led to methylation at N-11, forming 8, while the reaction of 6 with MeI with heating gave the corresponding 5-methylated quinolinium s...

Platelets are involved in liver regeneration and hepatic diseases via releasing several cytokines, including 5-hydroxytryptamine, platelet-derived growth factors and so forth. Due to splenic breakd...

Stainless steel (SS) is favored for many uses due to its excellent chemical resistance, thermal stability and mechanical properties. Biofilms can be formed on stainless steel and may lead to serious hygiene problems and economic losses in many areas, e.g. food processing, public infrastructure and healthcare. For the first time, our work endeavored to make SS having antibacterial properties, ionic liquids (ILs) were grafted on SS surface via silane treatment followed by thiol-ene click reaction. The chemical structure and composition of the ILs grafted stainless-steel coupon surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The antibacterial activity has been investigated, and the results showed that the ILs grafted SS surface exhibited significant antibacterial effects against Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Additionally, the results obtained here indicated that the ILs used here having bromide anion showed much better antibacterial activity against E. coli than the corresponding ILs with tetrafluoroborate and hexafluorophosphate as anions. These results obtained here can help to design novel and more efficient stainless steel having antibacterial surface.

A rapid zwitterionic microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (ZI-MEEKC) approach coupled with light-emitting-diode-induced fluorescence (LED-IF, 480 nm) detection was proposed for the analysis of flavonoids. In the optimization process, we systematically investigated the separation conditions, including the surfactants, cosurfactants, pH, buffers and fluorescence parameters. It was found that the baseline separation of the seven flavonoids was obtained in less than 5 min with a running buffer consisting of 92.9% (v/v) 5 mM sodium borate, 0.6% (w/v) ZI surfactant, 0.5% (w/v) ethyl acetate and 6.0% (w/v) 1-butanol. High sensitivity was obtained by the application of LED-IF detection. The limits of detection for seven flavonoids were in the range of 3.30 × 10 −8 to 2.15 × 10 −6 mol L −1 without derivatization. Ultimately, the detection method was successfully applied to the analysis of flavonoids in hawthorn plant and food products with satisfactory results.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes. We used a new DN model in tree shrews to validate the use of bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) transplantation to treat DN. The DN tree shrew model was established by a high-sugar and high-fat diet and four injections of streptozotocin. 4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole labelled BM-MSCs were injected into tree shrews. The DN tree shrew model was successfully established. Blood glucose was significantly increased ( p0.01) during the entire experiment. DN tree shrews showed dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and increased 24-h proteinuria. At 21 days after BM-MSC transplantation, glucose and levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and 24-h urine volume were lower than in tree shrews with DN alone ( p0.01) but were still higher than control values ( p0.01). Levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen as well as 24-h proteinuria were lower for DN tree shrews with BM-MSCs transplantation than DN alone ( p0.05). High-sugar and high-fat diet combined with STZ injection can induce a tree shrew model of DN. BM-MSCs injection can home to damaged kidneys and pancreas, for reduced 24-h proteinuria and improved insulin resistance.

Background. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem disease that is characterized by the appearance of serum autoantibodies. No effective treatment for SLE currently exists.Methods. We used human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (H-UC-MSC) transplantation to treat B6.Fas mice.Results. After four rounds of cell transplantation, we observed a statistically significant decrease in the levels of mouse anti-nuclear, anti-histone, and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies in transplanted mice compared with controls. The percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells in mouse peripheral blood significantly increased after H-UC-MSC transplantation.Conclusions. The results showed that H-UC-MSCs could repair lesions in B6.Fas mice such that all of the relevant disease indicators in B6.Fas mice were restored to the levels observed in normal C57BL/6 mice.

A series of 6-amino-11H- indolo[3,2-c]quinoline derivatives with various substituents on the quinoline ring were synthesized. A methyl group introduced to N-11 of the intermediate 4 to elaborate novel analog 7. The cytotoxic effect of these 6-amino-substituted 11H- and 11-methyl-indolo[3,2-c]quinoline derivatives in vitro were tested against MV4-11 (human leukemia), A549 (non-small cell lung cancer) and HCT116 (colon cancer) and BALB/3T3 (normal murine fibroblasts). All the N-11 methylated compounds significantly increased the cytotoxicity. Compound 7p was most active with the IC50 value of 0.052 μM against the MV4-11 cell line, and also exhibited a selective activity against A549, HCT116 and BALB/3T3 cell line, with the respective IC50 values of 0.112, 0.007 and 0.083 μM, which were higher or comparable to those of the anticancer drug doxorubicin HCl. The binding constants of 5g and 7h to salmon fish sperm DNA were also evaluated using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, indicating intercalation binding with constants of 1.05 × 10(6) L/mol and 4.84 × 10(6) L/mol.

To investigate the effect of mechanical stretch induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B in vitro.The human lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B were subjected to cyclic stretch by the FX-5000T system at 0.33 Hz of 10% or 20% elongation for 24, 48 and 72 hours respectively. The morphologic changes were observed by microscopy. The mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin, Cytokeratin-8 (CK-8), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Vimentin were evaluated by immunofluorescence before and after mechanical stretch and fluorescent quantitation reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).(1) When stretch by 20% elongation for 48 hours, the morphological changes in BEAS-2B cells from cobblestone-like structure to elongated shape and obviously when stretch for up to 72 hours, while 10% elongation showed no significant morphological changes comparing to control. (2) Decreasing E-cadherin and CK-8 protein expression was associated with increased immunostaining for α-SMA protein at 72 hours after 20% mechanical stretch. (3) Expression of E-cadherin mRNA was decreased to 0.388±0.056 and 0.247±0.064 after 20% mechanical stretch for 48 hours and 72 hours compared with control without stretch (set 1, both P0.05), expression of CK-8 mRNA was decreased to 0.436±0.060 at 72 hours after 20% mechanical stretch (P0.01), α-SMA mRNA was increased to 1.437±0.267 (48 hours) and 1.261±0.247 (72 hours) after 20% mechanical stretch (both P0.05), and Vimentin mRNA was increased to 1.679±0.172 (48 hours) after 20% mechanical stretch (P0.05). Expression of E-cadherin mRNA was decreased to 0.387±0.081 at 72 hours after 10% mechanical stretch (P0.05), Vimentin mRNA was increased to 1.688±0.179 at 48 hours after 10% mechanical stretch while other markers showed no significant changes comparing with control.Excessive mechanical stretch could induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition in lung epithelial cells BEAS-2B in vitro.

To observe the effects of cyclic stretch on expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs), herein to provide a theoretical basis to ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI).HPAECs were subjected to cyclic stretch by the Flexcell FX-5000T system at 0.5 Hz of 10% or 20% elongation for 3, 6, 12, 24 hours respectively. The mRNA and protein expression of interleukin (IL-6, IL-8), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was determined by fluorescent quantitation reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or Western blotting.Increasing the stretch force, the mRNA and protein expression of IL-8, MCP-1, ICAM-1 were up regulated with increasing stretch time. Compared with the control (set 1), after 20% cyclic stretch for 24 hours, IL-8 mRNA expression was up regulated to 1.58±0.10, MCP-1 mRNA expression was up regulated to 2.85±0.52, and ICAM-1 mRNA expression was up regulated to 1.90±0.14 (all P0.05). Compared with control group, after 20% cyclic stretch for 24 hours, the protein expression of IL-8 and MCP-1 in HPAEC was significantly increased (IL-8: 3401.08±439.60 ng/L vs. 1422.60±66.98 ng/L, MCP-1: 1117.64±237.54 ng/L vs. 307.88±80.84 ng/L, both P0.05), ICAM-1 protein expression was up regulated to 2.15±0.40 (P0.05), while the expression of IL-6 mRNA and protein had no statistic difference compared with control group.Cyclic stretch enhanced the expression of IL-8, MCP-1 and ICAM-1 in an intensity-dependent fashion, so it may be involved in the pathogenesis of lung injury induced by mechanical ventilation.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been demonstrated for the detection of trace levels of explosives due to its high sensitivity, speed of detection and fingerprint feature. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT), a leading example of nitroaromatic explosives, is causing wide concern. In this study, SERS spectra of TNT solution in silver colloids have been successfully measured and a comparison was drawn with the normal Raman spectra of bulk TNT. The silver colloids were prepared by the microwave heating method and characterized by UV–Vis spectra and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). NaCl and pH value have a great impact on SERS intensity of TNT, the corresponding experimental research results and theoretical interpretations were further illustrated to a certain extent. Moreover, the detection limit of TNT in aqueous solution was achieved as low as 10−10 mol L−1 and some preliminary experiments of detecting TNT vapor (about 10 μg/L) using SERS have been carried out. Our results demonstrated the potential of SERS for probing TNT with high sensitivity, and suggest SERS as a powerful method for detection of TNT and similar species at trace levels.

Induced multipotent stem (iMS) cells are originated from somatic cells and become multipotent by genetic and/or epigenetic modifications. Previous studies have shown that the fish oocytes extracts (FOE) can induce skin fibroblast cells into iMS cells. In this study, we aim to determine whether FOE can similarly induce mouse peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into the iMS state and if so, whether they can survive longer when they are transplanted into the irradiation female mice. PBMCs of GFP-transgenic male mice were cultured and transiently reprogrammed by FOE. They were deemed reaching the iMS state after detection of expression of stem cell markers. The iMS-like PBMCs were transplanted into female C57BL mice by tail vein injection. The spleen wet weights as well as numbers of colonies of the recipient mice were examined. The results showed the spleen wet weights and numbers of spleen colonies of FOE-induced group were all significantly higher than those of the non-induced group and negative control group. On day 90 after transplantation, FISH analysis detected the presence of Y chromosome in the induced group, but not of the other groups. The current findings demonstrate that FOE-induced PBMCs are able to survive longer in irradiated female mice.

Using dimensional analysis, the dimensional equations for the estimation of soil properties after dynamic compaction (DC) in loess ground are established. Based on these equations and field data obtained from previous practices of DC, the equations are fitted relating soil properties after DC with construction parameters, soil properties before tamping, and even with the surficial deformation during tamping. Finally, the equations are verified by several project examples, and the results indicate that the calculated results agree well with the field measured results. These equations provide a practical way for the prediction of the soil properties after DC for loess.

To obtain a high antimalarial activity with neocryptolepine derivatives, modifying and changing the side chains at the C11 position with varying the substituents of an electron-withdrawing or electron-donating nature at the C2 position for a SAR study were executed. Installation of alkylamino and ω-aminoalkylamino groups at the C11 position of the neocryptolepine core was successful. For further variation, the aminoalkylamino substituents were transformed into the corresponding acyclic or cyclic carbamides or thiocarbamides. These side chain modified neocryptolepine derivatives were tested for antimalarial activity against CQR (K1) and CQS (NF54) of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro and for cytotoxicity toward mammalian L6 cells. Among the tested compounds, the compound 17f showed an IC50 of 2.2 nM for CQS (NF54) and a selectivity index of 1400, and 17i showed an IC50 of 2.2 nM for CQR (K1), a selectivity index of 1243, and a resistance index of 0.5.

We have examined the effects of induced autologous stem cells on blood sugar levels in a rabbit model of type 1 diabetes. Rabbit skin fibroblasts were induced to dedifferentiate into multipotent stem cells, and were transplanted into the treatment group via the pancreatic artery. After the fibroblasts had been induced for 72 h, some of them became multipotent stem cells. Four weeks after cell transplantation, blood glucose levels of the induced stem cell treatment group were significantly lower. The plasma insulin and plasma C-peptide levels of the treated group were significantly increased (P 0.05). The shape and number of islets was different. In the control group, induced cell treatment group and non-induced cell treatment group. In the control group, islet β-cell nucleoli were obvious, and cell volumes were larger with more abundant cytoplasm. The rough endoplasmic reticulum was well-developed and a large number of secretory granules could be seen within the cytoplasm. In the induced cell treatment group, islet β cells were scattered, and their nuclei were oval and slightly irregular in shape. The cytoplasm of these cells contained a nearly normal number of secretory granules. In the non-induced cell treatment group, islet β-cells were atrophied and cell volumes were reduced. Cytoplasmic endocrine granules were significantly reduced or absent. In conclusion, treatment with induced multipotent stem cells can reduce blood sugar levels, improve islet cell function, and repair damaged pancreas in a rabbit model of type 1 diabetes.

Recent studies have observed a high level of circulating interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with digestive cancers, yet whether elevated IL-10 is causally associated with digestive cancers so far remained unresolved. We therefore meta-analyzed available observational studies with Mendelian randomization method to explore this causal association by employing IL-10 gene 3 variants (-592C>A, -819C>T, and -1082A>G) as instruments. Data were available from 52 articles encompassing 29,307 subjects. Subgroup analysis by cancer type indicated that -1082A>G was associated with increased risk of gastric cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.35; P = 0.006), and the association was reinforced for intestinal type gastric cancer (OR = 1.26; 95%CI: 1.09–1.44; P = 0.001). By ethnicity, risk estimate for -1082G allele carriers was increased by 21% for digestive cancers in East Asians (95%CI: 1.05–1.40; P = 0.009). As for the genotype–phenotype association, carriers of -1082G allele had an overall 20.21 pg/mL higher IL-10 level than those with -1082AA genotype (P = 0.023). In further Mendelian randomization analysis, the predicted OR for 10 pg/mL increment in IL-10 was 1.14 (95%CI: 1.01–16.99) in gastric cancer. Our findings provided evidence for a causal role of genetically elevated IL-10 in the development of gastric cancer, especially in East Asians and for intestinal type gastric cancer.

This paper attempts to solve the level set equation using our recently developed high order space time discontinuous Galerkin cell-vertex scheme (DG-CVS). The level set equation describes the evolution of the fluid interface under some velocity field. The fluid interface is implicitly represented by the zero level set of the signed distance function. With DGCVS, no any explicit upwinding technique is needed to ensure the stability of the method. Numerical examples include some second order or fourth order solutions obtained by DGCVS on some well-known benchmark problems. Accuracy will be demonstrated through these examples.

The identification of egg extracts with the ability to maintain and enhance the survival and differentiation of cells would be widely useful in cellular biology research. In this study, we compared the different abilities of spleen cells to survive and differentiate in vivo after permeabilization by five different types of egg extracts. Five types of egg extracts were prepared. The spleen cells from male GFP-transgenic mice were permeabilized by the extracts for 30 min, cultured for 12 days, and then transfused into irradiated female mice. At varying days after transplantation, the percentage of GFP-expressing surviving spleen cells was detected in the peripheral blood by flow cytometry. At 120 days after transplantation, bone marrow cells from the female mice were analyzed for the presence of cells containing the Y chromosome. Surviving GFP-positive spleen cells that had been permeabilized with either chicken-egg-white or whole-egg extracts could be detected in the female mice after transplantation. A lower percentage of GFP-positive cells was also detected after permeabilization by the other extracts tested, and no GFP-positive cells were found in the female mouse transfused with spleen cells permeabilized with Hank’s Buffered Salt Solution (HBSS) as a control. At 120 days after transplantation, the percentage of cells containing a Y chromosome in the bone marrow positively correlated with the percentage of GFP-positive cells in the peripheral blood. After permeabilization by chicken-egg-white or whole-egg extracts, spleen cells demonstrated significantly enhanced survival and differentiation functions compared with the spleen cells treated with the other egg extracts tested. These results show that chicken-egg-white and whole-egg extracts have roles in maintaining and enhancing the survival and differentiation of spleen cells. Therefore, these two types of extracts may be of future use in maintaining the function of stem cells.

We perform a spin polarized density-functional theory (DFT) study of the electronic and magnetic properties of pristine and chemically doped germanene nanoribbons (GeNRs) with different widths. It is found that the Ge atom at the ribbon edge always prefers to be substituted by an impurity atom. Our study reveals that a single N or B atom substitution induces a semiconducting–metal transition in armchair oriented germanene nanoribbons (AGeNRs) as evidenced by the appearance of a half-filled band with less dispersion; however, N and B co-doping at the ribbon edges only modifies their band gaps, due to the accomplishment of an effective charge compensation. A single N or B atom substitution usually turns antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconducting zigzag germanene nanoribbons (ZGeNRs) into ferromagnetic (FM) semiconductors. This AFM–FM transition is attributed mainly to the perturbation of π and π* states localized at the doped edge. Double atom substitutions (regardless of N–N, B–B or N–B configurations) at the edges of ZGeNRs removes the spin-polarization at both edges and transforms them into non-magnetic (NM) semiconductors. Moreover, it is interesting that some single atom doped ZGeNRs can exhibit a FM half-metallic character with 100% spin-polarization at the Fermi level. Our results suggest that doped AGeNRs and ZGeNRs have potential applications in Ge-based nanoelectronics, such as field effect transistors (FETs), negative differential resistance (NDR) and spin filter (SF) devices.

This paper aims to demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of a new implementation of the high-order space-time discontinuous Galerkin cell vertex scheme (DG-CVS) in solving problems involving wave propagation. The new implementation employs the conservative variables as the working variables and the Cauchy-Kovalewski procedure is used to obtain the expansions of the flux vectors in terms of the basis polynomials to facilitate the quadrature-free implementation. Particularly, it will be shown that DG-CVS handles very well the nonreflecting boundary conditions (NRBC) using a much simpler approach than traditional approaches. In the current approach, the outmost layer of cells in the computational domain are considered as ghost cells if NRBC is needed there. The solutions at the ghost cells are not computed using the DG-CVS formulation. Instead, they are copied from the adjacent interior locations at the previous half time level. Numerical results including a vortex advection, a 2-D shocktube problem and an acoustic propagation problem demonstrate that the new implementation of DG-CVS is accurate in solving the compressible Euler equations and is strikingly effective in dealing with the nonreflecting boundary conditions.

In this paper, the high-order space-time discontinuous Galerkin cell vertex scheme (DGCVS) developed by the authors for hyperbolic conservation laws is extended for time dependent diffusion equations. The treatment of the diffusive flux is exactly the same as that for the advective flux. Thanks to the Riemann-solver-free and reconstructionfree features of DG-CVS, both the advective flux and the diffusive flux are continuous across the cell interface in DG-CVS. As a result, the resulting formulation with diffusive fluxes present is still consistent and does not need any extra ad hoc techniques to cure the common “variational crime” problem when traditional spatial DG methods are applied to diffusion problems. For this reason, DG-CVS is conceptually simpler than other existing DG-typed methods. Some numerical results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the method.

Multipotent stem cells have the potential to establish a new field of promising regenerative medicine to treat tissue damage, genetic disorders, and degenerative diseases. However, limited resource of stem cells has turned to be an evitable obstacle in clinical applications. We utilized a simple in vitro epigenetic reprogramming approach to convert skin fibroblasts into multipotent cells. After transient reprogramming, stem cell markers, including Oct4 and Nanog, became activated in the treated cells. The reprogrammed cells were multipotent as demonstrated by their ability to differentiate into a variety of cells and to form teratomas. Genomic imprinting of insulin-like growth factor II (Igf2) and H19 was not affected by this short period of cell reprogramming. This study may provide an alternative strategy to efficiently generate patient-specific stem cells for basic and clinical research, solving major hurdles of virally-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that entail the potential risks of mutation, gene instability, and malignancy.

To evaluate the main performance of BS-200 automatic biochemistry analyzer.To evaluate the repeatability, linearity, precision and accurate Of the BS-200 automatic biochemistry analyzer by 8 items that contain all wavelength (ALT, GGT, Cl-, Cr, Glu, TP, Alb. APOA1. TBil), and carry on the contrast experiment with Hitachi 7170.The daytime run CV,within-run CV between-run CV and total CV are under 4.0%, the duplication is well, the accuracy is high, the linear scope is wide, and the contrast experiment correlation is good.This instrument each appraisal target is good, and worth in the small or middle-sized hospital promotion application.

This paper discusses the ongoing research being conducted on the use of multi-rover teams for planetary exploration. The value of a multi-rover system is presented, along with the challenges faced with trying to coordinate multiple rovers in a consolidated effort to complete a given mission.

To enhance robustness and to expand planetary exploration, a multi-rover system is suggested. To support such a system a hierarchical architecture is proposed. That architecture provides for heterogeneous rovers to share tasks, communicate with one another and to respond to unforeseen events.

To explore the changes of white blood cells(WBC), neutrophils, stem cells, immune cells and cytokines after marrow stem cell mobilization by GM-CSF in macaqne.Macaqne were injected with GM-CSF 8 mug/(kg.d) for 5 days. The ratio, number and subpopulation of WBC were observed by Blood Cell Autoanalyzer; the ratios of CD133(+), CD34(+), CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD56(+) cells were identified by FCM; and levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-2 were tested by ELISA on 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 day after stem cell mobiliation by GM-CSF.The ratios and number of CD133(+) cells, CD34(+) cells, WBC and neutrophils were significantly increased (P0.01). The number of above cells was elevated to 6.4, 9.1, 117 and 163.3 times of normal at 6 day after stem cell were mobilized, but the ratios of CD133(+) cells and CD34(+) cell were decreased to the normal level after stem cell mobilization stopped while that of WBC and neutrocytes kept increasing over 8 d . The ratios of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD16(+) were decreased during 1 to 6 d, but came to the normal level at 8 d and increased at 10 d after stem cell were mobilized and the number of those cells in blood increased to 4.1, 4.0, 2.9 and 4.3 times when compared with the normal level. The concentration of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-2 in peripheral blood was significantly increased and IL-2 level was increased higher and longer than that of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta.CD133(+), CD34(+) cells and WBC, neutrophils in peripheral blood are greatly increased after GM-CSF mobilization, but WBC and neutrophils keep increasing longer than that of CD133(+), CD34(+) cells. The results of the number of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD16(+) cells and the levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-2 in peripheral blood indicate that marrow stem cell mobilization by GM-CSF can also stimulate immune cell proliferation and differentiation while increasing cytokine producing.

Thrombocytopenia has been acknowledged to be a crucial risk factor for cirrhosis formation and hepatocarcinogenesis in chronic liver diseases. However, to date, the association between platelet count (PLT) and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains inconsistent and controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine whether PLT could be used as a useful predictor of survival in patients with HCC. We performed systematic review in online databases, including PubMed, EmBase, and Web of Science, from inception until 2014. Studies were included if a statistical relationship was investigated between PLT and survival for HCC, and hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS) or recurrence-free survival (RFS) were provided. The quality of each included study was assessed by Newcastle–Ottawa scale score. To synthesize these studies, a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model was applied as appropriate. Then, we calculated heterogeneity, performed sensitivity analysis, tested publication bias, and did subgrouped and meta-regression analysis. Finally, we identified 33 eligible articles (published from 1998 to 2014) involved 5545 patients by retrieval. A low level of preoperative PLT was found to be significantly associated with a poor survival of HCC. Irrespective of the therapy used, the pooled HRs for OS and RFS were 1.41 (95% CI, 1.14–1.75) and 1.44 (95% CI, 1.13–1.83), respectively. Specifically, in patients who underwent liver resection, the pooled HRs for OS and RFS were 1.67 (95% CI, 1.22–2.27) and 1.44 (95% CI, 1.04–1.99), respectively. Furthermore, patients with preoperative thrombocytopenia (PLT

We demonstrate a versatile approach to fine-tuning the ratio of blue to near-infrared emission intensity from Tm3+ ions in LaF3 nanocrystals by adjusting the pulse widths and excitation wavelengths of red laser beams. The mechanism of color-tunable Tm3+ emission by pulse widths is explored, and a mechanism based on promoting the population of some luminescence levels and cutting off the population of others by suitably adjusting pulse duration is proposed. The underlying reason of excitation wavelength-modulated emission is ascribed to tuning absorption probability ratio of ground state absorption to excited state absorption by tuning the matching degree between the energies of excitation wavelength and ground (excited) state absorption of Tm3+. The ability of our LaF3:Tm3+ nanocrystals to emit variable emissions on demand in response to pulse width and excitation wavelength provides keen insights into controlling the population processes of luminescent levels and offers a versatile approach for tuning the spectral output.

To explore the effects of platelet count (PLT) and 11 platelet-based indices on postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).We retrospectively analyzed 172 HCC patients who were treated by partial hepatectomy. Preoperative data, including laboratory biochemical results, were used to calculate the 11 indices included in the analysis. We performed receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to determine the optimal cut-off values for predicting recurrence. Cumulative rates of HCC recurrence were calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and differences were analyzed by log-rank tests. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of recurrence, early recurrence (within one year after surgery), and late recurrence in HCC. To obtain better prognostic models, PLT-based indices were analyzed separately after being expressed as binary and continuous variables. Two platelet-unrelated, validated HCC prognostic models were included in the analyses as reference indices. Additional analyses were performed after patients were stratified based on hepatitis B virus infection status, cirrhosis, and tumor size to investigate the significance of platelets in different subgroups.In the study cohort, 44.2% (76/172) of patients experienced HCC recurrence, and 50.6% (87/172) died during a median follow-up time of 46 mo. PLT and five of the 11 platelet-related models were significant predisposing factors for recurrence (P0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that, among the clinical parameters, presence of ascites, PLT ≥ 148 × 10(9)/L, alkaline phosphatase ≥ 116 U/L, and tumor size ≥ 5 cm were independently associated with a higher risk of HCC recurrence (P0.05). Independent and significant models included the aspartate aminotransferase/PLT index, fibrosis index based on the four factors, fibro-quotient, aspartate aminotransferase/PLT/γ-glutamyl transpeptidase/alpha-fetoprotein index, and the PLT/age/alkaline phosphatase/alpha-fetoprotein/aspartate aminotransferase index. There were different risk factors between early and late recurrences, and PLT and these indices were more inclined to influence late recurrence. PLT was only predictive of recurrence in non-cirrhotic HCC patients, and was not influenced by tumor size, which was a critical confounder in our study.PLT and PLT-based noninvasive models are effective tools for predicting postoperative recurrence, especially late recurrence. Larger cohorts are needed to validate our findings.

To investigate the pharmacokinetics of FK506 and its nanoparticles in aqueous humor of rabbits applied with eye drops or subconjunctiva injections.42 New Zealand albino rabbits were divided into 2 groups. (1) Nanoparticle solution containing 10 microg FK506 was injected into subconjunctiva or dropped on conjunctival sac of rabbits (68 eyes in 34 cases). (2) Eye drops containing 20 or 40 microg FK506 without nanoparticles were dropped on conjunctival sac of rabbits (16 eyes in 8 cases). Aqueous humor was collected at different times after local administration and FK506 concentrations were measured by ELISA. Ocular pharmacokinetic parameters of FK506 were calculated by 3p87 software.In the solution containing nanoparticle, the effective FK506 concentration in aqueous humor could be kept up to 16 h in eye drops group. The range of FK506 concentration was between (15.50 +/- 3.39) - (2.59 +/- 0.83) ng/ml. FK506 in aqueous humor can be maintained for 96 h by injecting into subconjunctiva and FK506 concentration were between (9.62 +/- 2.19) - (2.60 +/- 0.21) ng/ml from 6 - 96 h. T(max) and C(max) in eye drops were (1.25 +/- 0.50) h and (15.52 +/- 2.37) ng/ml respectively; while T(max) and C(max) in subconjunctiva injection were (64.00 +/- 13.86) h and (10.16 +/- 1.37) ng/ml respectively. Each AUC(0--t) was (152.44 +/- 16.74) ng.ml(-1).h(-1) and (612.48 +/- 54.39) ng.ml(-1).h(-1) respectively; each Ka was 3.790 +/- 0.730 and 0.040 +/- 0.004 respectively; and each MRT was (8.20 +/- 1.28) h and (58.53 +/- 5.42) h respectively. In the eye drops containing 20 microg or 40 microg FK506 but without nanoparticles applied in conjunctival sac of rabbits, all effective FK506 concentrations in aqueous humor could not be kept over 4 h. T(max) was 1 h and C(max) was (18.93 +/- 6.95) ng/ml in 20 microg FK506, while in 40 microg FK506 T(max) was 2h and C(max) was (28.33 +/- 1.31) ng/ml.Solution with FK506 nanoparticle dropping onto the eye or injecting into subconjunctiva could be sustained in rabbit aqueous humor for a longer time than non-nanoparticle FK506 solution, while with injecting of nanoparticle FK506 solution it could be detected with a relative low but longer effective concentration.