Search

To investigate the effect of melatonin on diabetic retinopathy rats through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway.A total of 48 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal group (n=12), model group (n=12), melatonin group (n=12), and inhibitor group (n=12). The rats in normal group received no treatment. Those in model group, melatonin group, and inhibitor group were prepared into models of diabetic retinopathy and intraperitoneally injected with normal saline, melatonin, and SB 203580, respectively. After 7 days of intervention, the materials were taken. The expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) were detected through immunohistochemistry. Western blotting was employed to determine the protein expression levels of p38 MAPK, phosphorylated (p)-p38 MAPK, and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3). The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 were measured via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the levels of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18. The apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL).Based on immunohistochemistry, model group, melatonin group, and inhibitor group exhibited significantly increased positive expression of Bax but notably decreased positive expression of Bcl-2 in comparison with normal group (p0.05). Compared with those in model group, the positive expression of Bax was clearly reduced, while the positive expression of Bcl-2 was overtly raised in melatonin group and inhibitor group (p0.05). The results of Western blotting showed that there was no difference in the protein expression of p38 MAPK among all groups (p0.05). Compared with normal group, the other three groups had remarkably elevated protein expressions of p-p38 MAPK and Caspase-3 (p0.05). The protein expressions of p-p38 MAPK and Caspase-3 in melatonin group and inhibitor group were significantly lower than those in model group decreased (p0.05). QPCR assay revealed that the mRNA expression of Bax was markedly lower in normal group than that in the other three groups, while the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 was significantly higher in normal group than that in the other three groups (p0.05). Compared with model group, melatonin group, and inhibitory group showed clearly declined mRNA expression level of Bax and notably increased mRNA expression level of Bcl-2 (p0.05). TUNEL results revealed that the apoptosis rate was remarkably elevated in the other three groups compared with that in normal group (p0.05). In comparison with model group, melatonin group and inhibitor group exhibited significantly reduced apoptosis rate (p0.05).Melatonin inhibits the inflammation and apoptosis in rats with diabetic retinopathy by repressing the MAPK pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To provide new concepts of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction by anatomical gross observation of ACL tibial insertion and finite element analysis of distribution of ACL mechanical insertion. METHODS: In the anatomical study, ten fresh adult cadaveric knees were dissected, including 6 males and 4 females, all knees were generally observed through standard medial parapatellar approaches, paying attention to the close anatomical relationship of tibial insertion and anterior horn of lateral meniscus, and ACL was exposed and gradually removed from the inside. The shape of tibial insertion of ACL was observed and recorded, and anterior-posterior diameters and left-right diameters of tibial insertion were measured with vernier caliper. For the study of finite element analysis, three-dimensional thin-layer magnetic resonance imaging of normal knee joint was used to establish knee joint model. Three-dimensional reconstruction software MIMICS and finite element analysis software ANSYS were used to establish knee joint model, subsequently, clinical physical examination Lachman test and pivot-shift test were simulated to observe the force distribution of ACL tibial insertion and femoral insertion. RESULTS: The ACL tibial mechanical insertion was rather flat and long similar as an arc shape without a clear separation between anterior medial bundle (AMB) and posterolateral bundle (PLB) in gross observation. The dense fibers lies belonged to the medial intercondylar ridge and ended up anterior with the osseous landmark of anterior ridge. Its average anterior-posterior diameter was (13.8±2.0) mm, the average left-right diameter of midsubstance was (5.3±0.6) mm, and the average left-right diameter of anterior margin was (11.5±1.2) mm. The finite element analysis showed that distribution on the femoral side was oval shape mainly below the residents’ ridge, while the tibial side was rather flat mainly along the medial intercondylar ridge, which was consistent with the anatomical observation. The biomechanical characteristics of ACL attachments were verified theoretically. CONCLUSION: Anatomical study and finite element analysis have confirmed the flat arc shape of ACL tibial insertion. The ideal reconstruction technique of ACL should be based on its biomechanical insertion. Based on anatomical study and biomechanical analysis, we have proposed the idea of ACL biomechanical insertion reconstruction (BIR) and established a surgical model with oval femoral tunnel and rounded-rectangle tibial tunnel.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant cancer with a high fatality rate, and the expression of microRNA-145 (miR-145) is significantly low in HCC tissue. Therefore, the effect of miR-145 on HCC was explored.Primary hepatocellular carcinoma samples and corresponding normal samples, and HepG2 cells were analyzed using flow cytometry, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and dual-luciferase reporter assay.miR-145 expression was significantly downregulated in HCC tissue and HepG2 cells as compared to normal liver tissue. After HepG2 cells were transfected with miR-145 mimics, miR-145 expression was recovered, accompanied by a significantly lower cell number, inhibition of the G1/S phase transition, and promotion of the apoptosis of HepG2 cells, as well as changes in levels of G1/S-specific cyclin-E1 (CCNE1) and activated caspase-3. Furthermore, the rho-associated protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) levels were opposite the levels of miR-145 expression in vivo and in vitro, and additional experiments with co-transfection of miR-145 mimics and pEGFP-N3-3'UTR provided the direct evidence that the ROCK1 gene is a target of miR-145. Moreover, a significant decrease or increase in the expression of ROCK1 was associated with nuclear factor-kB (NF-κB)(p65) activity, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly increased NF-κB(p65) activity, accompanied by recovery of the reduction in the number of HepG2 cells for miR-145 mimics. The NF-κB activity and cell number were significantly (p0.05, p0.01) increased in response to the overexpression of the ROCK1 gene in HepG2 cells.We showed that miR-145 can target and downregulate ROCK1 expression, and it controls HCC by inhibiting the cell cycle and activating apoptosis via the ROCK1/NF-κB signaling pathway. Our findings will provide a new perspective for the therapy of HCC.

Postmortem changes on corpses appear immediately after death, and can transform the original structure characteristics of the corpse to different degrees as well as show specific changes on computed tomography （CT） images, sometimes with false positives and false negatives, influencing the identification of injuries or diseases. This paper systematically summarizes the postmortem changes of computed tomography imaging characteristics on corpses, to further expand the application of virtopsy in the practices of forensic pathology identification, and provide reference for the identification of injuries, diseases and changes after normal death.死后尸体CT影像学特征变化研究进展.死后尸体变化于死亡后立即出现，会不同程度地改变尸体原有的结构特征，并在计算机断层扫描（computed tomography，CT）图像上表现出特异性改变，有时易出现假阳性与假阴性，影响损伤或疾病的鉴别。本文系统地综述了死后尸体CT影像学的变化特点，以进一步拓展虚拟解剖技术在法医病理学鉴定实践中的应用，为鉴别损伤、疾病与正常死后变化提供参考。.法医病理学；死后变化；计算机断层扫描；虚拟解剖；综述.

To investigate the influences of metformin on the proliferation and migration of endometrial cancer (EC) Ishikawa cells and its mechanism.After the EC Ishikawa cells were treated with metformin at a concentration of 10 mM for 24 h, the proliferation of cancer cells was detected via XTT [2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-car-boxanilide] assay and colony formation assay, and the migration and invasion of cancer cells were detected via wound healing assay and transwell assay. In addition, the expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, E-cadherin and Vimentin, were detected via Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining was performed for E-cadherin in cancer cells. Finally, the protein expression level of phosphatidylinositol 3-hydroxy kinase/protein kinase B/murine double minute 2 (PI3K/AKT/MDM2) signaling pathway in cancer cells was detected via Western blotting.Metformin inhibited the proliferation of Ishikawa cells in a concentration-dependent manner (0-10 mM) (p0.05). Moreover, metformin (10 mM) also inhibited the proliferation of Ishikawa cells in a time-dependent manner (0-72 h) (p0.05). The results of colony formation assay revealed that metformin (10 mM) could significantly inhibit the colony formation of Ishikawa cells (p0.05). The results of wound healing assay and transwell assay showed that metformin (10 mM) significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of Ishikawa cells (p0.05). According to further studies, metformin (10 mM) inhibited the EMT process in Ishikawa cells. Western blotting results manifested that the activation of PI3K/AKT/MDM2 signaling pathway was inhibited by metformin (p0.05).Metformin can inhibit the proliferation and migration of EC cells by inhibiting the activation of PI3K/AKT/MDM2 signaling pathway. Therefore, metformin is expected to be a new drug for the clinical treatment of EC.

泌尿系结石是一常见病，我国成年人泌尿系结石的发病率约为6%，南方地区高达8.85%，其中，99%以上为肾结石及输尿管结石。近年来，对2 cm以下结石已广泛开展软性输尿管镜碎石术（RIRS）处理。RIRS与经皮肾镜碎石术（PNL）相比，结石清除率相近，但是安全性更佳，对于2 cm的肾结石甚至鹿角形结石也展现出一定的治疗潜力。虽然软性输尿管镜手术创伤小，然而仍有可能发生各种并发症，应引起临床医护的高度重视。.

Many types of RNAs, including messenger RNAs (mRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play crucial roles in regulating fat cell differentiation and tissue development. However, the expression profiles of these RNAs in different adipose tissues are still largely unknown. To shed light on this issue, we performed a transcriptome analysis of mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs obtained from intramuscular adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, retroperitoneal adipose tissue and mesenteric adipose tissue of Chinese Erhualian pigs. A number of differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs were identified among the four adipose tissues. Tissue-specific analysis indicated that circRNAs exhibited the highest tissue specificity among mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs, whereas intramuscular adipose tissue had the most tissue-specific genes among the four adipose tissues. Gene Ontology analysis showed that differentially expressed mRNAs among groups were involved mainly in lipid metabolism and immune inflammatory response processes. Furthermore, the co-expression network construction of mRNAs-lncRNAs revealed that several important lncRNAs, such as MSTRG.426159 and MSTRG.604206, might associate with lipid metabolic process. Taken together, these data provide a genome-wide resource of mRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs potentially involved in porcine fat metabolism, thus improving understanding of their function in diverse adipose tissues.

卡萨巴赫-梅里特综合征（KMS）是一种由巨大血管瘤导致的以血小板减少和消耗性凝血功能障碍为表现的疾病，多见于婴幼儿。本例报道为1例成人KMS患者，经长春地辛等治疗后症状得以改善，血小板和凝血功能未进一步恶化，可维持在一定水平。.

The process of photovoltaic grid connected power generation can be divided into two key links: (1) the conversion link of light energy to DC power, mainly the study of photovoltaic cell and its maximum power point control; (2) the link of DC to alternating current, mainly the study of inverter topology and its control method. Focusing on the first link, Based on the analysis of the equivalent model and output characteristics of photovoltaic cells, the maximum power point tracking method based on conductance increment method is studied. By establishing the state space mathematical model of the boost transform circuit, the maximum power point tracking is realized in the boost transform circuit by the triangle wave comparison control method. Simulation results show that this method can achieve good tracking performance under severe illumination changes, and the average tracking efficiency is over 94%. The output power of photovoltaic cell module can reach 99.46% of the maximum power point under constant illumination conditions, and the conversion efficiency of the converter is 99.15%.

Onchocerciasis in camels is caused by adult Onchocerca spp. and results in great economic losses to the camel industry. However, only a few studies on Onchocerca have been conducted, especially regarding the intermediate host and vector(s). In the present study, 192 camels were examined from December and January during 2013 and 2016, and the filarial larvae suspected to be Onchocerca spp. were further identified. Furthermore, aquatic dipteran insects in the living environment of camels were collected from May to September between 2013 and 2017 and dissected. Eventually, onchocercal lesions were observed in 95 of 192 (49%) camels and the captured insects were classified into 49 species from 42 genera in 21 families, among which 18 species were newly recorded in Inner Mongolia and 14 were haematophagous species. The filarial larvae were found in Culicoides puncticollis and identified as Onchocerca fasciata, indicating that C. puncticollis is the vector of O. fasciata in Inner Mongolia. These findings provide an estimate of onchocerciasis infection in camels and an alternative method of identifying insects and screening vectors using molecular methods. Important data are also provided for the diagnosis and control of onchocerciasis, thereby further filling the gap in knowledge regarding transmission vectors in China.

DIRC1, Disrupted in Renal Cancer 1, was identified as a breakpoint-spanning gene in a chromosomal translocation, which was associated with the onset and progression of some cancers. However, the expression in human gastric cancer (GC) and the role of DIRC1 in human gastric tumorigenesis are unknown. Thereby, the main purpose of this study was to unearth the association of DIRC1 with GC.By analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets, the expression of DIRC1 in GC and normal gastric tissues were compared. Besides, its association with clinicopathological significance, overall survival (OS) and independent prognosis were analyzed by Pearson's x2 test, Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively. Functionally, the knockdown of DIRC1 was performed by siRNA method; moreover, its effects on the proliferation and metastasis of GC cells were examined by CCK-8 and transwell assays. Furthermore, the key markers of protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling were tested by Western blot assay.The results showed that high expression of DIRC1 was found in GC tissues compared with normal gastric tissues. High expression of DIRC1 was associated with more cases of severer tumor malignancy and shorter OS; besides, high-level of DIRC1 was suggested to be an independent prognostic factor for GC. Furthermore, the knockdown of DIRC1 inhibited SGC-7901 GC cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Mechanically, the activity of AKT/mTOR signaling was suppressed by the knockdown of DIRC1.These findings offer clinical associations and an in vitro evidence showing that the knockdown of DIRC1 impeded the GC carcinogenicity possibly via suppression of AKT/mTOR signaling. This work might provide a potential therapeutic target for GC treatment.

In view of the problems of low solar energy utilization efficiency, drying efficiency to be improved and sludge adhesion in the process of solar drying sludge, the research was carried out on the heat collection effect of solar collectors, sludge drying characteristics and sludge drying process, as well as the influence of sludge drying process parameters on the sludge drying rate such as hot air temperature, solar radiation intensity and air substitution,. on the self-built industrial simulation test bench. The results show that: the maximum temperature difference between the inside and the outdoor environment of the solar collectors is 36°C, when the outdoor environment temperature of the developed solar collectors is 13-26°C; the optimum process parameters of sludge drying rate under the experimental conditions that the moisture content of wet sludge is 82.7%, are as follows: the temperature of hot air is 43°C, the maximum solar radiation intensity (about 12:00), the optimal flow rate of air is controlled at 1.2m/s, the thickness of the material layer is 3cm, the large contact between air and materials improves the problem of sludge adhesion. All which provide a theoretical basis for the implementation on the industrialization of solar drying sludge.

SUMMARY Background Several studies had demonstrated that leucocyte antibodies including anti-human leucocyte antigen (anti-HLA) antibodies (class I and class II) and anti-human neutrophil antigen (anti-HNA) antibodies (HNA-1, -2 and -3) present in the blood products are responsible for transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). Therefore, selection of blood products exclusive of anti-HLA and anti-HNA antibodies may lower the risk of TRALI reaction. However, the prevalence of leucocyte antibodies among blood donors in China is currently not known. Study design and methods Blood samples were collected from 454 male and 560 female donors (143 nulliparous and 417 multiparous female). HLA class I and II antibodies were analyzed by bead assays. Anti-HNA-1 and -2 antibodies were screened by the LABScreen assay (One Lambda Inc.), and HNA-3 were detected by antigen capture assay, and confirmed by the granulocyte agglutination test (GAT). Results Screening of the total cohort showed higher prevalence of HLA antibodies in female compared with male donors (19·64 vs 4·63%). We found antibodies against HLA class I (13·21%) and HLA class II (11·43%) in 560 female donors. The most frequent antibodies against HLA class I and II in parous females (n = 69) reacted with were A*11 (28·81%), B*07 (42·37%), Cw*07 (20·34%) and DRB1*04 (40·43%) molecules. Among 778 donors (randomly selected from 1014 donors), we found three donors with neutrophil reactive antibodies, two against HNA-2 and one without known specificity. Anti-HNA-3 antibodies were not found so far. Conclusion In this study, we found alloimmunization against HLA class I, II and HNA in 4·63, 24·70 and 0·39%, respectively, in our female blood donors, indicating that the use of plasma containing blood products from parous female blood donors without HLA antibodies pre-testing may increase the risk of TRALI reaction. Although immunization against HNA seems to be a rare event in China, further observation is necessary to decide the necessity of HNA antibodies screening in our blood donors.

Although morphology-based phylogenetic analyses and molecular data suggested that the cycloneuralians might have emerged in the Ediacaran Period, the oldest known fossil remains of cycloneuralians were first reported from the Cambrian Fortunian Stage of South China, and to date four genera and species as well as nine indeterminate forms have been described. Here, we report the latest discoveries of cycloneuralians from the Fortunian Kuanchuanpu Formation at Zhangjiagou Lagerstatte, Dahe Village, Xixiang County, southern Shaanxi Province, South China. A new genus and species Dahescolex kuanchuanpuensis n. gen. n. sp. is described, and a previously reported genus and species Eopriapulites sphinx is re-described. Dahescolex kuanchuanpuensis n. gen. n. sp. is suggested to be a stem-lineage derivative of Scalidophora, whereas E. sphinx may represent a stem-lineage derivative of Cycloneuralia. From the fragments discovered, the new specimens are suggested to have reached millimeters in dimension, and the original individuals are estimated to have dimensions in centimeter, hence falls within the size range of macrobenthos. Therefore, at least some of the Fortunian cycloneuralians can be considered macrobenthic, and it is suggested here that the Cycloneuralia may have originated in the Fortunian macrobenthos.

Kinorhyncha is a cycloneuralian phylum with about 240 extant species, and it was not until 2015 that the first and only fossil kinorhynch species Eokinorhynchus rarus was reported. Here, we describe a new scalidophoran animal, Zhongpingscolex qinensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Cambrian Fortunian Kuanchuanpu Formation at Zhangjiagou section, southern Shaanxi Province, South China. The holotype and only specimen possesses morphology comparable to that of E. rarus. They both possess heterogeneous trunk annuli, and compared with E. rarus, Z. qinensis gen. et sp. nov. lacks a neck. Phylogenetic analysis resolves Z. qinensis gen. et sp. nov. as the sister group of E. rarus, both constituting stem-lineage derivatives of Kinorhyncha. The evolutionary scenario from the last common ancestor of crown-group Scalidophora to the last common ancestor of total-group Kinorhyncha includes the acquisition of a much shortened body with a relatively low body length to width ratio, heterogeneous trunk annuli, and macroannuli with simple armatures. The spines, large spinose sclerites, and annular rings of rectangular plates are autapomorphic to E. rarus, and segments (zonites) with independent cuticular plates as in crown-group kinorhynchs were evolved later.

ZnS:Ag was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction method with different Ag concentrations, from 0.05 to 5 mol%, Ag, Al co-doping concentrations, from 0.025 to 0.5 mol% ea., and under broad ranges of reaction temperature, from 60 to 200 °C, and reaction time, from 2 to 10 h. Samples were characterized on their structure, morphology, and luminescence by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL), and radioluminescence under X-ray excitation (RL) measurements, respectively. SEM results suggested that nucleation and growth of ZnS:Ag occurred on the surface of microbubbles. XRD results also revealed the samples to have single cubic structure, and that crystallite size could be controlled within ca. 2–11 nm through specific combinations of reaction temperature and time. PL measurements revealed the contribution of distinct luminescence centers, and that blue/red emission could be tuned by the reaction conditions. It was found that PL and RL output was maximized with nominal 0.l-0.2 mol% Ag, and with nominal 0.1 mol% ea. Ag, Al co-doping.

In order to study the buffering effect of the structure when it enters the sea at high speed in the air, an effective test method is established in this paper. The experimental method can effectively observe the motion state of the structure body and the deformation process of the buffer structure, and the impact response data collected by the acceleration sensor provides an important reference for the research. The results show that the cushioning device installed on the head of the structure can effectively reduce the overload at the moment of water impact, and the choice of protective material will affect the cushioning energy absorption effect.

Objective Quantitative analysis and comparison of the expression of ribonucleic acid （RNA） from frozen organs and formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded （FFPE） tissues. Methods Frozen specimens of human brain, myocardium and liver tissues as well as FFPE samples at different postmortem intervals were collected and mass concentration of RNA was extracted and detected. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction （RT-qPCR） technology was used to analyze the amplification efficiency and relative expression of each RNA marker. Results The mass concentration and integrity of RNA extracted from FFPE samples were relatively low compared with frozen specimens. The amplification efficiency of RNA markers was related with RNA species and the length of amplification products. Among them, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase （GAPDH） and β-actin （ACTB） with relatively long amplification products failed to achieve optimal amplification efficiency, whereas 5S ribosomal RNA （5S rRNA） achieved ideal amplification efficiency and showed quite stable expression across various tissues, therefore it was chosen as internal reference marker. The expression quantity of GAPDH and ACTB in frozen specimens with longer postmortem intervals and in FFPE samples with relatively long amplification products was decreased. The expressions of tissue-specific microRNAs （miRNAs）, GAPDH and ACTB with relatively short amplification products had consistency in the same tissues and FFPE samples. Conclusion Through standardizing the RT-qPCR experiment, selecting the appropriate RNA marker and designing primers of appropriate product length, RNA expression levels of FFPE samples can be accurately quantified.冻存器官和甲醛固定石蜡包埋组织中RNA的定量表达.目的 定量分析并对比冻存器官和甲醛固定石蜡包埋（formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded，FFPE）组织中核糖核酸（ribonucleic acid，RNA）的表达情况。 方法 选取不同死亡时间人体脑、心肌和肝组织的冻存及FFPE样本，提取并检测RNA质量浓度，运用实时荧光定量反转录聚合酶链反应（reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction，RT-qPCR）技术分析各RNA指标的扩增效率及相对表达量。 结果 与冻存样本相比，FFPE样本中所提取RNA的质量浓度和完整性相对较低。各RNA指标扩增效率与RNA种类及扩增产物长度有关，其中扩增产物较长的甘油醛-3-磷酸脱氢酶（glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase，GAPDH）及β-肌动蛋白（β-actin，ACTB）扩增效率不理想，而5S核糖体RNA（5S ribosomal RNA，5S rRNA）扩增效率理想且在各组织中表达稳定，故选为内参指标。较长死亡时间的冻存样本及FFPE样本中扩增产物较长的GAPDH及ACTB表达量下降，而组织特异性微小RNA（microRNA，miRNA）以及扩增产物较短的GAPDH和ACTB在同一组织冻存和FFPE样本中表达具有一致性。 结论 通过标准化RT-qPCR实验，选取合适的RNA指标及设计合适产物长度的引物，能够准确定量FFPE样本中RNA的表达水平。.法医病理学；核糖核酸；石蜡包埋；冷冻保存；反转录聚合酶链反应；核糖核酸完整性指数.

Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) plays a major role in repairing impaired intestinal mucosa, but its mechanism in the improvement of intestinal barrier function during the aging process remains unclear. In this study, 26-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to control group and GLP-2 group treated with a dose of 250 μg•kg-1•d-1 by intraperitoneal injection. After 14 days of treatment, intestinal mucosal morphometric changes were observed by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Small intestinal permeability was evaluated by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextran. The mRNA and protein expression of Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, claudin-1 and the GLP-2 receptor (GLP-2R) were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blot. Our results showed that GLP-2 administration significantly improved the age-related atrophy of intestinal mucosa and villi and increased small intestinal permeability. The mRNA and protein expression of ZO-1and occludin in ileum were up regulated in the GLP-2-treated old rats. In addition, the serum GLP-2 levels were negatively correlated with small intestinal permeability measured by FITC-dextran levels (r=-0.610, P

BACKGROUND: The reasonable ratio of total parenteral nutrition after tumour surgery is beneficial in the recovery of postoperative patients. However, in clinical practice, the normative application of nutritional support does not catch clinical attention. PURPOSE: To introduce the development of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) control software which is led by pharmacists in a cancer-specialised hospital, and evaluate the effect of the application of TPN control software on the standardisation of TPN orders in patients with colorectal cancer after surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Based on the hospital information system (HIS), pharmacists and information technology professionals joint-developed a suitable TPN control software which could manage the range of the total heat, glycolipid ratio, the ratio of heat to nitrogen, electrolytes and other indexes. The system was applied in the Surgical Department of Abdominal Oncology on 1 July 2015, and the TPN prescription standardisation effect of the system was evaluated by comparing the information on colorectal cancer patients treated 3 months after the application of the system to the control participants treated 3 months’ before. RESULTS: A total of 387 TPN prescription-treated patients with colorectal cancer, who underwent surgery, were analysed. The cohort comprised 200 participants, who received the treatment 3 months before the application of theTPN prescription system and 187 participants, who received the treatment 3 months’ after. The sex, age, performance status (PS) score and body mass index (BMI) of the two groups did not differ significantly (p>0.05). The rates of optimised TPN prescriptions after implementation of the TPN control system increased significantly (p

Background Identifying pneumonia using diagnosis codes alone may be insufficient for research on clinical decision making. Natural language processing (NLP) may enable the inclusion of cases missed by diagnosis codes. Objectives This article (1) develops a NLP tool that identifies the clinical assertion of pneumonia from physician emergency department (ED) notes, and (2) compares classification methods using diagnosis codes versus NLP against a gold standard of manual chart review to identify patients initially treated for pneumonia. Methods Among a national population of ED visits occurring between 2006 and 2012 across the Veterans Affairs health system, we extracted 811 physician documents containing search terms for pneumonia for training, and 100 random documents for validation. Two reviewers annotated span- and document-level classifications of the clinical assertion of pneumonia. An NLP tool using a support vector machine was trained on the enriched documents. We extracted diagnosis codes assigned in the ED and upon hospital discharge and calculated performance characteristics for diagnosis codes, NLP, and NLP plus diagnosis codes against manual review in training and validation sets. Results Among the training documents, 51% contained clinical assertions of pneumonia; in the validation set, 9% were classified with pneumonia, of which 100% contained pneumonia search terms. After enriching with search terms, the NLP system alone demonstrated a recall/sensitivity of 0.72 (training) and 0.55 (validation), and a precision/positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.89 (training) and 0.71 (validation). ED-assigned diagnostic codes demonstrated lower recall/sensitivity (0.48 and 0.44) but higher precision/PPV (0.95 in training, 1.0 in validation); the NLP system identified more “possible-treated” cases than diagnostic coding. An approach combining NLP and ED-assigned diagnostic coding classification achieved the best performance (sensitivity 0.89 and PPV 0.80). Conclusion System-wide application of NLP to clinical text can increase capture of initial diagnostic hypotheses, an important inclusion when studying diagnosis and clinical decision-making under uncertainty.

The chemical composition and nature of textile finishes play an important role in their properties, functions, and applications. Therefore, textile manufacturing plants and testing laboratories often conduct fiber content and composition analysis of textiles as well as chemical assessment of textile finishes. Test methods also exist to assess the nature of the compound used and its efficiency as antibacterial, insect-repellent, stain-free, and UV protective additive and/or finish. In the latter case, UV protection involves both the wearer of the clothing as well as the textile itself. Resistance to chemicals may also be assessed in terms of the effect of the chemical on the textile material as well as the permeability of the textile to chemicals in solid, liquid, vapor, and gas form. Finally, because sustainable manufacturing has become a concern for all, test methods have been developed to quantify the ability of a textile to biodegrade.

A hybrid phase field multiple relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is presented in this paper for simulation of multiphase flows with large density contrast. In the present method, the flow field is solved by a lattice Boltzmann equation. Concurrently, the interface of two fluids is captured by solving the macroscopic Cahn-Hilliard equation using the upwind scheme. To be specific, for simulation of the flow field, an lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) model developed in Shao et al. (Physical Review E, 89 (2014), 033309) for consideration of density contrast in the momentum equation is used. Moreover, in the present work, the multiple relaxation time collision operator is applied to this LBE to enable simulation of problems with large viscosity contrast or high Reynolds number. For the interface capturing, instead of solving another set of LBE as in many phase field LBMs, the macroscopic Cahn-Hilliard equation is directly solved by using a weighted essentially non-oscillatory scheme. In this way, the present hybrid phase field LBM shares full advantages of the phase field LBM while enhancing numerical stability. The ability of the present method to simulate multiphase flow problems with large density contrast is demonstrated by several numerical examples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Previous studies that utilized task-based approaches have demonstrated that the chronic use of heroin is associated with altered activity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, few studies have focused on examining the variation in resting-state functional connectivity in heroin-dependent individuals, which might help further understanding the mechanisms underlying heroin addiction. Due to the structural and functional heterogeneity of the ACC, we systematically mapped the resting-state functional connectivity patterns of three sub-regions of the ACC in heroin-dependent individuals, wondered whether the partition of three sub-regions of the ACC is feasible in heroin-dependent individuals, and identified how heroin affected the correlated activities among three sub-regions of the ACC using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the present study, fMRI data were acquired from 21 heroin-dependent individuals (Her group) and 15 non-addicted controls (CN group). Compared to controls, there were reduced functional connectivities in the dorsal ACC (dACC) and rostral ACC (rACC) networks with different areas of the dorsal striatum (the caudate and the putamen) in the Her group. Meanwhile, there exhibited an inverted alteration of pattern for orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) in the functional connectivity network with the dACC and subcallosal ACC (sACC), and a different alteration of the cerebellum and the amygdala in the functional connectivity network with the rACC and the sACC. In addition, we also found reduced connectivities between dACC and rACC, as well as reduced connectivities between sACC and dACC. Our findings of variations of functional connectivities in three sub-regions of ACC in Her group implied that these sub-regions of the ACC together with other key brain areas (such as dorsal striatum, OFC, SFG, cerebellum, amygdale, etc.) might potentially play independent and/or overlapping roles in heroin addiction, which might indicate the potential direction of future research.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a candidate gene for obesity based on its role in triglyceride hydrolysis and the partitioning of fatty acids towards storage or oxidation. Whether dietary fatty acids modify LPL associated obesity risk is unknown.We examined five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs320, rs2083637, rs17411031, rs13702, rs2197089) for potential interaction with dietary fatty acids for obesity traits in 1171 participants (333 men and 838 women, aged 45-75 y) of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS). In women, SNP rs320 interacted with dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) for body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.002) and waist circumference (WC) (P = 0.001) respectively. Higher intake of PUFA was associated with lower BMI and WC in homozygotes of the major allele (TT) (P = 0.01 and 0.005) but not in minor allele carriers (TG and GG). These interactions were replicated in an independent population, African American women of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study (n = 1334).Dietary PUFA modulated the association of LPL rs320 with obesity traits in two independent populations. These interactions may be relevant to the dietary management of obesity, particularly in women.

MiR-181a plays a critical role in modulating T cell and B cell differentiation, as well as immune response. Its abnormal expression probably participates in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). MiR-203 is involved in regulating Toll-like receptor and inducing immune tolerance. Abnormal expression or function of miR-203 is related to multiple auto-immune diseases but its role in SLE remains unclear. This study, thus, investigated the serum level of miR-181a and miR-203, to analyze their roles in diagnosing and evaluating SLE.SLE patients were recruited from our hospital, and divided into non-active and active SLE based on disease activity index, along with healthy individuals. qRT-PCR was used to quantify the serum miR-181a and miR-203 expression, and their correlation with clinical features. ROC was used to evaluate the diagnostic value on SLE, while survival curves were compared to show progression-free survival (PFS) between populations with high and low expression.SLE patients had significantly higher serum levels of miR-181a and lower miR-203, both of which were correlated with SLE activity. Expression levels of miR-181a and miR-203 were correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C reactive protein, anti-dsDNA antibody, complements, and SLEDAI score. Their expression levels had certain values in the differential diagnosis for active SLE (AUC=0.885 and 0.843). PFS in miR-181a high-expression individuals was lower than that in the low-miR-181 group (χ2=7.474, p=0.029). Whilst, miR-203 high-expression SLE patients had higher PFS than low-expression group (χ2=4.367, p=0.037).SLE patients had higher miR-181a and lower miR-203 expression, which thus may have critical implications in disease diagnosis and evaluation.