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We study the multi-waveband non-thermal emission from the pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) Vela X and G0.9 + 0.1 in the frame of a time-dependent model describing non-thermal radiation from the PWNe. In such a model, the relativistic wind of particles driven by a central pulsar blows into the ambient medium and creates a termination shock that accelerates the particles to very high energy in a PWN. The non-thermal photons in the PWN are produced both by synchrotron radiation and the inverse Compton process, with electrons coming directly from the pulsar magnetosphere and electrons being accelerated at the termination shock. We apply this model to reproduce the observed multi-waveband photon spectra of Vela X and the G0.9+0.1, both of which have been detected emitting very high energy photons. Our results indicate that TeV photons are produced by the inverse Compton scattering of the high-energy electrons in the infrared photon field in both Vela X and PWN G0.9+0.1. The TeV photons from these two PWNe may have leptonic origins.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine, turmeric, which acts against non-small cell lung cancer cell (NSCLC), lowers blood pressure, is anti-inflammatory, choleretic, and exerts anti‑oxidant effects, without any obvious toxicity in the long term. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the anticancer effect of curcumin inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of human NSCLC through the upregulation of microRNA‑192-5p (miR-192-5p) and suppression of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In the present study, treatment with curcumin inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis and increased the caspase-3 activity of A549 cells. The results also showed that, miR-192-5p relative expression of NCL-H460 cells was relatively lower than that of A549 cells, which was higher, with that of BEAS-2E cells being the highest. miR-192-5p mimics suppressed cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis of A549 cells. However, anti-miR-192-5p mimics increased cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis of A549 cells. Curcumin treatment effectively increased the relative miR‑192-5p expression and suppressed the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. miR-192-5p mimics enhanced the effect of curcumin on cell viability and apoptosis and suppressed the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in A549 cells. Anti-miR-192-5p mimics reversed the effect of curcumin on A549 cells and PI3K/Akt expression. Collectively, our findings suggested that curcumin inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of human non-small cell lung cancer cells through the upregulation of miR-192-5p and suppression of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

The “re-build up” phenomenon is a pathognomonic finding induced after hyperventilation in pediatric moyamoya disease, and is closely related to ischemic attacks. However, its precise mechanism remains unknown. In this study, MEG, MRI, and SPECT were used to clarify its mechanism in 4 children with moyamoya disease. Cerebral blood flow before and after acetazolamide administration was measured. Spontaneous magnetic brain activity was measured using a whole-head MEG system. The quantified dipole distribution was shown on 3D-MRI. The original current dipoles of the “re-build up” slow waves were predominantly located in the deep cortical sulci in the area with impaired reactivity to acetazolamide. The results suggested that the re-build up waves derive from the deep cortical sulci due to the reduction in the cerebral perfusion reserve.

Rationale Three subsets of mitochondria have been described in adult cardiomyocytes - intermyofibrillar (IMF), subsarcolemmal (SSM), and perinuclear (PN). They have been shown to differ in physiology, but whether they also vary in morphological characteristics is unknown. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is known to prevent mitochondrial dysfunction induced by acute myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), but whether IPC can also modulate mitochondrial morphology is not known. Aims Morphological characteristics of three different subsets of adult cardiac mitochondria along with the effect of ischemia and IPC on mitochondrial morphology will be investigated. Methods Mouse hearts were subjected to the following treatments (N=6 for each group): stabilization only, IPC (3x5 min cycles of global ischemia and reperfusion), ischemia only (20 min global ischemia); and IPC and ischemia. Hearts were then processed for electron microscopy and mitochondrial morphology was assessed subsequently. Results In adult cardiomyocytes, IMF mitochondria were found to be more elongated and less spherical than PN and SSM mitochondria. PN mitochondria were smaller in size when compared to the other two subsets. SSM mitochondria had similar area to IMF mitochondria but their sphericity measures were similar to PN mitochondria. Ischemia was shown to increase the sphericity parameters of all 3 subsets of mitochondria; reduce the length of IMF mitochondria, and increase the size of PN mitochondria. IPC had no effect on mitochondrial morphology either at baseline or after ischemia. Conclusion The three subsets of mitochondria in the adult heart are morphologically different. IPC does not appear to modulate mitochondrial morphology in adult cardiomyocytes.

DIXDC1 (Dishevelled-Axin domain containing 1) is a DIX (Dishevelled-Axin) domain-possessing protein that promotes colon cancer cell proliferation and increases the invasion and migration ability of non-small-cell lung cancer via the PI3K pathway. As a positive regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, the biological role of DIXDC1 in human gastric cancer and the relationship between DIXDC1 and the Wnt pathway are unclear. In the current study, the upregulation of DIXDC1 was detected in gastric cancer and was associated with advanced TNM stage cancer, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. We also found that the overexpression of DIXDC1 could promote the invasion and migration of gastric cancer cells. The upregulation of MMPs and the downregulation of E-cadherin were found to be involved in the process. DIXDC1 enhanced β-catenin nuclear accumulation, which activated the Wnt pathway. Additionally, the inhibition of β-catenin in DIXDC1-overexpressing cells reversed the metastasis promotion effects of DIXDC1. These results demonstrate that the expression of DIXDC1 is associated with poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients and that DIXDC1 promotes gastric cancer invasion and metastasis through the activation of the Wnt pathway; E-cadherin and MMPs are also involved in this process. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Myopia can cause severe visual impairment. Here, we report a two-stage genome-wide association study for three myopia-related traits in 9,804 Japanese individuals, which was extended with trans-ethnic replication in 2,674 Chinese and 2,690 Caucasian individuals. We identify WNT7B as a novel susceptibility gene for axial length (rs10453441, Pmeta=3.9 × 10(-13)) and corneal curvature (Pmeta=2.9 × 10(-40)) and confirm the previously reported association between GJD2 and myopia. WNT7B significantly associates with extreme myopia in a case-control study with 1,478 Asian patients and 4,689 controls (odds ratio (OR)meta=1.13, Pmeta=0.011). We also find in a mouse model of myopia downregulation of WNT7B expression in the cornea and upregulation in the retina, suggesting its possible role in the development of myopia.

The effects of acute and subacute toxicity of 1,8-cineole in Kunming mice were studied. After acute oral administration, the LD50 value (95% CL) was 3849 mg/kg (3488.8~4247.1 mg/kg). In the subacute toxicity study, there were no significant differences in body weight and relative organ weight between the control group and 1,8-cineole treatment groups. The histopathological examinations showed that granular degeneration and vacuolar degeneration appeared in liver and kidney tissue after administration of high dose of 1,8-cineole. Under electron microscopy, a series of ultrastructural changes were observed: The electron microscopy assays indicated that the influence of 1,8-cineole on the target organ at the subcellular level were mainly on the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and other membrane type structure of liver and kidney.

Underground excavation will influence the safety of the geotechnical surroundings. Based on the stochastic medium theory, influence on the surrounding rock and soil by underground excavation is studied. Formula for predicting movement and deformation of rock and soil mass caused by excavation are deduced, and especially for those with horizontal rectangle section, semi-analytic solution for this problem is put forward. Furthermore, a computer program is developed to compute the movement and deformation of the rock and soil mass resulted from excavation. The theory is applied in an engineering example, which shows that the results of the research are reasonable and the developed solutions can be used for safety evaluation of underground excavations.

Severe myopia (defined as spherical equivalent < −6.0 D) is a predominant problem in Asian countries, resulting in substantial morbidity. We performed a meta-analysis of four genome-wide association studies (GWAS), all of East Asian descent totaling 1603 cases and 3427 controls. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs13382811 from ZFHX1B [encoding for ZEB2] and rs6469937 from SNTB1) showed highly suggestive evidence of association with disease (P < 1 × 10 −7 ) and were brought forward for replication analysis in a further 1241 severe myopia cases and 3559 controls from a further three independent sample collections. Significant evidence of replication was observed, and both SNP markers surpassed the formal threshold for genome-wide significance upon meta-analysis of both discovery and replication stages (P = 5.79 × 10 −10 , per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 1.26 for rs13382811 and P = 2.01 × 10 −9 , per-allele OR = 0.79 for rs6469937). The observation at SNTB1 is confirmatory of a very recent GWAS on severe myopia. Both genes were expressed in the human retina, sclera, as well as the retinal pigmented epithelium. In an experimental mouse model for myopia, we observed significant alterations to gene and protein expression in the retina and sclera of the unilateral induced myopic eyes for Zfhx1b and Sntb1. These new data advance our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of severe myopia.

Refractive errors are common eye disorders of public health importance worldwide. Ocular axial length (AL) is the major determinant of refraction and thus of myopia and hyperopia. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for AL, combining 12,531 Europeans and 8,216 Asians. We identified eight genome-wide significant loci for AL (RSPO1, C3orf26, LAMA2, GJD2, ZNRF3, CD55, MIP, and ALPPL2) and confirmed one previously reported AL locus (ZC3H11B). Of the nine loci, five (LAMA2, GJD2, CD55, ALPPL2, and ZC3H11B) were associated with refraction in 18 independent cohorts (n = 23,591). Differential gene expression was observed for these loci in minus-lens-induced myopia mouse experiments and human ocular tissues. Two of the AL genes, RSPO1 and ZNRF3, are involved in Wnt signaling, a pathway playing a major role in the regulation of eyeball size. This study provides evidence of shared genes between AL and refraction, but importantly also suggests that these traits may have unique pathways.

OBJECTIVES: The EuroSCORE II is an updated version of the EuroSCORE. This multicentre study validated the EuroSCORE II and logistic EuroSCORE in Chinese patients who underwent heart valve surgery. METHODS: A total of 11 170 adult patients underwent heart valve surgery from January 2008 to December 2011. Model discrimination and calibration were assessed for both EuroSCORE II and logistic EuroSCORE. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to the weight of the procedures, and the performance of EuroSCORE II for each group was assessed. A correlation analysis was performed for operative complications and EuroSCORE II. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality of this series was 2.02% (226 of 11 170), and the predicted mortality rate was 2.62 ± 5.75% by EuroSCORE II and 2.55 ± 6.51% by logistic EuroSCORE (LES). The C-statistics of EuroSCORE II and LES were 0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–0.75] and 0.67 (95% CI 0.63–0.70), respectively. Both models failed the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, with a P< 0.05. According to the weight of the procedure, the isolated non-CABG subgroup had the best discrimination (C-statistics: 0.76 in the non-CABG group, 0.67 in the 2 procedures group and 0.73 in the 3+ procedures group). The complication ratio was strongly related to the EuroSCORE II-predicted mortality (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.90 for ARDS, 0.97 for acute renal failure, 0.97 for prolonged ventilation and 0.94 for a prolonged ICU stay). CONCLUSIONS: EuroSCORE II was an improvement upon its original logistic model for Chinese patients who underwent heart valve surgery, particularly for a single-valve procedure. The EuroSCORE II-predicted mortality correlated with the operative complications.

According to the water quality monitoring data for four sections of Danjiangkou reservoir conveying water for South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project from 2006 to 2009, individual evaluation and Comprehensive Evaluation were employed for water environmental quality evaluation with visualize classification on the ground of water quality standard classification, the results indicated most of evaluation indexes were within Class I or II except TN exceeding Class III and thus overall water quality could satisfy water quality requirements for supplying of South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route Project.

Chromite Ore Processing Residue (COPR) is the byproduct of chromate production process, which contains a large amounts of Cr(VI). The present work developed a new technique to treat COPR, and the process involved mixing the COPR with waste tyre followed by pyrolysis. It was found that the reducing volatile fraction generated during pyrolysis of tyre was beneficial to Cr(VI) reduction. In the study, process variables, such as the amount of tyre added to COPR, heating temperature and particle size, were systematically varied, and their influences on the Cr(VI) reduction in COPR were all investigated. After pyrolysis, Cr(VI) decreased greatly, from 3400 for untreated COPR to less than 30 mg kg-1 for treated COPR at 600°C.

In Quzhou County, Hebei Province where now intensive farming system is operated, original grassland and farming land under different tillage, crop straw return and fertilization measures were studied using isotope carbon for the analysis of the impact on soil organic carbon (SOC) properties. The research indicated that after change into farmland (34 years), SOC is significantly reduced and for 1 m of soil layer, the scope of reduction is from 13.3%-35% and this decrease happens in 0-40 cm of soil layer. After 8 years of fertilization, SOC can be increased at 0.83 g x kg(-1). No-tillage can significantly increase the SOC especially in 0-10 cm but plough will increase the SOC at 10-15 cm and 15-20 cm. Change of delta13 C of SOC due to land use change mainly happens in 0-20 cm, where input of organic materials from maize stored. In soil layer of 0-5 cm, only maximum 18% of SOC is from crop residues and in 15-20 cm, this percentage is about 5%.