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Based on atmospheric monitoring data and the WRF-CAMx model, this study analyzed the characteristics of air pollution and performed a quantitative assessment of PM 2.5 cross-border transport in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region in January 2016. The results showed that the average concentrations of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , NO 2 , and CO were 89.5 μg·m -3 , 135.61μg·m -3 , 57.55μg·m -3 , 60.79μg·m -3 , and 2.12 mg·m -3 , respectively, indicating severe PM 2.5 pollution. During the study period, surface-level PM 2.5 in each city of BTH region was dominated by local emissions, which accounted for 45.4% to 69.9%. The regional transport contribution was supplemented by transport from within and outside of the BTH region, accounting for 4.8% to 49.7% and 4.9% to 29.6%, respectively. In addition, high wind speeds promoted the diffusion of local PM 2.5 pollution and cities with high upwind pollution enhance regional-scale transport to downwind cities. The total inflow, outflow, and net flux of PM 2.5 in Beijing (Shijiazhuang) in January 2016 were 1582.96 t·d -1 (2036.89 t·d -1 ), -1171.09 t·d -1 (-1879.12 t·d -1 ), and 411.87 t·d -1 (157.77 t·d -1 ), respectively, indicating that PM 2.5 inputs from surrounding cities per unit time were higher than external inputs to the surrounding cities. Furthermore, net PM 2.5 flux showed notable vertical evolution; the total net flux of PM 2.5 in Beijing and Shijiazhuang below 1782 m ranged from 17.86 to 64.18 t·d -1 and -2.95 to 134.81 t·d -1 , respectively, and both peaked 817 m above the ground at 64.18 and 134.81 t·d -1 . Moreover, a significant increase the net PM 2.5 inflow flux in Zhangjiakou and Shanxi explained the observed net flux peaks in these two cities.

Pore structure and fractal dimensions can characterize the adsorption, desorption and seepage characteristics of shale gas reservoirs. In this study, pore structure, fractal characteristics and influencing factors were studied of the Longmaxi formation shale gas reservoir in southeastern Chongqing, China. Scanning electron microscopy was used to describe the characteristics of various reservoirs. High pressure mercury intrusion and low temperature liquid N₂ and CO₂ adsorption experiments were used to obtain pore structure parameters. V-S model, FHH model and Menger sponge model were selected to calculate the micropore, mesopore and macropore fractal dimensions, respectively. The results show that organic matter pores, inter-granular pores, intra-granular pores and micro-fractures are developed within the shale, and the pore morphology is mostly ink pores and parallel plate pores with aperture essentially in the 1-2 nm and 2-50 nm ranges. Moreover, macropores are the most complex in these samples, with mesopores being less complex than macropores, and the micropores being the simplest. D 1 (micropore fractal dimension) ranges from 2.31 to 2.50, D ₂ (mesopore fractal dimension) ranges from 2.74 to 2.83, D ₃ (macropore fractal dimension) ranges from 2.87 to 2.95, and D t (comprehensive fractal dimension) ranges from 2.69 to 2.83 of fractal characteristics. D 1 and D ₂ are mainly controlled by TOC content, while D ₃ and D t are mainly controlled by brittle and clay mineral content. These results may be helpful for exploration and the development of shale gas in southeastern Chongqing, China.

Abnormal scarring is a consequence of dysregulation in the wound healing process, with limited options for effective and noninvasive therapies. Given the ability of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) to penetrate skin and regulate gene expression within, we investigated whether gold-core SNAs (AuSNAs) and liposome-core SNAs (LSNAs) bearing antisense oligonucleotides targeting transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF- β 1) can function as a topical therapy for scarring. Importantly, both SNA constructs appreciably downregulated TGF- β 1 protein expression in primary hypertrophic and keloid scar fibroblasts in vitro. In vivo, topically applied AuSNAs and LSNAs downregulated TGF- β 1 protein expression levels and improved scar histology as determined by the scar elevation index. These data underscore the potential of SNAs as a localized, self-manageable treatment for skin-related diseases and disorders that are driven by increased gene expression., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following competing financial interest(s): C.A.M. has financial interests in Exicure, Inc, which could potentially benefit from the outcomes of this research.

De novo protein structure prediction can be treated as a conformational space optimization problem under the guidance of an energy function. However, it is a challenge of how to design an accurate energy function which ensures low-energy conformations close to native structures. Fortunately, recent studies have shown that the accuracy of de novo protein structure prediction can be significantly improved by integrating the residue-residue distance information. In this paper, a two-stage distance feature-based optimization algorithm (TDFO) for de novo protein structure prediction is proposed within the framework of evolutionary algorithm. In TDFO, a similarity model is first designed by using feature information which is extracted from distance profiles by bisecting K-means algorithm. The similarity model-based selection strategy is then developed to guide conformation search, and thus improve the quality of the predicted models. Moreover, global and local mutation strategies are designed, and a state estimation strategy is also proposed to strike a trade-off between the exploration and exploitation of the search space. Experimental results of 35 benchmark proteins show that the proposed TDFO can improve prediction accuracy for a large portion of test proteins.

Taking the "9.3" military parade in 2015 and two red alerts of heavy air pollution in December of the same year as examples, the characteristics of meteorological factors and pollutant concentration variation were compared. Based on the estimation of pollutant emission reduction under different periods, the WRF-CAMx model was used to evaluate the effect of PM 2.5 pollution improvement. The results showed that the daily average PM 2.5 concentration (19.0 μg·m -3 ) during the parade (from August 20 to September 4) decreased by 60.0% and 48.0%, respectively, in comparison to that before (August 15-19) and after (September 5-15) the parade. The daily average PM 2.5 concentration (232.3 μg·m -3 ) during the first red alert period was higher than that of the second red alert (216.6 μg·m -3 ). The air quality before the second red alert was better than that before the first red alert. The proportion of emission reduction during the parade was generally larger than that during the red alert periods, which provided a controllable and favorable condition for the realization of the "Parade Blue". The PM 2.5 concentration in Beijing decreased by 32.4%, 17.1%, and 22.0% under the control measures during the periods of the "9.3" parade, the first red alert, and second red alert, respectively. The higher proportion of PM 2.5 concentration reduction could be attributed to the more intensive regional emission reduction and the favorable meteorological conditions. The intensity of the pollution reduction, the timing of the implementation of emergency control measures, and meteorological conditions were the most important factors that may have influenced the improvement of pollution.

The pollution characteristics of surface ozone and its response to meteorological factors and precursors were studied based on monitoring and Model-3/CMAQ modeling from May to August 2018 in Handan City, China. The monitoring results showed that the maximum daily 8-hour average ozone concentration (MDA8 O 3 ) ranged from 38.0-238.0 μg·m -3 , and the nonattainment for ozone reached 44.7% during the studied period, indicating the more severe photochemical pollution in summer in Handan City. The ozone concentration was positively correlated with temperature ( R =0.74 on nonattainment days and 0.42 on attainment days), but negatively correlated with relative humidity ( R =-0.63 on nonattainment days and -0.58 on attainment days), demonstrating the role of photochemistry in the surface ozone of Handan City. Moreover, the highest ozone level occurred at wind speeds higher than 2.25 m·s -1 or lower than 1.00 m·s -1 during ozone nonattainment days, which indicated that regional transport and local accumulation can both cause serious ozone pollution in the city. Regarding the response of ozone to its precursors (VOCs and NO x ), model simulation results based on the brute force method showed the stronger positive sensitivity to VOCs, but a weak negative sensitivity to NO x . Therefore, reduction of anthropogenic VOCs emissions is the key to improving ozone pollution in Handan City. We used the propylene-equivalent method to identify the importance of alkene and aromatic species for ozone pollution during ozone nonattainment days.

Objective To prospectively evaluate the correlation between intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived parameters and CT perfusion parameters as well as the pathological grade in insulinoma. Methods A total of 55 patients with suspected insulinoma undergoing IVIM and CT perfusion scans were prospectively enrolled. The images were post-processed to obtain IVIM parameters including apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC),diffusion (D),perfusion correlated diffusion (D*),and f,and CT perfusion parameters including blood flow (BF),blood volume (BV),and permeability (PM). The pathological specimens were stained to obtain pathological parameters including the grading,ki-67 index,and the mitotic count. The IVIM derived parameters of normal pancreas including head,body,and tail as well as that of the pancreatic insulinoma were compared. The correlation between IVIM parameters and CT perfusion parameters as well as the pathological parameters was analyzed. Results ADC and D values of pancreatic tail were significantly lower than those of the pancreatic head and neck (all P <0.001). There were significant differences in all IVIM parameters between insulinoma and normal pancreas (all P <0.001). The ADC and f value of the normal pancreas was positively correlated with BF ( r =0.437, P =0.003; r =0.357, P =0.010). There is no correlation between the remaining IVIM parameters and the CT perfusion parameters as well as between IVIM parameters and pathological parameters (all P >0.05). Conclusions IVIM parameters differ at different anatomical parts of normal pancreas. IVIM parameters can distinguish normal pancreatic parenchyma from insulinoma. The ADC value is weakly correlated with BF.

The key ecological function area plays an important role in providing ecosystem service. As the main players of economic activities in this area, the excessive dependence of local farmers on environmental resource will seriously influence ecological environment quality, and thus impair the ecosystem service. At present, it is urgent to explore the dependence of farmers' livelihoods on environmental resource and its influencing factors in key ecological function areas, which would provide reference for the formulation of environmental friendly regional development policies. We selected the Gannan Plateau as study area. Based on 581 survey data, we analyzed the dependence of farmers' livelihood on environmental resource, and used the ordinal multi-class Logistic regression model to identify its key impact factors. The results showed that local farmers were highly dependent on environmental resource in Gannan Plateau, which was mainly reflected in three aspects of food self-sufficiency, daily energy consumption and income source, with the dependence of 57.3%, 56.9% and 37.4%, respectively. There were significant differences in the dependence of different types of farmers' livelihoods on environmental resource, in that farmers with higher levels of education and higher non-agricultural levels had lower dependence and the farmers with high dependency ratio were more dependent on environmental resources. The factors including family dependency ratio, labor education level, proportion of migrant workers in labor force, family member leadership, ecological policy, and altitude had significant impact on farmers' environmental resource dependence. Among them, family dependency ratio and altitude had positive impact on it, while the proportion of migrant workers in labor force, labor education level, family member leadership, ecological policy had negative impact.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region experienced a heavy pollution episode in December 2016. Beijing and Tianjin issued a red alert from 20:00 December 16 to 24:00 December 21, while every city in Hebei Province (except Zhangjiakou, Chengde, and Qinhuangdao) issued a red alert from 00:00 December 16 to 18:00 December 22. In order to study the process of heavy pollution and the effect of implementing emergency measures, pollutant concentrations, meteorological conditions, air mass transmission and region transmission, and control effects were analyzed based on environmental monitoring data and simulation. Mean PM 2.5 concentrations during the heavy pollution episode in each city all exceeded 200 μg·m -3 and the peak value of hourly averaged concentration (834.5 μg·m -3 ) occurred in Handan. The meteorological conditions during the heavy pollution episode restricted the diffusion of pollutants, with low pressure and air mass transmission exacerbating the problem. The mean fraction of PM 2.5 concentrations in local emissions was 47.1%, but this differed between cities due to variable meteorological conditions. The average reduction of PM 2.5 concentrations was 27.6%, indicating that the implementation of a red alert measure was effective. If the emergency measures had been implemented a few days earlier, a greater reduction ratio would have been achieved; a 4.4% greater average reduction in PM 2.5 concentrations would have occurred if the measures were implemented two days earlier, while taking action three or more days in advance would not have achieved significant improvement.

In this study, the Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) was used to conduct real-time and continuous comprehensive observation of chemical components in non-refractory submicron aerosols (NR-PM 1 ) from October 15 to November 15, 2016. In addition to that, the evolution characteristics of NR-PM 1 chemical components were discussed. The potential source contribution function (PSCF) method and a meteorology-air quality coupling model system (WRF-CAMx) were applied to identify the potential PM 2.5 emission sources and transport path in Beijing, and the vertical distribution characteristics of PM 2.5 net transport flux. The results indicate that the monthly average mass concentrations of NR-PM 1 and PM 2.5 were (59.16±57.05) μg·m -3 and (89.82±66.66) μg·m -3 , respectively. On average, NR-PM 1 accounted for (70.31±22.28)% of PM 2.5 . During the whole study period, Org, NO 3 - , SO 4 2- , NH 4 + , and Chl represented (42.75±11.35)%, (21.27±7.72)%, (19.11±7.08)%, (12.19±2.64)%, and (4.68±3.24)% of NR-PM 1 , respectively. The diurnal variation characteristics of different chemical components were disparate. The high potential source areas were mainly located in southern Hebei, northeastern Henan, and western Shandong provinces during the whole study period. During the haze episode, the potential regions of higher contribution were concentrated in Baoding, southern Beijing, and Langfang. The simulation results of WRF-CAMx showed that the vertical distribution characteristics of PM 2.5 net flux varied with different altitudes. The adjacent cities mainly export PM 2.5 to Beijing, and the PM 2.5 net fluxes mainly occurred at 600-800 m during the whole study period. PM 2.5 in Beijing from external sources mainly occurred in high altitudes during the early stage of the heavy pollution episode. Then it turned to near-ground transport until November 5, when the pollution was the most severe. This indicated that high-altitude and near-ground transport both played an essential role in the formation of heavy PM 2.5 pollution in Beijing during the autumn. Moreover, two important transport pathways were identified:the southwest-northeast pathway (Baoding→Beijing→Chengde) and the northwest-southeast pathway (Zhangjiakou→Beijing→Langfang-south→Tianjin).

Beijing authorities issued three red alerts for heavy air pollution at 6 pm on December 7 and 7 am on December 18, 2015, and at 1 pm on December 15, 2016, respectively. To better understand the different causes of the three red alerts and assess the effectiveness of emergency measures dealing with heavy air pollution, the PM 2.5 concentrations, meteorological conditions, weather conditions, and air mass transmission were analyzed during the red alerts using data from environmental and meteorological monitoring stations in Beijing. All three red alerts were affected by secondary transformation, but the high PM 2.5 concentrations were mainly affected by meteorological conditions. During the first and second red alerts, the ground in Beijing was controlled by a uniform pressure field and the regional transport was mainly affected by southwestern and southern air masses. During the third red alert, the ground was under the control of a wide range of low pressure and affected by the superposition of southwestern and local air masses. During the third red alert, the PM 2.5 pollution was the most serious. Its average concentration was the highest (273.6 μg·m -3 ), that is, 1.2 times and 1.3 times higher than that of the previous two alerts, respectively. The WRF-CMAQ model was used in combination with the emission reduction of each source to evaluate the effects of the emergency measures related to the third red alert. The results show that the average daily emission reduction of pollutants was 678.4 t, the average concentration of PM 2.5 decreased by 79.1 μg·m -3 , and the average reduction ratio was 26.9% after the emergency measures were implemented. The increase of coal-fires, traffic, and other sources control the emergency measures, early alert start-up time, and inter-region joint prevention and effectively mitigate the increasing PM 2.5 concentration.

Atmospheric particulate matter is the primary pollutant affecting the ambient air quality in most Chinese cities. In recent years, with the progress of monitoring technology and improvement in sampling equipment, the relevant research objects gradually shift from larger particle sizes (PM 10 and PM 2.5 ) to smaller particle size (PM 1 ). The carbonaceous component is an important part of atmospheric particulate matter. Taking Beijing as the research area, sampling for PM 2.5 and PM 1 was conducted in July and October of 2016, and January and April of 2017 as representative months of four seasons. Mass concentrations and seasonal variation characteristics for PM 2.5 and PM 1 were analyzed. The two-layer, nested, meteorology-air quality coupling model system (WRF-CMAQ) was used to model air circulation during the sampling period and thus analyze the source contributions for PM 2.5 and PM 1 . The factor analysis method was also used to analyze the source apportionment of carbonaceous components. The results are as followed:the mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 1 showed an increasing trend by spring, summer, autumn and winter. PM 1 was the main part of PM 2.5 , and with the increasing frequency of haze in autumn and winter, the mass concentration ratio of PM 1 /PM 2.5 became significantly higher. The authors contend that secondary pollution exists in Beijing's atmosphere, and SOC is more likely to accumulate in smaller particle size. Widespread coal combustion, vehicle emission, residential emission source and biomass combustion emissions are the major contributors to atmospheric particulates, while gasoline engine exhaust, diesel vehicle exhaust, biomass combustion and coal combustion emission are the main source of carbonaceous components in PM 2.5 and PM 1 in Beijing.

The iron and steel industry, which discharges a large amount of pollutants including SO 2 , NO x , and PM 2.5 , is the main source of atmospheric pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Based on the bottom-up method, a high temporal and spatial resolution emission inventory of the iron and steel industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was developed, which took into account the multiple air pollutants released during coking, sintering, pelletizing, ironmaking, steelmaking, and the steel rolling process. As the emission inventory showed, the total emissions of SO 2 , NO x , TSP, PM 10 , PM 2.5 , CO, and VOC from the iron and steel industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in 2015 were 388.2, 272.3, 791.9, 531.5, 386.8, 8233.8, and 265.3 kilotons, respectively, among which, sintering and pelletizing were the two processes discharging the most pollutants (17.0%-72.0%), followed by the ironmaking process (4.6%-42.4%) and the steel rolling process (3.5%-35.7%); the iron and steel industry in Tangshan discharged the most pollutants (39.1%-63.5%) among those in all the 13 cities. The impact of the iron and steel industry on the regional PM 2.5 concentration was simulated by a two-layer nested meteorology-air quality coupling model system (WRF-CMAx) with Particulate Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT). The simulation results showed that the iron and steel industry contributed 14.0%, 15.9%, 12.3%, and 8.7% of the PM 2.5 concentrations of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively, and that the iron and steel industry had the most significant impact on the PM 2.5 concentrations in Tangshan among all the 13 cities, with a contribution rate up to 41.2%, followed by those in Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang, and Handan, with contributions of 19.3%, 15.3%, and 15.1%, respectively. The iron and steel industry has an important impact on the PM 2.5 concentration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to which the government should pay more attention, and take more effective control measures to address this problem.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses., Methods: Twenty-one patients with advanced ACC in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses were treated in our department between February, 2007 and May, 2016. The clinical manifestations, T-stage, N-status, treatment, histological grade, recurrence and distant metastasis of the tumors were analyzed. Univariate survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test, and the factors affecting the prognosis of the patients were explored using multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazard model., Results: Among the 21 patients, 10 (47.6%) had ACC containing less than 30% of solid tumor tissues and their overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 100%, 100% and 70%, respectively; in the 11 cases (52.4%) with solid tumor tissues no less than 30%, the overall survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 70%, 40% and 10%, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups (P=0.02). The Log-rank test and survival analysis using the covariate variable model curve indicated a significant impact of the pathological classification on the patients' prognosis. The patients in T3 stage had slightly better prognosis than those in T4 stage; tumors originating from the maxillary sinus had a slightly better prognosis than those from the sphenoid sinus. Surgery combined with radiotherapy resulted in better outcomes of the patients than surgery or radiotherapy alone. Multiariable Cox regression model analysis showed that the pathological classification (P=0.045) and the disease course (P=0.028) were closely related with the prognosis of the patients., Conclusion: ACC in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses has a low incidence without specific symptoms. Its early diagnosis can be difficult, and most of the patients are in advanced stage upon diagnosis. We recommend comprehensive treatments combining surgery, postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy for these patients. The pathological classification, disease course, lesion site, clinical stage, treatment approache, compromise of the peripheral nerves, status at the edge of resection, and postoperative radiotherapy dose can all be factors affecting the prognosis of patients with advanced ACC.

Activation of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) receptor (IGF1R) signaling induces keratinocyte migration, but little is known about its regulation, including in diabetic wounds. GM3, a lipid raft ganglioside synthesized by GM3 synthase (GM3S), regulates receptor signaling. In diabetic mice, knockout or topically applied nanoconstruct-mediated knockdown of GM3S promotes wound edge IGF1R phosphorylation and re-epithelialization. Through modulating GM3 expression, we explored the role of GM3 in regulating human keratinocyte IGF1R signaling. Increases in GM3 and GM3S expression, including by exposure to high glucose, inhibit keratinocyte migration and IGF-1-induced chemotaxis in association with inhibition of IGF1R phosphorylation, suppression of Rac1 signaling, and activation of RhoA signaling. In contrast, GM3 depletion accelerates cell migration; increases cell velocity, displacement, and persistence; and activates IGF1R-Rac1 signaling. These data implicate GM3 in mediating glucose-induced suppression of IGF1R-Rac1 signaling. Furthermore, our findings provide evidence of a pivotal role for GM3-induced insulin resistance in impairing keratinocyte migration and reinforce the previously published studies in diabetic mice supporting GM3-depleting strategies as an approach for accelerating the healing of human diabetic wounds., (Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The mechanisms of how signaling pathways are coordinated and integrated for the maintenance of the self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and the acquisition of pluripotency in reprogramming are still only partly understood. CDK1 is a key regulator of mitosis. Recently, CDK1 has been shown to be involved in regulating self-renewal of stem cells, even though the mechanistic role of how CDK1 regulates pluripotency is unknown. In this report, we aim to understand how CDK1 can control pluripotency by reducing CDK1 activity to a level that has no effect on cell cycle progression. We demonstrated that high levels of CDK1 is associated with the pluripotency stage of hESCs; and decreased CDK1 activity to a level without perturbing the cell cycle is sufficient to induce differentiation. CDK1 specifically targets the phosphorylation of PDK1 and consequently the activity of PI3K/Akt and its effectors ERK and GSK3β. Evidence of the reversion of inactive CDK1-mediated differentiation by the inhibition of Akt signaling effectors suggests that the CDK1-PDK1-PI3K/Akt kinase cascade is a functional signaling pathway for the pluripotency of hESCs. Moreover, cyclin B1-CDK1 complexes promote somatic reprogramming efficiency, probably by regulating the maturation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as cyclin B1 stimulates a higher cellular level of LIN28A, suggesting that monitoring iPSC factors could be a new path for the enhancement of reprogramming efficiency. Together, we demonstrate an essential role for the CDK1-PDK1-PI3K/Akt kinase signaling pathway in the regulation of self-renewal, differentiation, and somatic reprogramming, which provides a novel kinase cascade mechanism for pluripotency control and acquisition.

In this study, detailed activity level of typical sector in Chengde in 2013 was obtained through a full-coverage investigation. A comprehensive emission inventory with country-level resolution in 2013 was developed based on guide of atmospheric pollutant emission inventory and updated emission factors. Then, the emission inventory within 1 km×1 km grid was generated using source-based spastial surrogates including population, road network and landuse date. Furthemore, meteorology-air quality modeling system (WRF-CMAx) including Particulate Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) module was established in order to evaluate the impact of topical sector (e. g., electric power, the production of construction materials, the metallurgical industry, etc.) on PM 2.5 concentration in January, April, July and October which were considered as the representative months of winter, spring, summer and autumn. The results showed the total emission of SO 2 , NO x , TSP, PM 10 , PM 2.5 , CO, VOCs and NH 3 in Chengde in 2013 was respectively 81134 t, 72556 t, 368750 t, 119974 t, 51152 t, 1281371 t, 170642 t and 81742 t. Industrial source was the main emission contributor of SO 2 , NO x , CO, VOCs, accounting for 89.5%, 51.9%, 82.5% and 45.6% of total emissions, respectively. The major emission source of NO x also included on-road and non-road mobile source, respectively accounting for 26.7% and 10.8%. The major emission source of TSP, PM 10 and PM 2.5 was fugitive dust, accounting for 76.7%, 65.6% and 46.54%, respectively. Ammonia emissions from animals and farm accounted for 67.1% and 15.8% of total emissions, respectively. The numerical simulation result showed that the fugitive dust, the others, the metallurgical industry and boilers industry had relatively higher contributions to PM 2.5 concentration, accounting for 23.1%, 20.6%, 13.3% and 11.2%, respectively. These emission sources should be paid more attention during the decision-making with respect to control strategies.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive disease marked by frequent recurrence and metastasis and stagnant survival rates. To enhance molecular knowledge of HNSCC and define a non-coding RNA (ncRNA) landscape of the disease, we profiled the transcriptome-wide dysregulation of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) using RNA-sequencing data from 422 HNSCC patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). 307 non-coding transcripts differentially expressed in HNSCC were significantly correlated with patient survival, and associated with mutations in TP53, CDKN2A, CASP8, PRDM9, and FBXW7 and copy number variations in chromosomes 3, 5, 7, and 18. We also observed widespread ncRNA correlation to concurrent TP53 and chromosome 3p loss, a compelling predictor of poor prognosis in HNSCCs. Three selected ncRNAs were additionally associated with tumor stage, HPV status, and other clinical characteristics, and modulation of their expression in vitro reveals differential regulation of genes involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apoptotic response. This comprehensive characterization of the HNSCC non-coding transcriptome introduces new layers of understanding for the disease, and nominates a novel panel of transcripts with potential utility as prognostic markers or therapeutic targets., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Abnormal glycosylation is catalyzed by the specific glycosyltransferases and correlates with tumor cell apoptosis. Increased fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) is seen in many types of cancer, and manipulating FUT4 expression through specific signaling pathway inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis. NF-κB is known playing a vital role to control cell growth and apoptosis. Ginsenoside Rg3 is an herbal medicine with strong antitumor activity through inhibiting tumor growth and promoting tumor cell death. However, whether Rg3-induced inhibition on tumor development involves reduced NF-κB signaling and FUT4 expression remains unknown. In the present study, we found that Rg3 suppressed FUT4 expression by abrogating the binding of NF-κB to FUT4 promoter through inhibiting the expression of signaling molecules of NF-κB pathway, reducing NF-κB DNA binding activity and NF-κB transcription activity. NF-κB inhibitor (Bay 11-7082) or knocking down p65 expression by p65 siRNA also led to a significant decreased FUT4 expression. In addition, Rg3 induced apoptosis by activating both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Moreover, in a xenograft mouse model, Rg3 downregulated FUT4 and NF-κB/p65 expression and suppressed melanoma cell growth and induced apoptosis without any noticeable toxicity. In conclusion, Rg3 induces tumor cell apoptosis correlated with its inhibitory effect on NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated FUT4 expression. Results suggest Rg3 might be a novel therapy agent for melanoma treatment.

Spherical nucleic acid (SNA) gold nanoparticle conjugates (13-nm-diameter gold cores functionalized with densely packed and highly oriented nucleic acids) dispersed in Aquaphor have been shown to penetrate the epidermal barrier of both intact mouse and human skin, enter keratinocytes, and efficiently down-regulate gene targets. ganglioside-monosialic acid 3 synthase (GM3S) is a known target that is overexpressed in diabetic mice and responsible for causing insulin resistance and impeding wound healing. GM3S SNAs increase keratinocyte migration and proliferation as well as insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) receptor activation under both normo- and hyperglycemic conditions. The topical application of GM3S SNAs (50 nM) to splinted 6-mm-diameter full-thickness wounds in diet-induced obese diabetic mice decreases local GM3S expression by >80% at the wound edge through an siRNA pathway and fully heals wounds clinically and histologically within 12 d, whereas control-treated wounds are only 50% closed. Granulation tissue area, vascularity, and IGF1 and EGF receptor phosphorylation are increased in GM3S SNA-treated wounds. These data capitalize on the unique ability of SNAs to naturally penetrate the skin and enter keratinocytes without the need for transfection agents. Moreover, the data further validate GM3 as a mediator of the delayed wound healing in type 2 diabetes and support regional GM3 depletion as a promising therapeutic direction.

Recent advances in electrodes for noninvasive recording of electroencephalograms expand opportunities collecting such data for diagnosis of neurological disorders and brain-computer interfaces. Existing technologies, however, cannot be used effectively in continuous, uninterrupted modes for more than a few days due to irritation and irreversible degradation in the electrical and mechanical properties of the skin interface. Here we introduce a soft, foldable collection of electrodes in open, fractal mesh geometries that can mount directly and chronically on the complex surface topology of the auricle and the mastoid, to provide high-fidelity and long-term capture of electroencephalograms in ways that avoid any significant thermal, electrical, or mechanical loading of the skin. Experimental and computational studies establish the fundamental aspects of the bending and stretching mechanics that enable this type of intimate integration on the highly irregular and textured surfaces of the auricle. Cell level tests and thermal imaging studies establish the biocompatibility and wearability of such systems, with examples of high-quality measurements over periods of 2 wk with devices that remain mounted throughout daily activities including vigorous exercise, swimming, sleeping, and bathing. Demonstrations include a text speller with a steady-state visually evoked potential-based brain-computer interface and elicitation of an event-related potential (P300 wave).

X irradiation may lead to female infertility and the mechanism is still not clear. After X irradiation exposure, significantly morphological changes and functional decline in endometrial epithelial cells were observed. The mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction and oxidative DNA damage were noticed after X irradiation. In addition, pretreatment with NAC, NH4Cl or Pep A reduced the X irradiation induced damages. These studies demonstrate that the oxidative DNA damage which involved dysfunctional lysosomal and mitochondrial contribute to X irradiation-induced impaired receptive state of uterine endometrium and proper protective reagents can be helpful in improving endometrial function.

Embryo implantation and development is a complex biological process for the establishment of the successful pregnancy. Progesterone is a critical factor in the regulation of embryo adhesion to uterine endometrium and proliferation. Although it has been reported that pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPPA) is increased in pregnant women, the relationship between progesterone and PAPPA, and the effects of PAPPA on embryo adhesion and proliferation are still not clear. The present results showed that the serum level of progesterone and PAPPA was closely correlated by ELISA assay (p<0.01). PAPPA was detected in the villi of early embryo by RT-PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescent staining. Moreover, PAPPA was significantly up-regulated by progesterone in trophoblastic (JAR) cells by Real-time PCR and ELISA assay (p<0.01); while the expression was decreased by the progesterone receptor inhibitor RU486. The down-regulation of PAPPA by siRNA transfection or up-regulation of PAPPA by progesterone treatment significantly decreased or increased the adhesion rate of trophoblastic cells to human uterine epithelial cell lines (RL95-2 and HEC-1A), respectively (p<0.01), as well as the proliferation of trophoblastic cells. In conclusion, PAPPA is up-regulated by progesterone, which promotes the adhesion and proliferation potential of trophoblastic cells.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiology of allergic rhinitis (AR) and the distribution of allergens in villagers who lived in Hebei Province (Hebei villagers) and the citizens who lived in the city of Tianjin (Tianjin citizens)., Methods: From April 2007 to May 2010, face to face investigation and serum specific IgE (sIgE) examination were conducted among Hebei villagers and Tianjin citizens by randomly multi-stage and cluster sampling, and the results were analyzed., Results: A total of 1524 cases were investigated, among them, 1024 cases in Hebei and 500 cases in Tianjin, the prevalence of the sIgE test was 27.2% (279/1024) and 21.2% (106/500), and the difference was of statistical significance (χ(2) = 7.13, P < 0.01). The prevalence of AR was 9.2% (94/1024) and 9.0% (45/500), the difference was of no statistical significance (χ(2) = 0.01, P > 0.05). The most common allergens were dog epithelium and cat epithelium, the next were dust mites, house dust mites, birch and forage grasses in rural areas of Hebei Province. The most common allergens in Tianjin city were dust mites and house dust mites, the next were dog epithelium, cat epithelium, birch and forage grasses. The prevalence of allergens between Hebei villagers and Tianjin citizens had significant difference, which from high to low were house dust mites, dust mites and dog epithelium (χ(2) value were 11.36, 9.14, 5.28, all P < 0.05). The incidence of AR caused by dog epithelium in Hebei was higher than that in Tianjin, however, the dust mites in Tianjin was higher than that in Hebei., Conclusions: Allergen plays an important role in the prevalence of AR. The allergens have differences not only in areas but also in urban and village. The key factor is contact with allergens frequently.

Liesegang patterns in traditional sticky rice-lime mortar undergoing carbonation were investigated by means of FTIR, XRD and SEM. Results indicate that well-developed Liesegang patterns only occur in the mortar prepared with aged lime and sticky rice. The smaller Ca(OH)2 particle size in aged lime and the control of the sticky rice for the crystallization of calcium carbonate lead to the small pores in this mortar. These small pores can make Ca2+ and CO3(2-) highly supersaturated, which explains the reason why Liesegang pattern developed in the sticky rice-aged lime mortar. The formed metastable aragonite proves that Liesegang pattern could be explained based on the post-nucleation theory.

Activation of protein kinase C (PKC)-alpha decreases normal and neoplastic cell proliferation by inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-related signaling. The molecular interactions upstream to PKC-alpha that influence its suppression of EGFR, however, are poorly understood. We have found that caveolin-1, tetraspanin CD82, and ganglioside GM3 enable the association of EGFR with PKC-alpha, ultimately leading to inhibition of EGFR signaling. GM3- and CD82-induced inhibition of EGFR signaling requires PKC-alpha translocation and serine/threonine phosphorylation, which eventually triggers EGFR Thr654 phosphorylation and receptor internalization. Within this ordered complex of signaling molecules, the ability of CD82 to associate with PKC-alpha requires the presence of caveolin-1, whereas the interaction of caveolin-1 or PKC-alpha with EGFR requires the presence of CD82 and ganglioside GM3. Disruption of the membrane with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin dissociates the EGFR/GM3/caveolin-1/CD82/PKC-alpha complex and prevents the inhibitory effect of PKC-alpha on EGFR phosphorylation, suggesting that caveolin-1, CD82, and ganglioside interact with EGFR and PKC-alpha within intact cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains. Given the role of these membrane molecules in suppressing EGFR signaling, up-regulation of GM3, caveolin-1, and CD82 function may be an effective adjunctive therapy for treating epithelial cell malignancies.

Objective: To observe related factors in the stress hyperglycemia (SHG) of critical illness and to investigate possible pathogenesis of insulin-resistance (IR)., Methods: Blood glucose (BG), insulin (INS), C-peptide (C-P), cortisol (Cor), somatostatin (SS), glucagon (Gluc), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha),soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNFRI) and sTNFRII were determined respectively by radioimmunoassay (RIA) or enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) in 47 SHG patients with critical illness and 15 healthy volunteers serving as normal controls. Their insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was calculated., Results: (1)Eleven of 47 patients died, while 36 cases survived. Mean acute pathology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHEII) was (13.89+/-6.29) scores within 24 hours after admission to intensive care unit (ICU), mean days of stay in ICU was (5.5+/-6.3) days,and mean duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) was (51.49+/-66.01) hours. (2)The concentrations of INS, ISI, C-P, Cor, Gluc, TNF-alpha, sTNFRI and sTNFRII in 47 SHG patients with critical illness were significantly higher than those in normal controls, except for SS, the differences among groups were significant (P<0.05 or P<0.01). (3)The results of analysis of severity of SHG showed that the more severe SHG was, the higher C-P and INS were, and the less prominent ISI was. (4)Analysis of scores of APACHEII in 47 cases of SHG showed that BG was not increased, but duration of MV, Cor, Gluc, SS, TNF-alpha, sTNFRI and sTNFRII were significantly increased with higher scores of APACHEII. (5)The effect of SHG was significant on MV (F=10.438,P<0.01), but not significant for outcome and days of stay in ICU. (6)The main correlative factors of BG were respectively concentrations of INS (r=0.674, P<0.01), C-P(r=0.552,P<0.01), ISI (r=-0.787, P<0.01), APACHE II(r=0.267,P<0.05) and sTNFRI(r=0.465, P<0.01)., Conclusion: These results show that main reason of SHG in critical illness is IR. There is no strong significant correlation between acute stress hormones and the level of SHG. sTNFRI has an influence on SHG. However, the over release of TNF-alpha and sTNFRII could be the results of seriousness of the critical illness. There is closely correlation between BG and MV, but not with the age, outcome and days of stay in ICU. The strategy of control and therapy of SHG should be alleviation of stress and improve the utilization of BG in the tissue, and increase sensitivity of INS in the tissue.

Objective: To summarize the experiences in surgical treatment of cardiac tumors., Methods: The results of surgical treatment of 494 patients with cardiac tumors hospitalized from 1975 to 2004, aged 43 +/- 16 (4 months to 78 years), 432 with myxoma, 27 with benign nonmyxoma, and 35 with malignant tumors, were analyzed., Results: Complete resection of malignant tumor was achieved in 10 cases (28.6%), and subtotal resection was achieved in 15 cases (42.9%). or partial resection was performed based on the intra-operative condition. Only biopsy was performed in 10 patients (28.6%) because of extensive metastasis of tumor. Hospital death occurred in 11 myxoma patients (2.5%), and 3 malignant tumor patients (8.6%), and none of the benign non-myxoma tumor patients. The patients were followed up for 70 +/- 36 months with a follow-up rate of 92.9%. Late follow-up was performed for the 241 patients with myxoma who had underwent resection after 1990. Seventeen patients were lost to follow-up. There were 10 late deaths, 5 resulting from recurrence and 5 from unknown causes. Follow-up for malignant tumors showed 18 (51.4%) late deaths because of recurrence or metastasis, occurring 2 months to 2 years after operation., Conclusion: Excellent immediate and long-term operative results can be obtained for benign cardiac tumors. However, for the patients with malignant tumors the survival chances are dismal.

Background & Objective: Vertebral metastasis is a common manifestation of patients with advanced cancer without effective treatment. This study was to explore treatment value and efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) combined with interventional chemotherapy on vertebral metastases., Methods: Seventy-five patients with vertebral metastases (42 men, 33 women; aged 31-76 years) were divided into 2 groups: 39 were treated by PVP combined with chemotherapy (VPCC group), and 36 were treated by PVP alone (VP group). All procedures were guided by CT scan. The results and complications were evaluated by pain questionnaire and routine follow-up., Results: Response rate was significantly higher in VPCC group than in VP group (93.0% vs. 74.4%, P < 0.05); complete response rates of VPCC group and VP group were 25.6% and 10.3%. Common complication of VPCC was transient aggravation of pain., Conclusions: PVP may release the pain, and consolidate the vertebrae of patients with vertebral metastases. Its short-term effect may be enhanced by adding drugs into bone cement.

Objective: To report two patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great artery were performed double switch operation., Methods: Two patients with corrected transposition of the great artery underwent double switch operation. One was 9-month years old boy, associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD), pulmonary artery hypertension. He had senning procedure and artery switch operation (ASO). The other was a 23 years old man, associated with VSD, tricuspid valve regurgitation, and pulmonary stenosis. He had senning procedure and Rastelli operation., Results: There was no operation death, one got heart block before operation requiring pacemaker. The echo of postoperation showed the patients had normal ventricle function and there were no stenosis of tunnel and conduit, no tricuspid valve regurgitation., Conclusion: Double switch operation is a good option for congenitally corrected transposition of the great artery.