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Background: Dual source computed tomography (DSCT) plays an important role in the diagnosis of congenital heart diseases (CHD). However, the issue of radiation-related side effects constitutes a wide public concern. The aim of the study was to explore the differences in diagnostic accuracy, radiation dose and image quality between a prospectively ECG - triggered high - pitch spiral acquisition (flash model) and a retrospective ECG-gated protocol of DSCT used for the detection of CHD. Material/Methods: The study included 58 patients with CHD who underwent a DSCT examination, including two groups of 29 patients in each protocol. Then, both subjective and objective image quality, diagnostic accuracy and radiation dose were compared between the two protocols. Results: The image quality and the total as well as partial diagnostic accuracy did not differ significantly between the protocols. The radiation dose in the flash model was obviously lower than that in the retrospective model (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared to the retrospective protocol, the flash model can significantly reduce the dose of radiation, while maintaining both diagnostic accuracy and image quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niflumic acid (NFA) is a novel gap junction (GJ) inhibitor. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of NFA on GJ communication and the expression of connexin (Cx) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of mesenteric arterioles of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Whole-cell patch clamp recording demonstrated that NFA at 1x10-4 M significantly inhibited the inward current and its effect was reversible. The time for charging and discharging of cell membrane capacitance (Cinput) reduced from 9.73 to 0.48 ms (P<0.05; n=6). Pressure myograph measurement showed that NFA at 3x10-4 M fully neutralized the contraction caused by phenylephrine. The relaxation responses of normotensive control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were significantly higher, compared with those of t he SHRs ( P<0.05; n=6). Western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of Cx43 of the third-level branch of mesenteric arterioles of the SHRs and WKY rats were higher, compared with those of the first-level branch. The mRNA and protein expression levels of Cx43 of the primary and third-level branches of the mesenteric arterioles in the SHRs were higher, compared with those in the WKY rats (P<0.05; n=6). The mRNA levels of Cx43 in the mesenteric arterioles were significantly downregulated by NFA in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.01; n=6). The protein levels of Cx43 in primary cultured VSMCs isolated from the mesenteric arterioles were also significantly downregulated by NFA in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.01; n=6). These results showed that the vasorelaxatory effects of GJ inhibitors were reduced in the SHRs, which was associated with a higher protein expression level of Cx43 in the mesenteric arterioles of the SHRs. NFA also relaxed the mesenteric arterioles by reducing the expression of Cx43, which decreased blood pressure. Therefore, regulation of the expression of GJs may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated, highly aggressive lymphoma. Treatment outcome remains sub-optimal, especially for advanced-stage or relapsed diseases. Programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) and PD ligand 1 (PD-L1) have become promising therapeutic targets for various malignancies, but their role in the pathogenesis and their interactions with EBV in NKTCL remains to be investigated. Methods: Expression of PD-L1 was measured in NK-92 (EBV-negative) and SNK-6 (EBV-positive) cells by western blot, quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1)-harboring lentiviral vectors were transfected into NK-92 cells to examine the correlation between LMP1 and PD-L1 expression. Proteins in the downstream pathways of LMP1 signaling were measured in NK-92 cells transfected with LMP1-harboring or negative control vectors as well as in SNK-6 cells. PD-L1 expression on tumor specimens and serum concentration of soluble PD-L1 were collected in a retrospective cohort of patients with Ann Arbor stage I~II NKTCL, and their prognostic significance were analyzed. Results: Expression of PD-L1 was significantly higher in SNK-6 cells than in NK-92 cells, at both protein andmRNA levels. Expression of PD-L1 was remarkably upregulated in NK-92 cells transfected with LMP1-harboring lentiviral vectors compared with those transfected with negative control vectors. Proteins in the MAPK/NF-κB pathway were upregulated in LMP1-expressing NK-92 cells compared with the negative control. Selective inhibitors of those proteins induced significant downregulation of PD-L1 expression in LMP1-expressing NK-92 cells as well as in SNK-6 cells. Patients with a high concentration of serum soluble PD-L1 (≥3.4 ng/ml) or with a high percentage of PD-L1 expression in tumor specimens (≥38 %) exhibited significantly lower response rate to treatment and remarkably worse survival, compared with their counterparts. A high concentration of serum soluble PD-L1 and a high percentage of PD-L1 expression in tumor specimens were independent adverse prognostic factors among patients with stage I~II NKTCL. Conclusions: PD-L1 expression positively correlated LMP1 expression in NKTCL, which was probably mediated by the MAPK/NF-κB pathway. PD-L1 expression in serum and tumor tissues has significant prognostic value for early-stage NKTCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the use of UPHLC-QTOF for the analysis of pesticide amitraz and its metabolites in human blood. UPHLC-QTOF working in full scan mode simultaneously with a single MS/MS scan at 10 eV was employed to analyze in solid-support liquid-liquid extracts (SLE) of the human blood. Detection and quantification were carried out using full scan data (protonated molecules [M+H]+) while MS/MS data were used for fragment identification only. MS/MS scans were not found to have any negative influence on quantitation under the applied conditions. Verification studies were accomplished at low concentrations (1 ng/mL), and accuracy errors lower than 5 ppm were achieved. The human blood extracts spiked at LOQ and three QC fortification levels produced average recoveries in the range of 79.3-92.5% with relative standard deviations smaller than 10% for all analytes. Limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.1 and 0.5 ng/mL. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to a case of human poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed sensitive detection of cancer biomarker vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using the p-n heterojunction comprised of p-type BiOI nanoflakes (NFs) array and n-type TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) array. Due to the unique arrayed structure and the synergy effect of photoelectrochemistry in the formed p-n junction, the synthesized configuration has superior excitation efficiency and thus excellent photoresponsibility. Then, the fabricated p-n heterojunction was integrated with an exquisite bioassay protocol for addressing VEGF using a sandwich immunoassay with glucosedehydrogenase (GDH) as the enzyme tags. Due to the excellent performance of BiOI NFs array/TiO2 NTs array and the ingenious signaling mechanism, the proposed system could achieve the sensitive and specific VEGF detection. This work not only presents a simple BiOI NFs array/TiO2 NTs array p-n heterojunction for general applications in the broad photochemistry areas, but also opens a different horizon for current development of advanced PEC biomolecular detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to predict the 5-year overall survival (OS) benefit of pola-R-CHP versus R-CHOP in the POLARIX trial based on the 2-year event-free survival (EFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We identified randomized controlled trials (RCT) published before 31 May 2023. The correlation between the logarithmic (log) hazard ratio (HR) for EFS (HREFS) or PFS (HRPFS) and the HR for OS (HROS) was estimated at the triallevel. Correlation analysis was performed between 2-year PFS or EFS and 5-year OS rates at the treatment arm-level. Linear regression models were used to calculate the 5-year OS of pola-R-CHP and R-CHOP. In the included 20 RCTs, a linear correlation between HREFS (r=0.765) or HRPFS (r=0.534) and HROS was observed at the trial- level. Two-year EFS (r=0.918) or 2-year PFS (r=0.865) correlated linearly with 5-year OS. Linear regression analysis between 2-year EFS/PFS and 5-year OS gave estimated 5-year OS rates between pola-R-CHP and R-CHOP of 6.4% and 6.3%, respectively. Two-year EFS and PFS are feasible early endpoints in patients with DLBCL treated primarily with immunochemotherapy. The polaR-CHP regimen is expected to improve 5-year OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has a high prevalence, and it has been shown to be an independent risk factor for various diseases. Therefore, it is important to strengthen screening for population at highrisk of OSA. OSA patients are prone to combine with lipid metabolism disorders, but it remains unclear whether the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), cardiometabolic index (CMI), and Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI), which are used asmetabolic indexes, can be used to predict OSA. Objective To analyze the correlation between metabolic indexes and OSA, and evaluate the predictive efficacy of each metabolic index through a case-control study. Methods A total of 2 968 inpatients with suspected OSA and aged ≥18 years who completed polysomnography (PSG) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from March 2017 to June 2022 were selected, with 2 850 patients finally included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and divided into the OSA group 〔apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5 times/h, n=2 193〕 and non-OSA group (AHI0.05), but AIP and CVAI were associated with OSA (P

To study the corrosion behavior of three commonly used steels in associated gas pipelines in the three-gas coexistence system of H2S-CO2-O2 can provide guidance for the corrosion prevention and control of associated gas pipelines in Tahe oilfield.Based on the typical corrosion working conditions in Tahe oilfield and taking 20 steel，L245NS steel and 3Cr steel as the research objects，the corrosion rates and corrosion products of the three steels under typical working conditions in H2S - CO2- O2 coexistence system were studied through high -temperature and high-pressure reactor experiment.Results showed that the corrosion rate of 20＃ steel was the highest，followed by L245NS steel，and the corrosion rate of 3Cr steel was the lowest.The corrosion products of the three pipes were mainly Fe，FeS，FeCO3 and Fe2O3.The corrosion resistance behaviors of four typical internal anti-corrosion coatings in Tahe oilfield were studied through an adhesion test and the weight gain method that involved the measuring of the weight gain before and after corrosion，and the results indicated that coating 2 possessed the optimal corrosion resistance and adhesion.Considering the cost performance，“L245NS+coating 2”was finally selected as the anti-corrosion measure for the associated gas pipelines in Tahe Oilfield.

Objective To observe the role of thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) in the proliferation of islet β cells promoted by Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Methods The mice were divided into db/m group and db/db group; TXNIP over-expression (Ad-TXNIP-GFP) MIN6 cells were constructed by stably transfected with lentivirus, which were divided into control group, Ad-GFP group and Ad-TXNIP-GFP group. Western blot was used to detect the expression of TXNIP and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in pancreatic tissues of db/m and db/db mice. The morphology of the islets, the number of β cells, GLP-1R and Ki67 were observed by HE and immunohistochemistry method. The expression of GLP-1 in serum was detected by ELISA. The level of GLP-1R protein in pancreatic tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Islet structure was destructed, the number of β cells and PCNA expression decreased in pancreatic tissue of db/db mice (P＜0.05). The level of GLP-1 in serum reduced (P＜0.05), and the level of GLP-1 receptor in pancreatic tissue and islet was reduced (P＜0.05). The expression of TXNIP in pancreatic tissues of db/db mice increased (P＜0.05). The TXNIP overexpression cell model was successfully constructed (P＜0.05), and the level of GLP-1 receptor decreased in islet β cells (P＜0.05). The overexpression of TXNIP reduced the proliferative effect of islet β cells to GLP-1 (P＜0.05). Conclusions TXNIP acts on the GLP-1 receptor to reduce the proliferation of islet β cells promoted by GLP-1.

Recent studies have implicated chemokines in microglial activation and pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13) is a B lymphocyte chemoattractant that activates CXCR5. Using the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of neuropathic pain, we found that CXCL13 was persistently upregulated in spinal cord neurons after SNL, resulting in spinal astrocyte activation via CXCR5 in mice. shRNA-mediated inhibition of CXCL13 in the spinal cord persistently attenuated SNL-induced neuropathic pain. Interestingly, CXCL13 expression was suppressed by miR-186-5p, a microRNA that colocalized with CXCL13 and was downregulated after SNL. Spinal overexpression of miR-186-5p decreased CXCL13 expression, alleviating neuropathic pain. Furthermore, SNL induced CXCR5 expression in spinal astrocytes, and neuropathic pain was abrogated in Cxcr5-/- mice. CXCR5 expression induced by SNL was required for the SNL-induced activation of spinal astrocytes and microglia. Intrathecal injection of CXCL13 was sufficient to induce pain hypersensitivity and astrocyte activation via CXCR5 and ERK. Finally, intrathecal injection of CXCL13-activated astrocytes induced mechanical allodynia in naive mice. Collectively, our findings reveal a neuronal/astrocytic interaction in the spinal cord by which neuronally produced CXCL13 activates astrocytes via CXCR5 to facilitate neuropathic pain. Thus, miR-186-5p and CXCL13/CXCR5-mediated astrocyte signaling may be suitable therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Painful peripheral neuropathy is a dose-limiting side effect of paclitaxel therapy, which hampers the optimal clinical management of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Currently the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we showed that the clinically relevant dose of paclitaxel (3×8mg/kg, cumulative dose 24mg/kg) induced significant upregulation of the chemokine CX3CL1 in the A-fiber primary sensory neurons in vivo and in vitro and infiltration of macrophages into the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in rats. Paclitaxel treatment also increased cleaved caspase-3 expression, induced the loss of primary afferent terminal fibers and decreased sciatic-evoked A-fiber responses in the spinal dorsal horn, indicating DRG neuronal apoptosis induced by paclitaxel. In addition, the paclitaxel-induced DRG neuronal apoptosis occurred exclusively in the presence of macrophage in vitro study. Intrathecal or systemic injection of CX3CL1 neutralizing antibody blocked paclitaxel-induced macrophage recruitment and neuronal apoptosis in the DRG, and also attenuated paclitaxel-induced allodynia. Furthermore, depletion of macrophage by systemic administration of clodronate inhibited paclitaxel-induced allodynia. Blocking CX3CL1 decreased activation of p38 MAPK in the macrophage, and inhibition of p38 MAPK activity blocked the neuronal apoptosis and development of mechanical allodynia induced by paclitaxel. These findings provide novel evidence that CX3CL1-recruited macrophage contributed to paclitaxel-induced DRG neuronal apoptosis and painful peripheral neuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control measures for deterioration of aerobic activated sludge were experimented. Wastewater samples with different pH, temperature, SVI, and MLSS were investigated to detect the cause of sludge deterioration. The results show that after being operated at high S2O32- (which could lead to a pH decrease) loading in an A/O biological reactor treated for coking wastewater, though the pH was controlled at about 7.0 by the addition of NaOH, the COD removal efficiency was decreased deeply. The MLSS decreased from 3,800-4,300 mg/L to 2,020 mg/L after loading of S2O32- and NaOH in the oxic unit of A/O biological reactor for 12 days. The COD removal efficiencies and MLSS concentrations were decreased sharply when the wastewater's temperature was over 30ºC, which indicates the bulking of activated sludge in the oxic unit of A/O biological reactor. The results suggest that it cannot inhibit the occurrence of sludge deterioration only by controlling the pH in the oxic unit of an A/O biological reactor. Although the addition of NaOH could inhibit sludge bulking, the decreased MLSS concentration would significantly reduce the COD removal efficiency. The decline of COD removal efficiency may be due to the high temperature leading to sludge death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]