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Objectives. This study was designed to explore the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and reflux laryngopharyngitis (RLP) and to evaluate the outcome of anti-Hp therapy in improving RLP symptoms. Methods. A total of 410 patients with RLP were enrolled and tested for Hp infection. The association of Hp infection with reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflux finding score (RFS) was determined. Hp-positive patients received either a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) omeprazole alone (control group) or a combination regimen (experimental group) consisting of omeprazole, mosapride citrate, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin. Therapeutic outcomes were compared 4 weeks later. Results. Of the 410 participants, 290 were Hp-positive and 120 Hp-negative. Both RSI and RFS were significantly higher in Hp-positive patients than in Hp-negative patients. Hp infection status was positively correlated with RSI ( P < 0.05 ) and RFS ( P < 0.05 ). The overall response rate was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Both the groups had a significant reduction in RSI and RFS after therapy, with a greater improvement in the experimental group ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Our findings establish a link between Hp infection and RLP. Anti-Hp therapy improves RSI and RFS in RLP patients. Therefore, Hp eradication drugs may be added to the PPI-based regimen in the treatment of RLP.

Polyethylene is widely used in daily life, but its efficient degradation has long been a problem. In the paper, the Baeyer–Villiger oxidation and hydrolysis reaction of cutinase were combined to as a new degradation pathway of polyethylene.

Photo-Fenton-like catalysis allows development of novel advanced oxidation technology with promising application in wastewater treatment. In this work, carbon dots (CDs) were intercalated between CuO nanoparticles and coralloid flower-like graphitic carbon nitride (g-C

This study was designed to explore the relationship betweenA total of 410 patients with RLP were enrolled and tested for Hp infection. The association of Hp infection with reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflux finding score (RFS) was determined. Hp-positive patients received either a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) omeprazole alone (control group) or a combination regimen (experimental group) consisting of omeprazole, mosapride citrate, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin. Therapeutic outcomes were compared 4 weeks later.Of the 410 participants, 290 were Hp-positive and 120 Hp-negative. Both RSI and RFS were significantly higher in Hp-positive patients than in Hp-negative patients. Hp infection status was positively correlated with RSI (Our findings establish a link between Hp infection and RLP. Anti-Hp therapy improves RSI and RFS in RLP patients. Therefore, Hp eradication drugs may be added to the PPI-based regimen in the treatment of RLP.

The disproportionation activity of cyclodextrin glucosyltransferase (CGTase; EC 2.4.1.19) can be used to convert small molecules into glycosides, thereby enhancing their solubility and stability. However, CGTases also exhibit a competing hydrolysis activity. The +2 subsite of the substrate binding cleft plays an important role in both the disproportionation and hydrolysis activities, but almost all known mutations at this site decrease disproportionation activity. In this study, Leu(277) of the CGTase from Bacillus stearothermophilus NO2, located near both the +2 subsite and the catalytic acid/base Glu(253), was modified to assess the effect of side chain size at this position on disproportionation and hydrolysis activities. The best mutant, L277M, exhibited a reduced K(m) for the acceptor substrate maltose (0.48 mM versus 0.945 mM) and an increased k(cat)/K(m) (1,175 s(−1) mM(−1) versus 686.1 s(−1) mM(−1)), compared with those of the wild-type enzyme. The disproportionation-to-hydrolysis ratio of L277M was 2.4-fold greater than that of the wild type. Existing structural data were combined with a multiple-sequence alignment and Gly(282) mutations to examine the mechanism behind the effects of the Leu(277)mutations. The Gly(282) mutations were included to aid a molecular dynamics (MD) analysis and the comparison of crystal structures. They reveal that changes to a hydrophobic cluster near Glu(253) and the hydrophobicity of the +2 subsite combine to produce the observed effects. IMPORTANCE In this study, mutations that enhance the disproportionation to hydrolysis ratio of a CGTase have been discovered. For example, the disproportionation-to-hydrolysis ratio of the L277M mutant of Bacillus stearothermophilus NO2 CGTase was 2.4-fold greater than that of the wild type. The mechanism behind the effects of these mutations is explained. This paper opens up other avenues for future research into the disproportionation and hydrolysis activities of CGTases. Productive mutations are no longer limited to the acceptor subsite, since mutations that indirectly affect the acceptor subsite also enhance enzymatic activity.

The objective of the study was to observe brain function changes in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS) patients at high altitude. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in patients with OSAHS was assessed using regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC). In this study, 36 male patients with OSAHS and 38 healthy male subjects were recruited from high-altitude areas, specifically, altitudes of 2,000–3,000 m. OSAHS was diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG). The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals of OSAHS patients and healthy controls in the resting state were obtained and compared using ReHo, ALFF and FC methods. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was selected as the seed region in the comparison of FC between the two groups. Compared with the healthy control group, multiple brain functions in the OSAHS patient group were different. There were correlations between the brain function values of some brain regions and demographic data. We also found that in contrast to earlier findings with individuals in plains areas, the brain function at the frontal lobe and the precuneus were higher in OSAHS patients, and the PCC showed higher FC with the left caudate, which may be due to the high-altitude hypoxic environment.

Purpose To evaluate the role of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI 1 ) in the characterization of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC 2 ) compared with standard diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI 3 ). Methods 89 patients with histologically proven ccRCC were evaluated by DKI and DWI on a 3-T scanner. All ccRCCs were classified as grade 1–4 according to the Fuhrman classification system. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC 4 ), fractional anisotropy (FA 5 ), mean diffusivity (MD 6 ), mean kurtosis (MK 7 ), axial kurtosis (Ka 8 ) and radial kurtosis (Kr 9 ) values were recorded. The differences in DWI and DKI parameters were evaluated by independent-sample t test and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC 10 ) analysis was performed. The DeLong test was performed to compare the ROCs. Results Compared to normal renal parenchyma, ADC and MD values of ccRCC decreased and MK, Ka, and Kr values increased (p 0.05). Ka and Kr could discriminate G1 vs G2, G1 vs G3, G1 vs G4, G2 vs G4, and G3 vs G4 (p 0.05). MD and MK could discriminate G1 vs G2, G1 vs G3, G1 vs G4, G2 vs G3, G2 vs G4, and G3 vs G4 (p Conclusion DKI was superior compared to the mono-exponential mode of DWI in grading ccRCC.

Previous studies on the hydrolysis of polyacrylates by cutinase have found that cutinase from Humicola insolens can fulfill the requirement for a thermostable cutinase in the treatment of stickies from papermaking, but it has poor hydrolysis ability. To further improve its ability to hydrolyze the polymers in papermaking, we analyzed the structure of cutinase from H. insolens, and constructed three mutants L66A, I169A, and L66A/I169A to reduce the steric hindrance of the substrate binding region. The hydrolysis results for poly(methyl acrylate), poly(ethyl acrylate), and poly(vinyl acetate) showed the catalytic ability of the mutant L66A/I169A most significantly improved. Using polymer macroporous resin composites as substrate, the released products of L66A/I169A were 1.3-4.4 times higher than that of the wild-type enzyme. When polymer suspensions were no longer being deposited, that is, when the turbidity decrease was less than 1%, the amount of L66A/I169A added was reduced by 19%-51% compared with that of the wild-type enzyme. These results indicated that the removal of the gatekeeper structure above the substrate binding region of H. insolens cutinase enhances its ability to hydrolyze polymers, and provided a basis for the application of cutinase in the practical treatment of stickies.

Plastic products made of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) are widely used in daily life and industrial production. Polyolefins—which have a very stable structure and do not contain any active molecular groups—are difficult to degrade and pose a serious global environment threat. This study selected latex clearing protein (LcpK30) derived from Streptomyces sp. Strain K30. The natural substrate of the enzyme is rubber (cis-1, 4-polyisoprene), and the site of action is the carbon‑carbon double bond. LcpK30 was incubated with UV-irradiated polyolefin PE, PP and PS (UV-PE, UV-PP, and UV-PS containing carbon‑carbon double bonds) for 5 d at 37 °C. The results showed that UV-PE-LcpK30 was more fragmented than UV-PE-blank; the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that UV-PE-LcpK30 and UV-PP-LcpK30 produced new active groups (e.g., –OH and –C=O); however, the effect on UV-PS was not significant. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that the treated group had more obvious roughness, cracks, and pits than the control group. The results of high-temperature gel permeation chromatography showed that the average molecular weight (Mw) of UV-PE-LcpK30 and UV-PP-LcpK30 decreased; the Mw of UV-PE5-LcpK30 was reduced by 42.02%. The results of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry showed the production of ketones. Therefore, the LcpK30 latex clearing protein degrade UV-oxidized polyolefin plastics and has great potential for PE and PP degradation but may not be suitable for PS. Furthermore, other Lcps (such as LcpNRRL, LcpNVL3) can also degrade UV-PE.

The effects of solution and aging treatments on the microstructure, mechanical properties and its anisotropy of hot extruded Al-Mg-Si plate were studied. The results showed that all specimens consisted of equiaxed grains, and the obvious grain growth occurred during high temperature solution. GP zones with different morphologies always existed in the aged specimens, and β″ phase was formed after 2 h aging and gradually grew up to around 100 nm in length. The {001} Cube and {011}〈100〉 Goss are the main textures. The fraction of Cube drops significantly after solution and aging treatments, while the variation tendency of Goss is opposite. The peak hardness of 115 HV and tensile strength of 314 MPa were achieved after aging for 20 h. The elongation gradually decreased with prolonging the aging time, and the fracture mechanism was transformed from dimple fracture to intergranular fracture. The specimen along 90° with the extrusion direction always exhibited higher r value. The solution and aging treatments played important roles on the plastic anisotropy, and the anisotropy can be overall improved after aging treatment. Keywords: Extrusion, Aging, Microstructure, Mechanical property, Anisotropy

The aim of this study was to explore the anti-tumor potential of a polysaccharide isolated from Boschniakia rossica (BRP) in Hep2 human larynx squamous carcinoma cells. High performance size-exclusion chromatography analysis showed that BRP was a homogeneous polysaccharide and had a molecular weight of 22 kDa. Total carbohydrate content in BRP was determined to be 96.9%, without the presence of protein and nucleic acid. BRP suppressed the proliferation of Hep2 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis revealed that exposure to BRP (200 μg/ml) caused a G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in Hep2 cells. Moreover, treatment with BRP at 100-400 μg/ml for 24h induced a significant apoptosis Hep2 cells compared to untreated control cells, as determined by flow cytometry with annexin-V/propidium iodide double staining. Additionally, BRP treatment promoted the cleavage of pro-caspase-3, pro-caspase-8, and pro-caspase-9, coupled with increased expression of death receptor DR5 and Bax and reduced expression of Bcl-2. Taken together, our data demonstrate that BRP shows potent anti-tumor activity in human larynx squamous carcinoma, largely through induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Activation of both mitochondria-mediated and death receptor-mediated apoptosis pathways is involved in the cytotoxicity of BRP.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly metastatic cancer, frequently occurring in Southeast Asia and Southern China. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to have an inhibitive effect on NPC, while the effect of miR-15a on NPC remains unclear. Thus, our study aimed to investigate the potential effect of miR-15a on NPC cell proliferation, apoptosis, and possible functional mechanism. Human NPC CNE1 cells were transfected with miR-15a mimics, miR-15a inhibitors, or a control. Afterward, cell viability and apoptosis were assayed by using CCK-8, BrdU assay, and flow cytometry. Moreover, Western blot was used to detect the expression changes of proliferation and apoptosis of related proteins. As a result, miR-15a overexpression significantly reduced cell proliferation (p p p

This study was designed to evaluate bone matrix gelatin (BMG)/fibrin glue and chitosan/gelatin composite scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. Chondrocytes were isolated from costal cartilage of Sprague-Dawley rats and seeded on BMG/fibrin glue or chitosan/gelatin composite scaffolds. After different in vitro culture durations, the scaffolds were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome, and toluidine blue staining, anti-collagen II and anti-aggrecan immunohistochemistry, and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) analysis. After 2 weeks of culture, chondrocytes were distributed evenly on the surfaces of both scaffolds. Cell numbers and the presence of extracellular matrix components were markedly increased after 8 weeks of culture, and to a greater extent on the chitosan/gelatin scaffold. The BMG/fibrin glue scaffold showed signs of degradation after 8 weeks. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed higher levels of collagen II and aggrecan using the chitosan/gelatin scaffold. SEM revealed that the majority of cells on the surface of the BMG/fibrin glue scaffold demonstrated a round morphology, while those in the chitosan/gelatin group had a spindle-like shape, with pseudopodia. Chitosan/gelatin scaffolds appear to be superior to BMG/ fibrin glue constructs in supporting chondrocyte attachment, proliferation, and biosynthesis of cartilaginous matrix components.

To observe waveform difference among cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) elicited with different types of air conducted sound in normal young Chinese subjects.Twenty adult volunteers (40 ears) were recruited as research subjects including 10 males and 10 females aged between 19 and 30.500 Hz Tone Burst, 1000 Hz Tone Burst and Click were employed as stimulus for conventional air conducted sound-cVEMP (ACS-cVEMP) examinations in bilateral ears of each subject. The response rate, threshold, P1 latency, N1 latency, P1-N1 latency interval, amplitude and inter-aural asymmetry were recorded and compared among groups.The response rate was 97.5% in 500Hz Tone Burst (39/40), 87.5% in 1 000Hz Tone Burst (35/40)and 67.5% in Click (27/40), There were no statistically significant difference between 500Hz Tone Burst and 1000Hz Tone Burst (P0.05) but there were statistically significant difference between click and the other groups (P0.05). We collected the waveform parameters (the threshold, P1 latency, N1 latency, P1-N1 latency interval, amplitude) which had statistically significant difference between 500 Hz Tone Burst and the other groups (P0.05). The inter-aural asymmetrys had no statistically significant differents among groups.The response rate and parameter could be affected by different types of air conducted sound in normal young Chinese subjects. 500 Hz Tone Burst was the best stimulus of type what we have known.

SRY-related high-mobility-group box 9 (Sox9) gene is a cartilage-specific transcription factor that plays essential roles in chondrocyte differentiation and cartilage formation. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of genetic delivery of Sox9 to enhance chondrogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs). After they were isolated from human umbilical cord blood within 24 h after delivery of neonates, hUC-MSCs were untreated or transfected with a human Sox9-expressing plasmid or an empty vector. The cells were assessed for morphology and chondrogenic differentiation. The isolated cells with a fibroblast-like morphology in monolayer culture were positive for the MSC markers CD44, CD105, CD73, and CD90, but negative for the differentiation markers CD34, CD45, CD19, CD14, or major histocompatibility complex class II. Sox9 overexpression induced accumulation of sulfated proteoglycans, without altering the cellular morphology. Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that genetic delivery of Sox9 markedly enhanced the expression of aggrecan and type II collagen in hUC-MSCs compared with empty vector-transfected counterparts. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis further confirmed the elevation of aggrecan and type II collagen at the mRNA level in Sox9-transfected cells. Taken together, short-term Sox9 overexpression facilitates chondrogenesis of hUC-MSCs and may thus have potential implications in cartilage tissue engineering. publishedVersion