Search

The use of honey as food and medicine is widespread, but insufficient data support that it is safe, especially when consumed in high doses. As a result, the present work aimed to investigate the potential toxicity using a repeated dose oral toxicity study. In the toxicity study, Wistar rats were divided into five groups, and orally administered with distilled water (control), 3, 6, 12, and 24 g/kg body weight (BW)/day of honey for 28 days in a row. Body weight, food consumption, clinical pathology, and histopathology were then examined. Significant suppression of body weight, food consumption, and body weight gain was observed at the dose of 24 g/kg BW in both sexes. Honey administration had no statistically significant effect on any of the haematological parameters. The clinical observations, blood coagulation and biochemical parameters, target organs, or histopathology did not reveal any additional nor other treatment-related adverse effects. Mild pathological changes in hepatic tissues were observed in the control, 12, or 24 g/kg BW dose groups, which were common spontaneous lesions unrelated to honey treatment. In the 24 g/kg BW group, one male rat showed non-specific reactions such as focal basophilic change of renal tubule cells, which were also regarded as spontaneous lesions. Based on these results, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of honey in this repeat dose oral toxicity study was determined to be 12 g/kg BW in both sexes of Wistar rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the cDNA of dmrt1 gene from the Chinese sturgeon Acipenser sinensis was isolated and its expression pattern was characterized in different tissues of immature A. sinensis. By real-time quantitative PCR (qrtPCR) analysis, the A. sinensis dmrt1 mRNA was detected mainly in gonad and with a higher level in the testis than the ovary, especially in 3 and 4 year-old samples. This indicated that the dmrt1 expression exhibited gradual testis specificity with development. The subcellular localization analysis indicated that the Dmrt1 protein exists only in germ cells and not in somatic cells. These results suggest that A. sinensis dmrt1 might be a highly specific sex differentiation gene for testis development and spermatogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasmonic properties of asymmetric /2/ sandwiched cross-shape nanobars are investigated theoretically using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method. Two localized surface plasmon resonances are observed in the extinction spectra, which perform extreme sensitivity to the length and width of the nanobar and can be tuned easily throughout visible and into near-infrared spectral regions. The local electric fields around the nanobar are calculated and a pure electromagnetic Raman enhancement factor of about 106 can be achieved. In addition, compared to a monolayer gold nanobar, it exhibits more "hot spots" and stronger localized electric field enhancements. This plasmonic substrate provides potential applications in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and nonlinear optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a numerical solution for the four-phase traveling dielectrophoresis (DEP) using a novel meshless method - weighted least square finite difference (LSFD) scheme. The exact boundary condition and nonuniform point distribution were used in the calculation. Numerical results including the electrical potential, electrical field, traveling DEP forces and particle behavior are presented. Although the LSFD scheme was originally proposed in solving incompressible viscous flow, it is further demonstrated in this paper that the method is also well suited for solving all kinds of DEP problems in which extremely high gradient of electric field exists in the computational domain, e.g. edges of the electrodes. The LSFD method enables the computational ease of free point/mesh distribution in these areas and hence save the computational efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SmFeAsO1-xFx polycrystalline samples were first studied by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler-broadening spectroscopy, combined with the calculated results of positron lifetime. The experimental results agree well with the calculated positron bulk lifetime in SmFeAsO and SmFeAsF crystals. The temperature dependence of S-parameter shows a remarkable difference between the parent and superconductor. An abrupt jump of S-parameter is detected around 150 K in parent sample, however, two different slopes were shown below and above superconducting transition. The linearity S-T plot determines one-type of defects through the superconducting transition which must play an important role in superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SmFeAsO1-xFx polycrystalline samples were first studied by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler-broadening spectroscopy, combined with the calculated results of positron lifetime. The experimental results agree well with the calculated positron bulk lifetime in SmFeAsO and SmFeAsF crystals. The temperature dependence of S-parameter shows a remarkable difference between the parent and superconductor. An abrupt jump of S-parameter is detected around 150 K in parent sample, however, two different slopes were shown below and above superconducting transition. The linearity S-T plot determines one-type of defects through the superconducting transition which must play an important role in superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for human cytomegalovirus infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children and the impact of human cytomegalovirus infection on post-transplant immune reconstitution. Methods: A Retrospective Co-Hort study design was used to include 81 children treated with allo-HSCT from January 2020 to March 2022 at the Department of Hematology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China, and followed up for 1 year. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect positive detection of HCMV in children after allo-HSCT, multifactorial logistic regression modeling was used to analyze the risk factors leading to HCMV infection, and generalized estimating equation modeling was used to analyze the effect of HCMV infection on the T-cells of the children who received allo-HSCT. Results: The age M ( Q 1 , Q 3 ) of 81 children was 5.1 years (10 months, 13.8 years), and 50 (61.7%) were male. By the endpoint of follow-up, a total of 50 HCMV-positive cases were detected, with an HCMV detection rate of 61.7%; The results of multifactorial logistic regression modeling showed that children with grade 2-4 aGVHD had a higher risk of HCMV infection compared with grade 0-1 after transplantation [ OR (95% CI ) value: 2.735 (1.027-7.286)]. The results of generalized estimating equation modeling analysis showed that the number of CD3 + T cells in HCMV-positive children after transplantation was higher than that in the HCMV-negative group [ RR (95% CI ) value: 1.34 (1.008-1.795)]; the ratio of CD4 + T/CD8 + T cells was smaller than that in the HCMV-negative group [ RR (95% CI ) value: 0.377 (0.202-0.704)]; the number of CD8 + T cells was higher than that in the HCMV-negative group [RR (95% CI ) value: 1.435 (1.025-2.061)]; the number of effector memory CD8 + T cells was higher than that in the HCMV-negative group [ RR (95% CI ) value: 1.877 (1.089-3.236)]. Conclusion: Acute graft-versus-host disease may be a risk factor for HCMV infection in children after allo-HSCT; post-transplant HCMV infection promotes proliferation of memory CD8+T-cell populations and affects immune cell reconstitution.

Objective: To analyze the endemic situation of schistosomiasis in national surveillance sites of Zhejiang Province, so as to provide the scientific evidence for formulating the new schistosomiasis surveillance program and consolidating schistosomiasis elimination achievements., Methods: A total of 54 to 55 national surveillance sites and 6 risk monitoring sites were assigned in historical endemic regions of Zhejiang Province from 2015 to 2019, where the Schistosoma japonicum infections in humans, livestock, snails and wild feces were monitored. All data pertaining to the surveillance results were descriptively analyzed., Results: There were 34 530 person-time local residents receiving serological screening for S. japonicum infections in national surveillance sites of Zhejiang Province from 2015 to 2019, and the seroprevalance of S. japonicum infections were 0.29% to 0.68%; however, no egg-positives were detected. During the period from 2015 to 2019, there were 62 086 person-time mobile populations receiving serological screening for S. japonicum infections in national surveillance sites of Zhejiang Province, and the seroprevalance of S. japonicum infections were 0.32% to 0.56%; additionally, there were 27 egg-positives identified, including 3 imported cases with schistosomiasis haematobia and one case with acute schistosomiasis japonica, indicating that the adjusted prevalence of Schistosoma infections were 0.01% to 0.07% among mobile populations. A total of 829 livestock were examined for S. japonicum infections, with no positives detected. There were 10.55 hm 2 and 2.89 hm 2 snail habitats found in national surveillance sites and risk monitoring sites of Zhejiang Province during the 5-year period, respectively; however, no S. japonicum infections were identified in snails. Moreover, a total of 305 wild feces were tested for S. japonicum infections, and no egg-positives were identified., Conclusions: The schistosomiasis elimination achievement have been consolidated in Zhejiang Province; however, the risk factors of re-emerging schistosomiasis have not been completely eliminated, such as residual snails and imported schistosomiasis cases. Further surveillance and control activities of snails and the source of S. japonicum infections should be reinforced.