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Background Cardiac fibrosis will increase wall stiffness and diastolic dysfunction, which will eventually lead to heart failure. Asenapine maleate (AM) is widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia. In the current study, we explored the potential mechanism underlying the role of AM in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac fibrosis. Methods Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were stimulated using Ang II with or without AM. Cell proliferation was measured using the cell counting kit-8 assay and the Cell-Light EdU Apollo567 In Vitro Kit. The expression levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected using immunofluorescence or western blotting. At the protein level, the expression levels of the components of the transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway were also detected. Results After Ang II stimulation, TGFβ1, TGFβ1 receptor, α-SMA, fibronectin (Fn), collagen type I (Col1), and collagen type III (Col3) mRNA levels increased; the TGFβ1/MAPK signaling pathway was activated in CFs. After AM pretreatment, cell proliferation was inhibited, the numbers of PCNA -positive cells and the levels of cardiac fibrosis markers decreased. The activity of the TGFβ1/MAPK signaling pathway was also inhibited. Therefore, AM can inhibit cardiac fibrosis by blocking the Ang II-induced activation through TGFβ1/MAPK signaling pathway. Conclusions This is the first report to demonstrate that AM can inhibit Ang II-induced cardiac fibrosis by down-regulating the TGFβ1/MAPK signaling pathway. In this process, AM inhibited the proliferation and activation of CFs and reduced the levels of cardiac fibrosis markers. Thus, AM represents a potential treatment strategy for cardiac fibrosis.

To compare diagnostic values of CPH-I (Copenhagen Index), SMS (sonographic morphology scores), RMI (risk of malignancy index), and the combination of CPH-I and SMS. This retrospective research involves 143 patients with adnexal masses who were diagnosed and managed in our institution, including 99 cases (69.2%) with benign ovarian disease and 44 cases (30.8%) with ovarian cancer. The baseline characteristics and predictive measurable variables such as patient’s age, menstrual status, serum CA125, HE4 results, and ultrasound reports were collected. We compared diagnostic values of CPH-I, SMS, RMI, and the combination of CPH-I and SMS. The area under the curve (AUC) of CPH-I, SMS, CPH-I + SMS, and RMI were 0.932, 0.916, 0.976, and 0.877, respectively. The suggested cutoffs of CPH-I, SMS, CPH-I + SMS, and RMI were 12.42%, 6.5, 0.6506, and 173.55, respectively. Moreover, the sensitivities in the prediction of ovarian cancer were 81.8%, 79.5%, 93.2%, and 84.1%, and the specificities were 96.0%, 89.9%, 93.9%, and 89.9%, respectively. The combination showed remarkably higher sensitivity in the differential diagnosis than other three predictive modalities, and higher specificity than SMS and RMI reported. It suggested that the performance of the combined modalities provides a more accurate methods in the preoperative diagnosis and differentiation of adnexal masses in women with high risk factors. However, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of the combination of CPH-I and SMS require prospective evaluation and validation in a randomized, controlled trial settings in the future.

Nicotine is proved to be an important factor for cardiac hypertrophy. Autophagy is important cell recycling system involved in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. Cilostazol, which is often used in the management of peripheral vascular disease. However, the effects of cilostazol on nicotine induced autophagy and cardiac hypertrophy are unclear. Here, we aim to determine the role and molecular mechanism of cilostazol in alleviating nicotine-induced cardiomyocytes hypertrophy through modulating autophagy and the underlying mechanisms. Our results clarified that nicotine stimulation caused cardiomyocytes hypertrophy and autophagy flux impairment significantly in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs), which were evidenced by augments of LC3-II and p62 levels, and impaired autophagosomes clearance. Interestingly, cathepsin B (CTSB) activity decreased dramatically after stimulation with nicotine in NRVMs, which was crucial for substrate degradation in the late stage of autophagy process, and cilostazol could reverse this effect dramatically. Intracellular ROS levels were increased significantly after nicotine exposure. Meanwhile, p38MAPK and JNK were activated after nicotine treatment. By using ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) could reverse the effects of nicotine by down-regulation the phosphorylation of p38MAPK and JNK pathways, and pretreatment of specific inhibitors of p38MAPK and JNK could restore the autophagy impairment and cardiomyocytes hypertrophy induced by nicotine. Moreover, CTSB activity of lysosome regained after the treatment with cilostazol. Cilostazol also inhibited the ROS accumulation and the activation of p38MAPK and JNK, which providing novel connection between lysosome CTSB and ROS/p38MAPK/JNK related oxidative stress pathway. This is the first demonstration that cilostazol could alleviate nicotine induced cardiomyocytes hypertrophy through restoration of autophagy flux by activation of CTSB and inhibiting ROS/p38/JNK pathway, exhibiting a feedback loop on regulation of autophagy and cardiomyocytes hypertrophy.

A pulsating ultraluminous X-ray source (PULX) is a new kind of pulsar (PSR) whose characteristics are different from all known neutron stars. The magnetic field of PULX is suspected to be the main reason to support its supper Eddington luminosity of PULX. NGC 7793 P13, which is the second confirmed PULX, can be easily studied due to its nearby position and isolation from other sources in its host galaxy. In this paper, we calculate its magnetic field to be ∼1.0 × 1012 G based on the continued observations from 2016 to 2020. The magnetic field evolution of NGC 7793 P13 is analyzed, which shows that the source has spent about 104 yr for the field decaying from the simulated initial strength 4.0 × 1014 G to the present value. In case of an assumed constant accretion and the limitation of the companion mass, it will be a recycled PSR whose magnetic field is ∼109 G and spin period is a few hundred milliseconds. We estimate the field strength of the other confirmed PULXs and find main range is 1013–1014 G. Their positions of the magnetic field and spin period are around or below the magnetars. This is because these PULXs are in the binary systems and are with the spin-up rate that are 2–3 orders higher than the normal binary pulsars. We suggest that PULXs are the accreting magnetars whose multi-pole strong magnetic field can support the supper Eddington luminosity. They would be helpful for studying the evolution of the magnetars, the formation of the binary PSRs above the Eddington spin-up line, and the millisecond PSRs with the magnetic field stronger than ∼109 G.

To investigate the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on apoptosis, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cell lines.cervical cancer cell lines Hela and Siha in logarithmic phase were treated different concentrations of DHA. The morphological changes of the cells were observed microscopically and cell apoptosis was observed using Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining. MTT assay was used to evaluate the effect of DHA in suppressing cell growth, and flow cytometry was employed to analyze the changes of cell apoptotic rate following DHA stimulations. Wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay were used to evaluate the migration of the cell lines. The expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2 cleaved caspase3, MMP-9 and VEGF proteins were detected by Western blotting.DHA exposure of the cells caused obvious morphological changes and dose-dependently increased the number of apoptotic bodies in the cells. MTT assay showed that DHA inhibited the growth of the cancer cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. DHA also effectively suppressed migration and invasion of the cancer cells. The cells exposed to DHA showed significantly down-regulation of Bcl-2, MMP-9 and VEGF proteins and up-regulation of cleaved-caspase 3 and Bax.DHA can promote cervical carcinoma cell apoptosis by down-regulating the anti-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase3 and suppress cell invasion by decreasing MMP-9 and VEGF expressions.

Develops a finite element model to analyze the dynamic/static sensitivities of a certain white bodywork, i.e., the sensitivities of its bodywork’s natural frequency, torsional stiffness and flexural rigidity and mass to the thickness of sheet to make the bodywork, thus finding out the main parts affecting greatly the dynamic and static characteristics of bodywork to optimize its structure design. According to the sizes of contribution the body mass will make to the natural frequency and torsional stiffness and flexural rigidity, an optimal conceptual design is given. This method provides an important reference for improving the dynamic performance of bodywork, lightening its weight and optimizing its design.

* These two authors contribute equally to this paper. In order to identify the proteins associated with Helicobacter pylori colonization in mice, we used 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) to analyze the membrane- and soluble-cellular proteins extracted from H. pylori strain 26695 and the mouse-passaged homolog 88-3887. We defined 2- and 3-fold changes in protein expression as the threshold values for differential expression in the membrane-protein and whole-cell-protein fractions, respectively. The differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). A total of 29 proteins, including 16 mem- brane- or membrane-associated proteins (13 upregulated, 3 downregulated) and 13 cellular proteins (10 upregulated, 3 downregulated) were differentially expressed between the strains 26695 and 88-3887. Among the upregulated proteins, 10 proteins had been previously shown to be associated with the mouse colonization, and 13 upregulated proteins were shown to be associated with the adaptation of H. pylori in murine hosts for the first time in this study. The identified proteins were classified as proteins related to metabolism, stress response, virulence, or adhesion. The data presented in this report indicated that there were subsets of upregulated proteins in mouse-adapted H. pylori. In particular, the adhesins, virulence factors, and stress- response proteins are likely to contribute to colonization in mice.

This study aimed to determine the in vitro activity of quinupristin-alfopristin against Streptococcus sp. isolated in China. This agent is not yet available for clinical use, but it has been tested against a high proportion of resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. A total of 156 streptococcal isolates, which were recovered from various geographic areas and diseases, were tested using the Etest (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden). Quinupristin-alfopristin showed excellent activity against all of the tested streptococci isolates. These results provide useful data for the clinical use of quinupristin-alfopristin in China.

This study investigated and analyzed the physical health condition and characteristics of faculties in Beijing Electronic Science and Technology Institute (BESTI), using the questionnaire survey, physical measurement and mathematical statistics. The results showed the normal rate of the faculty's Body Mass Index (BMI) is rather low; the ratio of the overweight and obesity is relatively high; the grip strength of the faculty in different ages is lower than the average of 2010 in China, showing their poor strength quality; the step test showed, their cardiopulmonary functions were poor. It is also found, the physical health of the young teachers aged from 20 to 39 was not optimistic, with many test indexes lower than the national average level. Index Terms - faculty, physical condition, health I. Introduction Institutions of higher education are the educational institutions to cultivate talents. As the foundation stone to support higher education, the health of university teachers is directly related to the implementation of the national strategy for rejuvenating the country through science and education. Meanwhile, it affects the progress of social and economic development. The test results of 11 national physique of 106 teachers from Beijing Electronic Science and Technology Institute were investigated and analyzed in this study in order to understand the basic situation of physical health of university teachers in Beijing. It provides a reference for the teachers as a scientific guidance of physical exercises, through the analysis of characteristics and rules. Meanwhile, it is also a basis for the planning and development of physical exercises of the university teachers.

Fourteen Campylobacter jejuni genes--porA, cadF, omp18, dnaK, flaC, peb1, peb2, peb3, peb4, ahpC, groEL, tuF, hipO, and Cj0069--were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The recombinant proteins were purified on histidine (His) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) trap columns using the AKTA Explorer 100 System. Recombinant proteins were visualized using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The antigenicities of these recombinant proteins were assessed by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with anti-C. jejuni immune rabbit sera. Four recombinant proteins, including rGST-PorA, rHis-CadF, rGST-GroEL, and rGST-TuF, demonstrated reactions with both anti-serum and preimmune serum, while rHis-DnaK, rGST-FlaC, rGST-PEB2, rGST-PEB3, rGST-PEB4, and rGST-HipO showed variable antigenicity characteristics to the anti-sera derived from different C. jejuni strains. rHis-Omp18, rHis-PEB1, and rGST-AhpC demonstrated universal and specific antigenities with the entire anti-sera panel tested in this present study, while recombinant rGST-Cj0069 and rHis-DnaK did not react with any of the anti-C. jejuni sera tested. In conclusion, rGST-AhpC may be useful as a potential serodiagnostic antigen for C. jejuni infection.

To investigate the protein expression profiles of the major food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168.Membrane and soluble cellular proteins were extracted from the genome-sequenced C. jejuni strain NCTC11168. Protein expression profiles were determined using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). All the detected spots on the 2-DE map were subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF) analysis.A total of 537 and 333 spots were detected from the whole cell and membrane-associated proteins of C. jejuni NCTC11168 cultured on Columbia agar medium at 42 °C by 2-DE and Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining, respectively. Analyses of whole cell and membrane-associated proteins included 399 and 133 spots, respectively, which included 182 and 53 functional proteins identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis.The comprehensive expression protein profiles of C. jeuni NCTC11168 obtained in this study will be useful for elucidating the roles of these proteins in further pathogenesis investigation.

Secreted proteins of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) interact with gastric epithelium cells and may contribute to cell damage. Considering the fact that HP0175 and hypothetical conserved protein HP1286 are included in the group and that HP0175 is a well-known apoptosis-induced factor, the present study aims to clarify whether HP1286 plays a role in bacterial pathogenicity or even functions as an apoptosis-induced factor in human stomach.Two genes encoding HP1286 and HP0175 were cloned into pET32a vector and expressed as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21. Signal peptide sequences were not included. The recombinant proteins were purified with His SpinTrap and desalted by using HiTrap Desalting. Immunoreactivity of the proteins was determined by Western blot. Human gastric epithelial cell AGS was challenged with these endotoxin-free proteins; and apoptosis of cells was assayed with the Cell Death ELISA kit.Recombinant proteins and their respective products whose N-terminal his-tag were removed with thrombin were recognized by serum from the patient infected with H. pylori. Apoptotic AGS cells challenged by HP1286 of H. pylori 26695 were four times more than untreated cells. In addition, apoptosis-induced ability of HP1286 of SS1 was not as strong as that of H. pylori 26695 strain.HP1286 of H. pylori 26695 induces apoptosis of AGS cells in a time-dependent manner, however the apoptosis-induced ability of HP1286 may differ due to variations between different strains.

To assess the acceptability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (Pr-EP) among the female sex workers in Xinjiang.A volunteer-based, anonymous and one-to-one questionnaire survey was conducted in 762 female sex workers (FSW) in Urumqi and Kelamayi of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.Among 762 FSW surveyed, 673 (88.32%) was not aware of pre-exposure prophylaxis with an awareness rate of 11.55%. The awareness rate of FSWs working in high-end entertainment venues was higher than that of FSWs working in medium-low end entertainment venues(P0.001). Five hundred and twenty eight FSWs (69.29%) were willing to take Pr-EP, 145 (19.03%) were unwilling to take the medicine and 89 (11.68%) were possible to use the Pr-EP. There was no significant difference in willingness of using Pr-EP among FSWs working in high and medium-low end entertainment venuew (P=0.285). The subjects who were willing to take Pr-EP mainly concerned of the drug security, effectiveness and cost. The main reasons for not willing to take Pr-EP were: not having risk of infecting HIV, suspecting effectiveness of Pr-EP and worrying about side effects.The acceptability to use Pr-EP in female sex workers of Xinjiang is relatively high and the drug security, effectiveness and cost will influence the promotion and application of Pr-EP in the future.

To establish and evaluate a real-time PCR assay to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M.pneumoniae) in clinical specimens.By analysing the whole p1 gene sequence of 60 M.pneumoniae clinical isolates in Beijing of China, an optimized real-time PCR assay (MpP1) using p1 gene conserved region was designed. The specificity and sensitivity of this assay were evaluated and compared with other two reported assays (RepMp1 and Mp181) using 40 positive and 100 negative clinical specimens.The detection limit of the new assay was 8.1 fg (about 1∼3CFU) M.pneumoniae DNA. The sensitivity of MpP1, RepMp1, and Mp181 assays appeared to be 100%, 100%, and 85%, respectively.MpP1 assay is suitable for the detection of M.pneumoniae in Chinese clinical specimens.

AIM: To investigate the relationship between urinary peptide changes and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection using urinary peptidome profiling. METHODS: The study was performed in volunteers (n = 137) who gave informed consent. Urinary peptides were enriched by magnetic beads based weak cation exchange chromatography and spectrums acquired by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). ClinProTools bioinformatics software was used for statistical analysis and the recognition of peptide patterns. The marker peptides were identified by LTQ Obitrap XL tandem MS. RESULTS: Approximately 50 proteins or peptides which loaded onto the magnetic beads were detected by MALDI-TOF MS. By optimizing the parameters of the model, the Genetic Algorithm model had good recognition capability (97%) and positive predictive value (94%). Based on the model, 2 markers with molecular masses of 6788 and 1912 Da were found that differentiated between H. pylori positive and negative volunteers. The m/z 1912 sequence was parsed as SKQFTSSTSYNRGDSTF. The peptide was identified as isoform 1 of the fibrinogen α chain precursor, whose concentration in urine was markedly higher in H. pylori infected volunteers than in H. pylori non-infected ones. CONCLUSION: The appearance of urinary fibrinogen degradation products is caused by an active H. pylori-induced process.

Hierarchy of military systems is developing to network structure. For seeking laws of warfare in information age, this article improved the simple approach of using Lanchester equations set to determine combating capability, and introduced complex network theory to the research of military forces SoSs. We introduced the concept of weighted complex networks to research the modeling of military systems. With using link weight to characterize the interaction between nodes it is clear that link weight of each side will keep changing along with the evolution of the network structure. Starting from critical features of military systems, this paper simulated the attendance and destruction of combating units, also the generation and disappearance of cooperative relationship, and abstract an evolving model based on the interacting and non-linear priority growth of new nodes and internal edges which substitutes the real system and the dynamic development. In accordance with rules in the model, we simulated the establishment of military systems by MATLAB, and analyzed its properties. In conclusion, the clustering coefficient, average path length and efficiency are according to power-law obviously. Finally, military system may have a fractal structure according to the self-similarity reflected by power-law nature of the model.

From June to July 2007, 36 cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) occurred in a township in north China. Serological study and bacteria culture were performed to investigate the association between preceding Campylobacter jejuni infection and this GBS outbreak. Anti-C. jejuni antibodies were found in significantly higher numbers of GBS patients (IgM 84%, IgG 87.5%) than in healthy inspection cases (IgM 33%, IgG 27%). IgG anti-GM1 was the dominant anti-ganglioside antibody among the GBS patients. Seven C. jejuni isolates (four from human stool and three from poultry specimens taken from the patients' houses) were obtained. Serotyping and molecular analysis were used to investigate the genetic relatedness among these C. jejuni isolates. The four human isolates, collected from residents of the same district, were indistinguishable by both pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing, suggesting these patients had a common source of infection. A new sequence type, sequence type-2993, was assigned to the human C. jejuni isolates, three of which belonged to Penner serotype heat-stable (HS):41. Both serotype and molecular subtype of the human C. jejuni isolates were different from those of isolates obtained from poultry specimens. Our results suggest that the antecedent C. jejuni infection triggered this GBS outbreak in China.

In order to identify the proteins associated with Helicobacter pylori colonization in mice, we used 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) to analyze the membrane- and soluble-cellular proteins extracted from H. pylori strain 26695 and the mouse-passaged homolog 88-3887. We defined 2- and 3-fold changes in protein expression as the threshold values for differential expression in the membrane-protein and whole-cell-protein fractions, respectively. The differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). A total of 29 proteins, including 16 membrane- or membrane-associated proteins (13 upregulated, 3 downregulated) and 13 cellular proteins (10 upregulated, 3 downregulated) were differentially expressed between the strains 26695 and 88-3887. Among the upregulated proteins, 10 proteins had been previously shown to be associated with the mouse colonization, and 13 upregulated proteins were shown to be associated with the adaptation of H. pylori in murine hosts for the first time in this study. The identified proteins were classified as proteins related to metabolism, stress response, virulence, or adhesion. The data presented in this report indicated that there were subsets of upregulated proteins in mouse-adapted H. pylori. In particular, the adhesins, virulence factors, and stress-response proteins are likely to contribute to colonization in mice.

Objectives We aimed to investigate the awareness of and willingness to use oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among HIV-negative partners in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples in Xinjiang, China and determine factors that predict willingness to use oral PrEP. Methods Between November 2009 and December 2010, a cross-sectional survey was carried out among 351 HIV-negative partners in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples from three cities in Xinjiang, China. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire to assess their awareness of and willingness to use oral PrEP. Additionally, blood samples were collected to test for HIV infection. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of willingness to use oral PrEP. Results Only 10 participants (2.8%) reported having heard of PrEP, and only two reported ever using PrEP. However, 297 (84.6%) reported that they were willing to use oral PrEP if it was proven to be both safe and effective. Results of multivariate analysis revealed the following independent predictors of willingness to use oral PrEP: monthly household income (adjusted odds ratio = 2.78

To extend the knowledge of the dynamic interaction between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and host mucosa.A time-series cDNA microarray was performed in order to detect the temporal gene expression profiles of human gastric epithelial adenocarcinoma cells infected with H. pylori. Six time points were selected to observe the changes in the model. A differential expression profile at each time point was obtained by comparing the microarray signal value with that of 0 h. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was subsequently performed to evaluate the data quality.We found a diversity of gene expression patterns at different time points and identified a group of genes whose expression levels were significantly correlated with several important immune response and tumor related pathways.Early infection may trigger some important pathways and may impact the outcome of the infection.

AIM: To assess the adhesion and invasion abilities of different mouse adapted H pylori strains in different cell lines in vitro and investigate their effects on the virulence factors cagA and vacA. METHODS: The adherence and invasion abilities of different H pylori strains in different epithelial cell lines were examined by the gentamycin protection assay. The null mutants of cagA and vacA were processed by direct PCR mutation method. The morphologic changes of different cell lines after H pylori attachment were examined by microscopy. RESULTS: The densities of adherence to and invasion into cells in vitro were different from those in the mouse infection experiments. 88-3887 strain could invade and adhere to cells stronger than SS1 and X47. All tested strains had better adhering and invasive abilities in SCG-7901 cell. CagA and vacA minus mutants had the same invasion and adherent abilities as their wild types. In all strains and cell lines tested, only AGS cell had the significant hummingbird phenotype after inoculation with the 88-3887 wild-type. CONCLUSION: Both the host cells and the bacteria play important parts in the invasion and adhesion abilities of H pylori. CagA and VacA are not related to the ability of invasion and adhesion of H pylori in different cell lines in vitro.