Search

C13H20O4, monoclinic, P21 (no. 4), a = 9.7071(4) Å, b = 7.9026(4) Å, c = 17.3139(7) Å, β = 101.617(4)°, V = 1300.97(10) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0428, wRref (F 2) = 0.1145, T = 170 K.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a pathological inflammatory condition of the lungs that is associated with high rates of mortality. Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve a role in lung diseases, their functions in COPD pathogenesis are relatively unknown. The present study aimed to assess the role of differentially expressed lncRNAs in COPD. Expression profile analysis of six lncRNAs in age-matched COPD and non-COPD tissues were conducted. Among the six tested lncRNAs, metastasis-associated in lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) was the most consistently overexpressed in COPD lung tissue specimens. To model COPD in vitro, human lung fibroblasts were treated with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and MALAT1 was knocked down by small interfering RNA. This promoted cell viability and concurrently inhibited the expression of mesenchymal proteins, fibronectin and α-smooth muscle actin. In COPD, cell senescence is linked to the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). Upon gene silencing of MALAT1 in non-TGF-β-treated cells, cells demonstrated constitutive activation of mTORC1, which was assessed by the protein expression levels of mTORC1 substrate S6 kinase (S6K1). By contrast, upon MALAT1 silencing in the TGF-β-treated cells, mTORC1 activation was not suppressed, despite the mesenchymal cell markers protein expression levels being downregulated. Thus, lncRNA MALAT1 may represent a potent biomarker in COPD patients and may act as a target for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Valley topological refraction material (TRM) of elastic wave and its direction signal transmittance with robustness against structural disturbance is crucial for various applications such as communication, navigation and detection devices for medical and industrial purpose. However, the existing TRM is limited by the single topological band, which obviously hinders the exploration of the multi-band topological ultrasonic devices to guarantee its efficiency and stability. Here, we demonstrate the dual-band valley TRM for elastic waves, in which the valley edge states and their robustness are investigated. Furthermore, the topological refractions of the valley edge states from the interface into the free space at zigzag termination in two frequency bands are explored, where the mode conversion of the bulk elastic wave occurs at interface termination. Interestingly, the full mode conversion from longitudinal to transverse waves is revealed in the low frequency band while the non-full mode conversion between the longitudinal and transverse takes place in the high frequency band. The researched dual-band elastic TRM could facilitate the potential applications in multi-band and multi-directional devices.

Na super ionic conductor (NASICON)-type Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) has been considered as a potential positive electrode material for sodium ion batteries (NIBs) owing to its high theoretical specific capacity. Nonetheless, the practical application of NVP is hindered by the intrinsically poor electronic conductivity. Herein, polydopamine-derived nitrogen-doped carbon-covered Na3V2(PO4)3/C composites (NVP/C/NC) have been prepared through a self-polymerization of dopamine on the NVP/C surface and subsequent calcination at high temperature. The as-synthesized NVP/C/NC composite cathode exhibits a high initial reversible capacity (109.2 mAh/g at 0.2C), superior rate performance (87.2 mAh/g at a rate up to 20C), and excellent cycling capability (91.2% of the initial capacity is kept after 500 cycles at 2C) in NIBs. Furthermore, compared with NVP/C electrode, the NVP/C/NC electrode presents low resistance and high sodium ions diffusion coefficient. The good performance can be ascribed to the nitrogen-doped carbon layer in improving the electronic conductivity, shortening diffusion length of Na+ ions and electrons, and relieving the volume changes of electrode materials. These preliminary results suggest that the as-obtained NVP/C/NC composite is a novel promising electrode material for low-cost sodium energy storage.

Free-standing Co3O4 on nickel foam is synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route, using cobalt nitrate hexahydrate as the cobalt source, and urea as the precipitator. The effects of urea on the structural and electrochemical characteristics are investigated in detail. As the urea increased, the morphology of the free-standing Co3O4 turns from hexagonal nanosheets to nanoflakes, and finally turns to nanoflakes/nanowires hybrid structure. This hybrid structure is made up of ultrathin porous nanoflakes, and short nanowires anchored at the edge of the nanoflakes, which may enhance the diffusion rate of the electrolyte and O2 and provide more active sites for both O2 reduction and evolution reactions. When applied as a free-standing cathode for the Li O2 cells, it shows better performance for the nanoflakes/nanowires hybrid structure than the others. It exhibits a high specific capacity of 5958 mA h g−1 at 0.1 mA cm−2, a long cycle life of 108 cycles with a limited capacity of 500 mA h g−1, and unique morphology of the discharge products.

Hollow MoO2 /reduced graphene oxide (MoO2 /rGO) sub-microsphere composites have been fabricated through a simple hydrothermal approach followed by a heat treatment process. When employed as an anode material for potassium-ion batteries, the as-synthesized MoO2 /rGO composite can deliver an initial charge specific capacity of 367.2 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1 , and its reversible capacity is 218.9 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles. Even when cycled at 500 mA g-1 , a high charge specific capacity of 104.2 mAh g-1 is achieved after 500 cycles. The excellent cycling capability and rate performance may be ascribed to the synergistic effects of the reduced graphene oxide and the hollow MoO2 spheres, which can increase the electrical conductivity of the composite, as well as resisting the strain arising from the repeated discharge-charge processes. These results indicate that the MoO2 /rGO hollow sphere composites are promising negative electrode materials for potassium-ion batteries.

Manganese-based layered KxMnO2 (x = 0.3 and 0.45) cathodes with P2/P3-type structure for K-ion batteries are prepared through a simple co-precipitation method. It is discovered that the amount of K not only plays an important role in the structure and morphology of the samples, but also has a certain effect on the electrochemical performance. In spite of the same synthesis conditions, the K0.45MnO2 sample displays different structure and smaller particle sizes in comparison with that of the K0.3MnO2 sample. The redox potentials of the two samples are almost the same. Both of them present excellent cycle stability and rate performance when tested as cathodes for K-ion batteries. However, K0.45MnO2 shows slightly better performance than that of K0.3MnO2. It can deliver a reversible specific capacity of 128.6 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1 with an average voltage of 2.75 V vs. K/K+. In addition, the K0.45MnO2 exhibits a fast rate performance with a specific capacity of 51.2 mAh g−1 even at 200 mA g−1, which exceeds the performance of some reported metal-based oxide cathodes. These results may provide new insight into developing manganese-based oxides cathode materials for K-ion batteries.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Kif18A in cancerous and paracancerous tissues from 100 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This was a prospective study of 100 patients with pathologically confirmed NSCLC (adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma [SCC], n = 50/group) that were operated at the Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University between June 2015 and December 2016. Kif18A protein expression in cancerous and paracancerous normal tissues was detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry. The expression of the Kif18A protein was higher in adenocarcinoma and SCC tissues than in the corresponding paracancerous normal tissues. The expression of the Kif18A protein was higher in highly differentiated tumors, in patients with lymph node metastasis (vs no lymph node metastasis), adenocarcinoma, and in stage III NSCLC. There were no associations between Kif18A expression and age, gender, and pathologic type. The expression of the Kif18A protein by immunohistochemistry was higher in NSCLC tissues than in normal tissues, and was associated with tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and TNM staging. These results could provide a theoretical basis for novel molecular targeted therapies against NSCLC.

To enable lithium–oxygen batteries for practical applications, the design and efficient synthesis of nonprecious metal catalysts with high activity and stable structural properties are demanded. The objective is to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of both oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction by facilitating electronic/ionic transport and improving oxygen diffusion in a porous structure. In this study, high-surface-area and porous cobalt phosphide (Co2P) nanosheets are synthesized via an environmentally safe hydrothermal method, where red phosphorous is used as the phosphorous source. It was found that the as-prepared Co2P/acetylene black (AB) composite delivered enhanced electrochemical performances, such as high capacities of 2551 mA h g–1 (based on the total weight of Co2P and AB) or 5102 mA h g–1 (based on the weight of Co2P or AB) and a good cycle life of more than 1800 h (132 cycles) in lithium–oxygen battery. The rational design of the Co2P/AB porous oxygen electrode structure pro...

A layered potassium vanadate K0.23V2O5 has been successfully prepared by the hydrothermal method and evaluated as an anode material for lithium-ion and potassium-ion batteries. High structural stability is demonstrated by the ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ex situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the K0.23V2O5 exhibits a reversible capacity of 480.4 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1 after 100 cycles and 439.7 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after 300 cycles as well as good cycling stability. Even at a high current density of 800 mA g−1, a high reversible capacity of 202.5 mAh g−1 can be retained, indicating excellent rate performance. Whereas in potassium-ion batteries, it retains a capacity of 121.6 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 20 mA g−1 and 97.6 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 100 cycles. Such superior electrochemical performance of K0.23V2O5 can be ascribed to the special flower-like morphology and structure. Overall, the results highlight the great potential of K0.23V2O5 as an anode material for both lithium-ion and potassium-ion batteries.

Highly mesoporous cobalt oxide nanosheets are grown on nickel foam (M-Co3O4/NF) by a hydrothermal method. Ag nanoparticles with 10–50 nm diameters are uniformly distributed on the surface of the mesoporous Co3O4 nanosheets (Ag/M-Co3O4/NF) after chemical bath reaction. Moreover, we discovered that the homogeneous distribution of Ag nanoparticles on free-standing, highly mesoporous Co3O4 nanosheets showed the synergistic effect of the high electrocatalyst reactions toward the ORR from Ag and OER from M-Co3O4. Highly mesoporous Co3O4 nanosheets with a thickness of 10 nm as free-standing cathode for Li-O2 battery are beneficial to accommodating insoluble discharge products and facilitating oxygen diffusion and electrolyte impregnation. Ag nanoparticles can improve the electrical conductivity of the O2 electrode and provide a catalytic activity for ORR at the same time. The Ag/M-Co3O4/NF exhibited a robust catalytic activity as cathode for Li-O2 batteries with a high reversible capacity of 2471.1 mA h g−1, a low discharge/charge overpotential, and a cycle life of 124 cycles (under the curtaining capacity of 500 mA h g−1). The preliminary results indicate that Ag/M-Co3O4/NF is an efficient and stable bifunctional cathode for Li-O2 batteries.

A novel layered ternary material K0.67Ni0.17Co0.17Mn0.66O2 has been fabricated via a co-precipitation assisted solid-phase method and further evaluated as a cathode for potassium-ion batteries for the first time. Highly reversible K+ intercalation/deintercalation is demonstrated in this material. It delivers a reversible capacity of 76.5mAh/g with average voltage of 3.1V and shows good cycling performance with capacity retention of 87% after 100cycles at 20mA/g. This work may give a new insight into developing cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries. Keywords: Potassium-ion batteries, Cathode, Ternary material, K0.67Ni0.17Co0.17Mn0.66O2

Traditionary oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts are mainly precious metal materials, but their expensive cost and low amount of storing limit their applications in Li–O2 batteries. Here is a simple way to report that we synthesis cobalt nanoparticle in-situ encapsulated into N-doped carbon polyhedral (Co@NC) by pyrolyzing ZIF-67 and we find that 900 °C is the optimal temperature for pyrolysis. The Co@NC and Co@NC-900/acetylene black (AB) is used as a bifunctional electrocatalysts and an oxygen electrode in Li–O2 batteries respectively. The Co@NC-900/AB can be the promising non-noble-metal-based oxygen electrode in Li–O2 batteries.

A series of iron-substituted layered P3-type manganese oxides, K0.45Mn1−xFexO2 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) were fabricated using a convenient solid-state method and studied as cathode materials for potassium-ion batteries. The microstructure and morphology of the as-synthesized materials were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The electrochemical characteristics of K0.45Mn1−xFexO2 samples have been investigated systematically and K0.45Mn0.8Fe0.2O2 shows the best cyclic stability and highest rate performance. It delivers a large reversible discharge capacity of 106.2 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1 with a capacity retention rate of 77.3% after 100 cycles. It also presents obviously enhanced rate performance with the capacity of 64.9 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 and stable cycling capability of 44.7 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles. The results demonstrate that the relatively small substitution (20%) at the transition metal site can improve the cycle stability during potassium ions insertion and extraction. Therefore, the layered P3-K0.45Mn0.8Fe0.2O2 possibly serves as a potentially promising cathode material that made from completely earth-abundant elements for potassium-ion batteries applications.

To study the effect of different intensity exercise on skeletal muscle fiber myosin heavy chain(MHC) subtype transformation and CaN/NFATc1 signaling pathways.Twenty-four Male SD rats (2-month old) were randomly divided into normal control group (NC), moderate intensity exercise group (ME, grade 5°, speed 18 m/min), heavy intensity exercise group (HE, grade 10°, 26.8 m/min). The rats in exercise groups were treated with treadmill training for eight weeks. The type I and type Ⅱ muscle fibers were determined by ATPase staining method. MHC subtype was separated by SDS-PAGE. The activity of CaN was determined by colorimetric method. The content of NFATc1 protein in skeletal muscle was detected by immune imprinting technology.①Skeletal muscle fiber density changes:the type I and Ⅱ fiber number density of quadriceps in ME group were increased significantly (The heavy and moderate intensity exercise may induce skeletal muscle MHC type transforming from fast to slow. At the same time, the activity of CaN and the expression of NFATc1 protein are increased accompanying the changes of skeletal muscle fibers subtype.

To enable lithium-oxygen batteries for practical applications, the design and efficient synthesis of nonprecious metal catalysts with high activity and stable structural properties are demanded. The objective is to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of both oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction by facilitating electronic/ionic transport and improving oxygen diffusion in a porous structure. In this study, high-surface-area and porous cobalt phosphide (Co

Background To observe and compare the effects of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and conventional thoracotomy on the levels of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods Seventy-nine patients with a diagnosis of NSCLC were enrolled in the study. Forty-three were treated with VATS and 36 were treated with conventional thoracotomy. Blood samples were collected 3 days prior to surgery (d-3), during surgery (d0), and 3 days after surgery (d3). After epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-labeled immunomagnetic cell enrichment, anti-CK-PE and anti-CD45-FITC fluorescent-labeled monoclonal antibodies were added to sort CTCs. Quantification of CTCs was performed using multiparameter flow cytometry. Results The number of CTCs on d0 was significantly higher than on d-3 (5.730 ± 4.266 vs. 4.142 ± 3.971, p = 0.033) in both groups. There was no significant difference in the change of CTCs from before surgery to during surgery in the VATS and conventional thoracotomy (open) groups (1.363 ± 2.924 vs. 1.500 ± 2.315, p = 0.329). However, the increase in number of CTCs from before surgery to after surgery was significantly lower in the VATS group than in the conventional thoracotomy (open) group (2.181 ± 2.962 vs. 9.666 ± 15.641, p = 0.015). Thirty of the 79 patients tested positive for CTCs before surgery (37.97%). All benign lung disease patients and volunteers tested negative for CTCs. Conclusion A smaller increase in CTCs was seen in patients treated with VATS lobectomy than in patients treated with conventional thoracotomy. This reduction in number of postoperative CTCs may improve long-term survival.

Scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm, one of the most famous and popular interest point detectors, detects extrema by using difference-of-Gaussian (DoG) filter which is an approximation to the Laplacian-of-Gaussian (LoG) for improving speed. However, DoG filter has a strong response along edge, even if the location along the edge is poorly determined and therefore is unstable to small amounts of noise. In this paper, we propose a novel interest point detection algorithm, which detects scale space extrema by using a Laplacian-of-Bilateral (LoB) filter. The LoB filter, which is produced by Bilateral and Laplacian filter, can preserve edge characteristic by fully utilizing the information of intensity variety. Compared with the SIFT algorithm, our algorithm substantially improves the repeatability of detected interest points on a very challenging benchmark dataset, in which images were generated under different imaging conditions. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed approach is more robust to challenging problems such as illumination and viewpoint changes, especially when encountering large illumination change.

An Efficient Routing Algorithm for Improving the QoS in Internet has been proposed and presented in this paper. The algorithm is a kind of Multi Constrained Path algorithm. The routing take place based on more than one link weight components. To avoid the NP complete problem and to increase the computational efficiency some advancement are added. These include the definition of Non Linear Path Length, where the sub paths may not be the shortest path, having k no of shortest paths in a node instead of having only the shortest path, then removing the path dominancy for state space reduction. As a last the concept look ahead is also included through which a predicted path to destination is mapped. This work only implements the removal of path dominancy where the queue is updated by removing the dominated paths from the queue. The simulation is also showing the better performance of the system.

According to the analysis of mathematical model for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) in the d-q coordinate system, space vector width modulation (SVPWM) technology is introduced to the design of PMSM control system. The paper builds dual-closed loop control system of SVPWM for PMSM, and the outer loop is speed loop, the inner loop is current loop, at the same time, the paper builds the simulation models and makes simulation in Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results show that the SVPWM technology applied to the control system of PMSM is very successful, and the dynamic performance of control system is very good. So the application of SVPWM technology in PMSM provides a new thoughtful way for PMSM control system designing and debugging in actual application.

This paper establishes finite element model of the spreader based on ANSYS, simulating its mechanical properties: static strength and modal vibration. Based on the calculation results, it points out the weaknesses of the spreader under more cases and its vibration characteristics, in addition, we also discuss the impacts on environment and human body from the perspective of ergonomics, which can provide theoretical basis for further fatigue life and dynamics research.

In this paper, rod-based ZnO tetrapods were successfully synthesized by burning Zn particles in air covered with two firebricks. The products show hexagonal wurtzite phase. The microstructures of the tetrapod were studied carefully by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), SAED and HRTEM. The results show that tetrapod has single crystalline phase with one broader nanorod growing along [0 0 0 1] direction, three triangular nanosheets, growing out of the three trisection planes along [ 1 0 1 ¯ 0 ] direction, and three epitaxial nanowires, growing from each tip of the triangular nanosheets. Based on the experimental results, a rod-based growth model was proposed to interpret its growth mechanism. Room temperature photoluminescence spectrum reveals that the ZnO tetrapods have ultra violet (UV) emission band (389 nm) and a green emission band (517 nm).

Besides the two phase transitions known in ferroelectromagnets, an additional transition was observed experimentally in Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 and the possible mechanism was explored. The magnetic moment shows that anomalous increases when the temperature goes down away from the Neel temperature of 20–30 K. The existence of the hysteresis verifies the weak ferromagnetic property. This additional phase transition is considered to originate from the magnetoelectric coupling between the ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic orders in this compound. From the Mossbauer parameter analysis, it is confirmed that the hybridization of the O 2p, Fe 3d and Nb 4d electron states makes the realization of magnetoelectric coupling possible.

The cation-mixed layered Mn x Fe 1− x PS 3 (0≤ x ≤1) compounds are synthesized from the corresponding elements at 700 °C. These compounds are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), magnetic susceptibility measurements and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic measurements show that the antiferromagnetic interaction is retained in the mixed phases, but the magnetic order is weakened due to manganese ions and iron ions are diluted by each other in the mixed phases. Mossbauer spectra show that Fe 2+ ions and Fe 0+ are co-existent in the mixed phases when 0.1≤ x ≤0.6. The manganese ions and iron ions form their zigzagging chains, respectively, and a few of the same chains form a group, while manganese ion chain groups and iron ion chain groups are diluted by each other. In the interface between different groups, strong distortions take place in the FeS 6 and MnS 6 octahedra, and some electron transformations occur from the 3d band electrons in manganese ions to 4s or 3d bands of the iron ions.

Measurement of the Mossbauer effect of the 37.2 keV γ transition of 121 Sb as well as magnetic measurements have been performed to study the structure change near the magnetic-transition temperature in the perovskite compound Ba(In 0.5 Sb 0.5 )O 3 , which was synthesized by the hydrothermal method for the first time. The Mossbauer isomer shift falls in the region of the Sb(V) and reflects some hybridized-orbital behavior. The major component of the quadrupole coupling tensor (eQV zz ) changes with temperature, while the asymmetry parameter ( η ) is equal to zero. This implies that the structure change occurs and that the central antimony cations move relative to the surrounding oxygen ions along the z -axis of the crystal.

57 Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA) have been used to investigate the thermal decomposition behavior of iron oxychloride. Upon heating of FeOCl in air for a long time, the compound is decomposed around 376 °C and turns into Fe2O3 and FeCl3.

Mossbauer spectroscopy is a dynamic field with applications ranging from physics to biology. This paper gives a review of Mossbauer spectroscopy activities carried out by different groups in China. About thirty groups are distributed all over China for both fundamental and practical aspects. In-beam Mossbauer setup was established at HIRAC accelerator in Lanzhou, and the nuclear scattering facility has already been planned at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Light Source. In this review, some recent developments and achievements are discussed, as examples: (1) Brownian motion in anisotropic media, (2) applications to archaeology, and (3) molecule-based magnetic materials.

57 Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy has been used to study the noncolinear spiral antiferromagnetic coupling in FeOCl. The paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition occurs at 85±1 K. Our Mossbauer studies confirm that the preferential orientations of the spin of Fe 3+ which are crystallographically of equivalent sites are parallel to the b and c axes with varied timescale of spin–spin relaxation as a result of competition among the intralayer antiferromagnetic superexchange coupling, ferromagnetic direct exchange coupling, and mixed interlayer dipolar–dipolar interaction.

Using 3D information is expected to handle challenges in 2D face recognition and improve system performance. Extracting pure facial part in face point cloud is usually the first step in a 3D face recognition system, which was mainly operated by manual in most previous studies. In this paper we propose a fully automatic approach for pure face extraction from 3D point cloud. Considering that 3D face point cloud can often be sensed in combination with color information, we use random forest classifiers to classify skin points and non-skin points in 3D point clouds. Usually there will be a few holes in the obtained skin point cloud, which mainly correspond to eyes, mouth, moustache, etc. We propose an approach based on nearest neighbor search method to fulfill the holes. Experiments show that the proposed approach can extract pure faces with different sizes, poses and expressions under various illumination conditions.

Potassium niobate (KNbO3) nanowires were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicated the nanowires are well-crystallized with orthorhombic structure. Hi...

As a promising biometrics, ear recognition is attracting increasing research interests among researchers in recent years. It has a wide range of civilian and law-enforcement applications. In this paper, a new feature extraction approach is investigated for ear recognition by using scale information of multi-scale Gabor filters. Compared with augmented Gabor features defined via concatenation of the Gabor filtering coefficients, the proposed Gabor scale feature will not only avoid too much redundancy but also tend to extract more precise structural information. So, the proposed feature is more robust to ear image variations. Rigorous experimental results on the ear image dataset of UND and USTB database III show the effectiveness of the proposed Gabor scale feature for ear recognition.

To investigate the relationship between serum Substance P levels and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).A total of 120 adult habitual snorers treated by respiratory physicians in First Hospital of Quanzhou Affiliated to Fujian Medical University were selected for this study. The patients were grouped as simple snorers and OSAHS by the results of polysomnography test. Thirty patients were in the simple snorer group, among whom 24 were male and 6 were female. Their average age was (48 ± 15) years and average AHI was (2.8 ± 1.6) events/hour. Ninety patients were in the OSAHS group, among whom 78 were male and 12 were female. Their average age was (49 ± 12) years and average AHI was (37.1 ± 23.7) events/hour. EDS was assessed using the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). Substance P levels were analyzed with a radioimmunoassay.There was no significant difference in gender, age, and body mass index between the 2 groups. The ESS score for patients with OSAHS was (13 ± 5), higher than that for patients in the simple snorer group (F = 10.299, P0.05). With increasing severity of OSAHS, the score increased. The serum Substance P level for OSAHS group was (132 ± 27) ng/L, which was lower than that in the control (F = 3.048, P = 0.031), and decrease in Substance P level was most significant in patients with severe OSAHS. Pearson correlation analysis showed that Substance P levels in OSAHS patients were negatively correlated with ESS scores (r = -0.238, P0.05).Substance P levels were lower in OSAHS patients with higher degree of daytime sleepiness. Daytime sleepiness and Substance P level were interrelated in patients with OSAHS.

To explore the effect of latent asymptomatic Toxoplasma gondii infection on glucose metabolism in brain of mice.Twenty mice were randomly divided into two groups: a Toxoplasma infected group and normal control group. The mice in the Toxoplasma infected group were inoculated with 0.3 ml of brain suspension in saline containing ten Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts, avirulent Toxoplasma gondii Prugniaud (PRU, a Type II strain). The mice in the control group received 0.3 ml of saline orally. Six monthes after the infection, the glucose metabolism changes in the mouse brain were evaluated by MicroPET, then all the mice were sacrificed and the brain tissues were observed histopathologically.Compared with the normal controls, the infected mice demonstrated profound and widespread brain pathology, and MicroPET indicated a significant glucose metabolism reduction in the brain of asymptomatic Toxoplasma gondii infected mice.Chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection maybe results in the glucose metabolism reduction in the brain of mice.

To evaluate early clinical outcome after arthroscopic treatment of elbow dysfunction.From September 2007 to December 2009, 21 patients with elbow dysfunction were treated with an arthroscopic procedure. All patients had chronic history of elbow dysfunction. Extension lag was 18.2° (10° - 25°) combined with pain. All patients underwent five-portals arthroscopic release and debridement. Postoperative care including anti-infection, rehabilitation and prophylaxis of myositis ossificans were prescribed. All elbows were assessed for increase in ROM and Mayo assessment before and after surgery. Mayo score assessment: ≥ 90 points, excellent; 75 - 89 points, good; 60 - 74 points, common;60, bad. Complications were evaluated.At an average follow-up of 19.7 months (6 - 29 months), all patients had improvement of extension and relief of pain. The average lag of extension was 2.4° (0° - 5°). Pre-operative Mayo assessment: good, 13 patients; common, 5 patients; bad, 3 patients. Post-operation Mayo assessment: excellent, 17 patients; good, 4 patients; common, 0 patients; bad, 0 patient. There was no complication in this case serial.Arthroscopic surgery can minimize trauma and bleeding, and reduce complications. Combined with reasonable rehabilitation, arthroscopic surgery can improve elbow function and appears to be satisfactory management.