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An omnidirectional wireless local area network (WLAN) loop-slot antenna with common-mode current (CMC) suppression is proposed in this communication. First, based on the analysis of the equivalent model of odd–even mode, the feeding coaxial line is led out at the voltage-zero point of the loop-slot element, which suppresses the CMC over the full band. Second, through the theory of array, three loop-slot elements form an array to obtain omnidirectional radiation. Finally, the physical size is reduced by loading Stubs T in the slot. The roundness of the radiation pattern is modified by the Stubs T and the chamfering edge of the antenna. A prototype of the proposed antenna was fabricated and measured. The measured results show that the antenna achieves $\vert \text{S}_{11}\vert dB in bands of 2.15–2.65 and 4.85–5.92 GHz. In addition, the roundness is 0.95 dB at 2.4 GHz, 1.84 dB at 5.2 GHz, and 2.43 dB at 5.8 GHz. The antenna effectively suppresses the CMC to keep a favorable roundness over a wide band, showing its potential in WLAN communication systems.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and soil amino acids both affect plant performance. However, little is known about how AMF compete for amino acids with native and invasive congeners. We conducted a factorial experiment (inoculation, native and invasive species, and amino acids) to examine the competition for amino acids between soil microbes and both native and invasive congeners. The competition for amino acids between AMF and invasive Solidago canadensis was weaker than that observed between AMF and native S. decurrens. This asymmetric competition increased the growth advantage of S. canadensis over S. decurrens. The efficacy (biomass production per unit of nitrogen supply) of amino acids compared to ammonium was smaller in S. canadensis than in S. decurrens when both species were grown without inoculation, but the opposite was the case when both species were grown with AMF. AMF and all microbes differentially altered four phenotypic traits (plant height, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf number, and root biomass allocation) and the pathways determining the effects of amino acids on growth advantages. These findings suggest that AMF could enhance plant invasiveness through asymmetric competition for amino acids and that amino acid-driven invasiveness might be differentially regulated by different microbial guilds.

As a key nitrogen (N) source, soil amino acids play an important role in plant N nutrition. However, how amino acids differentially influence the N use strategies of native and invasive plants remains unclear. We performed a potted experiment using five pairs of native and invasive plant congeners, which were subject to 23 N treatments (i.e., 20 protein primary amino acids, nitrate, ammonium, and control), each with 10 replicates. We determined their growth, biomass allocation, N use efficiency, and the growth advantage of plant invaders over their natives. Native and invasive plants used the same 18 amino acid N sources (i.e., a similar amino acid economics spectrum). The growth of plant invaders was invariably better than the growth of native plants, and this superior growth of invaders was linked to their higher root biomass allocation and greater N use efficiency. Additionally, invasive plants had a greater growth advantage on amino acid N than on inorganic N, so was this advantage greater on neutral amino acids than on acidic amino acids. These findings suggest that the differences in amino acid use strategies between invasive and native congeners could help to explain plant invasiveness, as indicated by a growth advantage.

The rapid development of the automotive industry has led to the accumulation of a large number of waste tires that contain a lot of reusable energy. Macromolecular organics in waste tires can be crack small molecule organics via pyrolysis. In this experiment, thermogravimetry (TG) and pyrolizer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PY-GC/MS) were used to study the pyrolysis behavior of waste tires with different particle sizes, and the effect of temperature and particle size on the pyrolysis products of waste tires under low-temperature pyrolysis conditions, respectively. The volatile substances in waste tires decomposed intensively at 300-500�C and were completely pyrolyzed at 500�C. The content of limonene in the pyrolysis product was significant, and the yield of limonene could reach 27.73% when the waste tire particles were 0.180-0.250 mm and the pyrolysis temperature was 380�C. The mechanism of limonene formation from waste tires was discussed. This study indicated that raw material particle sizes and pyrolysis temperature could change the components and content of pyrolysis products.

A filtering antenna with a quasi-elliptic response based on the substrate-integrated waveguide(SIW) H -plane horn is presented. It is mainly composed of two symmetrical horn elements embedded with the trapezoidal dual-mode cavity. By exploiting the cross couplings of the dual-mode cavity, two radiation nulls are introduced on the gain curve showing a quasi-elliptic filtering response without the increase of horn size. Then, a modified transition is printed in front of the horn aperture on both sides of the substrate, which acquires wider impedance bandwidth and maintains a low backlobe radiation throughout the bandwidth. Besides, the proposed antenna is designed, fabricated, and measured at Ku-band. Two measured radiation nulls can be observed at 14.02 and 17.98 GHz, where the gain drops significantly to below −28 and −38 dBi, leading to high frequency selectivity. A wide measured impedance bandwidth of 12.2% and a large front-to-back ratio of more than 20 dB are achieved. To the author's best knowledge, it is the first time that the filtering horn antenna with radiation nulls, wide bandwidth, and excellent radiation is designed.

A wideband circularly polarized (CP) pyramidal horn antenna (PHA) is proposed. A +45° or −45° rotated spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) waveguide, which serves as a circular polarizer, is inserted into the PHA. The vertically polarized wave in the PHA is decomposed into two orthogonal components with equal amplitude. One component perpendicular to the circular polarizer propagates along the PHA as a fast wave, and the other one propagates along the SSPP waveguide as a slow wave. When length of the SSPP waveguide is chosen appropriately, the phase difference between these two components is +90° or −90°, which makes the PHA radiate left-handed or right-handed (LH or RH) waves. Furthermore, the phase differences approximately equal to +90° or −90° over a wide frequency range. As a result, a wideband LH or RH CP PHA is implemented. Since the SSPP waveguide is completely inserted into a standard gain PHA, its volume does not increase at all, and its appearance does not change. Measured results show that the CP PHA achieves 26% 3 dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth (from 8.7 to 11.3 GHz), its reflection coefficients are less than −10 dB, and its gains range from 14.9 to 16.6 dBic.

A dual-linearly polarized (LP) leaky-wave antenna (LWA) with low cross-polarization levels is proposed. The LWA with 14 circular patches is fed by symmetrical spoof surface plasmon polariton (S-SSPP) lines. When the S-SSPP lines are excited by a common mode, $ {z}$ -components of the magnetic fields are out-of-phase, and those of the electric fields are in-phase, due to the symmetrical structure. The radiation generated by the magnetic couplings (M-couplings) between these two SSPP transmission lines and the patch array strengthens each other, while the cross-polarized radiation produced by the electric couplings (E-couplings) cancels each other out. From another perspective, the M-couplings excite the horizontally polarized (H-pol) TM11 mode. The E-couplings excite the TM21 mode; thus, the E-couplings mainly appear at higher frequencies. As a result, the M-coupling and E-coupling mechanisms are separated successfully. Specifically, the LWA radiates H-pol waves with high purity. On the contrary, with the differential-mode excitation, the E-coupling patch array radiates vertically polarized (V-pol) waves. Finally, a dual-LP LWA with frequency-controlled scanning beams and suppressed cross-polarization levels is designed. Measured results show that the dual-LP beams scan from backward to forward. In the whole band, the cross-polarization levels are less than −30 dB in the scanning plane.

Aims Soil inorganic nitrogen (N) has long been recognized to play an important role in plant invasions. Whilst comparing the N use strategies of multiple invasive versus native plant congeners along an entire N gradient is key to understanding plant invasion success, there are few related studies. Methods We conducted a potted experiment with six invasive and native congeneric pairs, which were subjected to 11 nitrate/ammonium (NO3−/NH4+) ratios (i.e. 100% NO3− at one end and 100% NH4+ at the other end), each with low- and high-N levels. Each species–N combination was replicated eight times, and thus there were 2112 pots in total. We measured the following traits: the total biomass, growth advantage, biomass allocation, leaf chlorophyll content and low-N tolerance. Important Findings Invasive and native congeners grew well at any NO3−/NH4+ ratios, and their responses of growth, allocation and tolerance were approximately parallel along the 11 NO3−/NH4+ ratios across two N levels. Plant invaders grew larger and had greater chlorophyll contents, higher root biomass allocation and stronger low-N tolerance than their congeneric natives. These findings suggest that invasive and native plant congeners may utilize similar inorganic N forms (i.e. NO3− and NH4+) across an entire N composition gradient and that higher N use efficiencies could favor alien plants to invade new plant communities where congeneric natives are dominants.

A novel two-state multi-lobe pattern-reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna (MPA) for wide beam coverage is proposed, where two states are realized by two higher modes, and a multi-lobe pattern is employed for each state. First, the equivalent transmission line model is used to analyze the input impedances of the dual-mode MPA. By adjusting sizes of the capacitive coupling patches and profile of the MPA, the frequency bands of TM30 and TM40 modes are controlled, yielding a band intersection. Second, by controlling the length of the radiating patch, the beam-level differences of TM30-mode and TM40-mode patterns are reduced, respectively. Third, two parasitic patches are also loaded. As a result, the mode-gain difference between TM30 and TM40 modes is small, and all the beam overlap levels are higher than −3 dB. The measured results show that the 3 dB beam coverage of the MPA at 2.9 GHz ranges from −68° to +73° in the xoz plane, and its maximum gain is 7.0 dBi. Furthermore, the two-state pattern-reconfigurable MPA has a 3-lobe pattern pointing at {0°, ±37°} for the first state and a four-lobe pattern pointing at {±17°, ±58°} for the second state. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones.

In this paper, a single-layer wideband differential-fed microstrip patch antenna (DMPA) with complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs) loaded is proposed. First, a quarter-wave microstrip-line resonator is introduced as a capacitive coupling feeding structure which can generate a non-radiative resonant mode. Second, a set of rectangular parasitic patches is loaded co-planarly along the non-radiative edges of the DMPA. Thus, a parasitic radiative mode at the high side of the operation band is added. Meanwhile, with this arrangement, the field distribution of the DMPA has also changed, and a radiation null at high band edge is formed. Then, a pair of CSRRs is etched on the ground beneath the feeding lines, which has compensated the mismatched impedance of the DMAP at the low side of the operation band. As a result, the low-frequency bandwidth is significantly increased. Finally, the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured, and the measured results are in good agreement with the simulation ones. The measured bandwidth of the proposed antenna is ranged from 5.35 GHz to 7 GHz (about 26.7%) while keeping a low profile of 0.051λ (λ is the free-space wavelength at the center frequency) without any air gaps. Besides, the broadside gain is from 7.7 dBi to 10.7 dBi.

Accumulating evidence suggests that neuronal apoptosis plays a critical role in early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and the inhibition of apoptosis can induce neuroprotective effects in SAH animal models. c-Abl has been reported to promote neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer's disease and cerebral ischemia, but its role in SAH had not been illuminated until now. In the present study, the effect of c-Abl on neuronal apoptosis induced by SAH was investigated. c-Abl protein levels and neuronal apoptosis were markedly increased 24 h after SAH, and the inhibition of endogenous c-Abl reduced neuronal apoptosis and mortality and ameliorated neurological deficits. Furthermore, c-Abl inhibition decreased the expression of cleaved caspase-3 (CC-3) after SAH. These results demonstrate the proapoptotic effect of c-Abl in EBI after SAH. Additionally, c-Abl inhibition further enhanced the SAH-induced phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β. LY294002 abrogated the beneficial effects of targeting c-Abl and exacerbated neuronal apoptosis after SAH. SAH decreased LRP-1 levels and downregulated LRP-1 by RAP and LRP-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) induced a dramatic decrease in Akt/GSK3β activation in the presence of c-Abl siRNA. This is the first report showing that the c-Abl tyrosine kinase may play a key role in SAH-induced neuronal apoptosis by regulating the LRP-1-dependent Akt/GSK3β survival pathway. Thus, c-Abl has the potential to be a novel target for EBI therapy after SAH.

Emerging evidence has shown that interleukin (IL)-17A is implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR). Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) orchestrates the immune response toward a Th2 phenotype. Although increased TSLP is found in AR, the contribution of IL-17A in TSLP production by nasal fibroblasts is not well understood. We aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of IL-17A on TSLP production by human nasal fibroblasts (HNFs) from AR patients. HNFs from AR patients were cultured and stimulated with IL-17A in the absence or presence of a Janus kinase (JAK) 2 or JAK1/3 inhibitor. Western blotting was used to assay phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in HNFs. The TSLP expression in the cells and culture supernatants was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunoassay. Stimulation with IL-17A induced STAT3 phosphorylation, which was inhibited by the pretreatment with JAK2 inhibitor AZD1480 or JAK1/3 inhibitor tofacitinib. IL-17A promoted the nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65 protein, leading to increased TSLP production, while the pre-incubation with AZD1480 prior to IL-17A attenuated these effects. However, the pre-incubation with tofacitinib before IL-17A stimulation had no impact on the expression of NF-κBp65 and TSLP. IL-17A up-regulated TSLP production by HNFs through JAK2/NF-κB pathway. Although IL-17A induced STAT3 activation through JAK1/2/3, IL-17A-mediated TSLP expression was not dependent on STAT3 signaling. These observations would provide mechanistic insight into therapeutic strategies to improve the immune and inflammation associated with Th17A in the management of AR.

Observations of solar wind plasma find that the drift velocity between alpha beams and protons, v α , is reduced with the heliocentric distance, but the ratio of v α to v A (the local Alfvén velocity) does not vary obviously and has a typical velocity ratio of v α /v A ≤ 1. The alpha beam instability is believed to be responsible for the deceleration of alpha beams in the solar wind. However, the role of the temperature anisotropy of ions (protons and alpha particles) on the alpha beam instability has not been examined. Based on the kinetic theory of the PDRK solver, this study systemically investigates the alpha beam instability in the presence of proton and alpha temperature anisotropies and considers the effects of these temperature anisotropies on the instability at an arbitrary propagation angle relative to the ambient magnetic field. It is found that the real frequencies, growth rates and threshold conditions of the excited waves sensitively depend on the proton temperature anisotropy T i⊥/T i∥ and the alpha temperature anisotropy T α⊥/T α∥, as well as the parallel electron beta β e∥. In particular, for both alpha beam and proton temperature anisotropy driven cases, the parallel magnetosonic/ whistler (PM/W), backward magnetosonic/ whistler (BM/W) and oblique Alfvén/ion cyclotron (OA/IC) waves arise when T i⊥/T i∥ < 1, and the PM/W, OA/IC, parallel Alfvén/ion cyclotron (PA/IC) and mirror waves occur when T i⊥/T i∥ > 1. The presence of anisotropic protons leads to a lower velocity threshold for the OA/IC and BM/W waves at T i⊥/T i∥ < 1 and for the OA/IC, PA/IC and mirror waves at T i⊥/T i∥ > 1. For both alpha beam and alpha temperature anisotropy driven cases, the PM/W and OA/IC waves are unstable when T α⊥/T α∥ < 1, and the PM/W, OA/IC, PA/IC, oblique magnetosonic/ whistler (OM/W) and mirror waves are likely to grow as T α⊥/T α∥ > 1. The presence of anisotropic alpha particles results in a lower threshold velocity for the PM/W wave at T α⊥/T α∥ < 1 and for the PA/IC, OM/W and mirror waves at T α⊥/T α∥ > 1. On account of the influences of the anisotropic proton and alpha, these alpha beam instabilities can effectively constrain the alpha-beam drift velocity to less than or equal to the local Alfvén velocity. These results may shed light on the evolution and deceleration mechanism of alpha particles in the solar wind.

Background China has the world’s largest aging population and the number of empty-nest older adults is on the rise. In comparison to the aging population in general, empty-nest older adults have a lower level of subjective well-being and poorer mental health status due to a lack of emotional support from their children. The aim of this study is to conduct an empirical study to evaluate the efficacy of the ‘Path-oriented Psychological Self-help Intervention’ (P-oPSI) led by nurses on the mental health of empty-nest older adults in the community, to provide a scientific foundation for improving their quality of life. Methods A Quasi-Experimental controlled intervention study was conducted from 2015 to 2017. A total of 76 empty-nest older adults from 2 districts were recruited using a convenience sampling and assigned to 2 groups based on their residential communities in the city of Chifeng in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The wait list control group participated in a mental health lecture to gain knowledge and learn techniques of mental health promotion. The intervention group additionally received 1 month of training in a nurse-led ‘P-oPSI’ for a month. Both groups were followed-up for 3 months. Mental health status, coping styles, and psychological self-help ability of the participating empty nest older adults were assessed at the baseline, 1 month, and 3-months follow up, respectively. Two-way analysis of variance and a simple effect test were used to analyse the differences of the two groups. Results The P-oPSI yielded a greater benefit for the mental health status, coping styles, and psychological self-help ability of the participants in the intervention group. Combined with a simple effect test, the scores of the mental health status, positive coping style, and psychological self-help ability of those in the intervention group significantly increased at 1 month after the baseline (F mental health status = 7.59, F positive coping style = 7.24, F psychological self-help ability = 7.07); and the sustainable effect of this program lasted for 3 months after the intervention (F mental health status = 13.24, F positive coping style = 10.42, F psychological self-help ability = 10.45), which reached statistical significance (P Conclusions The P-oPSI program significantly improved the level of mental health of empty-nest older adults in China. This intervention provides a new approach of self-management to improve mental health of older adults in community settings. Trial registration chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR1900025552. Retrospectively registered 1 September 2019.

This study examined the effect of peanut quality on the storage stability of peanut butter. The quality of 17 varieties of peanuts was analyzed, and each was used to prepare peanut butter. For different storage temperatures and durations, stability of the peanut butter was measured according to three indicators: peroxide value, acid value, and centrifugal rate. The correlation between peanut components and peanut butter storage stability was also investigated. The results indicated significant differences in fatty acid composition between different varieties of peanut. Peanut butter prepared with high oleic peanuts (Kainong 17-15) had a significantly longer shelf life than that of other varieties. The significant correlation between the stability of peanut butter and peanut quality suggests that oleic acid and linoleic acid were the main influencing factors on stability. This study finds that the high oleic peanuts (HOP) is the most suitable variety for making peanut butter, which can allow farmers and processors to choose the specific variety for better product and shelf life.

In-situ observations from the FREJA magnetospheric research satellite and the Fast Auroral SnapshoT satellite have shown that plasma waves are frequently observed in the auroral plasma, which are believed to be fundamentally important in wave energy dissipation and particle energization. However, the effects of a displacement current on these waves have not been examined. Based on the two-fluid theory, we investigate the dispersion relation and polarization properties of fast, Alfvén, and slow modes in the presence of a displacement current, and the effects of the displacement current on these waves are also considered. The results show that the wave frequency, polarization, magnetic helicity and other properties for the fast and Alfvén modes are highly sensitive to the normalized Alfvén velocity vA /c, plasma beta β, and propagation angle θ, while for the slow mode the dependence is minor. In particular, for both fast and Alfvén modes, the magnetic helicity is obviously different with and without the displacement current, especially for the Alfvén mode with the helicity reversals from right-handed to left-handed when vA /c increases from 0 to 0.3. The charge-neutral condition of both fast and Alfvén modes with frequencies larger than the proton cyclotron frequency is invalid in the presence of the displacement current. Moreover, the presence of the displacement current leads to relatively large magnetic compressibility for the Alfvén mode and relatively large electron compressibility for the fast mode. These results can be useful for a comprehensive understanding of the wave properties and the physics of particle energization phenomena in auroral plasmas.

Cereals and oilseeds are the foundation of human survival which have attracted much attention due to their nutritional and functional properties for maintaining the healthy life. There are abundant varieties of cereals and oilseeds, however, for a long time, their process suitabilities are still unknown, resulting in the lack of precision processing. This paper summarized the characteristics of cereals and oilseeds, including sensory, physicochemical and processing qualities, their characteristic fingerprinting and products qualities. Furthermore, the quality fast detection method was also analyzed. It also explored the role of mathematical model and the standard evaluation index to determine the process suitability and discussed the opportunity for advanced model capability. We also prospected on scientific problems for expanding the predictive capabilities for processing suitabilities of these abundant varieties, focusing on the better results and advancements towards the processing of cereals and oilseeds products and improvement of their quality.

The importance of plant-soil feedback (PSF) has long been recognized, but the current knowledge on PSF patterns and the related mechanisms mainly stems from laboratory experiments. We aimed at addressing PSF effects on community performance and their determinants using an invasive forb Solidago canadensis. To do so, we surveyed 81 pairs of invaded versus uninvaded plots, collected soil samples from these pairwise plots, and performed an experiment with microcosm plant communities. The magnitudes of conditioning soil abiotic properties and soil biotic properties by S. canadensis were similar, but the direction was opposite; altered abiotic and biotic properties influenced the production of subsequent S. canadensis communities and its abundance similarly. These processes shaped neutral S. canadensis-soil feedback effects at the community level. Additionally, the relative dominance of S. canadensis increased with its ability of competitive suppression in the absence and presence of S. canadensis-soil feedbacks, and S. canadensis-induced decreases in native plant species did not alter soil properties directly. These findings provide a basis for understanding PSF effects and the related mechanisms in the field conditions and also highlight the importance of considering PSFs holistically.

For the current VOCs gas leakage detection and localization algorithm based on infrared thermal imaging, the problems of missed detection and high false positive rate are high. This paper presents an algorithm for multi-feature VOCs gas leak detection based on infrared thermal imaging . The algorithm uses infrared thermal imager to obtain infrared temperature data, converts it `identification is based on various characteristics such as the change of the area of the connected domain, the irregularity and the direction of motion, so as to obtain the exact position of the gas leakage region. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can detect VOCs gas leakage in time, with high robustness and strong anti-interference ability, and can accurately locate the VOCs gas leakage area.

Background Interleukin (IL)-17A is involved in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR). Increased expression of IL-17A is correlated with disease severity and nasal eosinophilia. However, the molecular mechanisms by which IL-17A contributes to T-helper 2 cytokine IL-13-driven pathology in AR remain unclear. We sought to obtain mechanistic insight into how IL-17A and IL-13 regulate the epithelial production of eotaxin-3 representing eosinophilic inflammation in AR. Methods Human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) from AR patients were cultured and stimulated with IL-17A, IL-13, or IL-17A and IL-13. Phosphorylated signal transducer activator of transcription 6 (p-STAT6) and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) in HNECs were assayed using Western blotting. Immunocytochemistry was used to determine p-STAT6-positive expression in the cells. Eotaxin-3 expression in the cells and culture supernatants was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Stimulation with IL-13 alone induced STAT6 phosphorylation and promoted p-STAT6 nuclear translocation, leading to eotaxin-3 production by HNECs. These effects were further enhanced by cotreatment with IL-13 and IL-17A, whereas IL-17A alone had no impact on STAT6 or eotaxin-3 expression. Incubation with IL-17A or IL-13 increased the level of SOCS1 protein in the cells, whereas the addition of IL-17A attenuated IL-13-induced SOCS1 expression. Conclusion IL-17A potentiated IL-13-driven STAT6 activation through the downregulation of SOCS1 expression, leading to enhancement of eotaxin-3 production by HNECs. These factors contributed to eosinophilic inflammation in AR.

Epithelial thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) promotes Th2 inflammatory responses through induction of OX40 ligand (OX40L) on dendritic cells in allergic rhinitis (AR). Emerging evidence supports the important role of histamine H4 receptor (H4R) in allergic inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of H4R in Th2-cytokine profile mediated by TSLP in AR. Human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) from AR patients were stimulated with histamine in the presence or absence of H4R agonist (4-methylhistamine, 4-MH) and antagonist (NJ7777120, JNJ) or H1R agonist (2-pyridylethylamine). TSLP protein was measured by Western blotting and ELISA. To further elucidate the role of H4R in the in vivo situation of experimental AR, rats were sensitized and treated with JNJ or 4-MH. TSLP and OX40 ligand (OX40L) in the nasal mucosa were assayed by Western blotting. Th2 cytokines including interleukin-4, 5 and 13 in nasal lavage fluids were detected by ELISA. Histamine alone did not induce TSLP production by HNECs. The pre-incubation with 4-MH prior to histamine promoted TSLP expression, which was inhibited by the stimulation with JNJ prior to histamine and 4-MH. The pre-incubation with 2-pyridylethylamine before histamine stimulation had no impact on TSLP production. In AR rats, the levels of TSLP and OX40L protein were increased as well as Th2 cytokines, which was further up-regulated by 4-MH treatment, while JNJ treatment attenuated these effects. H4R activation induced TSLP production by HNECs, which up-regulated OX40L expression in the nasal mucosa of sensitized rats. These factors promoted Th2-cytokine profile in AR.

Objective Various methods, including the indocyanine green (ICG) clearance test, the Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (CTP), model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), and MELD combined with serum sodium concentration (MELD-Na), have been used widely in liver function evaluation in patients with end-stage liver disease. In this study, we compared the ability of these methods to predict mortality in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Methods A total of 98 patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis were included in this study and followed up for 12 months. The ICG-derived measurements (ICG-PDR, ICG-R15, EHBF), CTP, MELD, and MELD-Na were obtained within 2 days after patients' admission and patients' survival at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months was recorded. Receiver operating curve was used to evaluate the ability of these methods to predict mortality in these patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis. Results At 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, the cumulative number of deaths and liver transplant recipients was 12 (12.2%), 17 (17.3%), 21 (21.4%) and 25 (25.5%), respectively. The ICG-derived measurements, CTP, MELD, and MELD-Na of nonsurvivors were significantly different compared with that in survivors. All methods yielded viable values in predicting short-term and medium-term prognosis for patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis, with most area under the curve exceeding 0.8. Moreover, the ICG-derived measurements showed a significant correlation with that of CTP, MELD, and MELD-Na. Conclusion All four methods, ICG clearance test, CTP, MELD, and MELD-Na, provided reliable prediction of mortality in patients with decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis for both short-term and medium-term prognosis.