Search

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is thus deemed to a global health problem. Renal fibrosis, characterized by accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the kidney, is considered a common pathway leading to CKD. Regulator of calcineurin1 (RCAN1), identified as a competitive endogenous inhibitor of the phosphatase calcineurin, participates in ECM deposition in various organs. However, the role of RCAN1 in renal fibrosis remains unclear. Here, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), a well-known model to induce renal fibrosis in vivo, was performed on mice for a week. To overexpress RCAN1.4 in vivo, recombinant adeno-associated virus 9-packed RCAN1.4 over-expression plasm was employed in mice kidney. Lentivirus-packed RCAN1.4 over-expression plasm was employed to transfer into HK-2 and NRK-49F cells in vitro. The results indicated that RCAN1.4 expression was impaired both in UUO-induced renal fibrosis in vivo and TGF-β1-induced renal fibrosis in vitro. However, knocking in of RCAN1.4 suppressed the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, in vitro, the apoptosis-related proteins, including the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase3, were elevated in cells transfected with RCAN1.4 overexpression plasmid. In addition, we found that RCAN1.4 could rugulated NFAT2 nuclear distribution by inhibiting calcineurin pathway. So overexpression of RCAN1.4 could reverse renal fibrosis, attenuate ECM related protein accumulation, promote apoptosis of myofibroblast via inhibiting Calcineurin/NFAT2 signaling pathway. Taken together, our study demonstrated that targeting RCAN1.4 may be therapeutic efficacy in renal fibrosis.

Xudong Qian,1 Qianqian Xu,1 Guoyun Li,2 Yi Bu,1 Fan Sun,1 Jian Zhang1 1Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University, Chengde, 067000, Hebei, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University, Chengde, 067000, Hebei, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jian ZhangDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University, No. 36, Nanyingzi Street, Chengde, 067000, Hebei, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 0314-2279965Email Zhangjian8141@163.comBackground: Vascular dementia (VD) is a brain disease featured by cognitive impairment and cerebrovascular pathologies. Idebenone can treat neurodegenerative diseases. This study evaluated the mechanism of Idebenone in VD.Methods: The VD rat model was established by permanent occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries, followed by intragastrical administration of Idebenone. The learning and spatial memory abilities, and the levels of MDA, SOD, IL-6 and TNF-α were measured. Histological staining was adopted to observe the damage of neurons in the hippocampal cortex and to quantitatively analyze the neuronal damage in CA1 area of hippocampus. Microarray analysis was performed to find out the effect of Idebenone treatment on microRNA (miR) expression in hippocampus of rats. The potential target genes of miR and the pathways regulated by target genes were searched by bioinformatics analysis, and verified by experiments. The mechanism of action behind Idebenone in VD rats was proved by rescue experiment.Results: Idebenone treatment improved the learning and spatial memory abilities of VD rats, inhibited neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and prevented neuronal apoptosis. Idebenone treatment elevated miR-216a expression in hippocampus of rats, but the therapeutic effect of Idebenone was averted by lentivirus inhibition of miR-216a. miR-216a targeted RSK2. Overexpression of RSK2 annulled the therapeutic effect of Idebenone on VD rats by activating the IκBα/NF-κB axis.Conclusion: Idebenone inhibits the activation of RSK2/IκBα/NF-κB axis by increasing miR-216a, thus alleviating oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in VD rats.Keywords: vascular dementia, idebenone, microRNA-216a, RSK2, IκBα/NFκB, oxidative stress

In order to guarantee the system reliability and enhance post-fault maintenance efficiency of inverters, this paper presents an current observer-based online open-switch fault diagnosis method for the voltage-source inverters (VSI). Analyzing the state space model of VSI when fault occurs, a state observer of the system is built to estimate phase currents. Once the open-switch fault occurs, the current residual vector between the estimated currents on observer and the measured currents, and fault diagnosis is realized by exploiting the featured amplitude and phase of the current residual vector. In order to realize on-line diagnosis with high reliability and speed, the average value of current residuals in a fundamental period is obtained and Clark transformation is performed so as to acquire vector angle. In addition, the sum of absolute values of measured currents is normalized to serve as the sign of fault occurrence. The simulation and experimental results show the effectiveness of proposed method.

Background: The link between arterial stiffness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is receiving increasing attention, and the goal of this study was to explore the relationship among the ankle brachial index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (Ba-PWV), and MCI in patients with acute lacunar infarction (ALI). Methods: A total of 103 hospitalized patients with ALI were divided into a non-MCI group (n = 41) and an MCI group (n = 62) according to their Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. A binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association among ABI, Ba-PWV, and MCI after adjusting for confounding factors. Spearman correlation was utilized to analyse the correlations between ABI, Ba-PWV, and MoCA total scores and sub-scores in ALI patients. Results: Participants with cognitive impairment had significantly higher Ba-PWV and lower ABI than those with normal cognition. Correlation analysis suggested that Ba-PWV (r = −0.854, p < 0.05) and ABI (r = 0.734, p < 0.05) were correlated with MoCA total scores; of all MoCA sub-scores, visuospatial/executive function was the most strongly correlated with the vascular variables. In the binary logistic regression analysis, Ba-PWV (odds ratio [OR] = 4.507, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.152–9.441) and ABI (OR = 1.124, 95% CI = 1.015–1.254) were significantly associated with MCI, even after adjusting for lipoprotein (a) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion: The present study suggested that a higher Ba-PWV and a lower ABI were independent risk factors for MCI in patients with ALI.

The poly(diphenylamine) derivative (PDPA) as amine antioxidant was synthesized via diphenylamine, styrene, and formaldehyde. The steps of the synthesis were discussed in detail, and the structure of PDPA was fully characterized with multiple analysis techniques. Furthermore, the anti-oxidative properties of PDPA were evaluated through oxidation–corrosion tests and differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that PDPA significantly improved the oxidation stability of base oils, especially pentaerythritol ester when it was added at concentrations of only 0.5 wt % to 0.8 wt %. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that anti-oxidation behavior of PDPA is better than traditional additive p, p-dioctylphenylamine. The synthesized PDPA antioxidant is a potential alternate additive in high-temperature conditions.

Diabetic patients are more susceptible to renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury (RI/RI) and have a poor prognosis, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study aimed to examine whether diabetes could worsen acute kidney injury induced by I/R in rats and clarify its mechanism. Control and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were subjected to 45 min renal pedicle occlusion followed by 24 h reperfusion. Tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ, 16.7 mg/kg) was administrated intraperitoneally 3 times at intervals of 8 h before ischemia. Serum and kidneys were harvested after reperfusion to evaluate renal function and histological injury. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to test pro-inflammatory cytokines. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assays were used to detect apoptotic cells, and western blotting was performed to determine the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), and cleaved caspase-3, as well as oxidative stress and inflammation-related proteins, such as nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Compared with control animals, diabetic rats undergoing I/R exhibited more severe tubular damage and renal dysfunction. Diabetes exacerbated oxidative stress, the inflammatory response, and apoptosis after renal I/R by enhancing TLR4/NF-κB signaling and blocking the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. RI/RI in diabetic rats was attenuated by pretreatment with TBHQ (a Nrf2 agonist), which exerted anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties by inhibiting NF-κB signaling. These findings indicate that hyperglycemia exacerbates RI/RI by intensifying oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Antioxidant pretreatment may alleviate RI/RI in diabetic patients.

The styrenated sulfur- and phosphorus-free organic titanate (STAE) was synthesized via an in situ method with soybean oil, diethanolamine, and isopropyl titanate. The tribological and antioxidant behavior of the as-synthesized STAE as an additive in PAO was evaluated by a four-ball test, a rotary oxygen bomb test (ROBT), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and its oxidative stability was estimated through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The as-synthesized STAE exhibits excellent antiwear and load-carrying capacities as well as good antiwear synergism with zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) in poly-α-olefin (PAO). STAE in PAO also showed good synergistic antioxidation effects with the traditional additive p,p-(dioctyldiphenylamine (DODPA). This is because STAE can effectively reduce the oxidation rate of DODPA, which was confirmed by the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

CoxCrCuFeMnNi (x = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 mol) high-entropy alloy (HEA) powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA). The effects of milling time, Co content, and vacuum annealing on the structural evolution, thermostability, and magnetic properties were investigated. After 50 h of milling, the Co0.5CrCuFeMnNi HEA powder consisted of a major face-centered cubic (FCC) phase and minor body-centered cubic (BCC) phase, whereas the other three HEA powders were composed of single FCC phase. The Co0.5CrCuFeMnNi HEA powder was composed of FCC1, FCC2, and minor ρ phases when annealed at 700 and 800 °C and then completely transformed into FCC1 and FCC2 phases at 900 °C. For the other three HEA powders, the single FCC phase transformed into the FCC1 and FCC2 phases during annealing at 700–900 °C. Both increasing Co content or prolonging balling time can improve the soft magnetic properties of HEA powders. Therefore, the Co2.0CrCuFeMnNi HEA powder with a maximum saturated magnetization of 52 emu/g and a minimum coercivity of 14 Oe exhibited the best soft-magnetic properties among the four HEA powders.

Xiaohui Huang,1,* Ze Yu,2,* Shuhong Bu,1 Zhiyan Lin,1 Xin Hao,3 Wenjun He,2 Peng Yu,2 Zeyuan Wang,2 Fei Gao,2 Jian Zhang,1 Jihui Chen1 1Department of Pharmacy, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Medicinovo Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Dalian Medicinovo Technology Co. Ltd., Dalian, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jihui Chen; Jian ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-2125077155; +86-2125077150Email chenjihui@xinhuamed.com.cn; zhangjian@xinhuamed.com.cnPurpose: This study aimed to establish an optimal model to predict vancomycin trough concentrations by using machine learning.Patients and Methods: We enrolled 407 pediatric patients (age < 18 years) who received vancomycin intravenously and underwent therapeutic drug monitoring from June 2013 to April 2020 at Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. The median (interquartile range) age and weight of the patients were 2 (0.63– 5) years and 12 (7.8– 19) kg. Vancomycin trough concentrations were considered as the target variable, and eight different algorithms were used for predictive performance comparison. The whole dataset (407 cases) was divided into training group and testing group at the ratio of 80%: 20%, which were 325 and 82 cases, respectively.Results: Ultimately, five algorithms (XGBoost, GBRT, Bagging, ExtraTree and decision tree) with high R 2 (0.657, 0.514, 0.468, 0.425 and 0.450, respectively) were selected and further ensembled to establish the final model and achieve an optimal result. For missing data, through filling the missing values and model ensemble, we obtained R 2=0.614, MAE=3.32, MSE=24.39, RMSE=4.94 and a prediction accuracy of 51.22% (predicted trough concentration within ± 30% of the actual trough concentration). In comparison with the pharmacokinetic models (R 2=0.3), the machine learning model works better in model fitting and has better prediction accuracy.Conclusion: Therefore, the ensemble model is useful for the vancomycin concentration prediction, especially in the population of children with great individual variation. As machine learning methods evolve, the clinical value of the ensemble model will be demonstrated in the clinical practice.Keywords: machine learning, XGBoost, prediction, vancomycin, trough concentration, pediatric patients

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is thus deemed to a global health problem. Renal fibrosis, characterized by accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in the kidney, is considered a common pathway leading to CKD. Regulator of calcineurin1 (RCAN1), identified as a competitive endogenous inhibitor of the phosphatase calcineurin, participates in ECM deposition in various organs. However, the role of RCAN1 in renal fibrosis remains unclear. Methods: Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), a well-known model to induce renal fibrosis, was performed on mice for a week. To overexpress RCAN1.4 in vivo, Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) 9-packed RCAN1.4 over-expression plasm was employed in mice kidney. Lentivirus-packed RCAN1.4 over-expression plasm was employed to transfer into HK-2 and NRK-49F cells in vitro. Hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) were performed to assess histopathological kidney injury, Sirus-red and Masson’s trichrome staining were carried out for observing collagen deposition. Western blotting was also used to determine the expression levels. Results: RCAN1 isoform 4 (RCAN1.4) expression was impaired after suffering UUO-induced renal fibrosis in vivo and TGF-β1-induced renal fibrosis in vitro. Furthermore, knocking in of RCAN1.4 in mice kidney, transfected with rAAV9-packed RCAN1.4 over-expression plasm, reduced the expression levels of hallmarks of EMT. In vitro, the apoptosis-related proteins, including the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase3, were elevated in cells transfected with RCAN1.4 overexpression plasmid. Moreover, over-expression of RCAN1.4 recovered the renal function and attenuated ECM deposition. In addition, RCAN1.4 regulated NFAT2 nuclear distribution by inhibiting calcineurin pathway. Conclusions: The expression of RCAN1.4 was attenuated both in UUO-induced fibrotic kidney of mouse and in TGF-β1-induced fibrotic model in vitro. Moreover, overexpression of RCAN1.4 could reverse renal fibrosis, attenuate ECM related protein accumulation, promote apoptosis of myofibroblast via inhibiting CaN/NFAT2 signaling pathway. Taken together, our study demonstrated that targeting RCAN1.4 may be therapeutic efficacy in renal fibrosis Funding: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.82000639) and Innovation Project of Medical School of Wuhan University (TFZZ2018017). Declaration of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Ethical Approval: This experiment was authorized by the Ethics Committee of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, and the procedures were carried out adhere to the principles of Animal Care of Wuhan University (Wuhan, China).

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R) usually occurs in renal transplantation and partial nephrectomy, which could lead to acute kidney injury. However, the effective treatment for renal I/R still remains limited. In the present study, we investigated whether inhibition of chromobox 7 (CBX7) could attenuate renal I/R injury in vivo and in vitro as well as the potential mechanisms. Adult male mice were subjected to right renal ischemia and reperfusion for different periods, both with and without the CBX7 inhibitor UNC3866. In addition, human kidney cells (HK-2) were subjected to a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) process for different periods, both with or without the CBX7 inhibitor or siRNA for CBX7. The results showed that expression of CBX7, glucose regulator protein-78 (GRP78), phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2α (p-eIF2α), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were increased after extension of I/R and H/R periods. Moreover, overexpression of CBX7 could elevate the expression of CBX7, GRP78, p-eIF2α, and CHOP. However, CBX7 inhibition with either UNC3866 or genetic knockdown led to reduced expression of GRP78, p-eIF2α, and CHOP through nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 activation in I/R and H/R injury. Furthermore, ML385, the Nrf2 inhibitor, could elevate endoplasmic reticulum stress levels, abrogating the protective effects of UNC3866 against renal I/R injury. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that CBX7 inhibition alleviated acute kidney injury by preventing endoplasmic reticulum stress via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, indicating that CBX7 inhibitor could be a potential therapeutic target for renal I/R injury.

Combined surgical and endovascular treatment for vascular disorders has become prevalent in recent years. However, reports on one-session hybrid surgery for arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are relatively rare. The safety and efficiency of combined treatment for brain AVMs were analyzed in biplanar hybrid operating room (OR) at one stage.We retrospectively analyzed 20 patients with AVMs undergoing combined surgical and endovascular treatment from October 2015 to June 2018. The data for resection rate, microcatheter adhesion, surgical position and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Total resection or near-total resection was achieved in all cases.A total of 13 patients were under combined endovascular and surgical procedures, and 7 experienced surgery with intraoperative digital subtraction angiography. Sitting position was applied in 3 of them; 2 niduses in cerebellum, and 1 in parietal lobe. Compared with admission modified Rankin Scale (mRS) in all patients, postoperative 12-month mRS showed a significant decline. Besides, 3 patients experienced microcatheter adhesion after endovascular embolization, thereafter underwent surgical adhesion removal while nidus resection was done.Combined endovascular and surgical modality in a hybrid OR at one stage provides a safe strategy for the treatment of AVMs. The biplanar hybrid neurointerventional suite is endowed with unconstrained operating angle which enables combined endovascular and surgical treatment in sitting position. It also reduces the risk of microcatheter adhesion, which enables interventional radiologists to perform aggressively.

A novel method of catalytic thermometric titration has been developed for the determination of the acidity of oils using titration with KOH in isopropanol as titrant. The amounts of oil, concentration and delivery rate of titrant, volumes and types of thermometric end-point indicator were investigated. The results show that mixture of acetone and chloroform used as indicator exhibits strongly exothermic effects to reflect end point obviously. The results obtained from the thermometric titration have good agreement with standard potentiometric and visual titration methods. The procedure is fast, easy to use, accurate, and highly reproducible to measure lower acidity in coloured oils. It is very suitable for the routine process and quality control of many types of oils.

Water content in jet fuels is detected by thermometric titration (TMT), and the optimal detected system is 2,2-dimethoxypropane as titrant, cyclohexane and isopropanol as titration solvents, and methanesulfonic acid as catalyst in this method. The amounts of oil, concentration and delivery rate of titrant, volumes, and the reliability and accuracy of thermometric titration were emphasized. The results show that the accuracy, validity, and reliability of TMT are excellent by different indicated spiked water contents. The obtained results between TMT and Karl Fischer titration have been proven to be in accord. But, the duration of titration merely spends 3–5 min in the whole process, greatly shortening the detected time. Therefore, rapid and accurate determination of trace water in a jet fuel can be realized by TMT.

Diabetes could aggravate ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether diabetes exacerbates renal I/R injury and its possible mechanism. In vitro, HK-2 cells under normal or high glucose conditions were subjected to hypoxia (12 h) followed by reoxygenation (3 h) (H/R). Cell viability, intracellular ATP content, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species production, and apoptosis were measured. In vivo, streptozotocin-induced diabetic and nondiabetic rats were subjected to I/R. Renal pathology, function, and apoptosis were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blot analysis. Compared with the normal glucose + H/R group, mitochondrial function (ATP, mitochondrial membrane potential, and reactive oxygen species) and mitophagy were reduced in the high glucose + H/R group, as was expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and Parkin. Also, cells in the high glucose + H/R group exhibited more apoptosis compared with the normal glucose + H/R group, as assessed by flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, and Western blot analysis. Compared with normal rats that underwent I/R, diabetic rats that underwent I/R exhibited more severe tubular damage and renal dysfunction as well as expression of the apoptotic protein caspase-3. Meanwhile, diabetes alleviated mitophagy-associated protein expression in rats subjected to I/R, including expression of PINK1 and Parkin. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the mitophagosome could be hardly observed and that mitochondrial morphology and structure were obviously damaged in the diabetes + I/R group. In conclusion, our results, for the first time, indicate that diabetes could aggravate I/R injury by repressing mitochondrial function and PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy in vivo and in vitro.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the diabetic kidney is more susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and identify the potential mechanisms involved. An animal model of type 1 diabetes was created by treating rats with streptozotocin (STZ). This model was then used, along with healthy controls, to investigate the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on renal I/R injury. After 45 min of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion, kidney and serum samples were acquired and used to evaluate function and histopathological injury in the kidneys. Western blotting was also used to determine the expression levels of key proteins. Rats experiencing renal I/R exhibited significant characteristics of renal dysfunction, reduced levels of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) protein (a key signaling protein in the kidneys), increased endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and pyroptosis. Furthermore, diabetic rats exhibited further reductions in the levels of SIRT1 in response to renal I/R injury and an increase in the levels of ERS. These effects were all alleviated by the administration of a SIRT1 agonist. The present analysis revealed that the SIRT1-mediated activation of ER stress and pyroptosis played a pivotal role in diabetic rats subjected to renal I/R injury. Downregulation of the SIRT1 signaling pathway were exacerbated in response to renal I/R injury-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). The present data indicated that DM enhanced ER stress and increased pyroptosis by downregulating the SIRT1 signaling pathway.

The microstructure, phase, alloying behavior, and oxidation behavior of the CoxCrCuFeMnNi (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, named as Co0, Co0.5, Co1.0, Co1.5, and Co0.5, respectively) high entropy alloy powders (HEAPs) prepared by mechanical alloying were studied. The results indicated that the HEAPs began to be alloyed after ball milling for 5 h, and the particle size is about 40∼60 μm. After 50 h of milling, the Co0 and Co0.5 HEAPs are composed of metastable FCC and minor BCC solid solution phases, while the other HEAPs consist of single metastable FCC solid solution phase. After vacuum annealing or atmospheric oxidation at 700 °C, the metastable FCC and BCC phases decompose into FCC1 and FCC2 and ρ phases, respectively. The oxidation mass gain of CoxCrCuFeMnNi HEAPs shows a parabolic upward trend. With the increase of Co content, the oxidation rate constant decreases, indicating that the oxidation resistance of the HEAPs decreases with the increase of Co content.

The effects of carbon nanotube aspect ratio (R) on mechanical properties of CNT/Al composites containing 0–2.0 wt% CNTs are studied. The optimum carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced aluminum (Al) composites are fabricated at 580 °C for 1 h under 60 MPa, and subsequently hot extruded at 480 °C. CNT addition within 0.5 wt% can increase the strength significantly without plasticity loss, which overcomes the dilemma of strength and toughness. Strength and hardness increase significantly due to the uniformly distributed CNTs in Al matrix within a content of 1.0 wt%. Quantitatively fitting results also show that the main strengthening mechanism of CNT/Al composites should be dispersion strengthening rather than load transfer. The R, which is very crucial for load transfer theory, has only small effects on the mechanical properties of CNT/Al composites. The calculated CNTs diameters are close to the experimental used ones.

Some inflammatory proteins, such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandin (PG) E2 are hypothesized to be implicated in the development of moyamoya disease (MMD). However, the functional roles of COX-2/PGE2 in the pathogenesis of MMD remain elusive. In this study, tiny pieces of middle cerebral artery (MCA) and superficial temporal artery (STA) were surgically harvested from 18 adult MMD patients and 5 surgical control patients. The expression levels of COX-2 and microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) in the vascular walls were immunohistochemically detected. With additional 10 healthy controls, the plasma levels of PGE2 were also measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Obvious intimal thickening was observed in both STA and MCA of MMD patients, but not in the controls. However, the MCA had a thicker intima than the STA (P < 0.01). Although plasma concentrations of PGE2 had no differences among the MMD patients, surgical controls and healthy controls, MCA of most MMD patients (15/18, 83.3%) were stained positively for COX-2 and all patients for mPGES-1. Staining of both COX-2 and mPGES-1 was more abundant in the MCA of hemorrhagic patients than those in their ischemic counterparts (P = 0.001 and 0.029, respectively). The expression levels of COX-2 were positively correlated with those of mPGES-1 (r = 0.647, P = 0.004). Positive COX-2 and mPGES-1 expressions were detected neither in the MCA samples from the surgical controls nor in all STA specimens. Our findings indicate that COX-2/PGE2 may be associated with the MCA occlusion and the hemorrhagic stroke in patients with MMD.

CoCrxCuFeMnNi high-entropy alloy powders (HEAPs) with a supersaturated solid solution structure were successfully synthesized via a mechanical alloying technique, and the microstructure and magnetic properties were investigated. After 30 h of milling, one supersaturated solid solution phase with an FCC structure was formed in the CoCuFeMnNi HEAP. The 50 h-ball milled CoCuFeMnNi HEAP had high saturated magnetization (84 emu/g) and low coercivity (6 Oe), indicating that the powder exhibited superior soft magnetic properties. In addition, an asymmetrical displaced hysteresis loop was also observed in the CoCuFeMnNi HEAP, and the shift ΔHs was about 2.3 Oe. When the Cr content increased to 1.5 and 2.0 mol, the structure of HEAPs was composed of FCC and BCC phases. The soft magnetic properties gradually decreased as the Cr content increased because of the decrease in the content of ferromagnetic components and the formation of the BCC phase.

CoxCrCuFeMnNi high-entropy alloys (HEAs) were prepared by vacuum hot pressing sintered. The corrosion behavior has been evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The corrosion current density (icorr) and average corrosion rate (Vcorr) of the alloys decreased with the increase of Co content. When the Co content increased to 2.0 mol from 0.5 mol, the values of icorr and Vcorr decreased to 6.95 × 10−6 A cm−2 and 0.07 mm year−1 from 4.04 × 10−5 A cm−2 and 0.43 mm year−1, respectively. EIS results reveal that the thickness and resistance of the passive films of CoxCrCuFeMnNi HEAs increased with the increasing of Co content, indicating the alloy with high Co content had a good corrosion resistance. The reasons for the improvement of corrosion resistance are related to higher the content of passivation elements and FCC2 phase. Keywords: High-entropy alloy, Hot pressing sintered, Polarization, EIS, Corrosion behavior

There is an urgent need to apply basic research achievements to the clinic. In particular, mechanistic studies should be developed by bench researchers, depending upon clinical demands, in order to improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. To date, translational medicine has been addressed in cancer biology, particularly in the identification and characterization of novel tumor biomarkers. This review focuses on the recent achievements and clinical application prospects in tumor biomarkers based on translational medicine.

The structure of the dynamic characteristics can comprehensively reflect the seismic performance of the structure. By high sensitivity under external excitation vibration pickup pick structure dynamic response to obtain the dynamic characteristics of buildings, this paper introduces the principle of vibration test and modal identification method of information. To high-rise shear wall of reinforced concrete frame structure of a residential building as an example, has carried on the test, through the test results of the seismic performance of this structure after reinforcement.

A Ni·Phen-mediated reductive homocoupling of an optically active tertiary bromide has been efficiently achieved after the systematic screen of reaction conditions including ligands. This key step establishes sterically hindered vicinal quaternary stereocenters embedded in natural bispyrrolo[2,3-b]indoline alkaloids, thus enabling to realize the first asymmetric total synthesis of (–)-folicanthine via the detailed investigation of a challenging double decarboxylation. Notably, the concise synthesis of diketopiperazine alkaloid (–)-ditryptophenaline was also completed from the common dimeric intermediate.

External ventricular drainage (EVD) combined with intraventricular fibrinolysis (IVF) is rarely used in severe spontaneous cerebellar hemorrhage (SCH) with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Recently, the treatment strategy was repeatedly performed in our hospital to elderly patients with severe SCH + IVH. To analyze its clinical value, we compared it to two treatment strategies which now commonly are used for these patients: conservative management (CM) and clot evacuation (CE). In this study, a total of 118 cases were observed, of which 28 cases received CM, 43 cases received EVD + IVF and 47 cases received CE. The Glasgow Coma Scale score, frequency of complication, mortality in one month, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at six months, and causes of death were analyzed. The outcomes of patients in the CM group were extremely poor compared to patients undergoing surgery (P = 0.034) and the mortality was up to 61.3 % (18/28), which was much higher than those of the two surgical groups (P = 0.026). No significant difference was found in mortality and mRS between the two surgical groups (P > 0.05). Patients in the CE group mostly died of deterioration of comorbidities and postoperative complications, whereas more deaths occurred in the CM group and the EVD + IVF group due to rebleeding, brainstem compression, perilesional edema and tight posterior fossa (χ 2, P = 0.006). It is suggested that EVD + IVF is a treatment option for elderly patients with severe SCH + IVH.

A room-temperature Ni-catalyzed reductive approach to homocoupling of unactivated primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl bromides is described. The catalytic system can be easily generated from air-stable and cheap materials and demonstrates broad functional group tolerance, thus allowing facile access to useful dimeric triterpene and lignan-like molecules. Moreover, the dimerization of tertiary bromide 6 efficiently establishes sterically hindered vicinal quaternary carbons (C3a and C3a'), which is a key linkage of intriguing bispyrrolo[2,3-b]indoline alkaloids, thereby enabling us to complete the total syntheses of racemic chimonanthine (9) and folicanthine (10). In addition, this dimerization method can be expanded to the highly stereoselective synthesis of bisperhydrofuro[2,3-b]furan (5a) and the dimeric spiroketal 5b, signifying the involvement of possible radical species.

A Ni(0)-catalyzed intermolecular cross-coupling of various functionalized thiols and aryl iodides has been developed and successfully extended to less explored intramolecular versions, where thioacetates could also be utilized as the strategic surrogate. Air-stable precatalysts, very mild conditions, and an easy protocol allow rapid access to medicinally useful aryl thioethers, as demonstrated in the facile synthesis of (±)-chuangxinmycin as a key step.

The histopathological features of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and superficial temporal artery (STA) from moyamoya disease (MMD) and their relationships with gender, age, angiography stage were explored. The causes and the clinical significance of vasculopathy of STA were also discussed. The clinical data and specimens of MCA and STA from 30 MMD patients were collected. Twelve samples of MCA and STA from non-MMD patients served as control group. Histopathological examination was then performed by measuring the thickness of intima and media, and statistical analysis was conducted. The MCA and STA specimens from MMD group had apparently thicker intima and thinner media than those from the control group. There was no significant pathological difference between the hemorrhage group and non-hemorrhage group, and between the males and females in MMD patients. Neither the age nor the digital subtraction angiography (DSA) stage was correlated with the thickness of intima in MCA and STA. MMD is a systemic vascular disease involving both intracranial and extracranial vessels. Preoperative external carotid arteriography, especially super-selective arteriography of the STA, benefits the selection of donor vessel.

Solve the problem of simplifying, aligning, and restoring while rebuilding a large number of point group data. First, scanning art work by using 3DFAMILY laser scanner and obtain the 3D data of its surface, then removing the desultory points on the boundary, using curvature simplification and point position alignment to revise data. Finally, fixing the loophole and modify the convex block partially and finishing up 3D reconstruction. We transform the reconstruction result into STL format file, and build the prototype of art work in Rapid Prototyping System.

The CrCuFeMnNi high entropy alloy (HEA) powder was synthesized by mechanical alloying. The effects of milling time and subsequent annealing on the structure evolution, thermostability and magnetic property were investigated. After 50[Formula: see text]h of milling, the CrCuFeMnNi HEA powder consisted of a major FCC phase and a small amount of BCC phase. The crystallite size and strain lattice of 50[Formula: see text]h-ball-milled CrCuFeMnNi HEA powder were 12[Formula: see text]nm and 1.02%, respectively. The powder exhibited refined morphology and excellent chemical homogeneity. The supersaturated solid solution structure of the as-milled HEA powder transformed into FCC1, FCC2, a small amount of BCC and [Formula: see text] phase in annealed state. Most of the BCC phase decomposed into FCC (mainly FCC2 phase) and [Formula: see text] phases, and the dynamic phase transition was almost in equilibrium at 900[Formula: see text]C. The saturated magnetization and coercivity force of the 50[Formula: see text]h-ball-milled CrCuFeMnNi HEA powder were respectively 16.1[Formula: see text]emu/g and 56.2[Formula: see text]Oe.

PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) is a public repository for information on chemical substances and their biological activities, launched in 2004 as a component of the Molecular Libraries Roadmap Initiatives of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). For the past 11 years, PubChem has grown to a sizable system, serving as a chemical information resource for the scientific research community. PubChem consists of three inter-linked databases, Substance, Compound and BioAssay. The Substance database contains chemical information deposited by individual data contributors to PubChem, and the Compound database stores unique chemical structures extracted from the Substance database. Biological activity data of chemical substances tested in assay experiments are contained in the BioAssay database. This paper provides an overview of the PubChem Substance and Compound databases, including data sources and contents, data organization, data submission using PubChem Upload, chemical structure standardization, web-based interfaces for textual and non-textual searches, and programmatic access. It also gives a brief description of PubChem3D, a resource derived from theoretical three-dimensional structures of compounds in PubChem, as well as PubChemRDF, Resource Description Framework (RDF)-formatted PubChem data for data sharing, analysis and integration with information contained in other databases.

A novel organic–inorganic hybrid pentaborate [Ni(C4H10N2)(C2H8N2)2][B5O6(OH)4]2 has been synthesized by hydrothermal reaction and characterized by FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, elemental analyses and DTA–TGA. Its crystal structure was determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure consists of isolated polyborate anion [B5O6(OH)4]− and nickel complex cation of [Ni(C4H10N2)(C2H8N2)2]2+, in which the two kinds of ligands come from the decomposition of triethylenetriamine material. The [B5O6(OH)4]− units are connected to one another through hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional framework with large channel along the a and c axes, in which the templating [Ni(C4H10N2)(C2H8N2)2]2+ cations are located. The assignments of the record FT-IR absorption frequencies and Raman shifts were given.

A Ni·Phen-mediated reductive homocoupling of an optically active tertiary bromide has been efficiently achieved after the systematic screen of reaction conditions including ligands. This key step establishes sterically hindered vicinal quaternary stereocenters embedded in natural bispyrrolo[2,3-b]indoline alkaloids, thus enabling to realize the first asymmetric total synthesis of (–)-folicanthine via the detailed investigation of a challenging double decarboxylation. Notably, the concise synthesis of diketopiperazine alkaloid (–)-ditryptophenaline was also completed from the common dimeric intermediate.

Central neurocytomas (CNs), initially asymptomatic, sometimes become huge before detection. We described and analyzed the clinical, radiological, operational and outcome data of 13 cases of huge intraventricular CNs, and discussed the treatment strategies in this study. All huge CNs (n=13) in our study were located in bilateral lateral ventricle with diameter ≥5.0 cm and had a broad-based attachment to at least one side of the ventricle wall. All patients received craniotomy to remove the tumor through transcallosal or transcortical approach and CNs were of typical histologic and immunohistochemical features. Adjuvant therapies including conventional radiation therapy (RT) or gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) were also performed postoperatively. Transcallosal and transcortical approaches were used in 8 and 5 patients, respectively. Two patients died within one month after operation and 3 patients with gross total resection (GTR) were additionally given a decompressive craniectomy (DC) and/or ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) as the salvage therapy. Six patients received GTR(+RT) and 7 patients received subtotal resection (STR)(+GKRS). Eight patients suffered serious complications such as hydrocephalus, paralysis and seizure after operation, and patients who underwent GTR showed worse functional outcome [less Karnofsky performance scale (KPS) scores] than those having STR(+GKRS) during the follow-up period. The clinical outcome of huge CNs seemed not to be favorable as that described in previous reports. Surgical resection for huge CNs should be meticulously considered to guarantee the maximum safety. Better results were achieved in STR(+GKRS) compared with GTR(+RT) for huge CNs, suggesting that STR(+GKRS) may be a better treatment choice. The recurrent or residual tumor can be treated with GKRS effectively.

Application of this method is demonstrated by the total syntheses of racemic Chimonanthine and Folicanthine.

Similar histology and clinical behavior of both intraventricular central neurocytomas (CNs) and extraventricular neurocytomas (EVNs) may argue against the idea that EVNs were the distinct entity to distinguish from CNs in the 2007 World Health Organization classification. To explore respective characteristics and compare similarities and differences in CNs and EVNs, relevant clinical, radiological, operative and pathological data of 49 patients (35 CNs and 14 EVNs) in the Department of Neurosurgery at our hospital from 2005 to 2012 was reviewed and some comparisons between CNs and EVNs were conducted. The factors affecting posttreatment recurrence of CNs and EVNs were assessed by Cox regression analysis. In comparison, CNs showed a more typical clinical manifestation, and radiological and histopathological features, while EVNs demonstrated more malignant biological behavior, with higher MIB-1 index (p = 0.006), higher rate of atypia (p = 0.042), higher recurrence rate (p = 0.028), and shorter time to recurrence (p = 0.049). Subtotal resection was associated with higher rates of recurrence in both CNs (hazard ratio [HR] 6.16, p = 0.046) and EVNs (HR 5.26, p = 0.045), and atypia was also associated with a higher recurrence rate in CNs (HR 5.03, p = 0.042). CNs were thus easier to diagnose than EVNs, with typical clinical, radiological, and histopathological features, while the latter were more likely to show malignant biological behavior associated with atypia and recurrence. Total surgical resection is the optimal treatment choice for both CNs and EVNs, and patients with either CN or EVN with typical and/or totally resected lesions showed favorable clinical outcomes.

Mangiferin is a major bioactive ingredient in Mangifera indica Linn. (Anacardiaceae) leaves. Aqueous extract of such leaves have been used as an indigenous remedy for respiratory diseases like asthma and coughing in traditional Chinese medicine. However, underlying molecular mechanisms of mangiferin on anti-asthma remain unclear. In our present study, we investigated the anti-asthmatic effect of mangiferin on Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles and explored its underlying immunoregulatory mechanism in mouse model of allergic asthma. Mangiferin significantly reduced the total inflammatory cell counts and eosinophil infiltration, decreased the production of ovalbumin-specific IgE in serum and PGD2 in BALF. The antibody array analysis showed that mangiferin down-regulated the levels of one group of cytokines/chemokines including Th2-related IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and others IL-3, IL-9, IL-17, RANTES, TNF-α, but simultaneously up-regulated Th1-related IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-10 and IL-12 expression in serum. Thus it attenuates the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells ratio by diminishing the abnormal mRNA levels of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-12) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13). Finally, mangiferin substantially inhibited the activation and expression of STAT-6 and GATA-3 in excised lung tissues. Our results suggest that mangiferin can exert anti-asthmatic effect. The underlying mechanism may attribute to the modulation of Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance via inhibiting the STAT6 signaling pathway.

The crystalline hexamethylenetetramine pentaborate [(CH2)6N4H][B5O6(OH)4]·0.5H2O has been prepared and identified by XRD, FT-IR, DTA-TG, elemental analysis and chemical analysis. The molar enthalpy of solution of [(CH2)6N4H][B5O6(OH)4]·0.5H2O in (HCl·54.554H2O) and of (CH2)6N4 in (HCl + H3BO3)(aq) were determined. With the incorporation of the enthalpies of solution of H3BO3 in HCl(aq), and the standard molar enthalpies of formation of (CH2)6N4(s), H3BO3(s), and H2O(l), the standard molar enthalpy of formation of −(4042.7 ± 4.1) kJ mol−1 of [(CH2)6N4H][B5O6(OH)4]·0.5H2O was obtained.