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The presence of allergic rhinitis (AR) is an increased risk factor for the occurrence of bronchial asthma (BA). Nerve growth factor (NGF), in addition to its key role in the development and differentiation of neurons, may also be an important inflammatory factor in AR and BA. However, the pathogenesis of the progression of AR to BA remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the ability of NGF to mediate nasobronchial interactions and explore possible underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, an AR mouse model was established and histology of nasal mucosa tissue injury was determined. The level of phenylethanolamine N‑methyl transferase in adrenal medulla was determined by immunofluorescence. Primary adrenal medullary chromaffin cells (AMCCs) were isolated and cultured from the adrenal medulla of mice. The expression levels of synaptophysin (SYP), STAT1, JAK1, p38 and ERK in NGF‑treated and untreated AMCCs were detected by reverse‑transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting. The epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE) concentrations were measured by ELISA. It was found that the expression of SYP in AMCCs was enhanced in the presence of NGF, whereas, the concentration of EPI decreased significantly under the same conditions. Furthermore, NGF mediated the phenotypic and functional changes of AMCCs, resulting in decreased EPI secretion via JAK1/STAT1, p38 and ERK signaling. In conclusion, these findings could provide novel evidence for the role of NGF in regulating neuroendocrine mechanisms.

The corrosion has been investigated for carburized 316 stainless steel (SS) and 316SS in ternary molten NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 salt at 700 °C under argon atmosphere when adding Mg metal (1 wt%). Carburized 316SS has more severe intergranular corrosion than 316SS. Residual water and oxygen in the salts greatly oxidize Fe, Cr and Ni at the alloy surface in the initial stage of the corrosion process. Later, Fe and Cr at the alloy surface dissolve into salts through the redox reaction with metallic ion impurities such as Ni2+,Fe2+ and Fe3+ in the salts. Cr-rich carbides at grain boundaries in carburized 316SS are vulnerable to attack by molten chloride salts because Cr atoms in the carbides preferentially escape from the carbides and dissolve into salts, causing the decomposition of Cr-rich carbides and reducing the hardness of carburized 316SS.

To explore an appropriate intermediate temperature of heat treatment during the cold working of UNS N10003 alloy, the influence of heat treatment temperature, time, the induced deformation, the mechanical properties, and microstructures by the pre-stretching method was investigated systematically. The results showed that after heat treatment (performed at 760 °C, 6 h), the strength was not reduced, and the elongation was not improved efficiently. However, after only 30 min of heat treatment at 870 °C, their strength was efficiently reduced, and their elongation was substantially improved, reaching the original sample level. Moreover, no apparent changes were observed with the extension of heat treatment time. The morphology of the microstructures and fractures indicated that the recovery and recrystallization process occurred at the temperature of 870 °C during the heat treatment, which resulted in the residual stress relieving and microstructural reconstruction. Correspondingly, the fractographs were also transformed from cleavage to ductile. Therefore, the heat treatment during the cold working should be carried out at 870 °C, enhancing energy- and cost-efficient production of UNS N10003 alloy.

Background This study investigated the effects of terpinen-4-ol on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and its biofilm, and the possible mechanisms governing this effect. Results We observed that terpinen-4-ol has good antibacterial activity and inhibits the formation of MRSA biofilm. The MIC and MBC values for terpinen-4-ol against S. aureus were 0.08% ~ 0.32%. And terpinen-4-ol at 0.32% could kill all bacteria and clear all biofilms. Untargeted metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses showed that terpinen-4-ol strongly inhibited DNA and RNA biosynthesis in MRSA at 2 h after treatment by affecting genes and metabolites related to purine and pyrimidine metabolic pathways. Some differential genes which play important roles in DNA synthesis and the production of eDNA from biofilm exposed to terpinen-4-ol was also significantly decreased compared with that of the control. Conclusions Terpinen-4-ol has good antibacterial activity and significantly inhibits the formation of MRSA biofilm by inhibiting purine and pyrimidine metabolism.

Airway epithelial cells, which are the first physical defense barrier against allergens, play a pivotal role in immunity, airway inflammation and airway remodeling. The damage and dysfunction of these cells trigger the development of airway inflammatory diseases. Exosomes, which exist in various bodily fluids, mediate cell‑cell communication and participate in the immune response process. The present study aimed to investigate whether serum exosomes play a pro‑inflammatory role in bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS‑2B cells) and, if so, explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. A guinea pig model of House dust mite (HDM)‑induced asthma was established by sensitizing the rodents with HDM and PBS, and serum‑derived exosomes were harvested. It was found that serum‑derived exosomes from HDM‑sensitized guinea pigs displayed higher levels of exosomal markers than those from controls. Additionally, western blot analysis and reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR indicated that serum‑derived exosomes from HDM‑sensitized guinea pigs carried heat shock protein 70 and triggered an inflammatory response in BEAS‑2B cells via the toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4)‑NF‑κB pathway. However, TAK‑242, an inhibitor of the expression of TLR4, blocked the activation of the TLR4‑NF‑κB pathway. These findings provided a novel mechanism for exosome‑mediated inflammatory responses and a new perspective for the intervention of inflammatory airway disorders.

In this Letter, atmospheric pressure glow discharge based on a small discharge gap is excited by sine AC voltage in air on purpose of detecting trace heavy metal elements in solid samples, which makes the detection limits of trace heavy metal elements reach tens mu g/kg. The waveforms of voltage and discharge current, discharge images, plasma gas temperature, and optical emission spectra are obtained to discuss the feasibility of atmospheric pressure glow discharge on detection of trace heavy metals. The formation mechanism of optical emission spectra and the strong emission intensity of heavy metal elements show that energetic electrons and excited metal atoms are easily generated by atmospheric pressure glow discharge. The effects of applied voltage and discharge gap on atmospheric pressure glow discharge are discussed to acquire the optimal experimental conditions. And a smaller discharge gap and applied voltage can restrain the transition from glow discharge to arc discharge. Besides, the limits of detections of Cu and Cd are about 0.0241 and 0.0318 mu g/g, respectively, by using atmospheric pressure glow discharge with an applied voltage of 3.8 kV, discharge gap of 3.5 mm, and driving frequency of 10 kHz.

Purpose The application of excessive chemical fertilizers during the cultivation of Astragalus membranaceus leads to a decline in the quality of this medicinal plant as well as the soil’s sustainable productivity. In this study, we developed a special microbial organic fertilizer for A. membranaceus and investigated its effects on plant growth and rhizosphere microbial communities. Methods The root biomass and main active components of A. membranaceus in different growth stages were measured to assess the impacts of microbial organic manure on plant growth. Meanwhile, 16S rRNA and ITS1 amplicons were amplified and high-throughput sequencing was performed to detect the dynamic impacts of microbial organic manure on rhizosphere microbial communities. Result The results demonstrated that microbial organic manure significantly increased wet and dry weights of A. membranaceus seedlings and the accumulation of two effective components (flavonoids and saponin) in bacterial fertilizer treatment groups are significant higher than the control group. Research on rhizosphere microbial flora shows that the number and polymorphism of bacteria and fungi were decreased after the application of special fertilizer during the rapid growth period of plant and then gradually increased with seedling growth. The community structure of bacteria was regulated after the application of special fertilizer, and the beneficial bacteria for plant growth are enriched. Functional profiles prediction showed that significant shifts in metabolic functions impacting KEGG pathways of the microbial fertilizer treatment groups are related to metabolism and biosynthesis. Conclusion The results indicate that the microbial organic manure can improve A. membranaceus growth by providing appropriate nutrients and regulating the rhizosphere microbial community which has good potential in ecological cultivation of A. membranaceus.

Swainsonine, an indolizidine alkaloid, is a promising anti-tumorigenic compound. Biological production of swainsonine was prospective, but the low swainsonine yield of wild type Alternaria oxytropis limited its production on a large scale. In present work, a stable A. oxytropis mutant UO1 with swanisonine yield of 14.84% higher than the wild-type strain was successfully obtained after heavy-ion irradiation. The A. oxytropis mutant UO1 and original wild-type strain were futher evaluated for SW concentrations under different factors. Results showed that the optimum culture temperature was 25°C. The optimum initial medium pH was 6.5 and the optimum inoculum size was 2 mL per 200 mL. Addition of the biosynthetic precursor L-pipecolic acids and L-lysine appropriately could increase the SW synthesis. These findings provided a theoretical basis and scientific data for the industrial production of swainsonine.

Adsorption method is an effective way to remove persistent organic compounds in air. In this study, nanosecond pulsed discharge plasma combined acid was employed to modify the NaY zeolites with the purpose of adsorbing persistent organic compounds, comparing with the adsorption capacity of NaY zeolites modified by the solo acid and solo plasma treatment. The waveforms of pulse voltage and discharge current, and gas temperature of discharge are collected to investigate the plasma characteristics. The physical structure and chemical active sites of raw and modified zeolites were characterized by means of N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrum, Pyridine Infrared Spectrum, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. It was found that the adsorption capacity of zeolites modified by NPD-acid combined system increased by 167%, 56%, and 40%, respectively, compared with the raw, solo 3 mol/L of acid and solo NPD modified zeolites, with the conditions of 3 mol/L of acid concentration, 1mg/L of naphthalene initial concentration, 25 min of treatment time, and 30 kV of pulse peak voltage. This result can be ascribed to the increased acid sites (Bronsted and Lewis acid), O element content, specific surface area, and number of micropores and mesopores, which all played an important role in naphthalene adsorption. Additionally, the adsorption kinetics and mass transfer of raw and modified zeolites could be described by pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models.

The persulfate activation by nanosecond pulsed gas-liquid discharge (NPG-LD) is employed to degrade the trimethoprim (TMP) in water. The results show that persulfate addition enhances the degradation of TMP by NPG-LD through an obvious synergetic effect. With treatment time of 50 min, the high removal efficiency and energy yield reach 94.6% and 0.57 gkWh−1 in air NPG-LD with the addition of persulfate, respectively, which is 13.5% and 0.09 gkWh−1 higher than that in solo air NPG-LD, respectively. Correspondingly, the calculated synergetic factor achieves 1.62, indicating the synergetic effect is established. The activation mechanism of persulfate by NPG-LD is analyzed by the measurement of reactive species and the effects of radical scavenger addition on TMP removal. It is found that the synergetic effect between NPG-LD and persulfate is attributed to the increased production of OH, H2O2, and . Besides, the TMP degradation by NPG-LD and persulfate synergetic system is influenced by discharge working gas, pulse voltage, addition dosage of persulfate, initial TMP concentration, and initial pH value. Subsequently, the degradation pathway of TMP is analyzed using LC-MS/MS.

As a natural plant source of artemisinin,a first-line drug against malaria,Artemisia annua directly affects the extraction process of artemisinin and the source of artemisinin. At present,traditional breeding methods combined with tissue culture are often used to breed high-yield artemisinin-containing new varieties of A. annua. However,the breeding method has the disadvantages of low efficiency and continuous selection. In this study,heavy ion beam irradiation technology was used to observe the specific germplasm resources of A. annua,and the morphological characteristics,agronomic traits and artemisinin content were used as indicators to observe the selection materials and materials. The cultivated new varieties were compared with trials and regional trials. In addition,the new variety of A. annua was identified by SRAP molecular marker technology. The results showed that the new variety of A. annua,quot; Kehao No.1quot;,had an average yield of 235. 0 kg of dry leaf per mu,which was more than 20% higher than that of the control. Especially,the average artemisinin content was 2. 0%,which was 45% higher than that of the control,and thequot; Kehao No.1quot; has high anti-white powder disease,high-yield and high-quality new varieties. Therefore,mutagenic breeding of heavy ion beam irradiation can significantly improve the yield and artemisinin content of thequot; Kehao No. 1quot; and it has a good promotion value.

In this paper, shielding gas (He) and shielding quartz tube (straight tube and conical tube) is added to nanosecond pulsed He gas–liquid discharge (G-LD) to limit the air diffusion into plasma, and for the purposes of enhancing the plasma volume and productions of ċOH and H2O2. The plasma properties, including current–voltage waveforms, the temporal-resolved discharge images, optical emission spectra, gas temperature, electron density, and the ċOH and H2O2 productions are analyzed and compared among different discharges generated under the cases of no shielding, shielding He gas, shielding straight tube, and shielding conical tube. The results show that adding extra shielding gas and tubes in the discharge reactor can decrease the gas temperature and electron density, but enhance the plasma volume and area of plasma-liquid interface in comparison with no shielding case. Besides, the addition of shielding gas has the most benefit for enhancing the productions of ċOH and H2O2 produced by G-LD. Adding a shielding conical tube slows down the decrease extent of ċOH and H2O2 productions caused by increasing discharge gap. When the discharge gap excesses 6 mm, adding a shielding conical quartz also has an obvious increase effect on the production of ċOH and H2O2 in compared with no shielding case. While adding a shielding straight tube with small diameter has a little effect on H2O2 production, even a negative effect on ċOH production.

The composition and structure gradient of vanadium carbide coating on the 3Cr13 steel substrate was investigated using synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction and other techniques. A simultaneous decrease of lattice parameter and carbon concentration from the surface to the interface was found in the coating. By tailoring the configuration of the X-ray beam, enough grains were incorporated into the detection, and then the preferred orientations of the coating were also confirmed.

The catastrophic intergranular cracking had been observed in the low-Cr alloy components in the primary loop of molten salt reactor. Such cracking was related to the coupling effect of fission product tellurium (Te) and fuel salts, whose atomic-level mechanism has puzzled researchers for many decades. In this work, combining multi-scale characterization techniques and theoretical calculations, it was found that Te segregation at grain boundaries can reduce the diffusion barrier of active element along grain boundaries and cause the nano-voids, which further evolve into the intergranular cracking.

Radiotherapy is the primary treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Patients with intermediate and advanced stage NPC receiving only radiotherapy have limited survival, so newer immunotherapeutic approaches are sought. The major impediment to better clinical outcomes is tumor immune tolerance. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an IFNγ-inducible enzyme, is a major inducer of immune tolerance during tumor development; therefore, inhibition of the IDO pathway is an important modality for cancer treatment. We show that bortezomib, a proteasomal inhibitor, inhibited the pathways leading to STAT1 and IRF-1 activation, both of which are necessary for IDO expression. Bortezomib downregulated IFNγ-induced IDO expression via inhibition of STAT1 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation, thereby suppressing STAT1-driven IDO transcription in NPC cells. Bortezomib also promoted IκB-α phosphorylation-ubiquitination, which released NF-κB from IκB-α. However, the released NF-κB could not enter the nucleus to conduct its biological effects and accumulated in the cytoplasm. Negative feedback inhibited the transcription of NF-κB, which is important for activating IRF-1 expression. IDO expression is regulated by two important transcription factor binding sites, ISREs, which bind STAT1 and IRF-1, and GASs, which binds STAT1. Bortezomib upregulated IRF-1 protein by inhibiting its proteasome-dependent degradation, but it also inhibited STAT1 phosphorylation, which directly inhibited the activation of GAS and indirectly inhibited the activation of ISRE, which needs both STAT1 and IRF-1. These discoveries provide a mechanism for the antitumor action of bortezomib and have implications for the development of clinical cancer immunotherapy for preventing and treating NPC. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(1); 42–51. ©2016 AACR.

Two Alloy N/316H bimetallic plates have been fabricated by explosive welding and rolling technologies respectively. Metallographic observations indicate that the rolled bimetallic plate has a straight bond interface, in which some cavities and precipitates exist. While the explosive welded plate shows a wavy bond interfaces. The interface thermal expansion mismatch between the two alloys were evaluated in the two plates at high temperature. Results show that the thermal expansion coefficient of 316H is larger than that of Alloy N. The thermal expansion coefficient of the substrate plates depends on the thickness ratio between Alloy N and 316H, which reaches the maximum when the ratio is 1:4.

High birth weight (HBW) is associated with childhood obesity, but with inconsistent results. This study investigated the relationship between HBW and childhood obesity, and further explored the interaction of HBW with behavioral and socio-economic determinants of obesity. This cross-sectional study enrolled 1906 grade-two children of Guangzhou, China, from June to November, 2016. Overweight/obesity corresponded to a body mass index higher than the sex–age-specific criteria. Abdominal obesity was assessed using the sex-specific waist–height ratio cutoffs. The association of HBW with obesity was evaluated in multivariable logistic regression model. The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and the attributable proportion of interaction (AP) indices were used to measure additive interaction, while applying the interaction of OR index for multiplicative interaction assessment. Children with HBW had an increased risk of overweight/obesity [odds ratio (OR) = 2.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.56–3.76] compared with those without HBW. Significant additive interaction of HBW with physical activity was found for overweight/obesity [relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) = 2.69, 95% CI = 0.62–4.75; attributable proportion of interaction (AP) = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.42–1.02]. The HBW children with insufficient activity had higher odds of overweight/obesity compared to the non-HBW children with sufficient activity (OR = 3.75, 95% CI = 2.06–6.83). In addition, we identified a significant interaction of HBW with household income for abdominal obesity (RERI = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.02–2.37; AP = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.16–1.36). HBW confers an increased risk for childhood overweight/obesity. Physical activity attenuates the effect of HBW on overweight/obesity, and HBW possibly synergistically interacts with high household income to promote abdominal obesity in childhood.

The effects of W/Mo ratio on the microstructures of as-cast Nb-modified Hastelloy N alloys have been investigated systematically in this study. It was found that the dendritic morphologies are independent on W/Mo ratio, but the microsegregation behaviors and the primary precipitates in the interdendritic regions are greatly affected. The electron probe microanalyses revealed that W segregates to dendrite core regions, while Mo, Cr, Nb and C to the interdendritic regions. The microsegregation of elements becomes more severe with the W/Mo ratio increasing. The primary precipitates in the interdendritic regions were identified as MC/γ eutectic phases in all alloys, and the MC carbide lamellae in the eutectic phases can be categorized into two types, namely thin (Nb, Mo)C ones in the three Mo-contained alloys and thick NbC ones in the Mo-free alloy. The sizes of MC/γ eutectic phases change with the W/Mo ratio in the same manner as the solidification temperature region, and their number densities gradually increase with the W/Mo ratio increasing. Based on the thermodynamic calculations and solidification theory, the influencing mechanism of W/Mo ratio on the microstructures of as-cast Nb-modified Hastelloy N alloys was briefly discussed.

In this work, high-voltage pulsed Ar gas–liquid discharge synergizing iron-based catalyst-activated persulfate (PS) was employed to degrade methylene blue (MB) in water. The catalytic performances of two types of iron-based catalysts, namely the homogeneous catalyst Fe2+ and the heterogeneous catalyst nano-Fe3O4, were compared. Correspondingly, the plasma gas temperature and excited species were calculated and diagnosed using optical emission spectra. It was found that the introduced plasma process significantly enhanced the degradation efficiency of MB by the PS/Fe2+ and the PS/Fe3O4 systems. After 20 min of treatment, the MB degradation efficiency reaches 97.5% and 83.1% in the hybrid plasma/PS/Fe2+ and plasma/PS/Fe3O4 systems, respectively, which is 37.9% and 35.6% higher than that in the PS/Fe2+ and PS/Fe3O4 systems. The synergistic mechanism and key reactive species responsible for MB degradation in hybrid plasma/PS/Fe2+ and plasma/PS/Fe3O4 were explored using the addition of radical scavengers and control experiments under various conditions. The homogeneous catalyst Fe2+ exhibits better activation performance in PS and plasma than that of the heterogeneous catalyst nano-Fe3O4.

Atmospheric pressure electrolyte cathode discharge plasma presents a great potential on detecting heavy metal pollutants. In this paper, a novel microsecond pulsed electrolyte cathode discharge was generated and coupled with temporal resolved atomic emission spectra to analyze Cu element, as one of the representative heavy metals. The waveforms of voltage and current, as well as optical emission spectra of discharge were investigated, and the experimental conditions were optimized. The spatiotemporal resolved spectra of Cu I (324.8 nm), OH (A2Σ–X2Π) and N2 (C3Πu–B3Πg) were diagnosed. The spatiotemporal distributions of gas temperature and electron density were calculated by the rotational temperature of OH (A) and the Stark broadening of Hβ (486.1 nm), respectively. It was found that the optimal detection sensitivity of Cu are obtained under the conditions of HNO3 solution with 1.0 pH value, 3.0 mL/min solution flow rate, 8.5 kV pulse peak voltage, and 100 μs pulse width. The interferences of spectral line of Cu I (324.8 nm) are mainly sourced by the spectral bands of N2 (C-B) and OH (A-X), which could be reduced by the temporal resolved spectra. The limit of detection of Cu was improved from 0.217 mg/L to 0.092 mg/L by acquiring spectra only in 25–100 μs, under the optimal conditions. Furthermore, the gas temperature and electron density play important roles in the spatiotemporal evolution of discharge and the improvement of detection sensitivity for elemental analysis.

Humic acid (HA) removal research focuses on the global water treatment industry. In this work, efficient HA degradation with an ultra-high synergetic intensity is achieved by combined bubble discharge with activated carbon (AC). Adding AC to the discharge greatly improves HA removal efficiency and degradation speed; the synergetic intensity reaches 651.52% in the combined system, and the adsorption residual on AC is 4.52%. After 90 min of treatment, the HA removal efficiency reaches 98.90%, 31.29%, and 7.61% in the plasma-AC combined, solo bubble discharge, and solo AC adsorption systems, respectively. During the plasma process, the number of pore structures and active sites and the amount of oxygen-containing functional groups on the AC surface increase, resulting in a higher adsorption capacity to reactive species (H2O2 and O3) and HA and promoting interactions on the AC surface. For HA mineralization, the presence of AC greatly promotes the destruction of aromatic structures and chromophoric HA functional groups.

In this paper, an air gas-liquid discharge operated in contact with water is compared with air gas phase discharge operated in contact with quartz surface for their performance on the generation of aqueous reactive species and degrading methylene blue. The discharge images, electrical characteristics, optical emission spectra detected from discharge region, FTIR spectra detected from effluent gas, and plasma gas temperatures in both discharge regimes are compared. The results show that the gas-liquid discharge has lower efficiency to produce gaseous reactive species due to its higher discharge power and lower emission intensities of N2 (C-B) and O, and lower FTIR absorbance intensities of O3, NO2, and N2O, than those of gas phase discharge. Besides, the plasma gas temperature in gas-liquid discharge is much higher. Furthermore, both gas-liquid discharge and gas phase discharge are used for treating deionized water and methylene blue solution. It is found that gas-liquid discharge is more conducive to the activation of deionized water due to its higher production of aqueous H2O2, NO2−, and NO3−. However, as for methylene blue degradation, the G50 of methylene blue degradation in gas-liquid discharge (2.29 g·kWh−1) is much lower than that of gas phase discharge (9.14 g·kWh−1).

In this paper, a capacitor assisted AC high-voltage was employed to generate a gas–liquid discharge in pure oxygen at atmospheric pressure. The discharge images, waveforms of voltage and discharge current, and optical emission spectra of plasma were diagnosed for the purpose of investigating the discharge modes. The gas temperature (Tg), excitation temperature of hydrogen (Texc), and electron density (ne) were calculated by the spectra of OH (A2Σ–X2Π), the intensity ratio of Hα and Hβ, and the Stark broadening of Hβ, respectively. The effects of applied voltage and capacitance value on the mode transition of discharge were also discussed. It is found that due to the presence of capacitor, not only is the unlimited growth of discharge current restrained, but the transition of discharge mode is also controllable. There are three discharge modes of gas–liquid discharge oxygen plasma (GLDOP), and with the increase of applied voltage or capacitance value, discharge modes are transited from the streamer mode, to the glow-like mode, and to the abnormal glow/arc mode. With the mode transition, the Tg and Texc of GLDOP increase and the ne decreases. In contrast, the change of Tg and ne is negligible when GLDOP maintains one kind of discharge mode.

The unexpected effect of hydroxyl radical on tellurium corrosion of the Ni–Mo–Cr–Nb based alloy was first observed in this study. In the corrosion experiments with the quartz tubes as vessels, hydroxyl radicals are released from the quartz at the high temperature (700 °C) and then react with Cr atoms to form Cr2O3 layers at the surface of the alloy, which significantly suppress the simultaneous corrosion process by tellurium vapor. This work reveals the origin of the well-known uncertainty and helps to develop the more reliable experiments in future.

The effects of Nb addition on the microstructures of Ni–12Mo–7Cr based superalloy have been systematically investigated in this study. If no Nb addition, the granular and thin rod-like M2C carbides distribute in the matrix and at the grain boundaries. In the alloy with 1 wt % Nb, the needle-like Mo-riched MC carbides and the granular Nb-containing M2C carbides form in the matrix and at the grain boundaries respectively. The needle-like MC carbides were found to grow along the {1 0 0} planes of the matrix and possess a cube-on-cube orientation relationship (OR) with the matrix. In the case of the alloy with 4 wt % Nb, the thick rod-like NbC carbides with few other metal elements were found to form in the matrix, which grow along the {1 1 1} planes and possess a twin-like OR with the matrix with a small-angle deviation. Based on the interface energy analyses, the morphology differences between MC and NbC carbides were found to result from their different ORs and interface structures.

The tellurium (Te) corrosion behaviors of the hot-rolled GH3535 alloy have been investigated systematically in this study as compared with the standard solid-solution treated one. In the hot-rolled alloy, the higher proportion of Cr3Te4 and MnTe can be observed in the corrosion scales. Beneath the scales, Te was found to enrich in the primary M6C carbides rather than at the grain boundaries. The blocking effect by the protective Cr3Te4 and MnTe and the trapping effect by the primary M6C carbides jointly contribute to the better Te corrosion and cracking resistance of the hot-rolled alloy.

Skin tumor is the most intriguing topic for the clinicians. This chapter covers a wide range of issues and provides with informative clues and tips associated with clinical features and pathological presentations and keeps pace with the latest development in molecular biology and immunohistochemistry to assist the readers in the establishment of accurate diagnosis. These following disorders are elaborately selected and arranged from a histopathological perspective.

// Guan-Min Jiang 1, * , Wan-Ying Xie 2, * , Hong-Sheng Wang 3, * , Jun Du 3 , Bai-Ping Wu 1 , Wei Xu 2 , Hui-Fang Liu 2 , Ping Xiao 1 , Zhi-Gang Liu 4 , Hong-Yan Li 1 , Shuang-Quan Liu 2 , Wen-Jun Yin 2 , Qiu-Gui Zhang 2 , Jian-Ping Liang 5 , Hong-Jun Huang 1 1 Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, PR China 2 Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, PR China 3 Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China 4 Department of Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, PR China 5 Department of Thoracic Surgery 2, Hunan Cancer Hospital & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, PR China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Hong-Jun Huang, e-mail: hongjunhuanghjh@163.com Jian-Ping Liang, e-mail: liangsugd@vip.sina Qiu-Gui Zhang, e-mail: zhangqg789@163.com Keywords: curcumin, indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase, immunotherapy, melanoma, fibroblast activation protein α Received: April 07, 2015 Accepted: July 08, 2015 Published: July 20, 2015 ABSTRACT Fibroblast activation protein α (FAPα) is a potential target for cancer therapy. However, elimination of FAPα+ fibroblasts activates secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α. IFN-γ can in turn induce expression indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), thereby contributing to immunosuppression, while TNF-α can induce EMT. These two reactive effects would limit the efficacy of a tumor vaccine. We found that curcumin can inhibit IDO expression and TNF-α-induced EMT. Moreover, FAPαc vaccine and CpG combined with curcumin lavage inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival of mice implanted with melanoma cells. The combination of FAPαc vaccine, CpG and curcumin stimulated FAPα antibody production and CD8+ T cell-mediated killing of FAPα-expressing stromal cells without adverse reactive effects. We suggest a combination of curcumin and FAPαc vaccine for melanoma therapy.

Background: In central precocious puberty (CPP), the pulse secretion and release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) are increased due to early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, resulting in developmental abnormalities with gonadal development and appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. The CPP without organic disease is known as idiopathic CPP (ICPP). The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of domestic leuprorelin (GnRH analog) in girls with ICPP. Methods: A total of 236 girls with ICPP diagnosed from April 2012 to January 2014 were selected and were randomized into two groups. One hundred fifty-seven girls in the test group were treated with domestic leuprorelin acetate, 79 girls in the control group were treated with imported leuprorelin acetate. They all were treated and observed for 6 months. After 6-month treatment, the percentage of children with peak luteinizing hormone (LH) ≤3.3 U/L, the percentage of children with peak LH/peak follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio 0.05). Conclusions: Domestic leuprorelin is effective and safe in the treatment of Chinese girls with ICPP. Its effectiveness and safety are comparable with imported leuprorelin.

In Guangzhou, China, whether the trend of a decreasing pubertal age has continued in recent years remained unknown, and the association between obesity and early puberty was still controversial. Herein, we conducted a serial cross-sectional study using data from physical fitness surveillance (2005–2012), to determine the recent trends in age at spermarche and menarche among students in Guangzhou, and to investigate whether elevated BMI modified timing of spermarche and menarche. This study included 1,278,258 urban students. In boys, no significant differences were observed in median ages of spermarche (MAS) from 2005 to 2012, with overlapping 95% CIs. Similar results were observed for median ages of menarche (MAM) in girls. The Cox-Stuart trend test showed neither upward nor downward shift in MAS and MAM over time (P = 0.625; 1.000). Each year, both MAS and MAM decreased with increasing BMI. Furthermore, a higher BMI was associated with early age at spermarche and menarche, with ORs of 1.052 (95% CI = 1.045–1.059) and 1.233 (95% CI = 1.220–1.247) in 2012 for boys and girls, respectively. In conclusion, the pubertal timing has been stable in urban students from 2005 to 2012. Furthermore, obesity was associated with early timing of spermarche and menarche.

A highly regioselective synthesis of functionalized 3H-spiro[isobenzofuran-1,3′-isochroman] scaffolds using a novel palladium-catalyzed tandem cyclization reaction is explored. During the reaction process, C–O, C–C and C–O bonds are sequentially formed in one pot via decarboxylative allenylpalladium formation, nucleophilic attack, arylpalladium addition and intramolecular nucleophilic attack.

Heavy-ion irradiation technology has advantages over traditional methods of mutagenesis. Heavy-ion irradiation improves the mutation rate, broadens the mutation spectrum, and shortens the breeding cycle. However, few data are currently available regarding its effect onStreptomyces avermitilismorphology and productivity. In this study, the influence of heavy-ion irradiation onS. avermitiliswhen cultivated in approximately 10 L stirred-tank bioreactors was investigated. The specific productivity of the avermectin (AVM) B1a-producing mutantS. avermitilis147-G58 increased notably, from 3885 to 5446 μg/mL, approximately 1.6-fold, compared to the original strain. The mycelial morphology of the mutant fermentation processes was microscopically examined. Additionally, protein and metabolite identification was performed by using SDS-PAGE, 2- and 3-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE and 3DE). The results showed that negative regulation gene deletion of mutants led to metabolic process upregulating expression of protein and improving the productivity of an avermectin B1a. The results showed that the heavy-ion beam irradiation dose that corresponded to optimal production was well over the standard dose, at approximately 80 Gy at 220 AMeV (depending on the strain). This study provides reliable data and a feasible method for increasing AVM productivity in industrial processes.