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This paper focuses on solving the time fractional Caudrey-Dodd-Gibbon-Sawada-Kotera equation (FCDGSKE). We propose two analytical methods based on the fractional complex transform, the variational iteration method and the homotopy perturbation method. The approximated solutions to the initial value problems associated with FCDGSKE are provided without linearization and complicated calculation. Numerical results show the main merits of the analytical approaches.

The comprehension of spoken language is one of the most essential language functions in humans. However, the neurological underpinnings of auditory comprehension remain under debate. Here we used multi-modal neuroimaging analyses on a group of patients with low-grade gliomas to localize cortical regions and white matter tracts responsible for auditory language comprehension. Region-of-interests and voxel-level whole-brain analyses showed that cortical areas in the posterior temporal lobe are crucial for language comprehension. The fiber integrity assessed with diffusion tensor imaging of the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was strongly correlated with both auditory comprehension and the grey matter volume of the inferior temporal and middle temporal gyri. Together, our findings provide direct evidence for an integrated network of auditory comprehension whereby the superior temporal gyrus and sulcus, the posterior parts of the middle and inferior temporal gyri serve as auditory comprehension cortex, and the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus subserve as crucial structural connectivity. These findings provide critical evidence on the neural underpinnings of language comprehension.

This paper proposes a hybrid iteration method for solving symmetric saddle point problem arising in CFD. It is an implicit alternative direction iteration method and named as the ULT-HSS (upper and lower triangular, Hermitian and skew- Hermitian splitting) method. The convergence analysis is provided, and the necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the convergence of the method. Some practical approaches are formulated for setting the optimal parameter of the method. Numerical experiments are given to show its efficiency.

Obesity and related metabolic disorders are associated with intestinal microbiota dysbiosis, disrupted intestinal barrier, and chronic inflammation. Neohesperidin (Neo), a natural polyphenol abundant in citrus fruits, is known for its preventative and therapeutic effects on numerous diseases. Here, we report that Neo administration attenuates weight gain, low-grade inflammation, and insulin resistance in mice fed high-fat diet (HFD). Also, Neo administration substantially restores gut barrier damage, metabolic endotoxemia, and systemic inflammation. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in fecal samples revealed that Neo administration reverses HFD-induced intestinal microbiota dysbiosis: an increase in the diversity of gut microbiota and alteration in the composition of intestinal microbiota (particularly in the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes). Furthermore, systemic antibiotic treatment abolishes the beneficial effects of Neo in body weight control, suggesting that the effect of Neo on obesity attenuation largely depends on the gut microbiota. More importantly, we demonstrate that the impact of Neo on the regulation of obesity could be transferred from Neo-treated mice to HFD-fed mice via fecal microbiota transplantation. Collectively, our data highlight the efficacy of Neo as a prebiotic agent for attenuating obesity, implying a potential mechanism for gut microbiota mediated the beneficial effect of Neo.

In spite of the unique advantages of nitride microcavities laser, the optical loss and threshed values are still high in most GaN microdisk laser integrated on silicon substrate. Herein, we fabricated a GaN microdisk cavity pivoted on Si substrate using standard semiconductor process. Al nanoparticles (NPs) with diameter below 100 nm were then decorated on the GaN cavity as surface plasmons (SPs) gain to enhance the lasing performance. SPs coupling properties and photoluminescence (PL) enhancement of Al decorated cavities were studied via excitation power-dependent PL and time-resolved PL measurements. Low optical loss caused by device suspension and SPs coupling induced Purcell Factor enhancement significantly improve the lasing properties. A spontaneous enhancement in PL (by 1.75 folds) along with altered lasing characteristics, including accelerated exciton recombination, reduced lasing threshold value (by 5 folds approximately), slight lasing intensity improvement and redshift of the resonant mode, were observed.

This study examines the existing common form of soil pollution, combined organic and inorganic pollution. Cadmium (Cd) is the most important inorganic element in soil pollution. Due to the widespread use of plastic film, phthalates have become the main organic pollutants in soil. Pot experiments were conducted with purple soil from southwest China, and Chinese cabbage was used as a biological indicator. Different concentration gradients of Cd and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) was used as foreign pollutants. The soil was treated with one of the six common soil conditioners, namely potassium feldspar powder, oyster shell powder, biological carbon powder (biochar), calcium, potassium carbonate, and calcium phosphate, to examine the effect of conditioners on cadmium morphology, DEHP content in contaminated soil, and cadmium and DEHP absorption in Chinese cabbage. The results showed that biochar is the optimal soil conditioner for the remediation of cadmium-phthalate composite pollution in purple soil. Subsequently, the effects of soil biochar content on cadmium pollution and phthalate ester migration were studied. Uncontaminated control soil, Cd-contaminated soil, and DEHP-contaminated soil were examined by pot experiments, and biochar treatments with mass fraction of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 3%, and 5% added to cadmium contaminated soil were used to determine its influence on Cd morphology and DEHP content of contaminated soil.

Scope Obesity is a major public health and economic problem of global significance. Here, we investigated the role of diosmetin, a natural flavonoid presents mainly in citrus fruits, in the regulation of obesity and metabolic dysfunctions in mice. Methods and results Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or five-week-old male ob/ob mice fed a normal diet were treated with diosmetin (50 mg kg-1 daily) or vehicle for 8 weeks. Diosmetin treatment decreased body weight and fat mass, improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in obese mice. These metabolic benefits were mainly attributed to increased energy expenditure via enhancing thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). Mechanistically, diosmetin acted as an agonist for estrogen receptors (ERs), and subsequently elevated adipose expressions of ERs in mice and in cultured adipocytes. When ERs were blocked by their antagonist fulvestrant in mice, diosmetin loses its beneficial effects on activation of BAT, browning of WAT, body weight control and glucose homeostasis, suggesting that ERs are indispensable for the metabolic benefits of diosmetin. Conclusion The results indicate that diosmetin might be a potential anti-obesity nutritional supplement and could be explored for low ERs-related obesity populations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Awake craniotomy with language mapping is being increasingly applied to avoid postoperative language dysfunctions worldwide. However, the effectiveness and reliability of this technique remain unclear due to the paucity of studies comparing the awake craniotomy with general anesthesia. To determine the benefit of awake craniotomy for language, motor, and neurological functions, as well as other clinical outcomes, we searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database up to December 2019. Gray literatures were also searched. We included randomized and non-randomized controlled studies comparing awake craniotomy versus general anesthetic resection and reporting the language and neurological outcomes. Ten studies with 833 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled risk ratio (RR) suggested no significant differences in language and neurological outcomes between general anesthesia group and awake craniotomy group without electrical stimulation. Awake craniotomy with electrical stimulation, however, was associated with improved late language and neurological outcomes (≥ 3 months) versus general anesthesia with pooled RR of 0.44 (95% CI = 0.20-0.96) and 0.49 (95% CI = 0.30-0.79), respectively. Awake craniotomy with electrical stimulation was also associated with better extent of resection with the pooled RR of 0.81 (95%CI = 0.71-0.92) and shorter hospital stay duration with the pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) of - 1.14 (95%CI = - 1.80 to - 0.48). This meta-analysis suggested that the application of awake craniotomy with electrical stimulation during glioma resection is associated with lower risks of long-term neurological and language deficits and higher extent of tumor resection, as well as shorter hospital stay duration.

In this paper, we consider a Stokes problem arising in fluid dynamics and thermal science, which can be transformed to a symmetric saddle point problem by using the mixed finite element approximation. A relaxed non-linear inexact Uzawa algorithm is proposed for solving the problem, and the convergence of this algorithm is also considered. Numerical experiments are presented to show the efficiency of relaxed non-linear inexact Uzawa algorithm.

Currently, the HBCDs were listed in Annex A by the Stockholm Convention, and the knowledge on the contamination of TBBPA and HBCDs in soil and road dust in China is still limited, and it is unclear what role is played by dust particle size distribution. In this study, a total of 81 soil and 43 road dust samples were analyzed with TBBPA and ΣHBCDs concentrations ranging fromLOQ to 33.8 ng/g dw (dry weight) and 0.43-15.2 ng/g dw in soil, and fromLOQ to 74.1 ng/g dw and 7.25-14.0 ng/g dw in road dust, respectively. TBBPA and HBCDs exhibited different spatial distribution patterns in soil, where relatively high levels of HBCDs were found in industrial area and commercial area, while high levels of TBBPA were detceted in residential area. However, no distinct variation in spatial distribution of these two compounds was observed in road dust. Different diastereoisomer profiles of HBCDs were also found with γ-HBCD predominating in soil and α-HBCD occupying a large proportion in road dust. The α-/γ-HBCD values in road dust were significantly greater (T-test, P 0.05) than those in soil, which suggested that γ-HBCD in road dust were likely to transform into α-HBCD compared with soil. The distribution of dust particle size showed that HBCDs levels were increasing with the decreasing in particle sizes, while the TBBPA showed some "accidental" peak values in specific diameter ranges. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of TBBPA and HBCDs were assessed through dust ingestion, dermal absorption and inhalation via road dust, and all the exposure estimates were well below the reference dose (RfD), but the toddlers were more vulnerable to TBBPA and HBCDs intakes, which should be paid more attention.

Human hair and street dust from rural and urban areas in Chongqing were collected to analyze Organophosphate esters (OPEs) and phthalate esters (PAEs). Concentrations of OPEs in urban hair were significantly higher than those in rural hair, whereas PAEs concentrations in rural hair were significantly higher than those in urban hair. Different composition patterns of OPEs were observed in rural and urban hair, where tris (2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), tris (butyl) phosphate (TNBP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) were the dominating analogues in rural hair, accounting for 62.1% of the OPEs burden, and tris (methylphenyl) phosphate (TMPP) exhibited a high contribution in urban hair, responsible for 51.3% of total OPEs, which differed from the composition profiles in corresponding street dust. Analogous composition patterns of PAEs were found in hair of both areas. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DNBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) were the most abundant analogues in hair samples, while DEHP was the predominant analogue in dust samples. No clear tendency was obtained between the increasing ages and the concentrations of both compounds. Most OPEs and PAEs congeners showed significantly positive correlation with one another in rural hair. On the contrary, different correlation patterns were observed in urban hair for OPEs and PAEs, indicating multiple or additional sources existed in urban areas. Significant correlations of OPEs and PAEs were found between hair and corresponding street dust samples, but poor correlations of OPEs and PAEs were observed between rural hair and rural indoor dust, suggesting that street dust may be a predominant exogenous source for human exposure to OPEs and PAEs in this area.

Elevated circulating levels of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) have been shown to reduce food intake and lower body weight through activation of hindbrain receptor glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) receptor alpha-like (GFRAL) in rodents and nonhuman primates, thus endogenous induction of this peptide holds promise for obesity treatment. Here, through in silico drug-screening methods, we found that small molecule Camptothecin (CPT), a previously identified drug with potential antitumor activity, is a GDF15 inducer. Oral CPT administration increases circulating GDF15 levels in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and genetic ob/ob mice, with elevated Gdf15 expression predominantly in the liver through activation of integrated stress response. In line with GDF15’s anorectic effect, CPT suppresses food intake, thereby reducing body weight, blood glucose, and hepatic fat content in obese mice. Conversely, CPT loses these beneficial effects when Gdf15 is inhibited by a neutralizing antibody or AAV8-mediated liver-specific knockdown. Similarly, CPT failed to reduce food intake and body weight in GDF15’s specific receptor GFRAL-deficient mice despite high levels of GDF15. Together, these results indicate that CPT is a promising anti-obesity agent through activation of GDF15-GFRAL pathway.

In this paper, we consider a symmetric saddle point problem arising in the fluid dynamics. A special parameterized inexact Uzawa algorithm is proposed for solving the symmetric saddle point problem. The convergence of this special algorithm is considered. Sufficient conditions for the convergence are given. Numerical experiments resulting from stokes problem are presented to show the efficiency of the algorithm.

Mitochondrial aconitase (Aco2) catalyzes the conversion of citrate to isocitrate in the TCA cycle, which produces NADH and FADH2, driving synthesis of ATP through OXPHOS. In this study, to explore the relationship between adipogenesis and mitochondrial energy metabolism, we hypothesize that Aco2 may play a key role in the lipid synthesis. Here, we show that overexpression of Aco2 in 3T3-L1 cells significantly increased lipogenesis and adipogenesis, accompanied by elevated mitochondrial biogenesis and ATP production. However, when ATP is depleted by rotenone, an inhibitor of the respiratory chain, the promotive role of Aco2 in adipogenesis is abolished. In contrast to Aco2 overexpression, deficiency of Aco2 markedly reduced lipogenesis and adipogenesis, along with the decreased mitochondrial biogenesis and ATP production. Supplementation of isocitrate efficiently rescued the inhibitory effect of Aco2 deficiency. Similarly, the restorative effect of isocitrate was abolished in the presence of rotenone. Together, these results show that Aco2 sustains normal adipogenesis through mediating ATP production, revealing a potential mechanistic link between TCA cycle enzyme and lipid synthesis. Our work suggest that regulation of adipose tissue mitochondria function may be a potential way for combating abnormal adipogenesis related diseases such as obesity and lipodystrophy.

Phthalate esters (PAEs) have been shown to be ubiquitous in abiotic and biotic environmental compartments; however, information about bioaccumulation behavior and human exposure, both via environmental exposure and the diet, are limited. Herein, we report the concentrations and composition profiles of phthalate esters (PAEs) in biological samples, river water, indoor air, and outdoor air samples collected from an agricultural site in western China. Dibutyl phthalate (DNBP) occupied a relatively high abundance in biological samples, discrepant with the environmental samples in which di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was the dominant congener. Significant correlations (P

The (2+1)-dimensional Boiti-Leon-Pempinelli equation is studied by the modified variational iteration method. The numerical solutions to its initial value problem are provided and compared with the exact soliton solutions. The present theory offers an in-depth physical understanding of hydrodynamic properties of non-li-near wave equations.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) in surface soil of four different functional areas in Chongqing were identified and quantified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). The composition and characteristics of OPEs were discussed along with the relationships between soil organic matter (SOM) and OPEs through correlation analysis, and possible sources of OPEs were simultaneously investigated through principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the concentrations of ∑OPEs ranged from 10.7 to 108 ng·g

We measured the concentrations of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in some biotic samples which can serve as human foodstuffs and ambient environments including air and river water from an agricultural area of Chongqing, western China. Fish samples exhibited highest OPEs levels (960 ng/g lipid weight) among the biota, followed by chicken (676 ng/g lw), cattle (545 ng/g lw) and pigs (535 ng/g lw). Tributyl phosphate (TNBP), tris (2-methylpropyl) (TIBP) and chlorinated OPEs were the major analogs in biotic samples, which appeared similar with the patterns from river water and outdoor air, but apparently different from indoor air. To further investigate the influence of ambient environment on the distribution of OPEs in biota, we analyzed the correlation between OPEs concentrations in ambient environment and biological samples, and the results revealed that most of the samples (except for pig samples) heavily correlated with outdoor air, whereas only fish and cattle samples were strongly correlated with river water. The partitioning behaviors of OPEs among biota, air and river water were also studied through calculating the biota-water accumulation factors (BWAFs), biota-air accumulation factors (BAAFs) and air-water partitioning factor (AWPFs). Significantly linear correlations (P 0.05) were observed between log (BWAFs) and log (K

In this paper, we apply the modified variational iteration method to a generalized Hirota-Satsuma coupled Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. The numerical solutions of the initial value problem of the generalized Hirota-Satsuma coupled KdV equation are provided. Numerical results are given to show the efficiency of the modified variational iteration method.

In this paper, we solve the variant Boussinesq equation by the modified variational iteration method. The approximate solutions to the initial value problems of the variant Boussinesq equation are provided, and compared with the exact solutions. Numerical experiments show that the modified variational iteration method is efficient for solving the variant Boussinesq equation.

The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically worldwide in the past ~50 years. Searching for safe and effective anti-obesity strategies are urgently needed. Lactucin, a plant-derived natural small molecule, is known for anti-malaria and anti-hyperalgesia. The study is to investigate whether lactucin plays a key role in adipogenesis. To this end, in vivo male C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were treated with 20 mg/kg/day of lactucin or vehicle by gavage for seven weeks. Compared with vehicle-treated controls, Lactucin-treated mice showed lower body mass and mass of adipose tissue. Consistently, in vitro 3T3-L1 cells were treated with 20 &mu, M of lactucin. Compared to controls, lactucin-treated cells showed significantly less lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation and lower levels of lipid synthesis markers. Mechanistically, we showed the anti-adipogenic property of lactucin was largely limited to the early stage of adipogenesis. Lactucin-treated cells fail to undergo mitotic clonal expansion (MCE). Further studies demonstrate that lactucin-induced MCE arrests might result from reduced phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3. We then asked whether activation of JAK2/STAT3 would restore the inhibitory effect of lactucin on adipogenesis with pharmacological STAT3 activator colivelin. Our results revealed similar levels of lipid accumulation between lactucin-treated cells and controls in the presence of colivelin, indicating that inactivation of STAT3 is the limiting factor for the anti-adipogenesis of lactucin in these cells. Together, our results provide the indication that lactucin exerts an anti-adipogenesis effect, which may open new therapeutic options for obesity.

For the large sparse saddle point problems, Pan and Li recently proposed in [H. K. Pan, W. Li, Math. Numer. Sinica, 2009, 31(3): 231–242] a corrected Uzawa algorithm based on a nonlinear Uzawa algorithm with two nonlinear approximate inverses, and gave the detailed convergence analysis. In this paper, we focus on the convergence analysis of this corrected Uzawa algorithm, some inaccuracies in [H. K. Pan, W. Li, Math. Numer. Sinica, 2009, 31(3): 231–242] are pointed out, and a corrected convergence theorem is presented. A special case of this modified Uzawa algorithm is also discussed.

In this paper, we apply the variational iteration method to solve the classical Drinfel?d-Sokolov-Wilson equation. The initial value problem of the classical Drinfel?d-Sokolov-Wilson equation is considered. Numerical experiments are presented to show the efficiency of the method.

A rapid increase in the number of HIV cases in the men who have sex with men (MSM) population has been observed in China; however, little information is available on the genetic characterization of HIV prevalent in this population. In this study, 95 HIV-1-seropositive drug-naive patients from the Beijing MSM population were enrolled. The genetic characterization and transmission of drug resistance of HIV-1 were examined based on full-length gag, pol, and partial env gene sequences. Three subtypes, including CRF01_AE (56.0%), B (30.8%), and CRF07_BC (12.6%), were identified. Close phylogenetic relationships were found among these strains with isolates from other populations in Beijing and MSM isolates from Hebei province, which suggested that the Beijing MSM population might act as a bridge for HIV transmission between MSM and other high-risk populations. Drug-resistant mutations were identified in 5.3% of sampled individuals. Our results provided detailed genetic data and would be helpful for understanding the transmitting pattern of HIV strains between MSM and other populations.

This paper focuses on applying the GDTM-Pad? technique to solve the non-linear differential-difference equation. The bell-shaped solitary wave solution of Belov-Chaltikian lattice equation is considered. Comparison between the approximate solutions and the exact ones shows that this technique is an efficient and attractive method for solving the differential-difference equations.

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows: The aim of this study is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of intraoperative language mapping for glioma surgery by comparing glioma surgeries with and without language mapping. Alternative language mapping techniques such as fMRI and PET scan will also be compared to intraoperative language mapping.

This paper presents a measurement method of NC machine geometric accuracy. The principle is that a laser tracker is used to collect a lot of target point coordinates on four different locations around the machine during the machine spindle moving. A redundant equations could be established through target point coordinates,then the exact location of each target point coordinates could be determined by the principles of GPS positioning.Through the target point coordinates,the geometric error of machine could be separated. The method has fast measuring speed and low cost.Moreover the measurement precision is higher than direct measurement only using one laser tracker because the GPS positioning principle is used to avoid the angle measurment of laser tracker.

Stems of genus Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) have been traditionally used as an herbal medicine (Dendrobii Herba) in Eastern Asia. Although demand for Dendrobium is increasing rapidly, wild resources are decreasing due to over-collection. This study aimed to identify plant sources of Dendrobii Herba on the market based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA. We constructed an ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequence database of 196 Dendrobium species, and the database was employed to identify 21 herbal samples. We found that 13 Dendrobium species (D. catenatum, D. cucullatum, D. denudans, D. devonianum, D. eriiflorum, D. hancockii, D. linawianum, D. lituiflorum, D. loddigesii, D. polyanthum, D. primulinum, D. regium, and D. transparens) were possibly used as plant sources of Dendrobii Herba, and unidentified species allied to D. denudans, D. eriiflorum, D. gregulus, or D. hemimelanoglossum were also used as sources. Furthermore, it is clear that D. catenatum is one of the most important sources of Dendrobii Herba (5 out of 21 samples).

An improved spherical, movable transfer skirt for autonomous submersibles has been devised. It was designed to permit the transfer of equipment and personnel from a submersible to the pressure chamber of an oil storage sea-bed structure. It also allowed mating at large vertical angles while the submersible remained horizontal. Seal failure modes and procedures for analyzing the sealing ability of the mating flange of the hull transfer skirt were thoroughly analyzed using conservative estimation methods. In the analysis, sea currents and mating angles were considered. Results showed that when considering the effects of currents, spherical radius and mating angle, their influence on seal ring failure should be considered first. The critical mating depth for a seal ring failure was larger than for either sliding or rotational failure modes. The critical mating depth can be used to determine the mating method of the submersible. The analytical procedures and results can be used as a reference for the design of spherical hull transfer skirts.

A series of novel acrylate monomers bearing stilbene segments with D-π -A structure, 4-methacrylate-4′-nitro stilbene (NS), 4-(6-methacrylate)hexyl-4′-nitro stilbene (HNS) and 4-(6-methacrylate)hexyl-2,3-dimethoxy-4′-nitro stilbene (DMHNS), were synthesized by the Witting reaction and polymerized by free radical polymerization. These stilbene-containing monomers and polymers were fully characterized, and their fluorescent properties in solution and solid state were also investigated. The emission band of monomers and corresponding polymers in solution also showed a remarkable effect with increasing polarity of the solvent. More importantly, the fluorescence emission could be adjusted from green to orange and even red regions by forming donor-π -acceptor (D-π -A) construction.

The influence of coanion on self-assembly of CuSO 4 and 4,4′-dipyridyl sulfide (dps) was studied in this paper. During the formation of Cu(II)/dps coordination polymers, coanions Cl − , SCN − and PF 6 - were added in the solution respectively. Three novel coordination polymers were obtained, {[Cu(dps) 2 · (SO 4 ) 2 ][Cu(dps) · Cl · (H 2 O) 2 ] 2 · 12H 2 O} n ( 1 · 12H 2 O, a 3D network), {[Cu(SCN) 2 (dps)(CH 3 OH) 2 ][Cu(dps) 2 · SO 4 ][Cu(dps)(CH 3 CH 2 OH) 2 · SO 4 ] · 5H 2 O} n ( 2 · 5H 2 O, a 3D network), and {[Cu(dps) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ] · (PF 6 ) 2 · 3H 2 O} n ( 3 · 3H 2 O, a 2D lattice network). Different coanion shows different influence on framework construction. In 1 and 2 , Cl − and SCN − act as terminal ligands and similar 3D frameworks were composed of [Cu(dps)] layer with larger cavity (ca. 400 A) and sulfate bridge; in 3 , PF 6 - replaces SO 4 2 - entirely and the 3D framework was broken due to the removal of bridging SO 4 2 - anions. However, a 2D [Cu(dps)] 4 undulating grid was preserved in 3 .

Zn–Ni–Al2O3 nanocomposite coating, which was fabricated by eletrodeposition technique with the aid of ultrasound, was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results reveal that 7.2 wt.% nano-alumina particles uniformly dispersed in the matrix of the composite coating. The XPS analyses demonstrate that the outermost layer of Zn–Ni–Al2O3 coating was composed of nano-alumina and Zn(OH)2, while the transition layer between the outermost layer and the Zn–Ni matrix consisted of nano-alumina, metallic Zn, ZnO and metallic Ni. In order to investigate the influences of ultrasonic agitation and the incorporation of nano-alumina on the composition and surface structure of Zn–Ni matrix, the comparison studies of Zn–Ni–Al2O3 nanocomposite coating with Zn–Ni coatings fabricated with and without ultrasound were conducted. The results indicate that ultrasonic agitation resulted in a decrease of Ni content in the Zn–Ni matrix and an increase of the thickness of surface oxide layer; while the incorporation of nano-α-Al2O3 increased the Ni content in the Zn–Ni matrix.

To observe the clinical efficacy of combination therapy with peg-IFNalpha and adefovir (CPIA) in women who were hepatfis B virus (HBV) carriers and had just given birth and received telbivudine (LdT) during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission.One-hundred-and-fifty third trimester-pregnant women who were HBV carriers with highly-viremic were treated with LdT until time of birth. After delivery, those women with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level exceeding two times the upper limit of normal and HBV DNA level that had decreased more than 31 gIU/mL or hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) titer that had decreased more than 50% were switched to CPIA for 96 weeks.Following delivery, 45 of the women were switched to the CPIA treatment, of which 91.1% (41/45) achieved virological response, 55.6% (25/45) achieved HBeAg clearance or seroconversion, and 26.7% (12/45) achieved hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance or seroconversion.The immediate post-delivery (and pre-CPIA) levels of HBeAg and HBV DNA were negatively associated with HBeAg clearance. Ninety-eight of the total study participants stopped the LdT treatment and there were no cases of significant deterioration of liver function.Pregnant women who are HBV carriers and receive LdT for protection against mother-to-child transmission, and who show significant ALT elevation and decreased HBeAg titer and/or reduced HBV DNA after delivery, may be good candidates for the CPIA therapy following delivery.

This study was aim to explore the characteristics of phenotypic resistance of resistant strains of HIV type-1 (HIV-1) subtype B and to compare the concordance between the phenotypic resistance and genotypic resistance. The genotypic resistance assay for the HIV-1 clinical isolates was performed. One isolate without resistance mutation was chosen as a drug-sensitive reference strain and seven subtype B isolates with resistance mutations were phenotypically tested. Fifty percent inhibitory concentrations (IC50) between resistant and sensitive viruses were compared. The resistance extent was determined by the folds of the increased IC50. The concordance between the phenotypic resistance and genotypic resistance was also analyzed. IC50 of resistant isolates were 0.0006-0.1300 micromol/L for zidovudine (AZT) 0.0016-0.0390 µmol/L for lamivudine (3TC) 0.0104-0.4234 micromol/L for nevirapine (NVP) and 0.0163-0.1142 micromol/L for indinavir (IDV) respectively. Genotypic and phenotypic resistance assaysindicated that the resistant strains were intermediately and highly resistant to nucleotide analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors and non-nucleotide analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The phenotypic assay was consistent with the genotypic assay. For measuring the potential resistance the genotypic assay was more sensitive than the phenotypic. In evaluating the resistance to protease inhibitors these two assays were discrepant. Both the phenotypic and genotypic assays indicate that the resistant viruses exist in HIV-infected patients in China who have received treatment. Phenotypic and genotypic assays have high concordance and the genotypic assay could replace the phenotypic assay to predict the HIV-1 resistance. (authors)

Objective: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to analyze the changes of white matter fiber FA in patients with schizophrenia of different ages and genders, and to explore the reference of clinical imaging. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia patients and healthy subjects in all 50 cases, were given routine examination of brain MRI parallel diffusion tensor imaging, comparison of different age and gender in different parts of the brain white matter changes of FA value. Results : (1) the FA values of white matter in different age groups were different between the patients and the normal group ( P < 0.05). The normal group right superior frontal gyrus, left parietal lobe and left anterior cingulate gyrus of the cerebral white matter fiber FA value increased gradually before the age of 30, at the age of 30 and reached the peak gradually decreased after 30 years old. The left frontal gyrus and corpus callosum in patients with group pressure (after) of cerebral white matter fiber FA value increased gradually before the age of 30, at the age of 30 and reached the peak gradually decreased after 30 years old. (2) the FA values of white matter in different parts of male and female patients were different (P < 0.05). The white matter fiber FA in the left anterior capsule of the normal group was higher in males than in females. The FA value of bilateral occipital white matter in male patients was lower than that in female; the FA values of the central white matter in the left and right sides of the brain stem were higher in males than in females. Conclusion : the changes of FA value in the white matter of some parts of the brain in the normal group and the patient group are influenced by age and sex.

To investigate the effects of pegylated interferon a-2a (Peg-INFa-2a) treatment on expression of CD8 and CD38 surface molecules on lymphocytes from peripheral blood of inactive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers.Forty-four patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronic infection (CHB) received a 48-week course of Peg-INFa-2a treatment, with 30 administered 135 mug/week and 14 administered 180 mug/week. Every 12 weeks of treatment, the subjects were assessed for HBsAg titer, presence of anti-hepatitis B e (HBe) antibody, serum alanine amino transaminase (ALT) levels, and lymphocyte surface expression of CD8 and CD38 molecules. Patients were classified as responders and non-responders according to standard parameters. Dynamic differences between the two groups over time were assessed by multivariate repeated measures ANOVA with Greenhouse-Geisser correction and differences at single time points were assessed by univariate ANOVA. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship of two variables.The responders showed a significantly higher increase in ALT at week 12 (60.75+/-24.95 U/L vs. non-responders: 37.03+/-18.45 U/L; t = 2.905, P less than 0.01) and significantly higher proportion of CD8+CD38+ cells at week 24 (71.20+/-11.70% vs. non-responders: 56.79+/-7.72%; F = 23.941, P less than 0.01). The decline in level of HBsAg at week 24 was positively correlated with the increase in ALT level at week 12 (r = 0.386, P less than 0.01) and with expression levels of CD8 and CD38 molecules on lymphocytes at week 24 (r = 0.397, P less than 0.01).Lower baseline levels of HBsAg correlated to better Peg-INFa-2a-related HBsAg clearance. Increased expression of CD8 and CD38 on lymphocytes is suggestive of intensive cellular immunity in CHB patients and may be related to HBV-induced hepatocyte damage and may promote the HBsAg clearance.

Neutropenia is a common adverse effect of the treatment of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, the mechanism involved is unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the cause of treatment-induced neutropenia by determining cytokine levels in plasma and in bone marrow smears.Fifteen patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled in this study. Plasma cytokine levels were determined using the Luminex assay before and during treatment. We simultaneously determined the levels of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and 7 other cytokines, and performed bone marrow cytology when blood cell counts indicated neutropenia.Only 1 bone marrow smear indicated a low cell proliferation level, whereas active proliferation was observed in the remaining 14 patients. The levels of G-CSF, GM-CSF, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, and interferon (IFN)-γ decreased significantly in patients with neutropenia (p0.05). In contrast, the levels of IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α showed no significant change (p = 0.713, 0.930, 0.833, respectively) before or after treatment.The bone marrow of most patients with IFN-induced neutropenia showed active cell proliferation. Elevated G-CSF and GM-CSF but not bone marrow suppression was observed along with neutropenia after pegylated interferon treatment, suggesting a causative role of G-CSF and GM-CSF in neutropenia.