Search

The constitutive relationship between suction and degree of saturation is of great significance for estimating the shear strength and deformation behavior of unsaturated soils. A unimodal/bimodal soil-water retention curve (SWRC) is proposed considering the effects of various pore structures and the effects of void ratio on capillarity and adsorption. The different mechanisms of water retention through capillarity and adsorption are explicitly distinguished in the proposed model. The relationship between the capillary degree of saturation and suction is described as a specific function related to the characteristics of pore-size distribution, while the adsorptive degree of saturation is modeled considering the effect of capillary condensation explicitly. Subsequently, the decoupling formula of capillary and adsorptive saturation is further put forward. The formula lays a foundation for the model to account for the dependence of capillary part of SWRC on void ratio, which is consistent with the results from micro-scale tests. Eventually, an approach to estimate the shear strength of unsaturated soils with different initial void ratios has been proposed based on the improved SWRC model. The model is verified using data from water retention and direct shear tests reported for various types of soils in the literature.

Background and Aim: Developing fast-acting antidepressants attracts considerable attention. Anemoside A3, a natural triterpenoid glycoside isolated from Pulsatillae Radix, has been reported to produce antidepressant-like action in the forced swim test. We herein explore the fast-onset antidepressant-like potentials and antidepressant mechanisms of anemoside A3.Methods: The forced swim test and tail suspension test were used to determine the acute antidepressant-like action of anemoside A3. This action of anemoside A3 was confirmed in chronic mild stress and chronic social defeat stress models. In vitro extracellular field potential recordings were conducted to investigate the impact of anemoside A3 on chronic stress-induced alterations at temporoammonic-CA1 synapses. Western blot, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, and microinjections of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor antagonists into the stratum lacunosum-moleculare were performed to unravel the contribution of stratum lacunosum-moleculare α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors to anemoside A3's antidepressant-like activity. In vivo microdialysis and pharmacological depletion of serotonin were implemented to examine the role of the serotonin system in the antidepressant-like effect of anemoside A3.Results: Anemoside A3 administered intraperitoneally displayed acute antidepressant-like effects in the mouse forced swim test and tail suspension test and anemoside A3 treatment (intraperitoneally) for five days was sufficient to reverse depression-related behaviors of mice subjected to chronic stress. Accordingly, chronic social defeat stress-induced weakening of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the temporoammonic-CA1 pathway and downregulation of synaptic GluA2-lacking α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor expression in the stratum lacunosum-moleculare could both be normalized by five days of anemoside A3 treatment (intraperitoneally). Moreover, intra-stratum lacunosum-moleculare infusion of GluA2-lacking α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor antagonist abolished anemoside A3's antidepressant-like effect. Lastly, serotonin system was not implicated in anemoside A3's antidepressant-like effect.Conclusions: Our results suggest that anemoside A3 induces a rapid antidepressant-like response by a stratum lacunosum-moleculare GluA2-lacking α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor-dependent mechanism. In view of this, anemoside A3 represents a promising agent for depression treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storms that occur at the Bay of Bengal (BoB) are of a bimodal pattern, which is different from that of the other sea areas. By using the NCEP, SST and JTWC data, the causes of the bimodal pattern storm activity of the BoB are diagnosed and analyzed in this paper. The result shows that the seasonal variation of general atmosphere circulation in East Asia has a regulating and controlling impact on the BoB storm activity, and the "bimodal period" of the storm activity corresponds exactly to the seasonal conversion period of atmospheric circulation. The minor wind speed of shear spring and autumn contributed to the storm, which was a crucial factor for the generation and occurrence of the "bimodal pattern" storm activity in the BoB. The analysis on sea surface temperature (SST) shows that the SSTs of all the year around in the BoB area meet the conditions required for the generation of tropical cyclones (TCs). However, the SSTs in the central area of the bay are higher than that of the surrounding areas in spring and autumn, which facilitates the occurrence of a "two-peak" storm activity pattern. The genesis potential index (GPI) quantifies and reflects the environmental conditions for the generation of the BoB storms. For GPI, the intense low-level vortex disturbance in the troposphere and high-humidity atmosphere are the sufficient conditions for storms, while large maximum wind velocity of the ground vortex radius and small vertical wind shear are the necessary conditions of storms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An objective analysis of tropical cyclone tracks is performed, with which the tracks of 131 tropical storms (TSs) in 1972-2011 are separated into three types that move west-, north- and northwestward, denoted as Types A, B and C, respectively. Type A (21 TSs and 16% of total) has the origin in the southwestern Bay of Bengal, with the TS in a unimodal distribution as its seasonal feature, occurring mainly in autumn; 18 of the 21 TSs (taking up 90%) land mostly on the western Bay coast (west of 85°E); 5% of Type-A TSs attains the wind speed of >42.7 to 48.9 m/s. Type A has little or no effect on Tibet. Type B (74 TSs, 56.6% of the total) has its preferable origin in the central Bay of Bengal, with the TS in a bimodal distribution as its seasonal pattern. This type denotes the travel in the north in spring, with the landfall of 67 of the 74 TSs (accounting for 91%) mainly on the middle coast of the Bay (85° to 95°E), and 19% of the TSs reaching the wind velocity of >42.7 to 48.9 m/s, which exert great effect on Tibet and it is this TS track that gives strong precipitation on its way through this region. Type C (36 TSs, 27.5% of the total) has its main origin in the southern part of the bay, and these TSs are formed largely in autumn, moving in the northwest direction, and 23 of the 36 TSs (64%) land mostly on the western Bay coast, lasting for a longer time, with almost no impact upon Tibet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a major global health burden in terms of growing morbidity and mortality. Although many conditions can cause CLD, leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), viral hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury (DILI), alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are the most common culprits. Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), produced in the liver, is an important lipid mediator derived from the ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid, and plays a critical role in hepatic homeostasis. The physiological effects of PGE 2 are mediated through four classes of E-type prostaglandin (EP) receptors, namely EP1, EP2, EP3 and EP4. In recent years, an increasing number of studies has been done to clarify the effects of PGE 2 and EP receptors in regulating liver function and the pathogenesis of CLD to create a new potential clinical impact. In this review, we overview the biosynthesis and regulation of PGE 2 and discuss the role of its synthesizing enzymes and receptors in the maintenance of normal liver function and the development and progress of CLD. We also discuss the potential of the PGE 2 -EP receptors system in treating CLD with various etiologies.

Background: Spinal neurosyphilis manifesting as a solitary syphilitic gumma is exceedingly rare. There are non-specific imaging findings and challenges in the diagnosis of spinal syphilitic gumma, which could be easily misdiagnosed as tumor lesions and require surgical resection or biopsy., Clinical Presentation: We report the case of a 45-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with Spinal syphilitic gumma. Our case is the first reported case of spinal cord syphilitic gumma with intradural-extramedullary and intramedullary involvement., Conclusion: Spinal syphilitic gumma exhibits diverse clinical manifestations, lacks specific imaging features, accompanied by the patient's history deliberately concealed. Since clinicians do not have sufficient knowledge about such rare cases, misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis will be likely. When there is clinical suspicion for spinal syphilitic gumma, clinicians should pay close attention to relevant medical history, carry out a comprehensive physical examination and specific serological tests and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. In summary, in cases with stable neurologic conditions, a trial administration of intravenous penicillin with follow-up imaging may be the optimal treatment option, and in cases with rapid progression or acute exacerbation, a surgical resection together with systemic antibiotic treatment for syphilis after surgery may be the best treatment strategy., (© 2019 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

Objective: To explore the factors influencing the sexual function of the male patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)., Methods: Using Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), we conducted a questionnaire investigation among 81 male patients with OSA aged 40.5 ± 8.6 years and 35 healthy volunteers aged 38.8 ± 10 years. According to the sex drive (SD) score in ASEX, we divided the OSA patients into an SD reduction group (SD score = 4, n = 32) and a non-SD reduction group (SD score <4, n = 49), compared the clinical data and polysomnographic (PSG) indexes, and analyzed the factors influencing SD by evaluating the association of the PSG indexes with the SD score., Results: The OSA patients scored significantly higher than the healthy controls in ESS (8 ± 5 vs 5 ± 4, P <0.05) and ASEX (15 ± 4 vs 10 ± 2, P <0.05), and so did the patients of the SD reduction group than those of the non-SD reduction group in ESS (9 ± 5 vs 6 ± 5, P <0.05) and saturation impair time below 90% (SIT90) (41.01 ± 26.95 vs 21.87 ± 19.03, P <0.05). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the SD score was significantly correlated with age (β = 0.25, P <0.001) and SIT90 (β = 0.4, P <0.001) in the OSA patients., Conclusions: OSA affects various aspects of the sexual function, particularly SD, of the patient. The duration of hypoxia and age of the patient are independent risk factors for SD reduction, which can be considered as a main clinical symptom of OSA.

To explore the effects and mechanism of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction on TLR signal pathway in gastric mucosa tissues of rats with Helicobacter pylori-related gastritis, sixty SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, high concentration of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group, moderate concentration of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group, low concentrations of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group and SB203580-treated group, with 10 rats in each group. SD rats of Hp-associated chronic atrophic gastritis models were established by intragastric gavage of Helicobacter pylori (HP) suspension. Changes in the gastric mucosa of rats were assessed by histopathology. ELISA was applied to detect the expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum, and the activity of iNOS in gastric mucosa. The content of NO in the gastric mucosa was tested by nitrate reductive enzymatic. The expressions of TLR2, TLR4, P38MAPK, NF-κB were detected by QPCR and Western-blot. The results indicated that the clinical symptoms of rats and pathological changes of gastric mucosa were improved in Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group. Compared with normal control group, the protein expressions of TLR2, TLR4, p-P38MAPK and NF-κB in gastric mucosa of model group rats increased (P<0.01) with the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum, and the activity of iNOS and the content of NO in gastric mucosa increased. Compared with model group, the expressions decreased in Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group, especially in the high concentration of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction group(P<0.01), with gradually increased rate of HP eradication and decreased pathological grades of chronic atrophic gastritis. The serum level of TNF-α and IL-6 decreased from (24.313±2.261) μg•L ⁻¹ to (15.195±1.235) μg•L-1(P<0.01) and from (77.416±8.095) μg•L ⁻¹ to (33.150±2.532) μg•L ⁻¹ (P<0.01), and the activity of iNOS and the content of NO in gastric mucosa decreased from (1.530±0.206) U•mg ⁻¹ to (0.802±0.091) U•mg ⁻¹ (P<0.01) and from (0.907±0.032) mmol•g ⁻¹ to (0.335±0.026) mmol•g ⁻¹ (P<0.01) after the treatment of high concentration of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction. All the effects increased with the increasing dosage of Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction from 0.324 g•mg ⁻¹ to 1.296 g•mg ⁻¹. The protein expressions of NF-κB decreased in the gastric mucosa after treated with P38MAPK specific inhibitor-SB203580. In the rats model, HP infection results in chronic atrophic gastritis through the activation of TLR2, TLR4/MAPK/NF-κB/iNOS/NO signal pathway. Xiangsha Liujunzi decoction can eradicate H. pylori and alleviate chronic atrophic gastric mucosal inflammation. The treatment is effective and safe to cure HP-induced chronic atrophic gastritis., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

We report a 51-year-old female patient with a solitary lymphangioma located in the upper splenic pole which was managed successfully with laparoscopic partial splenectomy. Surgery lasted 170 min and did not require blood transfusions. The patient recovered well post-operatively and was asymptomatic at the 3-mo follow-up. She had a normal platelet count and no recurrence on ultrasonography or computed tomography. Laparoscopic partial splenectomy is a safe, minimally invasive technique for the treatment of solitary splenic lymphangiomas in the splenic pole. We performed the procedure using the Habib(TM) 4X device. This laparoscopic bipolar radiofrequency device ensured a "bloodless" splenic parenchymal resection.

Worldwide influenza caused by influenza virus is a respiratory disease which threats the public health by seasonal epidemics or global influenza outbreak. Vaccines and drugs are current therapies, but there are many restricted factors such as neurotoxicity, side effects of gastrointestinal, and drug resistance. New technologies, particularly RNAi mediated by small RNAs, has become a potential and robust method in influenza antiviral research for its high efficiency, specific, and speedy. Following the spread and epidemic of the influenza virus, application of small RNAs into influenza antiviral research has been reported increasingly. The small RNAs, PA-2087, NP-1496, and M-950, which targets PA, NP, and M2 genes, respectively, are the most effective anti-influenza siRNAs up to now. siRNA of targeting conservative region of different influenza viral genes has broader effect on virus inhibition. The combination of siRNAs of targeting different genes can achieve better virus inhibition. In this review, we mainly described the progress of siRNAs and miRNAs for anti-influenza virus, and the prospects and hurdles of influenza RNAi therapy as well.

Information of metabolic enzymes and transporters, physiological parameters of animals and demography of Chinese people were integrated to establish a digital liver model (DLM) based on metabolism and transporter and coded with VBA. Clearance and drug-drug interaction (DDI) of candidate drugs in animal and human could be predicted based on the pharmacokinetic data obtained from in vitro and in vivo experiments. Pravastatin and pitavastatin were selected as the samples to examine this model, where their clearance and their DDI with cyclosporine were predicted. The results showed that the predicted values of median parameters in same species were within twofold of observed values for 83.3% (5/6). The program's successful prediction in DDI tendency might indicate its application in optimizing the dosage regimen and reducing the risk of clinical trial.