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Online social networks (OSNs), as multilingual communication platforms, provide great convenience for rumor spreading. However, a great deal of negative impacts on individuals, society and economy will be caused during the spread of rumor. In order to explore the rules of rumor propagation on online social networks and formulate the corresponding control strategies, in this paper, we propose new 2I2SR rumor propagation models with and without time-delay based on multilingual environment. Firstly, we calculate the basic reproduction number which completely determines the local and global stability of the rumor free equilibrium . Secondly, our theoretical analysis reveals the existence and stability of the rumor equilibria, and some critical conditions are obtained for the existence of Hopf bifurcation by selecting critical parameters and delay as bifurcation parameters . Furthermore, by using Pontryagin’s Maximum principle, a real-time optimization method that minimizes the cost of restraining rumor is proposed to eliminate the rumor within an expected time period. Finally, some numerical simulations and a practical application are given to prove the correctness of the theoretical results.

The propagation of rumors on online social networks (OSNs) brings an awful lot of trouble to people’s life and society. Aiming at combating rumors spreading on OSNs, two novel rumor-propagation models without and with time delays are proposed, which combine with the influence of the immune mechanism, isolation mechanism and network structure. Firstly, we analyze the existence of rumor equilibria and obtain some existence conditions of backward bifurcation. Secondly, the local stabilities of rumor-free and rumor equilibria are proved by using the Jacobian matrix method, and some critical conditions for the existence of Hopf bifurcation are acquired by selecting critical parameters and delays as bifurcation parameters. Furthermore, an optimal control method is proposed, which can prevent the spread of rumors within an expected time period and minimize the cost of control. Finally, some numerical simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results.

Antrodia camphorata is a genus of wood-rot basidiomycete in the family Fomitopsidaceae. It is a valuable medicinal fungus in China that contains more than 78 kinds of active compounds. A. camphorata has good protection effects on the liver, especially on alcoholic liver injury (ALI).This paper summarizes the complex occurrence and development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). In addition, the effect of ALD on the intestine through the gut-liver axis is summarized. The protective mechanism of A. camphorata on ALI is reviewed to reveal its therapeutic potential, offering insights into future research.A comprehensive search in the literature was obtained from books and online databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, ACS Publications and Baidu Scholar.The pathogenesis of ALD mainly includes oxidative stress injury, intestinal microflora imbalance, inflammatory mediator injury and nutritional imbalance. A. camphorata contains rich active components (e.g. polysaccharides, triterpenoids, maleic and succinic acid derivatives, amino acids, superoxide dismutase, vitamins, lignin and sterols). These components have good antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and intestinal protection activities. Therefore, A. camphorata has a wide application in the prevention and treatment of ALI.ALD develops from a mild disease to alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis, which is the main reason of global morbidity and mortality. At present, there is no effective drug for the treatment of ALD. A. camphorata, as a valuable medicinal fungus unique to Taiwan, has a great protective effect on the liver. It is expected to be an effective drug for ALI treatment. Although many studies have performed the protective effects of A. camphorata on ALI, its regulatory effects on the gut-liver axis of ALD patients need to be further explored.

In this paper, we devise a distributed protocol to study the consensus of multi-agent systems (MASs) with input saturation over directed networks. Firstly, a low-gain feedback control method is applied to overcome the saturation constraints, and an observation system without saturation constraints is designed. The semiglobal consensus condition over directed strongly connected networks is developed by using Ricatti equation. Secondly, a novel of tree-type error scheme is proposed to solve the consensus of MASs with general directed spanning tree networks. Combination with inequality techniques and Lyapunov stability theory, some criteria for achieving semiglobal consensus are obtained. In addition, the semiglobal consensus of MASs with directed switching networks is further considered, in which the network topologies only need to contain a directed spanning tree in some time intervals. Some related conditions are derived to ensure the consensus. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical results.

This paper proposes some distributed algorithms to solve the multi-agent optimization problem with equality constraints, in which the team objective is a sum of local convex objective functions. Firstly, a directed network related to equality constraints is constructed before converting the constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained one. Secondly, a continuous algorithm is designed by using local information of agents, and the objective function converges to the global optimum in a fixed-time interval. Moreover, in order to reduce the communication cost, an event-triggered algorithm with sign function is devised. It is found that the optimal value can be achieved in a fixed-time interval, but the sign function can cause high-frequency chattering when the sate variables converge to the optimal value. Therefore, an event-triggered algorithm with saturation function is proposed, which can effectively overcome this disadvantage. Finally, the proposed algorithms are verified by some numerical simulations.

This paper studies the rumor propagation model with heterogeneous networks in a multilingual environment. Firstly, a rumor propagation model with two language spreaders, in which the immunologic mechanism is considered in the ignorant, is proposed on heterogeneous networks. Secondly, the basic reproduction number and the dynamic behaviors are analyzed by using the next-generation matrix method and Lyapunov stability theory, respectively. Moreover, two control strategies are designed to effectively suppress the spread of the rumor. The one is continuous control strategy. By applying real-time control to the spreaders, the rumor spreading time can be greatly reduced and the rumor can die out in a short time. The other is event-triggered impulsive control strategy, which can effectively reduce the consumption of resources and ensure the extinction of the rumor. Finally, the correctness of theoretical analysis and the feasibility of control methods are verified by numerical simulations.

This paper addresses the distributed control problem of single-input high-order multi-agent systems (MASs). Firstly, a nonlinear observation system is proposed to track the target system in a finite-time, and a distributed event-triggered protocol is designed to reduce the frequency of data transmission. Moreover, we popularize the distributed event-triggered algorithm to general directed networks. Applying the tree-type error method and implicit Lyapunov functions, some criteria are derived to ensure the finite-time observation and asymptotical consensus. Furthermore, based on single-output state, a fixed-time nonlinear observer is introduced, and the asymptotical consensus is also considered utilizing the distributed event-triggered protocol. Finally, the effectiveness of the control strategies is demonstrated via some numerical simulations.

795 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) with in-phase surface gratings are fabricated and investigated theoretically and experimentally. The polarization characteristics of 795 nm VCSELs with various grating periods and depths are analyzed using the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method; the dependence of polarization stability on the profile of gratings demonstrates that the trapezoid grating ridge slightly enhances the orthogonal polarization suppression ratio (OPSR), but increases the threshold current. The fabricated VCSELs with a sub-wavelength in-phase surface grating of a duty cycle of 0.5 show stabilized output polarization at the cost of increasing the threshold current which is in agreement with the calculations. The grating VCSELs with a period of 200 nm and an oxide aperture of3.43µm×4.39µmproduce a single-mode output with an OPSR of 16.6 dB and a slope efficiency of 0.42 W/A at 85°C.

This paper studies the consensus of multi-agent systems with linear and nonlinear dynamics, respectively. Based on a reordering scheme and the relative outputs of agents, two kinds of observer-based distributed control protocols are constructed, in which only the weights in the directed spanning tree need to be updated continuously. Randomly choosing a directed spanning tree and using the developed distributed adaptive laws, one can see that the consensus can be achieved under some mild assumptions on agents’ intrinsic dynamics. Finally, two examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical analysis.

An Innocents-Spreaders-Calmness-Removes (ISCR) rumor propagation model is established with nonlinear incidence and time delay on complex networks in this paper. Based on the mean-field theory, the spreading dynamics of the ISCR model are discussed in detail. Firstly, the basic reproduction number R 0 is obtained by the next generation matrix method to ensure the existence of rumor-prevailing equilibrium. Secondly, by utilizing the Routh–Hurwitz criterion and LaSalle’s invariance principle, the local stability and global stability of rumor equilibria are proved. Moreover, the optimal control is presented via Pontryagin’s minimum principle, which is to effectively restrain rumor diffusion. Finally, the theoretical results are verified by numerical simulations.

Introduction: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury is a common pathophysiological process in liver surgery. Whether Propofol can reduce myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats, together with related mechanisms, still needs further studies. Objective: To investigate if propofol would protect the myocardial cells from apoptosis with hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 18) were randomly allocated into three groups: Sham Group (Group S, n = 6), Hepatic Ischemia-reperfusion Injury Group (Group IR, n = 6) and Propofol Group (Group P, n = 6). Group S was only subjected to laparotomy. Group IR was attained by ischemia for 30 min and reperfusion for 4 h. Group P was subjected identical insult as in Group IR with the administration of propofol started 10 min before ischemia with 120 mg.kg−1, following by continuous infusion at 20 mg.kg−1.h−1. Cell apoptosis was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. Endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase2 (SERCA2) and cysteine-containing aspartic acid cleaved-caspase3 (cleaved-caspase3) were assayed by western blot and Altimeter polymerase chain reaction. Results: Apoptosis rate was increased, with mRNA and protein of SERCA2 down-regulated and cleaved-caspase3 up-regulated in Group IR compared with Group S (p

The leader-following guaranteed-performance consensus problems for second-order multi-agent systems with and without communication time delays are investigated, where a guaranteed performance function is proposed to consider the consensus regulation performance. For the case without the time delay, the coupling gain and pinning strength are carefully considered. When the time delays exist in the communication, we find that the inequality (Seuret and Gouaisbaut) cannot be used to investigate the consensus problems proposed in the study since the obtained conditions cannot be satisfied. Therefore, Jensen's inequality and Newton–Leibniz formula, which can solve this issue well, are introduced. By using the state space decomposition approach, linear matrix inequality and Lyapunov stability theory, some sufficient conditions are derived for achieving the guaranteed performance consensus. Moreover, the upper bound of the performance function is determined. Finally, two examples are shown to verify the validity of the theoretical results.

This paper considers a high-order consensus problem of multi-agent system with feedforward nonlinear and time-varying input delay in a directed network. In order to achieve the consensus, we propose a low gain distributed protocol which can get rid of impacts of feedforward nonlinearity and an arbitrarily bounded input delay on the consensus problem. Moreover, for any upper bound time-varying delay and strongly connected diagraph, the proposed controller can solve the consensus problem of multi-agent systems with feedforward nonlinearity if the designed parameter θ is great than the threshold value. Finally, several numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical results.

Considering the multilingual environment of rumors propagation, we propose a novel I2SR rumor propagation model with time delay on heterogeneous networks. Firstly, the basic reproduction number, depending on the network structure, is given to ensure the existence of the equilibrium points. Meanwhile, the dynamic behaviors of the rumor free equilibrium point (RFEP) are analyzed via the local linearization method and comparison principle. We also prove that the rumor equilibrium point (REP) is globally asymptotically stable (G-stable) by employing the Lyapunov stability theory and irreducible matrix properties and demonstrate the effect of time delay on the outbreak point and stability. Secondly, in order to reduce the cost of limited public resources, a new event-triggered impulsive control (ETIC) is applied to restrain the propagation of rumor. The event-triggering function is carefully designed and some criteria are obtained to guarantee that the rumor disappeared. Finally, we recognize the most sensitive parameter to the model and numerically simulate the model with some useful parameter sets to justify the theoretical results. Furthermore, using a rumor example of Sina Weibo in 2017, we find that our model can well fit the real rumor spreading process, and the ETIC can effectively inhibit the rumor propagation.

To eliminate indoor formaldehyde (HCHO) pollution, Pd/CeO2 catalysts with different morphologies of ceria support were employed. The palladium nanoparticles loaded on {100}-faceted CeO2 nanocubes exhibited much higher activity than those loaded on {111}-faceted ceria nanooctahedrons and nanorods (enclosed by {100} and {111} facets). The HCHO could be fully converted into CO2 over the Pd/CeO2 nanocubes at a GHSV of 10 000 h–1 and a HCHO inlet concentration of 600 ppm at ambient temperature. The prepared catalysts were characterized by a series of techniques. The HRTEM, ICP-MS and XRD results confirmed the exposed facets of the ceria and the sizes (1–2 nm) of the palladium nanoparticles with loading amounts close to 1%. According to the Pd 3d XPS and H2-TPR results, the status of the Pd-species was dependent on the morphologies of the supports. The {100} facets of ceria could maintain the metallic Pd species rather than the {111} facets, which promoted HCHO catalytic combustion. The Raman and O 1s XPS resul...

Well-defined {100}-faceted ceria nanocube-supported gold nanoclusters with various morphologies, including individual atom, monolayer, multilayer and nanoparticle, have been synthesized and systematically investigated combined with density functional theory calculations. A strong morphological effect of gold clusters on the reactivity of ceria surface oxygen has been identified. The reducibility and CO oxidation activities of Au/CeO2 catalysts increased significantly as the morphology of the gold clusters changed from single atoms to monolayer, then to multilayer, then nanoparticles. It was revealed that up to a bilayer of gold clusters were needed for desirable catalytic performance in the Au/CeO2 system. The transfer of electrons from gold clusters to the surface Ce–O groups of ceria and strong Au–Au interactions play significant roles in determining the reducibility of surface oxygen of CeO2.

Two types of monolith high-porosity supermacroporous polystyrene materials had been controlled synthesized from water-in-oil Pickering emulsions. The first type, closed-cell high-porosity (up to 91%) supermacroporous (ca. 500 μm) polystyrene materials (CPPs) was prepared by employing amphiphilic carbonaceous microspheres (CMs) as high internal phase emulsion stabilizer without any inorganic salts or further modifying the wettability of the particles. The second type, hierarchical porous polystyrene materials with highly interconnected macropores (IPPs), was constructed from emulsions stabilized simultaneously by CM particles and a little amount of surfactants. Both types of these monolith porous polystyrene materials possessed excellent mechanical strength. The CPPs were used as absorbents for oil-water separation and high absorption capacity, and absorption rate for oils were realized, which was attributed to their porosity structure and the swelling property of the polystyrene, while the IPPs were highly permeable for gases due to their interconnected macropores.

A series of amphiphilic carbonaceous microspheres-supported Pd catalysts have been prepared and their performances for the hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin have been investigated in both a pure aqueous phase and in water–oil biphasic systems. The wettability of the catalyst could be facilely tuned by adjusting the hydrothermal treatment temperature during the synthesis of the carbonaceous microspheres or by a post-treatment process in alkaline solution. In the aqueous phase reactions, the more hydrophilic the catalyst, the more active it was for the hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin. And the wettability of the support affects the activity through the interaction between the catalysts and substrates/products. In the case of a water–oil biphase, the wettability of the support played a key role in forming Pickering emulsions. It was found that the selectivity of the hydrodeoxygenation reactions was determined by the type of Pickering emulsion and high selectivity of p-creosol could be achieved in the water-in-oil emulsion systems.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of edaravone on lung injury caused by myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) in rats. Wistar rats (n=24) were randomly divided into 4 groups: the sham operation (S group) and myocardial I/R groups (C group) and two edaravone‑treated groups (E1 and E2 groups). Rats in the E1 and E2 groups were injected with 3 or 10 mg/kg edaravone, respectively, 1 min before reperfusion. The rats were sacrificed and the lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and serum were obtained. The concentration of serum creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) was determined, the lung permeability index (PPI) was calculated and β-defensin-2 (BD-2) mRNA expression in the lung tissue and BD-2 and TNF-α protein content levels were determined. Serum CK-MB activity and the PPI were increased, while BD-2 mRNA and BD‑2 and TNF-α protein levels in the lung tissue were upregulated in the C, E1 and E2 groups compared with the S group. The above‑mentioned indicators were decreased in the E1 and E2 groups compared with the IR group. The level of the decrease for indicators in the E2 group was significantly different compared with that in the E1 group. In conclusion, edaravone reduced the lung injury caused by myocardial I/R in rats. Its mechanism of action was not only oxygen free radical scavenging, but was also associated with a suppression of the inflammatory response of the lung tissue.

Three different shapes of SiC/SiO 2 core–shell nanowires were synthesized on Si substrates through a reaction between methane and silica using iron as catalyst. Analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicated that catalyst morphology was the key factor for the formation of these three different products. The field emission properties of these three nanowires were investigated. Comparing the field emission results of these three nanowires, we can obtain a conclusion that a vertically well-aligned orientation to the substrate played a very significant role in improving the field emission properties when the emitters are up to a considerable number.

Catalyst-free InP nanowires were grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Morphology, crystal structure, photoluminescence, and Raman scattering properties of the nanowires were investigated. Most nanowires are long and straight; the angles between the nanowires and the Si substrate are diverse. The photoluminescence peak shows blue-shift from the band gap energy of bulk InP. Both the blue-shift of photoluminescence peak and the full width at half-maximum of photoluminescence spectrum increase with decreasing nanowires growth temperature. Due to laser-induced heating, the TO and LO phonon peaks of the nanowires reveal downshift and asymmetric broadening compared with those of bulk InP at room temperature.

In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As was grown by LP-MOCVD on InP substrates with the two-step growth technique. It was analyzed that epilayer's growth temperature affected on the crystalline quality, surface morphology, carrier concentration, and mobility of the In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As, which was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Hall measurements. The evaluation of stress in In 0.82 Ga 0.18 As was made from frequency shift of the GaAs-like LO phonon of the Raman spectrum.

Skeletal muscle phenotype alterations following hemiparetic stroke contribute to disabilities associated with stroke. The phenotypic response following stroke is undefined. This investigation examined the myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition of the vastus lateralis (VL) of stroke survivors in paretic (P) and nonparetic (NP) muscle. Protein obtained from VL of 10 stroke survivors was isolated and purified, and MHC gel electrophoresis was performed. The MHC bands were quantified, and a paired sample two-tailed T test with significance set at p < or = 0.05 was performed. MHC I expression was significantly less in P versus NP VL (.93 vs. 1.00 arbitrary units [AU]). Significantly more IIx MHC was found in the P versus NP VL (1.33 vs. 1.0). No significant differences in type IIa MHC (1.07 P vs. 1.00 NP) were found. These changes in MHC composition suggest an alteration in muscle function due to stroke or the altered activity patterns of muscle following stroke.

In 0.8 Ga 0.2 As was grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) on InP(1 0 0) substrate with two-step growth technique. Effect of buffer thickness on crystalline quality, surface morphology, electrical property and stress of In 0.8 Ga 0.2 As epilayer was analyzed, and properties of the In 0.8 Ga 0.2 As epilayer were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Hall measurements and Raman scattering. The experiments showed that the properties of the In 0.8 Ga 0.2 As epilayer had close relation to the buffer thickness and the optimum buffer thickness was about 100 nm.

Hemiparetic stroke leads to major skeletal muscle abnormalities, as illustrated by paretic leg atrophy, weakness, and spasticity. Furthermore, the hemiparetic limb muscle shifts to a fast-twitch muscle fiber phenotype with anaerobic metabolism. This study investigated whether skeletal muscle genes were altered in chronic hemiparetic stroke. The nonparetic leg muscle served as an internal control. We used Affymetrix microarray analysis to survey gene expression differences between paretic and nonparetic vastus lateralis muscle punch biopsies from 10 subjects with chronic hemiparetic stroke. Stroke latency was greater than 6 months. We found that 116 genes were significantly altered between the paretic and non paretic vastus lateralis muscles. These gene differences were consistent with reported differences after stroke in areas such as injury and inflammation markers, the myosin heavy chain profile, and high prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, while many other families of genes were altered, the gene families with the most genes altered included inflammation, cell cycle regulation, signal transduction, metabolism, and muscle contractile protein genes. This study is an early step toward identification of specific gene regulatory pathways that might lead to these differences, propagate disability, and increase vascular disease risk.

InAs 0.9 Sb 0.1 epilayers are grown on GaAs (001) substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In order to relax compressive strain caused by lattice mismatch between InAs 0.9 Sb 0.1 and GaAs, we employ a two-step growth method in which low temperature (430 °C) InAs 0.9 Sb 0.1 buffer layers with different thicknesses are introduced into the structure. Effect of the buffer layer thickness and the epilayer's growth temperature on crystalline quality of the epilayer is investigated, respectively. It is clear that there are strip pyramids paralleling with each other on most surface of the samples. The crystalline quality gets well obviously when the buffer layer thickness change from 0 to 50 nm, but it gets worse when the buffer layer thickness increases to 100 nm. It is also shown that the crystalline quality of the epilayer is improved obviously when the epilayer is grown at 500 °C, and it gets worse when the growth temperature decreases or increases.

To eliminate indoor formaldehyde (HCHO) pollution, Pd/CeO2 catalysts with different morphologies of ceria support were employed. The palladium nanoparticles loaded on {100}-faceted CeO2 nanocubes exhibited much higher activity than those loaded on {111}-faceted ceria nanooctahedrons and nanorods (enclosed by {100} and {111} facets). The HCHO could be fully converted into CO2 over the Pd/CeO2 nanocubes at a GHSV of 10,000 h(-1) and a HCHO inlet concentration of 600 ppm at ambient temperature. The prepared catalysts were characterized by a series of techniques. The HRTEM, ICP-MS and XRD results confirmed the exposed facets of the ceria and the sizes (1-2 nm) of the palladium nanoparticles with loading amounts close to 1%. According to the Pd 3d XPS and H2-TPR results, the status of the Pd-species was dependent on the morphologies of the supports. The {100} facets of ceria could maintain the metallic Pd species rather than the {111} facets, which promoted HCHO catalytic combustion. The Raman and O 1s XPS results revealed that the nanorods with more defect sites and oxygen vacancies were responsible for the easy oxidation of the Pd-species and low catalytic activity.

Catalyst-free InP nanowires were grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. In this method, in situ deposited In droplets are seeds of the InP nanowires growth. In order to control the growth of epitaxial InP nanowires, a detailed investigation on the growth related aspects such as the In droplets deposition time, growth temperature, and V/III ratio has been made. The experimental results indicate that the diameter, shape, and length of the nanowires can be controlled by growth conditions.

Intermuscular adipose tissue is located between the muscle fiber bundles in skeletal muscles, and has similar metabolic features to visceral adipose tissue, which has been found to be related to a number of obesity-related diseases. Although various miRNAs are known to play crucial roles in adipose deposition and adipogenesis, the microRNA transcriptome of intermuscular adipose tissue has not, until now, been studied. Here, we sequenced the miRNA transcriptomes of porcine intermuscular adipose tissue by small RNA-sequencing and compared it to a representative subcutaneous adipose tissue. We found that the inflammation- and diabetes-related miRNAs were significantly enriched in the intermuscular rather than in the subcutaneous adipose tissue. A functional enrichment analysis of the genes predicted to be targeted by the enriched miRNAs also indicated that intermuscular adipose tissue was associated mainly with immune and inflammation responses. Our results suggest that the intermuscular adipose tissue should be recognized as a potential metabolic risk factor of obesity.

Background and Purpose— Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), an inflammatory cytokine negligibly expressed in normal muscle, is elevated in selected metabolic conditions characterized by muscle wasting and insulin resistance. Inflammation is fundamental to stroke pathogenesis. Stroke patients have gross muscular atrophy and high prevalence of diabetes and insulin resistance. Yet, no previous studies examined TNF-α expression in hemiparetic skeletal muscle. This study investigates whether TNF-α mRNA levels are elevated in paretic compared with nonparetic leg muscles of chronic ischemic stroke patients and age-matched controls. Method— Total RNA extracted from bilateral vastus lateralis muscle biopsies from n=20 hemiparetic stroke patients and n=9 healthy controls was reverse transcribed to cDNA, then TNF-α transcripts were amplified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. TNF-α mRNA concentrations were normalized against acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein, housekeeping gene. Results— TNF-α mRNA levels were 2.8-fold higher in paretic compared with control leg muscle (6.28±1.86 versus 2.28±0.67; P P Conclusions— Findings demonstrate increased TNF-α expression in paretic leg muscle, suggesting inflammatory pathways are accelerated in stroke muscle. Further studies are under way to determine whether intramuscular TNF-α contributes to atrophy and metabolic abnormalities after stroke.

A truncated retinoblastoma (RB) protein of approximately 94 kDa (RB94), lacking the NH2 -terminal 112 amino acid residues of the full-length RB, has been found to have great efficacy in tumor suppression. This study investigated the role of adenovirus-mediated RB94 (Ad-RB94) gene therapy for human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and explored the cellular and molecular mechanism of tumor inhibition after Ad-RB94 gene transfer. Randomized controlled studies in vitro and in vivo were performed to assess antitumor responses of Ad-RB94 gene transfer against human HNSCC. Human HNSCC cell lines, JHU006 and JHU012, were used in this study. Tumors originated from the HNSCC cell lines were propagated as xenografts in nude mice. Ad-RB94 gene transfer was performed both in vitro and in vivo with replication-defective virus (DL312) and no treatment as controls. Transgene expression, cell viability, and tumor growth were evaluated in transfected cells and tumor implants. To determine the mechanism behind the observed antitumor action, cell cycle analysis was performed, and telomerase activity was examined. Tumors were evaluated for RB94-induced apoptosis. Transgene expression of RB94 was detected by Western blot analysis, real-time quantification reverse transcription-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. RB94 expression led to flattening of cell growth curves and caused tumor regression. Animals treated with Ad-RB94 were seen to have a significant reduction in tumor size when compared with DL312 (P = 0.02, both cell lines) and to no treatment groups (P = 0.01, both cell lines). Cell cycle arrest in the G(2)-M phase and increased levels of apoptosis occurred in tumor cells treated with Ad-RB94. In addition, telomerase activity decreased significantly and specifically after Ad-RB94 treatment. This study demonstrates that Ad-RB94 gene transfer effectively inhibits HNSCC tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The unique property of Ad-RB94 gene transfer to arrest HNSCC tumor cells in the G2-M phase of the cell cycle makes it a good candidate for adjuvant therapy with radiation or chemotherapy, as tumor cells are most sensitive to radiation or cytotoxic drug in this cell cycle phase.