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BACKGROUND Because of their cancer and treatment adverse effects, most pediatric oncology patients will experience 1 or more symptoms at one time that can seriously affect their quality of life. Because these children are attached to parents, their symptom burden directly influences the parental stress level and parental interpretations of their children's quality of life. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the association between child-reported symptom burden and the pediatric quality of life reported by children with cancer and their parents, and whether parental perceived stress mediates these relationships. METHODS In a cross-sectional design, convenience sampling was used to recruit 80 parent-child dyads. Advanced statistical methods were adopted to analyze the mediating effects of parental stress between children's symptom burden and their quality of life. RESULTS The results revealed that parental stress was the mediator in the relationship between child-reported symptom burden and children's quality of life reported by parents. The results also showed that parental stress was not a mediator in the relationship between child-reported symptom burden and their quality of life. This underscored the differences in interpretations of quality of life reported by children and their parents. CONCLUSION Children's symptom burden is an important factor in predicting parental stress level and the quality of life reported by the children. Children's voice should be incorporated whenever possible. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The knowledge gained from this study will facilitate intervention development to enhance parents' abilities in stress management and symptom management for their children with the support of the nursing profession.

The interest in microalgae biofilm-based systems has been increasing lately due to their high potential for biomass production. However, more studies focusing on the first stages of this bioprocess, such as support selection and inoculum properties, which may finally affect biomass productivity, are required. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the impact of support nature and inoculum properties on microalgae biofilms productivity and physiology. Results suggest that physico-chemical properties of the support (micro-texture, hydrophobicity and chemical functional groups) affect the attachment of Chlorella vulgaris. Significant differences in cell-distribution pattern and biofilm structure on polyamide-based (Terrazzo) and Cotton-based fabrics were observed. Compared to Cotton, cells grown on Terrazzo showed higher biomass productivity (3.20-fold), photosynthetic capacity (1.32-fold) and carbohydrate pool (1.36-fold), which may be explained by differences in light availability due to support micro-texture. A high inoculum density, resulted in a lower biofilm growth likely due to a lower light/nutrient availability for the cells. Furthermore, when immobilized on fabrics, cells pre-acclimated to 350 µmol photons m-2 s-1 grew faster than those pre-acclimated to low light (50 µmol photons m-2 s-1), demonstrating the influence of light-history of the inoculum cells on biofilm productivity. Therefore, this work confirmed the importance of support and inoculum properties for biofilm-based systems.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between children’s reported symptom burden and their parents’ quality of life, and whether parents’ perceived stress mediates this relationship. Method: this was a cross-sectional quantitative research study. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 80 pairs of parents and their children with cancer. Advanced statistical methods were used to analyse the mediating effects of parental stress between children’s symptom burden and parents’ quality of life. Results: The results showed that parental stress was the mediator in the relationship between children’s reported symptom burden and their parents’ quality of life. Conclusions: Symptom burden was prevalent in Chinese children with cancer living in the community. Children’s symptom burden is an important factor in predicting parental stress level, which simultaneously and directly lower parents’ quality of life. The evidence in this study enlarges the knowledge base about the mediating effect of parental stress on the association between the symptom burden of children with cancer and their parents’ quality of life. This evidence is crucial in paving the way for the development of interventions that improve the parental quality of life through stress-reduction programs.

The interest for biofilm-based systems for microalgae and related compounds production has been increasing lately. Although extensive literature has been reported on productivity, the physiological characterization (photosynthetic activity and composition) of attached cells at early stages of biofilm development has seldom been investigated. In this work, the effect of light intensity and inoculum cell density on 3-days Chlorella vulgaris biofilms developed on membranes was studied. Biomass production was clearly impacted by mechanism of photo-limitation occurring in biofilms acclimated to low light intensity (50 μmol m−2 s−1). A higher electron transport capacity and lower chlorophyll content in biofilms at high light intensity (500 μmol m−2 s−1) were also measured which are in line with patterns observed for suspended microalgae cultures. In addition, optimal conditions in terms of light (250 μmol m−2 s−1) combined with low (4.8 × 106 cells cm−2) or high inoculum density (28.8 × 106 cells cm−2) were identified to optimize biomass and lipids production, respectively. On the whole, measuring physiological profiles of immobilized cells at the initial stages of biofilm development provides information to efficiently operate and optimize biofilm-based systems.

Background Default-mode network (DMN) plays a key role in the pathophysiology of obsessive−compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the network homogeneity (NH) of DMN in OCD remains equivocal. Objective This study aimed to investigate abnormalities in the NH of the DMN at rest and the correlation between the NH of DMN and clinical variables in patients with OCD. Methods This study used the independent component analysis and unbiased hypothesis-driven NH method to analyze the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 40 drug-naive patients with OCD and 40 age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs). Results Patients with OCD exhibited decreased NH values in the left ventral medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCu) compared with HCs. Furthermore, analyses of receiver operating characteristic curves indicated that the decreased NH values in the right PCC/PCu may be used as a candidate neuroimaging marker to distinguish patients with OCD from HCs. Conclusion These findings contribute new evidence of the participation of the altered NH of the DMN in the pathophysiology of OCD. Trial Registration Study on the mechanism of brain network in obsessive-compulsive disorder with multi-model magnetic resonance imaging (ChiCTR-COC-17013301).

To perform a comprehensive meta-analysis of all available evidence on the efficacy and safety of catheter-based renal denervation for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.We searched English and Chinese databases and calculated the weighted mean difference or standardized mean difference and 95% confidence intervals to estimate the efficacy and safety of renal denervation for heart failure. All relevant studies were screened and a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4.A total of 11 studies were identified for the meta-analysis. For the primary outcomes, the results showed that renal denervation significantly improved ejection fraction (weighted mean difference 6.42), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (weighted mean difference -3.95), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (weighted mean difference -4.17) and left atrial diameter (weighted mean difference -4.09). For the secondary outcomes, renal denervation reduced the B-type natriuretic peptide level, heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. However, further analysis revealed that renal denervation improved heart function but did not further reduce the heart rate and blood pressure compared with the control group.Treatment with renal denervation can significantly improve heart function and structure in patients with heart failure. In addition, the level of B-type natriuretic peptide can be reduced after renal denervation treatment. Renal denervation did not further reduce heart rate and blood pressure compared with the control group. Therefore, the treatment of heart failure with renal denervation is effective and safe.

The effects of lanthanum on growth, soluble sugar content, essential oil contents and quality were studied in lavender plant (Lavandula Angustifolia Mill, Variety 701) under osmotic stress by means of PEG-6000 solution. The results show that osmotic stress could reduce the growth rate of lavender, and increase the content of SSC (soluble sugar concentration) to some extent. Compared with control group, the contents of essential oil in flowers and leaves respectively increase by 45.6% and 48.3% in the osmotic stress group induced by 15% PEG-6000. However, the presence of lanthanum can make the contents of essential oil in the flowers and leaves of stressed lavender plants enhance by 19.4% and 18.6%, respectively. Under osmotic stress, the relative contents of four kinds of lavender essential oil compositions of camphor, linalool, linalyl acetate and lavandulol acetate in the lavender flowers were successively 22.63%, 0.61%, 25.46%, 7.03%, and 20.17%, 0.62%, 20.72%, 10.80%, respectively in the presence and absence of lanthanum. The contents of all four main components of lavender essential oils meet the requirements of the national standard under osmotic stress in the presence of lanthanum. However, in the absence of lanthanum, the contents of linalyl acetate and lavandulol acetate does not meet the requirements of the national standard under osmotic stress. Moreover, the contents of five components of borneol, camphor, eudesmol, caryophyllene oxide and bicyclic sesquiphellandrene from the essential oil of lavender leaves are 12.89%, 3.84%, 8.76%, 11.30% and 8.10%, respectively. The total content of above five components accounts for 44.89% of the essential oil of the lavender leaves. Particularly, the borneol content in leaf essential oil is up to 12.89%. It is 125.2 times the amount of borneol in the flower essential oil. In conclusion, the suitable concentration of lanthanum can improve the adaptability of lavender plants, and heighten the content and quality of lavender essential oil to some extent under osmotic stress.

Camellia oleifera is a woody edible oil crop with economical importance. This study established an efficient protocol for the induction of callus, the multiplication of a suspension cell line, and the isolation and purification of protoplasts in Camellia oleifera. It is shown that the callus induction was best when anthers were treated with the hormone of 0.5 mg/L NAA (Naphthaleneacetic acid), 2.0 mg/L 2,4-D (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 0.5 mg/L 6-BA (6-Benzylaminopurine) at 4 °C for 15 days. Callus was further multiplied on MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium augmented with 5% coconut water, 2 mg/L 2,4-D, 0.5 mg/L 6-BA, pH 5.8. Though three types of induced callus transferred to the same liquid medium with the ratio of 1 g callus inoculated into 30 ml liquid medium, it was found that the suspension culture effect of loose particles callus was the best. The maximum yield (11.7 × 106/g·FW) and highest viability (95.1%) of protoplast were reached when cell suspension (cultured for 6 days) was inoculated for 14 h in enzyme solution made of 0.4 mol/L mannitol mixture solution, 1.0% (w/v) Cellulase R-10 and 1.0% (w/v) Macerozyme R-10. The study lays a foundation for future research in cell fusion and transient gene expression in Camellia oleifera.

Background Variation in the CYP2A6 gene alters the rate of nicotine metabolic inactivation and is associated with smoking behaviors and cessation success rates. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms of this genetic influence are unknown. Methods Intrinsic functional connectivity strength, a whole-brain, data-driven, graph theory–based method, was applied to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data in 66 smokers and 92 nonsmokers. A subset of subjects ( n = 23/20; smokers/nonsmokers) performed the monetary incentive delay task, probing reward anticipation, and a go/no-go task, probing response inhibition, on two occasions, in the presence and absence of a nicotine patch. Results A significant CYP2A6 genotype × smoking effect was found in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and ventral striatum, such that the normal (vs. slow) genotype individuals showed greater functional connectivity strength among smokers but not nonsmokers. Functional connectivity strength was negatively associated with severity of nicotine dependence in slow metabolizers. Both hubs were biased by inputs from the insula identified from seed-based connectivity. Similar gene × environment interactions were seen in ventral striatum during smoking abstinence when subjects performed the monetary incentive delay task and in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex when they performed the go/no-go task; both reductions were "normalized" in smokers (and increased in nonsmokers) after acute nicotine administration. Conclusions Because the CYP2A6 effect was seen only in smokers, these data suggest that the rate of nicotine metabolism—and thus the concentration of nicotine presented to the brain over the course of nicotine addiction—shapes brain circuits that, among other functions, compute reward and impulsivity processes.

Exosomes contain a variety of biological active substances such as proteins, miRNAs, lncRNAs and lipids, and exosomes from different cells play different biological functions. Exosomes, as a carrier, are involved in many pathological processes such as nerve injury and repair, vascular regeneration, immune response, and fibrosis formation. It plays an important role in the treatment of eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and keratitis. This paper reviews the research progress of exosomes in various diseases in vivo, which provides a new way for the treatment of eye diseases.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Type 2 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of dementia. This study investigated the global connectivity patterns in the brains of patients with type 2 diabetes by using a functional MR imaging technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients and 43 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional imaging in a 3T MR imaging unit. Degree centrality, a commonly used measurement of global connectivity, was computed for a full-brain exploration of the regions influenced by type 2 diabetes. We then examined the functional connectivity of each region by using the seed-based approach. Finally, voxelwise correlation analyses were performed to explore the relationship among the connectivity changes, cognitive performance, and diabetes-related variables. RESULTS: Patients exhibited decreased degree centrality in the left lingual gyrus and increased centrality in the right insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (corrected P CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study shows that network connectivity is altered in patients with type 2 diabetes, which may provide critical insight into the neural substrate of diabetes-related cognitive decline.

The objective of this investigation is to study the effect of flow velocity on the calcium carbonate fouling in smooth tube. A number of experiments have been performed to determine the whole process of calcium carbonate deposition in a double pipe heat exchanger in a long term. Seven correlations of the fouling growth characteristics associated with Nusselt number ratio of the tube inner surface ( Nu / Nu 0 ), Reynolds number ( Re ) and dimensionless time ( τ ) have been established to describe four distinct time regions: a region where the thermal resistance is positive, a region where the fouling thermal resistance is negative, a region where the fouling resistance increases steady, and a region where the fouling thermal resistance remains constant. The index of n in dimensionless parameter τRe n divided fouling process into four distinct time regions is related to the flow state in the tube: for laminar flow, n = −0.695; for transitional flow, n = −0.66; and for turbulence flow n = −1.1. The correlations between Nu / Nu 0 , Re and τ in the different regions are different. The correlations are more consistent when flow states are laminar flow and transitional flow than when flow state is turbulent flow. The results indicate that fouling has two aspects regarding the effects on fluid flow as well as thermal performance of the heat exchanger in the induction period: an increased surface roughness, and followed by the decrease in metallic surface area of the test tube as fouling progresses. In laminar flow or transitional flow the fouling rate increases quickly with increasing velocity and the formation of the deposits may be controlled by the molecular transport. However, in turbulence flow the flow velocity has less effect on the fouling rate and the formation of the deposits may be controlled by the chemical reaction and the shear force enforced by fluid flow.

To study the effects of ethylene oxide (EO) number in alkyl ethoxy carboxylates (AEC) on scale inhibition, ten AEC compounds are prepared. The effect of EO number on the scale inhibition against CaCO 3 , CaSO 4 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 scales and effects of the operating conditions on scale inhibition against CaCO 3 are investigated by static test. The effect of EO number on the corrosion inhibition is measured by the weight loss of rotating hung steel slices. The influence of AEC on formation of CaCO 3 , CaSO 4 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 is investigated using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the scale inhibition of AEC depends actually on EO number, the scale inhibition against CaCO 3 and Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 scales decreases with increasing EO number. The ability of the inhibitors to tolerate high alkalinity and high hardness reduces with increasing EO number. AEC-3, AEC-4 and AEC-5 have good performance with scale inhibition more than 80% at the pH, concentration of calcium carbonate and temperature ranges of 7.0–9.0, 250–750 mg/L and 50–80 °C, respectively. Morphologies of the scales are highly modified in the presence of AEC. The corrosion inhibition of AEC shows a significant critical threshold regarding the concentration of AEC, the corrosion inhibition increases with increasing EO number.

Triphenyltin chloride (TPTCL) is a well-known marine pollutant that may constitute major environmental threats to seaweed mariculture. In the present study, the toxic effects of TPTCL on physiology and ultrastructure of cultivated sporophytes of Undaria pinnatifida were investigated under different TPTCL concentrations ranging from 0 to 100 μg L−1. Significant negative effects of increased TPTCL concentration were detected in the relative growth rates, survival percentages and chlorophyll a contents of young and adult sporophytes. Low TPTCL concentrations could significantly stimulate the activities of enzymes related to nitrogen metabolism. The chloroplast, mitochondria and nucleus inside cells were greatly damaged by TPTCL. Meanwhile, significant increases of electron dense deposits and physodes were found. Additionally, young sporophytes exhibited greater tolerance to TPTCL stress than adult sporophytes. The results of this study indicate that coastal TPTCL pollution could reduce the productivity and quality of cultivated U. pinnatifida.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients have difficulty in switching between obsessive thought and compulsive behavior, which may be related to the dysfunction of the salience network (SN). However, little is known about the changes in intra- and inter- intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of the SN in patients with OCD. In this study, we parceled the SN into 19 subregions and investigated iFC changes for each of these subregions in 40 drug-naive patients with OCD and 40 healthy controls (HCs) using seed-based functional connectivity resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). We found that patients with OCD exhibited decreased iFC strength between subregions of the SN, as well as decreased inter-network connectivity between SN and DMN, and ECN. These findings highlight a specific alteration in iFC patterns associated with SN in patients with OCD and provide new insights into the dysfunctional brain organization of the SN in patients with OCD.

Regional homogeneity (ReHo) quantifies spatially local synchronization of resting state fMRI signal and has been applied to lots of clinic studies. Accumulating evidences demonstrated that the synchronization between spatially distinct brain regions, i.e. functional connectivity, can be remarkably influenced if the global mean time course is regressed out, namely global signal regression (GSR). Very recently, it was reported GSR reduces the test-retest reliability of ReHo, and reduces the positive correlation between ReHo and head motion. In this study, we were interested in two questions: 1) how GSR affects the raw ReHo values and its spatial distribution over the brain; 2) how GSR affects the differences of ReHo between two resting states, eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC), in healthy individuals. We found that the ReHo values were reduced by GSR but the spatial distribution of ReHo was not changed remarkably. In addition, split-half reproducibility analysis showed reproducible ReHo difference between EO and EC in some areas (e.g., thalamus and caudate) only with GSR, but showed reproducible ReHo difference in some other area (right temporal pole) only without GSR. The effects of GSR were almost independent of regression of other nuisance covariates. Our results suggest that the influences of GSR on ReHo are remarkable, reliable and complex. For the between-condition comparison, the GSR effects are region specific. We suggest that, for application studies using ReHo approach, it would be helpful to report results both with and without GSR.

Neuroimaging studies have shown structural and functional abnormalities in parts of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) brain circuitry in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, little is known about changes in the interhemispheric functional homotopy in the resting-state in OCD. This study used a voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) approach combined with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate changes in interhemispheric functional homotopy in 60 OCD patients and 60 healthy controls. Compared with the healthy controls, the OCD patients showed decreased VMHC values in the thalamus. The results suggest that changes in functional homotopy in the CSTC circuitry may be involved in the pathophysiologic mechanism of OCD. Our findings provide new evidence of abnormalities in the CSTC circuitry in OCD.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of rs3811951 at proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) and rs2021785 at PCSK2 gene and the genetic predisposition to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Han population in Chongqing district. Methods A case-control study was performed in Han Chinese subjects with 152 cases of normal control and 227 cases of T2DM patients. Clinical data and blood samples were collected, blood glucose, lipids and other biochemical indexes were determined, and the SNPs of rs3811951 and rs2021785 were genotyped by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Results The minor allele frequency of rs2021785 at PCSK2 was significantly lower in T2DM group than in control group (20.04% vs 26.64%, P=0.0335), and carriers of A allele showed a lower risk of suffering T2DM (OR=0.69, 95%CI 0.49-0.97, P=0.0335). The AA genotype frequency of rs2021785 at PCSK2 was significantly lower in T2DM group than in control group (6.6% vs 10.5%, P0.05). Conclusion SNP of rs2021785 at PCSK2 is significantly associated with T2DM in Han population in Chongqing district, however, there is no significant association between SNP of rs3811951 at PCSK1 and T2DM. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2014.12.07

Objectives: Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), the treatment mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CBT on changes in the intrinsic whole-brain functional network of OCD patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty drug-naive and noncomorbid OCD patients were recruited, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after 12 weeks of CBT. Moreover, 20 healthy controls were scanned twice with a 12-week interval. A graph-theory degree centrality (DC) approach and functional connectivity method were used to analyze the whole-brain functional network hub and connectivity changes in OCD patients before and after CBT treatment. Results: A significant group × time interaction on DC was found in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); the DC in the left DLPFC was significantly reduced after CBT treatment. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between the left DLPFC and right orbitofrontal cortex was increased in the OCD patients at baseline, and normalized after CBT treatment. RSFC changes between the left DLPFC and default mode network (DMN) positively correlated with changes in clinical symptoms in OCD patients. Conclusions: These findings suggest that CBT can modulate changes in intrinsic functional network hubs in the cortico–striato–thalamo-cortical circuit in OCD patients. Cognitive control network and DMN connectivity may be a potential imaging biomarker for evaluating CBT treatment for OCD.

Objective To study prognostic characteristics of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) elevation in acute ischemic stroke. Methods We retrospectively studied patients (n = 248) with acute ischemic stroke, acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction who were treated between January 2013 and October 2015. Baseline demographic data and changes in cTnI levels among these three groups were compared. Patients with acute ischemic stroke were assigned to either the cTnI elevation group (cTnI > 0.034 ng/mL) or the no cTnI elevation group (cTnI ≤ 0.034 ng/mL). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with elevated serum cTnI in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, the duration of hospital stay and incidence of major cardiovascular outcomes were compared in patients with acute ischemic stroke, with or without elevated cTnI. Results In this study population of patients with acute ischemic stroke (n = 178), acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (n = 35), and acute non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (n = 35), patients with acute ischemic stroke with elevated cTnI comprised 18.5% of subjects. Patients with elevated cTnI were older and more likely to have a history of hypertension. In addition, these patients had higher levels of inflammatory markers, reduced renal functions, increased D-dimer levels, higher NIH stroke scores, and lower left ventricular ejection fractions. Logistic regression analysis showed that both percentage of neutrophil and NIH stroke scores were elevated; estimated glomerular filtration rate and left ventricular ejection fraction were decreased in patients with acute ischemic stroke who had elevated cTnI, and they had more frequent major cardiovascular events during hospital stay. Conclusion Elevated cTnI detected in patients with acute ischemic stroke, indicated a greater likelihood of poor short-term prognosis during hospital stay.

In order to study the potential application value of lavender volatile oil (LVO), the chemical composition of the volatile oil of lavender was analyzed by GC-MS, and the mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was established. Additionally, the antioxidant enzymes activity of T-SOD, GSH-PX, CAT and MDA content were studied. Experimental results showed that 55 kinds of chemical constituents including terpene, terpene alcohol and ester compounds from LVO were identified, and the content of linalool and linalyl acetate was the highest, accounting for 49.71% of the total volatile oil. The ability of mouse platform memory was improved significantly. The levels of GSH-PX, CAT and T-SOD of mouse brain tissue in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the model group (P0.05). The level of MDA reached the maximum value in the model group, while there was no notable difference between the levels of MDA in the drug group and the normal group. The result indicated the significant oxidative activity of LVO, the possibility of induced oxidative stress reduction in neurons, and the reversal effect of memory acquired disorder.

Background: Chest pain is a typical presentation in the emergency department (ED), often due to acute coronary syndrome. Accurate and fast identification is crucial. The diagnosis and proper treatment of unstable angina (UA) can reduce the chance of acute myocardial infarction, and reduce high mortality and morbidity rates. However there is a lack of reliable and valid biomarkers in the diagnosis of UA. This study investigated the usefulness of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) for differentiating UA from non-ischemic chest pain (NICP) in the ED. Methods The expressions of circulating miRNAs in patients with UA were evaluated relative to individuals with NICP (control subjects). Circulating miR-21, miR-25, miR-92a, miR-106b, miR-126* and miR-451 levels were measured in 98 patients with UA and 95 control subjects in the ED. To investigate the underlying functions of miRNAs in UA, bioinformatic analysis of validated miRNAs was conducted. Results: Circulating miRNAs were upregulated in UA compared with the control group. The combination of the modified HEART score (m-HS) and miR-25 (AUC 0.901, NRI 0.096) could better distinguish UA than m-HS alone. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that miRNAs may take part in platelet activation, cGMP-PKG signaling pathways etc. Conclusion: The circulating levels of miRNAs (miR-21, miR-25, miR-106b, miR-126*) are significantly higher in UA patients compared with patients with NICP, and the addition of the m-HS that combined ECG, age, risk factors and troponin is useful to detect or rule out UA. The associated signaling pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of vulnerable plaque.

In order to investigate whether changes in the accounting system of mandatory significantly improve the quality of accounting earnings of listed companies, this paper uses empirical research methods and takes A-shares listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen manufacturing industry in the year of 2004-2009 as samples to analyze. The results show that with the constant reform and improvement of Chinese accounting system, the earnings quality of a share shows a significant upward trend on the whole, which demonstrates the changes in the accounting system can promote the earning quality to some extent. At the same time the research discover also shows that simple changes in accounting standards does not improve the quality of accounting information, unless it is accompanied by supporting the strong legal and enforcement mechanisms.

A kind of adaptive subcarrier, bit and power allocation method utilizing Hopfield neural network (HNN) to minimize the overall transmit power of multiuser OFDM is studied in this paper. In order to find the power optimal subcarrier, bit and power allocation under the constraints that one subcarrier can only be allocated to one user and all users are allocated the same numbers of subcarrier, the number of bits of each subcarrier is finite, bit data can be allocated to each subcarrier, two kinds of new energy constrained functions are constructed for the HNN. It is shown through numerical simulations that the proposed methods can find the optimal allocation with less complexity compared with the exhaustive method.

The new technology of superalloy vacuum-electromagnetic casting was developed and the feeding mathematical model melt in vacuum-electromagnetic casting was established. The availability of mathematical model was approved by the experiments of the IN100 superalloy. The experimental results indicate that the feeding capacity of melt in vacuum casting can be greatly increased by imposing the 50Hz, 60A rotating electromagnetic stirring, which can decrease the central shrinkage cavity in superalloy ingots, so the quality of the superalloy ingots can be wide-range improved.

In order to achieve high quality superalloy ingots, an investigation of applying linear electromagnetic stirring to the superalloy vacuum casting solidifying process has been put into effect with electroprobe microanalysis and optical microscope. The results indicate that an one sided, upward linear electromagnetic stirring with 50Hz frequency and 140A current can effectively refine the isometric crystals and shorten the ratio of central shrinkage cavity in superalloy ingots.

The changes of spontaneous activity from before and after a memory or learning task had been considered to be related to off-line memory consolidation process in human brain by using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) MRI (fMRI). However, RSFC reflects temporal synchronization of timecourses of spatially distinct brain regions and therefore could not determine which specific brain region is involved in the memory consolidation process. Here we used regional homogeneity (ReHo), a method for measuring local synchronization, to link the local spontaneous activity change to off-line episodic memory consolidation. We hypothesized that the spontaneous activity change would be different between people with better memory performance and those with worse performance in memory-related regions. All participants completed two resting-state sessions, that is, before (REST-1) and after (REST-2) an episodic memory encoding task (picture indoor or outdoor judgment). Then, based on the d' of a later surprise memory retrieval test, a high-performance group and a low-performance group, each consisting of 16 participants, were chosen from whole 58 participants. We defined a ReHo ratio, that is, ReHo of REST-2 divided by ReHo of REST-1, as a change induced by memory consolidation. The high-performance group showed a significant higher ReHo ratio than low-performance group in medial temporal lobe (MTL) including parahippocampal and anterior temporal regions. The current results provide neuroimaging evidence supporting that the MTL is involved in off-line memory consolidation of episodic memory. Moreover, this study may provide a paradigm for understanding of episodic memory deficit in Alzheimer's disease.

We examined resting state brain activity in the depressive phase of bipolar disorder (BD) by measuring the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal. Unlike functional connectivity, the ALFF approach reflects local properties in specific regions and provides direct information about impaired foci. Groups of 26 patients with BD depression and 26 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy subjects participated in fMRI scans. We examined group differences in ALFF findings as well as correlations between clinical measurements and ALFF in the regions showing significant group differences. Our results showed that patients with BD depression had significantly increased ALFF in the left insula, the right caudate nucleus, the temporal gyrus, the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and the posterior lobe of the cerebellum. They also had decreased ALFF in the left postcentral gyrus, the left parahippocampal gyrus, and the cerebellum. Moderate negative correlations were found between the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score and ALFF in the left insular cortex in the patient group. These results support a model of BD that involves dysfunction in the prefrontal-limbic networks and associated striatal systems. We also demonstrated the feasibility of ALFF as a technique to investigate persistent cerebral dysfunction in BD. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Objective To investigate the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) of rs7903146 and rs11196218 at TCF7L2 gene and the early phase insulin secretion of newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods A case-control study was conducted in 227 newly diagnosed patients with T2DM(T2DM group) and 152 normal people(control group) from Chongqing area.SNPs of rs7903146 and rs11196218 were genotyped by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS).Results The minor allele frequencies(MAF) of rs7903146 in T2DM and control group were 5.73% and 4.28%,respectively,with no significant difference.Logistic regression analysis revealed that the SNPs of rs7903146 and rs11196218 were negatively associated with T2DM no matter with additive,dominant or recessive models(P > 0.05).The SNPs of rs7903146 were associated with ΔI30/ΔG30(OR=1.012,95%CI 1.000-1.025,P=0.05),the levels of ΔI30/ΔG30 in T-allele carriers were significantly higher than that in normal allele carriers(P=0.0385).Conclusion There is no significant correlation between SNPs of rs7903146 and rs11196218 at TCF7L2 gene and newly diagnosed T2DM,but SNPs of rs7903146 may associate with the early phase insulin secretion.

Angiotensin (Ang)-(1-7) is recognized as a new bioactive peptide in renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Ang-(1-7) is a counter-regulatory mediator of Ang-II which appears to be protective against cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have found that Ang-(1-7) played an important role in reducing smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration, improving endothelial function and regulating lipid metabolism, leading to inhibition of atherosclerotic lesions and increase of plaque stability. Although clinical application of Ang-(1-7) is restricted due to its pharmacokinetic properties, identification of stabilized compounds, including more stable analogues and specific delivery compounds, has enabled clinical application of Ang-(1-7). In this review, we discussed recent findings concerning the biological role of Ang-(1-7) and related mechanism during atherosclerosis development. In addition, we highlighted the perspective to develop therapeutic strategies using Ang-(1-7) to treat atherosclerosis.

The aim of this study was to assess the safety of fenofibrate-statin combination therapy.Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Knowledge and CNKI were searched for 2184 randomized controlled trials. Finally, twenty-six studies with a total of 9494 participants were included in this analysis.Compared with statins group, the fenofibrate-statin group had significantly higher incidence of aminotransferase elevations (OR 1.67, 95%CI 1.22-2.30, P0.05) . The two groups had identical incidence of creatin kinase elevations (OR 0.86, 95%CI 0.62-1.20, P0.05) , muscle-associated adverse events (OR 0.98, 95%CI 0.88-1.09, P0.05) and withdrawals due to hepatotoxicity or muscle toxicity. The safety of fenofibrate + standard-dose statin regimens were similar to those in fenofibrate-statin group.Combined fenofibrate-statin treatment is generally safe and well tolerated, liver function should be monitored before and during and after therapy.

Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia and current smoking are the strongest modifiable cardiovascular risk factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined their changing trends over the last 20 years.The clinical data of 3498 patients hospitalized in Peking University People's Hospital with AMI from 1991 to 2010 were used. Information was collected regarding to patients' demographic data, cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and current smoking). To assess trends over time in the prevalence of risk factors, we categorized patients into four groups (1991 to 1995, 1996 to 2000, 2001 to 2005 and 2006 to 2010).Highly significant increases were observed in the prevalence of hypertension from 40.8% to 55.6% for males and from 58.0% to 69.0% for females; and diabetes mellitus from 12.9% to 30.8% for males and from 23.0% to 42.3% for females. Similarly, the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia decreased from 53.1% to 30.7% for males and from 57.0% to 44.0% for females. The prevalence of current smoking decreased in females from 29.0% to 11.1%, but remained unchanged in males. In addition, the proportion of patients with more than three modifiable risk factors increased from 19.0% to 27.1% and the age at onset of AMI extended to younger as well as older individuals.The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus are still increasing in patients with AMI in Beijing and although the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and current smoking decreased, high clustering of risk factors were commonly present. These adverse trends show a compelling need for more effective management of cardiovascular risk factors.

Rationale: Failing cardiomyocytes exhibit decreased efficiency of excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling. The downregulation of junctophilin-2 (JP2), a protein anchoring the sarcoplasmic reticulum to T-tubules, has been identified as a major mechanism underlying the defective E-C coupling. However, the regulatory mechanism of JP2 remains unknown. Objective: To determine whether microRNAs regulate JP2 expression. Methods and Results: Bioinformatic analysis predicted 2 potential binding sites of miR-24 in the 3′-untranslated regions of JP2 mRNA. Luciferase assays confirmed that miR-24 suppressed JP2 expression by binding to either of these sites. In the aortic stenosis model, miR-24 was upregulated in failing cardiomyocytes. Adenovirus-directed overexpression of miR-24 in cardiomyocytes decreased JP2 expression and reduced Ca 2+ transient amplitude and E-C coupling gain. Conclusions: MiR-24–mediated suppression of JP2 expression provides a novel molecular mechanism for E-C coupling regulation in heart cells and suggests a new target against heart failure.