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Background: Curcumin originates from the natural herb turmeric, and its antitumor effects have been known about for a long time. However, the mechanism by which curcumin affects gastric cancer (GC) has not been elucidated ., Aim: To elucidate the potential mechanisms of curcumin in the treatment of GC., Methods: Network pharmacological approaches were used to perform network analysis of Curcumin. We first analyzed Lipinski's Rule of Five for the use of Curcumin. Curcumin latent targets were predicted using the PharmMapper, SwissTargetPrediction and DrugBank network databases. GC disease targets were mined through the GeneCard, OMIM, DrugBank and TTD network databases. Then, GO enrichment, KEGG enrichment, protein-protein interaction (PPI), and overall survival analyses were performed. The results were further verified through molecular docking, differential expression analysis and cell experiments., Results: We identified a total of 48 curcumin-related genes with 31 overlapping GC-related targets. The intersection targets between curcumin and GC have been enriched in 81 GO biological processes and 22 significant pathways. Following PPI analysis, 6 hub targets were identified, namely, estrogen receptor 1 ( ESR1 ), epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ), cytochrome P450 family 3 subfamily A member 4 ( CYP3A4 ), mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 ( MAPK14 ), cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily A member 2 ( CYP1A2 ), and cytochrome p450 family 2 subfamily B member 6 ( CYP2B6 ). These factors are correlated with decreased survival rates among patients diagnosed with GC. Molecular docking analysis further substantiated the strong binding interactions between Curcumin and the hub target genes. The experimental findings demonstrated that curcumin not only effectively inhibits the growth of BGC-823 cells but also suppresses their proliferation. mRNA levels of hub targets CYP3A4 , MAPK14 , CYP1A2 , and CYP2B6 in BGC-823 cells were significantly increased in each dose group., Conclusion: Curcumin can play an anti-GC role through a variety of targets, pathways and biological processes., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper. The authors affirm that this research is conducted in an unbiased manner and that the findings and conclusions presented are solely based on scientific merit., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hot-carrier transistors are a class of devices that leverage the excess kinetic energy of carriers. Unlike regular transistors, which rely on steady-state carrier transport, hot-carrier transistors modulate carriers to high-energy states, resulting in enhanced device speed and functionality. These characteristics are essential for applications that demand rapid switching and high-frequency operations, such as advanced telecommunications and cutting-edge computing technologies 1-5 . However, the traditional mechanisms of hot-carrier generation are either carrier injection 6-11 or acceleration 12,13 , which limit device performance in terms of power consumption and negative differential resistance 14-17 . Mixed-dimensional devices, which combine bulk and low-dimensional materials, can offer different mechanisms for hot-carrier generation by leveraging the diverse potential barriers formed by energy-band combinations 18-21 . Here we report a hot-emitter transistor based on double mixed-dimensional graphene/germanium Schottky junctions that uses stimulated emission of heated carriers to achieve a subthreshold swing lower than 1 millivolt per decade beyond the Boltzmann limit and a negative differential resistance with a peak-to-valley current ratio greater than 100 at room temperature. Multi-valued logic with a high inverter gain and reconfigurable logic states are further demonstrated. This work reports a multifunctional hot-emitter transistor with significant potential for low-power and negative-differential-resistance applications, marking a promising advancement for the post-Moore era., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To investigate the application value of intraoperative motor nerve monitoring in cervical neurogenic tumor surgery. Methods: The efficacy of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) was analyzed retrospectively in 18 patients, including 6 males and 12 females, aged from 15 to 74 years, treated in Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University from June 2019 to September 2022 who underwent total cystectomy of cervical neurogenic tumors under intraoperative nerve monitoring. Results: All 18 patients had complete tumor removal, including 8 patients with tumors from the vagus nerve and 10 patients with tumors from the brachial plexus nerve. Postoperative nerve functions were normal in patients with tumors from brachial plexus nerve, and incomplete vocal cord paralysis occurred in 2 patients with tumors from vagus vagus nerve. The total incidence of motor nerve injury was 11.1% (2/18). All patients were followed up for 6 to 45 months, with no tumor recurrence. Conclusion: Intraoperative neuromonitoring has significant values in surgery of cervical neurogenic tumors, which is helpful to remove completely the tumors on the basis of protecting the nerve functions to the maximum extent.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry DNA, RNA, protein, and other substances involved in intercellular crosstalk and can be used for the targeted delivery of drugs. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is rich in recurrent and metastatic disease and lacks therapeutic targets. Studies have proved the role of EVs in the different stages of the genesis and development of TNBC. Cancer cells actively secrete various biomolecules, which play a significant part establishing the tumor microenvironment via EVs. In this article, we describe the roles of EVs in the tumor immune microenvironment, metabolic microenvironment, and vascular remodeling, and summarize the application of EVs for objective delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs, immune antigens, and cancer vaccine adjuvants. EVs-based therapy may represent the next-generation tool for targeted drug delivery for the cure of a variety of diseases lacking effective drug treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023.)

Immune checkpoint blockade-based therapies are effective against a sorts of cancers. However, drug resistance is a problem that cannot be ignored. This review intends to elucidate the mechanisms underlying drug tolerance induced by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, as well as to outline proposed mechanism-based combination therapies and small molecule drugs that target intrinsic immunity and immune checkpoints. According to the differences of patients and types of cancer, the optimization of individualized combination therapy will help to enhance PD-1/PD-L1-mediated immunoregulation, reduce chemotherapy resistance, and provide new ideas for chemotherapy-resistant cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RAY1216, a novel inhibitor of 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CLpro), in adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)., Methods: This phase 2, single centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included hospitalised patients between August 14, 2022, and September 26, 2022, in Sanya Central Hospital (The Third People's Hospital of Hainan Province) in China with no severe symptoms if they had laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection for not more than 120 h (5 days) and a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) cycle threshold (Ct) value of ≤30 for both the open reading frames 1 ab (ORF1ab) and nucleocapsid (N) genes within 72 h before randomisation. Half of the participants ( n  = 30) were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive either RAY1216 or a matched placebo three times a day (TID) for 5 days (15 doses in total), while the other half received RAY1216 plus ritonavir (RAY1216 plus RTV) or a matched placebo every 12 h for 5 days (10 doses in total). The primary endpoint was the time of viral clearance. Secondary outcomes included the changes of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA viral load, the positivity rate of the nucleic acid test, and the recovery time of clinical symptoms. A safety evaluation was performed to record and analyse all adverse events that occurred during and after drug administration as well as any cases in which dosing was halted because of these events. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: ChiCTR2200062889., Findings: The viral shedding times in the RAY1216 and RAY1216 plus RTV groups were 166 h (95% confidence interval (CI): 140-252) and 155 h (95%CI: 131-203), respectively, which were 100 h (4.2 days) and 112 h (4.6 days) shorter than that of the placebo group, respectively (RAY1216 group vs. Placebo p  = 0.0060, RAY1216 plus RTV group vs. Placebo p  = 0.0001). At 24 h, 72 h, and 120 h after administration, the viral RNA loads in the RAY1216 and RAY1216 plus RTV groups were significantly less than those of the placebo groups. At 280 h (11.5 days) after administration, the nucleic acid test results in the RAY1216 and RAY1216 plus RTV groups were both negative. The common adverse events related to the investigational drugs were mild and self-limiting laboratory examination abnormalities., Interpretation: Our findings suggest that RAY1216 monotherapy and RAY1216 plus ritonavir both demonstrated significant antiviral activity and reduced the duration of COVID-19 while maintaining a satisfactory safety profile. Considering the limited clinical application of RTV, it is recommended to use RAY1216 alone to further verify its efficacy and safety., Funding: This study was sponsored by the Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC0868700)., Competing Interests: No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the authors., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Chinese quince fruit (CQF) contains abundant pectin; however, the pectin cannot be efficiently separated by conventional approaches because of strong lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCC). In this study, to elucidate the structural characteristics of the original LCC formed by lignin and pectin in CQF, single and multiple enzymatic hydrolysis pretreatments were innovatively performed, and the resulting LCC preparations were comprehensively characterized using a series of techniques. The enzymatic hydrolysis pretreatments significantly increase the LCC yield, releasing LCC fractions with low molecular weights (M w  = 4660-8288 Da). LCC-4, isolated by pretreatment with cellulase plus xylanase, had the highest galacturonic acid content (15.5 %), followed by LCC-2 (isolated by xylanase pretreatment) of 14.0 %. In CQF, lignin develops lignin-carbohydrate (LC) bonds with pectin to form LCC, with phenyl-glycoside bond being the dominant linkage. Although the pectinase pretreatment reduced the pectin content, signals of the LC linkages in the 2D-HSQC spectra were enhanced. LCC-4 could be considered as the most representative of the original LCC in CQF due to its high pectin content and multiple LCC signals in the 2D-HSQC spectrum. The structural understanding of the original LCC in CQF will lay a foundation for designing appropriate methods for extracting pectin from CQF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This research aimed to explore the value of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as a prenatal screening method for common aneuploidy in pregnant women in advanced maternal age., Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 545 mothers with singleton pregnancy who were of advanced age and underwent NIPT testing voluntarily at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between November 2020 and February 2023. In cases where NIPT testing suggested chromosomal abnormalities, amniocentesis was conducted, karyotype analysis or gene copy number variation (CNV) testing was performed, and the pregnancy outcome was tracked., Results: Among 545 pregnant women in advanced maternal age, 11 cases had high risk of NIPT, and the detection rate was 2.02%. Among 11 pregnant women deemed to be at high risk for NIPT, 10 cases underwent amniotic fluid puncture, and one case refused amniocentesis despite a suggestive chromosomal abnormality in NIPT. The overall rate of amniocentesis was 1.83%. Among 11 pregnant women deemed to be at high risk for NIPT, the results suggested that 5 of them had trisomy 21, 1 had trisomy 18, 2 had sex chromosome abnormalities (specifically, 47, XYY), and 3 had other autosomal abnormalities. The positive predictive values of NIPT were 100.00% for the cases of trisomy 21 and trisomy 18, while the values were 0.00% for the cases of sex chromosome abnormalities and other autosomal abnormalities, respectively. After the follow-up, each of the 6 cases that were diagnosed with definite chromosomal abnormalities during prenatal screening opted to induce labor and terminate the pregnancy, including 5 cases that exhibited a high risk of trisomy 21 (47, XN,+21) and 1 case that showed a high risk of trisomy 18 (47, XN,+18). One instance of NIPT indicated a potential abnormality in the sex chromosomes, the individual declined to undergo amniocentesis. Another instance of NIPT suggested a sex chromosome abnormality, amniocentesis revealed a deletion of 0.72 Mb in the 4q22.1 region. They all had normal pregnancies and normal newborns. The remaining three cases had normal prenatal diagnoses (46, XN) and experienced normal pregnancies with healthy neonatal outcomes., Conclusions: NIPT has demonstrated its efficacy as a screening tool in the face of increasing maternal age. As a result, it can substantially decrease the requirement for invasive prenatal diagnosis. Nonetheless, there are instances of erroneous positive outcomes in NIPT testing, and therefore, interventional prenatal diagnosis remains necessary for individuals with high-risk screening outcomes to prevent false positives or unwarranted labor induction.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in females worldwide, and the liver is one of the most common sites of distant metastases in breast cancer patients. Patients with breast cancer liver metastases face limited treatment options, and drug resistance is highly prevalent, leading to a poor prognosis and a short survival. Liver metastases respond extremely poorly to immunotherapy and have shown resistance to treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Therefore, to develop and to optimize treatment strategies as well as to explore potential therapeutic approaches, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of drug resistance in breast cancer liver metastases patients. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the research of drug resistance mechanisms in breast cancer liver metastases and discuss their therapeutic potential for improving patient prognoses and outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the anemia characteristics in early pregnancy of pregnant women with hemoglobin H (Hb H) disease and their pregnancy outcomes, and to provide reference to the pregnancy management and treatment of these women., Patients and Methods: Twenty-eight cases of pregnant women who had been diagnosed with Hb H disease in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from August 2018 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Moreover, 28 cases of normal pregnant women in the same period were randomly enrolled as a control group for comparison. The means and percentages of the anemia characteristics in early pregnancy and the pregnancy outcomes were calculated and the analysis of variance, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were applied for comparison., Results: A total of 13 cases of missing type (46.43%) and 15 cases of non-missing type (53.57%) were observed in the 28 cases of pregnant women with Hb H disease. The genotypes were as follows: 8 cases of -α3.7/--SEA (28.57%), 4 cases of -α4.2/--SEA (14.29%), 1 case of -α4.2/--THAI (3.57%), 9 cases of αCSα/--SEA (32.14%), 5 cases of αWSα/--SEA (17.86%), and 1 case of αQSα/--SEA (3.57%). Twenty-seven patients with Hb H disease (96.43%) were anemic, including 5 cases of mild anemia (17.86%), 18 cases of moderate anemia (64.28%), 4 cases of severe anemia (14.29%), and 1 case of non-anemia (3.57%). Compared with the control group, the Hb H group had significantly higher red blood cell count and significantly lower Hb, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The Hb H group had higher incidence rates of blood transfusion during pregnancy (BTDP), oligohydramnios fetal growth restrictions (FGR), and fetal distress than the control group. The weights of neonates were lower in the Hb H group than in the control group. Statistically significant differences were found between these two groups (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The genotype missing type of pregnant women with Hb H disease was mainly -α3.7/--SEA and the non-missing type was mainly αCSα/--SEA. Hb H disease can easily cause various degrees of anemia (mainly moderate anemia in this study). Moreover, it can increase the incidence rate of pregnancy complications such as BTDP, oligohydramnios, FGR, and fetal distress, which will reduce the weight of neonates and seriously affect maternal and infant safety. Therefore, maternal anemia and fetal growth and development should be monitored during pregnancy and delivery, and transfusion therapy should be used to improve adverse pregnancy outcomes caused by anemia when necessary.

Objective To explore the risk factors of clopidogrel resistance (CR) in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and to provide evidence for the antiplatelet therapy. Methods A total of 223 elderly patients (≥80 years old) with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease treated in the Department of Geriatrics in the Peking University People's Hospital from January 18,2013 to November 30,2019 and meeting the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study.The clinical data and laboratory test results were collected,including clinical disease,drug use,physical examination,complete blood cell analysis,biochemical indicators,and thromboelastogram (TEG).The rate of platelet inhibition induced by adenosine diphosphate was calculated according to the TEG.We assigned the patients into a CR group ( n =84) and a control group ( n =139) to analyze the incidence and influence factors of CR in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Results The incidence of CR was 37.7% in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.The CR group had lower hemoglobin ( t =3.533, P =0.001) and higher hypertension prevalence rate ( χ 2 =6.581, P =0.006),proportion of multiple drugs ( χ 2 =3.332, P =0.048),body mass index (BMI) ( t =-2.181, P =0.030),total cholesterol ( t =-2.264, P =0.025),triglycerides ( Z =-2.937, P =0.003),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ( t =-2.347, P =0.020),and proportion of women ( χ 2 =5.562, P =0.014) than the control group.The results of multivariate Logistic regression showed that hemoglobin ( OR =0.962, P <0.001),BMI ( OR =1.154, P =0.003),and LDL-C ( OR =1.688, P =0.018) were the factors influencing CR in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Conclusion Hemoglobin,BMI,and LDL-C may be independent factors associated with the occurrence of CR in the elderly patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Objective: The two objectives of the present study were to analyze the correlation between pregnancy outcomes and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism, and to provide evidence for clinical improvement of adverse pregnancy outcomes., Patients and Methods: 1,995 cases of pregnant women were selected as objects of the study, and underwent MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism detection in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from October 2020 to September 2021, in which 919 cases whose pregnancy outcomes could be tracked. According to the result of MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism detection, 1,995 cases of pregnant women were classified into a wild-type (CC) group, heterozygous (CT) group, or homozygous (TT) group, and the distributions of MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism in pregnant women were analyzed. In addition, according to complications, 919 cases of pregnant women whose pregnancy outcomes could be tracked were divided into the normal pregnancy group (676 cases), GDM group (146 cases), HDP group (47 cases), abnormal fetus group (13 cases), and spontaneous abortion group (37 cases), and the genotype distributions of MTHFR gene C677T in each group were analyzed. Besides, according to genotype, 919 cases of pregnant women whose pregnancy outcome could be tracked were divided into CC group (515 cases), CT group (289 cases), and TT group (115 cases), and the correlation between genotype and pregnancy outcomes, such as fetal distress, postpartum hemorrhage, premature birth, and full-term delivery, was then analyzed., Results: For the C677T locus of MTHFR gene in the 1,995 cases of pregnant women, there are 1,162 (58.25%) cases of CC genotype, 649 (32.53%) cases of CT genotype, 184 (9.22%) cases of TT genotype. The proportion of TT genotype in GDM, HDP, abnormal fetus, and spontaneous abortion groups were respectively 19.86% (29/148), 25.53% (12/47), 46.15% (6/13), 40.54% (15/37), which were significantly higher than that in normal pregnancy group (7.84%, 53/676), and there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The full-term birth rate in TT group (75.65%, 87/115) was lower than those of CC group (91.26%, 470/515) and CT group (89.27%, 258/289), and there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The TT type gene mutation at the C677T site ofMTHFR gene is closely related to conditions that contribute to a decrease in the number of full-term births and increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including GDM, HDP, spontaneous abortion, and fetal abnormalities.

Objective: This study explored the usefulness of genomic copy number variation sequencing (CNV-Seq) in the prenatal diagnosis of pregnant women., Patients and Methods: Based on prenatal diagnostic indications, CNV-Seq analysis was done in the samples from the 579 pregnant women of the 7 subgroups that included advanced maternal age (group A), high risk noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT) (group B), high risk Down's (Group C), abnormal ultrasound findings (Group D), adverse pregnancy history (Group E), chromosome abnormalities in couples (Group F), and the mixed group (Group G)., Results: A total of 57 (9.84%) cases have abnormal CNV-Seq results. Among them, 21 cases were aneuploid chromosomal number abnormalities (3.63%, 21/579), and 36 cases were CNV abnormalities (6.22%, 36/579), including 7 cases of pathogenic copy number alteration (pCNA) (1.21%, 7/579) and 29 cases variants of uncertain significance (VUS) (5.01%, 29/579). The total detection rates of abnormal CNV-Seq in Group G and Group B were 20.27% (15/74) and 15.91% (14/88), which were significantly higher than those in other groups (p < 0.05). Among 36 cases of abnormal CNV-Seq, 7 cases were chromosome fragment deletion or duplication, which were pathogenic CNV, and some rare chromosomal diseases were detected., Conclusions: Patients with a high risk of NIPT or multiple indications of prenatal diagnosis are highly suspected of chromosomal diseases. CNV-Seq is a useful tool for detecting chromosome abnormalities for prenatal diagnosis of pregnant women more accurately and provides more comprehensive information for prenatal diagnosis to reduce birth defects.

Germanium (Ge)-based devices are recognized as one of the most promising next-generation technologies for extending Moore's law. However, one of the critical issues is Fermi-level pinning (FLP) at the metal/n-Ge interface, and the resulting large contact resistance seriously degrades their performance. The insertion of a thin layer is one main technique for FLP modulation; however, the contact resistance is still limited by the remaining barrier height and the resistance induced by the insertion layer. In addition, the proposed depinning mechanisms are also controversial. Here, the authors report a wafer-scale carbon nanotube (CNT) insertion method to alleviate FLP. The inserted conductive film reduces the effective Schottky barrier height without inducing a large resistance, leading to ohmic contact and the smallest contact resistance between a metal and a lightly doped n-Ge. These devices also indicate that the metal-induced gap states mechanism is responsible for the pinning. Based on the proposed technology, a wafer-scale planar diode array is fabricated at room temperature without using the traditional ion-implantation and annealing technology, achieving an on-to-off current ratio of 4.59 × 10 4 . This work provides a new way of FLP modulation that helps to improve device performance with new materials., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: The specific role and prognostic value of DNA repair and replication-associated miRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) have not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, comprehensive analysis of miRNAs in GC is crucial for proposing therapeutic strategies and survival prediction., Methods: Firstly, clinical information and transcriptome data of TCGA-GC were downloaded from the database. In the entire cohort, we performed differential analysis in all miRNAs and support vector machine (SVM) was used to eliminate redundant miRNAs. Subsequently, we combined survival data and cox regression analysis to construct a miRNA signature in the training cohort. In addition, we used PCA, Kaplan-Meier, and ROC analysis to explore the prognosis value of risk score in the training and testing cohort. It is worth noting that multiple algorithms were used to evaluate difference of immune microenvironment (TME), microsatellite instability (MSI), tumor mutational burden (TMB), and immunotherapy in different risk groups. Finally, we investigated the potential mechanism about miRNA signature., Results: We constructed miRNA signature based on the following 4 miRNAs: hsa-miR-139-5p, hsa-miR-139-3p, hsa-miR-146b-5p, and hsa-miR-181a-3p. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses suggested that risk score is a risk factor and an independent prognostic factor in GC patients. The AUC value of ROC analysis showed a robust prediction accuracy in each cohort. Moreover, significant differences in immune functions, immune cell content, immune checkpoint, MSI status, and TMB score were excavated in different groups distinguished by risk score. Finally, based on the above four miRNA target genes, we revealed that the signature was enriched in DNA repair and replication., Conclusion: We have developed a robust risk-formula based on 4 miRNAs that provides accurate risk stratification and prognostic prediction for GC patients. In addition, different risk subgroups may potentially guide the choice of targeted therapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ya-nan Wang et al.)

Antibacterial hydrogel dressings play an important role in wound healing and infection treatment. The majority of hydrogels are obtained through chemical cross-linking and complex synthesis or processing. Copper ions (Cu 2+ ) have been involved in sterilization; however, their direct use may lead to high local concentrations and heavy metal toxic side effects. Herein, dopamine (DA) was polymerized in situ along a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) chain and chelated copper ions (Cu 2+ ) to form a mixture. Ionic liquid (IL) choline-glycolate (CGLY) was added to the mixture to form an ionic gel. CGLY promotes gel formation through intermolecular hydrogen bonds with the polymer chains and avoids the use of toxic chemical crosslinking agents. Meanwhile, CGLY can also promote the release of Cu 2+ and generate hydrogel free radicals (˙OH) in the wound through chemodynamic therapy to kill drug-resistant bacteria. In addition, the excellent transdermal property of CGLY enables the released Cu 2+ to stimulate cell migration and accelerate wound healing. The gel exhibits favorable biocompatibility and its use has been demonstrated in skin infection therapy of mice.

Chinese quince (Chaenomeles sinensis) fruits offer a potential source of pectin and hemicellulose. However, the existence of lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) can negatively impact the extraction of pectin and hemicellulose. In this work, LCCs were sequentially fractionated from Chinese quince during the removal of pectin and hemicellulose. The structures of LCCs were characterized by HPAEC, FT-IR, GPC, Py-GC/MS, TGA and 2D HSQC NMR. The results showed that the carbohydrate content and molecular weight of LCCs was found to be changed significantly after the removal of hemicellulose (KSH). The lignin in Björkman LCCs was found to be linked mainly to galactan and fructan, whereas the lignin LCC-AcOHs was found to be linked mainly to arabinan after the removal of KSH. The isolation of carbonate-soluble pectin (NSP) increased thermal stability of Björkman LCC fraction, however, the isolation of chelator-soluble pectin (CSP) increased the thermal stability of LCC-AcOHs. The S/G ratios of LCC-AcOHs increased and large amounts of S-type lignin released during sequential fractionation of pectin and hemicellulose. These results will be beneficial for understanding the mechanisms of pectin and hemicellulose isolation, thereby facilitating the potential application of Chinese quince as a valuable natural resource for food and other industries., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer and its effect on nutritional status and changes of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets., Methods: Sixty patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who were admitted by Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University from March 2020 to February 2021 were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was treated with FOLFOX4 chemotherapy, while the experimental group was additively treated with cindilizumab on the basis of control group. The incidence of adverse reactions, clinical efficacy, improvement of nutritional and physical status, and changes in the levels of T lymphocyte subgroups in the two groups were compared and analyzed., Results: The total effective rate was 70% in the experimental group, which was better than 43.3% of the control group ( p =0.04). The improvement rate of performance status (ECOG) score and nutritional indicators in the experimental group was significantly better than that in the control group ( p <0.05). Moreover, the indicators of CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group after treatment, with statistically significant differences (CD3+, p =0.01; CD4 +, p = 0.02; CD4+/CD8+, p =0.01)., Conclusion: Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has a significant effect on locally advanced gastric cancer patients, with significant improvement in physical strength and nutritional status, significant improvement in T lymphocyte function, and no obvious adverse reactions. It is worth promoting in clinical application., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

As an indispensable biothiol, cysteine (Cys) plays a critical part in cellular redox homeostasis, and pathological and physiological processes. One of the main sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human cells is the substrate end of the respiratory chain in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Therefore, it is valuable to develop probes targeting mitochondria to detect Cys. In this work, we designed a novel fluorescent probe, 2-(2-(6-(acryloyloxy) naphthalen-2-yl) vinyl)-3-ethylbenzothiazol-3-ium (ANET). The naphthyl benzothiazole is the fluorophore group and the acrylate moiety is the Cys response site to avoid the interference of homocysteine (Hcy) and glutathione (GSH). ANET combines multiple strengths for detecting Cys: targeting mitochondria, ratiometric fluorescence, high selectivity, and a large Stokes shift. After ANET reacted with Cys, the fluorescence signals changed from green (λem = 525 nm) to orange red (λem = 595 nm), and the detection limit was calculated to be 74 nM through a linear relationship between ratiometric fluorescence F595/F525 and Cys concentration. The imaging of Cys was confirmed in HepG2 cells.

Identification of critical quality attribute(CQA) is crucial in quality control of Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills(TRNHQXP). In this study, 661 active components in TRNHQXP were selected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) and network pharmacology based on reported data and TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, and TCMID databases, as well as mass spectrometry data, and 1 413 targets of the active components were obtained through SwissTargetPrediction. The 152 potential targets obtained from the intersection of predicted targets with 456 stroke targets underwent functional enrichment analysis by Metascape. The 27 Chinese medicinals in TRNHQXP were divided into four sets according to efficacies. Thirty-seven key targets in the blood-activating and stasis-resolving set and 41 in the tonifying set were screened out. On the basis of these potential key targets, 137 potential key CQA of TRNHQXP for stroke were reversely predicted. This study revealed the possible mechanism of TRNHQXP in treating stroke and established a modular identification method for the potential CQA of big brand traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) based on efficacies and chemical properties. Consequently, the CQA of TRNHQXP were identified by this method, which has provided a reference for the following experimental studies of CQA.

For the field detection problems of critical quality attribute(CQA) of moisture content in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) manufacturing process, big brand TCM Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills were used as the carrier, to establish a moisture content NIR field detection model with or without cellophane in real world production with use of near infrared(NIR) spectroscopy combined with stoichiometry. With the moisture content determined by drying method as reference value, the partial least square method(PLS) was used to analyze the correlation between the spectrum and the moisture reference value. Then the spectral pretreatment methods were screened and optimized to further improve the accuracy and stability of the model. The results showed that the best quantitative model was developed by the spectral data pretreatment of standard normal variate(SNV) with the latent variable factor number of 2 and 7 of Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills with or without cellophane samples. The prediction coefficient of determination(R&#95;(pre)~2) and standard deviation of prediction(RMSEP) of the model with cellophane samples were 0.765 7 and 0.157 2%; R&#95;(pre)~2 and RMSEP of the model without cellophane samples were 0.772 2 and 0.207 8%. The NIR quantitative models of moisture content of Tongren Niuhuang Qingxin Pills with and without cellophane both showed good predictive performance to realize the rapid, accurate and non-destructive quantitative analysis of moisture content in such pills, and provide a method for the field quality control of the critical chemical attributes of moisture in the manufacturing of big brand TCM.

Objectives: Urinary stem cells (USCs) have the capacity for unlimited growth and are promising tools for the investigations of cell differentiation and urinary regeneration. However, the limited life span significantly restricts their usefulness. This study is aimed at exploring the effect of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) on the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) differentiation of the dog USCs and investigating its molecular mechanism., Methods: An immortalized USCs cell line with the molecular markers and biological functions was prepared. After successfully inducing the differentiation of USCs into SMCs, the expression level of the unique key factor and its mechanisms in this process was determined through real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, or Immunofluorescence staining., Results: We found that high cell density promoted USCs differentiation SMCs, and ILK was necessary for USCs differentiation into SMCs. Knocking down ILK decreased the expression of SMCs specific-marker, while using a selective ILK agonist increased the expression of SMCs specific-marker. Furthermore, ILK regulated SMCs differentiation in part through the activation of NF- κ B pathway in USCs. A NF- κ B activity assay showed overexpression of ILK could significantly upregulate NF- κ B p50 expression, and NF- κ B p50 acts as downstream signal molecular of ILK., Conclusion: High cell density induces the differentiation of USCs into SMCs, and ILK is a key regulator of myogenesis. Furthermore, NF- κ B signaling pathway might play a crucial role in this process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests exist., (Copyright © 2021 Liang-liang Huang et al.)

Objective: To observe the effect of San-Ao Decoction (, SAD) on water metabolism of bronchial asthra model mice., Methods: Forty-five female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into control, model and SAD groups by a random number table, 15 mice in each group. A composite method with ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge was developed to establish bronchial asthma model. Mice in the control group were intraperitoneally injected with distilled water without aerosol inhalation challenge. On day 15-22, 0.3 mL SAD was administered via gastric route in SAD group, one time per day, while an equivalent volume of normal saline was used for gastric administration in the control and model groups. Changes in airway resistance in the inspiratory phase (RI-R-Area) were detected using an AniRes2005 system, and 5-h urine output was collected by metabolic cages. Histopathological changes in lung and kidney were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. mRNA expressions of aquaporin (AQP) 1 and AQP2 in kidney were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and the protein expressions of AQP1 and AQP2 in kidney were detected by immunohistochemistry. Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay was used to detect the OVA-specific endothelium-1 (ET-1), antidiuretic hormone (ADH), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), and angiotensin II (Ang II) levels in serum, lung and kidney tissues, respectively. The nitric oxide (NO) contents in serum, lung, and kidney tissues were tested by chemical method, respectively., Results: Compared with the control group, the serum IgE level in model group increased (P<0.01). Following the pathologic changes in lung tissue, no significant change in kidney tissue was observed among 3 groups. Compared with the control group, the mice in the model group showed elevated airway resistance during inhalation phase, higher mRNA and protein expression levels on AQP1 and AQP2 in kidney tissue and higher ET-1 levels in serum, lung and kidney tissues, ADH and ANP in lung and serum, PGE 2 in kidney, Ang II in lung and kidney tissues (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but decreased in 5-h urinary output as well as NO and PGE 2 contents in serum and lung tissues (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the mice in the SAD group showed a weakened airway resistance in inspiratory phase, lower mRNA and protein expressions of AQP1 and AQP2 in kidney tissues, lower levels of ET-1, ADH, ANP in serum as well as ET-1, ANP, Ang II levels in kidney tissues (P<0.05 or P<0.01), whereas 5-h urinary output, NO content in kidney, ADH, ANP and PGE 2 levels in lung and Ang II in serum increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01)., Conclusion: San-Ao Decoction can regulate the urine volume through regulating AQP1 and AQP2 expression, and the expression of these in the kidneys might be regulated by ET-1, NO and Ang II.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a new emerging strategy for the in situ treatment of tumors. In the microenvironment of tumor cells, CDT may be achieved through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), e.g., hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), which induce the death of tumor cells. Copper (Cu) or other transition-metal ions catalyze the production of ˙OH by hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) through Fenton or Fenton-like reactions. With the development of advanced nanotechnology, nanotherapeutic systems with Cu-based nanostructures have received extensive attention and have been demonstrated for their wide applications in the design and construction of nanotherapeutic systems for CDT, along with multimodal synergistic therapy. Herein, the cutting-edge developments of Cu-based nanostructures in CDT are reviewed and discussed, by focusing on the monotherapy of CDT as well as synergistic treatments by hyphenating CDT with various therapeutic protocols, e.g., photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and so on. In addition, the potential challenges and future perspectives are described in the improvement of CDT therapeutic efficacy, the enhancement of targeting capability, and mechanistic investigations on CDT therapy.

Baijiu is a traditional distilled beverage in China with a rich variety of aroma substances. 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TTMP) is an important component in Baijiu and has the function of promoting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. During the brewing of Baijiu, the microorganisms in jiuqu produce acetoin and then synthesize TTMP, but the yield of TTMP is very low. In this work, 2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (BDH) coding gene BDH1 and another BDH2 gene were deleted or overexpressed to evaluate the effect on the content of acetoin and TTMP in Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The results showed that the acetoin synthesis of strain α5-D1B2 was significantly enhanced by disrupting BDH1 and overexpressing BDH2 , leading to a 2.6-fold increase of TTMP production up to 10.55 mg/L. To further improve the production level of TTMP, the α-acetolactate synthase (ALS) of the pyruvate decomposition pathway was overexpressed to enhance the synthesis of diacetyl. However, replacing the promoter of the ILV2 gene with a strong promoter ( PGK1p ) to increase the expression level of the ILV2 gene did not result in further increased diacetyl, acetoin and TTMP production. Based on these evidences, we constructed the diploid strains AY-SB1 (Δ BDH1:loxP/ Δ BDH1:loxP ) and AY-SD1B2 (Δ BDH1:loxP-PGK1p-BDH2-PGK1t/ Δ BDH1:loxP-PGK1p-BDH2-PGK1t ) to ensure the fermentation performance of the strain is more stable in Baijiu brewing. The concentration of TTMP in AY-SB1 and AY-SD1B2 was 7.58 and 9.47 mg/L, respectively, which represented a 2.3- and 2.87-fold increase compared to the parental strain. This work provides an example for increasing TTMP production in S. cerevisiae by genetic engineering, and highlight a novel method to improve the quality and beneficial health attributes of Baijiu., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Cui, Wei, Lin, Chen, Feng, Xiao, Lin and Zhang.)

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, but there is a shortage of effective biomarkers for its diagnosis., Aim: To explore blood exosomal micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers for HCC diagnosis., Results: The principal component analysis suggested that daily alcohol consumption could alter the blood exosomal miRNA profiles of hepatitis B virus positive non-HCC patients through miR-3168 and miR-223-3p. The miRNA profiles also revealed the tumor stages of HCC patients. High expression of miR-455-5p and miR-30c-5p, which significantly correlated with better overall survival in tumor tissues, could also be detected in blood exosomes. Two pairs of miRNAs (miR-584-5p/miR-106-3p and miR-628-3p/miR-941) showed a 94.1% sensitivity and 68.4% specificity to differentiate HCC patients from non-HCC patients. The specificity of the combination was substantially influenced by alcohol consumption habits., Conclusion: This study suggested that blood exosomal miRNAs can be used as new non-invasive diagnostic tools for HCC. However, their accuracy could be affected by tumor stage and alcohol consumption habits., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no potential financial interests., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Over exploitation of groundwater in Changping District of Beijing city has caused serious land subsidence in the past decades. In recent years, the operation of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project has reduced the land subsidence rate. In this paper, Experimental tests are performed using the GDS Consolidation Testing System to characterize the compression and rebound of soils at depths of less than 100 m caused by groundwater withdrawal and recharge in Changping District. The results indicate that the compressible layers are the main contributors to land subsidence. The first compressible layer experiences greater deformation and more considerable hysteresis than the other compressible layers with the same decrease in the pore water pressure. Therefore, the exploitation of the adjacent aquifer should be controlled in the future. The deformation in the second and third compressible layers is a gradual and long-term process with little rebound; therefore, the subsidence should be seriously addressed when the groundwater in the two compressible layers is exploited on a large scale. In the same compressible layer, silty clay is more compressible and hysteretic than silt. For the same soil sample, the deformation rate decreases gradually as the pore water pressure decreases, whereas the creep deformation shows an overall increasing trend. A parameter named the subsidence index Cw is proposed in this paper to describe the soil compressibility during groundwater withdrawal. All the soil samples are characterized by elastic-plastic deformation, and the shallow soil samples with less pore water pressure decrease are more likely to rebound., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To observe the lung injury of male rats induced by sub-chronic exposure to crotonaldehyde, and to explore the possible mechanism of injury. Methods: Forty SPF male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group and 3 groups in each group, and each group received 0.0, 2.5, 4.5, 8.5 mg/kg body weight crotonaldehyde solution for continuous intragastric administration. 120 d, once a day. After the end of the exposure, the body weight of the rats was measured, and the lung tissues were quickly separated after cervical dislocation. The organ coefficients were calculated and histopathological examination was performed to determine malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione. Peroxidase (GSH-Px) content; ELISA was used to measure interleukin (IL) -6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α in lung tissues. Results: Compared with the control group, the weight gain of the rats in the 4.5 and 8.5 mg/kg exposure groups was small, and the lung weight and organ coefficient of the exposed group decreased, the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05). In the exposed group, the lung tissue structure was disordered, the alveolar wall was thickened, and inflammatory cell infiltration was observed. Compared with the control group, the MDA activity in the serum of the rats in the 4.5 mg/kg and 8.5 mg/kg groups increased, and the SOD and GSH-Px activities decreased, the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05). TNF-α levels in the lung tissues of rats exposed to 4.5 mg/kg and 8.5 mg/kg, and levels of (IL) -6 and IL-1β in the lungs of rats in the 2.5, 4.5, and 8.5 mg/kg groups. Significantly increased, the difference was statistically significant ( P <0.05) . Conclusion: Crotonaldehyde may induce inflammatory and oxidative stress damage in rats by up-regulating the expression of inflammatory factors in lung tissue and changing the oxidative balance.

Gossypium hirsutum, a cotton species widely cultivated around the world, is a typical cold-sensitive crop. Low-temperature (LT) stress is one of the main environmental stressors that can affect growth and the quality of cotton fibers. LT is also a major challenge for cotton survival, growth maturity and geographical distribution. However, few genome-wide transcriptional response and profiling datasets are available to explore the LT-tolerant mechanism of cotton. This study treated G. hirsutum with four LT gradients (control at 25 °C and cold temperatures at 4 °C, 10 °C and 15 °C) for 24 hour to generate 12 RNA-Seq datasets (three biological replicates per treatment) with approximately 280 million clean reads per dataset. The quality of the datasets obtained in the current study was validated through a series of quality checks including verification of RNA sample quality and RNA-Seq read quality. Data analyses included novel gene discovery, global gene expression profiling and quantitative real-time PCR. This is the first study to report genome-wide transcriptomic datasets for cotton in response to LT exposure.

The effects of Thiobacillus denitrificans combined with signal molecules on the removal of sulfide and nitrate was investigated. By adding signal molecules and T. denitrificans at the same, the total number of microorganisms increased, the removal of sulfide and nitrate was accelerated, and an increase in nitrogen gas and more stable accumulation of elemental sulfur was observed. The total number of microorganisms after the reaction was detected using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique. In this experiment, the optimal concentration for the stable accumulation of elemental sulfur from six concentrations of signal molecules was revealed. Further, the effects of adding signal molecules, T. denitrificans , and their combination were analyzed at this concentration. The results showed that it was easier to accumulate elemental sulfur after the addition of 1.0 μmol·L -1 signal molecule. After adding both T. denitrificans and 1.0 μmol·L -1 signal molecules at a sulfide concentration of 200 mg·L -1 , the removal of sulfide and nitrate increased to 99.8% and 96.9% at 72 h, respectively, and increases in nitrogen gas and sulfur were observed. The amounts of elemental sulfur and nitrogen gas reached to 59.0 mg and 80.0 mL, respectively, after adding 2.5 μmol·L -1 signal molecules at 72 h when the sulfide concentration was 300 mg·L -1 . Under those conditions, the removal efficiency of sulfide and nitrate reached 99.0% and 93.9%, and the production of elemental sulfur and nitrogen reached 63.1 mg and 79.5 mL, respectively.

MicroRNA-575 (miR-575) is oncogene in many tumors. However, the role of miR-575 in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) is still unknown. The aim of this study was to identify whether miR-575 play a role in the development of GC. We obtained GC cell lines, GC tissues from 40 patients to measure the levels of miR-575 and its predicted target PTEN by using RT‑PCR, immunohistochemistry or western blot analysis. MGC-803 cells were transfected with miR-575 inhibitor, and cells viability and apoptosis were measured. miR-575 aberrantly up-regulated in GC tissues and GC cell lines compared with corresponding control. In cell lines, MGC‑803 expressed highest level of miR-575 among the tested cells. The level of miR-575 was correlated with the tumor size, AJCC stage and prognosis, but not with the other clinical parameters. Knockdown of miR-575 inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptotic death of MGC-803 cells both in vitro and vivo. PTEN levels (both mRNA and protein) were remarkably decreased in cancer tissues compared with the paired-adjacent tissues, and negatively correlated with miR-575 in the tissues. By using luciferase reporter assay, we found PTEN was a direct downstream target of miR-575, and negatively regulated by miR-575 via targeting its 3'UTR. Knockdown or overexpression of miR-575 in MGC-803 cells negatively regulated PTEN expression. Finally, silencing PTEN partially impaired anti-proliferative effects of miR-575 inhibitor. miRNA-575 serves a pivotal role in GC as a cancer promoter gene by targeting PTEN to regulate proliferation and apoptosis of the cancer cells., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Pure mucinous breast carcinoma (PMBC) accounts for approximately 2% of all breast carcinoma. Overexpression or amplification of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is rarely observed in PMBC. We retrieved 119 PMBCs, which included 12 HER2-positive PMBCs and 107 HER2-negative PMBCs, to compare the clinicopathologic features between HER2-positive and HER2-negative neoplasms. The assessed parameters included patient age, menstruation, laterality, tumor size, lymph node status, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, nuclear grade, receptor status, treatment and prognostic features. HER2-positive PMBCs represented approximately 10.1% of the PMBCs examined. HER2-positive PMBCs showed more frequent lymph node metastasis (P=0.038), a significantly higher clinical TNM stage (P<0.001) and nuclear grade (P<0.001), lower estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression and higher Ki67 expression than the HER2-negative group (P=0.011, P=0.005, and P=0.001, respectively). HER2-positive PMBCs (untreated with HER2-targeted therapy) had a significantly lower overall survival (OS) rate than HER2-negative PMBCs (P=0.005). Nodal metastasis, higher TNM stage and nuclear grade were identified as factors that result in poorer OS of patients with PMBCs (P<0.001, P=0.016, P<0.001, and P<0.001, respectively). Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses confirmed that HER2 status was an independent prognostic factor for PMBCs (P=0.003 and P=0.012, respectively). HER2-positive PMBC is a rare subtype of breast carcinoma with aggressive biological behavior. It is important to identify tumors with these aggressive clinical behaviors and manage them differently. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first systematic investigation of the clinicopathologic features of HER2-positive PMBCs., Competing Interests: None., (IJCEP Copyright © 2019.)

Objective: The accuracy of the occlusion vertical dimensions of edentulous Han patients from Yunnan province was compared and analyzed on the basis of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)-synthesized cephalograms, closest speaking space method, and interocclusal distance., Methods: A database correlating the CBCT head lateral images of Han patients from Yunnan province with normal occlusal conditions was first constructed. Then, five edentulous Han patients aged 63-78 years old from Yunnan Province were selected. NNT.View software was used to measure and analyze hard tissue cephalometric radiographs that had been transformed by the CBCT marker. The radiographs were then combined with the normal population database for the assessment of occlusion vertical dimensions. The occlusion vertical dimensions determined on the basis of CBCT-synthesized cephalograms, the closest speaking space method, and the free-way space were analyzed., Results: The closest speaking space method was used as the standard control group, the differences between seven methods and the closest speaking space method were analyzed. The seven methods include free-way space method and six CBCT-synthesized cephalograms methods (N-ANS/ANS-Me, S-Go/N-Me, ANS-Gn/N-ANS, ANS-FH/Me-FH, ANS-Xi-Pm, and CA/LA). The seven methods were highly consistent with the closest speaking space method (intraclass correlation coefficient>0.986). The absolute values of the differences between the methods of free-way space, N-ANS/ANS-Me, S-Go/N-Me and the closest speaking space method were lower than those of the other four groups (P<0.05), while the differences between ANS-FH/Me-FH and the closest speaking space method was higher than those other groups (P<0.05)., Conclusions: CBCT-synthesized cephalograms, with the exception of ANS-FH/Me-FH, can provide references for the clinical evaluation of the occlusion vertical dimensions of patients with edentulous jaws.

Background: Few studies showed the changes in cytokine profiles after infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV), the most common viral liver disease worldwide. This study examined the relationship between interleukin (IL)-32, IL-1, and interferon (IFN)-γ levels and HBV load., Methods: IL-32, IL-1, and IFN-γ levels in hepatitis B patients serum and HBV-stimulated PBMCs were measured by ELISA. Gene transcripts in PBMCs from hepatitis B patients and HBV-stimulated PBMCs from healthy controls were measured by real-time PCR., Results: IL-32, IL-1, and IFN-γ protein levels in serum from hepatitis B patients were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers (P<0.05). Hepatitis B patients showed significantly higher expression of IL-32, IL-1, and IFN-γ transcripts than healthy volunteers (P<0.05). IL-32, IL-1, and IFN-γ levels in PBMCs stimulated by different amounts of HBV were significantly higher than those in HBV-unstimulated PBMCs (P<0.05). Real-time PCR results were consistent with the ELISA results., Conclusions: The levels of IL-32, IL-1, and IFN-γ protein and transcripts in serum and PBMCs from hepatitis B patients were higher than those in healthy volunteers. Similarly, both were higher in PBMCs from healthy volunteers stimulated by HBV in vitro. However, the changes in cytokine levels were not proportional to the viral load., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Disruptions have the potential to cause severe damage to large tokamaks like ITER. The mitigation of disruption damage is one of the essential issues for the tokamak. Massive gas injection (MGI) is a technique in which large amounts of a noble gas are injected into the plasma in order to safely radiate the plasma energy evenly over the entire plasma-facing wall. However, the radiated energy during the disruption triggered by massive gas injection is found to be toroidally asymmetric. In order to investigate the spatial and temporal structures of the radiation asymmetry, the radiated power diagnostics for the J-TEXT tokamak have been upgraded. The multi-channel arrays of absolute extreme ultraviolet photodiodes have been upgraded at four different toroidal positions to investigate the radiation asymmetries during massive gas injection. It is found that the toroidal asymmetry is associated with plasma properties and MGI induced MHD activities.