Search

ObjectiveTo compare the electroencephalogram power spectrum of patients with primary insomnia and good sleep controls in multiple brain areas and different frequency bands during non-rapid eye movement sleep.Methods48 primary insomnias and 30 age-and gender-matched good sleep controls were recorded overnight with polysomnography. Power spectral analysis was performed in six brain areas (F3, F4, C3, C4, O1 and O2) and across seven frequency bands (delta, sigma, alpha, theta, beta1, beta2, and gamma) during non-rapid eye movement sleep between primary insomnias and good sleep controls.ResultsIn primary insomnias, there were significant differences in frequency bands and areas. Compared to good sleep controls, delta power was lower in primary insomnias, while beta1, beta2, and gamma were higher. Beta2 power was substantially higher in all areas, sigma power was significantly higher on the right side, and gamma power was considerably higher on the left side in primary insomnias. The Beta1 power was positively correlated the number of awakenings (r = 0.3291, p = 0.02) in primary insomnias on the right side.ConclusionThis study marked the first specialized comparison of power spectral analysis during non-rapid eye movement sleep in different areas and across different frequency bands. The result suggested that primary insomnias had reduced deep sleep (lower delta power) and hyperarousal state (higher beta 2 power). Primary insomnia was associated with significant fragmented sleep, and an increase in beta1 power was related to the number of awakenings.SignificanceThese findings revealed the hemispheric lateralization characteristics of power spectral disturbances during non-rapid eye movement sleep in primary insomnias and provided valuable insights for selecting electrode placements in future power spectral analyses of primary insomnias.

The medicinal use of pilose antler was first described in Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica for treating kidney yang deficiency. Therefore, in this study, sika deer antler protein (SDAP) was used as a component analysis and its impacts on the immunomodulatory effects of RAW264.7 cells and kidney yang deficiency mice, as well as the intestinal flora of mice, were investigated. The results showed that SDAP could regulate the secretion of associated factors and the expression of genes and proteins of NF-κB-related signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide and kidney yang deficiency mice. Additionally, SDAP could regulate intestinal homeostasis by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus and Clostridium, reducing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria Proteobacteria, and maintaining some bacterial homeostasis in kidney-yang deficiency mice, so as to decrease intestinal edema, effectively improve intestinal microecology, and improve the immune function of the organism.

Mammary glands Hyperplasia (MGH) is a benign condition common in middle-aged women. This study addresses the therapeutic effects of various deer antler medicinal materials on MGH, a topic of increasing interest. The research compares the anti-MGH effects of these materials and investigates their mechanisms. Results indicate that deer antler materials inhibited abnormal proliferation in MCF-10 A cells and improved conditions in MGH rats particularly, Cervus nippon antler (CNA) showed the most significant effects. CNA treatment reduced nipple diameter, improved organ index, and alleviated pathological hyperplasia. It also decreased lobules and alveoli in mammary glands, reduced ductal dilation, and regulated sex hormone levels and receptor expression in MGH rats' serum. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that CNA lowers expression of RANKL, NF-κB, and Cyclin D1 in mammary tissue, inhibiting progress through the G1/S phase of mammary cells and inhibiting proliferation. These findings suggest that CNA could be an effective treatment for MGH, warranting further exploration of its mechanisms and applications in breast disease.

Abstract Background Galangin, a flavonoid compound, is derived from Alpinia officinarum Hance. Previous studies have shown that galangin can inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its mechanism is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the potential targets and molecular mechanisms of galangin on HCC through network pharmacology, bioinformatics, molecular docking, and experimental in vitro validation. Methods In this study, network pharmacology was used to investigate the targets and mechanisms of galangin in the treatment of HCC. AutoDockTools software was used to simulate and calculate the binding of galangin to its core targets. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were conducted in the DAVID database to explore the main biological functions and signaling pathways impacted by galangin intervention. In addition, bioinformatics was applied to examine the correlation between the differential expressions of the anti-HCC core targets of galangin and the survival of patients with HCC. Finally, the findings obtained from network pharmacology and bioinformatics were verified in cell experiments. Results A total of 67 overlapping target genes of galangin and HCC were identified. Through the analysis of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, 10 hub genes with the highest degree of freedom were identified, including SRC, ESR1, MMP9, CDK4, CCNB1, MMP2, CDK2, CDK1, CHK1, and PLK1. These genes were found to be closely related to the degradation of the extracellular matrix, signal transduction, and the cell cycle. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that galangin exerts an anti-HCC role by affecting various signaling pathways, including the cell cycle, pathways in cancer, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The results of molecular docking indicated a significant interaction between galangin and CCNB1, CDK4, CDK1, and PLK1. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that CCNB1, CDK4, CDK1, and PLK1 were upregulated in the liver of patients with HCC at both the mRNA and protein levels. Flow cytometry analysis showed that galangin induced G0/G1 phase arrest and cell apoptosis in HepG2 and Huh7 cells. Additionally, galangin suppressed the expression of key proteins and mRNAs involved in the cell cycle pathway. Conclusions These results suggest that galangin inhibits the growth of HCC cells by arresting the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase.

Abstract Background Motor cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) represents a critical pre-dementia and disability state characterized by a combination of objectively measured slow walking speed and subjective memory complaints (SMCs). This study aims to identify risk factors for MCR and investigate the relationship between plasma levels of 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and MCR among Chinese community-dwelling elderly populations. Methods A total of 1312 participants were involved in this study based on the data of the Rugao Longevity and Aging Study (RuLAS). The MCR was characterized by SMCs and slow walking speed. The SCCs were defined as a positive answer to the question ‘Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most?’ in a 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Slow walking speed was determined by one standard deviation or more below the mean value of the patient’s age and gender group. The plasma of 8-OHdG were measured by a technician in the biochemistry laboratory of the Rugao People’s Hospital during the morning of the survey. Results The prevalence of MCR was found to be 7.9%. After adjusting for covariates, significant associations with MCR were observed in older age (OR 1.057; p = 0.018), history of cerebrovascular disease (OR 2.155; p = 0.010), and elevated 8-OHdG levels (OR 1.007; p = 0.003). Conclusions This study indicated the elevated plasma 8-OHdG is significantly associated with increased MCR risk in the elderly, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for early detection and intervention in MCR. This finding underscores the importance of monitoring oxidative DNA damage markers in predicting cognitive and motor function declines, offering new avenues for research and preventive strategies in aging populations.

Deer oil (DO) is a potentially beneficial functional oil; however, its sensitivity to environmental factors (e.g., oxygen and heat), difficulty in transport, and unfavorable taste hinder practical use. In this study, DO was encapsulated through the cohesive action of soy protein isolate (SPI) and chitosan (CS). The optimal preparation conditions yielded microcapsules with DO’s highest encapsulation efficiency (EE) (85.28 ± 1.308%) at an SPI/CS mixing ratio of 6:1 and a core-to-wall ratio of 1:2 at pH 6. Fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy were utilized to examine the microcapsules’ structure, showing intact surfaces and effective encapsulation of oil droplets through SPI/CS composite coalescence. Through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the electrostatic interplay between SPI and CS was verified during the merging process. At room temperature, the microcapsules resisted core oxidation by reducing gas permeation. In vitro simulated digestion results indicated the microcapsules achieved a slow and sustained release of DO in the intestinal tract. This study further expands the application scope of deer oil and promotes the development of deer oil preparations and functional foods.

IntroductionThe prevalence of male infertility has been increasing globally, necessitating the search for safe and nontoxic active compounds to alleviate reproductive dysfunction. Although the precise mechanism remains unknown, Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CS) extract has protective effects on the reproductive system. The effect of C. songaricum Rupr. flavonoids (CSF) on reproductive injury and testicular mesenchymal stem cell viability in male mice and TM3 cells was investigated.MethodsWe explored the possible association between these effects and the testosterone (T) synthesis pathway. Mice were administered cyclophosphamide to induce reproductive damage, followed by CSF administration. Body mass and organ index were recorded. Pathological changes in T and the epididymis were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. ELISA measured the serum levels of T, luteinizing hormone (LH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2) in mice. Fructose and zinc ion levels in the seminal plasma were measured. TM3 cells were treated with Bisphenol A (BPA) and different concentrations of CSF, followed by proliferative evaluations using the CCK-8 assay and T and LH level assessments using ELISA. Furthermore, the expression of steroidogenic enzyme genes and proteins was investigated using western blotting and RT-PCR.ResultsCSF exhibited a notable reduction in reproductive damage and improved pathological changes in testicular and epididymal tissues. CSF group demonstrated substantially higher levels of seminal plasma fructose and zinc ions; markedly elevated serum levels of T, LH, GnRH, and FSH; and lower levels of E2 than those of the model group. Intracellular T content and secretion of T and LH increase with CSF while effectively mitigating BPA-induced damage to TM3 cells. CSF group exhibited substantially higher gene and protein expression of steroidogenic enzymes than those of the model group, both in vivo and in vitro. CSF ameliorates reproductive impairment by enhancing the expression of pivotal enzymes involved in synthesizing T.DiscussionCSF ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced reproductive impairment and bisphenol A-induced TM3 cell damage in mice by regulating sex hormone levels in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis (HPG axis) and upregulating the expression of steroidogenic enzymes. Therefore, CS is a potential treatment for male reproductive impairment.

Accurately mapping crop cultivation types is essential for the sustainable development of precision agriculture. Environmental restrictions on crop growth, such as soil salinization in arid zones, generally lead to spatial crop growth heterogeneity within cropland fields, which in turn generates differences in the spectral responses reflected in optical remote sensing images of the same croplands and leads to pixel-scale crop-mapping misclassifications. Thus, through this article, we proposed a method to solve this problem at the geoparcel scale by integrating geometric features from a Gaofen-2 high-resolution remote sensing image and the spectral-temporal features derived from Sentinel-2 time series. The results showed that cropland parcels could be accurately extracted from Gaofen-2 images by employing the U-Net semantic segmentation model with an overall accuracy (OA) reaching 97% and a kappa coefficient of 0.95. Then, geoparcel-scale crop types were mapped based on prior crop phenology knowledge and the corresponding Sentinel-2 time series using the time-weighted dynamic time warping (TWDTW) classification algorithm. The parcel-based TWDTW algorithm had an OA of 99.64%, a kappa coefficient of 0.99, and optimal spatial homogeneity in the results, thus outperforming the pixel-based TWDTW method. These results provide a potential solution for mapping crops under spatially heterogeneous cropland conditions affected by various environmental constraints.

Abstract Background Overload and anxiety were common phenomena among frontline nurses during the pandemic. Understanding the potential pathway for fostering engagement in high-stress working conditions can provide evidence of targeted intervention to facilitate nurses’ well-being and safety practices. This study aims to investigate the level of nurses’ work engagement during nucleic acid collection tasks in the COVID-19 pandemic and identify its potential antecedents. Methods A cross-sectional design was adopted. A sample of 824 nurses who engaged in nucleic acid collection tasks completed an online self-report questionnaire between 1 March and 31 May 2022. Descriptive and path analyses were utilized to analyse the interrelationships among anxiety, perceived workload, affective commitment, perceived organizational support and work engagement. This study was conducted and reported under the guidelines for Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. Results The results showed that frontline nurses engaged in such tasks reported high levels of anxiety and task load and low levels of work engagement. Path analysis identified anxiety symptoms, perceived workload, perceived organizational support, and affective commitment as associated with work engagement, and among these factors, perceived organizational support and affective commitment played key roles in mediating the relationship of anxiety, workload and work engagement in high-stress working conditions. Conclusions Affective commitment and perceived organizational support were associated with frontline nurses’ level of work engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic; these two variables might explain how engagement is generated in high-anxiety and high-workload situations. When healthcare organizations give more attention to frontline nurses’ physical and psychological conditions and are able to innovatively motivate affective commitment and facilitate organizational support, nurses’ work engagement in high-level tasks may increase, thus enhancing work safety and personal well-being.

Depression is a complex and common mental illness affecting physical and psychological health. Panax ginseng C. A. Mey is a traditional Chinese medicine with abundant pharmacological activity and applications in regulating mood disorders. 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol is the major intestinal metabolite of ginsenoside and one of the active components in ginseng. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol on neuronal damage and depression, which may involve mitochondrial dynamics. However, the mechanism underlying the antidepressant effects of 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol is unelucidated. In the present study, we investigated the potential mechanisms underlying the antidepressant activity of 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol by employing a corticosterone-induced HT22 cellular model and a chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS)-induced animal model in combination with a network pharmacology approach. In vitro, the results showed that 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol ameliorated the corticosterone (CORT)-induced decrease in HT22 cell viability, decrease in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels, and increase in nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Furthermore, 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol exerted improvement effects on the CORT-induced increase in HT22 cell mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis. In vivo, the results showed that 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol ameliorated depressive symptoms and hippocampal neuronal damage in CUMS mice, and sirtuin1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-1-Alpha (PGC-1α) activity were activated in the hippocampus of mice, thereby alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction and promoting the clearance of damaged mitochondria. In both in vivo and in vitro models, after inhibiting SIRT1 expression, the protective effect of 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol on mitochondria was significantly weakened, and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1)-mediated mitochondrial division was significantly reduced. These findings suggest that 20 (S)-Protopanaxadiol may exert neuroprotective and antidepressant effects by attenuating DRP1-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis by modulating the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

Abstract Background The oXiris is a novel filter for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) featuring an adsorption coating to adsorb endotoxins and remove inflammatory mediators. Given that no consensus has been reached on its potential benefits in treating sepsis, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess its impact on the clinical outcomes of this patient population. Methods Eleven databases were retrieved to find relevant observational studies and randomized controlled trials. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process was employed to assess the certainty of evidence. The 28-day mortality was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were 7-, 14-, and 90-day mortality, length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, ICU and hospital mortality, norepinephrine (NE) dose, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and lactate levels, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Results The meta-analysis, pooling data from 14 studies, involving 695 patients, showed significant reductions in 28-day mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.53; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36–0.77, p = 0.001] and length of ICU stay [weighted mean difference (WMD) − 1.91; 95% CI − 2.56 to − 1.26, p

Abstract Background Nucleosome-localized sirtuin 4 (SIRT4) was found to function as an oncogene and tumor suppressor gene in different tumors. However, the clinical significance of SIRT4 in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) has not been assessed, nor has the function of SIRT4 in BLCA been analyzed. Methods In this study, we assessed the levels of SIRT4 protein in BLCA tissues and its association with clinicopathological parameters and overall survival time of BLCA patients by immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays containing 59 BLCA patients. Then, we constructed BLCA cell lines (T24) with overexpression or interference of SIRT4 by lentiviral infection. The effects of SIRT4 on the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of T24 cells were investigated using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, wound healing assays, and migration and invasion assays. Moreover, we also investigated the effect of SIRT4 on the cell cycle and apoptosis of T24 cells. Mechanistically, we explored the relationship between SIRT4 and autophagy and its role in the inhibition of BLCA. Results We found by immunohistochemistry that SIRT4 protein levels were reduced in BLCA and that lower SIRT4 levels were associated with larger tumor volumes, later T-staging and later AJCC staging in BLCA patients and were an independent prognostic factor in BLCA patients. Overexpression of SIRT4 significantly inhibited the proliferative viability, scratch healing capacity, migratory capacity, and invasive capacity of T24 cells, while interference with SIRT4 had the opposite effect. Moreover, overexpression of SIRT4 significantly inhibited the cell cycle and increased the apoptosis rate of T24 cells. Mechanistically, SIRT4 inhibits BLCA growth by suppressing autophagic flow. Conclusions Our study suggests that SIRT4 is an independent prognostic factor for BLCA and that SIRT4 plays a tumor suppressor role in BLCA. This suggests a potential target for SIRT4 in the diagnosis and treatment of BLCA.

The changing global climate has significantly impacted the spread of plant pests. The cassava mealybug (Phenacoccus manihoti) is among the most dangerous quarantine pests affecting cassavas worldwide, causing substantial losses in agricultural production and food security across several regions. Although China is currently free of the cassava mealybug, its proximity to affected countries and extensive trade with these regions necessitate a detailed understanding of the pest’s distribution pattern and dynamic ecological niche changes. Using the Biomod2 model, we selected two historical climate scenarios and two future climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5) to investigate the distribution patterns, potential habitats, distribution centers, and dynamic ecological niches of cassava mealybugs in China. Key environmental variables influencing the distribution were identified, including bio4, bio8, bio12, bio18, and bio19. The potential habitat of cassava mealybugs is mainly located in several provinces in southern China. In the future, the suitable habitat is projected to expand slightly under the influence of climate change, maintaining the overall trend, but the distribution center of suitable areas will shift northward. Dynamic ecological niche prediction results indicate the potential for further expansion; however, the ecological niches may be unequal and dissimilar in the invaded areas. The predictions could serve as a valuable reference for early warning systems and management strategies to control the introduction of cassava mealybugs.

Due to the limited supply of autologous bone grafts, there is a need to develop more bone matrix materials to repair bone defects. Xenograft bone is expected to be used for clinical treatment due to its exact structural similarity to natural bone and its high biocompatibility. In this study, decellularized antler cancellous bone matrix (DACB) was first prepared, and then the extent of decellularization of DACB was verified by histological staining, which demonstrated that it retained the extracellular matrix (ECM). The bioactivity of DACB was assessed using C3H10T1/2 cells, revealing that DACB enhanced cell proliferation and facilitated cell adhesion and osteogenic differentiation. When evaluated by implanting DACB into nude mice, there were no signs of necrosis or inflammation in the epidermal tissues. The bone repair effect of DACB was verified in vivo using sika deer during the antler growth period as an animal model, and the molecular mechanisms of bone repair were further evaluated by transcriptomic analysis of the regenerated tissues. Our findings suggest that the low immunogenicity of DACB enhances the production of bone extracellular matrix components, leading to effective osseointegration between bone and DACB. This study provides a new reference for solving bone defects.

Background: As a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Cornu Cervi Degelatinatum (CCD) has the effect of warming the kidney to support yang, astringing, and stopping bleeding, and is used for spleen kidney yang deficient (SKYD). This experiment was to investigate the therapeutic effects of different processes of CCD on SKYD type ulcerative colitis (UC) rats and to explore its impact on the intestinal flora of rats. Methods: ELISA was used to study the anti-inflammatory activity of Cornu Cervi Degelatinatum processed with water (WCCD) and Cornu Cervi Degelatinatum processed with vinegar (VCCD). 16SrRNA and transcriptome sequencing were used to detect the composition of rat intestinal flora and gene expression; RT-PCR and Western blot were used to verify the role of WCCD and VCCD in treating UC. Results: WCCD and VCCD have therapeutic effects on UC, could reduce tissue damage. VCCD performed better in improving Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratios and species evenness and abundance; performed better in increasing the quantity of lactobacillus. VCCD simultaneously inhibit the intestinal inflammatory response through NCK2, PAK4, and JNK signaling pathways. Conclusions: WCCD and VCCD play a therapeutic role in UC by regulating the proportion of different flora in the intestinal flora. VCCD regulates the intestinal flora and inflammatory response by interfering with the NCK2, PAK4 and JNK signaling pathways.

As ecologically fragile areas, coastal zones are affected by both anthropogenic activities and climate change. However, the impacts of these factors on large nearshore mammals, such as Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (IPHDs, Sousa chinensis), are poorly understood. Here, modeling revealed that the suitable habitats of IPHDs are affected mainly by the sea surface temperature (SST), and the habitat suitability decreases as the distance to the nearest coastline increases. In addition, anthropogenic activities involving demersal fishing, contamination and shipping have narrowed IPHD habitats and reduced the habitat suitability. We found that climate change will further narrow suitable habitats located farther than 7 km from coastlines and trigger habitat losses in the eastern Taiwan Strait by 2090–2100 under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 scenario. The projected decreases in habitat suitability and area emphasize the urgency of establishing connected marine protected areas (MPAs) while considering climate change, intergovernmental cooperation, and public involvement.

Context Fibraurea recisa Pierre. (Menispermaceae) (FR) is a traditional Chinese medicine known as “Huangteng.” The total alkaloids of FR (AFR) are the main active ingredients. However, the pharmacological effects of AFR in the treatment of depression have not been reported.Objectives This study investigates the antidepressant effects of AFR by network pharmacology and verification experiments.Materials and methods Compound-Target-Pathway (C-P-T) network of FR and depression was constructed through network pharmacology. In vitro, HT-22 cells were treated with corticosterone (CORT) solution (0.35 mg/mL), then AFR (0.05 mg/mL) solution and inhibitor AZD6244 (14 μM/mL) or BAY11-7082 (10 μM/mL) were added, respectively. The cell viability was detected by CCK-8. In vivo, C57BL/6 mice were divided into 5 groups, namely the normal group, the CUMS group, the AFR (400 mg/kg) group, and the 2 groups that were simultaneously administered the inhibitory group AZD6244 (8 mg/kg) and BAY11-7082 (5 mg/kg). Western blotting was used to assess the expression level of the proteins.Results AFR could protect HT-22 cells from CORT-induced damage and increase the cell viability from 49.12 ± 3.4% to 87.26 ± 1.5%. Moreover, AFR significantly increased the levels of BDNF (1.3, 1.4-fold), p-ERK (1.4, 1.2-fold) and p-CERB (1.6, 1.3-fold), and decreased the levels of NLRP3 (11.3%, 31.6%), ASC (19.2%, 34.2%) and caspase-1 (18.0%, 27.6%) in HT-22 cells and the hippocampus, respectively.Discussion and conclusions AFR can improve depressive-like behaviours and can develop drugs for depression treatment. Further studies are needed to validate its potential in clinical medicine.

Angiogenesis is strongly associated with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) progression. Early growth response protein 1 (EGR1) plays an important role in angiogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the function and mechanism of EGR1 involved in OHSS progression. RNA-sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed genes. In vitro OHSS cell model was induced by treating KGN cells with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In vivo OHSS model was established in mice. The expression levels of EGR1, SOX1, and VEGF were determined by Quantitative Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and immunochemistry assay. The content of VEGF in the culture medium of human granulosa-like tumor cell line (KGN) cells was accessed by the ELISA assay. The regulatory effect of EGR1 on SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) was addressed by luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The ERG1 and SOX9 levels were significantly upregulated in granulosa cells from OHSS patients and there was a positive association between EGR1 and SOX9 expression. In the ovarian tissues of OHSS mice, the levels of EGR1 and SOX9 were also remarkedly increased. Treatment with hCG elevated the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), EGR1, and SOX9 in KGN cells. Silencing of EGR1 reversed the promoting effect of hCG on VEGF and SOX9 expression in KGN cells. EGR1 transcriptionally regulated SOX9 expression through binding to its promoter. In addition, administration of dopamine decreased hCG-induced VEGF in KGN cells and ameliorated the progression of OHSS in mice, which were companied with decreased EGR1 and SOX9 expression. EGR1 has a promoting effect on OHSS progression and dopamine protects against OHSS through suppression of EGR1/SOX9 cascade. Our findings may provide new targets for the treatment of OHSS.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of modified Guilu Erxian Gum (MGEG) on cyclophosphamide (Cy) induced immunosuppression in mice. Based on network pharmacology, the comprehensive mechanism of immune hypofunction was preliminarily discussed. Methods: Cyimmunosuppression model was established to observe the effect of MGEG compound on immune injury in mice. The best compound was screened for network pharmacological analysis, and the ''drug component'' and ''disease drug target'' networks were established by network pharmacological methods. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were conducted according to the common target between Chinese herbal medicine and low immunity to determine the biological process and signal pathway. The core components and targets obtained by network pharmacology were verified by Western blot analysis (WB). Results: In vivo experiments showed that the weight, thymus index, organ index, carbon particle clearance index, phagocytosis index, foot thickening level, macrophage phagocytosis and natural killer cell killing activity of immunosuppressed mice induced by Cy were significantly increased by Codonopsis pilosula, Guilu Erxian Jiaowei Wuxing Powder (CGW) (p

Neurological-related disorders are diseases that affect the body’s neurons or peripheral nerve tissue, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The development of neurological disorders can cause serious harm to the quality of life and functioning of the patient. The use of traditional therapeutic agents such as dopamine-promoting drugs, anticholinergic drugs, cholinesterase inhibitors, and NMDA receptor antagonists is often accompanied by a series of side effects such as drug resistance, cardiac arrhythmia, liver function abnormalities, and blurred vision. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a therapeutic drug with a high safety profile and few side effects. Herbal medicines are rich in active ingredients that are natural macromolecules. Ginsenoside is the main active ingredient of ginseng, which has a variety of pharmacological effects and is considered to have potential value in the treatment of human diseases. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that ginsenosides Rg2 and Rh1 have strong pharmacological activities in the nervous system, with protective effects on nerve cells, improved resistance to neuronal injury, modulation of neural activity, resistance to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, improvement of brain damage after eclampsia hemorrhage, improvement of memory and cognitive deficits, treatment of AD and vascular dementia, alleviation of anxiety, pain, and inhibition of ionic-like behavior. In this article, we searched the pharmacological research literature of Rg2 and Rh1 in the field of neurological diseases, summarized the latest research progress of the two ginsenosides, and reviewed the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Rg2 and Rh1, which provided a new way of thinking for the research of the active ingredients in ginseng anti-neurological diseases and the development of new drugs.

Alzheimer’s disease is a common degenerative disease which has a great impact on people’s daily lives, but there is still a certain market gap in the drug research about it. Palmatine, one of the main components of Huangteng, the rattan stem of Fibraurea recisa Pierre (Menispermaceae), has potential in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of palmatine on amyloid beta protein 25–35-induced rat pheochromocytoma cells and AD mice and to investigate its mechanism of action. CCK8 assays, ELISA, the Morris water maze assay, fluorescent probes, calcein/PI staining, immunofluorescent staining and Western blot analysis were used. The experimental results show that palmatine can increase the survival rate of Aβ25-35-induced PC12 cells and mouse hippocampal neurons, reduce apoptosis, reduce the content of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, GSH, SOD, MDA and ROS, improve the learning and memory ability of AD mice, inhibit the expression of Keap-1 and Bax, and promote the expression of Nrf2, HO-1 and Bcl-2. We conclude that palmatine can ameliorate oxidative stress and neuroinflammation produced by Aβ25-35-induced PC12 cells and mice by modulating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. In conclusion, our results suggest that palmatine may have a potential therapeutic effect on AD and could be further investigated as a promising therapeutic agent for AD. It provides a theoretical basis for the development of related drugs.

Polysaccharides are the main effective components of Cynomorium songaricum’s stem that perform biological activities and have positive impacts on immune enhancement. In this study, the polysaccharide CSP-III of Cynomorium songaricum’s stem was isolated using a DEAE-52 cellulose column through Sephadex G-100 gel column chromatography. Upon analysis, the monosaccharide composition of CSP-III included Mannose (Man), Glucuronic acid (GlcA), Galacturonic acid (GalA), Rhamnose (Rha), Glucose (Glc), Galactose (Gal), and Arabinose (Ara), at a molar ratio of 0.01:0.11:0.03:0.57:0.02:0.32:1. The molecular weight of CSP-III was 4018234 Da. Meanwhile, the capacity of CSP-III, at various concentrations, to stimulate the proliferation of mouse spleen lymphocytes in vitro was compared, and the influence of CSP-III on cell proliferation was examined using RAW264.7 mouse mononuclear macrophages as a model. The influence of CSP-III on the expression of important phosphorylating proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway was initially analyzed by Western blotting. In RAW264.7 cells, CSP-III promoted the phosphorylation of JNK proteins, which thus activated the MAPK signaling cascade and exerted immunomodulatory effects. Moreover, according to in vivo studies using cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppression mouse models, CSP-III improved the CTX-induced histopathological damage, promoted T and B lymphocyte proliferation, upregulated CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte counts in the spleen, increased the serum levels of IgG and IgM, and activated three essential proteins of the MAPK signaling pathway. As revealed by analysis of intestinal flora, CSP-III improved the immune function by maintaining the homeostasis of the bacterial flora by boosting the relative abundances of some beneficial bacterial groups, such as Bacteroidetes, Desmodium, and Actinomyces, and reducing the relative abundance of Aspergillus phylum. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, our present study demonstrates that polysaccharides from the stem of Cynomorium songaricum possess strong immunoregulatory effects. Findings in this work provide theoretical support for the potential application of Cynomorium songaricum in the field of health food.

Cyclophosphamide (CTX) is a broad-spectrum alkylated antitumor drug. It is clinically used in the treatment of a variety of cancers, and renal toxicity is one of the adverse reactions after long-term or repeated use, which not only limits the therapeutic effect of CTX, but also increases the probability of kidney lesions. The total flavonoids of Epimedium stem and leaf (EBF) and Icariin (ICA) are the main medicinal components of Epimedium, and ICA is one of the main active substances in EBF. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that EBF has a variety of biological activities such as improving osteoporosis, promoting cell proliferation, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, etc. However, few studies have been conducted on the nephrotoxicity caused by optimized CTX extraction, and protein-ligand binding has not been involved. This research, through the response surface optimization extraction of EBF, obtained the best extraction conditions: ethanol concentration was 60%, solid-liquid ratio of 25:1, ultrasonic time was about 25 min. Combined with mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, EBF contained ICA, ichopidin A, ichopidin B, ichopidin C, and other components. In this study, we adopted a computational chemistry method called molecular docking, and the results show that Icariin was well bound to the antioxidant target proteins KEAP1 and NRF2, and the anti-inflammatory target proteins COX-2 and NF-κB, with free binding energies of −9.8 kcal/mol, −11.0 kcal/mol, −10.0 kcal/mol, and −8.1 kcal/mol, respectively. To study the protective effect of EBF on the nephrotoxicity of CTX, 40 male Kunming mice (weight 18 ± 22) were injected with CTX (80 mg/kg) for 7 days to establish the nephrotoxicity model and were treated with EBF (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg) for 8 days by gavage. After CTX administration, MDA, BUN, Cre, and IL-6 levels in serum increased, MDA increased in kidney, GPT/ALT and IL-6 increased in liver, and IL-6 increased in spleen and was significant ((p < 0.05 or (p < 0.01)). Histopathological observation showed that renal cortex glomerular atrophy necrosis, medullary inflammatory cell infiltration, and other lesions. After administration of EBF, CTX-induced increase in serum level of related indexes was reduced, and MDA in kidney, GPT/ALT and IL-6 in liver, and IL-6 in spleen were increased. At the same time, histopathological findings showed that the necrosis of medullary and corticorenal tubular epithelium was relieved at EBF (50 mg/kg) dose compared with the CTX group, and the glomerular tubular necrosis gradually became normal at EBF (100 mg/kg) dose. Western blot analysis of Keap1 and Nrf2 protein expression in kidney tissue showed that compared with model CTX group, the drug administration group could alleviate the high expression of Keap1 protein and low expression of Nrf2 protein in kidney tissue. Conclusion: After the optimal extraction of total flavonoids from the stems and leaves of Epimedium, the molecular docking technique combined with animal experiments suggested that the effective component of the total flavonoids of Epimedium might activate the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway after treatment to reduce the inflammation and oxidative stress of kidney tissue, so as to reduce kidney damage and improve kidney function. Therefore, EBF may become a new natural protective agent for CTX chemotherapy in the future.

In this research, a new phospholipid based monolith was fabricated by in situ co-polymerization of 1-dodecanoyl-2-(11-methacrylamidoundecanoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine and ethylene dimethacrylate to mimick bio-membrane environment. Excellent physicochemical properties of this novel monolith that were achieved included column efficiency, stability, and permeability. Moreover, the biomimetic monolith showed outstanding separation capability for a series of intact proteins and small molecules. In particular, it exhibited good potential as an alternative to the commercial immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) column (IAM.PC.DD2) for studying drug-membrane interactions. This study not only enriched the types of IAM stationary phases, but also provided a simple model for the prediction of phosphatidylethanolamine related properties of drug candidates.

Effective and specific diagnostic imaging of brain glioma remains a challenge. Magnetic nanoparticles are actively being developed as contrast agents for diagnosis of tumor. In this work, we developed the targeted magnetic nanoparticles as T1-positive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Zn-doped Fe3O4 NPs were synthesized by solvothermal method, coated with liposome and conjugated to a tumor-penetrating peptide (RGERPPR). The effect of zinc doping on the magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was studied. Zn0.4Fe2.6O4-PEG nanoparticles exhibited T1 MR contrast enhancement. Cytotoxicity assay indicated that nanoparticles have good biocompatibility and low toxicity. And the in vitro cellular uptake assays on U87 cells confirmed that the conjugation of RGERPPR increased the uptake of the Zn0.4Fe2.6O4 NPs. In vivo MR imaging showed the contrast enhance of U87 brain glioma in rat model after injection.

Abstract Background We report a case and its 4-year follow-up of Osteoglophonic dysplasia (OD), a rare disease that disturbs both skeletal and dental development, which is usually caused by heterozygous FGFR1 mutations. Case presentation This article presents a case where a 6-year-old male patient suffered dysregulation of tooth eruption and was diagnosed with osteogenic dysplasia from a fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) heterozygote mutation. However, the number of teeth is within the normal range, and their roots are well developed. Several interventions were implemented with varying degrees of results. The details of the 4-year follow-up showed that the signs of OD were more pronounced, including dwarfism, frontal bossing, delayed skeletal maturation, anteverted nares, micrognathia, and prominent ears, but the patient’s impacted teeth and edentulous jaws remained unchanged. Conclusions FGFR1 heterozygote mutation and OD present significant difficulty for teeth eruption and subsequent intervention. Further measures ought to be taken in recognizing various symptoms presented by the patient. This case supports the significance of careful inquiry, comprehensive physical examination and correct diagnosis as indispensable steps for clinical practice in patients with unerupted teeth. Additionally, the detailed case and its 4-year follow-up length may provide new insights into osteogenic dysplasia and patients with impacted teeth while encouraging further exploration in treatment methods.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a toxic food/feed contaminant and the liver is its main target organ, thus it poses a great danger to organisms. Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a natural flavonoid compound, can be used as a food additive with high safety and has been shown to have strong hepatoprotective effects. In this experiment, PPI network and KEGG pathway analysis were constructed by network pharmacological analysis technique using software and platforms such as Swiss, String, and David and Cytoscape. We screened AFB1 and DHM cross-targets and pathways of action, followed by molecular docking based on the strength of binding affinity of genes to DHM. In addition, we exposed AFB1 (200 μg/kg) to mice to establish a liver injury model. Histological observation, biochemical assay, oxidative stress indicator assay, TUNEL staining and Western blot were used to evaluate the liver injury. Network pharmacological results were screened to obtain 25 cross-targets of action and 20 pathways of action. It was found that DHM may exert anti-hepatic injury effects by inhibiting the overexpression of Caspase-3 protein and increasing the expression of Bcl-2 protein. DHM (200 mg/kg) was found to reduce AFB1-induced liver indices such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate acyltransferase (AST), and attenuate hepatic histopathological damage through animal models. Importantly, DHM inhibited malondialdehyde (MDA) formation in liver tissue and attenuated AFB1-induced oxidative stress injury by increasing glutathione-S-transferase (GST) glutathione (GPX) catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Meanwhile, DHM also restored the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and antioxidant proteins, Nrf2, Keap1 and its downstream HO-1, and down-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Caspase-3 in AFB1-induced liver tissues. The results confirmed that liver injury caused by AFB1 exposure could be alleviated by DHM, providing valuable guidance for in-depth study of DHM in the treatment of liver-related diseases, and laying the foundation for in-depth development and utilization of DHM.

In order to obtain homogeneous Sanghuangporus vaninii polysaccharides with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, a response surface method (RSM) was used to compare the polysaccharide extraction rate of hot water extraction and ultrasonic-assisted extraction from Sanghuangporus vaninii. The optimal conditions for ultrasonic-assisted extraction were determined as follows: an extraction temperature of 60 °C, an extraction time of 60 min, a solid–liquid ratio of 40 g/mL, and an ultrasonic power of 70 W. An SVP (Sanghuangporus vaninii polysaccharides) extraction rate of 1.41% was achieved. Five homogeneous monosaccharides were obtained by gradient ethanol precipitation with diethylaminoethyl–cellulose (DEAE) and SephadexG-100 separation and purification. The five polysaccharides were characterized by high performance liquid chromatography, the ultraviolet spectrum, the Fourier transform infrared spectrum, TG (thermogravimetric analysis), the Zeta potential, and SEM (scanning electron microscopy). The five polysaccharides had certain levels of antioxidant activity in vitro. In addition, we the investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of polysaccharides derived from Sanghuangporus vaninii on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells and Kupffer cells. Further, we found that SVP-60 significantly inhibited the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells and promoted the level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Our study provides theoretical support for the potential application of Sanghuangporus vaninii in the field of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro.

Oral health is crucial to daily life, yet many people worldwide suffer from oral diseases. With the development of oral tissue engineering, there is a growing demand for dental biomaterials. Addressing oral diseases often requires a two-fold approach: fighting bacterial infections and promoting tissue growth. Hydrogels are promising tissue engineering biomaterials that show great potential for oral tissue regeneration and drug delivery. In this review, we present a classification of hydrogels commonly used in dental research, including natural and synthetic hydrogels. Furthermore, recent applications of these hydrogels in endodontic restorations, periodontal tissues, mandibular and oral soft tissue restorations, and related clinical studies are also discussed, including various antimicrobial and tissue growth promotion strategies used in the dental applications of hydrogels. While hydrogels have been increasingly studied in oral tissue engineering, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed for satisfactory clinical outcomes. This paper summarizes the current issues in the abovementioned application areas and discusses possible future developments.

Due to the target motion, range cell migration (RCM) and Doppler frequency migration (DFM) always occur. That is harmful to the signal enhancement and detection. In order to solve the problem, a novel three-dimensional (3-D) coherent integration (TDCI) based algorithm is proposed in this article which consists of three stages. Firstly, a 3-D space is generated by the autocorrelation function. After that, TDCI algorithm is realized and TDCI domain is obtained in which the motion parameters can be accurately estimated. Finally, compensating off the RCM and DFM by the estimates, the target signal can be accumulated and detected in range-Doppler frequency domain. Theoretical analyses and simulation experiments are given to demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to deal with the problems of velocity ambiguity, shadow effect, and cross-term with superior resolution. Comparisons with several representative algorithms lead us to the conclusion that the proposed algorithm can strike a good balance between computation cost and anti-noise performance. In the end, real measured data processing and result analysis are carried out, which further verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Tongxinluo (TXL), a traditional Chinese medication, plays a key role in the formation and progression of plaques in atherosclerosis. The formation of foam cells by macrophages accelerates the destabilisation of plaques. In previous research, we had found that TXL significantly inhibits ox-LDL-induced apoptosis in macrophages in vitro by improving the dissociation of the Beclin-1-Bcl-2 complex. Therefore, here, we explored the effect of TXL on lipid metabolism in macrophages and the mechanism involved. To evaluate the role of TXL in atherosclerotic plaques, we construct the atherosclerotic animal model with lentiviral injection and performed immunofluorescence staining analysis in vivo. Western blot, immunofluorescence staining and microscopy were performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying TXL-mediated regulation of autophagy in THP-1 macrophages in vitro. Immunofluorescence assay revealed that TXL treatment inhibited lipid deposition in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. In vitro TXL treatment inhibited lipid deposition in THP-1 macrophages by enhancing autophagy via Beclin-1. TXL reversed the high expression of class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) induced by ox-LDL (p < 0.05). Compared with the TXL + ox-LDL group, TXL failed to promote intracellular lipid droplet decomposition after the addition of the histone deacetylase agonist. We found that TXL attenuates the accumulation of lipids in macrophage by enhancing Beclin-1-induced autophagy, and additionally, it inhibits the inhibitory effect of class I HDAC on the expression of Beclin-1.

Mechanical stretch promotes deregulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) functions during hypertension-induced vascular remodeling. ACE2 has a wide range of cardiovascular and renal protective effects. Loss of ACE2 is associated with cardiovascular disease, but little is known about the regulation of its expression, especially by abnormal mechanical stretch during hypertension. The present study was designed to investigate the contribution of ACE2 to vascular remodeling under mechanical stretch and to assess the possible underlying mechanisms. The abdominal aortic constriction model was established to mimic the environment in vivo. FX-5000T Strain Unit provided mechanical stretch in vitro. Overexpression was used to analyze the role of ACE2 played in the proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and collagen metabolism of the VSMCs. RT-qPCR, Western blot, luciferase assay, and ChIP assay were used to elucidate the molecular mechanism of ACE2 expression regulated by stretch. We found that mechanical stretch modulated the expression of the ACE2/Ang-(1–7) and ACE/AngII axis. ACE2 was mechanically sensitive and was involved in the stretch-induced dysfunction of VSMCs. The p38 MAPK/ATF3 pathway and miR-421 participated in the regulation of ACE2. Thus, ACE2 may contribute to the development of vascular remodeling under conditions of mechanical stretch.

In this paper, a novel compact wide-frequency tunable filter with switchable bandpass and bandstop frequency response is presented. By employing two PIN diodes between the source and load port, the bandpass and bandstop filtering response can be switched, respectively. Three varactor diodes have been used to tuning the operating frequency of the tunable filter at bandpass and bandstop frequency response. The even- and odd-mode method is applied to analyze the presented tunable filter. When PIN diode is forward-biased, the filter has the bandstop response, and the filter has bandpass response while it is reversed. To verify the proposed tunable filter circuits, the tunable bandpass filter and bandstop filter are designed, fabricated, and measured. It is demonstrated that the center frequency of the fabricated tunable filter is tuned from 0.95 to 1.35 GHz. The measured insertion loss in the band is greater than 13 and 11 dB for bandstop mode and bandpass mode, respectively. Moreover, the fabricated tunable filter has a compact size of 0.24λg × 0.24λg (λg is the wavelength of the center frequency during the tunable frequency range).

The sustainable development goals of the United Nations, as well as the era of pandemics have introduced serious challenges for agricultural production and management. Precise management of agricultural practices based on satellite-borne remote sensing has been considered an effective means for monitoring cropping patterns and crop-farming patterns. Therefore, we proposed a simple and generic approach to identify multi-year cotton-cropping patterns based on time series of Landsat and Sentinel-2 images, with few ground samples that covered many years, a simple classification algorithm, and had a high classification accuracy. In this approach, we extended the size of training samples using active learning, and we employed a random forest algorithm to extract multi-year cotton planting patterns based on dense time series of Landsat and Sentinel-2 data from 2014 to 2018. We created annual crop cultivation maps based on training samples with an accuracy greater than 95.69%. The accuracy of multi-year cotton cropping patterns was 96.93%. The proposed approach was effective and robust in identifying multi-year cropping patterns, and it could be applied in other regions.

Purpose: According to the concept of the constitutional varus, the tibial articular surface (TAS) has varus inclination. On the other hand, it has been reported that proximal tibia vara involved medial shift of the TAS. However, it has not been assessed whether varus inclination of the TAS has a correlation with the medial shift. We investigated whether varus inclination of the TAS has a correlation with the medial shift. If there is a correlation between two parameters, the influence of the medial shift of the TAS on the value of the hip–knee–ankle (HKA) angle and the femorotibial angle should be considered. Methods: A total of 112 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty had anteroposterior view tibia digital radiograph on which five parameters were analyzed. Varus angle of the TAS, the distance between the mechanical axis and the anatomical axis on the articular surface, and the width of the articular surface were measured. Results: The more the proximal tibia had varus deformity, the more the TAS shift medially would be. Therefore, the mechanical axis does not match the anatomical axis. Because the HKA angle was assessed based on the concept that the mechanical and anatomical axes match on the tibia, this angle may not express the true alignment of the lower extremity in knees with proximal tibia vara. Conclusion: In varus knees, the proximal tibia has a medial shift of the TAS that may influence the value of the HKA angle.

Range cell migration and Doppler frequency migration induced by the target maneuverability are two difficulties of target signal enhancement and radar detection performance. In order to resolve them, a novel subaperture joint coherent integration (SJCI) algorithm is proposed in this article, which consists of three stages. Firstly, it divides the target signal into several subapertures, in which the Doppler frequency dispersions can be neglected. Afterward, coherent integration within each subaperture is implemented via scaled Fourier transform. Finally, correcting the Doppler frequency shifts and phase differences via axis rotation and phase compensation technology, the joint coherent integration among the subapertures can be achieved effectively. Based on the SJCI algorithm, an upgrade algorithm named subspace SJCI (SSJCI) is presented. Through acceleration space division and subspace translation, the SSJCI algorithm extends the subaperture time and optimizes the computation complexity significantly. Theoretical analyses and performance comparisons demonstrate that the SSJCI algorithm can accomplish a good trade-off among signal-to-noise ratio gain, detection capability, resolution, and computation complexity. In addition, the results of the numerical experiments further verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Attribute amnesia is the counterintuitive phenomenon where observers are unable to report a salient aspect of a stimulus (e.g., its colour or its identity) immediately after the stimulus was presented, despite both attending to and processing the stimulus. Almost all previous attribute amnesia studies used highly familiar stimuli. Our study investigated whether attribute amnesia would also occur for unfamiliar stimuli. We conducted four experiments using stimuli that were highly familiar (colours or repeated animal images) or that were unfamiliar to the observers (unique animal images). Our results revealed that attribute amnesia was present for both sets of familiar stimuli, colour (p

Under the constraint of high-precision 3D seismic data and well data, through 2D and 3D analysis, the geometrical and kinematic characteristics of the boundary faults of Minfeng subsag, Jiyang depression, Bohai Bay Basin were analyzed. According to the strike, dip and dip-angle, the boundary fault of the study area is divided into three segments, i.e. west, center and east. It is thought that the fault surface is a curved surface consisting of several inclined surfaces linked by axial plane (i.e. transversal axial plane and vertical axial plane), and a three-dimensional geometry model of the boundary fault was built. The Minfeng boundary fault surface is divided into 11 subzones by 6 transversal axial planes and 4 vertical axial planes. The kinematic characteristics of the Minfeng boundary fault were analyzed on the basis of the normal fault-bend folds theory, and the three balanced cross-sections in west, central and east segments are compared. It is concluded that the Minfeng boundary fault mainly experienced rotary motion in its early stage of development, and moved in the inclined shear fault-bend fold pattern in the late stage. There developed listric fault in the central segement, seat type normal faults in east and west segments of the Minfeng boundary fault. The activity intensity of west and central faults was affected by Shengbei fault, the rotation degree of Minfeng boundary fault weakens from west to east. The reverse degree of the Minfeng boundary fault in creased from west to east at the end of the Paleogene Dongying Formation deposition. Key words: Dongying Sag, Minfeng subsag, boundary fault, 3D, geometrical features, kinematics, fault-bend fold, balanced cross- section

The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) algorithm has been used in bearing fault diagnosis. In order to overcome the blindness in the selection of white noise amplitude coefficient e in EEMD, an improved artificial bee colony algorithm (IABC) is proposed to obtain it adaptively, which providing a new idea for the selection of EEMD parameters. In the improved algorithm, chaos initialization is introduced in the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm to insure the diversity of the population and the ergodicity of the population search process. On the other hand, the collecting bees are divided into two parts in the improved algorithm, one part collects the optimal information of the region according to the original algorithm, the other does Levy flight around the current global best solution to improve its global search capabilities. Four standard test functions are used to show the superiority of the proposed method. The application of the IABC and EEMD algorithm in bearing fault diagnosis proves its effectiveness.

Diagnosing certain fractures in conventional radiographs can be a difficult task, usually taking years to master. Typically, students are trained ad-hoc, in a primarily-rule based fashion. Our study investigated whether students can more rapidly learn to diagnose proximal neck of femur fractures via perceptual training, without having to learn an explicit set of rules. One hundred and thirty-nine students with no prior medical or radiology training were shown a sequence of plain film X-ray images of the right hip and for each image were asked to indicate whether a fracture was present. Students were told if they were correct and the location of any fracture, if present. No other feedback was given. The more able students achieved the same level of accuracy as board certified radiologists at identifying hip fractures in less than an hour of training. Surprisingly, perceptual learning was reduced when the training set was constructed to over-represent the types of images participants found more difficult to categorise. Conversely, repeating training images did not reduce post-training performance relative to showing an equivalent number of unique images. Perceptual training is an effective way of helping novices learn to identify hip fractures in X-ray images and should supplement the current education programme for students.

Breast screening is an important tool for the early detection of breast cancers. However, tumours are typically present in less than 1% of mammograms. This low prevalence could cause radiologists to detect fewer tumours than they otherwise would, an issue known as the prevalence effect. The aim of our study was to investigate a novel breast screening protocol, designed to decrease the number of tumours missed by radiologists, without increasing their workload. We ran two laboratory-based experiments to assess the degree to which the novel protocol, called the catch trial (CT) protocol, resulted in greater sensitivity (d') than the double screener protocol (DS), currently utilised in Australia. In our first experiment we found evidence that the CT protocol resulted in a criterion shift relative to the DS protocol but the evidence that sensitivity was greater in the CT protocol relative to the DS protocol was less clear. A second experiment, using more realistic stimuli that were more representative of actual tumours, also failed to find convincing evidence that sensitivity was greater in the CT protocol than in the DS protocol. This experiment instead found that both the hit rate and the false alarm rate increased in the CT protocol relative to the DS protocol. So while there was again evidence that the CT protocol induced a criterion shift, the sensitivity appeared to be approximately the same in both protocols. Our results suggest the CT protocol is unlikely to result in an improvement in sensitivity over the DS protocol, so we cannot recommend that it be trialled in a clinical setting.

In the working process of Double-Fed Wind Turbines (DFWT), it is very important to monitor and predict the temperature of the high-speed output shaft of the gearbox timely and effectively. Support vector machine has more advantages in the temperature prediction of wind turbines. Least squares support vector machine is suitable for online prediction due to reducing the computational complexity of support vector machine. In order to solve the sparsity of least squares support vector machine, an improved least squares support vector machine based on pruning algorithm is proposed in this paper to predict the temperature of the high-speed output shaft of gearbox using the practical data of Double-Fed Wind Turbines. At the same time, in order to improve the prediction accuracy and to solve the problem of few links between different feature parameters in common normalization method, the paper uses the method of joint normalization to preprocess the data. The principal component analysis is used to reduce the dimension of the data. Particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the pruning least squares support vector machine. The proposed model that is established in this paper is a new model to forecast the temperature of the high-speed output shaft. The results show that its prediction accuracy is higher than that of other algorithms.

Misalignment is one of the common faults for the doubly-fed wind turbine (DFWT), and the normal operation of the unit will be greatly affected under this state. Because it is difficult to obtain a large number of misaligned fault samples of wind turbines in practice, ADAMS and MATLAB are used to simulate the various misalignment conditions of the wind turbine transmission system to obtain the corresponding stator current in this paper. Then, the dual-tree complex wavelet transform is used to decompose and reconstruct the characteristic signal, and the dual-tree complex wavelet energy entropy is obtained from the reconstructed coefficients to form the feature vector of the fault diagnosis. Support vector machine is used as classifier and particle swarm optimization is used to optimize the relevant parameters of support vector machine (SVM) to improve its classification performance. The results show that the method proposed in this paper can effectively and accurately classify the misalignment of the transmission system of the wind turbine and improve the reliability of the fault diagnosis.

Purpose. To assess the effect of each step of medial soft-tissue releases on the joint gap angle during posterior-stabilised total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods. 82 women and 9 men (mean age, 72 years) with medial osteoarthritic knees underwent 100 posterior-stabilised TKAs, in which release of superficial fibres of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) were required using the gap control technique. The order of releases was the superficial MCL, the pes anserinus, and then the semi-membranosus. The superficial MCL was released selectively. The effect of each step of medial soft-tissue releases in full extension and in 90° flexion was compared. Results. After all medial soft-tissue releases, the mean joint gap angles decreased from 8.7° to 3.8° varus in flexion and from 4.4° to 1.4° varus in extension. The total effect of medial soft-tissue releases was significantly larger in flexion than in extension (4.9°±3.2° vs. 3.0°±2.0°, p