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This study investigates the perception of the three Mandarin high vowels /i, u, y/ after dental, retroflex and palatal fricatives and affricates /s/-/ʦ/-/ʦʰ/; /ʂ/-/tʂ/-/tʂʰ/, and /ʨ/, /ʨʰ/, /ɕ/) by native English speakers. The results of the perceptual identification and categorization experiments show that among the three target vowels, the high front rounded vowel /y/ presents the greatest challenge for native English speakers. They have a significantly higher tendency to confuse /y/ with the Mandarin high back rounded vowel /u/ compared to the Mandarin high front unrounded vowel /i/, as they perceptually classified /y/ and /u/ into the same English vowel category /u/. The findings of the study suggest that native English speakers adopt a perceptual strategy that differs from that of native Japanese and Korean speakers, relying heavier on the feature of roundness as opposed to backness in perceiving the Mandarin /y/. This study contributes to the perceptual cue weighting field by examining the weighting of phonological cues (i.e. distinctive feature) in Mandarin high vowels by native English speakers. These results hold pedagogical significance as they highlight the importance of targeted perception training for learners of different language backgrounds to enhance both their recognition and reproduction of second language sounds.

This current research is about some new optical solitons to the time-fractional integrable generalized (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) system with novel truncated M-fractional derivative. The obtained results may be used in the description of the model in fruitful way. The novel derivative operator is applied to study the aforementioned model. The achieved results are in the form of dark, bright, and combo optical solitons. The achieved solutions are also verified by using the MATHEMATICA software. The obtained solutions are explained with different plots. Modified integration methods, Exp a {{\rm{Exp}}}_{a} function, extended ( G ′ ∕ G ) \left(G^{\prime} /G) -expansion, and extended sinh-Gordon equation expansion method are applied to achieve the results. These exact solitons suggest that these methods are effective, straight forward, and reliable compared to other methods.

Based on a direct variable transformation, we obtain multiple rogue wave solutions of a generalized (3 + 1)-dimensional variable-coefficient nonlinear wave equation, including first-order, two-order and three-order rogue wave solutions. Their dynamic behaviors are shown by some 3D plots. Compared with Zha’s symbolic computation approach, we do not need to resort to Hirota bilinear form, and it can be used to deal with variable-coefficient integrable equations. Interaction solution between rogue wave and periodic wave is obtained by using the Hirota bilinear form. Abundant breather wave solutions are presented by a direct test function.

In this paper, a modified symbolic computation approach is proposed. The multiple rogue wave solutions of a generalized (2+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation are obtained by using the modified symbolic computation approach. Dynamics features of these obtained multiple rogue wave solutions are displayed in 3D and contour plots. Compared with the original symbolic computation approach, our method does not need to find Hirota bilinear form of nonlinear system., Comment: 11 pages, 18 figures

Under investigation is a generalized (3 + 1)-dimensional variable- coefficient Kadomtsev– Petviashvili equation in fluid mechanics. Various exact analytical solutions are obtained by Hirota’s bilinear method, such as lump-type, breather wave and kink-solitary wave solutions. We discuss the interaction between lump wave and solitary waves, and the interaction between lump wave and periodic wave. The physical structure and propagation characteristics of obtained solutions are shown by some 3D graphics.

Species of the spider family Leptonetidae Simon, 1890 from China are revised based on molecular and morphological data analyses. A new genus, Jingneta Wang & Li gen. nov ., is erected, with Leptoneta cornea Tong & Li, 2008 as the type species. Twenty-two Chinese species previously assigned to the genus Leptoneta Simon, 1872 are revised, with eight transferred to Falcileptoneta Komatsu, 1970 , seven transferred to Jingneta gen. nov ., five transferred to Leptonetela Kratochvil, 1978, and one species each transferred to Longileptoneta Seo, 2015 and Masirana Kishida, 1942. Eight new species are described: i.e., Falcileptoneta shuanglong Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂), Jingneta caoxian Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂♀), J. jingdong Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂♀), Longileptoneta gutan Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂♀), L. huangshan Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂♀), L. shenxian Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂♀), L. yeren Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂), and L. zhuxian Wang & Li sp. nov . (♂♀). In total, 127 leptonetid species from six genera are documented from China: nine species of Falcileptoneta, nine species of Jingneta gen. nov ., 101 species of Leptonetela, six species of Longileptoneta, one species of Masirana, and one species of Rhyssoleptoneta Tong & Li, 2007 .

In this work, we present the interaction solutions and abundant exact solutions for the new (3+1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation based on the Hirota's bilinear form and a direct function. The obtained interaction solutions contain the interaction between the rational function and the $\tanh$ function and the interaction between the rational function and the $\cos$ function. The dynamical properties of these resulting solutions are analyzed and shown in three-dimensional plots, corresponding contour graphs and plane figures.

Herein, a (3+1)-dimensional generalized shallow water wave equation with variable coefficients is studied, which describes the flow below a pressure surface in a fluid. Abundant breather wave solutions are constructed via the Hirota bilinear form and a novel test function. Velocity, amplitude and shape changes of the breather wave solutions are shown in some 3D-graphs and contour plots by selecting different values of the variable coefficients. The novel test function is very effective for obtaining the breather wave solutions of the variable-coefficient nonlinear partial differential equations.

Under investigation is a ( $$2 + 1$$ )-dimensional variable-coefficient Korteweg–de Vries equation, which is used to describe the electrostatic wave potential in plasmas or shallow-water waves in fluids. Our work is mainly divided into three aspects: (1) lump–stripe interaction solutions are obtained by the Hirota’s bilinear form with variable coefficients; (2) multi-waves solutions are presented based on three waves method with variable coefficients; (3) breather wave solutions are given by the homoclinic breather approach. Furthermore, interaction phenomenon of these obtained solutions are demonstrated by some 3D- and contour plots.

In this paper, a (3+1)-dimensional generalized shallow water equation is considered. New exact solutions in forms of the hyperbolic functions and the trigonometric functions are obtained based on an extended $(G'/G)$-expansion method and the variable separation method, which contain traveling wave solutions and non-traveling wave solutions. The particular localized excitations and the interactions between two solitary waves for these obtained exact solutions are shown in some three-dimensional graphics.

Based on the extended homoclinic test technique, we introduce an ansatz functions to construct double periodic-soliton solutions of new (2 + 1)-Dimensional KdV Equation. Some entirely new double periodic-soliton solutions are obtained. The obtained solutions show that there exist multiple-periodic solitary waves in the different directions for the new (2 + 1)-Dimensional KdV Equation. With the help of symbolic computation, the properties for these new solutions are presented with some figures.

A versatile integration gadget namely the Hirota bilinear (HB) technique is devoted to retrieving different categories of interactive lump solutions of an extension form to the 3D-Jimbo–Miwa (3D-JM) model with exponential and hyperbolic functions under some specific constraint conditions. The article studies the dynamics for these acquired solutions through 3D figures by selecting adequate measurable factors.

Under investigation is a (2+1)-dimensional generalized Hirota–Satsuma–Ito (gHSI) equation. Multi-wave solutions are presented using the three-wave method. Breather wave solutions are derived based on the homoclinic breather approach. Interaction solutions between lump and two solitary wave solutions are constructed via Hirota direct method. Through giving some special values to the parameters, dynamical behaviors of the obtained solutions are demonstrated in some 3D and contour plots.

Our aim was to determine the prognostic factors in Chinese patients with prostate cancer receiving primary androgen deprivation therapy (PADT), validate the Japan Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (J-CAPRA) score, and investigate the impacts of pre-existing obesity and diabetes mellitus (DM). The study enrolled Chinese patients diagnosed with prostatic adenocarcinoma and treated with bilateral orchiectomy as PADT at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University (Shanghai, China), from January 2003 to December 2015. The overall survival (OS) and prognostic value of J-CAPRA score, pre-existing obesity, DM, and various clinicopathological variables were analyzed. Of the 435 patients enrolled, 174 (40.0%) deaths occurred during follow-up; 3- and 5-year OS were 74.0 and 58.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified that higher Gleason score and metastasis were both correlated with worse OS and that higher J-CAPRA score was correlated with worse OS [hazard ratio (HR) 1.110, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.035–1.190, P = 0.003). Different risk categories based on J-CAPRA score showed good stratification in OS (log-rank P = 0.015). In subgroup analysis, pre-existing obesity as a protective factor in younger patients (age ≤ 65, HR 0.271, 95% CI 0.075–0.980, P = 0.046) and pre-existing DM as a risk factor in older patients (> 75, HR 1.854, 95% CI 1.026–3.351, P = 0.041) for OS were recognized, and the prediction accuracy of J-CAPRA was elevated after incorporating pre-existing obesity and DM. The J-CAPRA score presented with good OS differentiation among Chinese patients under PADT. Younger patients (age ≤ 65) had better OS with pre-existing obesity, while older patients (age > 75) had worse OS with pre-existing DM.

Under investigation is a generalized (3 + 1)-dimensional B-type Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with variable coefficients in fluid dynamics. Based on the Hirota's bilinear form and the positive quadratic function, abundant lump solutions are obtained.The interaction solutions between lump solutions and other solitons are also presented. Their dynamical behaviors are graphically shown with different choices of the free parameters., 11 pages, 44 figures, Current Status is "published" in "Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications" (2021)

Introduction To assess the risk factors of Gleason sum upgrading between biopsy and radical prostatectomy (RP) and update the nomogram for the prediction of Gleason sum upgrading. Methods The study cohort consisted of 237 Chinese prostate adenocarcinoma patients who underwent 10-core prostate biopsy and subsequently received RP in Huashan Hospital from February 2011 to May 2015. The main outcome of our study was Gleason sum upgrading between biopsy and RP pathology. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to explore the potential predictors, and ultimately to build the nomograms. The prediction model was further evaluated for its ability to predict significant upgrading in patients with biopsy Gleason sum Results In the main cohort of all the patients, Gleason sum upgrading was observed in 62 (26.16%) patients. The pre-operative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, biopsy Gleason sum, and digital rectal examination were used in building the nomogram, which was validated internally with a bootstrap-corrected concordance index of 0.787. In the sub-cohort of 115 patients with standardized biopsy details, Gleason sum upgrading was observed in 31 (26.96%) patients. The pre-operative PSA level, biopsy Gleason sum, and number of positive cores were used in the nomogram, which was also validated internally with a bootstrap-corrected concordance index of 0.833. These two nomograms both demonstrated satisfactory statistical performance for predicting significant upgrading. Conclusions Updated nomograms to predict Gleason sum upgrading in Chinese population between biopsy and RP were developed, demonstrating good statistical performance upon internal validation.

Resumen Introduccion Evaluar los factores de riesgo de la supragraduacion de la suma de Gleason en la prostatectomia radical (PR) y actualizar el nomograma para la prediccion de la infragraduacion de la biopsia respecto a la pieza de prostatectomia radical. Metodos La cohorte del estudio consistio en 237 pacientes chinos con adenocarcinoma de prostata que fueron sometidos a biopsia de prostata de 10 cilindros y posteriormente fueron sometidos PR en el Hospital Huashan, entre febrero de 2011 y mayo de 2015. El principal objetivo de nuestro estudio fue el estudio de la supragraduacion de la suma de Gleason respecto a la biopsia en la muestra de PR. Se realizaron modelos de regresion logistica univariante y multivariante para explorar los potenciales factores predictivos, y en ultima instancia para construir los nomogramas. El modelo de prediccion se evaluo por su capacidad para predecir la supragraduacion significativa en pacientes con suma de Gleason de biopsia Resultados En la cohorte principal se observo supragraduacion de la suma de Gleason en 62 (26,16%) pacientes. El nivel de antigeno especifico de prostata (PSA) preoperatorio, la suma de Gleason de biopsia y el tacto rectal se utilizaron en la construccion del nomograma, que fue validado internamente con un indice de concordancia corregido por bootstrap de 0,787. En la subcohorte de 115 pacientes con datos estandarizados de biopsia se observo supragraduacion en 31 (26,96%) pacientes. El nivel preoperatorio de PSA, suma de Gleason de biopsia y el numero de cilindros positivos se utilizaron en el nomograma, que tambien fue validado internamente con un indice de concordancia de corregido por bootstrap de 0,833. Estos 2 nomogramas demostraron un rendimiento estadistico satisfactorio para predecir supragraduacion significativa. Conclusiones Se desarrollaron nomogramas actualizados para predecir la supragraduacion de la suma de Gleason de la biopsia respecto a la PR, que demostraron un buen rendimiento estadistico tras la validacion interna.

Background: Shoulder joint pain is commonly seen in primary care. Were many of them diagnosed with rotator cuff disease especially involvement of supraspinatus tendon of rotator cuff. The progression of disease leads to tear of rotator cuff and the etiology is multifactorial. However, characteristic changes of acromion morphology appear as major risk factor for rotator cuff tear. According to an ancient classification of acromion type I (flat), type II (curved), or type III (hooked) introduced by Bigliani et al. also documented that incident of rotator cuff tear highly increased with type III (hooked) acromion. Continue study over acromion shape a rare new type IV (convex) acromion also discovered. Many studies have attempted to correlate acromion characteristic with rotator cuff tears. But result still we attempted to determine the rotator cuff tear in association with different shape of acromion through a systemic review of appropriate studies. Methods: Pubmed, Scopus and Baidu scholar database engine searched, limiting results to those published in the English language without limiting year. The key search terms utilized were “acromion morphology”/”rotator cuff tear” and “shoulder joint” / “impingement syndrome”. Over 150 abstract reviewed and 20 literatures were analyzed for quality and relevance study. Conclusions: On the base of previous published article, the different types of acromion shape distribution is not equally seen in population. The most common type II acromion appears large in number with or without rotator cuff disease. Those with type III acromion more than 70% found with degenerative changes or tear of rotator cuff. Current evidence suggests that pathological changes or tear of rotator cuff arise from a multivariare etiology. It increasingly evident that type III acromion plays greater role to rotator cuff tear than other type I and type II of Bilgiani acromion classification.

In this paper, a generalized (3 + 1)-dimensional variable-coefficient nonlinear-wave equation is studied in liquid with gas bubbles. Based on the Hirota's bilinear form and symbolic computation, lump and interaction solutions between lump and solitary wave are obtained. Their interaction phenomena is shown in some 3d graphs and contour plots, which include a periodic-shape lump solution, a parabolic-shape lump solution, a cubic-shape lump solution,interaction solutions between lump and one solitary wave, and between lump and two solitary waves. The spatial structures called the bright lump wave and the bright-dark lump wave are discussed. Interaction behaviors of two bright-dark lump waves and a periodic-shape bright lump wave are also presented., 16 pages, 70 figures

The main concern of this paper is to investigate the Hirota equation with variable coefficients that can describe the pulse propagation in inhomogeneous fibers more realistically than its constant coefficients counterparts. A variety of complex wave solutions including new exact solutions, bright and dark soliton solutions, and similarity solutions are retrieved through $$G'/G$$ -expansion method with the aid of symbolic computation. The dynamical behaviors of the obtained solutions are illustrated using 3D- and corresponding contour plots in a graded-index waveguide.

In this paper, a (3 + 1) -dimensional variable-coefficient generalized shallow water wave equation in oceanography and atmospheric science is investigated. Lump solutions are presented based on the Hirota's bilinear form and symbolic computation, and characteristics of lump solutions, such as the bright lump wave and the bright-dark lump wave, are demonstrated in some 3D graphs and contour plots.

To determine the associations among diabetes status, Metformin administration and prostate cancer (PCa) detection at biopsy in Chinese population.A case-control study was conducted among a prospectively enrolled prostate biopsy cohort of 518 patients from Jan 2013 to Dec 2014 at our institute. Diabetes status and Metformin administration were determined through medical records and self-report. Different clinical characteristics were registered and compared among different groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the effects of diabetes status and Metformin administration on the detection of overall as well as high-grade PCa at biopsy.PCa was detected in 229 (44.2%) men, and high-grade PCa (Gleason score ≥8) was detected in 65 (12.5%) men. Diabetes was observed in 96 men, and 28 of them were administered with Metformin. Both overall and high-grade cancer detection rates were significantly higher in diabetic patients (p0.001). In multivariate analysis, diabetes status was a risk factor for high-grade cancer detection (OR 7.699, 95%CI 3.483-17.020, p0.001), but not for total PCa detection (OR 1.774, 95%CI 0.831-3.787, p=0.138). Meanwhile, Metformin administration was proved to be a protective factor for high-grade disease (OR 0.420, 95%CI 0.201-0.879, p=0.021) in multivariate analysis, while no correlation was detected with overall cancer detection (OR 0.786, 95%CI 0.172-3.593, p=0.756).Diabetes status was positively associated with biopsy-mediated high-grade PCa detection in Chinese population, while the positive association would be partly compromised by Metformin administration.

In this paper, a variable-coefficient symbolic computation approach is proposed to solve the multiple rogue wave solutions of nonlinear equation with variable coefficients. As an application, a (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation is investigated. The multiple rogue wave solutions are obtained and their dynamics features are shown in some 3D and contour plots., Comment: 12 pages, 26 figures

// Meng-Bo Hu 1, * , Hua Xu 1, * , Ji-Meng Hu 1 , Wen-Hui Zhu 1 , Tian Yang, Hao-Wen Jiang 1 , Qiang Ding 1 1 Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Hao-Wen Jiang, email: urology_jhw@163.com Qiang Ding, email: qiangd_urol@126.com Keywords: leptin, adiponectin, prostate cancer, genetic polymorphism, meta-analysis Received: July 15, 2016 Accepted: October 12, 2016 Published: October 19, 2016 ABSTRACT Leptin and adiponectin signaling was associated with development and progression of various cancers. The present study aimed to clarify the role of genetic variants in leptin, adiponectin and their receptors in prostate cancer. After comprehensive search and manuscript scanning, a total of 49 genetic variants were enrolled and examined for their relations to cancer risk and aggressiveness. In the meta-analysis, LEP rs7799039 (allele contrast: OR 1.133, 95%CI 1.024-1.254), ADIPOQ rs2241766 (allele contrast: OR 1.201, 95%CI 1.015-1.422) and ADIPOR1 rs10920531 (allele contrast: OR 1.184, 95%CI 1.075-1.305) variants were identified to be correlated with increased risk of prostate cancer. On the contrary, LEPR rs1137101 (allele contrast: OR 0.843, 95%CI 0.730-0.973) and ADIPOR1 rs2232853 (allele contrast: OR 0.638, 95%CI 0.535-0.760) variants were associated with decreased risk of prostate cancer. From the pooled-review, we additionally recognized eight variants associated with cancer risk and another eight variants associated with cancer aggressiveness, respectively. These observations indicated important roles of leptin, adiponectin and their receptors in the development and progression of prostate cancer. The identified polymorphisms might assist in developing better risk-assessment tools, as well as generating novel targeted therapies, especially for obese cancer patients with impaired leptin and adiponectin signaling.

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of metformin on insulin, C-peptide and body weight in Chinese men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Methods: Between March 2013 and June 2014, 62 newly diagnosed patients of prostate cancer (PCa) due to receive ADT were recruited from 7 hospitals in Shanghai. Patients were randomized to respectively receive ADT (n = 31) and ADT + metformin (n = 31) for 6 months. Fasting and postprandial serum levels of insulin and C-peptide, blood glucose, prostate specific antigen, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were measured at the beginning and end of 6-month treatment. Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between the 2 groups. Controlling for baseline levels, the ADT group had significantly higher levels of fasting glucose (p = 0.01) and higher WC (p = 0.04) than the ADT + metformin group. The levels of insulin, C-peptide and BMI did not differ significantly. Conclusions: Metformin may be potentially efficient as a concomitant therapy on patients with PCa undergoing androgen deprivation treatment.

Debris flow is one of the major secondary mountain hazards following the earthquake. This study explores the dynamic initiation mechanism of debris flows based on the strength reduction of soils through static and dynamic triaxial tests. A series of static and dynamic triaxial tests were conducted on samples in the lab. The samples were prepared according to different grain size distribution, degree of saturation and earthquake magnitudes. The relations of dynamic shear strength, degree of saturation, and number of cycles are summarized through analyzing experimental results. The findings show that the gravelly soil with a wide and continuous gradation has a critical degree of saturation of approximately 87%, above which debris flows will be triggered by rainfall, while the debris flow will be triggered at a critical degree of saturation of about 73% under the effect of rainfalland earthquake (M>6.5). Debris flow initiation is developed in the humidification process, and the earthquake provides energy for triggering debris flows. Debris flows are more likely to be triggered at the relatively low saturation under dynamic loading than under static loading. The resistance of debris flow triggering relies more on internal frication angle than soil cohesion under the effect of rainfall and earthquake. The conclusions provide an experimental analysis method for dynamic initiation mechanism of debris flows.

This paper aims to construct new mixed-type periodic and lump-type solutions via dependent variable transformation and Hirota’s bilinear form (general bilinear techniques). This study considers the (3 + 1)-dimensional generalized B-type Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation, which describes the weakly dispersive waves in a homogeneous medium in fluid dynamics. The obtained solutions contain abundant physical structures. Consequently, the dynamical behaviors of these solutions are graphically discussed for different choices of the free parameters through 3D plots.

High-fat diet induced obesity was associated with more aggressive prostate cancer. Recent research has demonstrated that integrin-linked kinase (ILK), β-parvin and downstream cofilin 1 jointly affected cancer progression. Meanwhile, these proteins were also involved in energy metabolism. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the potential function of ILK, β-parvin and cofilin 1 in the high-fat diet-induced progression of prostate cancer. Transgenic mice with prostate cancer were employed, fed with different diets and sacrificed at 20 and 28 weeks. Tumor differentiation, extracapsular extension and metastasis were compared between the groups. Expression levels of ILK, β-parvin and cofilin 1 in prostate were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis and determined by an immunoreactivity score. Public databases were applied for analysis and validation. It was detected that high-fat diet feeding promoted cancer progression in transgenic mice with prostate cancer, with increased expressions of β-parvin (P=0.038) and cofilin 1 (P=0.018). Higher expressions of ILK, β-parvin and cofilin 1 were also associated with poorer cancer differentiation. Additionally, higher mRNA levels of CFL1 were correlated with a worse disease-free survival in patients of certain subgroups from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Further studies were warranted in discussing the potential roles of ILK, β-parvin and cofilin 1 in high-fat diet feeding induced progression of prostate cancer.

Background. We aimed to examine whether proinflammatory cytokines participated in prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression promoted by high-fat diet (HFD).Methods. TRAMP (transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate) mice were randomly divided into two groups: normal diet group and HFD group. Mortality rate and tumor formation rate were examined. TRAMP mice were sacrificed and sampled on the 20th, 24th, and 28th week, respectively. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, were tested by FlowCytomix. Prostate tissue of TRAMP mice was used for histology study.Results. A total of 13 deaths of TRAMP mice were observed, among which 3 (8.33%) were from the normal diet group and 10 (27.78%) from the HFD group. The mortality rate of TRAMP mice from HFD group was significantly higher than that of normal diet group (P=0.032). Tumor formation rate at 20th week of age of HFD group was significantly higher than that of normal diet group (P=0.045). Proinflammatory cytokines levels, including IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, were significantly higher in HFD TRAMP mice.Conclusions. HFD could promote TRAMP mouse PCa development and progression with elevated proinflammatory cytokines levels. Proinflammatory cytokines could contribute to PCa development and progression promoted by HFD.

High-fat diet (HFD) -induced obesity is associated with more aggressive and lethal prostate cancer (PCa) in males, although the exact underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) models fed on an HFD (40% fat) or a control diet (CD; 16% fat) were generated, and cancer differentiation, local invasion and metastasis were compared at 20, 24 and 28 weeks. Mouse sera from each group were collected, and adipokines and cytokines were measured using multiplex immunoassays. HFD-sera and CD-sera were additionally processed into conditioned media (2.5% mixed sera), and in vitro studies were conducted to determine the proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells when conditioned media were used for culture. In TRAMP mice, HFD feeding increased body weight and adipose tissue deposition, and promoted the progression of PCa, specifically with regard to poorer differentiation, increased local invasion and metastasis rate. Sera from HFD-fed TRAMP mice contained increased levels of leptin, and a time-dependent increasing trend in the levels of CC chemokine ligand (CCL)3, CCL4, CCL5 and CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)10 was observed. However, no alterations were detected in the levels of adiponectin, interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12p70, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, CCL2, CCL7, CCL11, CXCL1 and CXCL2. In vitro studies determined that HFD-sera-conditioned medium promoted proliferation, migration and invasion of DU145 cells, as compared with CD-sera-conditioned medium and serum-free medium. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that the circulating adipokine and cytokine alterations in response to excess adipose tissue deposition induced by HFD feeding contributed to PCa progression.

With the development of artificial intelligence algorithm, BP neural network algorithm is widely used in many fields, such as fault diagnosis, intelligent control and dynamic signal processing, because it has many advantages for example self-learning, self-organization and nonlinear mapping. Compared with BP neural network, the hidden Markov model is suitable for dynamic time series modeling and has strong temporal classification ability. However, the hidden Markov model has problems of initial model optimization and algorithm underflow when applied to pattern classification. In this paper, the discrete hidden Markov model (DHMM) and BP neural network algorithm are combined to apply to the fault diagnosis of gearbox. Firstly, the probabilities of failures were obtained by preprocessing of the fault samples. Then the probabilities are added to the time-frequency characteristics as new features. The BP neural network algorithm were used to classify the samples whose features had been extended. The experimental results showed that the proposed method was more conducive to fault diagnosis of gearbox.

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the major pathogen contributing to dental caries. Sucrose is an important carbohydrate source for S. mutans and is crucial for dental caries. Small RNAs (sRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators of stress adaptation and virulence in bacteria. Here, for the first time, we created three replicate RNA libraries exposed to either 1 or 5% sucrose. The expression levels of sRNAs and target genes (gtfB, gtfC, and spaP) related to virulence were assessed. In addition, some phenotypic traits were evaluated. We obtained 2125 sRNA candidates with at least 100 average reads in 1% sucrose or 5% sucrose. Of these candidates, 2 were upregulated and 20 were downregulated in 1% sucrose. Six of these 22 differentially expressed sRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR. The expression level of target gene gtfB was higher in 1% sucrose. The adherence ratio of S. mutans was higher in 1% sucrose than in 5% sucrose. The synthesis of water-insoluble glucans (WIGs) was significantly higher in 5% sucrose than in 1% sucrose. These data suggest that a series of sRNAs can be induced in response to sucrose, and that some sRNAs might be involved in the regulation of phenotypes, providing new insight into the prevention of caries.

We aimed to examine the effect of high-fat diet (HFD) on prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression and to investigate whether metformin would postpone PCa development and progression promoted by HFD. TRAMP mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal diet group, HFD group and metformin-HFD (Met-HFD) group. Mortality rate and tumor formation rate were examined. TRAMP mice were sacrificed and sampled on the 20th, 24th, and 28th week, respectively. Serum levels of insulin and IGF-1 were tested by ELISA. Prostate tissue of TRAMP mice was used for HE staining. A total of 17 deaths of TRAMP mice were observed, including 3 (10 %) from the normal diet group, 10 (33.33 %) from the HFD group, and 4 (13.33 %) from Met-HFD group. The mortality rate of TRAMP mice from HFD group was significantly higher than that of normal diet group (P = 0.028), and metformin could moderately decrease the mortality rate by 60.01 % (P = 0.067). Tumor formation rates were not significantly different among the three groups. Levels of glucose, insulin, and IGF-1 tended to increase with TRAMP mice’s age in HFD group. TRAMP mice from HFD group had higher serum insulin and IGF-1 levels. A moderate decrease in IGF-1 was also seen in Met-HFD group. HFD could promote TRAMP mouse PCa development and progression and metformin had moderate effect of reducing PCa mortality rate with a decrease in serum IGF-1 level.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of human cartilage-derived morphogenetic protein-2 (hCDMP-2)-expressing canine myoblasts on the repair of meniscal fibrocartilage injury. Purified canine myoblasts were infected with lentiviruses carrying an empty vector or the hCDMP-2 gene. The following four experimental groups were established to study the in vivo meniscal repair in a canine model of meniscal injury: Group A, suture only; group B, suture with the addition of the recombinant hCDMP-2 on a polylactic acid/polyglycolic acid (PLA/PGA) scaffold; group C, a PLA/PGA scaffold with canine myoblasts carrying the empty vector; and group D, a PLA/PGA scaffold with canine myoblasts expressing hCDMP-2. Samples of the regenerated tissue were extracted at weeks 3, 8 and 12 post-repair and analyzed by morphological observation, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative analysis. At week 12 post-repair, the scaffold material had completely dissolved in the control groups and no changes were observed at the injured area, while regenerated tissue was observed in group D only. Hematoxylin and eosin and Safranin-O staining techniques further revealed cartilage lacunae and fibers present at the red-red zone of the repaired tissue, while cartilage lacunae without fibers were observed at the white-white zone in group D. In addition, IHC studies demonstrated that collagen I and II, and the S-100 protein were expressed at the red‑red and the white-white zones of the repaired tissue in group D. It was concluded that purified canine myoblasts expressing the hCDMP-2 gene were able to promote meniscal fibrocartilage healing by regenerating fibrocartilage-like tissue. The tissue in the red-red zone was regenerated more rapidly than that in the white-white zone. Further studies are required to identify the best way to combine hCDMP-2 growth factor with myoblasts for use in the clinic due to the limitations regarding the clinical use of lentiviral infections.

Based on the Hirota’s bilinear form and symbolic computation, the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation with variable coefficients is investigated. The lump solutions and interaction solutions between lump solution and a pair of resonance stripe solitons are presented. Their dynamical behaviors are described by some three-dimensional plots and corresponding contour plots.