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The human body has tremendous self-healing capacity and regeneration after injuries and pathogen invasions. These factors are particularly important in older adults which take longer to heal and recover physically. In addition to clinical investigations, perspectives from both experts in the field and the living experiences of the general public could play significant roles to enhance the body’s healing mechanisms in older adults. A semi-structured interview was conducted which included 15 participants (9 experts and 6 older adults aged 65 years and older). Content analysis with an inductive approach was employed about participants’ experiences and perspectives. All participants in this study revealed that self-healing mechanisms can be enhanced through physiological, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. When more of these factors can be integrated into a recovery management plan, it can hasten self-healing in older adults. Social capability has a profound impact on an individual’s mental health while oral health and hygiene significantly affect the nutritional intake status. In regards to physical aspects, regular daily activity patterns, nutritious eating, moderate exercise, and sleep quality are significant, while psychological aspects such as cheerfulness, positive attitudes, and good interpersonal relationships can help control chronic diseases.

Background Loneliness is a common problem among older populations, and very few studies have examined loneliness among older adults in Taiwan. Aim This study aimed to understand the prevalence of loneliness and factors associated with it among older adults in Taiwan. Methods Data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging collected in 2015 were analyzed and involved 4588 participants aged ≥65 years. The outcome variable was a self-reported loneliness question, and independent variables included demographic characteristics, a self-reported health status, physical function, number of comorbidities, cognitive function, and social support. A multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of loneliness. Results The prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Taiwan was 10.5%. The multivariate logistic regression showed that old persons who were male, lived alone, perceived that they had a poor health condition, had no spouse, had no job, and had poor emotional support had higher likelihood of feeling lonely. Conclusions This study investigated loneliness in a nationally representative sample of older adults and revealed that one-tenth of this older population might experience loneliness which requires immediate action. Special attention should be given to the aforesaid factors in older adults to identify problems and provide interventions as early as possible in order to prevent loneliness and thus reduce the resultant negative effects on physical and mental conditions. Appropriate interventions should be developed to prevent or ameliorate feelings of loneliness among older populations using rigorous research designs such as randomized controlled trials.

Background: The asthma prevalence of Taiwanese adolescents continued to rise. With physical and psychological changes in adolescents, managing asthma can be quite challenges and affect social, emotional and physical wellbeing. Adolescents with high self-efficacy levels are more likely to be involved in prevention and management activities. The aim of this study was to develop an effective asthma self-management program taking account for adolescents' developmental stages and based on Bandura's self-efficacy model. Methods: A two-arm, parallel group, randomized controlled trial was used. The outcomes were self-efficacy, outcome-expectancy, asthma prevention and self-management behaviour, and controlling asthma symptoms. Translation and back-translation process were used for original tools in English. Good consistent reliabilities of Chinese versions tools were identified. A t-test or Mann-Whiney U test was employed to determine any mean differences of outcome variables between groups overtime. Results: A sample of 83 patients completed the study. The mean age was 14.2 years (SD = 1.8). Approximately 56.6% of the participants were males. 73% of participants (n = 61) had a mild to intermittent level of asthma severity. Significant improvements were found on self-efficacy, t = −2.8; outcome-expectancy, U = 646, prevention behaviours, t = −3.5, and management behaviours, t = −3.2, but non-significant results for the outcome of asthma control, U = 716. Conclusions: The results provided evidence to support the efficacy of the asthma self-management program. The findings indicated the program improved adolescents’ self-confidence in managing their asthma symptoms. Future clinical practice should consider delivering an educational program using multifaceted and interactive learning strategies.

Purpose: This study aims to gain in-depth understanding of nurses' perspectives of working in an overcrowded emergency. Methods: Symbolic interactionism and Charmaz’s construction of grounded theory were used. Purposive sampling at the start of the study and a further theoretical sampling by snowball technique were used to recruit 40 registered nurses (RN) to participate in in-depth, semi-structured interviews between May and November, 2014. Data analysis included analytic techniques of initial, focused and theoretical coding. Results: Study findings showed searching for work role is derived by the themes of Finding the role of positioning in Emergency Department (ED), Recognizing causes of ED overcrowding, and Confined working environment. Nurses' work experience which represents the RNs not gained control over their work, as care actions influenced by the problematic overcrowded circumstance of the ED environment. Conclusion: The findings fill a gap in knowledge about how RNs experience their work role in the context of an overcrowded Emergency Department in Taiwan. Arising from the study result include taking account of nurses' perspectives when planning staff/patient ratios, strategies to reduce waiting time and ensure that clients receive appropriate care. Keywords: crowding, emergency department, grounded theory, nurses

Uncontrolled asthma in adolescents can be explained by developmental changes and lack of priority for self-care activities. Limited reports on asthma self-management programs for adolescents to enhance prevention behaviors in Taiwan were found. The protocol paper presents a two-armed, randomized controlled trial aiming to test the effectiveness of a newly developed self-management program for 112 adolescents with asthma in Taiwan. The primary outcome is asthma self-efficacy. Data will be collected at baseline and the week 4. The findings of this study will determine the extent to which a self-management program for adolescents with asthma in Taiwan enhances asthma management self-efficacy, self-management activities in asthma prevention and management, and achievement of well-controlled asthma. Trial Registration No: ACTRN12613001294741.

Purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition characterized by the gradual loss of kidney function over time. Self-management programs have been widely applied to chronic disease education programs, which are designed to delay deteriorating kidney functions, preclude depression, and improve quality of life. This study aims to analyze effectiveness of self-management programs in bettering CKD patients' eGFR, mitigating depression symptoms and improving quality of life in randomized control or clinical trials. Methods: Using key terms, a search was conducted in English-language, peer-reviewed journals on CKD that were published between 2002 and 2014 on databases including CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE. The measurable variables included CKD patients' eGFR, depression, and quality of life. Random and fixed effects meta analysis were applied with standard error and correlation based measure of effect size. Results: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. A self-management program significantly impacted CKD patients' depression and mental quality-of-life dimensions, with an effect size of .29 [95% confidence interval (CI) (0.07, 0.53)] and −.42 [95% CI (−0.75, −0.10)]. However, the intervention of a self-management program had no significant effect on patients' eGFR as well as physical quality-of-life dimensions, with effect sizes of .06 [95% CI (−0.69, 0.81)] and −.16 [95% CI (−0.81, 0.50)]. Conclusions: Self-management programs of patients with chronic kidney disease can improve the depression and mental quality of life. Aside from providing more objective evidence-based results, this study provides a reference for clinical health care personnel who tend to patients with CKD.

Sleep and depression are strongly associated with cognitive impairment. The role of sleep disturbances in the adverse effect of depression on cognitive dysfunction in older adults remains unclear. This study explored the mediating effect of self-reported sleep disturbances on the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment in older adults according to sex differences. This study derived data from the 2009 Taiwan National Health Interview Survey and included 2,175 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older (men = 991; women = 1,184). Sleep disturbances were measured using self-reported survey questions. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale was used to assess depression. The Mini-Mental State Examination was used to evaluate cognitive impairment. A higher proportion of female older persons had cognitive impairment and depression than male older persons (cognition: 24.4% vs. 11.5%; depression: 17.0% vs. 10.8%). The meditating effect of sleep was detected in only men. Difficulty in initiating sleep was a complete mediator of the adverse effect of depression on cognitive impairment (Sobel test: p = .03). In summary, difficultly in initiating sleep may be a crucial, treatable mediator of the adverse effect of depression on cognitive impairment in older men.

Background: Current evidence of nonpharmacological intervention for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is lacking. AIMS: To examine whether an 8-week nurse-led cognitive-behavioral based group intervention would enhance resilient coping and life quality among community-based patients with TRD., Method: The participants were randomly sampled from a cohort of TRD recruited from two general teaching hospitals. The two groups were assessed with multiple outcome measures at baseline (T 0 ); 8-week post-baseline (T 1 ); and at 3, 6, and 9 months after T 1 (T 2-4 ). Psychoeducation was nested in the cognitive behavioral group intervention to facilitate discussion., Results: Of the 23 participants (mean age 56 years, 69.6% female) in the experimental group, higher resilient coping and lower mental distress levels at T 1 as well as later improved quality of life and community integration at T 2-4 were observed compared to the controls across COVID-19 (T 3 ). Overall, the scores of resilience and community integration were higher throughout the four follow-up points of observations for the experimental group., Conclusion: The findings indicated that an 8-week nurse-led cognitive-behavioral based group intervention may enhance the TRD patients' resilient coping and mental distress levels while providing the potentials for community reintegration after mental health psychoeducation engagement. It is imperative for the nurses caring for patients with TRD to extend from clinical-based intervention to community-based self-care approach, with the importance of short-term stress management and healthy lifestyle development highlighted during the community reintegration trajectory., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Long-read sequencing technology is a powerful approach with application in various genetic and genomic research. Herein, we developed the pipeline for long amplicon high-fidelity (HiFi) sequencing and then applied it for sequencing mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genomes from pools of 79 Tibetan Mastiffs. We amplified the mtDNA genome with long-range PCR using two pairs of primers. Two rounds of circular consensus sequencing (CCS) were conducted and their accuracy was evaluated. The results indicate that the second round of CCS can improve the accuracy of HiFi reads. In addition, the analysis of 79 high-quality mtDNA genomes shows the Tibetan Mastiffs from outside of the Tibetan Plateau experienced hybridization with other dogs. The high quality reads generator (HQGR) software is provided to facilitate data analyses, which is publicly accessible on GitHub (https://github.com/Caizf-script/HQGR). Our long amplicon HiFi sequencing pipeline can also be applied in various target enrichment strategies for small genomes and candidate genes., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To determine whether the injection of haemocoagulase into the biopsy tract can reduce pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage after computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy (PTLB)., Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed involving patients with undiagnosed pulmonary lesions scheduled for PTLB between January 2020 and March 2021. Patients were assigned to the haemocoagulase group or the non-haemocoagulase group. After CT-guided biopsies were performed with a 17 G coaxial system, patients in the haemocoagulase group received a haemocoagulase injection (0.2-0.5 units) in the biopsy tract as the sheath was withdrawn. Postoperative image studies were performed to evaluate complications, including pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage. Factors, including the patient's position, lesion location, and pathological results, were evaluated to determine their associations with the complications., Results: A total of 100 patients were included, with 44 men and a mean age of 53 years old. The overall incidences of pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage were 15% and 13%, respectively. The incidences of pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage were statistically significantly lower in the haemocoagulase group (8% and 6%, respectively) than in the non-haemocoagulase group (22% and 20%, respectively; p=0.04 and 0.03, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in haemoptysis between the haemocoagulase (6%) and non-haemocoagulase (2%) groups (p=0.23). There were also no statistically significant associations of pneumothorax or pulmonary haemorrhage with the patients' positions, lesion location, or pathological results., Conclusion: Biopsy tract haemocoagulase injection reduced the incidences of postoperative pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage after PTLB., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder, which has been linked to mutations or deletions of RNA binding protein, fox-1 homolog ( Caenorhabditis elegans ) 3 ( RBFOX3 )/ NeuN , a neuronal splicing regulator. However, the mechanism of seizure mediation by RBFOX3 remains unknown. Here, we show that mice with deletion of Rbfox3 in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ergic neurons exhibit spontaneous seizures and high premature mortality due to increased presynaptic release, postsynaptic potential, neuronal excitability, and synaptic transmission in hippocampal dentate gyrus granule cells (DGGCs). Attenuating early excitatory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) action by administering bumetanide, an inhibitor of early GABA depolarization, rescued premature mortality. Rbfox3 deletion reduced hippocampal expression of vesicle-associated membrane protein 1 (VAMP1), a GABAergic neuron-specific presynaptic protein. Postnatal restoration of VAMP1 rescued premature mortality and neuronal excitability in DGGCs. Furthermore, Rbfox3 deletion in GABAergic neurons showed fewer neuropeptide Y (NPY)-expressing GABAergic neurons. In addition, deletion of Rbfox3 in NPY-expressing GABAergic neurons lowered intrinsic excitability and increased seizure susceptibility. Our results establish RBFOX3 as a critical regulator and possible treatment path for epilepsy.

Most plane warts are recalcitrant to treatment. Both cryotherapy and local hyperthermia have been applied to treat plane warts. However, no direct comparative study on their respective efficacy and safety has ever been performed. To assess the efficacy and safety of local hyperthermia at 43 ± 1°C versus liquid nitrogen cryotherapy for plane warts. Sequential patients with plane warts entered the study, either receiving cryotherapy or local hyperthermia therapy at the discretion of the patients and the recommendations of consultants. Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen was delivered in two sessions 2 weeks apart, while local hyperthermia was delivered on three consecutive days, plus two similar treatments 10 ± 3 days later. The temperature over the treated skin surface was set at 43 ± 1°C for 30 min in each session. The primary outcome was the clearance rates of the lesions 6 months after treatment. Among the 194 participants enrolled, 183 were included in the analysis at 6 months. Local hyperthermia and cryotherapy achieved clearance rates of 35.56% (48/135) and 31.25% (15/48), respectively (p = 0.724); recurrence rates of 16.67% (8/48) and 53.33% (8/15) (p = 0.01); and adverse events rates of 20.74% (28/135) and 83.33% (40/48), respectively (p < 0.001). Cryotherapy had a higher pain score (p < 0.001) and a longer healing time (p < 0.001). Local hyperthermia at 43°C and cryotherapy had similar efficacy for plane warts. Local hyperthermia had a safer profile than cryotherapy but it required more treatment visits during a treatment course. More patients preferred local hyperthermia due to its treatment friendly nature., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Cryotherapy is one of the most common treatments for warts; however, pain during treatment and relatively high recurrence rates limit its use. Local hyperthermia has also been used successfully in the treatment of plantar warts. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of local hyperthermia vs cryotherapy for the treatment of plantar warts. This multi- centre, open, 2-arm, non-randomized concurrent controlled trial included 1,027 patients, who received either cryotherapy or local hyperthermia treatment. Three months after treatment, local hyperthermia and cryotherapy achieved complete clearance rates of 50.9% and 54.3%, respectively. Recurrence rates were 0.8% and 12%, respectively. Pain scores during local hyperthermia were significantly lower than for cryotherapy. Both local hyperthermia and cryotherapy demonstrated similar efficacy for clearance of plantar warts; while local hyperthermia had a lower recurrence rate and lower pain sensation during treatment.

Understanding the zoonotic origin and evolution history of SARS-CoV-2 will provide critical insights for alerting and preventing future outbreaks. A significant gap remains for the possible role of pangolins as a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses (SC2r-CoVs). Here, we screened SC2r-CoVs in 172 samples from 163 pangolin individuals of four species, and detected positive signals in muscles of four Manis javanica and, for the first time, one M. pentadactyla . Phylogeographic analysis of pangolin mitochondrial DNA traced their origins from Southeast Asia. Using in-solution hybridization capture sequencing, we assembled a partial pangolin SC2r-CoV (pangolin-CoV) genome sequence of 22 895 bp (MP20) from the M. pentadactyla sample. Phylogenetic analyses revealed MP20 was very closely related to pangolin-CoVs that were identified in M. javanica seized by Guangxi Customs. A genetic contribution of bat coronavirus to pangolin-CoVs via recombination was indicated. Our analysis revealed that the genetic diversity of pangolin-CoVs is substantially higher than previously anticipated. Given the potential infectivity of pangolin-CoVs, the high genetic diversity of pangolin-CoVs alerts the ecological risk of zoonotic evolution and transmission of pathogenic SC2r-CoVs.

Objectives: To study the value of serum miR-922 and miR-506 expression levels in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)., Methods: A total of 132 children with ALL (ALL group) and 80 healthy children (healthy control group) were prospectively selected in this study. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression levels of serum miR-922 and miR-506 in both groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to analyze the diagnostic value of miR-922 and miR-506 for childhood ALL. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and multivariate COX regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for poor prognosis in children with ALL., Results: The ALL group had significantly higher expression levels of serum miR-922 and miR-506 than the control group ( P <0.001). The ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off values of miR-922 and miR-506 for the diagnosis of childhood ALL were 1.46 and 2.17, respectively. The high miR-922 expression (≥1.46) group and high miR-506 expression (≥2.17) group had significantly higher incidence rates of lymph node enlargement, leukocyte count ≥50×10 9 /L, medium-high risk stratification, mixed-lineage leukemia ( MLL ) gene rearrangement, and karyotype abnormality than the low miR-922 expression group and low miR-506 expression group ( P <0.05). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high expression of miR-922 and miR-506 was associated with short survival time in children with ALL ( P <0.05). The multivariate COX regression analysis showed that leukocyte count ≥50×10 9 /L, medium-high risk stratification, MLL gene rearrangement, miR-922≥1.46, and miR-506≥2.17 could indicate poor prognosis in children with ALL ( P <0.05)., Conclusions: The expression levels of miR-922 and miR-506 are of good value in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of childhood ALL.

Objective: To explore the relationship between effect of induction chemotherapy and prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients., Methods: The clinical data of 146 adult AML patients treated in Affiliated Hospital of Chifeng University from March 2015 to March 2018 were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed. Day 14 bone marrow biopsy (D14BM) cellularity and blast proportion, daily peripheral blood blast (PBB) clearance rate, time to PBB clearance and etc. were primarily observed after induction chemotherapy. All the patients were divided into Non-relapse survival group, Relapse survival group, Non-relapse death group and Relapse death group according to survival and recurrence situation during 2-year follow-up. The survival of the patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier. Univariate analysis of prognostic factors were performed by ordinal Logistic regression, and ROC curve was used to assess the prediction efficiency of those factors for the 2-year overall survival (OS) and relapse of the patients., Results: A total of 138 patients were included since 8 cases failed to be assessed clinically. Their 2-year OS rate was 65.94%. Age of the patients in Non-relapse survival group was lower than that in Relapse death group. The D14BM cellularities in Non-relapse survival group and Relapse survival group were lower than those in Relapse death group (P<0.05). Daily PBB clearance rates in Non-relapse survival group and Relapse survival group were higher than those in Non-relapse death group and Relapse death group (P<0.05). There was a statistical difference among the four groups in the number of cycles of induction chemotherapy (P<0.05). The survival rate within 2 years in the patients with D14BM cellularity≤10% was higher than that in patients with cellularity >10%, while it was higher in patients with daily PBB clearance rate >20% than those with clearance rate≤20% (P<0.05). Age (HR=1.102, P=0.000), D14BM cellularity (HR=1.252, P=0.000) and the cycles of induction chemotherapy≥3 (HR=1.703, P=0.000) were the risk factors affecting the prognosis of AML patients, while daily PBB clearance rate was a protective factor (HR=0.799, P=0.000). The AUC of age, daily PBB clearance rate and D14BM cellularity in predicting 2-year OS of AML patients was 0.738, 0.817 and 0.807, respectively, whereas in predicting relapse within 2 years it was 0.691, 0.647 and 0.711, respectively. There was no statistical difference among the three factors in the sensitivity of 2-year OS (68.11%, 85.12%, 74.49%) and 2-year relapse (50.00%, 64.13%, 61.60%) (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Bone marrow biopsy results and PBB clearance rate are related to prognosis in AML patients, which can offer certain predictive value in assessing 2-year OS of patients.

Background: Liver injury seriously threatens the health of people. Meanwhile, dexmedetomidine hydrochloride (DEX) can protect against liver injury. However, the mechanism by which Dex mediates the progression of liver injury remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the function of DEX in oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated hepatocytes and its underlying mechanism., Methods: In order to investigate the function of DEX in liver injury, WRL-68 cells were treated with OGD. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Inflammatory cytokines levels were measured by ELISA assay. The interaction between miR-194 and TUG1 or SIRT1 was detected by dual-luciferase reporter. Gene and protein levels were measured by qPCR or western blotting., Results: DEX notably reversed OGD-induced inflammation and apoptosis in WRL-68 cell. Meanwhile, the effect of OGD on TUG1, SIRT1 and miR-194 expression in WRL-68 cells was reversed by DEX treatment. However, TUG1 knockdown or miR-194 overexpression reversed the function of DEX in OGD-treated WRL-68 cells. Moreover, TUG1 could promote the expression of SIRT1 by sponging miR-194. Furthermore, knockdown of TUG1 promoted OGD-induced cell growth inhibition and inflammatory responses, while miR-194 inhibitor or SIRT1 overexpression partially reversed this phenomenon., Conclusions: DEX could suppress OGD-induced hepatocyte apoptosis and inflammation by mediation of TUG1/miR-194/SIRT1 axis. Therefore, this study might provide a scientific basis for the application of DEX on liver injury treatment.

Objective: To study the risk factors associated with the hospital survival rate of elder patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in Medical/Respiratory Intensive Care Units (MICUs/RICUs) by evaluating the prognosis, and therefore to provide insight into patient treatment strategy. Methods: Twenty MICUs/RICUs of 19 general hospitals in mainland China participated in the multicenter prospective cohort study carried out from Mar 1 st , 2016 to Feb 28 th , 2018. Patients who met the criteria of Berlin ARDS and older than 65 years were recruited. Baseline data, risk factors of ARDS, ventilator setup and prognosis data were collected from all patients. Univariant and multivariant regression analysis were conducted to analyze the factors associated with the prognosis. Results: 170 elder ARDS patients (age≥65 years) met the Berlin ARDS criteria, among whom 8.8% (15/170), 42.9% (73/170) and 48.2% (82/170) patients had mild, moderate and severe ARDS, respectively. The most common predisposing factor for elder ARDS was pneumonia, which was present in 134 patients (78.8%). 37.6% (64/170) patients were treated with noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV), but 43.8% (28/64) cases experienced treatment failure. 76.5% (130/170) patients were treated with invasive mechanical ventilation. All patients 80 years or older were given invasive mechanical ventilation. 51.8% (88/170) cases had complications of non-pulmonary organ failure. 61.8% (105/170) patients deceased during hospital stay. Multivariant logistic analysis showed that the independent risk factors for hospital survival rate in elder patients with ARDS were SOFA score ( P= 0.030, RR= 0.725, 95% CI 0.543-0.969), oxygen index after 24 hours of ARDS diagnosis ( P= 0.030, RR= 0.196, 95% CI 0.045-0.853), accumulated fluid balance within 7 days after diagnosis of ARDS ( P= 0.026, RR= 1.000, 95% CI 1.000-1.000) and shock ( P= 0.034, RR= 0.140, 95% CI 0.023-0.863). Conclusion: Among 20 ICUs, the high mortality rate of elder patients with ARDS was correlated with higher 24 hour SOFA score, lower 24 hour oxygen index after ARDS diagnosis, more positive fluid balance within 7 days and concomitant shock. The conservative fluid strategy within 7 days of ARDS diagnosis may benefit the elder ARDS patients.

Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules linked CdZnSeS/ZnS green-emitting quantum dots (QDs) are self-assembled onto Ag nanoparticles (NPs) for studying the surface plasmon (SP) coupling effect on the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) process from QD into R6G. SP coupling can enhance the emission efficiency of QD such that FRET has to compete with QD emission for transferring energy into R6G. It is found that FRET efficiency is reduced under the SP coupling condition. Although R6G emission efficiency can also be enhanced through SP coupling when it is directly linked onto Ag NP, the enhancement decreases when R6G is linked onto QD and then the QD-R6G complex is self-assembled onto Ag NP. In particular, R6G emission efficiency can be reduced through SP coupling when the number of R6G molecules linked onto a QD is high. A rate-equation model is built for resembling the measured photoluminescence decay profiles and providing us with more detailed explanations for the observed FRET and SP coupling behaviors., (© 2021 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

By forming nanodisk (ND) structures on a blue-emitting InGaN/GaN quantum-well (QW) template, the QWs become close to the red-emitting quantum dots (QDs) and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) attached onto the sidewalls of the NDs such that Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) and surface plasmon (SP) coupling can occur to enhance the efficiency of blue-to-red color conversion. With a larger ND height, more QWs are exposed to open air on the sidewall for more QD/Ag NP attachment through QD self-assembly and Ag NP drop casting such that the FRET and SP coupling effects, and hence the color conversion efficiency can be enhanced. A stronger FRET process leads to a longer QD photoluminescence (PL) decay time and a shorter QW PL decay time. It is shown that SP coupling can enhance the FRET efficiency.

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from a green-emitting quantum dot (GQD) into a red-emitting quantum dot (RQD) is an important mechanism in a multiple-color conversion process, particularly under the surface plasmon (SP) coupling condition for enhancing color conversion efficiency. Here, the dependencies of FRET efficiency on the relative concentrations of GQD and RQD in their mixtures and their surface molecule coatings for controlling surface charges are studied. Also, the SP coupling effects induced by two kinds of Ag nanoparticles on the emission behaviors of GQD and RQD are demonstrated, particularly when FRET is involved in the coupling process. FRET efficiency is reduced under the SP coupling condition. SP coupling can enhance the color conversion efficiency of either GQD or RQD. The combination of SP coupling and FRET can be used for controlling the relative converted light intensities in a multiple-color conversion process.

We investigated changes in CD T cell counts related to sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and sociodemographic variables in heterogeneous groups of people living with HIV in a 6-month prospective study. Our longitudinal study involved 247 ambulatory patients living with HIV and using antiretroviral therapy. Sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and CD T cell counts were assessed three times at 3-month intervals. Growth curve mixture modeling was conducted to explore changes over time. A two-class mixture model with logarithmic change pattern fit the data best. For the majority of the sample (89.1%), anxiety, depression, and sleep quality did not change when CD T cells increased. For a small proportion of the sample (11.9%), sleep quality, anxiety, and depression deteriorated when CD T cells decreased. Marital status and alcohol use affected the classification significantly. Health care professionals should provide relevant services to people living with HIV with decreasing CD T cell counts.

Background: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by multiple respiratory, cognitive, endocrine, and behavioral symptoms, such as central apnea, intellectual disabilities, exaggerated stress responses, and temper tantrums. The locus coeruleus noradrenergic system (LC-NE) modulates a diverse range of behaviors, including arousal, learning, pain modulation, and stress-induced negative affective states, which are possibly correlated with the pathogenesis of PWS phenotypes. Therefore, we evaluated the LC-NE neuronal activity of necdin-deficient mice, an animal model of PWS., Methods: Heterozygous necdin-deficient mice (B6.Cg-Ndn tm1ky ) were bred from wild-type (WT) females to generate WT (+m/+p) and heterozygotes (+m/-p) animals, which were examined of LC-NE neuronal activity, developmental reflexes, and plethysmography., Results: On slice electrophysiology, LC-NE neurons of Ndn tm1ky mice with necdin deficiency showed significantly decreased spontaneous activities and impaired excitability, which was mediated by enhanced A-type voltage-dependent potassium currents. Ndn tm1ky mice also exhibited the neonatal phenotypes of PWS, such as hypotonia and blunt respiratory responses to hypercapnia., Conclusions: LC-NE neuronal firing activity decreased in necdin-deficient mice, suggesting that LC, the primary source of norepinephrine in the central nervous system, is possibly involved in PWS pathogenesis.

The norepinephrine-releasing neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) are well known to regulate wakefulness/arousal. They display active firing during wakefulness and a decreased discharge rate during sleep. We have previously reported that LC neurons express large numbers of GABA B receptors (GABA B Rs) located at peri-/extrasynaptic sites and are subject to tonic inhibition due to the continuous activation of GABA B Rs by ambient GABA, which is significantly higher during sleep than during wakefulness. In this study, we further showed using western blot analysis that the activation of GABA B Rs with baclofen could increase the level of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK 1 ) in LC tissue. Recordings from LC neurons in brain slices showed that the inhibition of ERK 1/2 with U0126 and FR180204 accelerated the decay of whole-cell membrane current induced by prolonged baclofen application. In addition, the inhibition of ERK 1/2 also increased spontaneous firing and reduced tonic inhibition of LC neurons after prolonged exposure to baclofen. These results suggest a new role of GABA B Rs in mediating ERK 1 -dependent autoregulation of the stability of GABA B R-activated whole-cell current, in addition to its well-known effect on gated potassium channels, to cause a tonic current in LC neurons.

The plasmonic Dicke effect means a cooperative emission mechanism of multiple light emitters when they are simultaneously coupled with the same surface plasmon (SP) mode of a metal nanostructure to achieve a higher collective emission efficiency. Here, we compare the enhancements of emission efficiency among a series of SP-coupled InGaN/GaN quantum-well (QW) structures of different QW period numbers to show an emission behavior consistent with the plasmonic Dicke effect. The relative enhancement of overall emission efficiency increases with QW period number until it reaches a critical value, beyond which the enhancement starts to decrease. This critical QW period number corresponds to the effective depth range of the plasmonic Dicke effect in a multiple-QW system. It also represents an optimized QW structure for maximizing the SP coupling effect. Internal quantum efficiency and time-resolved photoluminescence are measured for comparing the enhanced emission efficiencies of blue and green QW structures with different QW period numbers through SP coupling induced by surface Ag nanoparticles.

To improve the color-conversion efficiency based on a quantum-well (QW) light-emitting diode (LED), a more energy-saving strategy is needed to increase the energy transfer efficiency from the electrical input power of the LED into the emission of over-coated color-converter, not just from LED emission into converted light. In this regard, the efficiency of energy transfer of any mechanism from LED QW into the color-converter is an important issue. By overlaying blue-emitting QW structures and GaN templates with both deposited metal nanoparticles (DMNPs) and color-converting quantum dot (QD) linked synthesized metal nanoparticles (SMNPs) of different localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance wavelengths for producing multiple surface plasmon (SP) coupling mechanisms with the QW and QD, we study the enhancement variations of their internal quantum efficiencies and photoluminescence decay times. By comparing the QD emission efficiencies between the samples with and without QW, one can observe the advantageous effect of QW coupling with LSP resonances on QD emission efficiency. Also, with the LSP resonance wavelengths of both DMNPs and SMNPs close to the QW emission wavelength for producing strong SP coupling with the QW and hence QD absorption, a higher QD emission or color-conversion efficiency can be obtained.

With two different residual surfactants, four different metal nanoparticles (NPs), including two Au NPs and two Ag NPs are synthesized for linking with red-emitting CdZnSeS/ZnS colloidal quantum dots (QDs) to enhance QD emission efficiency. Those metal NPs are first connected with amino polyethylene glycol thiol of different molecular weights to avoid aggregation and make them positively charged. They can attract negatively charged QDs for inducing surface plasmon (SP) coupling such that either QD absorption or emission and hence overall color conversion efficiency can be enhanced. The enhancement of QD emission efficiency is evaluated through the comparison of time-resolved photoluminescence behaviors under different QD linkage conditions. Such results are confirmed by the measurement of the emission quantum efficiency of QD. It is found that by linking QDs onto Ag NPs, the QD emission efficiency is more enhanced, when compared with Au NPs. Also, depending on the synthesis process, the residual surfactant of citrate leads to a relatively large increment in QD emission efficiency, when compared to the surfactant of cetrimonium chloride. A more enhanced QD emission efficiency is caused by a higher QD linkage capability and a stronger SP coupling effect.

Four surface-modified and, hence, positively charged metal nanoparticles (NPs) of different localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance wavelengths are synthesized for linking with negatively charged, red-emitting colloidal CdZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) on the top surface of a blue-emitting InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) light-emitting diode (LED) through electro-static force. The metal NP-QD linkage leads to a short distance between them for producing their strong surface plasmon (SP) coupling, such that QD absorption and emission can be enhanced. Meanwhile, the small p-GaN thickness in the LED results in strong SP coupling between the LSP resonance of metal NP and the QWs of the LED, leading to enhanced QW emission and, hence, stronger QD excitation. All those factors together result in the increase of the color conversion efficiency of the QD.

Trillions of microbes have evolved with and continue to live on human beings. With the rapid advances in tools and technology in recent years, new knowledge and insight in cross-talk between the microbes and their hosts have gained. It is the aim of this work to critically review and summarize recent literature reports on the role of microbiota and mechanisms involved in the progress and development of major human diseases, which include obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), gout, depression and arthritis, as well as infant health and longevity., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.)

Extremely acidic soils of natural forests in Nanling National Nature Reserve have been previously investigated and revisited in two successive years to reveal the active ammonia oxidizers. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) rather than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were found more functionally important in the extremely acidic soils of the natural forests in Nanling National Nature Reserve. The relative abundances of Nitrosotalea, Nitrososphaera sister group, and Nitrososphaera lineages recovered by ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) transcripts were reassessed and compared to AOA communities formerly detected by genomic DNA. Nitrosotalea, previously found the most abundant AOA, were the second-most-active lineage after Nitrososphaera sister group. Our field study results, therefore, propose the acidophilic AOA, Nitrosotalea, can better reside in extremely acidic soils while they may not contribute to nitrification proportionately according to their abundances or they are less functionally active. In contrast, the functional importance of Nitrososphaera sister group may be previously underestimated and the functional dominance further extends their ecological distribution as little has been reported. Nitrososphaera gargensis-like AOA, the third abundant lineage, were more active in summer. The analyses of AOA community composition and its correlation with environmental parameters support the previous observations of the potential impact of organic matter on AOA composition. Al 3+ , however, did not show a strong adverse correlation with the abundances of functional AOA unlike in the DNA-based study. The new data further emphasize the functional dominance of AOA in extremely acidic soils, and unveil the relative contributions of AOA lineages to nitrification and their community transitions under the environmental influences.

Background: Extracellular high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has been identified as playing a critical role in the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism of its involvement in cardiac fibrosis is still not well-defined. Here, we aim to investigate whether toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) contributes to the extracellular HMGB1-mediated development and progression of cardiac fibrosis., Methods: A mouse model of cardiac fibrosis was induced by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (ISO). Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), an inhibitor of HMGB1 derived from natural products, was simultaneously administered by intraperitoneal injection. Echocardiography, H&E and Sirius red staining were used to evaluate cardiac function and fibrosis. The myocardial expression of autophagy-associated proteins was examined using immunoblotting. Cardiac fibroblasts were treated with different concentrations of HMGB1 to examine the expression levels of α-SMA, collagen I and autophagy markers. Interactions of HMGB1/TLR2 and α-SMA/p62 were examined by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence., Results: ISO-treated mice showed characteristic cardiac fibrosis, increased expression and co-localization of HMGB1 and TLR2, as well as impaired autophagic signals in myocardial tissues, which could be prevented by silencing TLR2. Exogenous administration of HMGB1 blocked the autophagic flux in fibroblasts, which caused extensive accumulation of collagen I and α-SMA. In addition, cardiac fibrosis was alleviated by GA treatment through abrogating the interaction between HMGB1 and TLR2., Conclusions: Our study suggests that the interaction between TLR2 and HMGB1 contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis via suppressing fibroblast autophagy, and that inhibiting HMGB1 with GA provides therapeutic benefits for the treatment of fibroproliferative heart diseases., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The efficiency enhancement of light color conversion from blue quantum well (QW) emission into red quantum dot (QD) emission through surface plasmon (SP) coupling by coating CdSe/ZnS QDs on the top of an InGaN/GaN QW light-emitting diode (LED) is demonstrated. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) are fabricated within a transparent conductive Ga-doped ZnO interlayer to induce localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance for simultaneously coupling with the QWs and QDs. Such a coupling process generates three enhancement effects, including QW emission, QD absorption at the QW emission wavelength, and QD emission, leading to an overall enhancement effect of QD emission intensity. An Ag NP geometry for inducing an LSP resonance peak around the middle between the QW and QD emission wavelengths results in the optimized condition for maximizing QD emission enhancement. Internal quantum efficiency and photoluminescence (PL) decay time measurements are performed to show consistent results with LED performance characterizations, even though the QD absorption of PL excitation laser may mix with the SP-induced QD absorption enhancement effect in PL measurement.

BACKGROUND Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) recently have been implicated in the pathological processes of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, LncRNADisease database and PubMed database were used to screen myocardial infraction (MI)-related lncRNAs and to investigate the diagnostic role of lncRNAs in ST-segment elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-six patients with STEMI and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Venous blood samples acquired at different time points and the expression levels of lncRNAs in plasma were measured by qRT-PCR. In addition, other blood samples were collected before and after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the diagnosis value of the markers. All included patients were followed up for 12±1 months. RESULTS Nine MI-related lncRNAs were selected from the database. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of hypoxia inducible factor 1A antisense RNA 2 (aHIF), member 1 opposite strand/antisense transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1), and mitochondrial long noncoding RNA uc022bqs.1 (LIPCAR) were significantly increased in patients with STEMI compared to the control patients. The ROC curve showed that LIPCAR (AUC=0.782, 95% CI: 0.707-0.0.894) had better diagnostic accuracy. Moreover, correlation analysis indicated that LIPCAR were positively correlated with myocardial enzymes and negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction. The level of LIPCAR in STEMI patients after PCI was lower (P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that higher levels of LIPCAR were independent predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with STEMI (HR=5.93; 95% CI, 1.46-9.77; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS Highly expressed LIPCAR in plasma may serve as a warning sign for the diagnosis of STEMI.

Forest ecosystems have great ecological values in mitigation of climate change and protection of biodiversity of flora and fauna; re-forestry is commonly used to enhance the sequestration of atmospheric CO 2 into forest storage biomass. Therefore, seasonal and spatial dynamics of the major microbial players in nitrification, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), in acidic soils of young and matured revegetated forests were investigated to elucidate the changes of microbial communities during forest restoration, and compared to delineate the patterns of community shifts under the influences of environmental factors. AOA were more abundant than AOB in both young and matured revegetated forest soils in both summer and winter seasons. In summer, however, the abundance of amoA-AOA decreased remarkably (p < 0.01), ranging from 1.90 (± 0.07) × 10 8 copies per gram dry soil in matured forest to 5.04 (± 0.43) × 10 8 copies per gram dry soil in young forest, and amoA-AOB was below detection limits to obtain any meaningful values. Moreover, exchangeable Al 3+ and organic matter were found to regulate the physiologically functional nitrifiers, especially AOA abundance in acidic forest soils. AOB community in winter showed stronger correlation with the restoration status of revegetated forests and AOA community dominated by Nitrosotalea devanaterra, in contrast, was more sensitive to the seasonal and spatial variations of environmental factors. These results enrich the current knowledge of nitrification during re-forestry and provide valuable information to developmental status of revegetated forests for management through microbial analysis.

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are the main nitrifiers which are well studied in natural environments, and AOA frequently outnumber AOB by orders especially in acidic conditions, making AOA the most promising ammonia oxidizers. The phylogeny of AOA revealed in related studies, however, often varied and hardly reach a consensus on functional phylotypes. The objective of this study was to compare ammonia-oxidizing communities by amoA gene and transcript based on both genomic DNA and RNA in extremely acidic forest soils (pH <4.5). Our results support the numerical and functional dominance of AOA over AOB in acidic soils as bacterial amoA gene and transcript were both under detection limits and archaeal amoA, in contrast, were abundant and responded to the fluctuations of environmental factors. Organic matter from tree residues was proposed as the main source of microbial available nitrogen, and the potential co-precipitation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with soluble Al 3+ species in acidic soil matrix may further restrict the amount of nitrogen sources required by AOB besides NH 3 /NH 4 + equilibrium. Although AOA were better adapted to oligotrophic environments, they were susceptible to the toxicity of exchangeable Al 3+ . Phylotypes affiliated to Nitrososphaera, Nitrososphaera sister group, and Nitrosotalea were detected by amoA gene and transcript. Nitrosotalea devantaerra and Nitrososphaera sister group were the major AOA. Compared to the genomic DNA data, higher relative abundances of Nitrososphaera and Nitrososphaera sister group were recognized in amoA transcript inferred AOA communities, where Nitrosotalea relative abundance was found lower, implying the functional activities of Nitrososphaera sister group and Nitrososphaera were easily underestimated and Nitrosotalea did not attribute proportionally to nitrification in extremely acidic soils. Further comparison of the different AOA community compositions and relative abundance of each phylotypes revealed by amoA genes and transcripts make it possible to identify the functional AOA species and assess their ecological role in extremely acidic soils.

This study applied different concentration of NaNO 3 solution to simulate the effect of inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition/pollution on carbon (C) storage in coastal mangrove sediment through observing the changes of enzyme activity and microbial abundance. Sediment collected from mangrove forest (MG) and intertidal zone (IZ) were incubated with different N rates (0 (control), 5 (low-N) and 20 (high-N) μg N g -1 dry sediment, respectively). After incubation, the activities of phenol oxidase (PHO) and acid phosphatase (ACP) were enhanced, but β-glucosidase (GLU) and N-β-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities were reduced by N addition. The altered enzymatic stoichiometries by N input implied that microbial phosphorus (P) limitation was increased, whereas C and N limitation were alleviated. Besides, N input decreased the bacterial abundance but increased fungal abundance in both types of sediment. The increased pH and soluble phenolics along with the exacerbated P limitation by N addition might explain these changes. Furthermore, sediment with N addition (except high-N treated MG sediment) showed a trend of C sequestration, which might be largely caused by the decrease of bacterial abundance and GLU activity. However, MG sediment with high-N suggested a trend of C loss, and the possible reason for this discrepancy might be the relatively higher increase of PHO and ACP activity. To better understand the influence of N deposition/pollution on C cycling, the long-term N effect on microorganisms, enzymes, and thus C storage should be paid more attention in the future., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) are two new processes of recent discoveries linking the microbial nitrogen and carbon cycles. In this study, 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of anammox bacteria and pmoA gene of n-damo bacteria were used to investigate their distribution and diversity in natural acidic and re-vegetated forest soils. The 16S rRNA gene sequences retrieved featured at least three species in two genera known anammox bacteria, namely Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans, Candidatus Brocadia fulgida, and Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis while the pmoA gene amplified was affiliated with two species of known n-damo bacteria Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera and a newly established Candidatus Methylomirabilis sp. According to the results, the diversity of anammox bacteria in natural forests was lower than in re-vegetated forests, but no significant difference was observed in n-damo community between them. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that both anammox and n-damo bacteria were more abundant in the lower layer (10-20 cm) than the surface layer (0-5 cm). The abundance of anammox bacteria varied from 2.21 × 10(5) to 3.90 × 10(6) gene copies per gram dry soil, and n-damo bacteria quantities were between 1.69 × 10(5) and 5.07 × 10(6) gene copies per gram dry soil in the two different layers. Both anammox and n-damo bacteria are reported for the first time to co-occur in acidic forest soil in this study, providing a more comprehensive information on more defined microbial processes contributing to C and N cycles in the ecosystems.

Olmsted syndrome (OS) is a rare disease, characterized by symmetrical, sharply defined, hyperkeratotic, mutilating plaques on the palms and soles, which are associated with periorificial keratotic plaques. Other clinical manifestations of OS include diffuse alopecia, leucokeratosis of the oral mucosa, onychodystrophy, hyperkeratotic linear streaks, follicular hyperkeratosis and constriction of the digits. A recent study identified de novo mutations in the gene for transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3), causing constitutive activation of the TRPV3 channel, as a cause of OS. We report familial inheritance of OS in a family from Mongolia, which was caused by a previously undescribed G573V point mutation in TRPV3. To date, mutations in the G573 residue of TRPV3 have been reported in seven cases of OS: G573S in five cases, and G573C and G573A mutations in one case each. We present a Mongolian familial case of G573V point mutation in TRPV3., (© 2016 British Association of Dermatologists.)

The lasing spectrum of dye-doped chiral nematic liquid crystal under electric filed was investigated. Two kinds of electrodes were designed to apply transverse electric field to positive liquid crystal cell and longitudinal electric field to negative liquid crystal cell. A 532 nm Nd∶YAG pulsed solid-state laser was used to pump the cell. When transverse electric field is applied to positive liquid crystal device, multi-wavelength laser output is obtained in the range of 630~660 nm. When longitudinal electric field is applied to negative liquid crystal cell, 18.5 nm tunable output lasing is obtained. The output characteristic of cell was analyzed from the texture of device and the photonic band gap. In the positive liquid crystal cell, the competition of electric moment with twisting moment causes the flow of LC molecule, and the flow of LC molecule leads to a floating photonic band gap. For this reason, not only at the edge of photonic band gap but in the photonic band gap can produce lasing. For negative liquid crystal cell, the pitch shrinks with the increase of electric field. The photonic band gap shows blue-shift with the decrease of pitch. and Lasing wavelength is blue shifted from 681.0 to 662.5 nm and the lasing at the edge of photonic band gap. Negative liquid crystal cell has better stability under electric field effect.

The polymorphisms of tumour necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3) have been found to associate with several autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to explore the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNFAIP3 gene with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Han Chinese. Thirty-two SNPs were genotyped in 284 patients with SLE and 630 controls using the ligation detection reaction (LDR) method. The quality control steps and statistical analyses were performed using the PLINK 1.07 package and HAPLOVIEW software. We found that 13 SNPs in TNFAIP3 showed significant association with SLE (P < 1.85 × 10(-3)), and all of them were in high linkage disequilibrium (LD). After conditioning on the SNP rs2230926, other 12 SNPs did not show association (P > 0.27). All 13 SNPs showed most significant association in the dominant model. In haplotype analysis, a long risk SNP haplotype (GCCCGTGTCATGG) showed most significant association (P = 1.00 × 10(-4)). In conclusion, our data suggest that TNFAIP3 is a susceptible gene for SLE in the Han Chinese population., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation( NIPPy) on the gene and protein expression of biquitin-proteasome of skeletal muscle in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)., Methods: Seven patients with AECOPD by NIPPV were used as the study group, meanwhile, 6 patients with AECOPD who refused NIPPV was the control group. The blood gas analysis, heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MBp) were monitored before and 14 days after treatment. A skeletal muscle biopsy was performed after 14 days of therapy. The mRNA expression of ribosomal protein S21 (RPS21), Ubiquitin, Ubiquitin combined with enzyme E2 (E2), Ubiquitin ligase E3 (E3) in skeletal muscle cell were measured by RT-PCR. The protein expression of mitochondrial aconitase (AC02), protease C3 (C3), ribosomal protein SLC16 (SLC16) were detected by Western blot., Results: Forteen days after treatment, the patients in NIPPV group got much better improvement in PaCO2, PaO2 and HR than that of the patients.in the control group (P < 0.05). The gene expression of RPS21,Ubiquitin, E2 and E3 in skeletal muscle cell on patients with NIPPV were obviously lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with that of the control group, the protein expression of C3 and AC2 increased significantly in the NIPPV group (P < 0.01). The protein expression of SLC16 was significantly lowered in the treated group (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: NIPPV can ameliorate the proteasome pathway and energy metabolic disorders in patients with AECOPD.

Nanoporous metals (NPMs) have proven to be all-round candidates in versatile and diverse applications. In this decade, interest has grown in the fabrication, characterization and applications of these intriguing materials. Most existing reviews focus on the experimental and theoretical works rather than the numerical simulation. Actually, with numerous experiments and theory analysis, studies based on computer simulation, which may model complex microstructure in more realistic ways, play a key role in understanding and predicting the behaviors of NPMs. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the computer simulations of NPMs, which are prepared through chemical dealloying. Firstly, we summarize the various simulation approaches to preparation, processing, and the basic physical and chemical properties of NPMs. In this part, the emphasis is attached to works involving dealloying, coarsening and mechanical properties. Then, we conclude with the latest progress as well as the future challenges in simulation studies. We believe that highlighting the importance of simulations will help to better understand the properties of novel materials and help with new scientific research on these materials.

Lactobacillus helveticus H9 was isolated from traditionally fermented yak milk in Tibet (China) with the ability to produce the antihypertensive peptides Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) during milk fermentation. To understand the changes in the protein expression of L. helveticus H9, proteome analysis was performed at 3 different growth stages, lag phase (pH 6.1), log phase (pH 5.1), and stationary phase (pH 4.5) using 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Further analysis showed that 257 differential protein spots were found and 214 protein spots were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). The cellular functions of the differentially expressed proteins were complex. Interestingly, the proteolytic system-related proteins aminopeptidase N (PepN), aminopeptidase E (PepE), endopeptidase O2 (PepO2), and oligopeptide transport system permease protein (OppC) were observed only on the maps of pH 5.1 and pH 4.5, which was consistent with the presence of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides VPP and IPP during these 2 growth stages (log phase and stationary phase). These results, combined with a previous study of gene expression of the proteolytic system, led us to conclude that the Opp transport system, pepE, and pepO2 are likely related to the production of ACE-inhibitory peptides., (Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Extraction method for dynamic spectrum (DS) with a high signal to noise ratio is a key to achieving high-precision noninvasive detection of blood components. In order to further improve the accuracy and speed of DS extraction, linear similarity between photoelectric plethysmographys (PPG) at each two different wavelengths was analyzed in principle, and an experimental verification was conducted. Based on this property, the method of compensation-fitting extraction was proposed. Firstly, the baseline of PPG at each wavelength is estimated and compensated using single-period sampling average, which would remove the effect of baseline drift caused by motion artifact. Secondly, the slope of least squares fitting between each single-wavelength PPG and full-wavelength averaged PPG is acquired to construct DS, which would significantly suppress random noise. Contrast experiments were conducted on 25 samples in NIR wave band and Vis wave band respectively. Flatness and processing time of DS using compensation-fitting extraction were compared with that using single-trial estimation. In NIR band, the average variance using compensation-fitting estimation was 69.0% of that using single-trial estimation, and in Vis band it was 57.4%, which shows that the flatness of DS is steadily improved. In NIR band, the data processing time using compensation-fitting extraction could be reduced to 10% of that using single-trial estimation, and in Vis band it was 20%, which shows that the time for data processing is significantly reduced. Experimental results show that, compared with single-trial estimation method, dynamic spectrum compensation-fitting extraction could steadily improve the signal to noise ratio of DS, significantly improve estimation quality, reduce data processing time, and simplify procedure. Therefore, this new method is expected to promote the development of noninvasive blood components measurement.

This study was aimed to investigate the distribution of compact bone mesenchymal stem cells(MSC) marked with lentiviral plasmid pGC FU-RFP-LV in lung tissue and bone marrow of mouse. The MSC were infected by lentivirus with infection efficiency 78%, the infected MSC were injected into BALB/c mice via tail veins in concentration of 1×10(6) /mouse. The mice were randomly divided into 4 group according to 4 time points as 1, 2, 5 and 7 days. The lung tissue and bone marrow were taken and made of frozen sections and smears respectively in order to observed the distributions of MSC. The results indicated that the lentiviral infected MSC displayed phenotypes and biological characteristics which conformed to MSC by immunophenotyping analysis and induction differentiation detection. After the MSC were infected with optimal viral titer MOI = 50, the cell growth no significantly changed; the fluorescent microscopy revealed that the distributions of MSC in bone marrow on day 1, 2, 5 and 7 were 0.50 ± 0.20, 0.67 ± 0.23, 0.53 ± 0.14, 0.33 ± 0.16; those in lung tissue were 0.55 ± 0.15, 0.47 ± 0.13, 0.29 ± 0.13, 0.26 ± 0.08. It is concluded that the distribution of MSC in lung tissue reaches a peak on day 1, while distribution of MSC in bone marrow reaches a peak on day 2. The distribution of mouse MSC relates with RFP gene expression and implantation of MSC in lung tissue and bone marrow.

To identify susceptibility loci for vitiligo, we extended our previous vitiligo genome-wide association study with a two-staged replication study that included 6,857 cases and 12,025 controls from the Chinese Han population. We identified three susceptibility loci, 12q13.2 (rs10876864, P(combined)=8.07 × 10(-12), odds ratio (OR)=1.18), 11q23.3 (rs638893, P(combined)=2.47 × 10(-9), OR=1.22), and 10q22.1 (rs1417210, P(combined)=1.83 × 10(-8), OR=0.88), and confirmed three previously reported loci for vitiligo, 3q28 (rs9851967, P(combined)=8.57 × 10(-8), OR=0.88), 10p15.1 (rs3134883, P(combined)=1.01 × 10(-5), OR=1.11), and 22q12.3 (rs2051582, P(combined)=2.12 × 10(-5), OR=1.14), in the Chinese Han population. The most significant single-nucleotide polymorphism in the 12q13.2 locus is located immediately upstream of the promoter region of PMEL, which encodes a major melanocyte antigen and has expression loss in the vitiligo lesional skin. In addition, both 12q13.2 and 11q23.3 loci identified in this study are also associated with other autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and systemic lupus erythematosus. These findings provide indirect support that vitiligo pathogenesis involves a complex interplay between immune regulatory factors and melanocyte-specific factors. They also highlight similarities and differences in the genetic basis of vitiligo in Chinese and Caucasian populations.

Complex ZnO architectures with tunable morphologies and structures were obtained by modulating only the base type and molar ratio of base to Zn 2+ (α) using an easy one-pot hydrothermal approach without any template or organic additive. Characterizations by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and surface area analysis were performed. The effect of the base type and base/Zn 2+ molar ratio on the morphology and corresponding mechanism were determined. The correlations between the microstructure and properties were established. The antibacterial effect of the ZnO samples was probably due to a combination of variable factors. Better antibacterial activity is derived from more effective antibacterial surfaces, which are mainly associated with the specific surface area and Zn-polar plane. Thus, flower-like architectures with larger specific surface areas and more highly exposed (0001) Zn-polar surfaces outwards are promising structures for ZnO antibacterial agents. This work provides a guide for devising and synthesizing highly efficient antibacterial materials.