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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical and serological features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) overlap syndrome (Rhupus syndrome). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 21 patients with Rhupus syndrome who were hospitalized at Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between January 2010 and January 2018. We compared the joint involvement, autoantibodies and clinical manifestations of Rhupus syndrome with 81 cases of RA-alone and 51 cases of SLE-alone. RESULTS: In 21 patients with Rhupus syndrome, there are 3 males and 18 females. Compared with the SLE-alone group, the patients with Rhupus syndrome were older [(49.43±11.66) vs. (40.59±12.73), P=0.008]. The median age of the patients with Rhupus syndrome at RA onset was significantly younger than that of the RA-alone patients [(32.58±11.14) vs. (43.11±11.83), P=0.010]. Of the 21 patients with Rhupus syndrome, the initial diagnosis was RA in 57% (12/21), except 2 male patients, the other 10 patients with SLE manifestations were menopause, the mean age of amenorrhea or menopause was (44.30±5.33) (36-50) years. The mean interval between the onset of SLE and RA was 10.83 years. Two patients started with SLE manifestations. Moreover, both diseases simultaneously developed in 33.3% of the patients. Except one male patient, 3 patients were in menopause stage when RA and SLE appeared. The positive rate of specific antibody Rhupus syndrome was similar to that of RA. Renal damage was relatively rare in SLE related manifestations, but the incidence of interstitial lung disease was higher. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of complements C3 and C4, antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), anti-SSA or anti-SSB antibody between the Rhupus syndrome and SLE-alone group. CONCLUSION: Rhupus syndrome is an overlapping syndrome in which RA and SLE coexist. Most of the diseases occur in RA and the related manifestations of RA are more serious than those of SLE. The incidence of Rhupus syndrome may be related to the change of sex hormone levels.

BackgroundFGFR3 mutations are among the most frequent genetic alterations in bladder cancer and are enriched in the luminal papillary subtype of muscle-invasive tumors (MIBC) and luminal-like classes 1 and 3 of non-MIBC. To study their oncogenic propertiesin vivo, we developed here a genetically engineered mouse (GEM) model expressing the most frequent FGFR3 mutation, FGFR3-S249C, in urothelial cells.MethodsBladder tumorigenesis was monitored in FGFR3-S249C mice. FGFR3 expression was assessed by RT-qPCR in the transgenic mice urothelium and in various human epithelia. Transcriptomic data were obtained from mouse bladder tumors and crossspecies comparisons were performed. Sex bias in FGFR3-mutated tumors was evaluated in our GEM model and in the TCGA and UROMOL cohorts of patients including 408 MIBC and 419 NMIBC, respectively. The association of androgen receptor (AR) activity, based on the expression of its target genes, with FGFR3 mutations was examined in these two cohorts. Binding of AR to its response element and AR phosphorylation in FGFR3-dependent cell lines were evaluated.ResultsFGFR3-S249C expression in the urothelium of mice induced spontaneous low-grade papillary bladder tumors resembling the human counterpart at the histological and transcriptomic levels. Mutant-FGFR3 expression levels impacted tumor formation incidence in mice and mutant-FGFR3-driven human tumors were restricted to epithelia presenting high normal expression levels of FGFR3. The known bladder cancer male gender bias, also found in our model, was even higher in human FGFR3-mutated compared to wild-type tumors and associated with a higher AR regulon activity considering gender adjustment. AR phosphorylation and regulon activity were modulated by FGFR3 in FGFR3-dependent models.ConclusionsMutant-FGFR3 is an oncogene per se, inducing bladder tumorigenesis. Patients with early stage bladder lesions could thus potentially benefit from FGFR3 targeting. Our results also reinforce the interest in elucidating the role of AR in bladder carcinogenesis, specifically in FGFR3-mutated driven tumors. Finally, our results suggest FGFR3 expression level in epithelium as a determinant for the FGFR3-driven tumors tissue specificity.

To explore the mechanism of microRNA-125a reversing the resistance of laryngeal cancer stem cells to cisplatin from mitochondrial autophagy. The human laryngeal carcinoma cell line Hep-2 was purchased from Shanghai Bioleaf Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The expression of microRNA-125a messenger RNA in each group of cells was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The cell migration and invasion ability of each group was evaluated by Transwell assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was conducted to evaluate the protein expression. The expression of microRNA-125a messenger RNA in the Hep-2/diamminedichloroplatinum group was lower than that in the control group (p

Accurate fault diagnosis is critical for the safe and stable operation of mechanical equipment. Current deep learning (DL)-based fault diagnosis can extract various and deep discriminative features efficiently. Different DL methods are applicable to different data types, and the extracted features are also different. In addition, the equipment working conditions are complex, and noise from the working environment is inevitable. If only a single network or single input is used, it is difficult to extract the information that can comprehensively describe the fault features, which affects the diagnosis accuracy, especially when multiple faults (more than ten types) are considered. Hence, this study proposes a method for fault diagnosis based on the smoothness prior approach (SPA) and a dual-input depth spatial–temporal fusion network. First, the original signal is decomposed via SPA and two different types of input are constructed. Second, a dual-input depth spatial–temporal fusion network is proposed to extract deeper information by simultaneously learning temporal and spatial features. These two types of features are fused using a two-dimensional convolutional neural network to complete classification tasks. The average recognition accuracy of the proposed network can be maintained above 99% on two commonly used benchmark vibration datasets. Compared with several state-of-the-art diagnosis methods under different noise level experiments, the proposed method can achieve higher diagnosis accuracy for each dataset under different working conditions.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL) as a new feeding emulsifier diet with and without soybean oil (SO) on the milk fat globule (MFG) size, milk composition, digestibility of nutrients, and performance in lactating sows. Sixty sows (Large White × Landrace) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each treatment had 15 replicates composed of 1 sow. The factors included 1) the fat level (0% vs. 3% SO) and 2) the emulsifier content (0% vs. 0.1% SSL). Treatments included 1) Control (without SO and SSL), 2) SO (3% SO without SSL), 3) SSL (0.1% SSL without SO), and 4) SO + SSL (3% SO and 0.1% SSL). During the suckling period, sows in the SO + SSL group lost less back fat thickness ( 0.05) of dietary fat and its interaction with a dietary emulsifier on energy intake and the weaning-estrus interval. The digestibility of ether extract in the SO + SSL group was greater than in the SO group ( 0.05). In conclusion, feeding a 0.1% SSL diet to lactating sows may decrease the average diameter of MFG and improve the digestibility of nutrients and composition of milk.

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) directly applies to postmenopausal breast cancer patients. Patients underwent bilateral ovariectomy or ≥60 years were acknowledged as postmenopausal.Alternatively, for60 years breast cancer patients, sex hormone detection to evaluate menopause is recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline, textbooks, and AIs clinical trials.However, series of clinical trial found that, a broad overlap region of follicle stimulating hormone and estradiol appeared between premenopausal and postmenopausal patients, which unable to determine the menopause even with sensitivity promotion of detection equipment or manners.We have abandon this detection in clinical treatment, and decision making was only according to the relapse risk and disease status. We recommend bilateral ovariectomy resection accompanied with AIs for breast cancer patients with high recurrence risk (e.g. T3-4 or LNM≥4) or patients with advanced metastatic disease.However, patients with low or moderate recurrence risk can be treated with tamoxifen.芳香化酶抑制剂(AIs)只能用于绝经后乳腺癌患者。≥60岁或卵巢切除术后是公认的绝经标准；而60岁的停经患者在美国国家综合癌症网指南、AIs国际临床研究方案及有关教科书中都要求通过性激素检测判断绝经状态。但国外及我们的研究都显示，卵泡刺激素和雌二醇在绝经和未绝经患者中存在宽泛重叠区，即使提高检测仪器方法的敏感性，也无法正确判定绝经状态。我们已经放弃这种检查，仅根据临床复发风险和疾病状态选择内分泌治疗。对T3～4、转移淋巴结≥4个的术后高危患者和复发转移患者，切除卵巢后应用AIs，但绝对不采用药物去势的方法；而低危和中危患者用他莫昔芬辅助治疗。.

Objective To study the influence of halogenated hydroxyl-alkanes inhalation anesthetic on the determination of ethanol content in blood. Methods Halogenated hydroxyl-alkanes were analyzed by headspace gas chromatography with double column confirmatory detection method. The influence of halogenated hydroxyl-alkanes on determination of ethanol content in blood sample by headspace gas chromatography was explored under the different detection conditions of KB-BAC1/ KB-BAC2 and JW DB-ALC1/DB-ALC2 gas chromatographic column. Results The retention time of sevoflurane and enflurane was similar to that of ethanol and tert butanol respectively when using the JW DB-ALC1/DB-ALC2 gas chromatographic column, and interfered with the detection of ethanol content in blood; only JW DB-ALC1 gas chromatographic column can separate the sevoflurane and ethanol components, so as to eliminate their influence on the detection of ethanol content in blood. When using KB-BAC1/KB-BAC2 gas chromatographic column, the retention time of sevoflurane, isoflurane and ethanol is similar, especially that of sevoflurane and ethanol, and sevoflurane obviously interferes with the determination of ethanol content in blood. Conclusion Halogenated hydroxy-alkanes interfere with determination of ethanol content in blood by headspace gas chromatography. The interference can be discriminated effectively by choosing the suitable chromatographic column and double column confirmatory detection.卤代羟基烷类吸入用麻醉剂对血液中乙醇含量检测的影响.目的 研究血液中的卤代羟基烷类吸入用全身麻醉剂对血液中乙醇含量检测的影响。 方法 利用顶空气相色谱双柱确认检测方法对卤代羟基烷类进行分析，观察其在KB-BAC1/KB-BAC2和JW DB-ALC1/DB-ALC2气相色谱柱条件下对顶空气相色谱法检测血液中乙醇含量的影响。 结果 JW DB-ALC1/DB-ALC2气相色谱柱中，七氟烷、恩氟烷分别与乙醇和叔丁醇的保留时间相近，对血液中乙醇含量的检测存在干扰；仅JW DB-ALC1气相色谱柱可分离七氟烷和乙醇成分，以排除其对血液中乙醇含量检测的影响。在KB-BAC1/KB-BAC2气相色谱柱中，七氟烷、异氟烷与乙醇的保留时间相近，尤其是七氟烷与乙醇的保留时间基本一致，对血液中乙醇含量检测存在明显干扰。 结论 卤代羟基烷类对顶空气相色谱法检测血液中乙醇含量存在干扰，选择适当的色谱柱进行双柱确认检测可有效予以甄别。.法医毒理学；卤代羟基烷；麻醉药，吸入；乙醇；顶空气相色谱法；血液.

Aiming at the typical problem of unmanned underwater vehicle (UAV) path planning, this paper proposes a fuzzy optimization algorithm based on adaptive fireworks. Firstly, the track performance index with a multi-objective fuzzy optimization strategy based on energy consumption and buoy threat was established. Then, the adaptive fireworks search algorithm was used for track planning. Finally, three groups of simulation and comparison experiments with different levels of complex environment were carried out. The results showed that the fuzzy optimization algorithm based on adaptive fireworks can effectively solve the multi-objective fuzzy optimization problem. The method proposed in this paper provided a useful reference for unmanned underwater vehicle path planning.

Inferring camera ego-motion from consecutive images is essential in visual odometry (VO). In this work, we present a jointly unsupervised learning system for monocular VO, consisting of single-view depth, two-view optical flow, and camera-motion estimation module. Our work mitigates the scale drift issue which can further result in a degraded performance in the long-sequence scene. We achieve this by incorporating standard epipolar geometry into the framework. Specifically, we extract correspondences over predicted optical flow and then recover ego-motion. Additionally, we obtain pseudo-ground-truth depth via triangulating 2D-2D pixel matches, which makes the depth scale is closely relevant to the pose. Experimentation on the KITTI driving dataset shows competitive performance compared to established methods.

Osteoblastic metastasis of breast cancer is relatively rare, but there are cases of misdiagnosis and mistreatment in clinical treatment. They can only be diagnosed by X ray or CT bone scan and must be identified from bone repair after effective treatment in patients with osteolytic or mixed bone metastases. Bone metastasis is often seen in the disease-free condition of breast cancer, and very few can occur in stage Ⅳ lesions prior to surgery. Based on the analysis of clinical phenomena, we questioned the evaluation criteria of the therapeutic effect on bone metastasis of breast cancer created by the World Health Organization and the MD Anderson Cancer Center and concluded the formation mechanism of bone metastasis. For patients with simple osteoblastic bone metastasis, we broke through the recommendations of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guideline and advocated the concept of "noninterference" . Patients with positive hormone receptor can be treated with traditional endocrine therapy. Hormone receptor negative and/or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive patients can be observed first, followed by chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy when there is osteolytic bone metastasis or visceral metastasis. Furthermore, bisphosphonates are not required since osteoblastic bone metastasis is generally not associated with the risk of bone related events. The active treatment of primary lesion should be taken into account in stage Ⅳ patient before operation.乳腺癌成骨转移相对少见，但是临床上时有误诊误治的患者。成骨转移只能通过X线或CT骨窗扫描得以诊断，但还需与溶骨或混合性转移治疗有效的成骨修复患者相鉴别。成骨转移常发生于乳腺癌的无病状态，罕见于术前Ⅳ期病变患者。本文透过临床现象，对世界卫生组织和美国MD安德森癌症治疗中心制订的乳腺癌骨转移疗效评价标准提出质疑，并推断成骨转移的形成机制。对单纯成骨转移患者，突破美国国家综合癌症网络指南的建议，提倡无为而治的理念。激素受体阳性患者当然适用内分泌治疗，可继续沿用原来辅助内分泌药物；激素受体阴性和(或)人表皮生长因子受体2阳性患者，先不治疗，待出现溶骨或内脏转移时再用化疗和(或)靶向治疗。因为成骨转移一般不存在骨相关事件的风险，不需要用双膦酸盐。术前Ⅳ期患者还应首先顾及原发病灶的积极治疗。.

A new correlation for the viscosity of n-hexadecane is presented. The correlation is based upon a body of experimental data that has been critically assessed for internal consistency and for agreement with theory. It is applicable in the temperature range from the triple point to 673 K at pressures up to 425 MPa. The overall uncertainty of the proposed correlation, estimated as the combined expanded uncertainty with a coverage factor of 2, varies from 1% for the viscosity at atmospheric pressure to 10% for the viscosity of the vapor phase at low temperatures. Tables of the viscosity generated by the relevant equations are provided at selected temperatures and pressures and along the saturation line.A new correlation for the viscosity of n-hexadecane is presented. The correlation is based upon a body of experimental data that has been critically assessed for internal consistency and for agreement with theory. It is applicable in the temperature range from the triple point to 673 K at pressures up to 425 MPa. The overall uncertainty of the proposed correlation, estimated as the combined expanded uncertainty with a coverage factor of 2, varies from 1% for the viscosity at atmospheric pressure to 10% for the viscosity of the vapor phase at low temperatures. Tables of the viscosity generated by the relevant equations are provided at selected temperatures and pressures and along the saturation line.

The ceramics of 0·5Ba(ZrxTi1–x)O3–0·5(Ba0·75Ca0·25)TiO3(x = 0·15, 0·20, 0·25 and 0·30) (BZT–BCT) were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method. And then, the dielectric, ferroelectric and electrostrictive properties of the ceramics were investigated near morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Meanwhile, its crystallographic structure had been found to change from tetragonal phase to pseudocubic phase by the raising Zr4+ content from 0·15 to 0·30. And the grains morphology was observed from SEM. Finally, when the ceramics sintered at 1400°C for 2h with x = 0·15, The excellent properties were obtained: The electrostrictive strain reaches 0·16% under 40 kV cm− 1, and T m=102°C, which demonstrated that the BZT-BCT has superior strain capacity as a lead-free system.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL) as a new feeding emulsifier diet with and without soybean oil (SO) on the milk fat globule (MFG) size, milk composition, digestibility of nutrients, and performance in lactating sows. Sixty sows (Large White × Landrace) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments according to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each treatment had 15 replicates composed of 1 sow. The factors included 1) the fat level (0% vs. 3% SO) and 2) the emulsifier content (0% vs. 0.1% SSL). Treatments included 1) Control (without SO and SSL), 2) SO (3% SO without SSL), 3) SSL (0.1% SSL without SO), and 4) SO + SSL (3% SO and 0.1% SSL). During the suckling period, sows in the SO + SSL group lost less back fat thickness (P < 0.05) compared to other groups; sows fed 3% SO diets consumed less feed (P < 0.05) compared to sows fed diets without SO, but there were no significant effects (P > 0.05) of dietary fat and its interaction with a dietary emulsifier on energy intake and the weaning-estrus interval. The digestibility of ether extract in the SO + SSL group was greater than in the SO group (P < 0.05). Moreover, greater digestibility of CP, Ca, and P in the SO+SSL group was observed compared to that of other groups (P < 0.05). Feeding the SO + SSL diet improved the concentrations of milk fat, protein, and total solids on d 11 of lactation compared to other diets (P < 0.05). Also, an interaction between supplemental SSL and SO was observed for the milk fat and total solids concentrations. The average diameter of MFG on d 11 of lactation was significantly decreased by the addition of 0.1% SSL compared to a diet with no SSL supplementation (P < 0.05). No significant differences among the dietary treatments were observed in cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in sows' plasma (P > 0.05). In conclusion, feeding a 0.1% SSL diet to lactating sows may decrease the average diameter of MFG and improve the digestibility of nutrients and composition of milk.

Skeleton is one of the most common metastatic organs for breast cancer, which has a better prognosis than visceral metastases. Bone-only metastasis was defined"non-measurable" in the RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) criteria, and was excluded by clinical trials. However, patients with bone-only metastasis are also in need of effective treatment to prolong survival. Endocrine therapy is the most important treatment for bone metastatic patients. Tumor response of bone metastases can be determined objectively by bone-window CT. Effective treatment should be continued if the symptoms are relieved or osteogenesis is observed. Osteoblastic change in bone-window CT is a sign of improvement after treatment. Endocrine therapy is proper for ER-positive patients. The patients with initial osteoblastic metastasis should not be treated with salvage chemotherapy or anti-HER2 treatment, only if osteolytic metastasis or visceral metastasis is observed. Bishosphonates are just auxiliary drugs in bone metastasis, which should not be abused.骨转移是乳腺癌患者最常见的全身播散性疾病，但预后明显好于内脏转移。实体瘤的疗效评价标准将骨转移病灶视为不可测量病灶，排除在新药临床试验之外。但是骨转移患者也迫切希望通过有效的抗乳腺癌药物治疗，推迟内脏转移的发生，延长生存时间。内分泌治疗是乳腺癌骨转移患者最重要的药物治疗手段。通过骨窗CT可以客观评价疗效。溶骨性或混合性转移患者，成骨增多为治疗好转，溶骨增多为疾病进展，应遵循"效不更方，无效必改"的原则指导用药。而成骨性转移是一种稳定修复的特殊类型，其中雌激素受体阳性者采用内分泌治疗，其他类型患者可以等待出现溶骨及内脏转移后再应用化疗和(或)抗人表皮生长因子受体2治疗。双膦酸盐只是在有效的抗乳腺癌治疗前提下，推迟或减少骨相关事件的辅助药物，不应盲目滥用。.

Lactate dehydrogenase C4 (LDH-C4) is considered to be a good target protein for the development of contraceptive drugs. To develop contraceptive rodenticide against pika (Ochotona curzoniae) LDH-C4, the pika LDH-C gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein was purified and characterized. The cDNA of pika LDH-C gene was cloned by RACE method. The cDNA was 1498 bp in length containing an ORF of 996 bp which encoded a polypeptide of 332 amino acids. The ORF of pika LDH-C was introduced in E. coli and expressed with no fusion tags added. The recombinant LDH-C4 protein was purified by heating, affinity chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The recombinant pika LDH-C4 was a tetramer with a molecular weight of approximately 140 kDa, and it had temperature-dependent catalytic activity, as it was thermally stable up to 60 degrees C. The optimal pH values in the forward and backward reactions were around 7.48 and 10.28, respectively. The apparent Michaelis constants for pyruvate and lactate were 51.2 +/- 3.8 and 8568.8 +/- 409 microM respectively. The inhibition constant for oxalic acid was 11.8 +/- 3.5 mM. This study laid a solid foundation for contraceptive rodenticide development against pika LDH-C4.

Patients with diabetes suffer from slow-to-heal wounds, which often necessitate amputation. Electrical stimulation has been shown to reduce the healing time in such patients. This study aimed to determine the effect of electrical muscle stimulation on insulin resistance, glucose absorption, and blood lipids in type 2 diabetic rat model. Diabetic rats and normal rats were treated with electrical muscle stimulation (10 Hz, 2 mA, 20 ms) for 40 days. Blood glucose, lipids, insulin and resistin were measured to evaluate antidiabetic activity of electrical stimulation. Diabetic rats treated with electrical muscle stimulation resulted in a significant decrease in the concentration of plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides, improved the body weight. Furthermore, electrical stimulation markedly decreased blood glucose level in the diabetic rats. The levels of plasma insulin and resistin exhibited significantly lower in the diabetic rats treated with electrical stimulation than those of the model group. Extending the stimulation up to 20 min from 10 min did not cause significant changes in all the measured blood biochemistry indices and body weight. This study showed that electrical muscle stimulation can improve adipose metabolic disturbance in the experimental type 2 ­diabetic rats, can effectively ameliorate insulin resistance and plasma glucose transport by decreasing the levels of plasma resistin.

To assess the prevalence of AIDS-related sexual behaviors and HIV infection status in young men who have sex with men(YMSM)in China.Literature retrieval was conducted to obtain the related literature indexed by CNKI, Wangfang and PubMed databases from January 2005 to February 2015. Two reviewers independently screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality. Meta-analysis was performed by the R software.Thirty seven studies involving 32 110 YMSM were included. 75.5%(95% CI: 68.8%-81.2%)YMSM sought sexual partners through Internet and 65.5%(95%CI: 60.0%-70.6%)had more than 2 sexual partners. In the last 6 months, 89.1%(95%CI: 84.2%-92.6%)YMSM had anal intercourse and 42.0%(95%CI: 37.4%-46.6%)used condom consistently; 11.4%(95%CI: 8.4%-15.4%)had vaginal intercourse and 36.9%(95%CI: 32.4%-41.6%)used condom consistently. The pooled prevalence of HIV infection was 5.0%(95%CI: 3.9%-6.5%), sub-group analysis showed that the prevalence of HIV infection in the eastern, central and western China were 4.2%(95%CI: 2.6%-6.6%), 1.9%(95%CI: 0.8%-4.6%), 6.3%(95% CI: 4.7%-8.5%), respectively, and there were significant differences among different areas.The prevalence of AIDS-related risk sexual behaviors and incidence of HIV infection in YMSM were high in China, it is necessary to conduct AIDS intervention in this population.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in various types of human malignancies including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, a subset of ESCC either do not express COX-2 or show low level of expression. It is well established that promoter methylation is a major mechanism that mediates transcriptional silencing of COX-2 in gastric and colorectal cancer, but the data on ESCC are very limited. In this study, we attempted to determine whether COX-2 expression was also regulated by promoter methylation in human ESCC cell lines. We examined the methylation status of the COX-2 promoter in five human ESCC cell lines (EC109, EC9706, KYSE 410, KYSE 150, TE-1) using bisulfite sequencing analysis. Western blot analysis was used to determine COX-2 expression. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine COX-2 mRNA level. Prostaglandin (PG) E(2) was detected by ELISA. The promoter was densely methylated in TE-1 and KYSE 150, which had a low level of COX-2 expression and less methylated in other three cell lines (EC109, EC9706, KYSE 410), with high level of COX-2 expression. Treatment with 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-aza-DC), a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, demethylated the promoter and upregulated COX-2 expression, as well as PGE(2) production in TE-1 and KYSE 150. However, no such effects were observed in EC109. COX-2 protein was negative, but mRNA was positive in TE-1. After treatment with 5-aza-DC, both COX-2 mRNA and protein level had increased. These findings suggest that the promoter methylation may be one of the mechanisms that regulate COX-2 expression in ESCC.

Fabricating topologically anisotropic nanostructures of a cubic structured material may shed important light on the growth mechanisms that are crucial for fabricating self-assembled nanodevices. PbTe is a cubic structured narrow gap semiconductor that is technically important for thermoelectric energy conversion and infrared devices. We herein report the alkaline hydrothermal synthesis of PbTe single crystal nanosheets of 20−80 nm thickness and 0.2−5 μm length along the edge. The reaction parameters such time, temperature, NaOH concentration, type of surfactants and reductant have been systematically varied in order to establish the correlation between the recipe and the micromorphology of the final products. The time-dependent experiments suggest that the formation of PbTe nanosheets involves the spontaneous arrangement and alignment of PbTe nanoparticles via an oriented attachment process, and finally they form a single crystal upon fusion of the nanoparticles. The possible reasons for self-assembly of ...

A new correlation for the viscosity of meta-xylene is presented. The correlation is based upon a body of experimental data that has been critically assessed for internal consistency and for agreement with theory. It is applicable in the temperature range from 273 to 673 K at pressures up to 200 MPa. The overall uncertainty of the proposed correlation, estimated as the combined expanded uncertainty with a coverage factor of 2, varies from 1% for the viscosity at atmospheric pressure to 5% for the highest temperatures and pressures of interest. Tables of the viscosity, generated by the relevant equations, at selected temperatures and pressures, and along the saturation line, are provided.

We have revealed the influence of composition doping (Ni2+x Mn1−x Ga, Ni2+x MnGa1−x , and Ni2Mn1+x Ga1−x ) on lattice constants and atomic magnetic moments of austenite, 7 M and NM martensite, by ab initio calculations. It is demonstrated that Ni-doping decreases the volume, whereas Mn-doping increases it. The total magnetic moment of the three series of alloys is mainly dominated by their Mn content with little phase-state dependence. The perturbation of the magnetic moments by atom substitution is mainly dominated by the Mn environment. This study is expected to provide information on composition-related structure and magnetic properties of Ni–Mn–Ga alloys that could not be obtained by experiments.

Lactate dehydrogenase C4 (LDH-C4) is considered to be a good target protein for the development of contraceptive drugs. To develop contraceptive rodenticide against pika (Ochotona curzoniae) LDH-C4, the pika LDH-C gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein was purified and characterized. The cDNA of pika LDH-C gene was cloned by RACE method. The cDNA was 1498 bp in length containing an ORF of 996 bp which encoded a polypeptide of 332 amino acids. The ORF of pika LDH-C was introduced in E. coli and expressed with no fusion tags added. The recombinant LDH-C4 protein was purified by heating, affinity chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The recombinant pika LDH-C4 was a tetramer with a molecular weight of approximately 140 kDa, and it had temperature-dependent catalytic activity, as it was thermally stable up to 60 degrees C. The optimal pH values in the forward and backward reactions were around 7.48 and 10.28, respectively. The apparent Michaelis constants for pyruvate and lactate were 51.2 +/- 3.8 and 8568.8 +/- 409 microM respectively. The inhibition constant for oxalic acid was 11.8 +/- 3.5 mM. This study laid a solid foundation for contraceptive rodenticide development against pika LDH-C4.

In the present review, the authors do not try to provide a comprehensive review of researches on polymer/clay nanocomposites (PCNs), but some examples to demonstrate different exfoliation processes of the clay in various polymer matrixes and the dispersed state of clay. Interaction between polymers and layered silicates plays an important role in adjusting the exfoliation process of layered silicates and the microstructure of polymer nanocomposites. Properties of polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites mainly depend on the dispersed state of layered silicates. The authors will also address the outline of the present research in the direction of PCNs including the discussion of technical problems and their possible solutions.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in various types of human malignancies including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, a subset of ESCC either do not express COX-2 or show low level of expression. It is well established that promoter methylation is a major mechanism that mediates transcriptional silencing of COX-2 in gastric and colorectal cancer, but the data on ESCC are very limited. In this study, we attempted to determine whether COX-2 expression was also regulated by promoter methylation in human ESCC cell lines. We examined the methylation status of the COX-2 promoter in five human ESCC cell lines (EC109, EC9706, KYSE 410, KYSE 150, TE-1) using bisulfite sequencing analysis. Western blot analysis was used to determine COX-2 expression. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine COX-2 mRNA level. Prostaglandin (PG) E(2) was detected by ELISA. The promoter was densely methylated in TE-1 and KYSE 150, which had a low level of COX-2 expression and less methylated in other three cell lines (EC109, EC9706, KYSE 410), with high level of COX-2 expression. Treatment with 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-aza-DC), a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, demethylated the promoter and upregulated COX-2 expression, as well as PGE(2) production in TE-1 and KYSE 150. However, no such effects were observed in EC109. COX-2 protein was negative, but mRNA was positive in TE-1. After treatment with 5-aza-DC, both COX-2 mRNA and protein level had increased. These findings suggest that the promoter methylation may be one of the mechanisms that regulate COX-2 expression in ESCC.

Porous silicon based multilayer structures for optical sensors have been simulated, fabricated and tested. The properties of optical sensors using porous silicon multilayer can be adjusted by appropriate substrate material, morphology, process parameters in the pore formation process and by surface treatment (thermal oxidation). Heavily and lightly doped p-doped substrates have been used to realize porous silicon layers with different morphology, porosity (30–80%), pore size (mesoporous range) and specific surface area (200–700m2/cm3). Thermal oxidation stabilizes the surface and results in hydrophilic surfaces for effective adsorption of liquid analytes. Oxidation reduces the porosity and the pore size but improves the wetting behavior of liquid analytes in the porous volume. Different multilayer structures using native and oxidized porous silicon and corresponding concepts of optical sensor systems have been proved for aqueous and organic analytes. Sensors using small pore size (2–4nm) and high porosity (70–80%) have been realized and characterized. A simple, low cost optical sensor system based on multilayer, a tunable light source and a detector has been realized.

for the development of a bioreactor using hepatocytes, particularly for a hybrid-type artificial liver, we study culture substrates in this paper with particular attention to a porous material, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). Hepatocytes obtained from adult rats were attached to a substrate and grown in a chemically defined medium either with fetal calf serum (FCS, 10%), or with bovine serum albumin (BSA, 0.003- 0.3%). When cultured in a FCS-supplemented medium, hepatocytes spread poorly, retaining their cuboidal shape, and later reorganized themselves into multilayer aggregates on the ePTFE surface. The characteristics of hepatocytes were influenced by the modification of the ePTFE surface as well as the culture medium. Hepatocytes grown on a polyvinylalcohol (PVA)-treated ePTFE surface formed many more multilayer aggregates than those grown on a PVA-untreated ePTFE surface. Such highly multilayered aggregates were also noted when the cells were cultivated in a BSA-supplemented medium. The hepatocytes in all these aggregate cultures exhibited high albumin expression capability as compared with those in monolayer cultures. On the other hand, when cultured in a FCS-free or a BSA-free medium, hepatocytes were attached, spread well and then formed monolayers on both a PVA-treated and -untreated ePTFE surface as did the cells on a collagen-coated polystyrene surface. We concluded from these results that functional hepatocyte cultures can be obtained in multilayer aggregates immobilized on an ePTFE surface in a serum-supplemented medium.

The prevalence, genotypes, coinfection and putative core gene sequence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) were investigated in the inshore area of the Yangtze River, where hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is thought to be very common. Most patients with liver diseases were infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), but the incidence of anti-HCV was very low, being 3.4% in patients with acute hepatitis, and approximately 7% in those with chronic liver diseases. The rate of coinfection with HBV and HCV in patients with HCC was 4.5%, which was similar to that in Shanghai (5.6%), but lower than that in Yangzhou (31.2%), Beijing (26.8%) and Zhejiang (28.6%). Of 124 patients with non-A, non-B (NANB) liver disease, 15 (12.1%) were positive for anti-HCV. HCV genotype analysis in 41 HCV-RNA-positive patients with liver diseases showed that genotype II was dominant (85.4%), followed by genotype III (7.3%) and II+III (7.3%). No genotype I or IV was found. The genome sequences of the HCV putative core gene from two patients with chronic hepatitis were more closely similar to those of previous isolates from Japan and China, than to that of an American isolate. These results suggest that HCV infection is not an important etiological factor for liver diseases, and that the HCV isolates in China are from the same subgroup as those in Japan.

The title compounds were synthesized by condensation of 5-fluoro- 2, 4, 6-triaminoquinazoline (6a) with various substituted benzaldehydes to produce the corresponding Schiff bases, followed by reduction. II and III were obtained by formylation and nitrosation of I, respectively, IV were obtained by reduction of II. Primary screening for suppressive therapeutic effects against P. berghei in mice showed that six of the twenty-two compounds produced 100% suppression when administered orally at a dose of 1 mg.kg-1. All compounds exhibited potent activity against L1210 cell in vitro. Among them I4 was more active than MTX. A number of compounds showed moderate activities against Diplococcus pneumoniae in vitro tests.

To improve photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity of hematite, the modification of energy band by doping 3d transition metal ions Cu and Ti into α-Fe2O3 were studied via the first-principles calculations with density function theory (DFT)+U method. The results show that the band gap of hematite is ∼2.1 eV and n-type dopant Ti improves the electric conductivity, confirmed by recent experiments. The p-type dopant Cu enhances the utilization ratio of solar energy, shifts both valance, and conduction band edges to a higher energy level, satisfying hydrogen production in the visible light driven PEC water splitting without voltage bias.

Serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was separated into nine to 11 isoenzyme bands (designated as GGT I-XI) by vertical slab electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gradient gel. The diagnostic value of GGT isoenzyme II (GGT II) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was studied, and the results were as follows: 1) GGT II was positive in 90% of 90 cases of HCC, and negative in most patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis, extrahepatic tumors, in pregnant women, and in healthy controls; 2) the positive rate of GGT II assay was higher than that of alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme I (ALP I), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT) in 101 cases of HCC. In cases in which the AFP was greater than 50 ng/ml or less than 50 ng/ml, the positive rates of GGT II were 70.8% and 75-100%, respectively; 3) of 14 cases of small-size HCC, the positive rate of GGT II was 78.6%, which was higher than that of AFP (50%), AAT (28.6%), and ALP I (0%); 4) of 62 cases that were false-positive for GGT II assay, 24.2% developed into HCC during a follow-up of 2.1-20 months. In subjects with persistent and recurrent positivity of GGT II, 86.7% and 22.2%, respectively, developed HCC. No patient with temporal positivity of GGT II developed HCC. The results show that GGT II can be applied as an additional marker for HCC, and is valuable not only for the diagnosis of clinical HCC, but for the detection of small or subclinical HCC. Periodic follow-up with assay of GGT II in patients at high risk for HCC may predict the development of hepatoma.

This paper reports four methods for the synthesis of 2,4-diamino-5-methyl-6-(N-methyl-substituted benzyl) aminoquinazolines. Six compounds were synthesized and all these compounds showed good anticancer and antibacterial activities. Among them, I5 showed the strongest inhibition against L1210 Leukemia cell and further research has to be done.

The hepatoma-specific band of serum gamma-glutamyl transferase II (GGT II) and other three markers were evaluated in 77 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC). The positive rate of GGT II (87%) was much higher than that of the increased alpha-fetoprotein (AFP greater than or equal to 400 ng/ml, 54.5%), the increased alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT greater than or equal to 400 mg/dl, 64.9%) and alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme I (ALP I, 13.0%). In patients with AFP less than 400 ng/ml, the positive rate of GGT II was 95.2%, higher than that of ALP I (22.8%) and AAT (60.0%). The positive rate of GGT II was positively correlated to the volume of PHC (r = 0.324, P less than 0.05), but even in patients with small PHC (less than or equal to 65 cm3), the positive rate of GGT II (78.6%) was higher than that of AFP (50.0%) and AAT (28.6%). The ALP I positivity was only seen in patients with larger PHC. Follow-up study showed that GGT II, like AFP, might occur before liver tumor could be detected by B-mode ultrasonography and computerized tomography. Therefore, GGT II is a valuable marker of PHC, especially in patients whose AFP was negative or slightly increased; GGT II may be useful for relatively early diagnosis of PHC.

Electronic structure calculations of Na2SbF5, BaMgF4, and BaZnF4 are performed from first principles based on a plane-wave pseudopotential method. The linear optical properties and the static second-harmonic generation coefficients are also calculated. Furthermore, a real-space atom-cutting method is employed to analyze the respective contributions of the anionic groups and cations in Na2SbF5 to the optical response. The results show that the anionic groups (SbF5)2− in the crystal are quite favorable for producing larger microscopic second-order susceptibilities.

Both alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (AAC) in serum were investigated in various liver diseases. Serum levels of AAT and AAC in normal controls were 293.3 +/- 37.9mg/dl and 119.6 +/- 18.9U/ml, respectively. Both AAT and AAC were significantly higher in 75 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) than in patients with acute viral hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis as well as normal controls. In a cut-off value of more than 400 mg/dl AAT showed a sensitivity rate (SS) of 74.7%, specificity (SP) of 97.3%, positive predictive value (PV+) of 86.2%, negative predictive value (PV-) of 95.5% and a total accuracy of 93.3% for diagnosing PHC. In a cut-off value of more than 157 U/ml, the corresponding figures for AAC were 68.0%, 96.7%, 86.4%, 90.6% and 90.0%. If the increased levels in one or both tests are positive, the combined positive rate is 80.0% in PHC. In 11 PHC cases with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) less than 50 ng/ml, the positive rate of AAT and AAC were 72.7% and 81.8%, respectively, compared to corresponding figures of 71.7%, and 65.2% in 46 cases of PHC with more than 50 ng/ml of AFP. It shows that combined assay of both serum AAT and AAC has a complemental value in the diagnosis of PHC, especially in patients without increased AFP.