Search

The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of mortality in the emergency department of Beijing Tongren Hospital from 2014 to 2019.A total of 781 cases in the hospital's emergency department that resulted in mortality were retrospectively screened, and epidemiological and analytical methods were used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics and the trend of adult mortality in the emergency department of our hospital.Of the 781 selected cases, 448 were male, and 333 were female. Mortality rates were highest in patients aged 80-89 years, and most of the patients were retired (71.57%). Infection disease was associated with the highest mortality rate (44%), followed by cardiovascular disease and malignant tumors.Infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and malignant tumors are the major threats to the lives of patients in the hospital's emergency department. The cause of death differs depending on the patient's age.Death, Emergency department, Epidemiological characteristics, Etiology, Retrospective analysis.Lo scopo di questo studio era quello di analizzare le caratteristiche epidemiologiche della mortalità nel pronto soccorso del Beijing Tongren Hospital dal 2014 al 2019. Sono stati esaminati retrospettivamente e dal punto di vista epidemiologico un totale di 781 casi deceduti nel pronto soccorso del nostro ospedale, analizzando le caratteristiche epidemiologiche e l’andamento della mortalità degli adulti. RISULTATI: dei 781 casi selezionati, 448 erano maschi e 333 femmine. I tassi di mortalità erano più alti nei pazienti di età compresa tra 80 e 89 anni e la maggior parte dei pazienti era in pensione (71,57%). La malattia infettiva è stata associata al più alto tasso di mortalità (44%), seguita da malattie cardiovascolari e tumori maligni. CONCLUSIONE: Malattie infettive, malattie cardiovascolari e tumori maligni sono le principali minacce per la vita dei pazienti nel pronto soccorso dell’ospedale. La causa della morte varia a seconda dell’età del paziente.

The chalcone motif can be found in many molecules that contribute to essential biological processes, and many chalcone-containing compounds exhibit potent anti-cancer activity. Here, we synthesized two series of chalcone analogues (3a−s and 6a−s) based on substituting the chalcone B-ring or A-ring with a 4-oxoquinazolin-2-yl group, and then evaluated them for cytotoxic activity in human colorectal HCT-116 and breast cancer MCF-7 cell lines. Compounds 3a−s (in which a 4-oxoquinazolin-2-yl group functioned as the B-ring) were markedly more cytotoxic than compounds 6a−s (in which 4-oxoquinazolin-2-yl group functioned as the A-ring), based on their IC50 values to inhibit proliferation. Compound 3f was found as the most potent among 38 analogues and the mechanism of its cytotoxicity was investigated. Flow cytometry indicated that HCT-116 cells treated with compound 3f resulted in a dose-dependent accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase, which is representative of apoptotic cells. Subsequent assays (including Annexin V-FITC/PI, AO-EB, MitoSOX™ Red and JC-1 staining) confirmed that 3f exposure induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells. Immunoblotting analysis indicated that cellular exposure to 3f increased the cleavage of PARP1 and caspases 3, 7, and 9. Taken together, this novel chalcone analogue has a cytotoxic effect on cultured cancer cell-lines that is likely mediated by inducing apoptosis via the mitochondrial death pathway.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) is a secreted protein that can bind to IGF2 and has been reported to promote inflammation. The data from the ENCORI database have predicted that IGF2BP2 can bind caspase 4, which mediates pyroptosis and promotes airway inflammation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury. The present study investigated whether IGF2BP2 can regulate LPS-induced lung cell inflammation by targeting caspase 4. Therefore, the non-tumorigenic lung epithelial cell line Beas-2B was transfected with short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-IGF2BP2 and stimulated with LPS. A number of parameters, including cell viability, production of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18, activation of gasdermin D (GSDMD) and the expression levels of IGF2BP2, caspase 4 and cleaved-caspase 1, were subsequently assessed using CCK-8, ELISA kits, western blotting and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. RNA pull-down assay was used to probe the possible interaction between IGF2BP2 and caspase 4 RNA. LPS treatment was found to inhibit cell viability, trigger IL-1β and IL-18 production and increase IGF2BP2 expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared with cells transfected with shRNA-negative control, cells that were transfected with shRNA-IGF2BP2 exhibited enhanced cell viability, reduced IL-1β and IL-18 concentrations, decreased GSDMD activation in addition to reduced expression levels of caspase 4 and cleaved-caspase 1 following stimulation with 1 µg/ml LPS. Concomitantly, the effects of IGF2BP2 silencing on caspase 4 expression were higher compared with those noted on caspase 1. In addition, binding of IGF2BP2 to caspase 4 RNA was also observed. To conclude, data from the present study suggest that IGF2BP2 knockdown inhibited LPS-induced Beas-2B cell inflammation by targeting caspase 4, thereby inhibiting the non-canonical pyroptosis pathway.

We aimed to investigate the effect of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) on immune function of the spleen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) during post-resuscitation in a porcine model. After 8 min of untreated ventricular fibrillation and 6 min of basic life support, pigs were randomized into two groups: Group 1 received VA-ECMO and Group 2 received conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After successful return of spontaneous circulation, the hemodynamic status was determined and blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h. Surviving pigs were euthanized 6 h after return of spontaneous circulation, their spleens were harvested and the T-cells were separated. Then, we investigated immune function parameters of the spleen and ROS levels. VA-ECMO increased the return of spontaneous circulation and 6 h survival rate after return of spontaneous circulation. Compared with the conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation group, the VA-ECMO group showed increased superoxide dismutase and decreased malondialdehyde and ROS levels. Furthermore, VA-ECMO was associated with a high rate of CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+, high levels of interleukin 2, interferon γ, and interferon γ/interleukin 4, as well as high proliferation of lymphocytes. The apoptotic rate of T-cells was lower in the VA-ECMO group than it was in the conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation group. VA-ECMO increased immune function of spleen and decreased ROS levels during post-resuscitation. Further research is expected to illustrate whether the differences in immune responses are due to ROS or some other perfusion related effect on spleen.

Objective: To investigate the effect of minocycline combined with periocline on patients with periodontitis, and analyze the effect of inflammatory factors, ALP and NO levels in the gingival sulcus fluid. Methods: A total of 100 cases of patients with periodontitis admitted in our hospital from December 2016 to May 2017, with a total of 128 teeth. They were divided into control group and observation group by the random number method, 64 teeth in each group. Patients in both groups were given conventional supragingival scaling and subgingival curettage therapy. The control group patients were given minocycline ointment in periodontal pockets until overflow, once a week; the observation group was given periocline treatment on the basis of control group. Oral administration 2 capsules each time, 2 times each day. The two groups were both treated for 4 weeks. The general indicators of teeth in both groups were compared. The levels of inflammatory factors, ALP and NO in gingival crevicular fluid of the two groups were detected before and after the treatment. Results: Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the levels of PLI, PD, SBI, AL and TNF-α, CRP, ALP and NO in the gingival crevicular fluid of the both groups. After treatment, the levels of PLI, PD, SBI, AL and TNF-α, CRP, ALP and NO in the gingival crevicular fluid of the two groups were significantly decreased than those before the treatment, and the levels of PLI, PD, SBI, AL and TNF-α, CRP, ALP and NO in gingival crevicular fluid after treatment in the observation group were all significantly lower than that in the control group after treatment, the differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: Minocycline combined with periocline can improve the periodontal condition and gingival crevicular fluid inflammatory state in patients with periodontitis, reduce the activity of ALP and NO. It has the effect of antiseptic and induced osteogenesis and improving the clinical effect.

The present study aimed to explore the protective effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on intestinal mucosal injury following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and to assess the potential mechanisms involved. A total of 24 healthy adult domestic pigs were selected as the study subjects. A ventricular fibrillation model was induced through programmed electric stimulation. Subsequently, the animals were randomly divided into conventional CPR and CPR+ECMO groups (n=12 per group). The mortality and hemodynamic parameters of the two groups were compared. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum and intestinal mucosa were detected by ELISAs. The intestinal mucosa was subjected to hematoxylin and eosin, and immunohistochemical staining, followed by electron microscopy, to assess the degree of apoptosis and necrosis. The animals in both groups recovered from the programmed ventricular fibrillation. In the CPR group, two animals died at 2 h and two more animals died a further 2 h later, resulting in a 33.3% mortality rate, whereas no cases of mortality were observed in the CPR+ECMO group. Compared with the animals in the CPR group, the hemodynamic parameters of the animals in the CPR+ECMO group revealed significantly improved outcomes. Multiple inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-1 and interleukin-6), myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde levels were decreased, whereas Na/Ca-ATPase and superoxide dismutase levels were elevated in the intestinal mucosa of animals in the CPR+ECMO group compared with those in the CPR group. Additionally, pathological staining demonstrated that the intestinal mucosa tissue in the CPR+ECMO group exhibited less apoptosis, necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration, which was further supported by a decrease in Bax expression and an increase in Bcl-2 expression. Overall, ECMO after CPR reduced the intestinal mucosal barrier injury after spontaneous circulation recovery, and the mechanism involved decreased inflammation and apoptosis.

Introduction Despite decades of improved strategy in conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR), survival rates of favorable neurological outcome after cardiac arrest (CA) remains poor. It is indicated that the survival rate of successful resuscitation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is superior to that of CCPR. But the effect of ECMO in heart is unclear. We aimed to investigate whether ECMO produces cardiac protection by ameliorating post-ischemia reperfusion myocardial injury and myocardial apoptosis. Methods After undergoing 8-min untreated ventricle fibrillation (VF) and 6-min basic life support, 20 male pigs were ultimately used in this study and randomly divided into two groups: CCPR group (n = 10) and extracorporeal CPR (ECPR) group (n = 10). Hemodynamics and blood samples were obtained at baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 6 h during resuscitation. The successfully resuscitated pigs were sacrificed at 6 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and the hearts were removed and analyzed under electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence staining assay were performed to evaluate myocardial injury and myocardial apoptosis. Results There were no significant differences at basic hemodynamic status between the two groups. The survival rate of ECPR was significantly higher than CCPR group (10/10 [100%] vs. 4/10 [40%], P = 0.04). Compared to CCPR group, ECPR group exhibited a better outcome in hemodynamic function. Cardiac function was significantly impaired after ROSC in both groups, but left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was significantly elevated in ECPR group than CCPR group. The expression of myocardial injury biomarkers (CK-MB, cTNI, H-FABP), endothelial injury biomarker (sP-selectin), and cardiac function biomarker (BNP) were remarkably increased after ROSC in both groups, but low levels in ECPR group than in CCPR group. Cardiomyocytes injury was attenuated in ECPR group under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Typical apoptotic nuclei of cardiomyocytes were significantly reduced and oxidative damage were attenuated in ECPR group. Conclusions During prolonged VF-induced CA, ECPR contributes to improving hemodynamics, attenuating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, ameliorating myocardial ultra structure, improving cardiac function, and elevating survival rate by preventing oxidative damage, regulating energy metabolism, inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13049-019-0653-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) could increase survival rate and neurological outcomes of cardiac arrest (CA) patients compared with conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR). Currently, the underlying mechanisms how ECMO improves neurological outcomes of CA patients compared with CCPR have not been revealed. A pig model of CA was established by ventricular fibrillation induction and then underwent CCPR or ECMO. Survival and hemodynamics during the 6 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) were compared. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and Ca2+-ATPase and NA+-K+-ATPase activities were detected. Brain tissues histology and ultra-microstructure in CCPR and ECMO groups were also examined. Results suggested that ECMO significantly improved the survival of pigs compared with CCPR. Heart rate (HR) decreased while cardiac output (CO) increased along with the time after ROSC in both ECMO and CCPR groups. At each time point, HR in ECMO groups was lower than that in CCPR group while CO and mean arterial pressure in ECMO group was higher than CCPR group. In ECMO group, lower levels of IL-1, IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, and TGFβ, especially IL-1, IL-6, TNFα, and TGFβ, were found compared that in CCPR group while no difference of IL-10 between the two groups was observed. Similar with the results from enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, decreased expressions of IL-6 and TGFβ were also identified by Western blotting. And Ca2+-ATPase and NA+-K+-ATPase activities were increased by ECMO compared with CCPR. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and ultra-microstructure examination also revealed an improved inflammation situation in ECMO group compared with CCPR group.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest (CA) is a critical condition that is a concern to healthcare workers. Comparative studies on extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR) technologies have shown that ECPR is superior to CCPR. However, there is a lack of studies that compare the protective effects of these two resuscitative methods on organs. Therefore, we aim to perform experiments in swine models of ventricular fibrillation-induced CA to study whether the early application of ECPR has advantages over CCPR in the lung injury and to explore the protective mechanism of ECPR on the post-resuscitation pulmonary injury. METHODS: Sixteen male swine were randomized to CCPR (CCPR; n=8; CCPR alone) and ECPR (ECPR; n=8; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with CCPR) groups, with the restoration of spontaneous circulation at 6 hours as an endpoint. RESULTS: For the two groups, the survival rates between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05), the blood and lung biomarkers were statistically significant (P

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) frequently occurs in cardiopulmonary resuscitation patients. Studies comparing the effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR) on AKI were rare. This study aimed to compare the effects of ECMO with those of CCPR on survival rate and AKI and explore the underlying mechanisms in a swine model of cardiac arrest (CA). Methods: Sixteen male pigs were treated with ventricular fibrillation to establish CA model and then underwent CCPR (CCPR group, n = 8) or ECMO during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR group, n = 8). The study endpoints were 6 h after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or death. Serum and urine samples were collected at baseline and during the 6 h after ROSC. The biomarkers of AKI were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells was discovered by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Apoptosis-related genes were detected by immune-staining and Western blotting. Data were compared by Student’s t-test. Results: All pigs in ECPR group were successfully resuscitated with a higher 6-h survival rate (8/8) compared to CCPR group (6/8). The expressions of AKI biomarkers including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase2 (TIMP2), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), liver fatty acid-binding protein (LFABP), and kidney injury molecule1 (Kim-1) were all increased along with the time after ROSC in both groups and lower in ECPR group compared with CCPR group. Especially, products of urinary TIMP and IGFBP levels (TIMP*IGFBP) were significantly lower at ROSC4 (0.58 ± 0.10 ng2/ml2 vs. 1.18 ± 0.38 ng2/ml2, t = 4.33, P= 0.003) and ROSC6 (1.79 ± 0.45 ng2/ml2 vs. 3.00 ± 0.44 ng2/ml2, t = 5.49, P< 0.001); urinary LFABP was significantly lower at ROSC6 (0.74 ± 0.06 pg/ml vs. 0.85 ± 0.11 pg/ml, t = 2.41, P= 0.033); and urinary Kim-1 was significantly lower at ROSC4 (0.66 ± 0.09 pg/ml vs. 0.83 ± 0.06 pg/ml, t = 3.99, P= 0.002) and ROSC6 (0.73 ± 0.12 pg/ml vs. 0.89 ± 0.08 pg/ml, t = 2.82, P= 0.016). Under light microscope and TEM, the morphological injures in renal tissues were found to be improved in ECPR group. Moreover, apoptosis was also alleviated in ECPR group. Conclusions: Compared with CCPR, ECMO improves survival rate and alleviates AKI in a swine model of CA. The mechanism of which might be via downregulating AKI biomarkers and apoptosis in kidney. Key words: Acute Kidney Injury ; Cardiac Arrest; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; Swine

To investigate the effect of ATO on the proportion of Treg in the peripheral blood of patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) in vitro.The peripheral blood of 20 newlydiagnosed patients were collected, and the peripheral blood monomuclear cells (PBMNC) were extracted. After the PBMNC were treated with ATO of different concentrotions (0, 1, 2.5 and 5 µmol/L) for 96 hours, the proportion of CD44ATO significantly increased the proportion of Treg (P0.01) at the concentration of 2.5 and 5 µmol/L, and the rising degree of Treg proportion improved with the increasing ATO concentration(r= 0.524). Treg proportion increased at a concentration of 1 µmol/L, but without statistical significance (P0.05). At 1(P0.05), 2.5(P0.01) and 5 µmol/L(P0.01), ATO significantly up-regulated the expression of Foxp3 mRNA, and the increase of Foxp3 mRNA positively and linearly correlated with the increase of Treg cell-frequency(r=0.523). ATO significantly reduced the levels of IFN-γ (at ATO 1,2.5 and 5 µmol/L, P0.01), IL-4 (at ATO 2.5 µmol/L, P0.01; at ATO 5 µmol/L, P0.01) and IL-17(at ATO 2.5 µmol/L, P0.05; at ATO 5 µmol/L, P0.01). ATO had no significant effect on TGF-β1 at 1(P0.05) and 2.5 µmol/L (P0.05), but significantly reduced TGF-β1 level at 5 µmol/L (P0.05).ATO can mediate the immune regulation through up-regulating the proportion of Treg in peripheral blood of patients with SAA and reducing the levels of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-17.

Organelles play crucial roles in cellular activities and the functions of organelles are related greatly to the pH values, therefore, the bio-imaging of targeted organelles and their related pH sensing is of great importance in biological assays. Herein we report the fluorescence imaging of specific organelles, i.e., lysosomes and endoplasmic reticulum, and their pH sensing with surface regulated carbon dots (CDs). Carbon dots functionalized with amine groups (ACDs) are first prepared by hydrothermal treatment of citric acid and urea, and then laurylamine functionalized CDs (LCDs) are obtained via the conjugation of laurylamine with ACDs. The as-prepared ACDs and LCDs provide clear and bright imaging results for the lysosome and endoplasmic reticulum, respectively. The subcellular targeting features of the two CDs are attributed to their surface chemistries and cellular uptake pathways. Moreover, both the CDs are pH responsive within a certain pH range, i.e., 4.0-5.4 for ACDs and 6.2-7.2 for LCDs. The ACDs and LCDs are thus successfully applied to visualize the pH fluctuations of the lysosome and endoplasmic reticulum in MCF-7 cells.

Purpose: To review the potential protective role of hydrogen against cisplatin-induced side effects during chemotherapy.Methods: We searched PubMed and SCOPUS using the following keywords and combinations in titles, keywords, abstracts and full texts: cisplatin; side effects; chemotherapy; tumor; toxicity; hydrogen; reactive oxidative species; and ischemic reperfusion.Results: The pathogenesis of cisplatin-induced side effects is suggested based on the increased level of reactive oxidative species (ROS). Cisplatin induces ROS-dependent platelet apoptosis via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, which might have contributed to cisplatininduced hematotoxicity, and in particular, thrombocytopenia. Molecular hydrogen has been shown to have therapeutic effects against damage to various organs (especially kidney, brain and liver) caused by ischemic reperfusion (IR) through selective elimination of the most cytotoxic ROS hydrogen radicals without affecting other types of ROS involved in signal transduction in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion: Hydrogen may not only alleviate hematotoxicity in patients with hemorrhagic tendencies during cisplatin-based chemotherapy, but also has a potential protective effect against other side effects induced by cisplatin.Keywords: Reactive oxygen species, Hydrogen radicals, Cisplatin, Hepatotoxicity, Chemotherapy, Side effects, Antagonism

From the first-principles calculations with the Local Density Approximation (LDA) and Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) approaches, the structural, elastic, electronic and thermodynamic properties of the hexagonal superconductor Palladium monotelluride (PdTe) under high pressure have been studied. The calculated results show that the compressibility along the a-axis is lower than that along the c-axis, and the elastic constants Cij, elastic moduli (shear modulus G, bulk modulus B) and the Debye temperature ΘD of the hexagonal PdTe monotonically increase with pressure. The calculations of the ductility factors (Poisson ratio ν, G/B) and anisotropy factors (AU, AG) show that the pressure can strengthen the ductility, and make the hexagonal PdTe transform to be anisotropic. According to the criteria of elastic stability, we can predict that the hexagonal PdTe will not be mechanically stable any more beyond the pressure of 18.9 GPa. From the calculated electronic properties, we find that the pressure also makes the itinerant character of electrons stronger and the total density of states at the Fermi Level decrease. Moreover, the superconductivity is also discussed from the calculated ΘD and electronic properties. Besides, based on the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the Gruneisen parameter γ, heat capacity CV and coefficient of thermal expansion α with temperature under different pressures have been investigated in detail.

Starch was isolated from Chenopodium quinoa using the modified alkaline method. In the present paper, we have investigated that the new method increased starch yield (46g/100g) as well as the protein content (0.52g/100g), lipid content (0.05g/100g), fiber content (0.04g/100g) and the ash content (0.65g/100g) of the starch extracted lower than those method by other reporters. Quinoa starch was very small in granule size and the morphology of the starch granules also showed no protein bodies on the surface. The results may shed light on the depth study of the physicochemical properties of the quinoa starch.

Investigation into the structural, elastic and electronic properties for pure zirconium(Zr) crystal had been conducted by the first-principles pseudopotential met- hod based on density functional theory. Both methods, local density approximation (LDA) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA), had been applied on the geo- metrical optimization of pure Zr to address the difference between two methods and their applicabilities. The result elucidated LDA could match the experimental data better, compared with method GGA. What's more, the structural properties under pressure had been stimulated and analyzed, showing crystal lattice parameters and crystalline volume change nonlinearly within the external pressure. In contrast, the single point energy of Zr showed a great linear correlation with the changing pressure. The elastic constants of the pure Zr were calculated, proving that Zr would acquire excellent ductibility and mechanical stability under pressure. In addition, the opti- cal properties of zirconium under different pressures were analyzed. The adsorbing coefficient increased with the increasing pressure.

The elastic and thermodynamic properties of the L12 type (Cu3Au) structure Zr3Al intermetallic compound under high pressure and temperature are investigated by using ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The result of the heat of formation of Zr3Al crystal investigated is in consistent with those by others. The elastic properties of the cubic Zr3Al under high pressure are studied for the first time, and we found its elastic modulus, compressional and shear wave velocities are increasing monotonically with increasing pressure. Finally, the thermodynamic properties of the cubic Zr3Al are predicted by using the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The Debye temperature Θ, the bulk modulus B, the heat capacity Cv, and the thermal expansion α are calculated as a function of the pressure and temperature in the ranges of 0–55 GPa and 0–1800 K.

The equations of state (EOS) and other thermodynamic properties of hcp structure Zr2Al are studied using first-principles calculations based on the plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange and correlation. It is demonstrated that the ratio c/a of about 1.208 is the most stable structure for the hcp Zr2Al, which is consistent with the experimental data. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered, the dependences of relative volume V /V0 on pressure P, cell volume V on temperature T are successfully obtained. The variations of the Debye temperature Θ, the thermal expansion a , the Gruneisen parameter γ and the heat capacity Cv with pressure P and temperature T are investigated systematically in the ranges of 0–100 GPa and 0–1500 K. PACS: 65.40.-b; 81.05.Bx

A full-scale experimental study on the axial behavior of cold-formed thin-walled steel framing wall studs is presented. The influence of parameters, including whether the studs are sheathed or not, sheathing materials, the screws spacing and the studs spacing, on the bearing capacity of studs under vertical compression is analyzed by the test. The test results of the six wall specimens show that: the load carrying capacity of a stud increases significantly when it is covered with sheathings; the ultimate load of the stud sheathed with fiber reinforced calcium silicate board(CSB) is about 18.8 percent higher than that sheathed with oriented strand board(OSB); when the wall frames are sheathed with OSB or plasterboard, the change of screws spacing has little effect on the bearing capacity, however, the bearing capacity of CSB-sheathed wall stud will fall when the screws spacing decreases from 300mm to 150mm; when the studs spacing increases, the bearing capacity of stud decreases slightly.

The first-principles calculations were applied to investigate the structural, elastic constants of Zr(2)Al alloy with increasing pressure. These properties are based on the plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory (OFT) method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange and correlation. The result of the heat of formation of Zr(2)Al crystal investigated is in excellent consistent with results from other study. The anisotropy, the shear modulus, and Young's modulus for the ideal polycrystalline Zr(2)Al are also studied. It is found that (higher) pressure can significantly improve the ductility of Zr(2)Al. Moreover, the elastic constants of Zr(2)Al increase monotonically and the anisotropies decrease with the increasing pressure. Finally, it is observed that Zr d electrons are mainly contributed to the density of states at the Fermi level. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The structural, elastic constants and anisotropy of RuB(2) under pressure are investigated by first-principles calculations based on the plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory method within the local density approximation (LDA) as well as the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange and correlation. The results accord well with the available experimental and other theoretical data. The elastic constants, elastic anisotropy, and Debye temperature circle minus as a function of pressure are presented. It is concluded that RuB(2) is brittle in nature at low pressure, whereas it becomes ductile at higher pressures. An analysis for the calculated elastic constant has been made to reveal the mechanical stability of RuB(2) up to 100 GPa.

Fe3+ doped mesoporous TiO2 with ordered mesoporous structure were successfully prepared by the solvent evaporation-induced self-assembly process using P123 as soft template. The properties and structure of Fe3+ doped mesoporous TiO2 were characterized by means of XRD, EPR, BET, TEM, and UV–vis absorption spectra. The characteristic results clearly show that the amount of Fe3+ dopant affects the mesoporous structure as well as the visible light absorption of the catalysts. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared mesoporous TiO2 was evaluated from an analysis of the photodegradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. The results indicate that the sample of 0.50%Fe–MTiO2 exhibits the highest visible light photocatalytic activity compared with other catalysts.

This paper presents DMVOCC-2PLV (Distributed Multiversion Optimistic Concurrency Control with Two-Phase Local Validation) protocol for processing mobile distributed real-time transactions in mobile broadcast environments. In DMVOCC-2PLV protocol, transaction validation is performed at two levels: local validation and global validation. Local validation of transactions is performed in two phases: local pre-validation and local final validation. At the MHs (Mobile Hosts), all mobile transactions perform local pre-validation of transactions by using a backward validation mechanism. The local pre-validation process is carried out against committed transactions at the server in the last broadcast cycle. Such an early data conflict detection feature can save processing and communication resources. Transactions that survive in local pre-validation must be submitted to the server for local final validation. In global validation distributed update transactions have to check to ensure distributed serializability in all participants. The protocol can eliminate conflicts between mobile read-only and mobile update transactions, and resolve data conflicts flexibly using multiversion dynamic adjustment of serialization order to avoid unnecessary restarts of transactions. Mobile read-only transactions can be committed with no-blocking, and respond time of mobile read-only transactions is greatly reduced. The tolerance of mobile transactions of disconnections from the broadcast channel is increased. The results of simulation experiment show that the new protocol proposed offers better performance in terms of miss rate, restart rate, commit rate and throughput.

A simple synthetic method was employed to prepare mesoporous titania with anatase crystalline walls and high photocatalytic activity. The properties and structures of mesoporous titania were characterized by means of low angle and wide angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform (FT)-IR spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and N2 adsorption–desorption. The characteristic results clearly show that crystallization rate of the mesoporous titania affects the stability of the mesoporous structure after reflux, and that the anatase crystal in the mesoporous wall of mesoporous titania can stabilize the mesoporous structure. The photocatalytic activity of titania powder was evaluated from an analysis of the photodegradation of methyl orange under UV irradiation. The results indicate that the titania powder with mesoporous structure shows the highest photocatalytic activity.

The shell-model molecular dynamics method was applied to simulate the melting temperatures of SrF2 and BaF2 at elevated temperatures and high pressures. The same method was used to calculate the equations of state for SrF2 and BaF2 over the pressure range of 0.1 MPa-3 GPa and 0.1 MPa-7 GPa. Compared with previous results for equations of state, the maximum errors are 0.3% and 2.2%, respectively. Considering the pre-melting in the fluorite-type crystals, we made the necessary corrections for the simulated melting temperatures of SrF2 and BaF2. Consequently, the melting temperatures of SrF2 and BaF2 were obtained for high pressures. The melting temperatures of SrF2 and BaF2 that were obtained by the simulation are in good agreement with available experimental data.

DFT/B3LYP calculations were carried out on several π-complexes formed by cations and anions with annelated benzene, respectively. The binding energies obtained with standard method were corrected by basis set superposition error (BSSE) and zero-point energy (ZPE) during the geometry optimization for all complexes at the same levels of theory, respectively. Some different aspects of the π–cation have been compared to those of π–anion, involving in binding energy changes in effect of ring annelation, the aromaticity of the ring upon complexation, Mulliken and NBO charge-transfer. The effect of BSSE correction during the optimization is very important in some π–anion complexes whether or not using diffuse functions in basis set, and results with at least one set of diffuse functions 6-31+G(d) basis set is a little better than results obtained by 6-31G(d, p) basis set for some π–anion especially for F − complexes.

The insensitive explosive candidates, nitroimidazoles, polynitroimidazoles and their methyl derivatives, are investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The homolytic bond dissociation energies (BDEs) corresponding to –NO2 group removal from carbon or nitrogen site on imidazole ring were calculated at B3P86/6-311G** level, and the weakest bond has been determined. Further, a correlation is developed between impact sensitivity h50 and the ratio (BDE/E) of the weakest bond BDE to the total energy E, and we extrapolate this relationship to predict the impact sensitivities for compounds where experiments are not available. It is found that most of the title compounds are insensitive towards impact stimuli with their h50 larger than 60.0 cm. Heats of formation (HOFs) for the 21 title compounds at 298 K in gas are also determined both at B3LYP/6-311G** and B3P86/6-311G** levels using isodesmic work reactions. The calculated BDEs and HOFs consistently indicate that C-nitro-substituted imdazole is more stable than the corresponding N-substituted one, and the introduction of methyl on C increases the stability whereas the methyl attached to N atom decreases the stability.

Density functional theory calculation was carried out on cation-π complexes formed by cations [M = H+, Li+, Na+, K+, Be2+, Mg2+, and Ca2+] and π systems of annelated benzene. The cation-π bonding energy of Be2+ or Mg2+ with annelated benzene is very strong in comparison with the common cation-π intermolecular interaction, and the bonding energies follow the order Be2+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > Li+ > Na+ > K+. Similarly, the interaction energies follow the trend 1-M < 2-M < 3-M for all the metal cations considered. These outcomes may be due to the weak interactions of the metal cations with CH and the interactions of metal cations with π in addition to the nature of a metal cation. We have also investigated on all the possible substituted sites, and find that the metal ion tends to interact with all ring atoms while proton prefers to bind covalently to one of the ring carbons. The binding of metal cations with annelated benzenes has striking effect on nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts using the gauge independent atomic orbital method. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009

A DMVOCC-MVDA (distributed multiversion optimistic concurrency control with multiversion dynamic adjustment) protocol was presented to process mobile distributed real-time transaction in mobile broadcast environments. At the mobile hosts, all transactions perform local pre-validation. The local pre-validation process is carried out against the committed transactions at the server in the last broadcast cycle. Transactions that survive in local pre-validation must be submitted to the server for local final validation. The new protocol eliminates conflicts between mobile read-only and mobile update transactions, and resolves data conflicts flexibly by using multiversion dynamic adjustment of serialization order to avoid unnecessary restarts of transactions. Mobile read-only transactions can be committed with no-blocking, and respond time of mobile read-only transactions is greatly shortened. The tolerance of mobile transactions of disconnections from the broadcast channel is increased. In global validation mobile distributed transactions have to do check to ensure distributed serializability in all participants. The simulation results show that the new concurrency control protocol proposed offers better performance than other protocols in terms of miss rate, restart rate, commit rate. Under high work load (think time is 1s) the miss rate of DMVOCC-MVDA is only 14.6%, is significantly lower than that of other protocols. The restart rate of DMVOCC-MVDA is only 32.3%, showing that DMVOCC-MVDA can effectively reduce the restart rate of mobile transactions. And the commit rate of DMVOCC-MVDA is up to 61.2%, which is obviously higher than that of other protocols.

To better understand the structure and function of the myostatin's gene promoter region in sheep, we cloned and sequenced a 1.517 kb fragment containing the 5'-regulatory region of the sheep myostatin gene (GenBank accession number is AY918121). The promoter sequence consists of three TATA boxes, one CAAT box, and eight putative E-boxes. Some putative muscle growth response elements for Octamer-binding factor 1(Octamer), Activator protein 1(AP1), Growth factor independence 1 zinc finger protein (Gfi-1B), Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2), Muscle-specific Mt binding site (MTBF), Glucocorticoid response elements (GRE) and Progesterone receptor binding site (PRE) were detected. Some of the motifs are conserved as compared to with that in the goat, bovine and porcine myostatin promoters. However, some differences were also found.

To evaluate the diagnostic value and safety of percutaneous lung biopsy in hematologic patients with lung infection.28 cases hematologic patients received CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy when they developed a fever associated with pulmonary nodules or lumps in CT scan whose clinical diagnosis were unclear during or after chemotherapy. Sample of each lesion were drawn twice. The lung tissue was re-scanned after lung biopsy to check up in order to discover bleeding and pneumothorax. Biopsy tissue was examined by bacteria culture, acid-fast staining and pathology. Pathological examination contained HE staining, acid-fast stain, PAS stain, TB-DNA, methenamine silver and others.28 cases contain 24 males and 4 females. Median age was 40 15 - 77 years old. Blood tests were as follows: 3 cases with HGB110 g/L, 9 with HGB 90 - 110 g/L, 12 with HGB 60 - 89 g/L, 4 with HGB60 g/L. 8 with WBC10×10(9)/L, 6 with WBC (4 - 10)×10(9)/L, 13 with WBC4×10(9)/L, 1 with WBC2×10(9)/L; 14 with PLT100×10(9)/L, 5 with PLT (50 - 100)×10(9)/L, 5 with PLT50×10(9)/L, 4 with PLT30×10(9)/L. 4 cases had mild extended PT, 3 mild extended APTT, 3 FIB lower than normal. Lung CT scans were as follows: 4 cases with simply lesion in right lung, 4 with simply lesion in left lung, 20 with lesions in bilateral lung. 8 cases were diagnosed as fungal infection, 3 as tuberculosis infection, 1 as lung cancer, 1 as pulmonary infiltration of lymphoma, 1 as pulmonary infiltration of leukemia, and 14 as inflammatory changes with no specific diagnosis. 4 cases came with pneumothorax during lung biopsy, mild to moderate in 3 cases and severe in 1 case. Severe patient turned better after CT-guided suction. 3 cases with mild hemoptysis turned better after treatment.When hematopathy patients are with pulmonary nodules or lumps in CT scan whose clinical diagnosis is unclear, CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy is safe and conducive to early diagnosis and conducive to early rehabilitation of patients if the coagulation function is basically normal and platelet count is not too low.

To investigate the effects of different treatment protocols on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with bone marrow involvement (BMI).The clinical data of 148 patients of NHL with BMI, 108 undergoing CHOP regimen, 51 undergoing dose-intensive CHOP regimens, 13 undergoing CHOP regimen + rituximab, and 27 undergoing hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after CHOP protocol with remission. The curative effects were retrospectively analyzed.(1) The response rate (RR) for the whole group was 80.4%, with a complete remission (CR) rate of 60.7%. The response rate of the patients treated with the dose-intensive regimens (dose-intensive group) was 84.3%, significantly higher than that of the patients treated with standard CHOP regimen (64.1%, P0.05). (2) The 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates and progress-free survival (PFS) of the B-cell NHL patients who underwent HSCT + Rituximab treatment (Rituximab combined with chemotherapy) were significantly higher than those of the dose-intensive group and CHOP group, and the 3- and 5-year OS rates and PFS of the dose-intensive group were all significantly higher than those of the CHOP group (all P0.05). (3) The 3- and 5-year OS rates, and PFS of the T-cell NHL patients who underwent HSCT group and dose-intensive CHOP were all significantly higher than those patients who underwent CHOP regimen (all P0.05).Superior survival may benefit from Dose-intensive regimens and HSCT, may be good choices for the patients with NHLBMI, a group of heterogeneous malignancies with poor prognosis. And combined chemotherapy with Rituximab treatment remarkably raises the effect for CD20(+) B-cell NHLBMI.

To analyse the clinical characteristics, treatments and prognosis of patients with T-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) in intermediate-high and high risk.Fifty-four patients with T-cell NHL classified intermediate-high and high risk were retrospectively analyzed.According to WHO classification criteria, there were 12 cases of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma (TLBL), 31 peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCL-U), and 11 hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL). The IPI were 12 cases of intermediate-high risk and 42 high risk. Of them, 49 cases were bone marrow affected and 7 CNS affected. The response rate (RR) for the whole group was 86.5%, complete remission (CR) rate 67.3%, and 3-year survival rate 16.0%. The 3-year survival rates for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and chemotherapy groups were 44.4% and 8.3%, respectively. Multi-factor analysis showed that choice of therapy modality, and achievement of remission were significant factors for overall survival.T-NHL is a group of heterogeneous malignancies. The response rate of intermediate-high and high risk T- NHL, especially PTCL-U and LTBL, is not low, but its long-term outcome is poor. New treatment modality needs to be explored for these patients, and autologous HSCT is perhaps a good choice.