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Objectives To assess the effect of sildenafil on monocrotaline-induced right ventricular (RV) remodeling and investigate the possible mechanism. Methods Rats were subcutaneously injected with monocrotaline to establish an RV remodeling model and then administered sildenafil (25 mg/kg) from days 1 to 28. After 28 days of administration, the RV systolic pressure and the RV hypertrophy index (RVHI) were measured. The morphology of the right ventricle was observed by H&E staining. The ultrastructure of the right ventricle was observed using a transmission electron microscope. The myocardial apoptosis of the right ventricle was evaluated by TUNEL staining. The protein expression of apoptosis-related proteins and PPARs were examined by western blotting. Key findings The results indicated that sildenafil decreased the RV systolic pressure and RVHI, and improved the microstructure and ultrastructure of the right ventricle in monocrotaline-induced rats. In addition, sildenafil suppressed myocardial apoptosis and promoted the protein expression of PPARs of the right ventricle in monocrotaline-induced rats. Conclusion Sildenafil inhibits RV remodeling in monocrotaline-induced rats, which might be partially mediated by reducing myocardial apoptosis and activating PPARs.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most serious hematological carcinoma in adolescents. The significance of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their regulative role in the proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells in cancer has been recently reported. Nevertheless, key RNAs and the regulatory mechanism of competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network affected by pediatric ALL are not fully illustrated. In this study, phase 2 and 3 pediatric ALL RNA profiles were extracted from the TARGET database and used to identify lncRNAs, microRNAs, and messenger RNAs in high-risk ALL and reconstruct the sponge ceRNA regulatory network. Results indicated that 44 lncRNAs, 25 miRNAs, and 115 mRNA were up/downregulated. Functional analysis with differentially expressed RNAs (DERNAs) showed enriched significant signaling pathways, including PI3K-Akt and p53 signaling cascades and other pathways associated with the tumor. Seventeen differential hub RNAs, including LINC00909, BZRAP1-AS1, C17orf76-AS1, HCG11, MIAT, SNHG5, SNHG15, and TP73-AS1, were identified. The Cox model of correlation indicated that 14 of these RNAs were associated with the progression of pediatric ALL. These findings would help clarify the regulatory role of several lncRNAs as well as provide insights into the leukemogenesis of pediatric ALL to further explore novel prognostic markers/therapeutic targets for ALL.

Epilepsy is a serious neurological disorder posing a severe burden to our society. Cognitive deficits are very common comorbidities of epilepsy. It is known that enhanced cognition has been demonstrated as an indicator for successful treatment of epilepsy. Physical exercise shows a positive consequence on cognition in healthy individuals and improves health and life conditions in people with epilepsy. However, there is no direct evidence to determine the role and the potential mechanism of physical exercise on the cognitive impairment and the relationship of susceptibility to seizures. The goal of the current investigation was to explore whether sustained physical exercise improves the cognitive dysfunction and simultaneously decreases the susceptibility to seizures in rats with epilepsy. Rats were treated with pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) (35 mg/kg, i.p. [intraperitoneally]) for 36 days to induce chronic epilepsy. During the induction period, rats were exposed to voluntary wheel running or forced swimming 30 min prior to each PTZ injection from the 16th day. The cognition of rats was evaluated by object recognition test and passive avoidance test. The susceptibility to seizures was evaluated by seizure frequency and duration. The levels of synaptic-related proteins including PSD95 (postsynaptic density 95), Synapsin, GluA1, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) were measured to evaluate the hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Furthermore, the GAD67 (glutamic acid decarboxylase) levels and GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid)ergic function in PTZ-treated rats were also determined. Finally, antagonist of GABAAR (GABAA receptors) bicuculline was used to explore the reversal effects of physical activity on seizures and cognition. The results showed that rats subjected to voluntary wheel running or forced swimming showed a significant reduction of seizure frequency and duration in PTZ-treated group relative to rats without running or swimming. In addition, both running and swimming improved cognitive function as measured by enhanced performance in object recognition test and passive avoidance test. Furthermore, the reduced levels of synaptic-related proteins and GABAergic function were reversed by exercise compared with rats without exercise. Moreover, antagonism of hippocampal CA3 (cornu ammonis 3) GABAergic neurons blocks the reversal effects of physical activity on seizures and cognition in PTZ-treated rats. These data showed that chronic physical exercise reduced the frequency of seizures and improved the cognitive function in a rat model of chronic epilepsy through normalization of CA3 synaptic plasticity and GABAergic function. Our findings suggest that chronic physical exercise has beneficial effects on controlling seizure through enhancement of cognition and highlights the possibility to translate into reduced seizure recurrence in people with epilepsy.

To investigate the values of mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), red cell osmotic fragility test(ROFT) and hemoglobin A2(HbAA total of 285 peripheral blood samples in patients treated in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2017 were collected. The detection of thalassemia gene was used as the gold standard, while blood routine examination, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and red cell osmotic fragility test were simultaneously performed. The optimal cut-off values in MCV, MCH, ROFT and HbAThe most common types of α-thalassemia gene was --SEA/αα (54.59%). Compared with the control group, the differences in MCV, MCH, ROFT and HbAFor different laboratories, the cut-off values need to be established for screening α-thalassemia suitable in their own local region．The values of MCV, MCH, ROFT and HbAMCV、MCH、RBC脆性和HbA探讨平均红细胞体积（MCV）、平均血红蛋白量（MCH）、红细胞渗透脆性试验（ROFT）和血红蛋白A2(HbA收集2017年1月到2017年12月于本院就诊患者外周血285例。以地中海贫血基因检测为金标准，同时进行血细胞常规分析，血红蛋白电泳测定和红细胞渗透脆性试验测定。通过受试者工作曲线(ROC曲线)确定MCV、MCH、ROFT和HbAα-地中海贫血基因类型以--SEA/αα最常见（54.59%）。与正常对照组相比，不同分型α-地中海贫血MCV、MCH、ROFT和HbA不同实验室应该建立适合本地区的α-地中海贫血初筛截断值。MCV、MCH、ROFT和HbA

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of retention enema with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for ulcerative colitis (UC) through a meta-analysis of published studies. Methods Literatures were retrieved from five electronic databases. Quality evaluation and meta-analysis were respectively conducted using the Cochrane collaboration and RevMan5.3. Overall quality of evidence was evaluated using GRADE system. Effect sizes were pooled using random effect models. Results Seventeen RCTs were included. Compared with routine pharmacotherapies (RPs), TCM enema exhibited a statistically significant difference in clinical efficacy and reduction of the recurrence rate. The results of qualitative description for other endpoints, such as improvements in anabrosis, ulcer, diarrhea, and hematochezia, suggested that TCM enema had better efficacy than RPs. Furthermore, the incidence of side effects in TCM was lower than that in RPs. Conclusion This meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy and safety of TCM enema for improving UC symptoms. However, further well-designed researches are needed.

Anisotropic nanocomposite films of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) and graphene oxide (GO) were fabricated by blade-coating of the aqueous mixture to align the substance and subsequent solvent evaporation to freeze the oriented structure. Owing to the anisotropic structure, the composite films showed anisotropic mechanical properties and response to external stimuli. The influences of GO content, stretch rate, and relative humidity on the anisotropic structure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The incorporation of GO did not destroy the anisotropic structure of the HPC film, but improved the mechanical properties to some extent and favoured the bending deformation and locomotion of the composite film under the humidity gradient. These behaviours were associated with the large aspect ratio and excellent gas barrier property of GO nanosheets that favoured suppressing the slippage of HPC chains and enhanced the differential volume change at the top and bottom surfaces of the film. The composite HPC film with GO or reduced GO also responded to near-infrared light due to the photothermal effect and the variation of HPC matrix at a high temperature. This facile strategy should be applicable to other natural or synthetic polymers to fabricate anisotropic composite films with potential applications as optical devices, sensors, and actuators.

Supramolecular polymeric hydrogels, combining the responsiveness of noncovalent interactions and good mechanical properties of polymers, have received increasing attentions due to their high strength, multi-responses to stimuli, and good processability. In this article, we develop transparent physical hydrogels by simply casting and reswelling the films of copolymers synthesized by polymerization of a hydrophilic monomer of acrylic acid (AA) with a small fraction of hydrophobic monomer of stearyl acrylate (SA). The long alkyl chains of SA units segregate in water to form hydrophobic associations, serving as the physical crosslinking junctions of gels. The gels are robust with tensile strength up to ∼2 MPa; the mechanical properties can be tuned by varying the composition of copolymers and depend on the deformation rate. The gels are responsive to temperature, pH, and ethanol solvent, which mediate the stability of the hydrophobic associations and even lead to gel-to-sol transition. Based on this reversible transition, the gels show stimuli-mediated healing ability. Gels with complex structures can be constructed by localized welding. In addition, the gels exhibit shape memory behaviour; the shape can be memorized by forming strong coordination between carboxylic acid groups and additional Fe3+ ions and relaxed by reduction of the Fe3+ ions. These gels with versatile properties should find applications such as in responsive coatings, tissue engineering, and soft actuators.

The rapid developments of tough hydrogels have promoted the applications of this kind of soft materials in loading bearing systems. However, tough gels usually have poor processibility, which is crucial for the construction of complex structures with gels. In this paper, we demonstrate the processing of tough polyion complex (PIC) hydrogels by simple compression moulding or extruding, which relies on the distinct strength of ionic bonds during and after the processing. The PIC precipitates formed by mixing the solutions of polycation and polyanion, poly(3-(methacryloylamino)propyl-trimethylammonium chloride) and poly(sodium p-styrenesulfonate), are plasticized by saline solution with selected concentration. These raw materials, initially weak and viscoelastic, are easily processed into different shapes. After swelling the as-prepared gels in water to dialyze out the salt and counterions of PIC, tough equilibrated gels are obtained with the imposed shapes during processing. These gels with 50–70 wt% water show good mechanical properties, with tensile fracture stress, fracture strain and tearing fracture energy being 3.7 MPa, 700% and 8 × 10 3 J/m 2 , respectively. These mechanical properties can be effectively tailored by tuning the charge ratio of PIC. However, the concentration of saline water has negligible influence on the mechanical properties of final equilibrated gels. The resultant PIC gels also exhibit stimuli-triggered healing properties owing to the dynamic and reversible nature of the ionic bonds. This study should promote the applications of tough PIC gels in structural elements of soft actuators and synthetic tissues.

A new stable cobalt-organic framework, namely [Co2(oba)2(H2Me4bpz)]n (1) (H2oba = 4.4′-oxydibenzoic acid, H2Me4bpz = 3.3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-bipyrazole), has been synthesized by combining the mixed H2oba and H2Me4bpz with Co(CH3COO)2·4H2O under solvothermal conditions, which was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analyses. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1 features a three-dimensional framework, which is built from interesting tetrahedral cages. The thermal stability of the complex has also been investigated.

Ternary heterojunction photocatalyst Ag/AgIO3/BiOCl and Ag/AgIO3/BiOCl(CMC) were prepared to solve the contaminants of TC antibiotics residue in water and volatilizing HCHO in indoor air. Morphology modification, heterojunction construction, dominant facet controlling and surface plasma resonance strategies were merged into to modify the photocatalyst. First, biomass solvent assisted synthesis of AABC-CMC does a favor for harvesting the visible light and improving the adsorption of organic pollutants compared to AABC. In addition, Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully anchored on the surface of heterostructure to enhance the adsorption of visible light, and act as a visible light “trigger” for two wide band gap components of heterojunction. Non-centrosymmetric AgIO3 and band gap matching in heterostructure accelerates separating and transferring of electron-hole pairs, and reduces the probability of recombination. Besides, the IEF differing in BiOCl(CMC) and BiOCl results the difference of photocarriers migrating path when composited with AgIO3.The shorter transmission distance in the AABC-CMC reduces the recombination of photocarriers in the bulk and improve photocatalytic property of AABC-CMC. The possible charge transfer mechanism and key radicals differs in photodegradating process, O2− and OH plays a major role in photo-degrading TC and HCHO, respectively.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a multifunctional cytokine that is related to many diseases. HGF mainly contributes to cell migration,proliferation,and survival and regulates vascular angiogenesis,matrix deposition,and degradation of wound healing. HGF also promotes wound reepithelialization and reduces scar formation. This review article summarizes the role of HGF in wound repair and the relationship between HGF and other growth factors,especially when applied for the clinical treatment of chronic skin ulcers.

Biomimetic soft materials with well-ordered structures have received increasing attention due to their potential applications in artificial tissues, soft actuators, and optical devices. We demonstrate here the synthesis of anisotropic hydrogels from concentrated liquid crystalline solution of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC; content ≥ 45 wt%) with high viscosity. Monodomain precursor solution of HPC, in the presence of reactants, is obtained by mechanical shearing, which is immediately subjected to UV light irradiation to trigger the polymerization and thus to freeze the ordered structure of HPC before severe structural relaxation. The as-prepared HPC-containing poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) gels are transparent and show uniform birefringence, Δn of 1.7 × 10−3, and pronounced anisotropic mechanical properties, with larger tensile modulus and breaking stress, yet smaller breaking strain when stretched parallel to the shear direction than those perpendicular to the shear direction. The gels also show anisotropic swelling ratio, with larger value in the direction perpendicular to the shear direction. The swelling anisotropy decreases from 1.22 in water to 1.09 in 1.5 M saline solution, which is related to the weakening of optical and mechanical anisotropy of swollen gels. This approach to prepare anisotropic gels should be suitable to other LC natural and synthetic macromolecules with high viscosity.

Three new manganese(II), lead(II) and cadmium(II) coordination complexes have been prepared by reaction of N-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)cinnamamide (HNTCA) with divalent metal salts (MnCl2, PbCl2 and CdCl2) in a mixed-solvent system, affording mononuclear to trinuclear structures namely, bis(methanol-κO)bis[5-(3-phenylprop-2-enamido)-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ido-κ2 N 1,O]manganese(II), [Mn(C10H8N5O)2(CH3OH)2], (1), bis[μ-5-(3-phenylprop-2-enamido)-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ido]-κ3 N 1,O:N 2;κ3 N 2:N 1,O-bis{aqua[5-(3-phenylprop-2-enamido)-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ido-κ2 N 1,O]lead(II)}, [Pb2(C10H8N5O)4(H2O)2], (2), and hexakis[μ2-5-(3-phenylprop-2-enamido)-1H-1,2,3,4-tetrazol-1-ido-κ3 N 1,O:N 2]tricadmium(II), [Cd3(C10H8N5O)6], (3). The structures of these three compounds reveal that the nature of the metal ions and the side groups of the organic building blocks have a significant effect on the structures of the coordination compounds formed. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds link the molecules into two-dimensional [complex (1)] and three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded networks. Complexes (2) and (3) show significant fluorescence, while complex (1) displays no fluorescence.

Objective To describe the incidence, prenatal diagnosis, and perinatal outcome in fetuses with congenital dacryocystocele. Methods All cases of congenital dacryocystocele diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound were identified using an established perinatal database. Prenatal ultrasound images were reviewed, and perinatal outcome was abstracted from the medical records. The correlation between the cyst size, gestational age, and prenatal and neonatal outcome was analyzed. Results The overall incidence of fetal dacryocystocele was 0.016% (75/456,202). Fifty-three cases (70.7%) had unilateral, and 22 (29.3%) had bilateral lesions. Lesions were seen more commonly among female fetuses with a female : male ratio 1.48 : 1. The average diameter of cysts size was 6.9 ± 1.9 mm (3.3–11 mm). There was a direct correlation between cyst size and gestational age. Among the 75 cases, 8 were lost to follow-up, 3 underwent elective termination of pregnancy. 58 resolved spontaneously before birth, and 6 were confirmed at birth. Two developed neonatal infection requiring antibiotic treatment. All 6 cases confirmed at birth resolved without surgical resection. Conclusions Congenital dacryocystocele can be diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound. Such lesions typically resolve spontaneously in utero or in the early neonatal period. Thus, it should be considered as a developmental variant rather than a structural birth defect. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

BACKGROUND To systematically evaluate efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in treating chronic gastritis (CG). METHODS Data sources from PubMed, Embase, Springer Link, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, Chinese Biomedicine Database, and Wan-fang database were searched up to July 5, 2018. Review Manager software version 5.3, the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation profiler software were conducted for this meta-analysis. RESULTS Sixteen studies involving 1673 participants (906 vs 767) were included in this study. Pooled data showed significant statistical differences between TCM groups and current routine pharmacotherapy (RP) groups in overall clinical efficacy (odds ratio [OR] 4.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.29, 6.56; P < .00001), efficacy under endoscopy (OR 2.46; 95% CI 1.12, 5.43; P = .03), stomach distension (mean difference [MD] -0.37; 95% CI -0.56, -0.19; P < .0001), stomachache (standardized MD [SMD] -0.80; 95% CI -1.45, -0.14; P = .02), and belching (SMD -2.00; 95% CI -3.80, -0.20; P = .03). However, acid regurgitation (SMD -0.71; 95% CI -1.69, 0.28; P = .16) and anorexia (SMD -0.75; 95% CI -2.30, 0.80; P = .35) showed no significant statistical differences between 2 groups. In addition, incidence of adverse reactions of TCM groups was lower than that of RP groups. CONCLUSION Evidence from this meta-analysis suggests that TCM could be more efficacious than current RP in treating CG. But further standardized research of rigorous design should be needed to further validate its efficacy.

The effect of nitrogen on crystal grain for metastabl austenitic manganese steel was studied. The result indicated that the attachment of nitrogen element in the interface between the crystal and liquid steel will influence the formation mechanism of crystal, that the existing of nitrogen element hinder the diffusion of atoms, increase the free energy of critical nucleation, raise homogeneous nucleation rate of crystal and lower the growing velocity of crystal accordingly, and refine the crystal grain finally for casting steel. And the effect degree of nitrogen will be influenced by the specialty of nitrogen on critical micelle concentration. During heat treatment, because of covalent bond between nitrogen atom and iron atom and manganese atom, the existing of nitrogen element in the boundary of crystal or the attachment of nitrogen element on the face of crystal will hinder the diffusion of iron atoms and manganese atoms, so that lower the growing velocity of crystal and refine the crystal grain of steel finally after heat treatment.

The success of CO2 capture from flue gas with solid sorbent is dependent of a low cost sorbent with high CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity. Modifying surface texture of activated carbon with impregnating amines is expected to offer the benefits of liquid amines in the typical adsorption process routes. In this work, cocoanut activate carbon (AC) is firstly alkalified by KOH solution, then modified by impregnation of tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), triethylenetetramine (TATA), and triethanolamine (TEA) to form a new type of sorbents. The effects of alkalifying treatment and temperature on CO2 adsorption capacities of the sorbents are investigated. Results indicate that the activate carbons modified by combining alkalification pretreatment firstly and then impregnated amines at low temperature are profitable for CO2 adsorption. The adsorption capacities of CO2 are enhanced with TEPA and TETA impregnation on the activate carbon pretreated by KOH solution. And CO2 adsorption capacity of new sorbents is stable after many adsorption and desorption cycles.

Epilepsy is a serious brain disorder with diverse seizure types and epileptic syndromes. AMPA receptor antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzoquinoxaline-2,3-dione (NBQX) attenuates spontaneous recurrent seizures in rats. However, the anti-epileptic effect of NBQX in chronic epilepsy model is poorly understood. Perineuronal nets (PNNs), specialized extracellular matrix structures, surround parvalbumin-positive inhibitory interneurons, and play a critical role in neuronal cell development and synaptic plasticity. Here, we focused on the potential involvement of PNNs in the treatment of epilepsy by NBQX. Rats were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, 50 mg/kg) for 28 consecutive days to establish chronic epilepsy models. Subsequently, NBQX (20 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected for 3 days for the observation of behavioral measurements of epilepsy. The Wisteria floribundi agglutinin (WFA)-labeled PNNs were measured by immunohistochemical staining to evaluate the PNNs. The levels of three components of PNNs such as tenascin-R, aggrecan and neurocan were assayed by Western blot assay. The results showed that there are reduction of PNNs and decrease of tenascin-R, aggrecan and neurocan in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the rats injected with PTZ. However, NBQX treatment normalized PNNs, tenascin-R, aggrecan and neurocan levels. NBQX was sufficient to decrease seizures through increasing the latency to seizures, decrease the duration of seizure onset, and reduce the scores for the severity of seizures. Furthermore, the degradation of mPFC PNNs by chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) exacerbated seizures in PTZ-treated rats. Finally, the anti-epileptic effect of NBQX was reversed by pretreatment with ChABC into mPFC. These findings revealed that PNNs degradation in mPFC is involved in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and enhancement of PNNs may be effective for the treatment of epilepsy.

Due to their fast kinetic properties, K

ObjectiveTo discuss the mechanism of low molecular weight GTP binding protein RAC1 in the injury of neural function based on building the rat model of cerebral ischemia reperfusion.MethodsMiddle cerebral artery of rats was ligated and the ligature was released to restore the perfusion after 2 h, the rat model of cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury was built, while the middle cerebral artery was ligated. The rats were randomly divided into the sham group, cerebral ischemia reperfusion group (I/R group) and the group with the injection of RAC1 activity inhibitor NSC23766 (NSC group). The survival and neurological severity score of rats in each group were observed and recorded. Nissl staining was employed to observe the nerve cells, and Western blot to detect expression of RAC1, superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde.ResultsNumber of nerve cells for rats in NSC group was significantly more than that in I/R group, but significantly less than that in sham group, with the statistical difference (P

Magnesium oxide in spheroidiser is harmful to the production of ductile iron for decreasing active magnesium content. To obtain quality ductile iron, the effects of magnesium oxide content in spheroidisers on spheroidising treatment, microstrucure and properties of ductile iron were researched, and the critical magnesium oxide in spheroidisers was determined.