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Objective: To explore the distribution rules of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the northern Xinjiang region and their inherent relationship with related factors, in order to assistant the clinical treatment of RA. Methods: A total of 217 patients with RA in the northern Xinjiang region were collected. The TCM syndrome types, tongue coating, pulse condition, symptoms, disease duration, disease activity score 28 (DAS28), and indicators such as IL-1β and BMP6 detected by ELISA were statistically analyzed. Results: There are more female RA patients than male RA patients. The proportions of TCM syndrome types were as follows: cold-damp obstruction syndrome > liver-kidney deficiency syndrome > phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome > damp-heat obstruction syndrome > rheumatic obstruction syndrome > qi-blood deficiency syndrome. There was no statistical difference in the distribution of gender and age among different TCM syndrome types in RA patients (P>0.05) . The main characteristics of TCM syndromes in this region were morning stiffness of joints, fixed joint pain, joint pain relieved by pressing, increased pain in cold weather, difficulty in joint flexion and extension, soreness and weakness of waist and knees, lighter symptoms during the day and heavier at night, worsened symptoms on rainy days, and heavy limbs. There were statistical differences in disease duration, DAS28, C-reactive protein, and BMP6 among different TCM syndrome types (P<0.05) and no statistical differences in IL-6, IL-1β, RF and CCP (P> 0.05) . Compared with other syndrome types, the C-reactive protein of wind-dampness impediment was higher than that of deficiency of liver and kidney, the DAS28 disease activity level of cold-dampness impediment was higher than that of deficiency of liver and kidney, the BMP6 level of damp-heat impediment was higher than that of wind-dampness impediment, cold-dampness impediment, and the BMP6 level of phlegm-stasis impediment was higher than that of wind-dampness impediment. Conclusion: The characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndroms of RA patients in northern Xinjiang are mainly "cold", "dampness" and "deficiency", and the syndrome type is the most common cold-dampness obstruction syndrome, and the disease activity is high. The abnormal manifestations of bone and joint in damp-heat obstruction syndrome and phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome are more prominent, and the level of BMP6 is relatively high. Age and gender have an influence on the onset of RA, and the duration of disease has an influence on the distribution of TCM syndromes of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium oxide (CeO2) appears to be a promising candidate high-k dielectric material in GaAs-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. The electronic properties of GaAs/CeO2 (001) heterojunctions are investigated by density functional theory. We determine the GaAs/CeO2 heterostructure from the initial adsorption of the Ga and As atoms on the CeO2 (001) surfaces. The surface formation energy indicates that oxygen or Ga atoms may replace Ce atoms at the Ce-terminated CeO2 surface, and Ce atoms may replace oxygen atoms at the O-terminated CeO2 surface. The band offsets, electronic density of states, and atomic charges are analyzed for the GaAs/CeO2 heterojunctions. The band offsets of the As-terminated GaAs/Ce-terminated CeO2 interface are suitable for the design of metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. The OCe defects induce a two-dimensional electron gas at the As-terminated GaAs/Ce-terminated CeO2 interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytosolic free Ca 2+ concentration is a key factor in pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). These processes contribute to pulmonary arterial hypertension and are influenced by expression of calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). Although regulation of CaSR expression is precisely controlled, the contribution of microRNAs (miR) is incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that miR-429, miR-424-5p, miR-200b-3p, and miR-200c-3p regulate CaSR by targeting specific 3'-untranslated region, suggesting that these miRNAs function as CaSR inhibitors in PASMCs. Moreover, miR-429 and miR-424-5p inhibit proliferation of PASMCs by downregulating CaSR, resulting in reduced Ca 2+ influx under both normoxia and hypoxia. These findings indicate miR-429 and miR-424-5p target CaSR and may function as Ca 2+ influx suppressors in pulmonary arterial hypertension-associated diseases.