Search

Photocatalytic overall water splitting is forecasted as a promising strategy for H2 production. Herein, novel zinc oxide/zinc sulfide (ZnOS-x) (x = 1, 2, 3) heterostructures were fabricated via a collaboratively hydrothermal and calcination method with different trithiocyanuric acid amounts. The formation of ZnOS-x heterostructures were confirmed by the uses of PXRD, XPS, and HRTEM. Moreover, ZnOS-3 nanoparticles exhibit homogeneous and smooth surface morphology structure. ZnOS-3 displayed efficient charge separation and transfer efficiency under the photoinduce. ZnOS-3 shows the highest average H2 evolution reaction rate (788.7154 µmol g− 1 h− 1) under visible-light irradiation, which increases along with highering of the ratio of trithiocyanuric acid in the ZnOS-x series. This work provides a new insight to prepare the uniformly integrated heterostructures of metal oxides/sulfides for visible-light H2 generation.

Converting waste biomass into biochar is a means for solving both environmental pollution and energy shortage. Here we transformed Eichhornia crassipes, a harmful floating plant, into a honeycomb-shaped and heteroatoms-rich biochar by KOH activation during carbonization, and we tested this biochar as anode for lithium-ion batteries. Results show that the biochar has a high surface area of 278.56 m2·g−1, a honeycomb-like porous structure, and is rich in heteroatoms, e.g., 3.42% N, 20.82% O, and 0.83% S. Biochar anodes displayed a higher initial reversible specific capacity of 697 mAh·g−1 at 50 mA·g−1, a higher rate capability of 229.7 mAh·g−1 at 3000 mA·g−1, and a better cyclic stability than commercial graphite. The enhanced electrochemical performance could be attributed to the interconnected porous structure that promotes Li+ transfer and electrolyte infiltration, and to the presence of heteroatoms. This approach can be easily industrialized as a substitute of graphite.

Salidroside (Sal), the major active constituent of

Cobalt oxide and porous carbon materials are desirable catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) advanced oxidation reaction in the degradation of organic pollutants. Herein, carbon-coated Co

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and noise are the ubiquitous environmental hazards with considerable detrimental effects on the physiological and psychological health of humans. Exploiting efficient protective materials that can be extensively used in daily life for simultaneous anti-UVR and noise mitigation will be of crucial importance, but it is still a significant challenge in materials design. Herein, we developed a series of protective textiles for efficient anti-UVR and noise reduction via MOFs nanocrystal-modified cotton textiles. The formation of MOFs@cotton textiles was confirmed by using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The fabricated MOFs@cotton textiles exhibited substantial improvement in the UVR blocking and acoustic absorption properties compared to blank cotton textiles. Therefore, this work provides a good strategy for designing and preparing multifunctional protective textiles.

Purpose: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one main cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanisms of pathogenesis still remain unclear. Methods: We screened the 1351 differentially expressed genes related to HBV-induced HCC by bioinformatics analysis from databases and found that Plasminogen (PLG) may be a key gene in HBV-induced HCC progression. Then, we used a series of experiments in vivo and in vitro to explore the roles of PLG in HBV-HCC progression, such as qRT-PCR, western blot, ELISA, flow cytometry and TUNEL assay, subcutaneous xenografts and histopathological analysis to reveal the underlying mechanisms. Results: PLG was over-expressed in HBV positive hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells. PLG silencing promoted HBV-HCC cell apoptosis in vitro and suppressed the growth of HBV-induced HCC xenografts in vivo both through inhibiting HBV replication. Then, GO and KEGG analysis of these differentially expressed genes revealed that the Hippo pathway was the key pathway involved in HBV-induced HCC, and SRC, a downstream target gene of PLG, was highly expressed in HBV-induced HCC and related to the Hippo pathway. Thus, we speculated that PLG promoted HBV-induced HCC progression through up-regulating and activating the expression of SRC and promoting Hippo signaling pathway function on HBV-HCC cell survival. Conclusion: Our study suggests PLG may be an activator of HBV-infected hepatocellular carcinoma development, as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HBV-HCC.

High temperature stage microscope was applied to observe morphology evolution of flaky char particles during gasification. Raman spectroscopy was used to analyze crystalline structures of gasification semicoke. Effect of gasification temperature (1000–1200°C) and initial equivalent diameter (1.00–1.60 mm) on morphology and structure evolution were examined. The results show that particle shrinkage in later stage of gasification is more intense than that in early stage. Within tested gasification temperature, the particle ASR (area shrinkage ratio) and VSR (volumetric shrinkage ratio) decrease with increasing temperature. The initial particle size of char has a significant effect on particle shrinkage. At 1100°C the shrinkage trend of particle marks a turning point at initial diameter of 1.30 mm. The variation of char apparent density is dominated by carbon consumption. When the carbon conversion reaches 80%, the apparent density ratio linearly decreases below 0.4. At the same gasification temperature, with increasing carbon conversion the graphitization of char reduces first and then increases, while the amorphous carbon is opposite.

Two heptanuclear discs, [Co7 (L1)6 (CH3 O)6 ]2+ (Co7 -L1) and [Co7 (L2)12 ](ClO4 )2 (Co7 -L2), have been prepared by the reaction of [Co(H2 O)6 ](ClO4 )2 with Schiff base HL1 (HL1=2-methoxy-6-[(methylimino)methyl]phenolate) or benzimidazole derivative HL2 (HL2=(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methanolate), respectively, at room temperature. In contrast, the reaction of [Co(H2 O)6 ](ClO4 )2 with a mixture of the two ligands, having similar coordination ability but different shapes, resulted in the butterfly-structured tetranuclear cobalt cluster [Co4 (L1)2 (L2)4 ](ClO4 )2 ⋅2H2 O (Co4 ). Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis in real time revealed the {Co1 }→{Co2 }→{Co4 }→{Co7 } stepwise assembly when a single ligand was employed, but when both ligands were used only {Co4 } was obtained, an intermediate of the former reactions. Interestingly, ligand competition was evidenced in the assembly process of the reaction with two ligands; for example, [Co4 (L1)4 (L2)2 ]2+ and [Co4 (L1)3 (L2)3 ]2+ were the primary clusters observed at the beginning of the reaction, but [Co4 (L1)2 (L2)4 ]2+ was the final product. This observation suggests ligand exchange is taking place, and DFT calculations confirmed that these transformations were possible. By varying the ratio of ligands, the abundance of a certain species in the competitive reaction could be controlled.

The conjugation of bridging bis(diphenylphosphine oxide) alkane or arene ligands was found to control the structural dimensionality and the emission color of complexes from reactions with SmIII(hfac)3(H2O)2 (hfac− = hexafluoroacetylacetonato) while retaining the Sm⋯Sm distances. Bis(diphenylphosphine oxide)-1,4-butane (L1) affords a one-dimensional (1D) ribbon {Sm(hfac)3(L1)}∞ (1) that emits red color, while bis(diphenyl-phosphinoyl)-1,4-benzene (L2) results in a two-dimensional (2D) network {Sm(hfac)2(CF3COO)(L2)3}∞ (2) and near-white emission, but bis(diphenyl-phosphinoyl)-9,10-anthracene (L3) forms a zero-dimensional (0D) cyclic structure {Sm(hfac)3(L3)}2 (3) with strong π⋯π interactions that emit green color. Noticeably, the conjugation change is accompanied by a configurational change of coordination from trans for 1 and 2 to cis for 3. The color change is associated with the superposition of ligand and Sm based electronic band energies and their intensities. Such white light emission by a single compound having contributions from different building components is quite rare.

Using a facile one-step hydrothermal method, a series of metal-organic frameworks containing Gd/Tm (Gd/Tm-MOFs) were prepared successfully. Through the mutual activation of Gd3+ and Tm3+, Gd/Tm-MOFs showed unexpected excellent up-conversion luminescence (UCL) and a superior positive magnetic resonance image (MRI). Using doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as a drug model, the feasibility of Gd/Tm-MOFs as a multifunctional drug carrier was demonstrated. Through modifying Gd/Tm-MOFs with uniform mesoporous silica (mSiO2) shells and folic acid (FA), the drug loading was improved up to 41.5 mg g-1, and pH responsive drug release increased to 64% from 12% by regulating the pH from 5.8 to 7.4. Also, the particles were tracked by MRI, and the second highest longitudinal relaxivity (r1) among the reported gadolinium complexes of 225.86 mM-1 s-1 was achieved. The cell imaging shows obvious blue and red luminescence under 980 nm laser excitation, and the up-conversion luminescence is unique because there is no autofluorescence from cells under 980 nm excitation. This indicates their promising application in the biological field. All the experiments indicate the promising application of Gd/Tm-MOFs in diagnosis and treatment.

A one-dimensional manganese(II) complex, [Mn(L2)]n (1, HL = 4-pyridyl-NH-1,2,3-triazole), has been hydrothermally synthesized at 120 °C. In the structure of 1, the Mn(II) ions are octahedral coordinated and further bridged by L− ligands, forming a rigid 1D ribbon coordination chain. Varieties of supramolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonds and C H ⋯ π interactions, play an important role on the stabilization of the structures. As revealed by magnetic measurement, complex 1 displays weak antiferromagnetic interaction with θ = –4.83 K, the best fit using Fisher's 1D Heisenberg model gives the intrachain magnetic coupling constant J = –0.21 cm− 1 above 30 K due to the neighboring Mn(N–N)2Mn rings twisted in the angle of almost 90°.

The bond order and packing ratios in the single-crystal of the two structural polymorphs as well as the detailed electronic structures of the molecular model were studied using density functional theory. The strength of different Mn coordination bonds was analyzed in detail through Mayer bond order. Besides bond length, many other factors such as the orientation of ligand and nature of metal also significantly influence the bond order. Packing ratios calculated using cluster model reveals that packing along b direction in Dimer is more favorable than other directions due to the associated interactions of π-π and Cl…H when packing in this direction. Electronic structure helps explain the formation of Dimer from monomer or direct forming of Chain from ligand/Cl and metal. This would shed light on further understanding the importance of supramolecular interaction on crystal engineering.

Sorption is widely used for the removal of toxic heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions. Green sorbents prepared from biomass are attractive, because they leverage the value of waste biomass and reduce the overall cost of water treatment. In this study, we fabricated biochar (BC) adsorbent from the biomass of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), an invasive species in many river channels. Pristine BC was further modified with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and stabilized with chitosan (C) to form C&ndash, nZVI&ndash, BC. C&ndash, BC adsorbent showed high hexavalent chromium sorption capacity (82.2 mg/g) at pH 2 and removed 97.34% of 50 mg/L Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. The sorption capacity of chitosan&ndash, nZVI-modified biochar decreased while increasing the solution pH value and ionic strength. The results of a sorption test indicated that multiple mechanisms accounted for Cr(VI) removal by C&ndash, BC, including complexation, precipitation, electrostatic interactions, and reduction. Our study suggests a way of adding value to biomass waste by considering environmental treatment purposes.

Analyses of the structural information of molecular fragments from the mass spectra of the solid-state products and their reaction solutions allow for the understanding of their formation and of their diverse properties. The reaction of CuCl2 and (1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-2-yl)methanol (HL) led only to crystals containing molecular dimers of [Cu2(L)2Cl2] (Cu2). The CuII–CuII distance and Cu–OR–Cu angle in the structure are 3.044 A and 104.8°, respectively. The magnetic susceptibility (3–400 K) is characterized by a very strong intradimer antiferromagnetic interaction of J = −465 and interdimer zj = −0.83 cm−1. But mass spectrometry of a dissolved single crystal in different source energies identifies both its fragmentation and oligomerization to [CuII3] and [CuII4]. DFT calculations give the relative stabilization energies of the fragments observed in ESI-MS to provide a formation process.

Cobalt oxide and porous carbon materials are desirable catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) advanced oxidation reaction in the degradation of organic pollutants. Herein, carbon-coated Co3O4 (Co3O4/C) mounted biochar (BC) composites (Co3O4/C-BC) with a three-dimensional spongy-like network were constructed by driving a dual-precursors of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) and Eichhornia crassipes. Considering the unique structures and compositions, the Co3O4/C-BC composites enhanced the dispersion of Co3O4/C nanoparticles, minimized the Co leaching, mediated the size of Co3O4/C nanoparticles, and enhanced the overall catalytic activity. Co3O4/C-BC effectively activated PMS for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation along with satisfactory reusability in advanced oxidation reaction. Electron paramagnetic resonance and radical quenching tests revealed that the generation and effect of sulfate and hydroxyl radicals in reaction process. This work not only provided a promising catalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants but also expanded BPA degradation pathway and PMS activation mechanism.

Functionalized biochar as a great potential purification material towards removal of contaminants form environment. Herein, Fe2O3/TiO2 functionalized biochar (Fe2O3/TiO2-BC) was fabricated through one-step pyrolysis of Fe2+–Ti4+ laden tea leaves biomass under air environment. The morphology, structure, and chemical state of Fe2O3/TiO2-BC were systematically characterized. Fe2O3/TiO2-BC exhibits higher degradation efficiency for dye pollutants via synergistic effect of sorption and oxidation in the Fenton system. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies reached above 65 %. The degradation mechanisms and pathways of dyes (methylene blue (MB) selected as model), and the effects of the amount of H2O2, catalyst dosage, temperature, and initial pH value on the degradation processes were also studied. The electron spin resonance (ESR) and radicals quenching experimental results confirmed that the dominant radical species was hydroxyl radical. Additionally, Fe2O3/TiO2-BC could be easily regenerated by washing with water/ethanol mixture. Overall, these results indicate that the Fe2O3/TiO2-BC provides great potential for removing dye pollutants from water.

To investigate the differences of fungal network structures and interaction among fungal species of in black soil region of Northeast China, Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to reveal the fungal communities in the three long-term fertilization experimental fields. Fungal molecular ecological networks were constructed based on random matrix theory (RMT). The results demonstrated that Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Zygomycota were the dominant phyla and Hypocreales, Pleosporales and Sordariales were the dominant order, but the relative abundance of some dominant taxa significantly varied in different locations. Fungal molecular ecological network structures in three locations showed significant difference, with more complex fungal network being observed in north location with more competitive relations among species. The fungal network in south location was more easily disturbed by environmental perturbations with less stability. Only seven shared nodes were detected among three fungal molecular ecological networks. There were large differences in connectivity of shared nodes within individual fungal network. The subnetwork of Hypocreales was gradual complex from south to north location while subnetwork of Pleosporales presented reversed trend. The key species of south, middle and north locations were Chaetomiaceae, Pleosporales and Penicillium coralligerum, respectively. Soil pH and total N content were the main soil properties simultaneously influencing three fungal networks.为了解东北黑土南部、中部和北部3个农田土壤真菌网络结构的异同以及物种之间的相互作用关系,本研究采用Illumina MiSeq技术对东北黑土农田3个长期肥料管理定位试验土壤真菌群落进行测序,并基于随机矩阵理论构建真菌分子生态网络.结果表明: 子囊菌、担子菌和接合菌为优势菌门,肉座菌目、腔菌目和粪壳菌目为优势菌目,但不同地区土壤中一些菌门和菌目的相对丰度存在显著差异.3个地区真菌分子生态网络结构显著不同,北部地区真菌网络更加复杂且物种之间存在更多竞争关系,南部地区真菌网络更不稳定,易受外界环境扰动.3个真菌网络仅有7个共有节点,且共有节点在各地区的连通度存在很大差异.通过亚网络的构建发现,从南到北肉座菌目网络趋于复杂,腔菌网络恰好相反.南部、中部和北部地区真菌网络的关键物种分别为毛壳菌、腔菌和青霉菌.土壤pH值和土壤全氮含量是同时影响3个真菌网络的主要土壤理化因子.

Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) was applied to analyze the chemical and structural properties of biochars produced under different temperatures. Results showed that average carbon content (SEM C aver.) and maximum carbon content (SEM C max.) of miscanthus (MS) biochar increased as temperature increasing. There were significant and positive relationships between SEM C max., SEM C aver. and highest treatment temperature (HTT) (r were 0.76 and 0.86). SEM C max., SEM C aver. and dry combustion total carbon content had significant and positive relationships (r were 0.83 and 0.91), SEM C max. which was better than SEM C aver. So the carbon content of MS biochar which had good correlationship with temperature analyzed by SEM-EDX, SEM C max. could be used for composition analysis of biochar, scanning results could analyze structural properties of biochar effectively. This method is rapid, simple and stable. It also could analyze structure and composition of biochar simultaneously. It is a promising method that would be useful to study the structure and composition of biochar and other materials.

The conjugation of bridging bis(diphenylphosphine oxide) alkane or arene ligands was found to control the structural dimensionality and the emission color of complexes from reactions with SmIII(hfac)3(H2O)2 (hfac- = hexafluoroacetylacetonato) while retaining the SmSm distances. Bis(diphenylphosphine oxide)-1,4-butane (L1) affords a one-dimensional (1D) ribbon {Sm(hfac)3(L1)}∞ (1) that emits red color, while bis(diphenyl-phosphinoyl)-1,4-benzene (L2) results in a two-dimensional (2D) network {Sm(hfac)2(CF3COO)(L2)3}∞ (2) and near-white emission, but bis(diphenyl-phosphinoyl)-9,10-anthracene (L3) forms a zero-dimensional (0D) cyclic structure {Sm(hfac)3(L3)}2 (3) with strong ππ interactions that emit green color. Noticeably, the conjugation change is accompanied by a configurational change of coordination from trans for 1 and 2 to cis for 3. The color change is associated with the superposition of ligand and Sm based electronic band energies and their intensities. Such white light emission by a single compound having contributions from different building components is quite rare.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of fluoride (F) on spermatogenesis in male rats. F− at 50 and 100 mg/L was administered for 70 days, after which the testicular and epididymis tissues were collected to observe the histopathological structure under a light microscope. The ultrastructure of the testis and sperm was also examined via transmission electron microscopy. The apoptosis of spermatogenic cells was measured through terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining. The expression of proliferation factors, namely, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki-67, in the testicular and epididymis tissues, were assayed through immunohistochemistry. F− at 50 and 100 mg/L significantly damaged the structure of the testis and epididymis, and the testis and sperm ultrastructure exhibited various changes, including mitochondrial swelling and vacuolization, and apsilated and raised sperm membrane. F treatment significantly increased spermatogenic cell apoptosis in the testis. PCNA (P

The newly synthesized ionic triple salt Ru–Er, {[RuII(bpy)2(dbim)][ErIII(hfac)4][CF3COO]·H2O} (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine; hfac− = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; dbim = 2,2′-dibenzimidazole) exhibits near-infrared (NIR) emission at 1535 nm by intermolecular Ru → Er (d → f) energy transfer across supramolecular interactions when pumped within the Ru(II) 3MLCT band. It is the first such observation for a transition metal–lanthanide ionic pair.

A clear dependence on the ligand has been observed for the magnetic properties of a closely related series of Co(II) cubane structures, viz. [Co4(mbm or bm)4(ROH)4Br4] (1-MeOH, 1-EtOH, 2-MeOH, and 2-EtOH, where 1 = [Co4(mbm)4Br4], 2 = [Co4(bm)4Br4], bm = (1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methanolate. and mbm = 1-Me-bm.) The [Co4(OR)4] cubane core consists of an octahedral CoII center chelated by the alkoxide oxygen and imidazole nitrogen atoms from monoanionic bm or mbm and coordinated by methanol/alcohol and bromine. Interestingly, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) indicates that 1-MeOH and 2-MeOH are unstable in methanol and transformed to the butterfly [Co4L6]2+ but that 1-EtOH and 2-EtOH are stable in ethanol. Their magnetic susceptibilities suggest ferromagnetic coupling between the nearest cobalt centers to give a theoretical S = 4 × 3/2 ground state with considerable magneto-crystalline behavior. The packing and intermolecular interactions appear to influence the geometry of the cubes and ...

Herein, quasi-square planar CuII(Hmbm)Cl2 (CBC, Hmbm = (1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methanol) was arranged in a pseudo orthogonal way to form Cl-bridged chains, and further ππ interactions resulted in distorted hexagonal layers. DFT calculations reveal a bond strength order of Cu-Cl > Cu-O/N ≫ CuCl. ESI-MS data reveal several small fragments from CBC, but oligomeric [Cu], [Cu], and [Cu] for non-zero in-source energies; MS data indicates the occurrence of several chemical processes, viz. splitting of the ligand, oligomerization, and redox reaction of alcohol to aldehyde and CuII to CuI. Gibbs free energies for the fragments were estimated using DFT. The magnetic susceptibility was modeled with the ferromagnetic coupling J(Cu-Cl2aCu) = +0.99(30) cm-1 and J'(ππ) = +0.35(16) cm-1 and g = 2.38(2). HF-EPR determined the anisotropic g-values, gx = 2.24, gy = 2.16, and gz = 2.09, and a hyperfine constant of Az = 450 G. DFT calculations from crystal structure data reveal a J(Cu-Cl2aCu) of +3.6 at 296 K and +4.1 cm-1 at 90 K that dominates the magnetic properties, whereas J'(ππ) = 0.04 cm-1 is negligibly small.

Information of solid-state and solution structures is crucial in the characterization of molecular clusters and in advancing the understanding of their diverse properties. [Et

A wireless power transmission device consists of a transmitting module and a receiving module. Unlike most wireless power transmission researches, this paper based on the research that adopts the 15-volt direct-current power as its auxiliary power, and inversion efficiency is also considered in relation to system transmission efficiency. The research made the best of Control IC SG3525 in inversion situation and avoided the complicated software debugging happened during the process of PWM control. The research has finished the construction and debugging of the hardware circuit and has achieved satisfactory results. The transmitting coil turns and diameter are set the same as those of receiving coil, and the coil in transmitting module are parallel placed with that in receiving module. PWM wave is produced from SG3525 in transmitting module, hence PWM wave frequency could be the same as resonance frequency in transmitting and receiving circuit through adjusting peripheral resistance around SG3525, and the strongest magnetic filed is generated between the coils. Accordingly, the distance of energy transmitting could be increased with improved transmitting efficiency. We collected the data of the hardware under the condition of keeping the frequency fixed but changing the distance and vice versa in order to study the influence of transmitting distance and frequency on transmitting power, receiving power and transmitting efficiency.

The paper illustrates the monitoring system of cable tension of bridge based on ARM. The system, consisting of wireless sensor nodes, the gateway node and ARM-based system, can implement many functions, such as real-time monitoring, data storage and display, historical data query and alarm of exceeding standard. In addition, such a system, verifying simple structure, low power consumption and reliable performance, has broad prospects in the filed of monitoring system of cable stress of bridge.

It plays a very important role for the national economy and social security to gain bridge structure characteristic signal scientifically, to evaluate the bridge health condition and to guarantee long-term safe operation. The bridge health monitoring system is a major technique to settle those problems, which is in charge of working status inspection, health detection and alarm via field data, providing a solid safeguard for well-balanced operation of the bridge as well as the security of people’s life and property. This paper proposes a bridge health monitoring system based on wireless sensor network, which collects information of each mechanical part of the bridge. Sensor nodes form a smart measurement, and control network through self-organization, then transmit to the control center through network, by this way we can achieve real-time automatic remote monitoring on the bridge health.

Pathological myopia is a refractive error that can result in legal blindness and is prevalent in China. A number of genomic loci have been associated with pathological myopia, but only a few have been validated. This study further evaluated the association of polymorphisms in the CTNND2 gene and the 11q24.1 genomic region with pathological myopia. Both regions had previously been implicated in carrying susceptibility genes for this eye disorder. Genotypic and association analyses were performed on 24 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CTNND2 and 11q21.1 genomic regions of 321 subjects with pathological myopia and 310 control subjects with normal vision using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Allele and genotype frequency analyses found that the distribution of variants of the SNP rs1479617 located in the CTNND2 gene significantly differed between the pathological myopia and control groups. Haplotype linkage analysis identified 2 genomic blocks in 11q24.1 that were independently associated with pathological myopia. Specific polymorphisms in the CTNND2 gene and 11q24.1 genomic region were found to be significantly associated with pathological myopia in this Chinese population, further supporting the idea that these genomic regions carry susceptibility loci for this disease.

Black soil (Mollisol) is one of the main soil types in northeastern China. Biolog and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) methods were used to examine the influence of various fertilizer combinations on the structure and function of the bacterial community in a black soil collected from Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Biolog results showed that substrate richness and catabolic diversity of the soil bacterial community were the greatest in the chemical fertilizer and chemical fertilizer+manure treatments. The metabolic ability of the bacterial community in the manure treatment was similar to the control. DGGE fingerprinting indicated similarity in the distribution of most 16S rDNA bands among all treatments, suggesting that microorganisms with those bands were stable and not influenced by fertilization. However, chemical fertilizer increased the diversity of soil bacterial community. Principal component analysis of Biolog and DGGE data revealed that the structure and function of the bacterial community were similar in the control and manure treatments, suggesting that the application of manure increased the soil microbial population, but had no effect on the bacterial community structure. Catabolic function was similar in the chemical fertilizer and chemical fertilizer+manure treatments, but the composition structure of the soil microbes differed between them. The use of chemical fertilizers could result in a decline in the catabolic activity of fast-growing or eutrophic bacteria.

Burns caused by hot coolant from the reservoir of motorfarming tricycles have not been reported previously. We performed retrospective studies of such cases in 126 patients with complete records in rural areas of China. The majority of victims were unmarried (59.5%), young (40 years,20, 55.6%), and male (male to female ratio 9:1). The burn accident occurred mostly during the busy seasons of spring and summer (66.7%). The mechanism of injury was usually the same. The drivers were trapped under the farming tricycle in a traffic accident and then hot coolant leaked from the mouth of the coolant, resulting in long contact with the hot fluid. The burn wounds were located mostly on the areas of the buttocks and lower extremities (especially on the thigh) (64.3%). The generally burned patients had moderate burn areas, about 20-50% total burn surface area (TBSA) of deep partial thickness or full thickness burn wound. For the purpose of decreasing the number of burns presenting, or at least making them less severe, the suggestions include: (1) the design of motorfarming tricycle should be changed; obviously separation of the coolant tank from the seat is the most important factor in reducing such burns. (2) Road conditions should be improved to reduce traffic accidents and loading regulations introduced. (3) Traffic control should be enhanced, especially in rural areas.

This study investigated the association of the 27 SNPs located in RASGRF1. GJD2, and ACTC1 genes with pathological myopia in a Chinese Han population.Myopia patients were stratified according to whether they did (n = 274) or did not (n = 131) have myopic macular degeneration (MMD). The SNPbrowser software was used to identify specific SNPs for analysis and minimal allele frequency of20%, and a pairwise r(2) 0.85 were genotyped using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.Before controlling for false discovery rate, the frequency of the rs1867315 C/C genotype compared with healthy controls was lower in the myopia group (p = 0.006) and in myopia patients without macular degeneration (p = 0.019). The frequency of the rs670957A/A genotype was also lower in patients without MMD compared with controls (p = 0.045). For rs2070664, the frequency of the A allele was higher in the patients with MMD compared to those without MMD (p = 0.032). After controlling for a false discovery rate of 5%, there was no significant difference in genotype and allele frequencies between these groups.In this study, there was no association of the analyzed SNPs located in RASGRF1. GJD2, and ACTC1 with pathological myopia, suggesting that SNPs included in our study have no or a limited role in causing pathologic myopia in this Chinese Han population.

To study the impacts of HIV/HCV co-infection to NK cells by investigating the changes of frequencies and functions of NK cells in HIV/HCV co-infected patients.Frequencies and counts of NK cells were measured in patients with HIV mono-infection, HCV monoinfection, HIV/HCV co-infection and health control (HC) group by flow cytometer (FCM). After stimulated with PMA and K562 cells, PBMCs were examined the proportion of IFN-gamma+ NK cells by FCM. Proportion of killed K562 cells were detected to analyze the killing functions of NK cells.The frequencies of NK cells, the percentages of IFN-gamma+ NK cells as well as the functions of NK cells killing the K562 cells in HIV/HCV co-infection, HIV mono-infection and HCV mono-infection groups were all lower than those of HC group significantly, the absolute counts and killing functions of NK cells in co-infection group were significantly lower than those of HIV or HCV mono-infection group.The counts and functions of NK cells were affected more in HIV/HCV co-infections than those in HIV or HCV mono-infection.

To study the anesthetic effect of brachial plexus block by adding buprenorphine in local anesthetics and patients with intramuscular injection, and observe the anesthesia effects, the anesthesia maintenance time, postoperative analgesia effects.60 cases of upper limb to line, hand surgery patients from Sep. 2009 to Dec. 2009 in Tianjin Hospital were randomly divided into 3 groups. A (local anesthetics without buprenorphine, n = 20); B group (plus 2 µg/kg buprenorphine in local anesthetics, n = 20); C group (intramuscular injection 2 µg/kg buprenorphine before anesthesia, n = 20). With B/BRAMN-STIMMPLEX-DIG nerve stimulator guided positioning of brachial plexus block of axillary line. 3 groups of patients recorded (1) the onset time of narcotic; (2) the duration of anesthesia; (3) the surgery time; (4) the pain score of postoperative 4, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 h; (5) the incidence of nausea and vomiting; (6) observed other side effects.the patients' age, weight, sex, operation time of the 3 groups had no significant difference between the comparison (P0.05); anesthesia onset time between the 3 groups showed no significant difference (P0.05). Duration of anesthesia: A, C group was significantly shorter than the B group (P0.01); pain score at 4 h, A and B, C no significant difference between groups (P0.05); 8, 12, 24 h, when group A was significantly higher than the B, C group (P0.01), 36, 48, 72 h when the A group and B, C no significant difference between groups (P0.05); the incidence of nausea A group 10%, B group 20%, C group 20%. Vomiting, the incidence of A, B group was 0, C group 30%.Buprenorphine adding local anesthetics in brachial plexus block or intramuscular injection buprenorphine before a block can be to achieve a satisfactory effect of postoperative analgesia, buprenorphine adding local anesthetics in brachial plexus block Narcotic maintenance of anesthesia time can be extended and have a significant effect and fewer adverse reactions.

Falls are the most frequently reported adverse events in inpatient settings. We conducted a retrospective case-control study of inpatient falls within aged care wards in a tertiary hospital to investigate the associated characteristics of elderly patients suffering from falls and fall-related characteristics.Consecutive retrospective cross-sectional design spanned July 2006 to December 2008.Information on all aged care inpatients who suffered from 1 or more falls was extracted from Incident Information Management System (IIMS). Further details about the particular admission(s) were obtained from patients' medical records, e.g., patients' characteristics and circumstances surrounding the falls. Randomly selected aged care patients who did not suffer from a fall and who were discharged from the hospital in the same period served control group. Characteristics among patients with single fall and recurrent falls, as well as non-fallers were compared.Of the 438 falls evaluated, 71.9% occurred in patients' room and 18.9% in patients' bathroom/toilet. The common activities were moving/transferring and taking shower/toileting, respectively, 70.3%, 12.1% while occurring falls; and time of falls had a high peak during 9:00-11:00 a.m. Many were unassisted while falling. The common contributing factors for fall were intrinsic factors. Patients with recurrent falls were more likely to have lower Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. Logistic regression analysis showed length of stay longer than five weeks, dementia and stroke were independent risk factors for recurrent falls; and living in hostel/nursing home preadmission, needing assistance with mobility, cognitive impairment, stroke, incontinence and arthritis/osteoporosis were independent risk factors for fall.In an aged care ward, falls are independently associated with recurrent factors. Cognitive impairment/dementia was a strong risk factor for falls, and main causes leading to fall were intrinsic factors. For patients with cognitive impairment/dementia and behavioral disorder providing special and effective interventions is of paramount importance for reducing the incidence of fall in an aged care ward in hospital settings.

The Chinese peasants in the middle of Anhui Province and north of Dabieshan Mountain are accustomed to using industrial alcohol to kindle honeycomb briquettes in their household coal stoves. Pouring alcohol into the stove often results in flame burns when the honeycomb briquettes inside are not completely extinguished. The purpose of this study is to describe the unique cause and clinical characteristics of this type of injury. Methods A retrospective review was performed in the Anhui Medical University Hospital Burn Center during a 10-year period, from January 1998 to December 2007, on the records of patients, who sustained burns by alcohol-based firing in household coal stoves. A total of 180 patients were identified and divided into two groups: children ( 14 years of age). Results Boys and housewives were at greatest risk for this burn. As many as 115 patients (64%) sustained more than 10% burns, and children had a significantly larger full-thickness burn area than that of adults. The upper limbs of children and the lower limbs of adults were the most common areas to be injured. All patients came from Shucheng and its neighbouring counties, all of which are located in the middle of Anhui Province and to the north of Dabieshan Mountain. Summer months and daytime, especially during 16:00–17:59 h and 8:00–11:59 h, were the times of the highest incidence. A total of 80 patients underwent surgical intervention. The mean lengths of stay in hospital of children and adults patients were 21.38 days and 16.96 days, respectively. Two children died of severe shock, leading to a mortality rate of 1.11%. Conclusion Burns caused by alcohol-based fires in household coal stoves is a common thermal injury in the middle of Anhui Province in China with characteristic clinical presentation and calls for preventive educational intervention.