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Liver disease is one of the major problems affecting human health. Ultrasound plays an important role in diagnosis and treatment of diffuse and focal liver diseases. However, conventional ultrasound evaluation is subjective and provides limited information. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology may supplement the disadvantages of conventional ultrasound and has been widely used in the field of ultrasound in liver diseases. To date, remarkable progress has been achieved for the use of AI technology in the diagnosis, assessment of therapeutic efficacy and prognosis prediction of liver diseases. This paper reviews the research progress of ultrasound image-based AI technology in the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse and focal liver diseases.

We examine a Kerr phase gate in a semiconductor quantum well structure based on the tunnelling interference effect. We show that there exist a specific signal field detuning, at which the absorption/amplification of the probe field will be eliminated with the increase of the tunnelling interference. Simultaneously, the probe field will acquire a -\pi phase shift at the exit of the medium. We demonstrate with numerical simulations that a complete 180^\circ phase rotation for the probe field at the exit of the medium is achieved, which may result in many applications in information science and telecommunication.

患者男，61岁，因“复发性喉癌再次手术及放疗后2年，颈部肿痛、异味2个月”就诊于重庆市人民医院耳鼻咽喉头颈外科，查体：造瘘口周围有大量坏死组织，造瘘口周有较多的脓性分泌物，奇臭。颈部磁共振（MR）检查示：颈部软组织肿胀。入院诊断为复发性喉癌放射性软组织坏死。传统治疗效果不理想，最终采用抗生素骨水泥控制炎性反应的综合治疗，患者治愈出院。.

To investigate the distribution characteristics ofFrom 2015 to 2019, a total of 19 national schistosomiasis surveillance sites were assigned in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, including 4 fixed sites and 15 mobile sites. Snail survey was performed by means of systematic sampling in combination with environmental sampling, and the infection ofFrom 2015 to 2019, snail habitats were detected at areas of 17 040 to 39 527 mThere are still risk factors leading to re-emergent transmission of schistosomiasis in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, such as local snail spread, and the monitoring of schistosomiasis remains to be reinforced to further consolidate the achievements of schistosomiasis elimination in the region.

Organophosphate ester (OPEs) has been widely used as a substitute of brominated biphenyl ethers and other brominated flame retardant (BFRs), and their health effects and environmental impacts are widely concerned. This article systematically reviews the common types, metabolites, environmental occurrences, exposure pathways, levels, toxic effects and biomarkers of OPEs, in order to explore the relationships between OPEs exposures and biomarkers, to reveal the potential mechanisms of health effects, and to provide references and scientific basis for the health effects of OPEs exposure in China.有机磷酸酯（OPEs）作为多溴联苯醚等传统溴代阻燃剂（BFRs）的替代品在全球范围内广泛应用，由此带来的环境影响和人群健康效应广受关注。本文对OPEs的常见种类及其代谢产物、环境赋存、人群暴露途径及水平、毒性效应和生物标志物的研究进行系统综述，以期为探索人群OPEs的暴露与生物标志物之间的关系，初步揭示暴露导致健康效应的潜在机制，为研究我国OPEs暴露对人群的健康影响提供参考和科学依据。.

To evaluate the impacts of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) on diabetic retinopathy (DR) in rats and the underlying mechanism.A total of 60 adult male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the Sham group (n=20), DR group (n=20) and DR + lncRNA ANRIL knockdown group [DR + lncRNA ANRIL small interfering RNA (siRNA) group, n=20]. DR model in rats was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ; 60 mg/kg). Meanwhile, a certain dose of lncRNA ANRIL siRNA was added dropwise into rat eyes of DR + lncRNA ANRIL siRNA group during model induction to downregulate lncRNA ANRIL expression in the retina. 16 weeks later, rat retinal tissues were taken to extract total RNA and protein. Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to detect the expression levels of lncRNA ANRIL, interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in each group of the rat retina. Pathological structure of rat retinal tissues in each group was observed via hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Immunohistochemistry was adopted to measure the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and P65 in each group of retinal tissues. In addition, the retinal vascular permeability in each group of rats was detected by fluorescent staining. Finally, Western blotting was utilized to determine the expressions of genes in the P65 signaling pathway.Compared with rats in the Sham group, lncRNA ANRIL was upregulated in rat retinal tissues harvested from the DR + lncRNA ANRIL siRNA group (p0.05). After knockdown of lncRNA ANRIL in the retinal tissues of DR rats, pathologic damage was alleviated notably, and the levels of inflammatory markers (IL-1, IL-10 and MCP-1) were lowered markedly (p0.05). The protein expressions of Bax and P65 decreased evidently, while the protein level of Bcl-2 increased markedly (p0.05) in DR rats with ANRIL knockdown. Furthermore, Western blotting results revealed that inhibition of lncRNA ANRIL could prominently repress the phosphorylation level of P65 in the retinal tissues of DR rats (p0.05).LncRNA ANRIL knockdown can significantly ameliorate the retinopathy in diabetic rats by blocking the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway.

To investigate the regulatory effect of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA)-metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) on the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK) signaling pathway, and to explore its influence on neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral infarction.A total of 45 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group (n=15), model group (n=15) and MALAT1 low-expression group (n=15). The model of cerebral infarction was successfully established in the model group and MALAT1 low-expression group via middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). After 3 d, the nerve injury in each group was evaluated using Zea-Longa score. Meanwhile, the area of cerebral infarction in each group was detected via 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. After the cortical tissues were separated, the expression level of lncRNA-MALAT1 was detected via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). The apoptotic level of neurons in each group was detected via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. The expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Furthermore, the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and ERK/MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins were detected via Western blotting.Compared with the sham group, the behavioral score and area of cerebral infarction in the model group were significantly increased (p0.01). The low expression of MALAT1 could effectively reduce the behavioral score and area of cerebral infarction in the model group (p0.01). The expression level of lncRNA-MALAT1 in cortical tissues of the model group was markedly higher than that of the sham group and MALAT1 low-expression group (p0.01). Compared with the sham group, the content of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cortical tissues was significantly increased (p0.01). However, the content of IL-10 was remarkably decreased in the model group (p0.01). Low expressed MALAT1 could markedly reduce the content of TNF-α and IL-6 and increase the content of IL-10 in cortical tissues (p0.01). The level of apoptosis in cortical tissues was increased in the model group when compared with that of the sham group (p0.01). Meanwhile, low expression of MALAT1 could effectively reduce the apoptosis level in cortical tissues in model group (p0.01). In the model group, the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2/Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bcl-2/Bax), p-ERK and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in cortical tissues were significantly declined than the sham group (p0.01). However, the protein expression level of cleaved caspase-3 was markedly increased (p0.01). Furthermore, the low expression of MALAT1 could remarkably increase the expressions of Bcl-2/Bax, p-ERK and MMP-2 (p0.01), as well as decrease the expression of cleaved caspase-3 (p0.01).LncRNA-MALAT1 may increase the release of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, thereby up-regulating the level of neuronal apoptosis and aggravating the cerebral injury in rats with cerebral infarction.

To investigate the relationship between the interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene polymorphism and the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR).According to the fundus examination report, 420 patients with diabetes were divided into the non-DR group (n=200) and the DR group (n=220). The single nucleotide polymorphisms rs1145612 and rs11567245 in the promoter region of the IL-10 gene were classified by the conformational differential gel electrophoresis.No correlation was found between the polymorphism rs1145612 and the clinical information of DR patients. The polymorphism rs11567245 had correlations with multiple clinical indicators of DR patients, including body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2hBG) (p0.05).The IL-10 gene promoter rs1145612 is not related to the occurrence and development of DR, but a relationship exists between the polymorphism rs11567245 and the occurrence and development of DR.

The plasma pharmacokinetics and mammary excretion of eprinomectin were determined in dairy yaks following topical administration at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg. The kinetics of plasma and milk concentrations were analyzed using a noncompartmental model. Plasma and milk concentrations of eprinomectin increased to reach maximal concentrations of 5.45 ± 2.84 and 2.29 ± 0.90 ng/mL at a Tmax of 1.79 ± 0.57 and 2.00 ± 0.82 days, respectively. The concentration of eprinomectin in plasma was remained >0.5 ng/mL for more than 30 days after administration. The mean residence times of eprinomectin in plasma and milk were 14.73 ± 6.22 and 9.37 ± 2.81 days, respectively. The AUC value in plasma (55.89 ± 18.16 ng day/mL) was threefold greater than that in milk (18.02 ± 6.48 ng day/mL). The AUC milk/plasma ratio was 0.33 ± 0.08. The systemic availability of eprinomectin in yaks was lower than that observed value in other domestic bovines. The low level of eprinomectin excretion in milk suggests that eprinomectin can be used in yaks with zero milk-withdrawal time. The efficacy of eprinomectin against naturally acquired larvae of Hypoderma spp. was also determined in yaks. Topically administrated eprinomectin at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg was 100% efficacious against larvae of Hypoderma bovis, H. lineatum, and H. sinense.

In this artical, we consider a second-order neutral dynamic equation on a time scales. A number of oscillation theorems are shown that supplement and extend some known results in the eassay.

Synopsis At the main cooler storage ring (CSRm) of IMP, Lanzhou, we have measured merged-beams rate coefficients for dielectronic recombination (DR) of F-like Ni in the energy range 0-160 eV which comprises all DR resonances associated with ΔN = 0 core excitations. We compare our results with calculations by the flexible atomic code (FAC). Good agreement is found between calculated and measured resonance parameters except for the low-energy 2s 2p6 (2S1/2)61 resonances. In addition, we have also derived plasma rate-coefficients from our data for applications in astrophysics.

With the development of biotechnology and injection technology, cell micro flow syringes have been widely used in many fields. In the meanwhile, the requirements of experimental equipment and experimental method are becoming higher and higher. In this paper, the author study on the theory and experiment of the first direct and secondary converse piezoelectric effects of piezoelectric ceramics by using the piezoelectric characteristics which can realize the integration of sensors and actuators. And the author design a self-sensing micro injection device which has the functions of localization, injection output and self-perception. The control precision and operation have been effectively improved by means of analyzing the relationship between the output and the input.

We demonstrate theoretically that terahertz (THz) fundamental band-gap between the electron mini-band in the InAs layer and the heavy-hole mini-band in the GaSb layer can be realized in InAs/GaSb -based type II superlattices (SLs). The THz band-gap can be tuned by varying the widths of the InAs/GaSb layers. The presence of such band-gap can result in a strong cut-off on optical absorption at THz frequencies. For typical sample structures, the THz cut-off of the optical absorption depends sensitively on temperature and a sharper cut-off can be observed at relatively high temperatures. This study is pertinent to the application of InAs/GaSb type II SLs as THz photodetectors.

The design and analysis of large antenna arrays bring great challenges for conventional numerical methods in computational electromagnetics. An efficient dual-primal finite element tearing and interconnecting (FETI-DP) method is proposed to deal with these challenges. It significantly improves the analysis efficiency by exploiting the geometrical repetitiveness of antenna arrays, and adopts a high order transmission condition to speedup the iterative convergence. A hierarchical (ℌ-) matrix algorithm based on the nested dissection technique is introduced to futher reduce the computational costs of the FETI-DP. Numerical experiments will demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

W/Cu flat-type plasma facing components (PFCs) were widely used in divertor of fusion device because of its advantages, such as low cost, light in weight and good machinability. However, it is very difficult to manufacture them due to the large mismatch between the thermo-mechanical properties of W and Cu. Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) has successfully developed W/Cu flat-type PFCs for EAST W/Cu divertor project by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology. This paper presents the development and application of W/Cu flat-type PFCs at ASIPP. The optimized manufacturing process is to cast pure copper onto the rear side of W tiles at temperature of 1200 °C firstly, and then to HIP the W/Cu tiles onto CuCrZr heat sink at temperature of 600 °C, pressure of 150 MPa and duration of 3 h. W/Cu flat-type testing mock-up for EAST survived 1000 cycles at heat load of 5 MW m−2 in high heat flux tests. And then ASIPP prepared two mock-ups for CEA's tungsten environment in steady-state tokamak (WEST) project. One mock-up withstood successfully 302 cycles of 20 MW m−2, which are far beyond the design requirement. Since 2014, W/Cu flat-type PFCs were wildly used in EAST upper divertor as baffle and dome components which showed excellent performance in 2015 and 2016 campaigns. Given the success in EAST upper divertor, W/Cu flat-type concept is as well applied in the design of actively cooled Langmuir probes which will be mounted onto EAST divertor targets soon.

The first EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) plasma ignited in 2006 with non-actively cooled steel plates as the plasma-facing materials and components (PFMCs) which were then upgraded into full graphite tiles bolted onto water-cooled copper heat sinks in 2008. The first wall was changed further into molybdenum alloy in 2012, while keeping the graphite for both the upper and lower divertors. With the rapid increase in heating and current driving power in EAST, the W/Cu divertor project was launched around the end of 2012, aiming at achieving actively cooled full W/Cu-PFCs for the upper divertor, with heat removal capability up to 10 MW m−2. The W/Cu upper divertor was finished in the spring of 2014, consisting of 80 cassette bodies toroidally assembled. Commissioning of the EAST upper W/Cu divertor in 2014 was unsatisfactory and then several practical measures were implemented to improve the design, welding quality and reliability, which helped us achieve successful commissioning in the 2015 Spring Campaign. In collaboration with the IO and CEA teams, we have demonstrated our technological capability to remove heat loads of 5000 cycles at 10 MW m−2 and 1000 cycles at 20 MW m−2 for the small scale monoblock mockups, and surprisingly over 300 cycles at 20 MW m−2 for the flat-tile ones. The experience and lessons we learned from batch production and commissioning are undoubtedly valuable for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) engineering validation and tungsten-related plasma physics.

We present a theoretical study on optical properties of short-period InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices (SLs) which can serve for mid-infrared (MIR) detection. The miniband structure of such SLs is calculated using the Kronig-Penney model. On the basis of the energy-balance equation derived from the Boltzmann equation we calculate the optical absorption coefficient. The obtained results agree with recent experimental findings. Moreover, the dependence of the MIR absorption in InAs/GaSb type-II SLs on temperature and well-widths are examined.

We demonstrate theoretically that it is possible to realize terahertz (THz) fundamental band-gap in InAs/GaSb type-II superlattices (SLs). The presence of such band-gap can result in a strong cut-off of optical absorption at THz bandwidth. This study is pertinent to the application of InAs/GaSb type-II SLs as THz photodetectors.

By using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, an inwardly rectifying potassium current, which resembled the "classic" inward-rectifying potassium current (IKIR) of other cells in terms of electrophysiological and pharmacological properties, was identified in db-cAMP-differentiated NG108-15 cells. First, the current was dependent on voltage and time. It could be elicited by applying an initial depolarizing prepulse and a subsequent hyperpolarizing command pulse to the cell. The amplitude of the current depended on both the prepulse and the command pulse and increased with the hyperpolarization of the command pulse as well as the depolarization and the prolongation of the prepulse. The activation and inactivation of the current could be fitted well by single-exponential functions and increased with the hyperpolarization of the membrane. Second, the current was dependent on the extracellular potassium concentration ([K+]o). Elevation of [K+]o resulted in a marked increase in the current amplitude and a positive shift of the peak-current/voltage curve as well as the reversal potential. A tenfold increase of [K+]o introduced an approximately 43-mV shift of the reversal potential, indicating that the current was carried mainly by K+. The conductance (g/gMax) of the current was also dependent on the [K+]o and increased with increases in [K+]o in a manner approximately proportional to the square-root of [K+]o. Finally, the current was sensitive to Cs+ (1 mmol/l), Ba2+ (1 mmol/l) and quinidine (0.2 mmol/l); whereas, two typical potassium channel inhibitors, tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), were weak blockers and reduced the current at high concentration (>10 mmol/l). It was also observed that the current was depressed by Cd2+ (1 mmol/l) and Co2+ (1 mmol/l) and increased by perfusing the cell with Ca2+-free solution. Thus, except for the sensitivity to Cd2+, Co2+ and Ca2+, the current displayed most of the hallmarks described for the "classic" IKIR. In conclusion, there appears to be a voltage-dependent IKIR-type inward rectifier in db-cAMP-differentiated NG108-15 cells.

A debate on whether the Wenchuan Mw7.9 earthquake is triggered by the nearby Zipingpu reservoir has drawn the attention of both the scientific community and the general public. High performance computation provides a powerful new tool to quantitatively evaluate stresses produced by the weight of impoundment of reservoirs and the changes of pore pressure due to water diffusion along faults to the hypocenter. We calculated Coulomb stress changes of a number of reservoirs: including the hotly debated Zipingpu reservoir, the well known reservoir earthquake of Xinfengjiang in 1962, and the reservoir earthquake of Aswan in 1981. We have reached several main conclusions: Elastic energy increase due to the weight of impounded water is usually very small in comparison with seismic wave energy released by earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater, these reservoir earthquakes are improper to be called man-made, but they are human activity triggered. Geological background and tectonic stresses control the occurrence of such large reservoir earthquakes. Stresses due to weight of impoundment may promote or prevent the occurrence of reservoir earthquakes determined by the location and nature of the earthquake fault. Pore pressure increase due to water penetration along permissive fault, however, always increases the risk of reservoir earthquakes. There seems no definite threshold value of Coulomb stress to trigger earthquake, it may varies from several kPa to 0.1MPa, depending on the magnitude of tectonic stresses and strength of the fault. The occurrence time of reservoir earthquakes after impoundment also varies from months to years depending on the permeability and stress of the fault zone. Geological surveys and numerical simulations may improve risk estimates before reservoir construction.

In this study, a wastewater heat pump system was proposed and its thermal performance was analyzed. The proposed system includes two evaporators: an air-source evaporator and a water-source evaporator. The air-source evaporator absorbs heat from the moist hot air which exhaust from the drying oven. The water-source evaporator absorbs heat from the waste water, while the waste water recovers heat from the mechanical energy, which was produced by cutting and polishing in stone production. The thermodynamic model was developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. The energetic analysis was carried out to investigate the influences of the temperature of fresh air. The results show significantly higher energy efficiency, compact-sized and energy-saving compared with the system which uses air as the heat source. Among the seven of alternative refrigerants (R152a, R123, R1234yf, R1234ze, R600a, R22 and R600) investigated, R123 was suggested to be used in this heat pump for its high heating efficiency, inflammable, very low ODP(Ozone Depletion Potential) and GWP(Global warming potential).

We present an investigation on the electronic structure and ferromagnetism for the hypothetical zinc blende (ZB) CaSi and CaGe by using first-principles full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) calculations. It is found that ZB CaSi and CaGe are half-metallic (HM) ferromagnets without any transition-metal component; they have a magnetic moment of 2.000 µ(B) per formula unit. Analysis of the density of states and magnetic moment indicates that their magnetism mainly originates from the spin polarization of anion p states and the hybridization between the anion p states and the Ca d states. We also find that the half-metallicity can be maintained even when the lattice constant of ZB CaSi and CaGe is compressed up to 8% and 5%, respectively. The absence of the transition-metal atoms makes ZB CaSi and CaGe attractive not only as materials for possible spintronics devices but also as model objects for the study of new mechanisms of the formation of half-metallic ferromagnetism in s-p electron systems.

Among the helminths infecting ruminants in China are three taxa belonging to the genus Fasciola: F. hepatica, F. gigantica and the so-called 'intermediate form' that appears to lie between these two species. Based on the sequences of the second internal-transcribed spacers (ITS-2) within the parasites' nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA), a pair of primers (DSJf/DSJ3) specific for F. hepatica and a pair (DSJf/DSJ4) specific for F. gigantica were designed and used to develop PCR-based assays. These assays allowed the identification and differentiation of F. hepatica, F. gigantica and the 'intermediate' Fasciola, with no amplicons produced from heterologous DNA samples. The results of sequencing confirmed the species-specific identity of the amplified products. The assays showed good sensitivity, giving positive results with as little as 0.11 ng of F. hepatica DNA and 0.35 ng of F. gigantica DNA. This meant that the DNA from a single Fasciola egg or a single infected snail was sufficient for identification of the Fasciola taxon. The developed PCR assays could provide useful tools for the detection, identification and epidemiological investigation of Fasciola infection in humans, other mammals and snails.

We have demonstrated a dual-band quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) exhibiting simultaneous photoresponse both in the mid and the long wavelength atmospheric windows of 3-5 μm and of 8-12 μm, but the device only has two ohmic contacts. The structure of the device was achieved by sequentially growing a mid wavelength part (MWQWIP) followed by a long wavelength part (LWQWIP) separated by an n+ layer. Comparing with the conventional dual-band QWIP device utilizing three ohmic contacts, our QWIP is promising to greatly facilitate the two-color focal plane array (FPA) fabrication by reducing the number of the indium bump per pixel from three to one just like a monochromatic FPA fabrication; another advantage may be that this QWIP FAP boasts two-color detection capability while only using a monochromatic readout integrated circuit.

After commissioning in 2005, the EAST superconducting tokamak had been operated with its water cooled divertors for eight campaigns up to 2012, employing graphite as plasma facing material. With increase in heating power over 20 MW in recent years, the heat flux going to the divertors rises rapidly over 10 MW m−2 for steady state operation. To accommodate the rapid increasing heat load in EAST, the bolting graphite tile divertor must be upgraded. An ITER-like tungsten (W) divertor has been designed and developed; and firstly used for the upper divertor of EAST. The EAST upper W divertor is modular structure with 80 modules in total. Eighty sets of W/Cu plasma-facing components (PFC) with each set consisting of an outer vertical target (OVT), an inner vertical target (IVT) and a DOME, are attached to 80 stainless steel cassette bodies (CB) by pins. The monoblock W/Cu-PFCs have been developed for the strike points of both OVT and IVT, and the flat type W/Cu-PFCs for the DOME and the baffle parts of both OVT and IVT, employing so-called hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology for tungsten to CuCrZr heat sink bonding, and electron beam welding for CuCrZr to CuCrZr and CuCrZr to other material bonding. Both monoblock and flat type PFC mockups passed high heat flux (HHF) testing by means of electron beam facilities. The 80 divertor modules were installed in EAST in 2014 and results of the first commissioning are presented in this paper.

The radiative electron capture into highly charged lithium-like U89+ ions is studied in the framework of the density matrix, based on Dirac's equation. Emphasis is placed on the population of 1s22s2p3/2 J=1,2 excited states, as well as the angular distribution and polarization of subsequent characteristic photon emissions (included E1 and M2 transition).

Ionic fluxes are thought to be important for sperm physiology. In recent years, using artificial membrane reconstitution and voltage clamp technique, different populations of ion channels, including K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Cl- channel, in mammalian and human sperm membrane were investigated. These studies shed lights to the understanding of some ionic basis underlying some mechanisms of sperm maturation, capacitation and gamete interaction. The results on human sperm ion channels also give us a chance to take it into clinic utility.

The purpose of the present study was to detect changes in the activity of large-conductance Ca(2+)activated K(+) channel (BK(Ca)) during hemorrhagic shock (HS) in mesenteric arterial vascular smooth muscle cells using inside-out patches. The HS rat model was produced with withdrawing blood from the femoral artery. The results showed that the BK(Ca) activity was inhibited with decreased open probability (P(o)) and single-channel conductance. The decrease of P(o) resulted from an increase of the close time constant (tau(cs)) in the compensatory stage of HS, i.e.the term of hyperresponse of the muscle to norepinephrine (NE) (HS lasted for about 40 min). During the decompensation stage of HS, i.e. the period of hyporesponse to NE (HS developed for 3 h), the BK(Ca) activity was enhanced with the increase in single-channel conductance and P(o) which was a result of a decrease in tau(cs).