Search

(K0.48Na0.52)NbO3-0.03Bi0.5Na0.5ZrO3 (KNNS-0.03BNZ) ceramics were prepared doped with 3 mol% Bi0.5Na0.5ZrO3 (BNZ), and the effect of sintering temperature on dielectric and piezoelectric properties of KNNS-0.03BNZ was also investigated. KNNS-0.03BNZ ceramics at all sintering temperatures exhibit a single perovskite structure, and the change of sintering temperature has no significant effect on the phase composition of KNNS 0.03BNZ ceramics. The Raman shifts of the ν1 and ν5 vibration modes have irregular changes in all sintering temperature ranges, indicating that there are polycrystalline phases coexisting in this region. With the change of sintering temperature, Tc slightly shifts to the high temperature direction, and TR-T slightly shifts to the high temperature direction, dielectric constant εr continuously increases, while dielectric loss tanδ firstly decreasing and then increasing. Thanks to the presence of a small amount of liquid phase in the ceramics sintered at 1160 °C, piezoelectric coefficient d33 reaches 280 pC/N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present observations of a quasi-periodic fast-propagating (QFP) magnetosonic wave on 23 April 2012, with high-resolution observations taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Three minutes after the start of a C2.0 flare, wave trains were first observed along an open divergent loop system in 171 Å observations at a distance of 150 Mm from the footpoint of the guiding loop system and with a speed of 689 km s −1, then they appeared in 193 Å observations after their interaction with a perpendicular, underlaying loop system on the path; in the meantime; their speed decelerated to 343 km s −1 within a short time. The sudden deceleration of the wave trains and their appearance in 193 Å observations are interpreted through a geometric effect and the density increase of the guiding loop system, respectively. We find that the wave trains have a common period of 80 seconds with the flare. In addition, a few low frequencies are also identified in the QFP wave. We propose that the generation of the period of 80 seconds was caused by the periodic releasing of energy bursts through some nonlinear processes in magnetic reconnection, while the low frequencies were possibly the leakage of pressure-driven oscillations from the photosphere or chromosphere, which could be an important source for driving coronal QFP waves. Our results also indicate that the properties of the guiding magnetic structure, such as the distributions of magnetic field and density as well as geometry, are crucial for modulating the propagation behaviors of QFP waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of temperature (25, 160 and 200 °C) and time (15 and 30 min) of steam treatment on the mechanical and chemical characteristics of moso bamboo were studied. The modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the outer culm were at least 2.4 and 2.2 times respectively greater than those of the inner culm. Temperature and time had no effect on bending properties of the outer and inner culms. A significant decrease in MOR occurred after the specimens were subjected to 200 °C. The per cent MOR reduction after 30 min treatment at 200 °C was more than 33 and 29% respectively, as compared with that of 25 and 160 °C, but steam treatment had no effect on MOE. Of the three major chemical constituents of bamboo, alpha-cellulose was very stable to temperature and time, but lignin content increased slightly when temperature was increased to 200 °C. However, the hemicellulose content decreased substantially as temperature increased. The similar decreases for hemicellulose content and MOR of bamboo suggested that hemicellulose loss in thermally- degraded bamboo was correlated with MOR strength loss. At 200 °C, there were significant decreases in MOR, hemicellulose content and pH, and increases in hot water extractives, ethanol-benzene extractives, 1% NaOH extractives and lignin content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Glycyrrhizae radix has been widely used as a cytoprotective, plant-derived medicine. We have identified a flavanoid, liquiritigenin, as an active component in extracts of Glycyrrhizae radix. This research investigated the effects of liquiritigenin on the induction of inducible NOS (iNOS) and proinflammatory cytokines by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Raw264.7 cells, and on paw oedema in rats.Experimental Approach: iNOS expression was determined by western blotting, real-time reverse transcription-PCR and reporter gene analyses. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6 were assayed by ELISA. Gel shift assay and immunoblotting were used to assess NF-kappaB activation. The effect of liquiritigenin on acute inflammation in vivo was evaluated using carrageenan-induced paw oedema.Key Results: Treatment of Raw264.7 cells with liquiritigenin caused inhibition of LPS-induced NF-kappaB DNA binding activity, due to repression of I-kappaBalpha phosphorylation and degradation. Liquiritigenin treatment prevented LPS from increasing the levels of iNOS protein and mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner. Liquiritigenin also suppressed the production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 from Raw264.7 cells after LPS. In rats, liquiritigenin treatment inhibited formation of paw oedema induced by carrageenan.Conclusion and Implications: These results demonstrate that liquiritigenin exerts anti-inflammatory effects, which results from the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation in macrophages, thereby decreasing production of iNOS and proinflammatory cytokines. Our findings showing inhibition by liquiritigenin of paw oedema as well as inflammatory gene induction will help to understand the pharmacology and mode of action of liquiritigenin, and of the anti-inflammatory use of Glycyrrhizae radix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic features of primary adrenal NK/T cell lymphoma (PANKL). Methods: Six cases of PANKL were collected at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2000 to December 2021. The clinicopathologic features including morphology, immunophenotype, treatment and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed, and relevant literature was reviewed. Results: There were two males and four females. The median age was 63 years (ranged from 57 to 68 years). The tumors involved bilateral adrenal glands in 4 cases and unilateral adrenal gland in 2 cases. The main clinical symptom was low back pain without obvious cause. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is elevated in five cases. The imaging feature was rapidly enlarging mass initially confined to unilateral/bilateral adrenal glands. Morphologically, the lymphoid cells were mainly medium-sized with a diffuse growth pattern. Coagulative necrosis and nuclear fragmentation were common. Angioinvasion was seen. Immunophenotypically, the neoplastic cells were positive for CD3, CD56 and TIA-1 while CD5 was negative in 5 cases. All cases were positive for EBER by in situ hybridization with more than 80% proliferative activity by Ki-67. Four cases received chemotherapy, one case underwent surgery, and one case underwent surgery with chemotherapy. Follow-up was done in 5 cases; one case was lost to follow-up. Three patients died with a median survival of 11.6 months (3-42 months). Conclusions: PANKL is rare with highly aggressive clinical presentation and poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis entails correlation of histomorphology, immunohistochemistry, EBER in situ hybridization and clinical history.

Objective: To investigate the role of DDX3 up-regulation in the proliferation of human cervical cancer cells and its correlation with clinical prognosis. Methods: Expression levels of DDX3 in the 59 specimens of cervical cancer and adjacent non-neoplastic tissue collected at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from April 2012 to March 2013 were detected using immunohistochemistry. A lentivirus-mediated DDX3-over-expression cell line was constructed based on HeLa cells of cervical cancer. CCK-8 assay was used to evaluate cell survival rate. Boyden chamber was used to measure the cell migration and invasion. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect DDX3 expression level and Western blot was used to detect the expression of EMT and PI3K/Akt signal pathway-related proteins. Results: DDX3 overexpression was associated with FIGO stage, depth of cervical invasion and lymph node metastasis ( P <0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that cervical cancer patients with high expression of DDX3 had a poor overall survival ( P <0.05). Compared with the cells transfected with pLVX-Con vector, the expression of DDX3 protein and mRNA was significantly increased in the cells transfected with pLVX-DDX3 (all P <0.01). Cell proliferation was significantly increased following transfection with pLVX-DDX3 for 72 h in HeLa cells compared with that transfected with pLVX-Con ( P <0.05). Compared with the controls, DDX3 overexpression significantly promoted the migration and invasion of HeLa cells ( P <0.05), and increased the expression of N-Cadherin, vimentin and Snail in HeLa cells ( P <0.05). In pLVX-DDX3 group, the expression levels of β-catenin, phosphorylated Akt, and pAkt's downstream target p-GSK3β were significantly higher than those of pLVX-Con group ( P <0.05). The expression levels of p-Akt, p-GSK3β and β-catenin were decreased when the PI3K/Akt pathway was blocked using the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 ( P <0.05), and the expression levels of N-Cadherin, vimentin and Snail were also significantly decreased ( P <0.05). Conclusions: DDX3 overexpression promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells, and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Its mechanism may be related to activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate the histological type and clinicopathological characteristics of the craniocerebral slope tumors with chondromucinous features. Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted to analyze chondromucinous tumors in the slope area diagnosed at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from October 2011 to June 2018. Relevant clinical and pathological data were reviewed, and immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the immunophenotype of the tumors. Results: Eight cases were identified, including 4 males and 4 females with patient age ranging from 20 to 48 years. Histologically, there were 1 case of chordoid meningioma, 1 chondromyxoid fibroma, 1 mucinous chondrosarcoma, 1 Maffucci syndrome, and 4 chondroid chordomas. Conclusion: Chondromucinous tumors of the slope area include chordoma, chordoid meningioma, chondromyxoid fibroma, and myxoid chondrosarcoma and their correct diagnosis is mainly based on the morphological characteristics, immunophenotype and comprehensive analysis of clinical data.

Objective: To study the pathologic features of fallopian tubal epithelium in patients with pelvic high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), to investigate its role in pelvic serous carcinogenesis and to reclassify the primary site of HGSC based on recently proposed criteria. Methods: The fallopian tubes in 58 cases of pelvic HGSC (54 cases of ovarian primary, 3 cases of tubal primary, 1 case of peritoneum) and 25 cases of pelvic non-HGSC (5 cases of ovarian low-grade serous cancer, 9 cases of endometrioid cancer, and 11 cases of clear cell ovary carcinoma) were collected from June 2015 to December 2016, and serially examined under light microscope (SEE-FIM protocol). Immunostaining for p53 and Ki-67 was performed to evaluate the presence of p53 signature, serous tubal intraepithelial lesion (STIL), serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) and invasive carcinoma in these fallopian tubes. Meanwhile, primary site of HGSC based on the recently proposed diagnostic criteria were also reclassified. Results: Among the study group, the frequencies of p53 signature, STIL, STIC and invasive HGSC were 27.6% (16/58), 43.1% (25/58), 36.2% (21/58) and 67.2% (39/58), respectively, while in control group, the proportions were 24.0% (6/25), 0, 0 and 8.0% (2/25), respectively. The continuum of epithelial changes in the process of serous neoplasia including p53 signature, STIL, STIC and invasive carcinoma was identified in 8 cases of pelvic HGSC. The proportions of STIL, STIC and invasive carcinomas in HGSC group were higher than that in non-HGSC group ( P <0.01). About 80.0% (20/25) of STIL and 85.7% (18/21) of STIC were present unilaterally. Diagnostically, the study group contained the 17 cases of ovarian HGSC, 40 cases of tubal HGSC, and 1 case of peritoneal HGSC after reclassification of the cancer primary. Conclusions: Continuous changes of tubal epithelium including p53 signature, STIL, STIC and invasive carcinomas are identified in patients with HGSC, supporting the current understanding that the fallopian tube is likely the cellular source of the majority HGSC. STIL and STIC may be specific to pelvic HGSC and may act as a target for future research on the early detection and prevention of this disease. The newly proposed diagnostic criteria for pelvic HGSC will lead us to more accurate classification of cancer primary sites. Correct classification of HGSC may have potential impacts for cancer prevention and improve our understanding of ovarian serous carcinogenesis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of valproic acid (VPA) on autophagy in multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines RPMI8226 and U266., Methods: The method of dye acridine orange (AO) was used for observing morphological changes of autophagy under fluorescence microscope; The cell proliferation inhibition was measured by MTT assay; Cells apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry; Autophagy-related factors LC3, Beclin1 expressions changes were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (Real-time PCR) and western blot assay., Results: AO stainings as dispersively brownish red vesicles were observed both in the control and chloroquine groups, while a lot of brownish red acidic vesicles in clusters were seen in rapamycin and VPA groups. The growths of RPMI8226 and U266 cells were suppressed by VPA treatment in a dose-and time-dependent manner, after treatment with VPA for 24 h, the IC50 were (12.03 ± 0.23) mmol/L for RPMI8226 cells and (10.16 ± 0.37) mmol/L for U266 cells respectively; Poptotie cells of RPMI8226 and U266 increased in a time-dependent manner after exposure to VPA. Real-time PCR and Western blot results of RPMI8226 and U266 cells showed that gradually increased LC3, Beclin1 mRNA and protein expressions with LC3 Ⅰ to LC3 Ⅱ conversion rate after increasing the concentration of VPA and prolonging duration of action of VPA., Conclusions: The results reveal disclosed the basal level of autophagy in MM cells, VPA as a autophagy activator may be one of its actions on the treatment of MM.

Bing de ling is a Chinese herbal formula most commonly used in complementary medical settings against viral disorders. We have found that bing de ling potentiates upregulation of immune activity when administered to mice in dosages proportional to those used clinically. These mice demonstrated significant elevation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in splenocytes and enhancement of macrophage, natural killer cell, and lymphokine-activated killer cell cytotoxicity. These data are consistent with bing de ling's clinically observed efficacy against viruses and identify the formula as a promising candidate for clinical trials against diverse diseases that may respond to increased immunologic activity.

This article reports epidemiologic investigations on the occurrence of brucellosis in a rabbitry family in Laoting County, Hebei Province. Three persons of this family were all examined. The results of examinations by serology, bacteriology, clinical observations, and epidemiological history showed that: Two of the three cases were suffering from Brucellosis. Domestic animals in this house and the domestic animals and feeders in the neighborhood were investigated by serology and bacteriology. The results demonstrated that the source of infection was the dog fed by the family and infected by Brucella sheep biotype.

Enteric infectious disease (EID), defined here as bacillary dysentery, viral hepatitis A, El Tor cholera, or acute watery diarrhoea, is an important public health problem in most developing countries. This study assessed the impact on EID of providing deep-well tap water (DWTW) through household taps in rural China. For this purpose, we compared the incidence of EID in six study villages (population, 10,290) in Qidong County that had DWTW with that in six control villages (population 9397) that had only surface water. Both the bacterial counts and chemical properties of the DWTW met established hygiene standards for drinking water. The incidence of EID in the study region was 38.6% lower than in the control region; however, the introduction of DWTW supplies did not significantly affect the incidence of bacillary dysentery. These results indicate that the construction and use of DWTW systems with household taps is associated with decreased incidences of El Tor cholera, viral hepatitis A, and acute watery diarrhoea. Since high construction costs have led many authorities to question the value of DWTW, we carried out a cost-benefit analysis of the programme. The cost of constructing a DWTW system averaged US $36,000 at 1983 prices, or US $10.50 per capita. The combined capital and operating costs of a DWTW system were US $1.46 per capita per annum over its 20-year estimated life. The benefits derived from reductions in cost of illness and savings in time to fetch water were 2.2 times the costs at present values Capital outlays were recouped in a 3.6-year payback period and the provision of DWTW proved highly beneficial in both economic and social terms.