Microwave-field sensing via electromagnetically induced absorption of Rb irradiated by three-color infrared lasers

A microwave electric field sensing has been set up based on a three-color electromagnetically induced absorption in rubidium vapor cell via cascading transitions. All transitions are irradiated by infrared lasers: a 780 nm laser servers as probe to monitor the optical transmittancy via transition 5S_1/2→P_3/2;, a 776 nm laser and a 1260 nm laser are used to couple the states 5P_3/2 and 5D_5/2 and states 5D_5/2 and 44F_7/2, respectively. We find that a frequency detuning ∼2π × ( - 40) MHz of the 776 nm dressing beam prefers to a better signal-to-noise ratio for the probe beam. The off-resonance greatly depresses the double resonance pumping effect. A demonstration measurement for the electric field of microwave 1.18988 GHz, corresponding to the coupling resonance between two adjacent Rydberg states 44F_7/2 and 44F_9/2, gives a sensitivity of 55.79(23)nVcm^-1/Hz and a smallest discernible electric field of 78.9(33) nVcm^-1 in time scale of 500 ms.

Relationship between polyamines conjugated to mitochondrion membrane and mitochondrion conformation from developing wheat embryos under drought stress

The mitochondrion conformation and the contents of conjugated polyamines were investigated using the embryos of developing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains of two cultivars differing in drought tolerance as experiment materials. After drought stress treatment for 7 days, the relative water content of embryo and relative increase rate of embryo dry weight of the drought-sensitive Yangmai No. 9 cv. decreased more significantly than those of the drought-tolerant Yumai No. 18 cv. Furthermore, the changes in mitochondrion conformation of Yangmai No. 9 were more marked. Meanwhile, the increases of the contents of conjugated non-covalently spermidine (CNC-Spd) and conjugated covalently putrescine (CC-Put) of Yumai No. 18 were more obvious than those of Yangmai No. 9. Treatment with exogenous Spd not only alleviated the injury of drought stress to Yangmai No. 9, but also enhanced the increase of CNC-Spd content and inhibited the change in the mitochondrion conformation of this cultivar. The treatments of Yumai No. 18 with two inhibitors, methylglyoxyl-bis (guanylhydrazone) and phenanthrolin, significantly inhibited the drought stress-induced increases of CNC-Spd and CC-Put contents of the cultivar, respectively. Meanwhile, the treatments with the two inhibitors aggravated the injury of drought stress to Yumai No. 18 and enhanced the change in the mitochondrion conformation of this cultivar. These results mentioned above suggested that the CNC-Spd and CC-Put in embryo mitochondrion membrane isolated from developing grains could enhance the wheat tolerance to drought stress by maintaining the mitochondrion conformation.

MiR-30a-3p promotes ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats via targeting SFRP1

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of miR-30a-3p on osteoporosis in rats after ovariectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ovariectomized (OVX) rat model was established to mimic postmenopausal osteoporosis. The primary bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) isolated from female rats were transfected with mimic or inhibitor. Real Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to examine the expressions of miR-30a-3p and osteoporosis-related proteins. The bone mineral density (BMD) was detected via micro-Computed Tomography (CT) and the bone histomorphometry was performed. Luciferase assay was also performed to confirm whether SFRP1 is a target of miR-30a-3p.

RESULTS

According to micro CT, BMD significantly declined in OVX group. MiR-30a-3p and SFRP1 were negatively correlated after ovariectomy. SFRP1 was acknowledged as a target of miR-30a-3p. Besides, the miR-30a-3p inhibitor promoted osteogenic differentiation in vitro and bone formation in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-30a-3p inhibitor promotes bone formation through decreasing SFRP1 expression and miR-30a-3p may be a potential novel molecular target in the treatment of osteoporosis.

MiR-203 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by targeting SOCS3

OBJECTIVE

Cytokine signal transduction inhibitor 3 (SOCS3) negatively regulates Janus kinases (JAK) - signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a targeted relationship between miR-203 and SOCS3 mRNA. This study investigated the role of miR-203 in ovarian cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Ovarian cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected to detect the expression of miR-203 and SOCS3. Ovarian cancer HO8910 cells were divided into miR-NC group, miR-203 inhibitor group, and miR-203 mimic group followed by the analysis of the expression of miR-203 and SOCS3 mRNA by quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), protein expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 by Western blot, cell apoptosis by flow cytometry, and proliferation by 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining chronologically.

RESULTS

Compared with adjacent tissues, miR-203 expression was significantly increased in tumor tissues and SCOS3 mRNA expression was decreased. Compared with those with lower miR-203 expression, the prognosis of patients with higher expression of miR-203 was significantly worse. There was a targeted regulatory relationship between miR-203 and SOCS3 mRNA. Compared with IOSE80 cells, miR-203 expression in HO8910 and SKOV3 cells was increased, and its expressions of SOCS3 mRNA and protein were decreased. Compared with miR-NC group, the transfection of miR-203 inhibitor significantly increased SOCS3 expression, and decreased the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 protein. We draw the conclusion that miR-203 increased cell apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation. However, opposite results were observed after the transfection of miR-203 mimic.

CONCLUSIONS

Abnormal miR-203 and SOCS3 expression are related to the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. MiR-203 affects the proliferation of JAK-STAT pathway and regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by targeting the inhibition of SOCS3 expression.

Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing KLF6

OBJECTIVE

Recently, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor progression has caught attention in numerous researchers. In our investigation, lncRNA PCAT-1 was studied to identify how it functioned in the progression of ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LncRNA PCAT-1 expression was detected by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in both ovarian cancer cells and tissue samples. Furthermore, to identify the function of PCAT-1 in ovarian cancer, cell proliferation, transwell assay and Matrigel assay were conducted. In addition, by performing qRT-PCR and Western blot assay, the underlying mechanism was explored.

RESULTS

PCAT-1 expression was remarkably higher in ovarian cancer samples when compared with that in corresponding ones. Moreover, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were inhibited after PCAT-1 was knocked down in ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression of KLF6 (Krüppel-like factor 6) was upregulated after PCAT-1 was knocked down. Furthermore, the KLF6 expression level was negatively related to the PCAT-1 expression level in ovarian cancer samples.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that PCAT-1 promotes the progression of ovarian cancer through enhancing cell metastasis and proliferation via suppressing KLF6, which might be a novel therapeutic strategy in ovarian cancer.

MiR-203 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by targeting SOCS3

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "MiR-203 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by targeting SOCS3, by H.-P. Liu, Y. Zhang, Z.-T. Liu, H. Qi, X.-M. Zheng, L.-H. Qi, J.-Y. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (21): 9286-9294-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201911_19421-PMID: 31773696" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/19421.

Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing KLF6

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing KLF6, by H.-P. Liu, D. Lv, J.-Y. Wang, Y. Zhang, J.-F. Chang, Z.-T. Liu, N. Tang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (11): 4650-4655-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201906_18044-PMID: 31210290" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18044.

[Clinical value of early bedside ultrasound measurement of quadriceps femoris in diagnosis of ICU-acquired weakness]

Objective: To explore the correlation between quadriceps thickness (thickness of rectus femoris and vastus intermedius), cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris) and the strength score of the Medical Research Council (MRC) in critically ill patients, and to explore the changes in the length of hospital stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), and to determine the diagnostic value of muscle changes in the ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW). Methods: Patients admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine from March to October in 2019 who were expected to stay for more than five days were enrolled in this study. The cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris, the thickness of the rectus femoris, the thickness of the vastus intermedius on the first day of the ICU (D(1)), day 3 (D(3)), and day 5 (D(5)), day 7 (D(7)), out of ICU (D(ICU)), and the MRC muscle strength scores on the day of out of ICU prospectively were collected in all the patients, and the correlation and the regularity of quadriceps changes were analyzed. MRC>48 points on the day of dismiss of ICU were used as the standard for the diagnosis of ICU-AW, and the relationship between muscle changes of the quadriceps and ICU-AW was analyzed. The t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 45 patients were included, including 25 males and 20 females, aged (58±10) years. The rectus femoris cross-sectional area, rectus femoris thickness, and vastus intermedius thickness decreased with the length of ICU hospital stay. The cross-sectional area, thickness of the rectus femoris muscle, and the vastus intermedius thickness were positively correlated with the MRC score (r=0.452, 0.411, 0.402, all P<0.05), and the changes were all negatively correlated with the MRC score (r=-0.682, -0.740, -0.734, all P<0.05). On the 3rd day after ICU admission, the best cutoff value of rectus muscle cross-sectional area atrophy rate for discrimination of ICU-AW was 6.0%, with a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 77.8%; on the 5th day, the best cutoff value of rectus femoris thickness atrophy rate was 14.5%, with a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 66.7%; on the 7th day, the best cutoff value of vastus intermedius thickness atrophy rate was 19.9%, with a sensitivity of 70.6% and a specificity of 87.5%. Conclusion: Bedside ultrasound measurement of the quadriceps femoris cross-sectional area and thickness has certain diagnostic value for ICU-AW, and can identify patients with ICU-AW early.

Involvement of putrescine in osmotic stress-induced ABA signaling in leaves of wheat seedlings

To elucidate one mechanism by which putrescine (Put) functions in plant signaling under osmotic stress, Put and ABA contents, and plasma membrane-NADPH oxidase (PM-NOX) activity were detected in wheat seedling leaves. Under osmotic stress, ABA and Put contents, PM-NOX activity, and PM-NOX-dependent O2.^- production all increased. The inhibitor tungstate (T) of ABA bio-synthesis reduced the increases in ABA and Put contents under osmotic stress. The inhibitor D-arginine (D-Arg) of Put bio-synthesis didn't reduce osmotic-induced increase of ABA, but it inhibited the increases of PM-NOX activity and O2 . ^- production, and the inhibitory effects were reversed by exogenous Put. These findings suggested that ABA might regulate Put biosynthesis, and Put might regulate PM-NOX activity. Treatments with three inhibitors imidazole (I), diphenylene iodonium (DPI) and pyridine (P) of PM-NOX reduced significantly not only O2 . ^- production, but also the stress-induced increase of Put content, which indicated that O2 . ^- production might regulate Put biosynthesis. Treatments with EGTA (Ca²⁺ chelator), La³⁺ and verapamil (V) (Ca²⁺ channel blockers) reduced significantly the stress-induced increase of Put content, which suggested that Ca²⁺ might regulate Put biosynthesis. With these findings, it could be concluded that Put was involved in ABA signaling induced by osmotic stress via regulating PM-NOX activity in wheat seedling leaves.

Artificial modulation-free Pound-Drever-Hall method for laser frequency stabilization

We have proposed an artificial modulation-free Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) method for laser frequency stabilization and demonstrated it via two-color polarization spectroscopy of Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance in a room-temperature rubidium vapor. Due to the unique error signal profile, the conventional PDH method owns a large capture range in laser frequency locking. Here we manually construct a PDH error signal via a linear combination of polarization spectroscopies of the Rydberg EIT resonances without and with a magnetic field applied. The artificial modulation-free PDH error signal owns a subnatural linewidth dispersion curve as well as a large capture range with which we successfully stabilize the laser to an absolute atomic frequency reference in a long running time, immune to environmental fluctuation and even manmade impulse perturbation. This method can provide an absolute frequency reference based on atomic transition while keeping similar locking ability to provide corrections for frequency fluctuations over a broad bandwidth as the conventional PDH.

[Newborn screening program and blood amino acid profiling in early neonates with citrin deficiency]

Objective: To investigate the profiles of blood amino acid and acylcarnitine in early neonates with neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis caused by citrin deficiency (NICCD) and the sensitivity of newborn screening, and to explore potential biochemical metabolic markers for newborn screening program. Methods: Amino acid and acylcarnitine profiles in dried blood spots of newborn screening program were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). A total of 158 651 neonates born in Guangzhou from January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2019 were enrolled in this newborn screening program, and additionally 55 patients with NICCD confirmed by SLC25A13 gene analysis in Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center were included in this study. NICCD screen-positive was defined as the cutoff value of citrulline (Cit) ≥ 30 μmol/L. The values of blood sampling time of the true positive group and those of the false negative group were compared by t-test. The levels of amino acid and acylcarnitine among different groups, including true positive group (Cit≥30 μmol/L), false negative group (Cit 21-<30 μmol/L and Cit<21 μmol/L) and the normal control group, were analyzed by F test, respectively. Results: Among 158 651 neonates, 39 neonates were positive for NICCD screening. Three of them were confirmed NICCD and 4 cases were found to be false negatives. The positive predictive value was 7.7% and the sensitivity was about 43.0%. Among 55 patients with NICCD, 18 cases (18/55, 32.7%) were true positives and 37 cases (37/55, 67.3%) were false negatives based on the cutoff value of citrulline in the dried blood spots for newborn screening. The blood sampling time was significantly different between true positive group and false negative group ((4.28±1.6) vs. (2.98±0.74) d, t=4.06, P<0.01). The increased levels of tyrosine((176.0±98.4) μmol/L), methionine ((37.0±26.9) μmol/L) and phenylalanine ((133.0±80.9)μmol/L) in Cit≥30 μmol/L group (n=18) were significantly different as compared with those in the other three groups, respectively (F=117.0, 58.5, 135.0, P<0.01). The levels of arginine ( (10.0±9.2) , (11.0±9.3) , (9.0±17.8) μmol/L), valine ( (119.0±29.8) , (107.6±14.1) , (102±68) μmol/L) and leucine ( (167.0±37.1) , (161.0±37.7) , (163.5±180.6) μmol/L) were not statistically significant among groups of Cit≥30 μmol/L(n=18), Cit21-<30 μmol/L(n=7) and Cit<21μmol/L(n=30,P>0.05), but they were significantly higher than those of the normal control group ((4±3), (78±21), (114.0±31.5) μmol/L, n=1 000), respectively(F=30.1, 23.0, 29.8, P<0.01). Alanine (Ala) ( (150±50) , (156.0±30.2), (168±105), (152±52) μmol/L) levels showed no significant difference (F=0.86, P>0.05) but the ratios of Ala/Cit (1.52±1.44, 6.82±1.56, 12.06±7.71, 19.42±6.27) decreased significantly among the four groups (F=69.0, P<0.05). The acylcarnitine levels showed no statistically significant results among the different groups (P>0.05). With Cit≥30 μmol/L and Ala/Cit<7.5 as cutoff values, the number of screen-positive cases reduced from 39 to 22 cases with no additional false negative case. With Cit≥21 μmol/L and Ala/Cit<7.5 as cutoff values the number of screen-positive cases increased to 117 cases with 1 additional true positive. Conclusions: The profiles of blood amino acid in early neonates with NICCD present the increased levels of multiple amino acids including citrulline, tyrosine, methionine and phenylalanine, and decreased ratio of Ala/Cit. Taking citrulline and ratio of Ala/Cit as screening markers can improve the positive predictive value appropriately. The limited sensitivity of NICCD newborn screening may be related to early blood sampling time.

Augmented reality for temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis: a cadaver study

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthroscopic procedures require the identification of a skin puncture point. The puncture point is conventionally estimated using the surface anatomy of the canthal-tragus line. However, the conventional puncture technique has been reported to fail at the first attempt in 18% of cases. We propose an augmented reality (AR) system-based method to identify the puncture point on the skin. A three-dimensional virtual model was reconstructed from computed tomography images of a cadaver head, and its rendered image was superimposed on the cadaver head before skin puncture. The skin puncture point was marked on the skin under the guidance of the AR system. The TMJ was punctured through the mark and the endoscope was introduced through the puncture point. The outcome of the procedure was classified as successful or unsuccessful based on the visualization of the TMJ. The system was applied on the left and right sides of three cadaver heads. Puncture with the AR method was successful in all six cases. This study presents a system to provide AR visualization during TMJ arthrocentesis to increase the precision of skin puncture. However, a comparative study of the AR method with the conventional method is required to evaluate its advantages.

Symmetry-Breaking Assisted Landau-Zener Transitions in Rydberg Atoms

We report the observation of a controlled Landau-Zener transition (LZT) in Rydberg atoms by breaking the symmetry of the underlying Hamiltonian. For a nonhydrogenic Rydberg atom inside a changing electric (F) field, a LZT occurs between the avoided crossing energy levels of neighboring Rydberg states only for a sufficiently high changing rate. If a transverse magnetic (B) field is applied as we implement, the atomic level symmetry is broken, which causes the Stark manifolds denoted by a different |m| (m is the magnetic quantum number) to interact with each other. The mixed state levels end up pushing the adiabatically repelled target states closer and additionally they serve as stepping stones for the sequential LZTs between the neighboring sublevels. Such a feature significantly decreases the changing rate required for an efficient LZT inside a pure electric field. We report experimental observations that support the above scenario. It opens a versatile approach for engineering a controlled LZT in more general systems.

[Diagnostic value of serum cystatin C for acute kidney injury in patients with liver cirrhosis]

Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of serum cystatin C (Cys C) for acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: Serum Cys C levels in 150 liver cirrhosis patients (88 AKI and 62 non-AKI patients) were measured by the Particle-Enhanced Nephelometric Immuno-Assay. The accuracy of serum Cys C for the diagnosis of AKI in liver cirrhosis was evaluated by the ROC curve. Results: Liver cirrhosis patients with AKI had significantly higher serum Cys C levels [2.37 (1.75-2.83) mg/L] than those without AKI [0.97 (0.85-1.09) g/L] (P <0.001). Serum Cys C level was highest in the acute tubular necrosis group [5.41 (2.77-6.19) mg/L], followed by the hepatorenal syndrome group [2.55 (2.28-3.59) mg/L] and prerenal azotemia group [2.07 (1.70-2.41) mg/L], and the serum Cys C level was significantly different between the three groups (P <0.001). In addition, patients with AKI were further divided into infection group and non-infection group. Serum Cys C level was significantly higher in the infection group than in the non-infection group (P <0.05). The area under the ROC curve of serum Cys C for the diagnosis of AKI in liver cirrhosis was 0.99 (0.98-1.00) at a cut-off value of 1.36 mg/L, and the sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 95%, respectively. Conclusion: Serum Cys C is a good marker for detecting AKI in liver cirrhosis, and the different levels of increase in Cys C may be useful in differentiating the different types of AKI.

The effects of bortezomib alone or in combination with 5-fluorouracil on proliferation and apoptosis of choriocarcinoma cells

PURPOSE

To investigate the effects of bortezomib alone and in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on proliferation and apoptosis in the human choriocarcinoma cell line JEG-3.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cells were treated with bortezomib, 5-FU or with a combination. Proliferation and apoptosis were measured. NF-iB protein expression was examined using immunofluorescence.

RESULTS

Following treatment with ten nM bortezomib, rates of apoptosis were significantly higher than controls (p < 0.05) and NF-kB expression increased. 5-FU at 0.025 μg/ml or 0.25 μg/ml resulted in 60.1 ± 0.4% and 67.0 ± 0.2% growth inhibition, respectively, an increase compared to individual treatment (p < 0.05). Apoptosis in cells treated with bortezomib +5-FU was significantly higher than either treatment alone (p < 0.05). Inhibition of proliferation by the combination treatment was synergistic.

CONCLUSION

Bortezomib alone or in combination with 5-FU inhibited JEG-3 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis by increasing NF-kB expression. Combination treatment exerted synergistic effects on growth inhibition.

Analysis of gene expression profiles in healing rat fractures treated with nail and plate fixation

To compare fracture healing therapies, the gene expression profiles of rat fracture samples treated with nail and plate fixation were analyzed at 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after surgery. The gene expression profiles GSE1685, which include 19 samples, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. After preprocessing, the gene expression profiles were subjected to time series analysis using the Short Time-series Expression Miner software, and the significantly differentially expressed gene (DEG) sets were selected. Further, the distributions of those DEG sets on the corresponding chromosomes were identified using the functional classification tool. Finally, the DEGs were subjected to function and pathway enrichment analysis. DEG analysis indicated that the number of DEGs (854 genes) from nail fixation was significantly lower than that of DEGs (1029 genes) from plate fixation. The DEGs were mainly enriched in cell proliferation, cellular localization, and response to wounding functions. Several critical DEGs expressed during the fracture healing process were screened, and 2 common pathways were enriched for the DEGs in the nail fixation and plate fixation. These DEGs and pathways may be potential targets or predictive markers during fracture healing.

New insight into power-law behavior of fragment size distributions in the C₆₀ multifragmentation regime

Previous experimental work has shown that a phase transition in C60 multifragmentation induced by nanosecond laser occurs at almost constant temperature covering a wide range of laser fluency. Here the relative yields of ionic fragments (IFs) C(n)(+) (n = 1-20) resulting from the multifragmentation are measured within the phase transition region. By excluding two small IFs and magic IFs due to their abnormal behavior, the data for residual IFs are used to estimate the size distributions of primary intermediate-mass IFs in the multifragmentation regime. The distributions are found to obey power laws n(-τ). Furthermore, the exponent τ values have sensitive dependence on lower laser fluency and converge to a constant of about 2.4 ± 0.2 for larger fluencies. These observations are in good agreement with an explanation based on the Fisher droplet model, offering the tantalizing possibility of a liquid-to-gas phase transition in C60 systems.

Spinal protein kinase Mζ contributes to the maintenance of peripheral inflammation-primed persistent nociceptive sensitization after plantar incision

BACKGROUND

Previous studies suggest that persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP) is correlated with preoperative pain status and amplification of central sensitization. Protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) is an essential substrate of the late long-term potentiation underlying central sensitization, which is one mechanism of pain memory formation. However, the potential contributions of spinal PKMζ to PPSP, a condition in which preoperative pain is prevalent, are not known.

METHODS

Here, a modified 'hyperalgesia priming' model was established to simulate the clinical situation. This model used intraplantar injections of carrageenan (Car) as priming stimuli to elicit persistent nociceptive sensitization after plantar incision in rats. Upon treatment with PKMζ inhibitor ZIP, Scr-ZIP or protein kinase Cs (PKCs) inhibitor NPC-15437, altered behaviour and spinal PKMζ/PKCs expression were observed.

RESULTS

A long-lasting hypersensitivity induced by Car-priming was identified and precipitated by subsequent plantar incision in this 'two-hit' paradigm. Post-treatment with ZIP, but not Scr-ZIP and NPC-15437, after the resolution of Car-priming selectively relieved hypersensitivity. In contrast, pre-priming NPC-15437 treatment only prevented Car-induced initial transient hyperalgesia. Immunoassays showed a significant decrease in spinal PKMζ expression after plantar incision with post-priming ZIP treatment as compared with Scr-ZIP and NPC-15437, but no notable differences in PKCs expression were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Spinal PKCs solely contribute to the initial induction of persistent pain, whereas PKMζ plays an essential role in spinal plasticity storage. PKMζ is responsible for the maintenance of peripheral inflammation-primed PPSP. Therefore, spinal PKMζ may be a therapeutic target to prevent surgery-induced chronic pain in patients with preoperative pain.

Operation of Lanzhou all permanent electron cyclotron resonance ion source No. 2 on 320 kV platform with highly charged ions

The 320 kV platform for multi-discipline research with highly charged ions is a heavy ion beam acceleration instrument developed by Institute of Modern Physics, which is dedicated to basic scientific researches such as plasma, atom, material physics, and astrophysics, etc. The platform has delivered ion beams of 400 species for 36,000 h. The average operation time is around 5000 h/year. With the beams provided by the platform, lots of outstanding progresses were made in various research fields. The ion source of the platform is an all-permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance ion source, LAPECR2 (Lanzhou All Permanent ECR ion source No. 2). The maximum axial magnetic fields are 1.28 T at injection and 1.07 T at extraction, and the radial magnetic field is up to 1.21 T at the inner wall of the plasma chamber. The ion source is capable to produce low, medium, and high charge state gaseous and metallic ion beams, such as H(+), (40)Ar(8+), (129)Xe(30+), (209)Bi(33+), etc. This paper will present the latest result of LAPECR2 and the routine operation status for the high voltage platform.