[Road-side observational survey on 4 unlawful acts among electric bicycle riders in Zhejiang]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence of key unlawful acts among electric bicycle riders and provide evidence for the development of specific interventions.

METHODS

A 4-day road-side survey was conducted in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, in 2013. The speed of electric bicycle was measured by speed measuring instrument and the unlawful acts of riders, such as reverse riding, running the red-light and carrying passengers, were observed with non-participatory way.

RESULTS

A total of 3 448 running electric bicycles were observed and the average speed was 26 km/h, the proportion of electric bicycle at the speed of ≥15 km/h was 87.06%. The average speed was highest during 10 am-11 am(30 km/h). the number of observed electric bicycle riders with unlawful acts of ' running the red-light','reverse riding' and ' carrying passengers' were 1 315, 656 and 1 877 respectively, and the estimated rate was 10.01%, 4.99% and 15.22%, respectively. More ' running the red-light','reverse riding' and ' carrying passengers' occurred during 7 am-8 am(14.59%)and 13 pm-14 pm(15.25%), 13 pm-14 pm(7.33%)and 17 pm-18 pm(7.63%), 6 am-7 am(32.44%)and 12 pm-13 pm(27.90%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Overspeeding, carrying passengers, running the red-light, reverse riding were the key unlawful acts among electric bicycle riders. Targeted intervention should be carried out to reduce the prevalence of unlawful riding acts and the incidence of electric bicycle related injuries and deaths.

Safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of avoralstat, an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor: phase 1 study

BACKGROUND

Avoralstat is a potent small-molecule oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor under development for treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). This first-in-human study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of avoralstat.

METHODS

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose cohort trial evaluated avoralstat single doses of 50, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 mg and multiple doses up to 2400 mg daily (100, 200, 400, and 800 mg every 8 h [q8 h] up to 7 days).

RESULTS

Avoralstat (n = 71) was generally well tolerated with no signals for a safety concern; there were no serious adverse events (AEs) or discontinuations due to AEs, and compared to placebo (n = 18), no notable difference in AEs. Four moderate severity AEs were reported in two subjects; syncope after a single 250 mg dose (one subject) and abdominal pain, back pain, and eczema after multiple doses of 800 mg avoralstat (one subject). For multiple-dose cohorts, the incidence of gastrointestinal AEs was highest at the 2400 mg/day dose. Elimination of avoralstat was bi-exponential with a terminal half-life of 12-31 h. Inhibition of plasma kallikrein was observed at all doses, and the degree of inhibition was highly correlated with avoralstat concentrations (R = 0.93). Mean avoralstat concentrations at doses ≥400 mg q8 h met or exceeded plasma kallikrein EC₅₀ values throughout the dosing interval.

CONCLUSION

Avoralstat was well tolerated, and drug exposure was sufficient to meet target levels for inhibition of plasma kallikrein. Based on these results, the 400 mg q8 h dose was selected for further evaluation in patients with HAE.

A high-speed two-frame, 1-2 ns gated X-ray CMOS imager used as a hohlraum diagnostic on the National Ignition Facility (invited)

A novel x-ray imager, which takes time-resolved gated images along a single line-of-sight, has been successfully implemented at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This Gated Laser Entrance Hole diagnostic, G-LEH, incorporates a high-speed multi-frame CMOS x-ray imager developed by Sandia National Laboratories to upgrade the existing Static X-ray Imager diagnostic at NIF. The new diagnostic is capable of capturing two laser-entrance-hole images per shot on its 1024 × 448 pixels photo-detector array, with integration times as short as 1.6 ns per frame. Since its implementation on NIF, the G-LEH diagnostic has successfully acquired images from various experimental campaigns, providing critical new information for understanding the hohlraum performance in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments, such as the size of the laser entrance hole vs. time, the growth of the laser-heated gold plasma bubble, the change in brightness of inner beam spots due to time-varying cross beam energy transfer, and plasma instability growth near the hohlraum wall.

STIP Regulates ERK1/2 Signaling Pathway Involved in Interaction with PP1γ in Lymphoblastic Leukemia

BACKGROUND

Sip1/Tuftelin Interacting Protein (STIP) is highly conserved from Caenorhabditis elegans to Homo sapiens and has essential biological functions. However, its function in leukemia remains unknown.

METHODS

Clinic samples and cell model were used in this article to investigate the expression of STIP in lymphoblastic leukemia. The functional research of STIP was performed in ARH-77 by siRNA transfection, immunofluorescence, cell count, cell cycle analysis, qRT-PCR, sub-cellular fractionation assays, immunoprecipitation and western blotting.

RESULTS

Here, we found that STIP is more highly expressed in both clinical lymphoblastic leukemia samples and cultured leukemia cells than in normal samples. Knockdown of STIP in B lymphoblastic leukemia ARH-77 cells leads to S phase arrest, lower cell proliferation rates, and suppressed AKT and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. Interestingly, when protein phosphatase was inhibited by Calyculin A, STIP knockdown did not result in the dephosphorylation of p-ERK1/2, suggesting the dependence of STIP on protein phosphatase in the regulation of ERK1/2. Among those protein phosphatase inhibited by Calyculin A, PP1γ was found to interact with STIP proven by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation assays. The binding of STIP with PP1γ may decrease the phosphatase activity of PP1γ, resulting in hyper-activated ERK1/2 signaling.

CONCLUSION

In summary, the high expression and activation effect on the ERK1/2 signaling of STIP in lymphoblastic leukemia suggest that STIP would be a potential therapy target or diagnosis marker for leukemia.

Progression of alpha-synuclein pathology in multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type

AIMS

The aim of this study was to identify early foci of α-synuclein (α-syn pathology) accumulation, subsequent progression and neurodegeneration in multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type (MSA-C).

METHODS

We analysed 70-μm-thick sections of 10 cases with MSA-C and 24 normal controls.

RESULTS

MSA-C cases with the lowest burden of pathology showed α-syn glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) in the cerebellum as well as in medullary and pontine cerebellar projections. Cerebellar pathology was highly selective and severely involved subcortical white matter, whereas deep white matter and granular layer were only mildly affected and the molecular layer was spared. Loss of Purkinje cells increased with disease duration and was associated with neuronal and axonal abnormalities. Neocortex, basal ganglia and spinal cord became consecutively involved with the increasing burden of α-syn pathology, followed by hippocampus, amygdala, and, finally, the visual cortex. GCIs were associated with myelinated axons, and the severity of GCIs correlated with demyelination.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that cerebellar subcortical white matter and cerebellar brainstem projections are likely the earliest foci of α-syn pathology in MSA-C, followed by involvement of more widespread regions of the central nervous system and neurodegeneration with disease progression.

Large spin-orbit coupling and helical spin textures in 2D heterostructure [Pb2BiS3][AuTe2]

Two-dimensional heterostructures with strong spin-orbit coupling have direct relevance to topological quantum materials and potential applications in spin-orbitronics. In this work, we report on novel quantum phenomena in [Pb2BiS3][AuTe2], a new 2D strong spin-orbit coupling heterostructure system. Transport measurements reveal the spin-related carrier scattering is at odds with the Abrikosov-Gorkov model due to strong spin-orbit coupling. This is consistent with our band structure calculations which reveal a large spin-orbit coupling gap of εso = 0.21 eV. The band structure is also characterized by helical-like spin textures which are mainly induced by strong spin-orbit coupling and the inversion symmetry breaking in the heterostructure system.

Total reconstruction of giant congenital circumferential nevi of the upper limb using a large pedicle expanded flank flap: A brief report

Tissue expansion is an invaluable reconstructive strategy after surgical excision of a congenital naevus. However, reducing the number of operations is very important for patients with a giant congenital naevus. We used a large pedicle expanded flank flap to successfully treat a giant circumferential naevus that extended from the left upper arm to the wrist, which also provided excellent contour and colour match. We consider this an effective and convenient method to treat a circumferential naevus covering almost the entire upper limb of the paediatric patient.

Relation of the fourth-order statistical invariants of velocity gradient tensor in isotropic turbulence

We show by direct numerical simulations (DNSs) that in different types of isotropic turbulence, the fourth-order statistical invariants have approximately a linear relation, which can be represented by a straight line in the phase plane, passing two extreme states: the Gaussian state and the restricted Euler state. Also, each DNS case corresponds to an equilibrium region that is roughly Reynolds-dependent. In addition, both the time reversal and the compressibility effect lead to nonequilibrium transition processes in this phase plane. This observation adds a new restriction on the mean-field theory.

[Effect of Toll-like receptor 2 on the inhibition role of sevoflurane on airway inflammation in asthmatic mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) on the inhibition role of sevoflurane on airway inflammation in asthmatic mice.

METHODS

The lung tissue samples of C(57) BL/6 mice used in this study were from previous research, including control group, asthma group and sevoflurane group, 8 samples in each group. Twenty-four specific pathogen free female TLR2 gene deletion (TLR2(-/-)) mice were randomly assigned to control group, asthma group and sevoflurane group, with 8 mice in each group. Asthma group and sevoflurane group were then sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to establish asthma model, combined with repeated inhalation of 3% sevoflurane in sevoflurane group. In C(57) mice, expression levels of TLR2 were detected using Western blotting analyses. In TLR2(-/-) mice, numbers of differential inflammatory cells were investigated; levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); lung tissue inflammation was detected with HE staining.

RESULTS

In lung tissues from C(57) mice, levels of protein expression of TLR2 in asthma group (0.547±0.042) were higher than those in control group (0.312±0.023) (P=0.023) and sevoflurane group (0.287±0.033) (P=0.020). In TLR2(-/-) mice, the number of total cells ((83.13±19.43)×10(3)/ml), numbers of differential inflammatory cells and TNF-α level ((546±16) pg/ml) in BALF in sevoflurane group were lower than those in asthma group ((206.43±41.82)×10(3)/ml, (732±41) pg/ml), but still higher than those in control group ((44.64±7.17)×10(3)/ml, (380±24) pg/ml) (all P<0.05); lung tissue inflammation was inhibited in sevoflurane group than in asthma group, but still more obvious than that in control group.

CONCLUSION

Toll like receptor 2 involved in the anti-inflammatory effect of sevoflurane on asthmatic airway inflammation in mice.

High speed OFDM-CDMA optical access network

We demonstrate the feasibility of a 16 × 3.75 Gb/s (60 Gb/s aggregate) Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-code division multiple access passive optical network for next-generation access applications. 3.75 Gb/s PON channel transmission over 25 km single-mode fiber shows 0.1 dB dispersion and 0.9 dB crosstalk penalties. Advantages of the system include high capacity, enhanced spectral efficiency, coding gain, and networking functions such as increased security and single-wavelength operation.

[Effect of brain atrophy on the cognition in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of brain atrophy on the cognition in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD).

METHODS

A total of 116 SIVD patients were enrolled from the Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University between September 2013 and December 2014. Lobar atrophy, leukoaraiosis (LA), lacunar infarcts (LI) and vascular risk factors were analyzed in the 116 SIVD patients who were divided into three groups according to the diagnostic criteria: non-cognitive impairment group (SIVD-NCI) , mild cognitive impairment group (SIVD-MCI) and dement group (SIVD-VaD). All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a 3.0-T system. The cognitive functions were evaluated by mini-metal state examination (MMSE), the Cambridge cognitive examination-Chinese version (CAMCOG-C), etc. A widely used visual atrophy rating method (0 to 3) was adopted to rate the severity of frontal, parietal and temporal lobe atrophy. The degree of LA and the numbers of LI in 4 brain regions (frontal, parieto-occipital, temporal, and basal ganglia) were evaluated meanwhile.

RESULTS

Firstly, both the SIVD-MCI and SIVD-VaD groups showed significantly higher total scores of atrophy, higher frontal lobe atrophy scores, higher LA scores and larger LI numbers than SIVD-NCI (H=6.138, P=0.013; H=45.845, P=0.000; H=36.818, P=0.000; H=37.46, P=0.000). There were no significant differences in temporal lobe atrophy scores between SIVD-NCI group and SIVD-MCI group. Parietal lobe atrophy scores also showed no differences among the three groups. Secondly, as well as total numbers of LI, total scores of atrophy and LA were negatively correlated with SIVD cognition, especially frontal lobe atrophy scores, parieto-occipital LA scores and basal ganglia LI numbers had a remarkable negative correlation with MMSE scores, CAMCOG-C scores and partial subitems in CAMCOG-C scores (P<0.005). However temporal LI numbers was absence of correlation with MMSE scores, CAMCOG-C scores and subitems in CAMCOG-C scores (P>0.005). Thirdly, education (OR= 0.787, P=0.009), total scores of LA (OR= 1.201, P=0.036) and total numbers of LI (OR= 1.221, P=0.011) remained to be associated with cognition after controlling for sex, age, education, hypertension, diabetes, smoking. While, after adjusting atrophy scores, total scores of LA had no significant association with cognition. Atrophy scores, total numbers of LI and education still showed significant association with cognition, particularly frontal lobe atrophy scores (OR= 16.082, P=0.000), but not temporal and parietal lobe atrophy scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Brain atrophy may be a new and independent predictive index of cognitive impairment in SIVD. Further, the effect of brain atrophy, the numbers of LI and degree of LA on cognitive decline is independent and decreases in turn.

Exploring Northwest China's agricultural water-saving strategy: analysis of water use efficiency based on an SE-DEA model conducted in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

Worldwide, water scarcity threatens delivery of water to urban centers. Increasing water use efficiency (WUE) is often recommended to reduce water demand, especially in water-scarce areas. In this paper, agricultural water use efficiency (AWUE) is examined using the super-efficient data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in Xi'an in Northwest China at a temporal and spatial level. The grey systems analysis technique was then adopted to identify the factors that influenced the efficiency differentials under the shortage of water resources. From the perspective of temporal scales, the AWUE increased year by year during 2004-2012, and the highest (2.05) was obtained in 2009. Additionally, the AWUE was the best in the urban area at the spatial scale. Moreover, the key influencing factors of the AWUE are the financial situations and agricultural water-saving technology. Finally, we identified several knowledge gaps and proposed water-saving strategies for increasing AWUE and reducing its water demand by: (1) improving irrigation practices (timing and amounts) based on compatible water-saving techniques; (2) maximizing regional WUE by managing water resources and allocation at regional scales as well as enhancing coordination among Chinese water governance institutes.

Selective removal of copper with polystyrene–1,3-diaminourea chelating resin: synthesis and adsorption studies

In this study, green chloromethylated polystyrene bead–1,3-diaminourea (PS–DU) which was intended to adsorb copper ions was synthesized from chloromethylated polystyrene (PS-Cl) and 1,3-diaminourea (DU).

Consumption of Chilies, but not Sweet Peppers, Is Positively Related to Handgrip Strength in an Adult Population

BACKGROUND

Chili consumption may have a beneficial effect on muscle strength in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between frequency of chili consumption and handgrip strength in adults.

DESIGN

Population-based cross-sectional study.

SETTING

This study used baseline data from the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health Cohort Study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 3 717 subjects were recruited to the study. Frequency of chili consumption during the previous month was assessed using a valid self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Analysis of covariance was used to examine the relationship between muscle strength and frequency of chili consumption. Handgrip strength was measured using a handheld digital dynamometer.

RESULTS

After adjustment for potential confounding factors, significant relationships were observed between different categories of chili consumption and handgrip strength in males, the means (95% confidence interval) for handgrip strength across chili consumption categories were 44.7 (42.1, 47.2) for < one time/week; 45.5 (42.9, 48.1) for one time/week; and 45.8 (43.3, 48.4) for ≥ 2-3 times/week (P for trend < 0.01). Similar results were not observed with sweet pepper consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals a positive correlation between frequency of chili consumption and muscle strength in adult males. Further studies are necessary in order to determine whether there is a causal relationship between chili consumption frequency and muscle strength.

A pilot study using the Chinese herbal paste Liu-He-Dan to manage radiodermatitis associated with breast cancer radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

During radiotherapy for breast cancer, patients are greatly affected by pain, infection, and delayed healing of wounds caused by radiodermatitis. In the present study, we aimed to determine the efficacy of Liu-He-Dan in treating radiodermatitis.

METHODS

In 26 breast cancer patients who experienced moist decrustation while receiving radiotherapy, 5 g Liu-He-Dan was applied externally once daily after the wound surface had been cleaned and dried. The healing time was recorded, and a Kaplan-Meier survival curve was applied to analyze the treatment course. Meanwhile, a pain assessment using the Numeric Rating Scale (nrs) recorded the pain level experienced by patients after application of the Liu-He-Dan.

RESULTS

After application of Liu-He-Dan, the average healing time for the surface of the moist decrustation wounds was 14.17 ± 2.03 days (range: 5-22 days). Inflammatory seepage decreased significantly and exudation almost disappeared in 3 days. The pain trend line indicated that the average nrs score declined with treatment in all patients. The average nrs scores at days 1, 4, and 7 were 6.13, 3.62, and 2.58 respectively. After 3 days of treatment, pain was remarkably alleviated in 80.76% of patients. After treatment for 1 week, the pain remission rate was 96.15%, without any obvious adverse reactions.

CONCLUSIONS

Liu-He-Dan was efficacious in treating radiation skin injury with little toxicity and few side effects; the economic efficiency of the treatment was also favourable. The Liu-He-Dan was generally well tolerated by patients. In future, randomized control trials will be established for further observation of the value of Liu-He-Dan in treating radiodermatitis in breast cancer.

Microsatellite DNA markers and their correlation with growth traits in mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi)

The mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) is a traditionally cultured freshwater fish with high commercial value in China. To facilitate marker-assisted selection in genetic improvement of this species, 120 microsatellite markers from the literature were characterized in the 25 largest and 25 smallest individuals. Eighteen polymorphic loci were then used to genotype 200 individuals, and the associations between their genotypes and growth traits were examined. We found that eight genotypes of six loci (AP 37-06, AP 37-11, AP 37-16, AP 37-48, AP 38-32, and AP 39-05) were positively correlated with growth traits (body weight, length, and height) in the mandarin fish population. The average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.68 and 0.59, respectively, and the average PIC value was 0.50, indicating a population with high genetic diversity. Therefore, these markers could be useful for assisted selection in genetic breeding of this species and its related species.

Acute pathophysiological responses in the normal lungs of newborn piglets exposed to pure oxygen

AIM

We investigated the effect of short-term pure oxygen treatment on pulmonary function, serum cytokine levels, and apoptosis in the lungs of healthy newborn piglets.

METHODS

Twelve newborn piglets were randomly assigned to receive pure oxygen (OXY) (N.=6) or room air (AIR: 21% oxygen) (N.=6) for 4 hours. Cardiopulmonary function serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α were evaluated. Histology was used to assess apoptosis and morphological differences between treatment groups.

RESULTS

Four-hour treatment with 100% oxygen resulted in higher PaO2, AaDO2, and compliance of the respiratory system (Crs) in the OXY than in the AIR animals. Serum levels of IL-6 were significantly higher in OXY piglets compared with AIR piglets (P=0.009), but there were no differences between groups in the serum levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α (P=0.640 and P=0.306, respectively). The piglets in the OXY group had a greater average number of apoptotic cells in the lung than AIR piglets, although this did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that treatment with 100% oxygen for 4 hours may have clinical benefit by improving pulmonary function in normal neonates with limited increases in the inflammation and apoptosis.