Primary investigation of the optical limiting performance of cyclo[8]pyrrole with a wide optical limiting window

Cyclo[8]pyrrole (CP) was prepared and its UV/vis spectral and optical limiting properties for ns light pulse were investigated withZ-scan technical.

Effects of anaesthesia on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of LoVo colon cancer cells in vitro

Tumour cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis are crucial steps in tumour metastasis. We evaluated the effect of serum from patients undergoing colon cancer surgery receiving thoracic epidural and propofol anaesthesia on colon cancer cell biology. Patients were randomly assigned to receive propofol anaesthesia with a concomitant thoracic epidural (PEA, n = 20) or sevoflurane anaesthesia with opioid analgesia (SGA, n = 20). Venous blood was obtained before induction of anaesthesia and 24 hours postoperatively. The LoVo colon cancer cells were cultured with patient serum from both groups and the effects on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis were measured. Twenty-four hours after surgery, the absorbance value of LoVo cells at 10% serum concentration from PEA was decreased when compared with SGA (0.302 (0.026) vs 0.391 (0.066), p = 0.005). The inhibitory rate of LoVo cells at 10% serum concentration from PEA was higher than that from SGA (p = 0.004) 24 h after surgery. The number of invasive LoVo cells at 10% serum concentration from PEA was reduced when compared with SGA (44 (4) vs 62 (4), p < 0.001). Exposure of LoVo cells to postoperative serum from patients receiving PEA led to a higher luminescence ratio (apoptosis) than those receiving SGA (0.36 (0.04) vs 0.27 (0.05), p < 0.001). Serum from patients receiving PEA for colon cancer surgery inhibited proliferation and invasion of LoVo cells and induced apoptosis in vitro more than that from patients receiving SGA. Anaesthetic technique might influence the serum milieu in a way that affects cancer cell biology and, thereby, tumour metastastasis.

[Application of nonlinear autoregressive neural network in predicting incidence tendency of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the prospect of nonlinear autoregressive neural network in fitting and predicting the incidence tendency of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) , in the mainland of China.

METHODS

Monthly reported case series of HFRS in China from 2004 to 2013 were used to build both ARIMA and NAR neural network models, in order to predict the monthly incidence of HFRS in China in 2014. Fitness and prediction on the effects of these two models were compared.

RESULTS

For the Fitting dataset, MAE, RMSE and MAPE of the ARIMA model were 148.058, 272.077 and 12.678% respectively, while the MAE, RMSE and MAPE of NAR neural network appeared as 119.436, 186.671 and 11.778% respectively. For the Predicting dataset, MAE, RMSE and MAPE of the ARIMA model appeared as 189.088, 221.133 and 21.296%, while the MAE, RMSE and MAPE of the NAR neural network as 119.733, 151.329 and 11.431% respectively.

CONCLUSION

The NAR neural network showed better effects in fitting and predicting the incidence tendency of HFRS than using the traditional ARIMA model, in China. NAR neural network seemed to have strong application value in the prevention and control of HFRS.

On the road to metallic nanoparticles by rational design: bridging the gap between atomic-level theoretical modeling and reality by total scattering experiments

The extent to which current theoretical modeling alone can reveal real-world metallic nanoparticles (NPs) at the atomic level was scrutinized and demonstrated to be insufficient and how it can be improved by using a pragmatic approach involving straightforward experiments is shown. In particular, 4 to 6 nm in size silica supported Au(100-x)Pd(x) (x = 30, 46 and 58) explored for catalytic applications is characterized structurally by total scattering experiments including high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) coupled to atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. Atomic-level models for the NPs are built by molecular dynamics simulations based on the archetypal for current theoretical modeling Sutton-Chen (SC) method. Models are matched against independent experimental data and are demonstrated to be inaccurate unless their theoretical foundation, i.e. the SC method, is supplemented with basic yet crucial information on the length and strength of metal-to-metal bonds and, when necessary, structural disorder in the actual NPs studied. An atomic PDF-based approach for accessing such information and implementing it in theoretical modeling is put forward. For completeness, the approach is concisely demonstrated on 15 nm in size water-dispersed Au particles explored for bio-medical applications and 16 nm in size hexane-dispersed Fe48Pd52 particles explored for magnetic applications as well. It is argued that when "tuned up" against experiments relevant to metals and alloys confined to nanoscale dimensions, such as total scattering coupled to atomic PDF analysis, rather than by mere intuition and/or against data for the respective solids, atomic-level theoretical modeling can provide a sound understanding of the synthesis-structure-property relationships in real-world metallic NPs. Ultimately this can help advance nanoscience and technology a step closer to producing metallic NPs by rational design.

Screening of polymorphisms located in the FGF20 and TMEM175 genes in North Chinese Parkinson's disease patients

Genome-wide association studies have reported numerous susceptibility loci for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there have been few replication studies examining these loci in northern Chinese populations. To evaluate the relationships among 3 polymorphic markers located in the fibroblast growth factor 20 and transmembrane protein 175 genes and the genetic susceptibility to PD in northern Chinese subjects, 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms, and 1 insertion/deletion marker (rs591323 in FGF20; rs6599388 and rs142821586 in transmembrane protein 175 near the G-associated kinase/diacylglycerol kinase theta region) were investigated in 313 PD patients and 318 matched controls. Mismatched multiplex polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis as well as sequence-specific primer polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism assays were performed. The genotypic frequency of rs591323 differed significantly between the patient and control groups; however, neither rs6599388 nor rs142821586 was associated with PD. We corrected the Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium for rs6599388, which was previously reported to be common in 4 Asian descent populations into equilibrium status by simultaneously genotyping rs6599388 and rs142821586. In summary, we found that rs591323 was associated with PD but rs6599388 and rs142821586 were not associated with PD in a northern Chinese population.

Efficient coupling of double-metal terahertz quantum cascade lasers to flexible dielectric-lined hollow metallic waveguides

The growth in terahertz frequency applications utilising the quantum cascade laser is hampered by a lack of targeted power delivery solutions over large distances (>100 mm). Here we demonstrate the efficient coupling of double-metal quantum cascade lasers into flexible polystyrene lined hollow metallic waveguides via the use of a hollow copper waveguide integrated into the laser mounting block. Our approach exhibits low divergence, Gaussian-like emission, which is robust to misalignment error, at distances > 550 mm, with a coupling efficiency from the hollow copper waveguide into the flexible waveguide > 90%. We also demonstrate the ability to nitrogen purge the flexible waveguide, increasing the power transmission by up to 20% at 2.85 THz, which paves the way for future fibre based terahertz sensing and spectroscopy applications.

Prevalence of Metabolically Healthy Obese and Metabolically Obese but Normal Weight in Adults Worldwide: A Meta-Analysis

The objective of the present study was to summarize the prevalence and influencing factors of metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically obese but normal weight (MONW) among people ≥ 18 years old in the general population worldwide. We searched for studies of the prevalence of MHO and MONW published in English and Chinese up to October 2013. Pooled prevalence estimates were calculated by a random-effects model according to a Q test. The effects of gender, region, age, sample size, smoking, and alcohol consumption on MHO and MONW were analyzed. Differences between subgroups were assessed by chi-square test. Publication bias was estimated by Egger's test. Studies of MHO and MONW showed heterogeneity (I(2)=99.4% and I(2)=99.7%, respectively). The overall prevalence of MHO and MONW was 7.27% (95% CI 5.92-8.90%) and 19.98% (95% CI 16.54-23.94%), respectively. American populations had the highest MHO prevalence and European populations the highest MONW prevalence. Different patterns of MHO and MONW were observed in the subgroup analysis with respect to gender, age, sample size, smoking, alcohol consumption, and metabolically healthy criteria. The prevalence of both MHO and MONW were affected by gender, region, age, sample size, smoking, alcohol consumption, and metabolically healthy criteria, but studies showed high heterogeneity.

Sub-Kelvin magnetic and electrical measurements in a diamond anvil cell with in situ tunability

We discuss techniques for performing continuous measurements across a wide range of pressure-field-temperature phase space, combining the milli-Kelvin temperatures of a helium dilution refrigerator with the giga-Pascal pressures of a diamond anvil cell and the Tesla magnetic fields of a superconducting magnet. With a view towards minimizing remnant magnetic fields and background magnetic susceptibility, we characterize high-strength superalloy materials for the pressure cell assembly, which allows high fidelity measurements of low-field phenomena such as superconductivity below 100 mK at pressures above 10 GPa. In situ tunability and measurement of the pressure permit experiments over a wide range of pressure, while at the same time making possible precise steps across abrupt phase transitions such as those from insulator to metal.

Comparison of Two Hybrid Models for Forecasting the Incidence of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome in Jiangsu Province, China

Background

Cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) are widely distributed in eastern Asia, especially in China, Russia, and Korea. It is proved to be a difficult task to eliminate HFRS completely because of the diverse animal reservoirs and effects of global warming. Reliable forecasting is useful for the prevention and control of HFRS.

Methods

Two hybrid models, one composed of nonlinear autoregressive neural network (NARNN) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) the other composed of generalized regression neural network (GRNN) and ARIMA were constructed to predict the incidence of HFRS in the future one year. Performances of the two hybrid models were compared with ARIMA model.

Results

The ARIMA, ARIMA-NARNN ARIMA-GRNN model fitted and predicted the seasonal fluctuation well. Among the three models, the mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of ARIMA-NARNN hybrid model was the lowest both in modeling stage and forecasting stage. As for the ARIMA-GRNN hybrid model, the MSE, MAE and MAPE of modeling performance and the MSE and MAE of forecasting performance were less than the ARIMA model, but the MAPE of forecasting performance did not improve.

Conclusion

Developing and applying the ARIMA-NARNN hybrid model is an effective method to make us better understand the epidemic characteristics of HFRS and could be helpful to the prevention and control of HFRS.

Interaction between Polymorphisms in Pre-MiRNA Genes and Cooking Oil Fume Exposure on the Risk of Lung Cancer in Chinese Non-Smoking Female Population

Background

Both genetic polymorphisms and environmental risk factors play important roles in the development of human chronic diseases including lung cancer. This is the first case-control study of interaction between polymorphisms in pre-miRNA genes and cooking oil fume exposure on the risk of lung cancer.

Methods

A hospital-based case-control study of 258 cases and 310 controls was conducted. Six polymorphisms in miRNAs were determined by Taqman allelic discrimination method. The gene-environment interactions were assessed on both additive and multiplicative scale. The statistical analyses were performed mostly with SPSS.

Results

The combination of the risk genotypes of five miRNA SNPs (miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-608 rs4919510, miR-27a rs895819 and miR-423 rs6505162) with risk factor (cooking oil fume exposure) contributed to a significantly higher risk of lung cancer, and the corresponding ORs (95% confidence intervals) were 1.91(1.04-3.52), 1.94 (1.16-3.25), 2.06 (1.22-3.49), 1.76 (1.03-2.98) and 2.13 (1.29-3.51). The individuals with both risk genotypes of miRNA SNPs and exposure to risk factor (cooking oil fumes) were in a higher risk of lung cancer than persons with only one of the two risk factors (ORs were 1.91, 1.05 and 1.41 for miR-146a rs2910164, ORs were 1.94, 1.23 and 1.34 for miR-196a2 rs11614913, ORs were 2.06, 1.41 and 1.68 for miR-608 rs4919510, ORs were 1.76, 0.82 and 1.07 for miR-27a rs895819, and ORs were 2.13, 1.15 and 1.02 for miR-423 rs6505162, respectively). All the measures of biological interaction indicate that there were not indeed biological interactions between the six SNPs of miRNAs and exposure to cooking oil fumes on an additive scale. Logistic models suggested that the gene-environment interactions were not statistically significant on a multiplicative scale.

Conclusions

The interactions between miRNA SNPs and cooking oil fume exposure suggested by ORs of different combination were not statistically significant.

The implant infection paradox: why do some succeed when others fail? Opinion and discussion paper

Biomaterial-implants are frequently used to restore function and form of human anatomy. However, the presence of implanted biomaterials dramatically elevates infection risk. Paradoxically, dental-implants placed in a bacteria-laden milieu experience moderate failure-rates, due to infection (0.0-1.1%), similar to the ones of joint-arthroplasties placed in a near-sterile environment (0.1-1.3%). Transcutaneous bone-fixation pins breach the immune-barrier of the epidermis, exposing underlying sterile-tissue to an unsterile external environment. In contrast to dental-implants, also placed in a highly unsterile environment, these pins give rise to relatively high infection-associated failure-rates of up to 23.0%. Herein, we attempt to identify causes as to why dental-implants so often succeed, where others fail. The major part of all implants considered are metal-made, with similar surface-finishes. Material choice was therefore discarded as underlying the paradox. Antimicrobial activity of saliva has also been suggested as a cause for the success of dental-implants, but was discarded because saliva is the implant-site-fluid from which viable bacteria adhere. Crevicular fluid was discarded as it is largely analogous to serum. Instead, we attribute the relative success of dental-implants to (1) ability of oral tissues to heal rapidly in the continuous presence of commensal bacteria and opportunistic pathogens, and (2) tolerance of the oral immune-system. Inability of local tissue to adhere, spread and grow in presence of bacteria and an intolerant immune-system are identified as the likely main causes explaining the susceptibility of other implants to infection-associated failure. In conclusion, it is the authors' belief that new anti-infection strategies for a wide range of biomaterial-implants may be derived from the relative success of dental-implants.

TGFβ-1 and TGFBR2 polymorphisms, cooking oil fume exposure and risk of lung adenocarcinoma in Chinese nonsmoking females: a case control study

Background

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays an important role in regulating cellular functions, and many studies have demonstrated important roles for TGF-β in various cancers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TGF-β may influence lung carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to test whether TGF-β1 C509T and TGF-β receptor II (TGFBR2) G-875A polymorphisms were associated with lung adenocarcinoma in nonsmoking females.

Methods

A hospital-based case–control study was performed in Chinese nonsmoking females. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan SNP genotyping assay, and demographic data and environmental exposure were collected by trained interviewers after informed consents were obtained.

Results

A total of 272 (95.4%) cases and 313 (99.4%) controls were successfully genotyped, and the results showed that the polymorphic allele frequencies of C509T and G875A were similar among lung adenocarcinoma patients and controls (P=0.589 and 0.643, respectively). However, when the data were stratified for cooking oil fume exposure, the TT genotype of the TGFB1 C509T polymorphism showed a significantly decreased risk for lung adenocarcinoma compared with the CC genotype (adjusted OR=0.362, 95% CI=0.149–0.878, P=0.025).

Conclusions

TGF-β1 gene C509T polymorphism might be associated with decreased risk of lung adenocarcinoma in Chinese females exposed to cooking oil fumes, but no association was observed TGFBR2 gene G875A polymorphism.

FBXL10 contributes to the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via involving in PI3K/mTOR pathway

Our study aimed to investigate whether F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 10 (FBXL10) may play a pivotal role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development via involving in PI3K/mTOR pathway. We .constructed an FBXL10 expression vector (pcDNA3.1-FBXL10). Then pcDNA3.1-FBXL10 and FBXL10-specific siRNA (siFBXL10) were transfected into human NPC cell line CNE1 and SUNE1 with Lipofectamine ® 2000. Moreover, cells were treated with PI3K inhibitor BEZ235. Besides, MTT assay and flow cytometry were respectively used to explore cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro. Finally, the expression of key proteins involved in PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, such as P-AKT, AKT, P-P70, P70, P-Myc and Myc, were determined by western blot. Western blot analysis displayed that FBXL10 was overexpressed and suppressed after transfected by pcDNA3.1-FBXL10 and siFBXL10, respectively. Moreover, cell proliferation in FBXL10 overexpression group gradually increased compared with control group while obviously decreased in siFBXL10 group. Moreover, volume of apoptotic cells significantly increased with knockdown of FBXL10, which was similar with BEZ235 treatment. Besides, knockdown of FBXL10 decreased the expression levels of PI3K/mTOR pathway-related proteins, which was also similar with BEZ235 treatment. Notably, BEZ235 and siFBXL10 treatment induced significant increase of cell apoptosis and decrease of the expression levels of PI3K/mTOR pathway-related proteins than that only treated with siFBXL10. These findings indicate that FBXL10 may play a pivotal role in promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis in NPC cells via targeting or functioning synergistically with PI3K/mTOR pathway. Knockdown of FBXL10 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NPC.

Systemic or intra-amygdala infusion of an endocannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 blocked propofol-induced anterograde amnesia

Propofol is well-known for its anterograde amnesic actions. However, a recent experiment showed that propofol can also produce retrograde memory enhancement effects via an interaction with the endocannabinoid CB1 system. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that the regulating effect of propofol on the endocannabinoid CB1 system might also decrease the anterograde amnesic effect of propofol under some conditions, which might be a risk factor for intraoperative awareness. Since, the basolateral amygdala (BLA) has been confirmed to mediate propofol-induced anterograde amnesia and the BLA contains a high concentration of CB1 receptors, the authors investigated whether and how the endocannabinoid system, particularly the CB1 receptor within BLA, influences propofol-induced anterograde amnesia. Male Sprague-Dawley rats trained with inhibitory avoidance (IA) were systematically pre-trained using a memory-impairing dose of propofol (25 mg/kg). Before propofol administration, rats received an intraperitoneal injection of a CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (1 mg/kg or 2 mg/kg) or a bilateral intra-BLA injection of AM251 (0.6 ng or 6 ng per 0.5 μl). Twenty-four hours after IA training, the IA retention latency was tested. It was found that systemic or intra-BLA injection of a non-regulating dose of AM251 (2 mg/kg or 6 ng per 0.5 μl, respectively) blocked the memory-impairing effect of propofol. These results indicate that the anterograde amnesic effect of propofol is mediated, in part, by activation of the CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the BLA.

Prognostic role of common microRNA polymorphisms in cancers: evidence from a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The morbidity and mortality of cancer increase remarkably every year. It's a heavy burden for family and society. The detection of prognostic biomarkers can help to improve the theraputic effect and prolong the lifetime of patients. microRNAs have an influential role in cancer prognosis. The results of articles discussing the relationship between microRNA polymorphisms and cancer prognosis are inconsistent.

METHODS

We conduct a meta-analysis of 19 publications concerning the association of four common polymorphisms, mir-146a rs2910164, mir-149 rs2292832, mir-196a2 rs11614913 and mir-499 rs3746444, with cancer prognosis. Pooled Hazard Ratios with 95% Confidence Intervals for the relationship between four genetic polymorphisms and Overall Survival, Recurrence-free Survival, Disease-free survival, recurrence are calculated. Subgroup analysis by population and type of tumor are conducted.

RESULTS

GG genotype of mir-146a may be the protective factor for overall survival, especially in Caucasian population. C-containing genotypes of mir-196a2 act as a risk role for overall survival. The same result exists in Asian population, in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and digestive cancer. The patients with C allele of mir-149 have a better overall survival, especially in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. No significant results are obtained for mir-499 polymorphisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Genetic polymorphisms in mir-146a, mir-196a2 and mir-149 may be associated with overall survival. This effect varies with different types of cancer. Genetic polymorphism in mir-499 may have nothing to do with cancer prognosis.