Pyroptosis: A possible link between obesity-related inflammation and inflammatory diseases.

The main manifestation of obesity is persistent low-level inflammation and insulin resistance, which is an important factor inducing or promoting other obesity-related diseases. As a proinflammatory programmed cell death, pyroptosis plays an important role, especially in the activation and regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Pyroptosis is associated with the pathogenesis of many chronic inflammatory diseases and is characterized by the formation of micropores in the plasma membrane and the release of a large number of proinflammatory cytokines. This article mainly introduces the main pathways and key molecules of pyroptosis and focuses on the phenomenon of pyroptosis in obesity. It is suggested that the regulation of pyroptosis-related targets may become a new potential therapy for the prevention and treatment of systemic inflammatory response caused by obesity, and we summarize the potential molecular substances that may be beneficial to obesity-related inflammatory diseases through target pyroptosis.

Nitrogen process in stormwater bioretention: effect of the antecedent dry days on the relative abundance of nitrogen functional genes.

In this study, we evaluated the relative abundance of nitrogen functional genes (amoA, nirK and nirS) involved in ammonia oxidation and denitrification bacteria in laboratory-scale bioretention columns in response to environmental factors (e.g., moisture content, pH, soil organic matter, soil nitrogen) under different antecedent dry days (ADDs). We observed a decrease tendency of the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at first and then increased when increasing ADDs from 1 to 22 day, while the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria showed a downward trend. The abundance of bacteria gene amoA was positively associated with soil ammonia nitrogen concentration (r2 = 0.389, p < 0.05) and soil organic matter concentration (r2 = 0.334, p < 0.05), while the abundance of bacteria gene nirS was positively correlated with soil ammonia nitrogen (r2 = 0.730, p < 0.01), soil organic matter (r2 = 0.901, p < 0.01) and soil total nitrogen (r2 = 0.779, p < 0.01). Furthermore, gene counts for bacteria gene nirS were correlated negatively with plant root length (r2 = 0.364, p < 0.05) and plant biomass (r2 = 0.381, p < 0.05). Taken together, these results suggest that both nitrification and denitrification can occur in bioretention systems, which can be affected by environmental factors.

Point spread function degradation model of a polarization imaging system for wide-field subwavelength nanoparticles: publisher's note.

This publisher's note corrects the author listing in Appl. Opt.59, 7114 (2020).APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.397357.

Point spread function degradation model of a polarization imaging system for wide-field subwavelength nanoparticles.

We propose a comprehensive point spread function (PSF) degradation model, which considers multiple factors consisting of degradation of specimen retardant sampling and polarization angularly anamorphic sampling, to indicate the image degradation characteristics of polarization imaging systems. First, a one-layer optical coherence tomography (OCT) model was established to express the retardancy of medium-loading specimens. Then, a PSF degradation model of angularly anamorphic polarization sampling was deduced through the retrieval of Stokes parameters. Finally, maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) was adopted to assess the distribution of the proposed model. Hypothesis testing using actual data and numerical simulations demonstrated that the error of the system followed an asymmetric generalized Gaussian distribution (AGGD). Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation results and an actual imaging experiment demonstrate the consistency of the proposed model and the degradation characteristics of the PSF, which provide support for the improved accuracy and enhanced image quality of the optical field retrieval of nanoparticles.

Utilizing a Spiro Core with Acridine- and Phenothiazine-Based New Hole Transporting Materials for Highly Efficient Green Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Two new hole transporting materials, 2,7-bis(9,9-diphenylacridin-10(9H)-yl)-9,9' spirobi[fluorene] (SP1) and 2,7-di(10H-phenothiazin-10-yl)-9,9'-spirobi[fluorene] (SP2), were designed and synthesized by using the Buchwald-Hartwig coupling reaction with a high yield percentage of over 84%. Both of the materials exhibited high glass transition temperatures of over 150 °C. In order to understand the device performances, we have fabricated green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs) with SP1 and SP2 as hole transporting materials. Both of the materials revealed improved device properties, in particular, the SP2-based device showed excellent power (34.47 lm/W) and current (38.41 cd/A) efficiencies when compare with the 4,4'-bis(N-phenyl-1-naphthylamino)biphenyl (NPB)-based reference device (30.33 lm/W and 32.83 cd/A). The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of SP2 was 13.43%, which was higher than SP1 (13.27%) and the reference material (11.45%) with a similar device structure. The SP2 hole transporting material provides an effective charge transporting path from anode to emission layer, which is explained by the device efficiencies.

Coverage, quality of and barriers to postnatal care in rural Hebei, China: a mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Postnatal care is an important link in the continuum of care for maternal and child health. However, coverage and quality of postnatal care are poor in low- and middle-income countries. In 2009, the Chinese government set a policy providing free postnatal care services to all mothers and their newborns in China. Our study aimed at exploring coverage, quality of care, reasons for not receiving and barriers to providing postnatal care after introduction of this new policy. METHODS: We carried out a mixed method study in Zhao County, Hebei Province, China from July to August 2011. To quantify the coverage, quality of care and reasons for not using postnatal care, we conducted a household survey with 1601 caregivers of children younger than two years of age. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 township maternal and child healthcare workers to evaluate their views on workload, in-service training and barriers to postnatal home visits. RESULTS: Of 1442 (90% of surveyed caregivers) women who completed the postnatal care survey module, 8% received a timely postnatal home visit (within one week after delivery) and 24% of women received postnatal care within 42 days after delivery. Among women who received postnatal care, 37% received counseling or guidance on infant feeding and 32% on cord care. 24% of women reported that the service provider checked jaundice of their newborns and 18% were consulted on danger signs and thermal care of their newborns. Of 991 mothers who did not seek postnatal care within 42 days after birth, 65% of them said that they did not knew about postnatal care and 24% of them thought it was unnecessary. Qualitative findings revealed that staff shortages and inconvenient transportation limited maternal and child healthcare workers in reaching out to women at home. In addition, maternal and child healthcare workers said that in-service training was inadequate and more training on postnatal care, hands-on practice, and supervision were needed. CONCLUSIONS: Coverage and quality of postnatal care were low in rural Hebei Province and far below the targets set by Chinese government. We identified barriers both from the supply and demand side.

Expression patterns of ubiquitin conjugating enzyme UbcM2 during mouse embryonic development.

Ubiquitin conjugating enzyme UbcM2 (Ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes from Mice, the number reveals the identification order) has been implicated in many critical processes, such like growth-inhibiting, mediating cell proliferation and regulation of some transcription factor, but the expression profile during mouse embryo development remains unclear. Hereby, during mid-later embryonic stage, the expression patterns of UbcM2 were examined using in situ hybridization and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The signals were significantly intense in central nervous system and skeletal system, weak in tongue, heart, lung, liver, and kidney. In the central nervous system, UbcM2 was principally expressed in thalamus, external germinal layer of cerebellum (EGL), mitral cell layer of olfactory bulb, hippocampus, marginal zone and ventricular zone of cerebral cortex, and spinal cord. In the skeletal system, UbcM2 was primarily expressed in proliferating cartilage. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis displayed that the expression of UbcM2 was ubiquitous at E15.5, most prominent in brain, weaker in lung liver and kidney, accompanied by the lowest level in tongue and heart. During brain development, the expression level of UbcM2 first ascended and then decreased from E12.5 to E18.5, the peak of which sustained starting at E14.5 until E16.5. Together, these results suggest that UbcM2 may play potential roles in the development of mouse diverse tissues and organs, particularly in the development of brain and skeleton.

Sustainable Digital Economy Through Good Governance: Mediating Roles of Social Reforms and Economic Policies.

The most powerful and crucial concept today is a sustainable digital economy. This research is aimed to investigate the predictors of a sustainable digital economy in China. In addition, the mediating roles of social reforms and economic policies were investigated between good governance and a sustainable digital economy. This cross-sectional research considered partial least square-structural equational modeling (PLS-SEM) as an analysis technique. The data were collected from 317 managerial staff of the e-commerce industry in China via a self-structured questionnaire. A random sampling technique was applied in the data collection process. Results showed that good governance positively impacts the sustainable digital economy, social reforms, and economic policies. Additionally, an increase in social reforms and economic policies led to a sustainable digital economy in China. Social reforms and economic policies partially mediated the relationship between good governance and a sustainable digital economy. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying components of a sustainable digital economy and examining whether good governance may aid in attaining a sustainable digital economy. Nowadays, research on the sustainable digital economy has got attention from policymakers and researchers around the globe. These outcomes suggest several ways to improve the sustainable digital economy in China. This research is not without limitations, such as cross-sectional and based on responses of the respondents. Several research avenues were discussed and can be influenced by many factors for future perspectives.

Development of methods for detecting the fate of mesenchymal stem cells regulated by bone bioactive materials.

The fate of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is regulated by biological, physical and chemical signals. Developments in biotechnology and materials science promoted the occurrence of bioactive materials which can provide physical and chemical signals for MSCs to regulate their fate. In order to design and synthesize materials that can precisely regulate the fate of MSCs, the relationship between the properties of materials and the fate of mesenchymal stem cells need to be clarified, in which the detection of the fate of mesenchymal stem cells plays an important role. In the past 30 years, a series of detection technologies have been developed to detect the fate of MSCs regulated by bioactive materials, among which high-throughput technology has shown great advantages due to its ability to detect large amounts of data at one time. In this review, the latest research progresses of detecting the fate of MSCs regulated by bone bioactive materials (BBMs) are systematically reviewed from traditional technology to high-throughput technology which is emphasized especially. Moreover, current problems and the future development direction of detection technologies of the MSCs fate regulated by BBMs are prospected. The aim of this review is to provide a detection technical framework for researchers to establish the relationship between the properties of BMMs and the fate of MSCs, so as to help researchers to design and synthesize BBMs better which can precisely regulate the fate of MSCs.

Orthokeratology lens for management of myopia in anisometropic children: A contralateral study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of overnight orthokeratology (OK) lens wear on axial growth in anisometropic children. METHODS: The study involved 17 males and 12 females with an average age of 11.4 ± 2.9 years. Cycloplegic spherical equivalent error (SER) was -0.50D to -6.00D, and anisometropia ≥1.00D. The eyes with greater myopia were assigned to the G eye group and the fellow eyes with less myopia to the L eye group. All eyes were fitted with OK lenses. Axial length (AL) was measured at the beginning of the study and at 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month follow-up visits. Refractive error was measured at the beginning and at the 24-month visit. Linear mixed model analysis was used to evaluate the effect of time, group, and time*group on axial growth. Paired t test was used to compare the myopia increase over 24 months between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean baseline AL was 25.06 ± 0.61 mm for the G eyes and 24.48 ± 0.61 mm for the L eyes. After 24 months, AL had increased by 0.31 ± 0.23 mm in the G eye group and by 0.41 ± 0.31 mm in the L eye group. Axial growth of the L eyes was significantly greater than that of the G eyes (p = 0.006). The mean baseline myopia of the G eye and the L eye was -3.62 ± 1.27D [-5.75D to -1.75D] and -1.93 ± 1.02D [-4.00D to -0.50D] respectively. At 24 months, the increase in myopia in the G eyes was significantly less than that in the L eyes (-0.84 ± 0.63D vs, -1.21 ± 0.89D, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In anisometropic children who wore OK lenses, axial growth was greater in the eye with less baseline myopia than in the fellow eye with greater baseline myopia after 2 years.

Neuroprotective effect of intermittent hypobaric hypoxia preconditioning on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic tolerance is an endogenous protective mechanism in organs or tissues undergoing one or more short-term sublethal ischemias. Intermittent hypobaric hypoxia preconditioning (IHHP) can induce tolerance and thus protect brain tissues from cerebral ischemic injury (CIR). The current study evaluated the neuroprotective effect of IHHP. METHODS: The established xenograft model was divided into the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), IHHP, IHHP+I/R, and sham groups. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe alterations in neuron ultrastructure. Neuron damage was detected using Nissl staining. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to evaluate the relative expression of genes and proteins related to apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of proteins involved in the processes of neuroprotection and repair. RESULTS: Our results indicated that the damage to the neurons, organelles, and axons was significantly less following ischemia/reperfusion and intermittent hypobaric hypoxia reconditioning treatment than that in the ischemia/reperfusion group. Compared to the ischemia/reperfusion group, significant downregulation of pro-apoptotic gene/protein expressions along with upregulation of anti-apoptotic and nerve regeneration gene/protein expressions in the IHHP+I/R group were observed. CONCLUSION: IHHP can significantly reduce ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat brain nerves and promote nerve repair.

Evaluation of Orchid-Like Aroma Between Different Grades of Taiping Houkui Tea by Solid-Phase Microextraction and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Coupled with Time-of-Fight Mass Spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Taiping houkui tea won the title of "the King of Green Tea" at the International Tea Exposition in 2004, which had an orchid fragrance but the material basis of the orchid fragrance had not been revealed yet. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the material basis of the orchid fragrance and identify the quality grade of Taiping houkui tea. METHODS: A method was developed for evaluating orchid-like aroma between different grades Taiping houkui tea by solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-fight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS). The crushed tea sample in a 25 mL headspace bottle was incubated at 90°C for 10 min. Then the gaseous sample was extracted by SPME divinylbenzene/polydimethylsiloxane fiber for 50 min and thermally desorpted at 250°C for 2 min. RESULTS: In total, 735 volatile compounds were determined by SPME- GC×GC-TOFMS and 15 compounds were related to orchid-like aroma. CONCLUSIONS: The high-quality Taiping houkui tea has the orchid fragrance and the low-grade one does not; thus orchid-like aroma can be used as a reference of grades of Taiping houkui tea. HIGHLIGHTS: Thirty different grades of Taiping houkui tea samples were compared and analyzed experimentally, and the results showed that the special aroma substances, which played a key role in grade discrimination of Taiping houkui tea, were found by the statistical method.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction Combined with Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Quadrupole/Q-Exactive High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for the Determination of Main Flavor Substances in Green Tea.

BACKGROUND: In order to make up for the efficacy of sensory assessment of green tea quality and taste, main flavor substances should be quantitatively characterized based on efficient extraction and frontier determination scheme. METHODS: A new, relatively simple sample preparation and detection workflow has been developed for the quantification and confirmation of flavor substances in green tea by microwave-assisted extraction combined with ultra-high-performance LC and quadrupole/Q-Exactive high-resolution MS system. The method identified main flavor substances (i.e., catechins, free amino acids, and caffeine) that were the main components in the formation of tea taste. After crushing pretreatment, tea was extracted and purified simultaneously in a microwave extraction jar by matrix-dispersed solid-phase extraction. The extracting solution was determined by LC coupled to high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry. RESULTS: In this study, extraction solvent and purification materials were selected, extraction temperature and time were optimized, and the amount and proportion of solid-phase extraction packing were optimized. CONCLUSIONS: The method enabled detection of multiple catechins, amino acids, and caffeine in tea by LC coupled to high-resolution Orbitrap MS, and a database of tea flavor substances was established. HIGHLIGHTS: The method could be used for screening and confirmation of the main flavor substances in tea as well as assisting the sensory evaluation to grade the quality of tea.

The effects of exercise-induced fatigue on acetylcholinesterase expression and activity at rat neuromuscular junctions.

Acetylcholinesterase is the enzyme that terminates neurotransmission by hydrolyzing the acetylcholine released by the motoneurons at the neuromuscular junctions. Although acetylcholinesterase has been studied for almost a century, the underlying relationship between exercise-induced fatigue and acetylcholinesterase activity at the synaptic cleft is not clear. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of exercise-induced fatigue on the expression and activity of acetylcholinesterase at the neuromuscular junctions. The expression and activity of acetylcholinesterase at the gastrocnemius neuromuscular junctions was decreased transiently by exercise-induced fatigue and then gradually increased over 24 hr. The expression of acetylcholinesterase in the 24 hr recovery group returned to the level of the control (non-exercised) group, but the activity of acetylcholinesterase remained significantly lower. These data suggest that the decrease of acetylcholinesterase expression and activity may be involved in the production and/or maintenance of exercise-induced fatigue.

Gut microbiota: a potential manipulator for host adipose tissue and energy metabolism.

Normally, the gut microbiota has a mutually beneficial association with host health and maintains its commensal status in mammals. Conversely, it can also negatively influence host physiology under some certain circumstances, including obesity and other disease states. Although numerous gut microbial functions directly affect the gastrointestinal tract, in this paper, we focus on the influences of the gut microbiota on host adipose tissue and energy metabolism, particularly lipometabolism. We thoroughly discuss two important microbial products, short-chain fat acids and lipopolysaccharides, which are linked to several mechanisms involved in obesity and adipose, including differentiation, energy metabolism and immunity. Furthermore, this review also addresses some potentially beneficial functions of probiotics, which can serve to prevent or alleviate host pathological states, including dysbacteriosis, obesity, low-grade inflammation and metabolic syndrome.

Correlation between Ultrasound Elastography and Histologic Characteristics of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between elastography and histologic characteristics including fibrosis and calcification. We also wanted to investigate whether other clinicopathologic indexes influence the strain ratio (SR) of papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). We retrospectively reviewed 126 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) from 103 patients who underwent ultrasonography and elastography before surgery. The histologic characteristics and clinicopathologic indexes were compared with the SR of ultrasound elastography (UE). The results showed that there was a significantly positive correlation between fibrosis degree and SR measurements (r = 0.754, p = 0.000); the SR was significantly different between the groups with and without calcification (11.34 ± 10.08 vs. 6.81 ± 7.33, p = 0.000). The standard coefficients of collagen and stromal calcification were 0.684 and 0.194, respectively. There was no significant correlation between SR and indices such as size, position, co-existence with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), multifocality or cervical lymph node (CLN) metastasis. In conclusion, we found that the SR of UE is positively correlated with the fibrosis of PTC. Stromal calcification will elevate the SR dramatically, but psammoma bodies will not when they exist in the absence of stromal calcification.

Lanthanide separation using size-selective crystallization of Ln-MOFs.

Herein, we report an elaborate method, size-selective crystallization of Ln-MOFs, to isolate lanthanide (Ln) ions. Herein, 13 lanthanide ions, except for the radioactive Pm(iii) ion, were separated by four types of Ln-MOFs: type I (La-Pr), type II (Nd-Eu), type III (Gd-Ho), and type IV (Er-Lu). Further systemic investigation also suggested the highly selective separation of lanthanide ions by this method.

Correction: Lanthanide separation using size-selective crystallization of Ln-MOFs.

Correction for 'Lanthanide separation using size-selective crystallization of Ln-MOFs' by Heng Ya Gao et al., Chem. Commun., 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c7cc01898c.

UCP2 protects against amyloid beta toxicity and oxidative stress in primary neuronal culture.

AD is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by aggregated amyloid-beta (Aß) peptide, and oxidative stress, while uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is a member of the anion carrier family, predicted the existence of a protein-regulated proton leak with the main purpose of controlling mitochondrial oxidative stress, reduce the generation of superoxide anion. we use the primary hippocampal neurons and add the different doses of Aß1-40, then observe the change of UCP2 at different concentrations of Aß, activity of LDH and the content of NO. Our results provide novel insight that UCP2 may protect hippocampal neurons exposed to amyloid ß protein through decreasing ROS production. 20µmol/L Aß1-40 significantly increased the activity of LDH and the content of NO. According to the correlation analysis, NO was significantly correlation with LDH, and UCP2 was significantly correlation with NO. These results suggest the potential of UCP2 as a therapeutic candidate for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.