The relationship of MITF gene expression and promoter methylation with plumage colour in quail.

1. This study focused on the relationship between MITF mRNA expression and plumage colour in quail and the effect of promoter methylation on the expression of MITF mRNA.2. The CDS region of MITF mRNA was cloned by RT-PCR, followed by DNA sequencing. The RT-qPCR method was used to analyse the expression levels of MITF mRNA in dorsal skin tissue in Korean quail and Beijing white quail. The promoter region of the MITF gene was cloned, and the CpG island was predicted by the CpGplot program. The methylation levels of the CpG island were analysed using BS-PCR technology.3. Quail MITF mRNA contains a 1,476 bp complete ORF, which encodes a 492 amino acid residue protein. The MITF protein has no signal peptide or transmembrane region. The expression of MITF mRNA in dorsal tissue of Korean quail was significantly higher than that in Beijing white quail (p < 0.01). Abundant cis-elements and a 346 bp CpG island were found in the promoter region of the MITF gene. The average methylation level of the CpG island was 22 (22%) in Korean quail, and 46 (30%) in Beijing white quail (p < 0.05).4. The hypermethylation of the MITF gene promoter region in Beijing white quail resulted in a decrease in expression level, which was related to white feather colour.

Multi-region local field potential signatures and brain coherence alternations in response to nitroglycerin-induced migraine attacks.

OBJECTIVE: To decipher the underlying mechanisms of nitroglycerin (NTG)-induced migraine electrophysiologically. BACKGROUND: Migraine is a recurrent primary headache disorder with moderate to severe disability; however, the pathophysiology is not fully understood. Consequently, safe and effective therapies to alleviate migraine headaches are limited. Local field potential (LFP) recording, as a neurophysiological tool, has been widely utilized to investigate combined neuronal activity. METHODS: We recorded LFP changes simultaneously from the anterior cingulate cortex, posterior nucleus of the thalamus, trigeminal ganglion, and primary visual cortex after NTG injection in both anesthetized and freely moving rats. Additionally, brain coherence was processed, and light-aversive behavior measurements were implemented. RESULTS: Significant elevations of LFP powers with various response patterns for the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands following NTG injection were detected in both anesthetized and freely moving rats; however, a surge of coherence alternations was exclusively observed in freely moving rats after NTG injection. CONCLUSION: The multi-region LFP signatures and brain coherence alternations in response to NTG-induced migraine attacks were determined. Furthermore, the results of behavior measurements in the freely moving group indicated that NTG induced the phenomenon of photophobia in our study. All these findings offer novel insights into the interpretation of migraine mechanisms and related treatments.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography in the identification of prostatic arterial anatomy in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: prospective comparison with digital subtraction angiography.

AIM: To evaluate the utility of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) for identifying prostatic artery (PA) anatomy in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) before PA embolisation (PAE), using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 176 patients underwent pelvic CE-MRA at 3 T. DSA was performed within the following 7 days. Two interventional radiologists compared the CE-MRA findings with DSA findings to assess the anatomy of the PAs. The rates of correct identification of the origins and collaterals of the PAs by CE-MRA were calculated. The utility for predicting the optimal X-ray tube angle obliquity for visualising the origins of the PAs by CE-MRA was evaluated. An exact McNemar's test was used to compare the detection rates of the PAs and the collaterals with DSA versus CE-MRA. A two-sided p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 376 PAs identified by DSA, CE-MRA correctly identified the origins of 369 vessels (98.1%), with a 1.9% false-negative rate and no false-positive results. Of the 57 total collaterals identified by DSA, CE-MRA identified 50 vessels correctly (87.7%), with a 12.3% false-negative rate and no false-positive results. No significant differences were observed between CE-MRA and DSA in the identification of the PA origins (p=0.824) and the collaterals (p=0.327). The optimal degree for an oblique projection to visualise the origins of the PAs could be predicted accurately (100%) by pre-procedural CE-MRA. CONCLUSION: CE-MRA before PAE can reliably predict the PA anatomy and facilitate procedural planning.

The application of policy composite indicators to predicting the health risk and recovery: a global comparative investigation.

OBJECTIVES: There emerges increasing doubt regarding whether the policy composite indicators are applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic. A few early studies demonstrate that the association between some composite indicators of policy preparedness and the risk of COVID-19 is statistically insignificant, and the relation between any composite indicators and recovery process (e.g., vaccination coverage) remains unexplored. To examine the relation between composite indicators and pandemic risk (as well as the vaccination coverage) with robustness, this study applies different policy preparedness indicators by using data from multi-sources. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis was performed. METHOD: Regression analysis is adopted to examine the relation between four policy preparedness indicators (i.e., [1] International Health Regulations core capacity index, [2] Global Health Security Index, [3] epidemic preparedness index, and [4] World Governance Index) and COVID-19-confirmed cases/death/vaccination coverage at different time points. The linear regression is performed, and the spatial distribution of indicators are illustrated. RESULTS: Countries with higher ranking in policy preparedness indexes can experience less severity of pandemic risk (e.g., confirmed cases and mortality) and faster recovery process (e.g., higher vaccination coverage). However, slight disparity in effectiveness exists across different indicators. CONCLUSION: Results show that the policy preparedness indicators have predictive value of the confirmed cases, mortality, and vaccination coverage of COVID-19 pandemic, given sufficiently long-time span is observed.

[The influence of gastroenterologists' intrinsic motivation on work burnout and the mediating effects of work stress].

Objective: To analyze the influence of intrinsic motivation on work burnout and the mediating effects of work stress. Methods: In 2020, questionnaire survey was conducted in 1 655 gastroenterologists working in 28 provinces of China. Mediation model was used to analyze the mediating effects of work stress in the relationship between intrinsic motivation and burnout. Resutls 1655 valid questionnaires were collected, including 1 132 women and 523 men, with an average age of 39.26. Intrinsic motivation was related to reduced level of burnout, including emotional exhaustion, dehumanization and low sense of accomplishment (ß=-2.06, -1, 77 and-4.20;P<0.001). Job stress partially mediated the negative correlation between intrinsic motivation and job burnout in three dimensions, accounting for 40%, 15% and 5% (ß=-1.58, -0.36 and-0.21;P<0.05), respectively. In female physicians, the intrinsic motivation was more directly related to the reduction of burnout, especially in the dimension"emotional exhaustion"(direct effect accounting for 62% in female gastroenterologists and 46% in male). Conclusions: Enhancing the intrinsic motivation of gastroenterologists can directly reduce burnout and indirectly reduce burnout by alleviating work stress. In the same work environment, female physicians' intrinsic motivation had a greater and more direct effect on reducing burnout.

The safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolisation with bleomycin for hepatocellular carcinoma unresponsive to doxorubicin: a prospective single-centre study.

AIM: To investigate the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) with bleomycin for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) unresponsive to doxorubicin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomised controlled trial was undertaken of HCC patients resistant to TACE with doxorubicin to assess the survival benefits of the experimental group (TACE with bleomycin) compared with the control group (TACE with doxorubicin). One hundred and seventy patients were allocated randomly between December 2015 and December 2017, and 80 patients of each group were analysed. The modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumours (mRECIST) was used to evaluated the tumour response every 4-6 weeks. The primary endpoint was median progression-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS). Safety was assessed by post-procedure complications. RESULTS: The study was completed in October 2018. Objective response rate (ORR) of the experimental group was 27.5% (22/80), mPFS and mOS was 5.8 and 8.1 months. ORR of the control group was 7.5% (6/80), mPFS and mOS was 2.9 and 4 months. The ORR were significantly different between two groups (χ2 = 0.348, p<0.05). The differences of mPFS and mOS between the two groups were statistically significant (χ2 = 2.865, p<0.05 and χ2 = 0.926, p<0.05, respectively). There were no significant difference in post-procedure complications (p>0.05) and no major complications occurred. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that TACE with bleomycin is a safe and effective method for HCC and bleomycin can be a second-line chemotherapeutic agent for the HCC patients unresponsive to TACE with doxorubicin.

Rheological behavior of molecular vs network chalcogenide supercooled liquids.

The viscoelastic behavior of supercooled glass-forming liquids along the binary join As4S3-GeS2 with As4S3 contents varying from 81.25 to 9 mol. % and correspondingly with structures varying from predominantly molecular to a three-dimensional tetrahedral network is studied by small-amplitude oscillatory shear parallel plate rheometry. The storage shear modulus G' shows a scaling behavior of G'(ω) ∼ ωn in the terminal (low-frequency) regime, where n varies between 1 and 2 and shows an increasingly anomalous departure from the expected value of 2 (Maxwell scaling) with increasing molecule content. A concomitant departure from the Maxwell scaling is also observed for the loss modulus G″ at frequencies above the G'-G″ crossover. On the other hand, the variation in the phase angle δ with the complex modulus indicates that the molecular liquid does not display a purely viscous response even at the lowest frequencies. These results, combined with an analysis of the relaxation spectra of these liquids, suggest that the anomalous behavior of molecular liquids may be linked to their rather broad relaxation spectrum and the presence of slow relaxation processes associated with molecular clusters. Additionally, these liquids are also characterized by a wide high-frequency plateau in the relaxation spectral density that can be linked to the rotational dynamics of the constituent molecules. Such fundamental differences between the rheological behavior of molecular and network liquids may explain the significantly higher fragility of the former.

[Feasibility study of contrast injection scheme based on body mass and iodine flow rate in coronary computed tomography angiography with wide detector CT].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with the individualized contrast medium injection scheme based on body mass and iodine flow rate by using wide detector CT at 100 kV. Methods: From May 2018 to July 2018,270 patients with clinically suspected coronary artery disease underwent CCTA in TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital. They were randomly divided into three groups, 90 cases in each group: group A was 0.5 ml/kg, group B was 0.6 ml/kg, the flow rate of contrast medium injection in group A and group B was (body mass×25 mg)/the concentration of contrast medium,group C was 0.8 ml/kg and the flow rate of contrast medium was 5 ml/s. Iohexol (iodine concentration 350 mgI/ml) was used in all three groups. The CT values of the aorta root in the three groups, the CT value of the middle segment of LAD and RCA, SNR、CNR、SD of the aortic root, subjective score of coronary artery and effective dose (ED) were compared. Results: There was no significant difference in CT value of aortic root, CT value of middle LAD and RCA, SNR、CNR、SD of the aortic root, subjective score of coronary artery among group A, group B and group C (all P>0.05). The flow rates of the three groups of contrast agents were statistically different (4.5±0.5 vs 4.5±0.5 vs 5, P=0.015), and there was no statistical difference between group A and group B (P>0.05) but lower than group C (P=0.015); the amount of contrast agent in the three groups was statistically different (32±3 vs 38±4 vs 53±7, P<0.001), group A

[Value of lenvatinib for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To observe the safety and efficacy of lenvatinib for the treatment of medium-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: A total of 36 patients with medium-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma from the First Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed from January 2018 to May 2019. All patients had shown tumor progression after at least 2 sessions of TACE. The patients were consisted of 30 males and 6 females with age range of 35 to 76 (54±10) years. Patients received orally administered lenvatinib at a dose of 12 mg once daily for patients ≥ 60 kg and 8 mg once daily for patients<60 kg. According to modified RECIST criteria the tumor response, disease control rate, overall survival and progression free survival were evaluated once every 6-8 weeks. The adverse events were recorded. Results: No patient was in complete response, 2 cases (5.7%) in partial response, and 5 cases (14.3%) in stable disease, respectively. Disease control rate was 20.0% (7/35), the overall survival was 11.5 months, and the progression free survival was 5.3 months. The overall incidence of adverse events was 66.7% (24/36). The most frequent adverse events were hypertension, proteinuria, hand-foot skin reaction and abdominal distension. Conclusion: Lenvatinib can extend the overall survival in a percentage of medium-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients who were unresectable and refractory to TACE. Although the incidence of adverse events is high, most of them are mild and reversible.

Transarterial embolisation with bleomycin and N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate -Lipiodol mixture for symptomatic polycystic liver disease: preliminary experience.

AIMS: To evaluate the therapeutic effect and safety of transarterial embolisation using a bleomycin-Lipiodol mixture and N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA)-Lipiodol mixture (BNL) for the treatment of polycystic liver disease (PLD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2012 to July 2018, a total of consecutive 14 symptomatic patients (13 women and 1 man; mean age, 49.3±9.9 years) with PLD were referred and underwent transcatheter arterial embolisation (TAE) with BNL. RESULTS: Technical success was achieved in all cases. PLD-related severe symptoms were improved remarkably in 13 of the treated patients. The mean maximum abdominal circumference decreased significantly from 100.6±9.4 to 94.9±9.1 cm (p<0.01). The total liver volume decreased significantly compared with pre-TAE in 13 patients at 6-12 months after TAE. It decreased from 9,776±2,219 to 8,303±2,009 cm3 (p<0.01). There were no major complications associated with the procedure. CONCLUSION: TAE with the bleomycin-Lipiodol mixture and NBCA-Lipiodol mixture may be an effective method for treating symptomatic PLD patients, with improvement of symptoms and shrinkage of cyst volume.

[A comparative study of prostatic artery embolization in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with different prostatic volume].

Objective: To compare the efficacy of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) in the treatment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with different prostatic volume (PV). Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study, 137 patients, mean age (70±11) years, range 50-89 years, undergoing PAE for BPH between January 2015 and May 2017 in Chinese PLA General Hospital were involved and divided into three groups according to the PV (group A, >80 ml; group B, 40-80 ml; group C, <40 ml). The changes of international prostate symptoms (IPSS) score, quality of life (QoL) score, and maximum urinary flow rate (Q(max)) were compared among the three groups at 1, 6, and 12 months post-PAE. Correlation between the proportion of prostate ischemia at 1 month post-PAE and the proportion of PV reduction at 12 month post-PAE were analyzed, also the correlation between both of them with IPSS and QoL score were analyzed, respectively. Results: Mean baseline prostate volumes were 110 ml in group A (n=62), 67 ml in group B (n=47) and 33 ml in group C (n=28). At 12 months post-PAE, the outcomes of IPSS score and Q(max) in group A were better than those in group B and C (all P<0.05).The proportion of prostate ischemia at 1 month post-PAE and proportion of PV reduction at 12 month post-PAE in group A, B, and C were 61.4%, 49.3%, 38.0%, and 47.3%, 29.3%, 24.6%, respectively. The proportion of prostate ischemia in group A was larger than that in group B and C (P=0.049, 0.004), also the proportion of PV reduction in group A was greater than that in group B and C (P<0.01). The proportion of prostate ischemia at 1 month post-PAE in all three groups were positively correlated with the proportion of PV reduction at 12 month post-PAE (r=0.699, P=0.024; r=0.719, P=0.019; r=0.821, P=0.004), and there were positive correlations between both of them and the improvement of IPSS score at 12 month post-PAE (0.5

Association of intraocular pressure-related factors and retinal vessel diameter with optic disc rim area in subjects with and without primary open angle glaucoma.

IMPORTANCE: The data may support the notion that the intra-ocular pressure (IOP)-related factors and vascular factors were implicated concurrently in glaucomatous optic nerve damage. BACKGROUND: To study the association of intraocular pressure (IOP)-related factors, IOP, trans-lamina cribrosa pressure difference (TLCPD), cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) and retinal vessel diameters (RVD), central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE) with neuro-retinal rim area (RA). DESIGN: A population-based, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 6830 people aged 30 years and over. METHODS: All participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination, fundus photograph-based measurements of RVD and Heidelberg retinal tomogram (HRT) measurement of optic disc. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: RA, CRAE, CRVE, IOP, body mass index (BMI), CSFP and TLCPD. RESULTS: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) was diagnosed using two separate methods: 67 from expert consensus, and 125 from the International Society of Geographical and Epidemiologic Ophthalmology (ISGEO) classification. After excluding of those with high myopia or without gradable HRT images, 4194 non-glaucoma and 40 POAG were analysed for determinants of RA. On multivariable analysis determinants of reduced RA were POAG (P < 0.001), higher IOP (P = 0.03), higher refractive error (P < 0.01), longer axial length (P = 0.01), CRVE (P < 0.001), lower BMI (P = 0.015), older age (P < 0.001) smaller disc area (P < 0.001) and higher TLCPD (P = 0.03). When age and/or BMI were omitted from the model, reduced RA was also associated with lower CSFP (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Reduced RA is associated with narrow CRVE and higher IOP or lower CSFP. The data supports the concurrent role of IOP-related and vascular factors in glaucomatous optic nerve damage.

Characterization, tissue distribution of apela and periprandial, fasting and refeeding changes of apela mRNA in Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii.

Apela identified from zebrafish Danio rerio for the first time in 2013 is a novel endogenous peptide ligand for the apelin receptor. To study the role of apela in regulating fish feeding, the complementary (c) DNA sequence of apela of Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii was cloned for the first time. The apela cDNA fragment of 836 bp was obtained by cloning. The open reading frame (ORF) of apela was 165 bp encoding a 54 amino acid, including 22 amino acids signal peptide and two proteolytic sites. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that A. baerii apela was clustered with mammalian and amphibian sequences. A. baerii apela messeger (m)RNA was widely distributed in 11 tissues related to feeding, with high expressions in brain, oesophagus and stomach, especially in the brain. The level of apela mRNA in brain increased significantly after feeding. On the first day of fasting, apela expression in brain was significantly lower than that of the fed group, but after fasting for 3-15 days, the expression of apela in A. baerii brain was significantly higher than that in the fed group. After refeeding apela mRNA expression was obviously reduced. These results suggest that apela plays a bidirectional role in feeding regulation of A. baerii, which may serve as a short-term satiation factor and a long-term hunger factor.

[Transarterial chemoembolization with bleomycin treatment for moderate-advenced hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) using bleomycin for the treatment of medium-advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Between December 2015 and December 2017, a total of 160 patients from the Chinese PLA General Hospital with moderate-advanced HCC whose diagnoses were confirmed by pathology or clinical imaging and were in accord with the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging criteria were prospectively analyzed.All patients had shown persistent viable tumor or tumor progression after at least 2 sessions of TACE.All patients included 135 males and 25 females , age 35-74 (57±8)years, were randomly divided into two groups, the treatment group: TACE procedures consisted of bleomycin+ pirarubicin+ oxaliplatin+ fluorouracil, the control group: pirarubicin+ oxaliplatin+ fluorouracil, and according to modified RECIST criteria the tumor response was evaluated once every 4-6 weeks, survival analysis was performed, overall survival and progression free survival were evaluated.the adverse events were recorded. Results: Response rate of the treatment group was 27.5%(22/80), the median progression free survival(mPFS)was 5.8 months, and the median overall survival (mOS) was 8.1 months.Response rate of the control group was 7.5%(6/80), mPFS of 2.9 months, and mOS of 4 months.The differences in mPFS and in mOS between the two groups were statistically significant (P=0.009, 0.002 respectively), and no serious adverse occurred. Conclusion: It is suggested that transarterial chemoembolization with bleomycin is safe and effective for medium-advenced HCC.

[Analysis of risk factors of ventricular arrhythmia in patients with Brugada syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with Brugada syndrome. Methods: Clinical data of 60 Brugada syndrome patients admitted in the department of cardiology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from March 2003 to December 2016 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The age at diagnosis was (43.2±13.1) years (0.6-83.0 years), 98.3% were males (n=59), and the patients were followed up to (92±41) months (12-169 months). The 12-lead surface electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded at the time of diagnosis and showing the highest type 1 ST elevation, either spontaneously or after provocative drug test, was used for the analysis. Patients were divided into ventricular arrhythmia (VA, n=12) group and non-ventricular arrhythmia (non-VA, n=48) group depending on the presence or absence of clinical VA event. The demographic data and ECG data of the 2 groups were compared, and the independent risk factors of VA events were analyzed by stepwise logistic regression. Results: Incidence of family history of sudden death (7/12 vs. 22.9% (11/48)) and percentage of type 1 ST elevation in the peripheral ECG leads (6/12 vs. 16.67% (8/48)) were significantly higher in VA group than in non-VA group (both P<0.05). Max Tpeak-Tend (Max-Tpe) interval ((144±53)ms vs. (110±16)ms) and dispersion of Tpe ((74±50)ms vs. (43±17)ms) were significantly higher in VA group than in non-VA group (both P<0.05). The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the Max-Tpe interval was 0.693 and Max-Tpe interval ≥140 ms was determined as an optimized cutoff point with increased risk of VA event, which had a sensitivity of 50.0%, a specificity of 98.0%, a positive predictive value of 85.7%, and a negative predictive value of 88.7% for predicting VA event. The ROC curves for the dispersion of Tpe was 0.775 and dispersion of Tpe ≥45 ms was determined as an optimized cutoff point for predicting VA event, which had a sensitivity of 91.7%, a specificity of 64.6%, a positive predictive value of 39.3%, and a negative predictive value of 96.9% for predicting VA event. In multivariate analysis, Max-Tpe interval ≥140 ms (OR=27.53, 95%CI 1.07-706.77, P=0.045) and family history of sudden death (OR=24.63, 95%CI 2.05-295.38, P=0.011) were found to be the independent risk factors of arrhythmic events. Conclusions: Max-Tpe interval ≥140 ms and family history of sudden death are risk factors of VA event in included patients with Brugada syndrome.

Ultra-sparse metasurface for high reflection of low-frequency sound based on artificial Mie resonances.

Acoustic metamaterials offer great flexibility for manipulating sound waves and promise unprecedented functionality, ranging from transformation acoustics, super-resolution imaging to acoustic cloaking. However, the design of acoustic metamaterials with exciting functionality remains challenging with traditional approaches using classic acoustic elements such as Helmholtz resonators and membranes. Here we demonstrate an ultraslow-fluid-like particle with intense artificial Mie resonances for low-frequency airborne sound. Eigenstate analysis and effective parameter retrieval show two individual negative bands in the single-size unit cell, one of which exhibits a negative bulk modulus supported by the monopolar Mie resonance, whereas the other exhibits a negative mass density induced by the dipolar Mie resonance. The unique single-negative nature is used to develop an ultra-sparse subwavelength metasurface with high reflectance for low-frequency sound. We demonstrate a 0.15λ-thick, 15%-filling ratio metasurface with an insertion loss over 93.4%. The designed Mie resonators provide diverse routes to construct novel acoustic devices with versatile applications.

Controlling the Supramolecular Architecture of Molecular Gels with Surfactants.

Manipulating molecular assembly is significant for achieving materials with desirable performances. In this paper, two nonionic surfactants, Span 20 and Triton X-100, are used to tune the nucleation and fiber growth of a molecular gelator 2,3-di-n-decyloxyanthracene (DDOA). Confocal microscopic images show that Span 20 induces elongation of DDOA spherulites, and promotes fiber side branching. In contrast, Triton X-100 enhances the primary nucleation of DDOA leading to the formation of smaller DDOA spherulites, and promotes fiber tip branching. (1)H NMR investigation demonstrates strong interactions between the hydrophobic tails of the surfactants and the alkyl chains of DDOA molecules.The interactions significantly reduce the diffusion of DDOA molecules. The different effects of the two surfactants could be attributable to their different alkyl hydrophobic tails. The hydrophobic tail of Span 20 is similar to the alkyl chain of DDOA, which could promote the adsorption of Span 20 on the fiber side surface rich in alkyl chains of DDOA.While the benzene ring in the hydrophobic tail of Triton X-100 could facilitate the primary nucleation of DDOA and the adsorpion of Triton X-100 on the fiber tip surface rich in aromatic structure of DDOA. The observations of this work will help the development of a convenient approach to tune the fiber network structure of molecular gels.

Dynamics of morphological evolution in experimental Escherichia coli populations.

Here, we applied a two-stage clonal expansion model of morphological (cell-size) evolution to a long-term evolution experiment with Escherichia coli. Using this model, we derived the incidence function of the appearance of cell-size stability, the waiting time until this morphological stability, and the conditional and unconditional probabilities of morphological stability. After assessing the parameter values, we verified that the calculated waiting time was consistent with the experimental results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the two-stage model. According to the relative contributions of parameters to the incidence function and the waiting time, cell-size evolution is largely determined by the promotion rate, i.e., the clonal expansion rate of selectively advantageous organisms. This rate plays a prominent role in the evolution of cell size in experimental populations, whereas all other evolutionary forces were found to be less influential.

Joint effects of gray matter atrophy and altered functional connectivity on cognitive deficits in amnestic mild cognitive impairment patients.

BACKGROUND: Gray matter (GM) atrophy and disrupted intrinsic functional connectivity (IFC) are often present in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), which shows high risk of developing into Alzheimer's disease. Little is known, however, about the relationship between GM atrophy and altered IFC, and whether they are related to cognitive decline. METHOD: A total of 30 aMCI and 26 cognitively normal (CN) subjects were recruited for this study. Optimized voxel-based morphometric and resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging approaches were performed to measure the GM volumes (GMVs) and atrophy-related IFC, respectively. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of GM atrophy and IFC on cognitive performance across subjects, after controlling for the effects of age, education, gender and group. RESULTS: Compared with CN subjects, aMCI subjects showed significantly reduced GMVs and decreased IFC in the frontal-parietal and medial temporal lobe systems. Multivariate regression analysis further demonstrated that the GMVs and decreased IFC simultaneously affected the cognitive function. Specifically, GMVs were positively correlated with cognitive performances, including global cognition and episodic memory, and showed a strong trend in correlation between GMVs and non-episodic memory, whilst IFC was positively correlated with the above three cognitive measures, across all subjects. In addition, significant correlation was found between GMVs and altered IFC strength across all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated that GMVs and IFC jointly contribute to cognitive performance, and combining quantitative information about GMVs and the strength of functional connectivity may serve as an indicator of cognitive deficits in non-demented elderly.

Vascular endothelial growth factor gene is associated with hypertensive cerebellar hemorrhage and rehabilitative treatment.

Early rehabilitative therapy is important for patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage to improve long-term function of the extremities. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is closely associated with the pathogenesis of hypertension. To identify the markers contributing to the genetic susceptibility to hypertensive cerebellar hemorrhage (HCH) and rehabilitative treatment, we examined the potential association between HCH and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms of the VEGF gene. Participants included 244 patients with HCH and 251 healthy controls from our rehabilitation department. The T allelic frequencies of the rs3025020 (intron 6) and rs3025039 (3'-UTR) polymorphisms were significantly higher in the patients with HCH than in the healthy controls (rs3025020 T allele: P = 0.0002, OR = 1.619, 95%CI = 1.256-2.088; rs3025039 T allele: P = 0.001, OR = 1.682, 95%CI = 1.246-2.270). Strong linkage disequilibrium was observed in three blocks (D' > 0.9), and significantly more C-G-C (rs3025020, rs3025030, and rs3025039) haplotypes (P = 0.001) were found in the controls in block 3. Significantly more T-G-C haplotypes were found in the patients with HCH (P = 0.046). Further genotype and clinical phenotype correlation study of the rs3025039 carriers showed that Fugl-Meyer and Barthel index scores were lower in the patients with the TT genotype relative to CT + CC genotypes (P < 0.01). These findings point to a role for VEGF polymorphism in HCH, and may be informative for future investigations on the pathogenesis of rehabilitative treatment.