Optimized SAR imaging algorithm with SSL constraints for the Azimuth direction.

In order to address the low azimuth imaging problem of traditional Range Doppler (RD) algorithm, a high-resolution imaging algorithm with optimal azimuth sampling sequence length (SSL) constraints is hereby proposed. According to this algorithm, efforts are made to design a formula for the calculation of the initial azimuth SSL on the basis of SAR azimuth imaging parameters. Having obtained the initial SSL and the criteria for the evaluation of SAR imaging performance, we continue to figure out the extreme values of the curve within a reasonable range of variation. On the basis of these values, the optimal azimuth SSL can be determined to provide data support for global azimuth imaging. Measurement data from imaging experiments on airborne and spaceborne SARs show that, compared with traditional RD algorithm, the proposed algorithm reveals outstanding advantages as indicated by a number of factors critical for the evaluation of imaging performance, such as resolution, peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR) and integral sidelobe ratio (ISLR). Compared with reference methods with local optimal imaging performance, the proposed algorithm can help to obtain global optimal SAR imaging data.

Hypermethylation of thymosin ß4 predicts a poor prognosis for patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that thymosin ß4 (Tß4) could inflect the severity of acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF), but the relationship between its methylation status and the prognosis of liver failure is not clear. This study aimed to determine Tß4 promoter methylation status in patients with ACHBLF and to evaluate its prognostic value. METHODS: The study recruited 115 patients with ACHBLF, 80 with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B pre-liver failure (pre-ACHBLF), and 86 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). In addition, there were 36 healthy controls (HCs) from the Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. The 115 patients with ACHBLF were divided into three subgroups: 33 with early stage ACHBLF (E-ACHBLF), 42 with mid-stage ACHBLF (M-ACHBLF), and 40 with advanced stage ACHBLF (A-ACHBLF). Tß4 promoter methylation status in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was measured by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, and mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Methylation frequency of Tß4 was significantly higher in patients with ACHBLF than in those with pre-ACHBLF, CHB or HCs. However, expression of Tß4 mRNA showed the opposite trend. In patients with ACHBLF, Tß4 promoter methylation status correlated negatively with mRNA levels. The 3-month mortality of ACHBLF in the methylated group was significantly higher than that in the unmethylated group. Also, Tß4 promoter methylation frequency was lower in survivors than in non-survivors. When used to predict the 1-, 2-, and 3-month incidence of ACHBLF, Tß4 methylation status was better than the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score. The predictive value of Tß4 methylation was higher than that of MELD score for the mortality of patients with E-ACHBLF and M-ACHBLF, but not for A-ACHBLF. CONCLUSIONS: Tß4 methylation might be an important early marker for predicting disease incidence and prognosis in patients with ACHBLF.

A visually secure image encryption method based on integer wavelet transform and rhombus prediction.

Traditional image encryption technology usually encrypts a normal image into a noise matrix, which can protect the image in a certain extent, but noise appearance is easy to arouse the suspicion of attackers. To avoid this problem, a method of encrypting image into carrier image with visual meaning is proposed. Inspired by the existing visually secure encryption technique, we proposed an improved method based on the integer wavelet transform (IWT) and prediction scheme. The secret image is hidden in the high frequency coefficients of IWT to achieve good invisibility, and prediction error are used to replace the pixels of the carrier image to improve the final image quality. Experimental results and analysis show that the quality of the encrypted image is 3.5 dB better than that of the previous ones.

Treg/Th17 imbalance and its clinical significance in patients with hepatitis B-associated liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that T cell-mediated cellular immune mechanisms play important roles in the progression of hepatitis B to liver cirrhosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This present study was aimed to determine the relationship between Treg/Th17 and hepatitis B-associated liver cirrhosis. METHODS: The Treg and Th17 cell frequencies in the peripheral blood of all participants, including 93 patients with hepatitis B-associated liver cirrhosis and 40 healthy subjects, were measured by flow cytometer. Cox regression model and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves were applied to investigate the prognostic significance of Treg/Th17 ratio in decompensated liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: We observed the Treg/Th17 imbalance was present in patients with hepatitis B-associated liver cirrhosis, with reduced Treg cells in their peripheral blood, increased Th17 cells and decreased Treg/Th17 ratio. Treg and Th17 cells were negatively correlated. Treg/Th17 imbalance was closely related to the clinical stage of hepatitis B-associated liver cirrhosis. The Virus load, Treg frequencies and the Treg/Th17 ratio were independent factors predicting decompensated liver cirrhosis from a Cox regression model. The ROC analysis showed that the Treg/Th17 ratio was the best marker for predicting decompensated liver cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: Treg/Th17 imbalance is involved in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B-associated liver cirrhosis and the Treg/Th17 ratio can be used as a potential marker for predicting decompensated liver cirrhosis.

The complete chloroplast genome of Castanopsis carlesii (Hemsl.) Hay.

Castanopsis carlesii (Hemsl.) Hay. is a widely distributed and dominant tree species with significant ecological and economical values. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of C. carlesii was reported using the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform. The complete chloroplast genome was 160,205 bp forming a typical quadripartite structure, with a pair of inverted repeated (IRs) regions of 25,670 bp, a large single copy (LSC) region of 89,849 bp, and a small single copy (SSC) region of 19,016 bp. A total of 124 functional genes were annotated, including 79 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The ML phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus Castanopsis formed a clade except Castanopsis fargesii.

Relevance of serum interleukin-33 and ST2 levels and the natural course of chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-33 (IL-33) and ST2 have been demonstrated to be associated with liver damage. However, their potential value in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate the change of serum IL-33 and ST2 levels in the natural course of chronic HBV infection. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 20 chronic hepatitis B virus carriers in immunotolerant phase and 28 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All patients with CHB were divided into four groups according to their serum ALT levels. The serum levels of IL-33 and ST2 of all participants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and compared between each two out of those six groups. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in serum levels of IL-33 and ST2 between the group of CHB with ALT 1-2 upper limit of normal and the healthy controls (P = 0.354 for IL-33 and P = 0.815 for ST2). Other than that, there were significant differences when serum levels of IL-33 and ST2 were compared between any other two out of those six groups (P < 0.05, respectively). The overall correlation analysis indicated that changes of serum IL-33 and ST2 levels were positively associated with ALT levels in patients with chronic HBV infection (rs = 0.879, P < 0.001 for IL-33 and rs = 0.923, P < 0.001 for ST2). No significant differences were found when the serum levels of ALT, IL-33 and ST2 were compared between patients with HBeAg-positive CHB and HBeAg-negative CHB. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that the serum levels of IL-33 and ST2 varied in different courses of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The serum levels of IL-33 and ST2 elevated as serum ALT levels increased in patients with CHB. They might indicate liver damage for patients with CHB, just like ALT.

Demethylation of tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme predicts poor prognosis in acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE) has been demonstrated to be involved in liver inflammation. However, the significance of TACE methylation in acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) has not been demonstrated. This study aims to evaluate TACE methylation status in ACHBLF and determine its predictive value for prognosis. METHODS: Forty-five patients with ACHBLF, 80 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 54 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. The methylation status of TACE promoter was determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The TACE mRNA expression was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The plasma levels of TACE, TNF-α, sTNFRI, sTNFRII were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: TACE methylation was significantly lower in patients with ACHBLF than those with CHB (χ(2)=24.69, P<0.01) and HCs (χ(2)=35.93, P<0.01). Meanwhile, TACE methylation was significantly lower in CHB patients than HCs (χ(2)=4.03, P<0.05). TACE methylation was significantly inversely associated with its mRNA expression (r=-0.68; P<0.01). The plasma levels of TACE, TNF-α, sTNFRI, sTNFRII were significantly higher in patients with ACHBLF than those with CHB (P<0.05, respectively) and HCs (P<0.05, respectively). In patients with ACHBLF, significantly higher prothrombin activity, lower total bilirubin and MELD score were found in TACE methylated group than unmethylated group (P<0.05). ACHBLF patients with methylated TACE showed significantly better survival than those without (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: This study showed that demethylation of TACE promoter occurred in ACHBLF and might serve as a potential prognostic marker.

Hepatoprotective Effects of Grape Seed Procyanidin B2 in Rats With Carbon Tetrachloride-induced Hepatic Fibrosis.

CONTEXT: Infectious hepatitis is a serious problem affecting millions of people worldwide, particularly in China and other developing countries, and it is the major risk factor for hepatic cirrhosis. To date, the pathogenesis of hepatic cirrhosis is complex and unclear. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has long been used in its treatment; however, little is known to date about the effects of grape seed procyanidin B2 (GSPB2) on liver fibrosis. OBJECTIVES: Using a rat model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis, the study intended to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of GSPB2 and to determine the possible pathway by which GSPB2 exerts its activities. Design • Thirty-six male, Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the study. Rats in a model (CCl4 only) group and the GSPB2 group were given CCl4 to induce hepatic fibrosis. Simultaneously, animals in the GSPB2 group were treated with GSPB2 by intragastric administration for 12 wk. In addition, the rat's Kupffer cells were cultured with CCl4 and GSPB2. SETTING: The study took place at the central laboratory of Qilu Hospital at Shandong University in Jinan, China. OUTCOME MEASURES: The following parameters were investigated: (1) hepatic function; (2) the liver fibrosis index-serum hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type 3 procollagen (PC-3), collagen 4, and hepatic hydroxyproline; (3) the expression in the liver of transforming growth factor ß-1 (TGF-ß1); (4) inflammatory cytokines in the liver and cell culture medium-tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL) 1-ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, and IL-17; (5) oxidative stress markers in the liver and cell culture medium-malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC); and (6) levels of angiotensin 2 (Ang 2) in the liver. RESULTS: The CCl4 induced (1) significant hepatic-function damage; (2) elevated levels of the measures of the liver fibrosis index, TGF-ß1, inflammatory cytokines, MDA, and 8-OHdG; (3) a reduction in the activities of T-SOD and T-AOC; and (4) no effect on the level of expression of hepatic Ang 2. GSPB2 treatment partially reversed the changes induced by CCl4. The cell culture also showed that CCl4 elevated the levels of inflammatory cytokines and MDA in the Kupffer cell culture medium, whereas it reduced the activities of T-SOD and T-AOC in the medium. GSPB2 treatment partially reversed the changes induced by CCl4. CONCLUSIONS: GSPB2 had hepatoprotective effects on CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in Sprague-Dawley rats and inhibited the inflammatory response and oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro.

Demethylation of tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme promoter associated with high hepatitis B e antigen level in chronic hepatitis B.

AIM: To evaluate tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE) methylation status in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: Eighty patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB, 80 with HBeAg-negative CHB, and 40 healthy controls (HCs) were randomly enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and methylation status of TACE promoter was determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The clinical and laboratory parameters were collected. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty of 160 patients with CHB (81.25%) and 38 of 40 HCs (95%) displayed TACE promoter methylation. The difference was significant (χ (2) = 4.501, P < 0.05). TACE promoter methylation frequency in HBeAg-positive CHB (58/80, 72.5%) was significantly lower than that in HBeAg-negative CHB (72/80, 90%; χ (2) = 8.041, P < 0.01) and HCs (χ (2) = 8.438, P < 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed in the methylation frequency between HBeAg-negative CHB and HCs (χ (2) = 0.873, P > 0.05). In the HBeAg-positive group, TACE methylation frequency was significantly negatively correlated with HBeAg (r = -0.602, P < 0.01), alanine aminotransferase (r = -0.461, P < 0.01) and aspartate aminotransferase (r = -0.329, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Patients with HBeAg-positive CHB have aberrant demethylation of the TACE promoter, which may potentially serve as a biomarker for HBeAg seroconversion.

[Survey on Blastocystis hominis infection in HIV positive individuals in Fuyang City, Anhui Province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of co-infection of HIV and Blastocystis hominis and its risk factors. METHODS: A total of 309 people with HIV positive in the development zone of Fuyang City were recruited, and the face to face questionnaires were conducted to collect the information of behavioral characteristics and sociodemographic data of the participants. Meanwhile, the samples of stool and blood were collected to test B. hominis, cytokines and CD4+/CD8+ T-lymphocyte. The influencing factors of co-infection of HIV and Blastocystis hominis were analyzed by the single factor analysis and Logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among the 309 people involved, 302 accepted feces examinations, 286 accepted the questionnaire investigation, and 263 accepted both of them. The infection rate of B. hominis was 17.11%, that of the female was 21.90%, which was significantly higher than that of the male (11.90%) (P < 0.05). The results from the multivariate Logistic regression model showed that good nutrition was significantly associated with the co-infection of HIV and B. hominis (OR = 0.263, 95% CI: 0.073, 0.945). CONCLUSIONS: The infection rate of B. hominis is high in people with HIV positive, and the nutrition situation of individuals may be one of the important risk factors associated with co-infection.

Induction of non-small cell lung carcinoma apoptosis using soluble RGD-TRAIL by targeting the integrin receptor of tumor cells.

The tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a promising candidate for cancer therapeutics that exhibits the ability to preferentially induce apoptosis in malignant cells. RGD peptides bind to the integrins, ανß3 and ανß5, which are selectively expressed in tumor neovasculature and at the surface of certain tumor cells. To enhance the antitumor effect, an RGD-TRAIL protein, in which TRAIL was fused with the RGD motif-containing cell adhesive sequence, GRGDNP (gly-arg-gly-asp-asn-pro), was constructed and evaluated for bioactivity. The soluble TRAIL and RGD-TRAIL proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified using a non-denaturing method. The antitumor effect of the purified RGD-TRAIL on cell proliferation was evaluated in vitro using MTT and wound healing assays and cell apoptosis was assessed by Hoechst 33342 staining and PARP expression analysis. The results revealed that RGD-TRAIL inhibited the proliferation of multiple tumor cell lines (A549, NCI-H1299 and HCC827). Western blot analysis demonstrated that the treatment of tumor cells with RGD-TRAIL activated the apoptotic pathway by the cleavage of PARP, in the same way as wild-type TRAIL (wtTRAIL). These results demonstrate that RGD-TRAIL possesses more potent antitumor effects than wtTRAIL and, therefore, merits further investigation in preclinical and clinical studies.

A copper(II)-ethylenediamine modified polyoxoniobate with photocatalytic H2 evolution activity under visible light irradiation.

A new dimer polyoxoniobate [Cu(en)(2)](11)K(4)Na(2)[KNb(24)O(72)H(9)](2)·120H(2)O (1) has been synthesized and systematically characterized. Visible light photocatalytic H(2) evolution activity was researched with 1 as the visible-light photosensitizer and catalyst, cobaloximes [Co(III)(dmgH)(2)pyCl] as the co-catalysts, and triethylamine (TEA) as the sacrificial electron donor.

Adenovirus-mediated TRAIL expression and downregulation of Bcl-2 expression suppresses non-small cell lung cancer growth in vitro and in vivo.

Primary or acquired resistance to current treatment methods remains a major factor in clinical oncology and may be caused by failures in apoptosis programs. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce apoptosis in several human cancer cell types. However, not all cancer cells are susceptible to TRAIL and mechanisms of resistance and new strategies to enhance sensitivity are an area of intense investigation. Therefore, we investigated whether TRAIL resistance is due to Bcl-2 levels. In this study, we generated an adenoviral vector, Ad5.TRAIL/siBcl2, that permitted co-expression of shRNA against Bcl-2 and the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) therapeutic gene from a cytomegalovirus promoter. Infection with Ad5.TRAIL/siBcl2 resulted in significant cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells in vitro. In contrast, it had no effect on a normal lung cell line, WI-38. Impressively, treatment of the established NSCLC tumor model with Ad5.TRAIL/siBcl2 resulted in significant tumor regression, compared with other adenoviruses. This potent antitumor activity induced by Ad5.TRAIL/siBcl2 was due to strong inhibition of Bcl-2 and high expression of TRAIL. Thus, this study may provide a framework for future clinical applications of Ad5.TRAIL/siBcl2 in lung tumor gene therapy.

Three hybrid networks based on octamolybdate: ionothermal synthesis, structure and photocatalytic properties.

Three hybrid networks based on octamolybdate building units, Cu(I)(8)BBTZ(6)[(α-Mo(8)O(26))(ß-Mo(8)O(26))] (1), (Cu(I)BBTZ)(4)[Mo(7)Cu(II)O(24)(H(2)O)(2)]·6H(2)O (2), and Cu(II)Cu(I)(2)BBTZ(5)[ß-Mo(8)O(26)] (3) (BBTZ = 1,4-bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene), have been synthesized under ionothermal conditions and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. 1 exhibits a rare 3D three-fold self-penetration network (SPN) structure, in which the interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) formed by α-Mo(8)O(26) units, Cu(I) ions and BBTZ ligands are united by ß-Mo(8)O(26) units. 2 shows a classic 10(3)-utp net built by transition-metal monosubstitution octamolybdate ß-Mo(7)CuO(26), Cu(I) and BBTZ ligands. 3 displays an interesting interpenetrating network (IPN) structure formed by 2D poly-rings layers and 3D NaCl topology framework. IR, TG, and electrochemical studies were also conducted to further authenticate the identities of these compounds. Photocatalytic investigation indicates that compounds 1-3 are active for photocatalytic H(2) evolution under UV irradiation.

[Susceptibilities of Oncomelania hupensis snails to Schistosoma japonicum miracidia from different hosts].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the susceptibilities of Oncomelania hupensis snails to Schistosoma japonicum miracidia from different hosts. METHODS: The Schistosoma japonicum eggs from different hosts, such as rabbits, cattle and mice were collected. These eggs were incubated for miracidia, respectively. Each snail from the same site was exposed to 5 miracidia of Schistosoma japonicum from different hosts. The infected snails were fed in the laboratory for two months. Then all the snails were dissected and observed under the dissecting microscope in order to know the infection rate of snails. RESULTS: In the experiment group, the infection rates of snails infected with miracidia from rabbits, cattle and mice were 1.42%, 8.67% and 19.87%, respectively, the mortality rates were 29.5%, 13.5% and 24.5%, respectively. However, the infection rates of snails in the control group were 2.63%, 2.02% and 11.66%, respectively, and the mortality rates were 24.0%, 49.5% and 18.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The susceptibilities of Oncomelania snails to Schistosoma japonicum miracidia from 3 kinds of hosts are significantly different.