WO3/Pt/PEG/SiO2 porous film for hydrogen sensing by the sol-gel method.

Tungsten oxide (W O 3) has been widely used in hydrogen sensing due to its stable chemical properties and high oxygen vacancy diffusion coefficient. However, the response of pure W O 3 to hydrogen is slow, and doping is an effective way to improve the hydrogen sensing performance of W O 3 materials. In this paper, W O 3/P t/P E G/S i O 2 porous film was prepared by the sol-gel method using tungsten powder, H 2 O 2 and C 2 H 5 O H as precursors, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the pore-forming agent, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the S i O 2 source material. The sensing properties of the W O 3 composite for hydrogen were characterized by a transmission optical fiber hydrogen sensing system made at home. The process parameters such as water bath time, aging time, W:PEG ratio, and W:TEOS ratio were optimized to improve the sensitivity and response time of the sensing film. The experimental results indicate that the sensitivity is 15.68%, the average response time is 45 s, and the repeatability is up to 98.74% in 16 consecutive tests. The linearity index R 2 is 0.9946 within the hydrogen concentration range of 5000 ppm to 50,000 ppm. The film responds only to H 2 when the concentration of interfering gases (C H 4, CO, C O 2) is 2000 ppm. The hydrogen sensing performance of the optimized film is significantly improved compared with that of the undoped film.

[Identification and functional analysis of jasmonic acid signaling repressor McJAZ8 gene in Mentha canadensis].

Mentha canadensis, as a plant with medicinal and culinary uses, holds significant economic value. Jasmonic acid signaling repressor JAZ protein has a crucial role in regulating plant response to adversity stresses. The M. canadensis McJAZ8 gene is cloned and analyzed for protein characterization, protein interactions, and expression patterns, so as to provide genetic resources for molecular breeding of M. canadensis for stress tolerance. This experiment will analyze the protein structural characteristics, subcellular localization, protein interactions, and gene expression of McJAZ8 using bioinformatics, yeast two-hybrid(Y2H), transient expression in tobacco leaves, qRT-PCR, and other technologies. The results show that:(1)The full length of the McJAZ8 gene is 543 bp, encoding 180 amino acids. The McJAZ8 protein contains conserved TIFY and Jas domains and exhibits high homology with Arabidopsis thaliana AtJAZ1 and AtJAZ2.(2)The McJAZ8 protein is localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm.(3)The Y2H results show that McJAZ8 interacts with itself or McJAZ1/3/4/5 proteins to form homologous or heterologous dimers.(4)McJAZ8 is expressed in different tissue, with the highest expression level in young leaves. In terms of leaf sequence, McJAZ8 shows the highest expression level in the fourth leaf and the lowest expression level in the second leaf.(5) In leaves and roots, the expression of McJAZ8 is upregulated to varying degrees under methyl jasmonate(MeJA), drought, and NaCl treatments. The expression of McJAZ8 shows an initial upregulation followed by a downregulation pattern under CdCl_2 treatment. In leaves, the expression of McJAZ8 tends to gradually decrease under CuCl_2 treatment, while in roots, it initially decreases and then increases before decreasing again. In both leaves and roots, the expression of McJAZ8 is downregulated to varying degrees under AlCl_(3 )treatment. This study has enriched the research on jasmonic acid signaling repressor JAZ genes in M. canadensis and provided genetic resources for the molecular breeding of M. canadensis.

Insights into Two-Metal-Ion Catalytic Mechanism of Cap-Snatching Endonuclease of Ebinur Lake Virus in Bunyavirales.

The cap-snatching endonuclease (EN) of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses (sNSVs) produces short capped primers for viral transcription by cleaving the host mRNAs. EN requires divalent metals as cofactors for nucleic acid substrates cleavage; however, the detailed mechanism of metal ion-dependent catalysis of ENs remains obscure. In this work, we reported the EN crystal structure of the Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), an emerging mosquito-borne orthobunyavirus, and investigated its enzymatic properties and metal ion-based catalytic mechanism. In vitro biochemical data showed that EBIV EN is a specific RNA nuclease and prefers to cleave unstructured uridine-rich ssRNA. Structural comparison indicated that the overall structural architecture of EBIV EN is similar to that of other sNSV ENs, while the detailed active site configuration including the binding state of metal ions and the conformation of the LA/LB loop pair is different. Based on sequence conservation analysis, nine active site mutants were constructed, and seven crystal structures of them were determined. Mutations of active site residues associated with the two metal ions (Mn1 and Mn2) coordination abolished EN activity. Crystallographic analyses further revealed that none of these mutants bound two metal ions simultaneously in the active site. Importantly, we found that the perturbation of Mn1-coordination (metal site 1), resulted in the enhancement or elimination of Mn2-coordination (metal site 2). Taken together, our data provide structural evidence to support the two-metal-ion catalytic mechanism of EBIV EN and the correlation of metal binding at the two binding sites, which may be commonly shared by bunyaviruses or other sNSVs. IMPORTANCE The viral endonucleases (ENs) encoded by bunyaviruses and orthomyxoviruses play an essential role in initiating transcription by "snatching" capped primers from the host mRNAs. These ENs are metal-ion-dependent nucleases; however, the details of their catalytic mechanism remain elusive. Here, we reported high-resolution crystal structures of the wild-type and mutant ENs of a novel bunyavirus, the Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), and revealed the structure and function relationship of EN. The EBIV EN exhibited differences in the details of active site structure compared to its homologues. Our data provided structural evidence to support a two-metal-ion catalytic mechanism of EBIV EN, and found the correlation of metal binding at both binding sites, which might reflect the dynamic structural properties that correlate to EN catalytic function. Taken together, our results revealed the structural characteristics of EBIV EN and made important implications for understanding the catalytic mechanism of cap-snatching ENs.

Structural and Biochemical Basis for Development of Diketo Acid Inhibitors Targeting the Cap-Snatching Endonuclease of the Ebinur Lake Virus (Order: Bunyavirales).

The Bunyavirales contain many important human pathogens that lack an antiviral therapy. The cap-snatching endonuclease (EN) of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses is an attractive target for broad-spectrum antivirals due to its essential role in initiating viral transcription. L-742,001, a previously reported diketo acid inhibitor against influenza virus EN, demonstrated potent EN inhibition and antiviral activity on various bunyaviruses. However, the precise inhibitory mechanism of the compound is still poorly understood. We recently characterized a highly active EN from Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), a newly identified member of the Orthobunyavirus genus, and obtained its high-resolution structures, paving the way for structure-guided inhibitor development. Here, nine L-742,001 derivatives were designed and synthesized de novo, and their structure-activity relationship with EBIV EN was studied. In vitro biochemical data showed that the compounds inhibited the EBIV EN activity with different levels and could be divided into three categories. Five representative compounds were selected for further cell-based antiviral assay, and the results largely agreed with those of the EN assays. Furthermore, the precise binding modes of L-742,001 and its derivatives in EN were revealed by determining the high-resolution crystal structures of EN-inhibitor complexes, which suggested that the p-chlorobenzene is essential for the inhibitory activity and the flexible phenyl has the greatest exploration potential. This study provides an important basis for the structure-based design and optimization of inhibitors targeting EN of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses. IMPORTANCE The Bunyavirales contain many important human pathogens such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Lassa virus that pose serious threats to public health; however, currently there are no specific antiviral drugs against these viruses. The diketo acid inhibitor L-742,001 is a potential drug as it inactivates the cap-snatching endonuclease (EN) encoded by bunyaviruses. Here, we designed and synthesized nine L-742,001 derivatives and assessed the structure-activity relationship using EN of the newly identified Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV) as a research model. Our results revealed that the p-chlorobenzene of this broad-spectrum EN inhibitor is crucial for the inhibitory activity and the flexible phenyl "arm" has the best potential for further optimization. As cap-snatching ENs are present not only in bunyaviruses but also in influenza viruses, our data provide important guidelines for the development of novel and more potent diketo acid-based antiviral drugs against those viruses.

Injectable hydrogel loaded with lysed OK-432 and doxorubicin for residual liver cancer after incomplete radiofrequency ablation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of an injectable hydrogel loaded with lysed OK-432 (lyOK-432) and doxorubicin (DOX) for residual liver cancer after incomplete radiofrequency ablation (iRFA) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and explore the underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of OK-432 and lyOK-432 was compared in activating dendritic cells (DCs). RADA16-I (R) peptide was dissolved in a mixture of lyOK-432 (O) and DOX (D) to develop an ROD hydrogel. The characteristics of ROD hydrogel were evaluated. Tumor response and mice survival were measured after different treatments. The number of immune cells and cytokine levels were measured, and the activation of cGAS/STING/IFN-I signaling pathway in DC was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: LyOK-432 was more effective than OK-432 in promoting DC maturation and activating the IFN-I pathway. ROD was an injectable hydrogel for effectively loading lyOK-432 and DOX, and presented the controlled-release property. ROD treatment achieved the highest tumor necrosis rate (p < 0.001) and the longest survival time (p < 0.001) compared with the other therapies. The ROD group also displayed the highest percentages of DCs, CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells (p < 0.001), the lowest level of Treg cells (p < 0.001), and the highest expression levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α (p < 0.001) compared with the other groups. The expression levels of pSTING, pIRF3, and IFN-ß in DCs were obviously higher after treatment of lyOK-432 in combination with DOX than the other therapies. The surviving mice in the ROD group showed a growth inhibition of rechallenged subcutaneous tumor. CONCLUSION: The novel ROD peptide hydrogel induced an antitumor immunity by activating the STING pathway, which was effective for treating residual liver cancer after iRFA of HCC.

Visit-to-visit HbA1c variability is associated with poor prognosis in peritoneal dialysis patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of diabetic peritoneal dialysis patients is poor. HbA1c serves as a crucial indicator for monitoring blood glucose control in patients with diabetes. Nevertheless, the relationship between visit-to-visit HbA1c variability and prognosis in peritoneal dialysis with diabetes remains unclear. METHODS: All participants were categorized into 3 groups based on the HbA1c variability score (HVS), which is the frequency of 0.5% (5.5 mmol/mol) alter in visit-to-visit HbA1c values. Then, the hazard ratio to HVS with all-cause mortality was analyzed using the Cox hazard model, followed by the Fine-Gray competing risk model for major adverse cardiovascular events. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were conducted to ascertain the robustness of the findings. RESULTS: Eight hundred twenty patients with type 2 diabetes were finally enrolled in this study from 2,855 participants with a mean age of 56.9 ± 14.6 years and a median follow-up time of 44 months [IQR: 27-70], death occurred in 496 (60.2%) individuals. Compared with the lowest category (HVS < 1/3) after being adjusted by potential confounding factors, the hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 4.59 (3.74-5.64) and the sub-distribution hazard ratio for major adverse cardiovascular events was 1.91 (1.46-2.51) of the highest category (HVS ≥ 2/3). Subgroup interaction and sensitivity analysis, including the adjustment for variables such as time-weighted average HbA1c, HbA1c measurement times and expansion, confirmed the reliability of the results. CONCLUSION: The HVS is related to the risk of poor prognosis in peritoneal dialysis with type 2 diabetes mellitus, independently of clinical multiple variables, and is a novel indicator with clinical guidance.

Optical and Morphological Properties of Single-Phased and Dual-Emissive InP/ZnS Quantum Dots via Transition Metallic and Inorganic Ions.

Single-phased and dual-emissive nanocrystals with broad emission are attractive fluorescent materials for optoelectronic devices due to their unique properties. Until now, the effect of different metallic cations and inorganic anions on III-V group quantum dots (QDs) concerning luminescence features and crystalline growth has been less explored. In this work, dual-emissive InP/ZnS QDs single-doped with transition-metal compounds (Cu2+, Ag+, or Mn2+) are synthesized to compare their optical and morphological properties. The corresponding doping concentrations to realize dual emission with comparative intensity for Cu, Ag, and Mn are 0.8, 6, and 80%, which vary greatly and might be attributed to different precursor reactivities. As for the morphological and internal structures, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate that transition-metal ions have no obvious effect on the morphological properties and a higher concentration of chloride anions binding with an In-rich interface could conduce to a homogeneous distribution and triangular growth through the comparison of different metal chlorides as precursors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results further demonstrate that the high-resolution In 3d spectrum of Mn-doped InP/ZnS QDs with MnCl2 is mainly dominated by In-P bonds, indicating fewer intermediate chemical states. These results concerning well-defined InP/ZnS QDs could promote more diverse insight into surface chemistry and help to better understand the growth mechanism, thus making it possible to regulate InP/ZnS QDs into desired formats for different practical applications like white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Comparison of total costs between internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures.

BACKGROUND: There is very little information on the costs of different surgeries for displaced femoral neck fractures. This study aimed to compare the costs between internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty (HA) in the treatment of displaced femoral neck fracture. METHOD: A total of 142 patients aged 65 years or older who had been randomized into internal fixation group (n = 70) or HA group (n = 72) were followed for 2 years. Cost data was collected through hospitalization information, cost diary and telephone interview. Sensitivity analysis was performed for missing diaries. The total costs were collected and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: All diaries were completed by 69.7% of patients. The mean costs of primary treatment were significantly lower for internal fixation (CNY 21,631) compared with HA (CNY 51,641) (p < 0.001). The mean post-discharge costs were similar for both procedures: CNY 37,377 for internal fixation and CNY 34,981 for HA (p = 0.640). The mean total costs for internal fixation were CNY 59,008, which was significantly lower than the mean total costs of CNY 86,622 for HA (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Although the post-discharge costs of internal fixation were slightly higher, the total costs were still lower than for HA due to great variance in costs of primary treatment. In China, internal fixation may be less costly than HA for displaced femoral neck fracture treatment.

Clinical evaluation of the polymethylmethacrylate-augmented thoracic and lumbar pedicle screw fixation guided by the three-dimensional navigation for the osteoporosis patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) navigation-guided polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-augmented thoracic and lumbar pedicle screw fixation for the osteoporotic patients. METHODS: 27 consecutive osteoporosis patients with a variety of spinal disorders who underwent 3D navigation-guided PMMA-augmented pedicle screw fixation were evaluated clinically and radiologically in the perioperative and 1-year follow-up period. The improvement of Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores was analyzed. PMMA leakage and other complications were inspected intraoperatively and postoperatively. Screw loosening and bone fusion were evaluated radiographically during follow-up. RESULTS: 8 patients had thoracic and lumbar fractures; 18 patients had degenerative spinal disorders; one patient had revision surgery. One patient died of postoperative pneumonia. Each of the other 26 patients was followed up regularly at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months postoperatively. The mean therapeutic improvement rate is 39.6% evaluated by JOA scores. 2 patients (7.4%) had leakage into the spinal canal in front of the posterior longitudinal ligament and two patients (7.4%) had leakage into the prevertebral soft tissue inspected by the postoperative CT scans. No pedicle cortex breach and cement leakage surrounding pedicle cortex were observed. None of patients complained of dyspnoea and showed evidence of pulmonary embolism. Bone fusions were found in 20 patients (bony fusion rate 76.9%) at the 12-month follow-up and no screw loosening occurs. CONCLUSION: The results show favorable outcome using 3D navigation-guided PMMA-augmented thoracic and lumbar pedicle screw fixation for the osteoporosis patients both clinically and radiologically.

Host-Seeking Behavior and Arbovirus Detection in Mosquitoes of Habahe County, Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, China.

Mosquitoes in Habahe County of Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region in China are considered a serious nuisance problem to local residents, but little is known of their role in enzootic disease. Therefore, host-seeking behavior and virus detection in mosquitoes were investigated in this study. Adult host-seeking mosquitoes were sampled using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps operated at three locations in June through August 2008. Nine traps were used at each location at 3 different heights (1 m, 3 m, and 5 m). Seven mosquito species from 4 genera were collected by CDC light traps in different habitats. In total, 90,055 mosquitoes were captured, of which Aedes vexans was the most abundant species, comprising 88.02% of all mosquitoes collected. The second most abundant species was Anopheles messese, which comprised about 5.86%. Other species caught were Culex modestus (2.89%), Aedes caspius (1.11%), Coquillettidia richiardii (0.61%), Ae. dorsalis (1.36%), and An. hyrcanus (0.14%). About 93.5% of Ae. vexans individuals were caught in CO2-baited CDC light traps at 1 m above the ground. The highest numbers of Cx. modestus were caught at the highest trap level, 5 m above ground. Overall, significantly more mosquitoes of all species were collected at dusk than at dawn. Based on blood-meal analyses, Ae. vexans and An. messese fed on various vertebrate hosts, whereas Cx. modestus fed on ducks only. From a total of 335 mosquito pools tested, 10 pools of Ae. vexans were found positive for alphavirus. Comparison with the gene database revealed that the alphavirus deoxyribonucleic acid fragment obtained (GenBank accession no. HM160530) was 100% homologous at the nucleotide level to chikungunya virus isolate LK (PB) chik3408, chikungunya virus isolate SGEHICHD122508, and chikungunya virus strain FD080231. The results of this study suggest that ongoing, integrated mosquito and arbovirus surveillance is necessary in this river wetland.

[Suspected pathogenic mutation identified in two cases with oculocutaneous albinism].

OBJECTIVE: To detect potential mutations in genes related with non-syndromic oculocutaneous albinism I-IV and ocular albinism type I in two couples who had given births to children with albinism. METHODS: All exons of the non-syndromic albinism related genes TYR, OCA2, TYRP-1, MITF, SLC45A2 and GPR143 were subjected to deep sequencing. The results were verified with Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: For the two female carriers, the coding region of the TYR gene was found to harbor a frameshift mutation c.925_926insC, which was also suspected to have been pathogenic. In one of the male partners, a nonsense mutations c.832C>T was found, which was also known to be pathogenic. Another male partner was found to harbor a TYR gene mutation c.346C>T, which was also known to be a pathogenic nonsense mutation. CONCLUSION: The coding region of the TYR gene c.925_926insC (p.Thr309ThrfsX9) probably underlies the OCA1 disease phenotype.

[Cause analysis of back pain after vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes of back pain after vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. METHODS: 1 863 patients with back pain who underwent vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2014 in Department of Spine Surgery, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, were followed up for least 3 months after surgery with their back pain evaluated by VAS scores. Related information including preoperative, operative and postoperative factors was gathered. The VAS at last follow-up over 5 or the symptom relief less than 50% was considered as non-relieved, the correlations between the symptom relief and potential influencing factors were analyzed by the Spearman correlation. RESULTS: Symptom relief was only correlated with postoperative complications (P<0.001). The back pain in 283 cases (15.2%) had not been relieved. Among them, 87 cases got fractures in other vertebrae (adjacent vertebrae in 67 cases, non-adjacent vertebrae in 20 cases); 3 cases got nonunion in the operated vertebrae; 1 case got postoperative infection; 6 cases got misdiagnosis and the other 186 cases had no known causes for the unrelieved pain. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative back pain after vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty may have variable causes, and some of which have not been entirely understood. If the symptoms are not alleviated or even aggravate after active symptomatic treatment and anti-osteoporotic therapy, underlying causes such as re-fracture, nonunion, infection, pathologic fracture should be sought out.

[Preliminary analysis of total cost and life quality for elder patients with femoral neck fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the total cost and life quality of the femoral neck fracture patients who received different surgery and supplement comprehensive data of osteoporotic fracture. METHODS: One hundred and five patients above 60-year old who were diagnosed femoral neck fracture and received operation in Department of Orthopedics ＆ Traumatology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were admitted into our study from August 2013 to December. According to the type of surgery there were 52 and 53 cases in internal fixation (IF) group and hemiarthroplasty (HA) group respectively. At first we collected the medical expense of the patients before and during hospitalization. And then the 1-year medical and non-medical expenses were collected by the cost diary ever 3 months after discharge. At the last follow-up we evaluated the life quality by the EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) and calculated the total cost. Outcome All the patients completed the operation successfully. No nonunion or delayed union cases in IF group, and no cases received revision surgery in both groups. The total average cost was 59 584.9 yuan including 79.1% medical cost and 20.9% non-medical cost. The primary treatment cost accounts for 84.1% of the medical cost. The cost for home care accounts for 90.7% of the non-medical care. The total and medical cost of IF group just account for 40.3% and 38.5% of the HA group and the non-medical showed no significant difference between the 2 groups (P>0.05). In addition the data of life quality and walking capability also showed no significant difference. CONCLUSION: The main cost for the femoral neck fracture is medical expense in 1-year follow-up. Both surgeries can provide satisfactory outcome, however IF may be more cost-effective compared to the HA because of the less total cost.

Morphology, microstructure and chemical composition of single inhalable particles in Shanghai, China.

The morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of a variety of particles emitted from coal-fired power plants, steel plants, and vehicle exhausts, which are possible sources of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared with particle samples collected from urban atmosphere to identify the best footprint or the suitable indicator relating the existence of studied particles and their possible emitters by the morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of the particles. The investigation indicated that the particles from these three sources are different in morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition. Sphere aggregates were generally the most abundant components, with silicon and aluminum as major elements. The urban air particulate contained particles similar to those observed in the power plant, steel plant, and vehicle exhaust samples suggesting that all three sources are contributing to the pollution in the city.

Pleural effusion portends a poor prognosis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

AIMS: Pleural effusion is not an infrequent complication in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. However, there is not adequate data to evaluate pleural effusion and prognosis in clinical practice. In this study, we validated this potential association by a multicenter cohort. METHODS: We screened 1,162 patients who met the inclusion criteria with PD. According to the existence of pleural effusion on stable dialysis (4-8 weeks after dialysis initiation), the participants were divided into pleural effusion and non-pleural effusion groups. The hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause and cause-specific death were estimated with adjustment for demographic characteristics and multiple potential clinical confounders. Subgroup analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to further verify the robustness of the correlation between hydrothorax and prognosis. RESULTS: Pleural effusion was found in 8.9% (104/1162) of PD individuals. After adjusting for the confounding factors, patients with pleural effusion had significantly increased HRs for all-cause death was 3.06 (2.36-3.96) and cardiovascular death was 3.78 (2.67-5.35) compared to those without pleural effusion. However, it was not associated with infectious and other causes of death. After PSM, the HR of all-cause mortality was 3.56 (2.28-5.56). The association trends were consistent in the subgroup sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: Pleural effusion is not rare in PD, and is significantly associated with overall and cardiovascular mortality, which is independent of underlying diseases and clinically relevant indicators.

Enhancing the therapeutic impact of sublethal radiofrequency hyperthermia in malignant solid tumor treatment.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective alternative to surgery for managing some malignant solid tumors. However, for medium-to-large tumors (>3 cm), tumors adjacent to large blood vessels, and certain irregular tumors, sublethal radiofrequency hyperthermia (RFH) often produces a margin of ablated tumor owing to the "heat-sink" effect. This effect typically leaves behind viable residual tumors at the margin. Several studies have reported that a sublethal RFH can significantly enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy for malignant solid tumors. The possible mechanisms by which RFH enhances these therapies include heat-induced tissue fracturing, increased permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane, exaggerated cellular metabolism, blockade of the repair pathways of radiation-damaged tumor cells, and activation of the heat shock protein pathways. Therefore, RFA in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or gene therapy may help reduce the rates of residual and recurrent tumors after RFA of malignant solid tumors.

Targeting Erbin-mitochondria axis in platelets/megakaryocytes promotes B cell-mediated antitumor immunity.

The roles of platelets/megakaryocytes (MKs), the key components in the blood system, in the tumor microenvironment and antitumor immunity are unclear. In patients with colorectal cancer, the number of platelets was significantly increased in patients with metastasis, and Erbin expression was highly expressed in platelets from patients with metastases. Moreover, Erbin knockout in platelets/MKs suppressed lung metastasis in mice and promoted aggregations of platelets. Mechanistically, Erbin-deficient platelets have increasing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and secrete lipid metabolites like acyl-carnitine (Acar) by abolishing interaction with prothrombotic protein ESAM. Notably, Acar enhanced the activity of mitochondrial electron transport chain complex and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in B cells by acetylation of H3K27 epigenetically. Targeting Erbin in platelets/MKs by a nanovesicle system dramatically attenuated lung metastasis in mice in vivo. Our study identifies an Erbin-mitochondria axis in platelets/MKs, which suppresses B cell-mediated antitumor immunity, suggesting a new way for the treatment of metastasis.

[Evaluating the efficiency of basic public health service project in Beijing rural areas based on data envelopment analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To measure the efficiency changes of basic public health service in Beijing rural areas and to provide some suggestions for the basic public health service project throughout China. METHODS: In the study, stratified random samples from 32 township health centers (THCs) were measured by data envelopment analysis (DEA) model with the panel data from 2007 to 2009. RESULTS: (1) The average total efficiency score of samples was 0.972. The TE non-efficient THCs were with excess in all input indicators and insufficient outputs in technology management, health promotion and chronic disease management. (2) The total factor productivity (TFP) from 2007 to 2008 increased 8.8%, which was attributed to technology change. The TFP decreased by 6.6% from 2008 to 2009, but the technical efficiency increased by 3.3%. CONCLUSION: There is room for improvemrnt in the basic public health service project in Beijing rural areas. Scale efficiency should be improved and the common development of technical efficiency and technology progress promoted in order to increase the project outputs.

Sulfur speciation and bioaccumulation in camphor tree leaves as atmospheric sulfur indicator analyzed by synchrotron radiation XRF and XANES.

Analyzing and understanding the effects of ambient pollution on plants is getting more and more attention as a topic of environmental biology. A method based on synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy was established to analyze the sulfur concentration and speciation in mature camphor tree leaves (CTLs), which were sampled from 5 local fields in Shanghai, China. Annual SO2 concentration, SO4(2-) concentration in atmospheric particulate, SO4(2-) and sulfur concentration in soil were also analyzed to explore the relationship between ambient sulfur sources and the sulfur nutrient cycling in CTLs. Total sulfur concentration in mature camphor tree leaves was 766-1704 mg/kg. The mainly detected sulfur states and their corresponding compounds were +6 (sulfate, include inorganic sulfate and organic sulfate), +5.2 (sulfonate), +2.2 (suloxides), +0.6 (thiols and thiothers), +0.2 (organic sulfides). Total sulfur concentration was strongly correlated with sulfate proportion with a linear correlation coefficient up to 0.977, which suggested that sulfur accumulated in CTLs as sulfate form. Reduced sulfur compounds (organic sulfides, thiols, thioethers, sulfoxide and sulfonate) assimilation was sufficed to meet the nutrient requirement for growth at a balanced level around 526 mg/kg. The sulfate accumulation mainly caused by atmospheric sulfur pollution such as SO2 and airborne sulfate particulate instead of soil contamination. From urban to suburb place, sulfate in mature CTLs decreased as the atmospheric sulfur pollution reduced, but a dramatic increase presented near the seashore, where the marine sulfate emission and maritime activity pollution were significant. The sulfur concentration and speciation in mature CTLs effectively represented the long-term biological accumulation of atmospheric sulfur pollution in local environment.