Magnetic resonance imaging features and classification of intraspinal echinococcosis.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and classification of echinococcosis of the spinal canal. Methods: The clinical manifestations and MRI findings and classification of 19 patients diagnosed with intraspinal echinococcosis over 10 years (2011-2020) were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean age of the nine males and 10 females was 39 years (range 28-65 years). Among these, the number of cases with thoracic, lumbar, sacral, thoracolumbar, and lumbosacral, cervical, and lumbar segments was nine (47 %), five (26 %), one (5 %), one (5 %), two (11 %), and one (5 %) cases, respectively. Furthermore, 13 cases (69 %) involved adjacent vertebral bodies, accessories, and surrounding soft tissues. The lesion was confined to the intramedullary, extramedullary subdural, extramedullary epidural, and multiple spaces in one (Type I) (5 %), four (Type II) (21 %), one (Type III) (5 %), and thirteen (69 %) cases, respectively. Moreover, nine cases (47 %) had a history of hydatid disease in the spine or other tissues. The clinical manifestations were chest and lumbosacral pain in 18 cases (95 %) and chest and lumbosacral pain accompanied by lower limb dysfunction in four cases (21 %). The MRI revealed different sizes of T1WI low-signal and T2WI high-signal vesicles with a "grape-like" appearance, with 16 cases (84 %) showing low signals on the edge of the cyst wall. Conclusion: Intraspinal echinococcosis is rare, even in endemic areas. However, intraspinal echinococcosis should be considered when there is a history of echinococcosis in other sites or when there are clear MRI characteristics for the disease.

Electronic Structure Modulation Via Iron-Incorporated NiO to Boost Urea Oxidation/Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The urea-assisted water splitting not only enables a reduction in energy consumption during hydrogen production but also addresses the issue of environmental pollution caused by urea. Doping heterogeneous atoms in Ni-based electrocatalysts is considered an efficient means for regulating the electronic structure of Ni sites in catalytic processes. However, the current methodologies for synthesizing heteroatom-doped Ni-based electrocatalysts exhibit certain limitations, including intricate experimental procedures, prolonged reaction durations, and low product yield. Herein, Fe-doped NiO electrocatalysts were successfully synthesized using a rapid and facile solution combustion method, enabling the synthesis of 1.1107 g within a mere 5 min. The incorporation of iron atoms facilitates the modulation of the electronic environment around Ni atoms, generating a substantial decrease in the Gibbs free energy of intermediate species for the Fe-NiO catalyst. This modification promotes efficient cleavage of C-N bonds and consequently enhances the catalytic performance of UOR. Benefiting from the tunability of the electronic environment around the active sites and its efficient electron transfer, Fe-NiO electrocatalysts only needs 1.334 V to achieve 50 mA cm-2 during UOR. Moreover, Fe-NiO catalysts were integrated into a dual electrode urea electrolytic system, requiring only 1.43 V of cell voltage at 10 mA cm-2.

ATPR induces acute promyelocytic leukemia cells differentiation and cycle arrest via the lncRNA CONCR/DDX11/PML-RARα signaling axis.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a high mortality rate, and the production of PML-RARα fusion protein is the cause of its pathogenesis. Our group has synthesized a novel compound, 4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate (ATPR), by structural modification of All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which has strong cell differentiation-inducing effects and inhibits the expression of PML-RARα. In this study, acute promyelocytic leukemia NB4 cells before and after ATPR induction were analyzed by whole transcriptome microarray, and the expression of lncRNA CONCR was found to be significantly downregulated. The role of CONCR in ATPR-induced cell differentiation and cycle arrest was explored through overexpression and silencing of CONCR. And then the database was used to predict that CONCR may bind to DEAD/H-Box Helicase 11 (DDX11) protein to further explore the role of CONCR binding to DDX11. The results showed that ATPR could reduce the expression of CONCR, and overexpression of CONCR could reverse the ATPR-induced cell differentiation and cycle blocking effect, and conversely silencing of CONCR could promote this effect. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) experiments showed that CONCR could bind to DDX11, the protein expression levels of DDX11 and PML-RARα were elevated after overexpression of CONCR. These results suggest that ATPR can regulate the expression of DDX11 through CONCR to affect the expression of PML-RARα fusion protein, which in turn induces the differentiation and maturation of APL cells.

In Situ Low-Temperature Carbonization Capping of LiFePO4 with Coke for Enhanced Lithium Battery Performance.

Lithium batteries incorporating LiFePO4 (LFP) as the cathode material have gained significant attention in recent research. However, the limited electronic and ionic conductivity of LFP poses challenges to its cycling performance and overall efficiency. In this study, we address these issues by synthesizing a series of LiFePO4/carbon (LFP/C) composites through low-temperature carbonization coating of LFP in the presence of Coke as the carbon source. The resulting lithium batteries utilizing LFP/C as the cathode material exhibited impressive discharge specific capacities of 148.35 mA·h/g and 126.74 mA·h/g at 0.1 C and 1 C rates, respectively. Even after 200 cycles of charging and discharging, the capacities remained remarkably high, with values of 93.74% and 97.05% retention, showcasing excellent cycling stability. Notably, the LFP/C composite displayed exceptional rate capability, and capacity retention of 99.27% after cycling at different multiplication rates. These findings underscore the efficacy of in situ low-temperature carbonization capping of LFP with Coke in significantly improving both the cycling stability and rate capability of lithium batteries.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG16 silencing inhibits proliferation and inflammation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages by targeting miR-140-5p expression.

OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the clinical diagnostic value of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) and explored its underlying molecular mechanism through Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosiinfection of macrophages. METHODS: RT-qPCR analysis of the serum SNHG16 levels of the 66 healthy individuals, 67 latent TB (LTB) patients, and 67 active TB (ATB) patients. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve to detect the clinical diagnostic value of SNHG16 in TB patients. In vitro, M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages, CCK-8 and ELISA to detect cell proliferation and inflammatory factor levels. Luciferase reported assay was performed to analyze the targeting relationship between SNHG16 and miR-140-5p. RESULTS: SNHG16 was significantly elevated in TB patients, and among them, ATB patients were higher than LTB patients. ROC confirmed that SNHG16 could distinguish LTB patients from healthy controls, and ATB patients from LTB patients, and can be used as a good diagnostic biomarker for TB. M. tuberculosis infection increased SNHG16 levels and promoted the proliferation and inflammation in macrophages. However, SNHG16 silencing significantly reversed the effect of infection. miR-140-5p, a direct target miRNA of SNHG16, was down-regulated in TB patients and was negatively correlated with SNHG16. When miR-140-5p was inhibited, the alleviating effect of SNHG16 silencing on M. tuberculosis infection proliferation and inflammation was significantly reversed. CONCLUSION: The present results suggested that SNHG16 may be a new diagnostic biomarker for TB patients and SNHG16 silencing may alleviate TB by inhibiting the proliferation of macrophages in TB by regulation miR-140-5p.

Diagnostic value of lncRNA NORAD in pulmonary tuberculosis and its regulatory role in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of macrophages.

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) infection is a chronic inflammatory response caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The purpose of this study was to confirm the value of long noncoding RNA NORAD (noncoding RNA activated by DNA damage) in the diagnosis of PTB and to explore its mechanism in Mtb-infected macrophages. NORAD serum levels were estimated by qRT-PCR in 90 patients with PTB and 85 healthy individuals. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to assess the diagnostic value of NORAD in PTB. Human and murine macrophages were infected with Mtb strain H37Rv. CCK-8 (a cell counting kit) and ELISA detected viability of macrophages and inflammatory cytokine secretion, respectively. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to analyze the relationship between NORAD and microRNA (miR)-618. NORAD was significantly elevated in patients with PTB, and its positivity was correlated with levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1 ß (r = 0.854), TNF-α (r = 0.617), and IL-6 (r = 0.585). With an area under the curve of 0.918, and sensitivity and specificity of 80.0% and 89.4%, respectively, NORAD remarkedly differentiated patients with PTB from healthy individuals. Furthermore, Mtb infection significantly increased NORAD levels in THP-1 and RAW264.7 cells and increased their viability and inflammation (P < 0.001). However, this increased effect was weakened by reduced NORAD levels. Dual-luciferase reporter assay results confirmed that miR-618 in macrophages is a target miRNA for NORAD and can be negatively regulated by it. Moreover, elevated miR-618 suppressed macrophage viability and inflammation in Mtb infection. NORAD is a potential diagnostic biomarker for PTB and is involved in Mtb-infected macrophage activity and inflammation by targeting miR-618.

Rapid Analysis of Four Amphetamines in Urine by Self-Made Pipette-Tip Solid-Phase Extraction Followed by GC-MS/MS.

A simple and rapid pipette-tip solid-phase extraction (PT-SPE) procedure with derivatization prior to gas chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry analysis is developed for the simultaneous determination of amphetamine (AMP), methamphetamine (MA), 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in urine samples. The PT-SPE procedure using self-made sorbent could extract drugs within 6 min from 100-µL urine samples, requiring low solvent-consumption (<2.0 mL). Besides, the self-made pipette tip could be reused at least five times. Under optimized conditions, the recoveries of four amphetamines at spiked levels (low, medium and high) ranged from 87.7 to 110.4%, with relative standard deviations < 9.5%. The limit of detections and limit of quantifications for AMP, MA, MDA and MDMA were in the range of 2.52-8.25 ng⋅mL-1 and 8.4-27.5 ng⋅mL-1, respectively. Validation results show that the proposed method is suitable for the quantitation of amphetamines and has been successfully applied in the urine samples of suspected drug abusers.

Frequent HIV Testing: Impact on HIV Risk Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men.

BACKGROUND: The HIV epidemic continues to expand among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. The NIMH Project Accept/HPTN 043 trial suggested a borderline significant trend toward HIV incidence reduction among persons with higher testing rates. METHODS: We assessed HIV testing histories and infection status among a community-based Beijing MSM. HIV serostatus was lab confirmed. We ascertained demographic/behavioral factors through questionnaire-based interviews. Associations of previous HIV testing with odds of current HIV infection were assessed, seeking improved like-with-like risk comparisons through multivariable logistic regression analysis with propensity score adjustment and restricted cubic spline modeling. RESULTS: Among 3588 participants, 12.7% were HIV infected; 70.8% reported having ever tested for HIV. Compared with MSM who never tested, those ever testing had a 41% reduction in the odds of being HIV positive [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48 to 0.74. Higher HIV testing frequencies were associated with a decreasing trend in the odds of being infected with HIV vs. a referent group with no previous testing [>6 tests (aOR: 0.27; 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.41); 4-6 (aOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.78); 2-3 (aOR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.82); P for trend <0.001]. The multivariable-adjusted model with restricted cubic spline of HIV testing frequency showed a higher frequency of previous HIV testing associated with lower odds of HIV infection, particularly among men with ≥10 lifetime male sexual partners. CONCLUSIONS: Using risk probability adjustments to enable less biased comparisons, frequent HIV testing was associated with a lower HIV odds among Chinese MSM.

Sex-Specific Allometry of Morphometric and Reproductive Traits in Oriental Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae).

The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a highly invasive and polyphagous pest of many horticultural crops in the world, and is currently present in Asia, Africa, and Oceania. To provide essential knowledge for quality control in mass-rearing programs for sterile insect technique against the pest, we investigated how adult body weight and hind-tibial length were correlated in each sex and how body size of each sex affected lifetime reproductive fitness . We show that body weight and hind-tibial length were significantly positively correlated in both sexes, indicating that either trait can be used as an index of body size. However, the weight-tibial length relationships were sex specific, with females gaining disproportionally more weight than males with the increase of hind-tibial length. Body size was not significantly correlated with longevity of either sex, but males lived significantly longer than females. Larger females laid significantly more eggs regardless of body size of the male partner, suggesting that male size has no effect on fecundity. However, body size of both sexes had a significant effect on fertility. We conclude that selection on body size-reproductive fitness relations operates in different directions for the two sexes of B. dorsalis , with larger females and average males having highest reproductive fitness.

Phylogenetic and temporal dynamics of human immunodeficiency virus type 1B in China: four types of B strains circulate in China.

To investigate the origin and evolutionary history of the spread of HIV-1 subtype B in China, a total of 409 sequences of pol gene sampled from 1994 to 2012 in 29 provinces across China was subjected to phylogenetic and Bayesian molecular clock analyses. The study reveals that subtype B strains in China are genetically diverse and can be classified into four distinct subgroups, namely B' (Thai-B), BJ-B (Beijing-B), Pan-B (Pandemic-B), and TW-B (Taiwan-B), according to the origin of the sequences. The BJ-B and TW-B are reported for the first time. Phylogeographic analysis reveals that B' exhibits a nationwide, transprovincial distribution, and is found in 21 provinces in China in this study, whereas the Pan-B, BJ-B, and TW-B lineages are restricted to particular regions. From the same common ancestor of B', there arise two subclusters in which sequences from Yunnan occupy the basal position. The times of the most recent common ancestors (tMRCAs) of B' and BJ-B are estimated to be 1983.6 (1975.9-1990.3) and 1995.3 (1989.6-2000.3), respectively. The skyline plot profile reveals an exponential decrease in median number of effective infections of subtype B in China from 1994 to 2009. The existence of four types of B clades also indicates distinct transmission networks of subtype B, originating from different introduction events at different time points. The data presented here offer a new perspective on the epidemic of HIV-1 subtype B in China.

[Locomotor activity and learning and memory abilities in Alzheimer's disease induced by aluminum in an acid environment in zebrafish].

We investigated the contribution of locomotor activity and learning and memory abilities to Alzheimer's disease induced by metal neurotoxicity. The metal neurotoxicity model was established by using locomotor activity tests and activity-avoidance conditioning paradigms, and observing changes in zebrafish behaviors after exposure to 50 µg/L of AlCl(3) with different pH values (pH 7.8, pH 6.8 and pH 5.8) for 24 hours and 96 hours. The results showed Alzheimer's disease-like behavior in locomotor activity tests and activity-avoidance conditioning paradigms by zebrafish receiving AlCl(3) in pH 5.8 significantly decreased compared to the control group and groups receiving AlCl(3) in pH 7.8 and pH 6.8 for 96 hours and 24 hours. These results provide evidences that exposure to AlCl( 3) in an acid environment can influence locomotor activity and learning and memory abilities in zebrafish. In addition, exposure time and concentration of Al induced neurotoxicity and damaged the brain area of memory, resulting in Alzheimer's disease-like behavior.

[Study on a method of selecting calibration samples in NIR spectral analysis].

In the present paper, a simple but novel method based on maximum linearly independent group was introduced into near-infrared (NIR) spectral analysis for selecting representative calibration samples. The experiment materials contained 2,652 tobacco powder samples, with 1,001 samples randomly selected as prediction set, and the others as representative sample candidate set from which calibration sample set was selected. The method of locating maximum linearly independent vectors was used to select representative samples from the spectral vectors of representative samples candidate set. The arithmetic was accomplished by function rref(X,q) in Matlab. The maximum linearly independent spectral vectors were treated as calibration samples set. When different calculating precision q was given, different amount of representative samples were acquired. The selected calibration sample set was used to build regression model to predict the total sugar of tobacco powder samples by PLS. The model was used to analyze 1001 samples in the prediction set. When selecting 32 representative samples, the model presented a good predictive veracity, whose predictive mean relative error was 3.6210%, and correlation coefficient was 0.9643. By paired-samples t-test, we found that the difference between the predicting result of model obtained by 32 samples and that obtained by 146 samples was not significant (alpha=0.05). Also, we compared the methods of randomly selecting calibration samples and maximum linearly independent selection by their predicting effects of models. In the experiment, correspondingly, six calibration sample sets were selected, one of which included 28 samples, while the others included 32, 41, 76, 146 and 163 samples respectively. The method of maximum linearly independent selecting samples turned out to be obviously better than that of randomly selecting. The result indicated that the proposed method can not only effectively enhance the cost-effectiveness of NIR spectral analysis by reducing the number of samples required for cockamamie and expensive chemical measurement, but also improve the analysis accuracy. In conclusion, this method can be applied to select representative samples in near-infrared spectral analysis.

[SB203580 reduces proinflammatory cytokine production in rats after cardiopulmonary bypass].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the changes in P38MAPK during and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the effect of SB203580, a specific P38MAPK inhibitor, on CPB-induced pulmonary inflammatory response. METHODS: Fifty-four SD rats were randomized into 3 groups (each=18), namely sham CPB group, CPB group, and SB203580 group in which rats underwent CPB with SB203580 pretreatment. The lungs were excised immediately after the rats were sacrificed at scheduled time points and p38, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) were detected. RESULTS: The activities of P38 MAPK and NF-kappaB were significantly increased in CPB group as compared with those in sham CPB group. CPB resulted in increased TNF-alpha and IL-1beta production in the lung tissues. Administration of SB203580 prevented up-regulation of lung phosphorylated P38 MAPK, and decreased proinflammatory cytokine productions in the lung tissues. CONCLUSION: P38 MAPK is activated in the lung tissue during and after CPB to affect the activation of NF-kappaB in the lung; SB203580 selectively inhibits P38 MAPK activation to reduce proinflammatory cytokine production after CPB.

Trends in prevalence of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and sexual risk behavior among men who have sex with men. Results of 3 consecutive respondent-driven sampling surveys in Beijing, 2004 through 2006.

BACKGROUND: Studies tracking trends in HIV prevalence and risk behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China are rare. We report on 3 consecutive cross-sectional surveys measuring the prevalence of HIV, other infectious diseases, and related risk behavior among MSM in Beijing in 2004, 2005, and 2006. METHODS: We applied respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit MSM for a structured face-to-face interview on demographic characteristics and HIV risk-related behavior. Blood specimens were drawn for HIV syphilis, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing. RESULTS: A total of 325 MSM participated in 2004, 427 in 2005, and 540 in 2006. HIV prevalence was 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1 to 0.8) in 2004, 4.6% (95% CI: 2.2 to 7.6) in 2005, and 5.8% (95% CI: 3.4 to 8.5) in 2006. This apparent rise was accompanied by an increase in syphilis and self-reported history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), high prevalence of multiple sex partners, and low consistent condom use. HCV prevalence also increased, from 0.4% (95% CI: 0.1 to 0.8) in 2004 to 5.2% (95% CI: 2.3 to 8.2) in 2006. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a possible rising prevalence of HIV and related risk behavior among MSM in Beijing using RDS in each of 3 consecutive years. Practical measures, including MSM-friendly HIV testing, STD services, and health provider education, are urgently needed to stop the further spread of HIV in this population.

Neutralizing antibodies in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus infection.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the principal etiologic agent of SARS. We analyzed serum samples obtained from 623 patients with SARS in Beijing, to determine whether infection with SARS-CoV can elicit neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). METHODS: We developed a highly sensitive and safe neutralization assay using the SARS-CoV pseudotyped virus and used this assay to determine the titers of the NAbs in serum samples from patients with SARS. RESULTS: We found that 85.9% of serum samples contained NAbs against SARS-CoV and that most of the NAb activities could be attributed to immunoglobulin G. The NAbs became detectable first at 5-10 days after the onset of symptoms, and their levels peaked at 20-30 days and then were sustained for >150 days. The serum samples could neutralize the pseudotype particles bearing the spike glycoproteins from different SARS-CoV strains, suggesting that the NAbs to SARS-CoV were broadly reactive. CONCLUSIONS: NAbs to SARS-CoV are broadly elicited in patients with SARS and, according to their kinetics, may correlate with viral load during the early stages of the disease. These results suggest that it is possible to develop effective vaccines against SARS and that NAbs provide a potential strategy for treating patients with SARS.