TRIM36 inhibits tumorigenesis through the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and promotes caspase-dependent apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and has an extremely poor prognosis. We aimed to determine the latent relationships between TRIM36 regulation of apoptosis and the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in HCC. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were used to characterize the aberrant expression of TRIM36 in HCC and adjacent tissues. Clinical information was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox methods. RNA-seq of potential targets was conducted to detect the regulation of TRIM36. Apoptosis assays and cellular proliferation, invasion and migration were conducted in a loss- and gain-of-function manner in cultured cells to determine the biological functions of TRIM36. A rescue experiment was conducted to confirm the role of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in TRIM36 regulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were conducted using cell line-derived xenografts in nude mice to validate the central role of TRIM36 in HCC. RESULTS: TRIM36 expression was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues. TRIM36 repressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of Huh7 and HCCLM3 cells, whereas it stimulated apoptosis. Wnt/ß-catenin signaling was inhibited by TRIM36, and rescue experiments highlighted its importance in HCC proliferation, migration, and invasion. In vivo experiments further confirmed the effects of sh-TRIM36 on HCC tumorigenesis, inhibition of apoptosis, and promotion of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to indicate that TRIM36 acts as a tumor suppressor in HCC. TRIM36 activates apoptosis and inhibits cellular proliferation, invasion, and migration via the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, which may serve as an important biomarker and promising therapeutic target for HCC.

Quantifying the shape effect of plasmonic gold nanoparticles on photoacoustic conversion efficiency.

Gold nanoparticles with strong localized plasmonic effects have found wide applications in photoacoustic imaging, which are ascribed to their unique microscopic mechanism of converting photons to ultrasound. In this report, we quantitatively model the time-resolved temperature field, thermal expansion, and pressure distribution based on the finite element analysis method, and two-dimensional gold nanoparticles spanning from the triangle, square, pentagon, and hexagon to the circle have been systematically studied. Results show that the shape of gold nanoparticles has a nontrivial effect on photoacoustic conversion efficiency, and the square-shaped gold structure exhibits the best performance. Our findings could shed light on the shape design of high-performance photoacoustic agents in the future.

Evaluation of Axial Preload in Different-Frequency Smart Bolts by Laser Ultrasound.

We report here on a laser ultrasonic system to indirectly evaluate the preload force of different-frequency piezoelectric bolts. This newly developed system enables us to achieve the goal of non-contact excitation and synchronously collects the laser-induced ultrasonic signal by the combination of a smart piezoelectric sensor and a magnetically mounted transducer connector. A numerical model based on the finite element method (FEM) was developed to simulate the propagation and displacement distribution of laser-generated ultrasonic waves along the axial direction. The measured A-scan waveform basically coincided with the counterpart obtained from a theoretical simulation, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed system to measure a bolt. By comparison, a laser spot diameter of 6 mm was the optimal beam diameter for the excitation of the ultrasonic wave in the bolt. The linear relationship between time of flight (TOF) of the ultrasonic longitudinal wave and bolt torque was almost independent from the center frequency of the smart bolt. By contrast, a piezoelectric patch centered at 5 MHz was more suitable as an ultrasonic sensor in terms of the nonlinear effects component suppression and linear fitting degree between TOF and torque. The results indicate that the proposed system based on a surface-mounted piezoelectric sensor is a promising system for evaluating the axial preload change of connector and fastener and is an additional potential laser ultrasonic system for nondestructive tests.

Ultrasonic Measurement of Axial Preload in High-Frequency Nickel-Based Superalloy Smart Bolt.

A high-frequency, piezoelectric thin-film sensor was successfully deposited on a nickel-based superalloy bolt by radio frequency magnetron sputtering to develop a smart, nickel-based superalloy bolt. Ultrasonic response characterization, high accuracy, and repeatability of ultrasonic measurement of axial preload in nickel-based superalloy smart bolts are reported here and were fully demonstrated. The axial preload in the nickel-based superalloy smart bolt was directly measured by the bi-wave method (TOF ratio between transverse and longitudinal-mode waves) without using the traditional integration of a longitudinal and shear transducer. A model concerning the bolt before and after tensioning was established to demonstrate the propagation and displacement distribution of the ultrasonic waves inside a nickel-based superalloy smart bolt. The measured A-scan signal presented significantly favorable features including a mixture of transverse and longitudinal mode waves, a pure and broad frequency spectrum which peaked at 17.14 MHz, and high measurement accuracy below 3% for tension of 4 kN-20 kN. For the temporal ultrasonic signal, the measurement envelopes were narrower than for the counterpart of the simulation, justifying the 'filtration' advantage of the high-frequency sensor. Both the TOF change of the single longitudinal-mode wave and the TOF ratio between transverse- and longitudinal-mode waves increased linearly with preload force in the range of 0 kN to 20 kN. Compared with the commercial piezoelectric probe, the proposed probe, based on the combination of a high-frequency, piezoelectric thin-film sensor and a magnetically mounted transducer connector, exhibited high tolerance to temperatures as high as 320 °C and high repeatability free from some interference factors such as bolt detection position change and couplant layer thickness. The results indicate that this system is a promising axial preload measurement system for high-temperature fasteners and connectors, and the proposed sensor is a practical, high-frequency ultrasonic sensor for non-destructive testing.

How were situations of preventive and curative care expenditure for AIDS and medical burden of patients? Research based on "System of Health Accounts 2011".

BACKGROUND: The problem of AIDS response has not only involved public health, but also had a great impact on the family burden.The objective of this study was to estimate the preventive and curative care expenditure(PCE)for AIDS of Hunan Province in 2017 based on System of Health Accounts 2011(SHA2011)by quantity,financing scheme,health provider,health function,and to analyses the factors affecting patients' medical burden. METHODS: Through stratified multi-stage sampling method, 1336 institutions were surveyed to obtain AIDS prevention and control data, and the official data collected from Health Statistical Yearbook, Health Financial Annual Reports and Government Input Monitoring System were used to estimate the AIDS PCE based on SHA2011. Univariate analyses and ordered logistic regression were used to evaluate the factors affecting the medical burden of AIDS patients. RESULTS: The AIDS PCE of Hunan Province in 2017 was 266.67 million, mainly flowed to hospitals and disease prevention and control institutions. The proportions of curative care expenditure(CCE) and prevention expenditure were 51.39 and 48.61% respectively. Prevention expenditure were mainly used for traditional prevention methods. All prevention expenditure and 88.52% of CCE were borne by public financing scheme. Family health expenditure accounted for 11.12% of CCE, but there were still some people with heavy burden of treatment. Non insurance, co-infection and length of stay are risk factors to the total hospitalization expenses(Totalexp)and the out-of-pocket payments(OOPs)(all p < 0.05,OR > 1). Taking the age group under 30 as the reference, the partial regression coefficient of the age group over 60 was statistically significant (OR (Totalexp) = 1.809, OR (OOPs) = 0.30). CONCLUSION: The financing structure of the PCE for AIDS in Hunan Province was relatively stable and the flow of institutions was reasonable. The functional flow of expenditure embodied the principle of "prevention first". China should incorporate oral PrEP into the national guidelines as soon as possible to improve the allocation efficiency of AIDS prevention resources. Meantime, several measures should be taken to reduce the medical burden of AIDS patients, including expanding the scope of government assistance, adjusting insurance compensation measures, increasing the rate of patients participating in insurance,encouraging commercial insurance to join the AIDS insurance system,and controlling length of stay in hospital.

5kW GTWave fiber amplifier directly pumped by commercial 976nm laser diodes.

With home-made fiber perform and special fiber drawing & coating technique, a new-type of (3 + 1) GTWave fiber theoretically designed for bi-directional pump method, was successfully fabricated and justified of integrating multi-kW pump energy from commercial 976nm laser diodes. This (3 + 1) GTWave fiber amplifier demonstrated uniform absorption of pump light and easy thermal management characteristics along the whole fiber length. This amplifier is capable of simultaneously aggregating 5.19kW pump power at 976nm and finally generating 5.07kW laser output at 1066.5nm with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 74.5%, the first publically-reported multi-kW GTWave fiber directly pumped with commercial 976nm laser diodes to the best of our knowledge. No power roll-over was found at 5kW level and further power scaling can be expected with more pump power. The results indicate that GTWave fiber is a competitive integrated fiber device to collect enough pump energy from low-cost commercial laser diodes for multi-kW fiber laser development.

Single-mode large-mode-area laser fiber with ultralow numerical aperture and high beam quality.

By using the chelate precursor doping technique, we report on an ytterbium-doped aluminophosphosilicate (APS) large-mode-area fiber with ultralow numerical aperture of 0.036 and effective fundamental mode area of ∼550 µm2. With a bend diameter of 600 mm, the bending loss of fundamental mode LP01 was measured to be <10-3 dB/m, in agreement with the corresponding simulation results, while that of higher order mode LP11 is >100 dB/m at 1080 nm. Measured in an all-fiber oscillator laser cavity, 592 W single-mode laser output was obtained at 1079.64 nm with high-beam quality M2 of 1.12. The results indicate that the chelate precursor doping technique is a competitive method for ultralow numerical aperture fiber fabrication, which is very suitable for developing single-mode seed lasers for high power laser systems.

Species-abundance--seed-size patterns within a plant community affected by grazing disturbance.

Seed size has been advanced as a key factor that influences the dynamics of plant communities, but there are few empirical or theoretical predictions of how community dynamics progress based on seed size patterns. Information on the abundance of adults, seedlings, soil seed banks, seed rains, and the seed mass of 96 species was collected in alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (China), which had different levels of grazing disturbance. The relationships between seed-mass-abundance patterns for adults, seedlings, the soil seed bank, and seed rain in the plant community were evaluated using regression models. Results showed that grazing levels affected the relationship between seed size and abundance properties of adult species, seedlings, and the soil seed bank, suggesting that there is a shift in seed-size--species-abundance relationships as a response to the grazing gradient. Grazing had no effect on the pattern of seed-size-seed-rain-abundance at four grazing levels. Grazing also had little effect on the pattern of seed-size--species-abundance and pattern of seed-size--soil-seed-bank-abundance in meadows with no grazing, light grazing, and moderate grazing), but there was a significant negative effect in meadows with heavy grazing. Grazing had little effect on the pattern of seed-size--seedling-abundance with no grazing, but had significant negative effects with light, moderate, and heavy grazing, and the |r| values increased with grazing levels. This indicated that increasing grazing pressure enhanced the advantage of smaller-seeded species in terms of the abundances of adult species, seedlings, and soil seed banks, whereas only the light grazing level promoted the seed rain abundance of larger-seeded species in the plant communities. This study suggests that grazing disturbances are favorable for increasing the species abundance for smaller-seeded species but not for the larger-seeded species in an alpine meadow community. Hence, there is a clear advantage of the smaller-seeded species over the larger-seeded species with increases in the grazing level.

Inheritance of electrophysiological responses to leaf saps of host- and nonhost plants in two Helicoverpa species and their hybrids.

The polyphagous cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and the oligophagous oriental tobacco budworm Helicoverpa assulta (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) display contrasting heritable feeding preferences for cotton and pepper leaves. In this study, electrophysiological response patterns to cotton and pepper leaf saps in gustatory sensilla styloconica on the maxillae of these two species, their reciprocal F1 hybrids, and backcrossed lines were investigated using the tip recording technique. The identity of the neurons responding to the two leaf saps has been established using action potential waveform analysis. The two plant leaf saps elicited neural activity in at least six of the eight taste neurons innervating the lateral and medial sensilla styloconica of the parental species and crosses. Discriminant analysis of this multineural input predicted that correct classification occurred in 87 - 92% of the cases. Differences in taste neuron responses between insect lines to the two plant saps were consistent with differences in feeding preference behaviors. Comparisons of taste neuron response patterns of parental species, F1 hybrids and backcrosses indicate that autosomal loci contributed to the difference in gustatory response patterns between the two Helicoverpa species with the H. armigera derived alleles being partly dominant to those carried by H. assulta. These findings contribute to the understanding of gustatory codes for preference and provide insight into taste evolution of lepidopteran insects.

Ytterbium-doped large-mode-area silica fiber fabricated by using chelate precursor doping technique.

We reported on a highly effective chelate precursor doping technique for Yb-doped large-mode-area (LMA) fiber manufacture. By accurately controlling the evaporation temperature and flow rate of carrier gas, the chelate precursor doping technique is capable of making Yb-doped LMA silica fiber with good uniformity free of center dip, low numerical aperture of ~0.056, large preform core size of 4.46 mm, and appropriate cladding absorption of 1.17 dB/m at 976.4 nm. Based on a single-end-pump all-fiber oscillator laser setup, the laser output at 1080 nm reached 700 W with slope efficiency of 54.2%.

Fabrication and characterization of smart titanium alloy bolt based on high-frequency piezoelectric thin-film.

We reported here on the fabrication and characterization of a smart titanium alloy bolt based on a high-frequency piezoelectric thin-film sensor. The thin-film sensor was directly deposited on a titanium alloy bolt head with radio frequency magnetron sputtering and characterized by a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. The ultrasonic characteristics of the smart bolt, which include a pure and broad frequency spectrum peaked at 14.81 MHz, high measurement accuracy below 3%, and high repeatability free from some interference from bolt detection position change, were fully characterized. No obvious frequency shift was observed with the increase in axial preload. Based on the mono-wave method [TOF (time of flight) of longitudinal mode wave], TOF change increased linearly with preload force in the range of 0-20 kN. With the increase in temperature from 22 to 150 °C, the TOF linearly increases while the longitudinal wave velocity linearly decreases. The results indicate the prepared smart titanium alloy bolt is suitable as a smart aviation and automotive fastener.

Inclusion of lateral pressure/curvature stress effects in implicit membrane models.

Implicit membrane models usually treat the membrane as a hydrophobic slab and neglect lateral pressure/curvature stress effects. As a result, they cannot distinguish, for example, PE from PC lipids. Here, the implicit membrane model IMM1 is extended to include these effects using a combination of classical thermodynamics and membrane elasticity theory. The proposed model is tested by molecular dynamics simulation of the peptides alamethicin, melittin, cyclotide kalata B1, 18A, and KKpL15. The lateral pressure term stabilizes interfacial binding due to the negative pressure at the hydrocarbon-water interface. In agreement with experiment, increase in the peptide/lipid molar ratio shifts the equilibrium from the interfacial to the transmembrane orientation. Simulations of mixed DOPC/DOPE bilayers show that increase of the DOPE mole fraction in general stabilizes interfacial orientations and destabilizes transmembrane orientations. The extent of the stabilization or destabilization varies depending on the exact position of the peptides. The computational results are in good agreement with experiments.

1.23 µm emission of Er/Pr-doped water-free fluorotellurite glasses.

To investigate the relatively unexplored 1.2 µm region, we identified a near-infrared emission at around 1.23 µm from Er3+/Pr3+-codoped water-free fluorotellurite glass with a composition of 60TeO2-30ZnF2-10NaF (TZNF60, mol. %). Under the condition of pumping with the 488 nm optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser system, the directly measured lifetime (τ(f)) at 1.23 µm in Er/Pr-codoped fluorotellurite glasses is about 111.2 µs, much longer than that of Er-doped fluorotellurite glass (80.1 µs). The stimulated emission cross section (σ(em)) and quantum efficiency (η) for Er3+:4S3/2→4I11/2 transition are greatly enhanced when appropriate Pr3+ ions are incorporated. These advances arise partially from the absence of the hydroxyl (OH) group and low phonon energy with the addition of a large amount of fluorides into oxide-based host glasses. With high quantum efficiency (56.2%) and a large stimulated cross section (4.03×10(-21) cm2), Er3+/Pr3+-codoped TZNF60 glass is regarded as promising material for the development of optical amplification and laser operation at the relatively unexplored 1.2 µm region.

Multiring large-mode-area delivery fiber for high power.

The study presents a novel design of multiring delivery fiber with large mode area for high power. Using a FiberCAD method, we investigated a fiber whose core is surrounded by alternative low- and high-index rings. Based on our calculation, the effective area is 400 µm2 at 1.08 µm, larger than the ~280 µm2 of conventional step-index fiber (20/400). The macrobending loss at 1.08 µm is estimated to be 1×10(-3) dB/m, approximately one-third that of conventional step-index fiber (20/400). The single-mode operation can be achieved by the macrobending loss contrast between the fundamental mode (<1 dB/m) and high-order mode (>100 dB/m). The results indicate that multiring delivery fiber fabricated by modified chemical vapor deposition process is a promising candidate for high-power transmission.

Seed rain and its relationship with above-ground vegetation of degraded Kobresia meadows.

Seed rain is a crucial element in vegetation regeneration, but has been rarely studied in high altitude regions, particularly degraded Kobresia meadow. Weed infestation is a distinctive feature of pasture degradation in Kobresia meadows on the Tibetan plateau, the ecological mechanism of which is closely related with vegetation's seed rain. In this paper we assess the effect of vegetation degradation on seed rain and consider its implication for restoration of degraded Kobresia meadows in the headwater area of Yellow river, through analysis of seed species composition, number of seeds landing per m(2) of soil surface, and their relationship with above ground vegetation. Vegetation degradation had an impact on the species composition and numbers of seeds in seed rain and their relationship with above-ground vegetation. Within the un-degraded meadow, which provided a closed vegetation cover, 35 % of the seed rain was of sedge and gramineae species. However, within the degraded meadows, as the extent of degradation increased, so the total number of seeds m(-2) increased, with those derived from sedge and gramineae species forming a declining proportion of the total. Degradation of Kobresia meadow on the Tibetan plateau is exacerbated by the seed input of weed species (such as Oxytropis ochrocephala, Carum carvi, Aconitum pendulum, Pedicularis kansuensis in this study). Therefore, a major priority for the restoration of such degraded meadows should be the elimination of these weeds from the above ground vegetation by human intervention.

Intense 2.7 µm emission of Er3+-doped water-free fluorotellurite glasses.

By physical and chemical dehydration techniques, a group of Er3+-doped water-free fluorotellurite glasses with a composition of 60TeO2-30ZnF2-10NaF(TZNF60,mol%)+x Er2O3(wt%,x=0~1.5) were fabricated. Under 978 nm excitation, the 4I(11/2)→4I(13/2) emission of Er3+ ions in TZNF60-glass was investigated: τ(f) is of 1.07~1.93 ms and emission bandwidth is about 163 nm at 2.71 µm, which benefits from the absence of OH groups and the decreased phonon energy with the addition of fluorides. In contrast, 1.25Er-TZNF60 glass is proposed to be a promising material for mid-infrared fiber lasers at around 2.7 µm.

Intense red upconversion emission of Yb/Tm/Ho triply-doped tellurite glasses.

By conventional melting and quenching methods, 3Yb2O3-0.2Tm2O3-xHo2O3 (wt%, x=0.2~1.2) was doped into an easily fiberized tellurite glass with composition of 78TeO2-10ZnO-12Na2O (mol%) to form YTH-TZN78 glasses. Under 976 nm excitation, the direct sensitizing effect of Yb ions (Yb→Ho) and indirect sensitizing and self-depopulating effects of Tm ions (Yb→Tm→Ho) were found to present intense red upconversion emission at 657 nm (Red, Ho:5F5→5I8) and were responsible for the absence of the usually observed 484 nm emission (Blue, Tm:1G4→3H36). Regardless of the dopant concentration of Ho ions, the intensity of the red emission at 657 nm (Red, Ho:5F5→5I8) is about three times stronger than that of the green one at 543 nm (Green, Ho:5S2→5I8). For this certain red emission at 657 nm, 0.4 wt% Ho2O3-doped YTH-TZN78 glass was found to present the highest emission intensity and is therefore determined as a promising active tellurite glass for red fiber laser development.

Clinical outcomes of retrievable inferior vena cava filters for venous thromboembolic diseases.

Aim: To identify literature evidence assessing retrievable inferior vena cava filter (rIVCF) for venous thromboembolic diseases. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant references from the mainstay English and Chinese bibliographic databases (search period: January 2003 to October 2019). Results: 80 original studies with 11,413 patients were included in this review. The success rates of deploying the six types of rIVCFs ranged from 98.4 to 100.0%. Denali had the highest retrieval success rate (95.4-97.6%). The incidence rates of fracture and perforation associated with retrieving the six rIVCFs were less than 2%. Conclusion: The approved rIVCF had comparable clinical profiles, except that Denali was easier to be retrieved than other rIVCF.

Characteristic flavor formation of thermally processed N-(1-deoxy-α-d-ribulos-1-yl)-glycine: Decisive role of additional amino acids and promotional effect of glyoxal.

The role of amino acids and α-dicarbonyls in the flavor formation of Amadori rearrangement product (ARP) during thermal processing was investigated. Comparisons of the volatile compounds and their concentrations when N-(1-deoxy-α-d-ribulos-1-yl)-glycine reacted with different amino acids or glyoxal (GO) at 100 °C were executed. Additional amino acids, such as glycine (Gly), in ARP models contributed to the diversity of furanoids by the chain elongation of the derived formaldehyde. Whereas the monoanion of additional glutamic acid acted as nucleophile, favored 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine and 2,5-dimethylpyrazine formation; the nonionized amino group of additional lysine were involved in α-dicarbonyls formation, causing pyrazine and methylpyrazine accumulation in the ARP model. Moreover, the high dosage and pH stabilization of additional GO probably promoted the ARP degradation and deoxyosones retro-aldol cleavage, resulting in methylpyrazine rather than furanoids formation. The present work provided the guidance for the controlled flavor formation of ARP in industrial application.

Surgery combined with antibiotics for thoracic vertebral Escherichia coli infection after acupuncture: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is relatively popular worldwide, but an unregulated operation can easily lead to infections. The purpose of this report was to analyze a clinical case of surgery combined with the use of antibiotics for the treatment of thoracic vertebral infection by Escherichia coli (E. coli) after acupuncture. CASE SUMMARY: A 63-year-old male was diagnosed with E. coli infection in the thoracic vertebra after acupuncture. His fever and pain did not improve after treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics for 10 d. Thus, debridement of the infected area and biopsy were decided. The final pathology confirmed the diagnosis of vertebral infection by E. coli. The patient underwent anterior and posterior thoracic vertebral debridement and internal fixation surgery combined with the use of sensitive antibiotics. He had no fever or backache 3 mo postoperatively. CONCLUSION: In this report, we first considered antibiotic treatment for the patient with septic spinal infection, but the effect was not obvious. Interventional surgery was combined with the use of sensitive antibiotics to relieve backache, and good clinical results were achieved. Furthermore, acupuncture practitioners should pay attention to hygienic measures.