[Analysis on the implementation of payment policies for four non-national immunization program vaccines in China].

This study systematically retrieved information on the payment policy of vaccination fees for pneumococcal vaccines, human papillomavirus vaccines, haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines and rotavirus vaccines using a Python-based crawler. The proportion of the population covered by policies among the total applicable population was estimated based on the medical insurance coverage ratio and population data in 2020. This study showed that the payment policies included two categories, government-funded free vaccination policies and medical insurance payment policies. Among the four non-national immunization program vaccines, the free vaccination policies only involved pneumococcal vaccines and human papillomavirus vaccines. Among them, the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, and the human papillomavirus vaccine were provided free of charge in 1, 10 and 15 provinces, respectively. For these policies, the corresponding covered population and the proportion among the total applicable population were children aged 6 months to 2 years old (2.5%), older people (1.2% to 21.5%) and middle school girls (1.1% to 12.2%). Medical insurance payment policies were implemented in 14 provinces, and nearly covered the four types of vaccines in the policy implementation areas, with the proportion of the covered population about 10.9% to 41.5% among the total applicable population.

[Cost-effectiveness analysis of quadrivalent influenza vaccination for older adults aged 60 and above in mainland China].

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of government fully-funded quadrivalent influenza vaccination (QIV) program for older adults aged 60 and above in mainland China. Methods: Based on decision tree model in the previous research on the cost-effectiveness analysis of TIV immunization, we extended the structure of model and updated the key parameters such as influenza patients' healthcare seeking behavior, vaccine cost, vaccine coverage and vaccine efficacy/effectiveness to estimate influenza-associated outpatient consultations, hospitalizations, respiratory disease excess mortality and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) between the QIV and no vaccination or TIV program. And incremental cost and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were evaluated between the QIV and no vaccination or TIV program from the societal perspective. The time frame of the study is one year. All costs were adjusted to 2019 using the consumer price index. Results: Comparing the fully-funded QIV and no vaccination or TIV for older adults aged 60 and above is separately expected to prevent 45 070 or 2 718 influenza-associated influenza-like illness (ILI) outpatients, 21 451 or 1 294 influenza-associated severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospitalizations, 19 346 or 1 167 influenza-associated respiratory excess deaths and avoid 155 234 or 9 363 QALY loss each year. Compared with no vaccination, introducing QIV into National Immunization Program (NIP) is expected to increase the cost of 11.71 billion yuan from the societal perspective. The incremental cost per QALY gained between QIV and no vaccination was 75 325 yuan per QALY, which is higher than willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold (one-fold gross domestic product per capita is considered as WTP: 70 892 yuan) and means no cost effective. Introducing QIV rather than TIV into NIP will cost 7.98 billion yuan from the societal perspective and the ICER was 852.54 thousand yuan per QALY which is much higher than WTP and means no cost effective as well. The threshold of vaccination cost between QIV and no vaccination or TIV should no more than 113.41 or 6.83 yuan when the two comparators' scenarios above are all cost effective. Conclusion: Under the condition of current vaccine effectiveness and vaccine cost, comparing fully-funded QIV with no or TIV vaccination program is not cost effective for people aged 60 years or older.

[Estimating the disease burden of seasonal influenza in China, 2006-2019].

Objective: To estimate the health impact and economic burden of seasonal influenza in mainland China. Methods: From systematic literature reviews, we collected the influenza-associated excess influenza-like-illness (ILI) outpatient consultation rates, hospitalization rates of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and respiratory excess mortality, 2006-2017. Using these data, as well as demographic data (2019), the number of influenza-associated excess ILI outpatient consultations, SARI hospitalizations and respiratory excess deaths were estimated. Then using per capita economic burden of influenza-associated outpatient consultations and hospitalizations, as well as the productivity loss of influenza-related premature deaths, the annual influenza-associated total economic burden was estimated. All costs were adjusted to 2019 using the consumer price index. Results: The annual influenza-associated excess ILI outpatient consultations, SARI hospitalizations and excess respiratory deaths were 3 million, 2.34 million, 0.09 million, respectively. The total economic burden was 26.38 billion CNY, accounting for 0.266‰ GDP in 2019, of which the hospitalization-related economic burden accounted for the highest proportion (86.4%, 22.79 billion CNY), followed by the outpatient-related economic burden (11.3%, 2.97 billion CNY), and the indirect economic burden of productivity loss of premature deaths was the lowest (2.4%, 0.62 billion CNY). Largest economic burden was observed in East China (10.51 billion CNY) and smallest observed in Northeast China (0.38 billion CNY). Conclusion: The health burden of influenza-related outpatient visits and hospitalizations were substantial. The economic burden of influenza-related SARI hospitalization was higher than that of influenza-related outpatients and pre-mature deaths. The highest economic burden of influenza occurred in the East China.

Long noncoding RNA SNHG8 promotes the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells by downregulating miR-542-3p.

Small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) as a subset of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have critical roles in the pathogenesis of multiple malignancies, however, the role and molecular mechanisms of lncRNA SNHG8 in osteosarcoma (OS) remain unclear. In the present study, the correlation of SNHG8 or miR-542-3p with clinicopathological elements and prognosis in OS patents was estimated by TCGA cohort. Cell viability and invasion were assessed by MTT and Transwell assays. The interplay between SNHG8 and miR-542-3p was affirmed by a luciferase report assay. The effects of SNHG8 on miR-542-3p expression were examined in MG-63 and SW-1353 cells by qRT-PCR analysis. The results showed that incremental expression of SNHG8 or reduced expression of miR-542-3p was related to poor survival and tumor recurrence in OS patients. Overexpressing SNHG8 accelerated the growth and invasion of MG-63 cells, but silencing SNHG8 harbored an opposite effect in SW-1353 cells. Additionally, SNHG8 could negatively regulate miR-542-3p expression and bind with miR-542-3p, which attenuated SNHG8 induced cell proliferation. Taken together, these findings indicate that lncRNA SNHG8 promotes the proliferation of OS cells by downregulating miR-542-3p.

[Clinicopathological characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of 29 cases of signet ring cell carcinoma of the rectum and sigmoid colon].

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and the therapeutic effects of signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of rectum and sigmoid colon. Methods: Clinical data and the follow-up information of 29 SRCC patients treated in our tertiary care center from 2008 to 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinicopathological features, diagnostic and therapeutic effects, and the prognostic outcomes were analyzed. Results: Among the 29 patients, 17 were male, 12 were female. The average age was (48.7±14.3) years. Colonoscopy revealed the features of diffuse circumferential thickening of the bowel wall in 20/29 cases (69.0%), while in 9/29 cases (31.0%), endoscopic biopsies showed false negative results. Twenty-five% (4/16) and 17.6% (3/17) lesions were misdiagnosed as the inflammatory changes by endoscopic rectal ultrasonography exam and rectal MRI scan, respectively. Thirteen of the 29 patients received the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT), 27 patients underwent the radical resection surgeries, and 8 underwent the postoperative radiotherapy. With a median follow-up of 38.5 (3.5-87.0) months, the cumulative 3-years overall survival (OS) rate was 54.0%, and the cumulative 3-years disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 43.0%. The OS rates of patients treated with or without NCRT (non-NCRT) were 46.2% and 69.2%, respectively, without significant difference (P>0.05). The DFS rates of patients treated with or without NCRT were 45.8% and 39.2%, respectively, without significant difference (P>0.05). Parameters including age younger than 40 years and tumor size larger than 5 cm were independent potential risk factors for shortened OS (P<0.05). Conclusions: SRCC of the rectum and sigmoid colon is a rare malignant tumor with special clinical manifestations. It is younger-onset, highly malignant and with very poor prognosis. Therefore, in-depth researches with focus upon the progress of molecular oncology are urgently needed to substantially improve the therapeutic effect of this disease.

Current but not past hepatitis B virus infection is associated with a decreased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the Chinese population: A case-control study with propensity score analysis.

The relation between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and fatty liver has been addressed by several observational studies, but their results remain controversial. To date, no study has precisely investigated the association of current and past HBV infection with the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the Chinese population. Therefore, we conducted a hospital-based case-control study in southwestern China to clarify this issue. A total of 631 newly ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD cases and 2357 controls were selected from 123 243 consecutive patients admitted to a tertiary-care hospital between January 2015 and December 2016. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A propensity score was developed for adjustment and matching. Subgroup analysis was conducted to identify potential effect modifiers. Current and past HBV infection had an overall prevalence of 9.7% and 55.2%, respectively. In the fully adjusted model, current HBV infection was associated with a decreased risk of NAFLD (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.42-0.95). A similar inverse association was observed in both propensity-score-adjusted (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.40-0.86) and propensity-score-matched analyses (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.40-0.92).The inverse association was stronger in patients with hypertension than in those without (Pinteraction  = .018).No significant association between past HBV infection and NAFLD risk was found. In conclusion, current but not past HBV infection is associated with a decreased risk of NAFLD in the Chinese population. The corresponding biological mechanisms remain to be elucidated.

More extensive white matter hyperintensity is linked with higher risk of remote intracerebral hemorrhage after intravenous thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Remote intracerebral hemorrhage (rICH) is infrequent after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and its mechanism remains poorly understood. We aimed to assess its frequency and possible relationship with the severity of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed data from consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke with magnetic resonance imaging and IVT. WMH volume was quantitatively measured. rICH was defined as intracranial hemorrhage that appears in brain regions without visible ischemic changes on 24-h follow-up imaging. Unfavorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin scale score of 3-6 at 3 months. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the impact of WMH volume on hemorrhage, including rICH and local parenchymal hemorrhage, as well as clinical outcome. RESULTS: Of a total of 503 patients analyzed, 17 (3.4%) patients developed rICH. Logistic regression analysis indicated that patients with rICH had significantly larger whole-brain corrected WMH volume (cWMHv) than those without rICH (22.90 vs. 4.42 mL; odds ratio, 1.562/10 mL; 95% confidence interval, 1.215-2.009; P = 0.001). Not only the corrected peri-ventricular WMH volume (P = 0.001), but also the corrected deep WMH volume (P = 0.013) was associated with the occurrence of rICH. cWMHv was also independently associated with local parenchymal hemorrhage (P = 0.025). rICH was not related to unfavorable outcome (P = 0.323), whereas cWMHv (P = 0.006) was associated with unfavorable outcome. CONCLUSION: An increased occurrence rate of rICH after IVT is related to more extensive WMH, which may suggest underlying whole-brain vascular injury in patients with WMH.

A long-acting pegylated recombinant human growth hormone (Jintrolong® ) in healthy adult subjects: Two single-dose trials evaluating safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Jintrolong® is a pegylated recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) (PEG-rhGH) developed for weekly subcutaneous (sc) injection. The current human tolerability trial and pharmacokinetics (PK) trial evaluated the safety, tolerability and PK of single-dose Jintrolong® injection in healthy adult subjects. METHODS: Both trials were single-centre, randomized, open-label and single-dose studies. In the human tolerability trial, 34 healthy subjects were randomized to receive single-dose Jintrolong® sc injection (0.01, 0.06, 0.2, 0.5 or 0.8 mg/kg) or placebo. In the PK study, 30 healthy male subjects were evenly randomized into 3 groups to receive single-dose Jintrolong® sc injection (0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg), and the subjects receiving 0.4 mg/kg Jintrolong® were given a single sc injection of conventional rhGH (0.067 mg/kg) after a 14-day washout period. Safety and PK profiles of Jintrolong® were evaluated. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Jintrolong® was well tolerated with no serious adverse events or local injection responses. The PK trial showed that the plasma growth hormone concentration elevated quickly and stayed at peak level between 12 and 48 hours post-Jintrolong® injection, then decreased gradually back to baseline within 168 hours. Compared to single-dose conventional rhGH, Jintrolong® at all doses demonstrated significantly longer half time and time to maximum plasma concentration, lower clearance and higher systemic drug exposure, indicating prolonged presence of GH in the subjects' circulation. Additionally, systemic exposure to Jintrolong® increased in a dose-dependent manner. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Single-dose Jintrolong® injection was well tolerated in healthy adult subjects, and the maximum tolerable dose was no lower than 0.8 mg/kg. Jintrolong® was long-acting with the potential for weekly administration.

[Repairing the bone and skin defect of foot after improved toe-to-finger reconstruction utilizing periosteal perforator bone-skin flap of proximal anterior tibial artery].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcome of repairing donor site of foot after improved toe-to-finger reconstruction utilizing periosteal perforator bone-skin flap of proximal anterior tibial artery. Methods: Twelve patients of toe defect after reconstruction were repaired from March, 2015 to June, 2017 utilizing periosteal perforator bone-skin flap of proximal anterior tibial artery in the Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery of Xin'an Hospital, Dongguan City.Of which, there were 7 cases of great toe defect with fibular side of phalanx ungual and skin, 5 cases of second toe defect with proximal interphalangeal joints and the partial bone accompanied the great toe defect.Double bone flaps of one pedicles were used to repair first and second phalanx defect in 5 cases.The skin injured area: 5.5 cm×2.5 cm to 6.5 cm×10.0 cm. Bone defect size of great and second toe were 1.5 cm×1.0 cm×0.8 cm to 1.7 cm×1.0 cm×1.0 cm and 2.5 cm×1.0 cm×1.0 cm to 4.0 cm×1.0 cm×1.0 cm, respectively.The flap size ranged from 6.0 cm×3.0 cm to 6.5 cm×12.0 cm, and the bone flap size ranged from 1.5 cm×1.0 cm×0.8cm to 1.7 cm×1.0 cm×1.0 cm(great toe) and 2.0 cm×1.0 cm×1.0 cm to 3.5 cm×1.0 cm×1.0 cm(second toe). The wound of donor site of the leg was directly combined or local skin transfer sutured with 8 cases, skin-grafting in 4 cases. Results: All the bone-skin flaps survived.After 6-27 months of follow-up, the great toe flaps were found with normal color, good texture and moderate thickness, the two-point discrimination was 7-10 mm. The donor site of the leg showed little influence with normal function.No pain and discomfort in the foot were recorded, and the patients walked well.The healing time of bone flap was from 1.5 to 4 months, with an average of 2.5 months.Using the Maryland Foot Score, 5 cases of 7 feet got excellent and 2 cases of 2 feet got good result in the great toe group (7 cases of 9 feet), the good rate was 100%.Three cases got excellent and two cases got good result in the combined reconstruction group (5 cases), the good rate was 100%. Conclusion: Repairing donor site of foot after improved toe-to-finger reconstruction utilizing periosteal perforator bone-skin flap of proximal anterior tibial artery can also repair bone and skin defect of the great and the second toe, keep the great and the second toe, and restore the appearance and function of the first and the second toe at utmost.

Molecular characterization of classical and nonclassical MHC class I genes from the golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus).

Classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I allelic polymorphism is essential for competent antigen presentation. To improve the genotyping efforts in the golden pheasant, it is necessary to differentiate more accurately between classical and nonclassical class I molecules. In our study, all MHC class I genes were isolated from one golden pheasant based on two overlapping PCR amplifications. In total, six full-length class I nucleotide sequences (A-F) were identified, and four were novel. Two (A and C) belonged to the IA1 gene, two (B and D) were alleles derived from the IA2 gene through transgene amplification, and two (E and F) comprised a third novel locus, IA3 that was excluded from the core region of the golden pheasant MHC-B. IA1 and IA2 exhibited the broad expression profiles characteristic of classical loci, while IA3 showed no expression in multiple tissues and was therefore defined as a nonclassical gene. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the three IA genes in the golden pheasant share a much closer evolutionary relationship than the corresponding sequences in other galliform species. This observation was consistent with high sequence similarity among them, which likely arises from the homogenizing effect of recombination. Our careful distinction between the classical and nonclassical MHC class I genes in the golden pheasant lays the foundation for developing locus-specific genotyping and establishing a good molecular marker system of classical MHC I loci.

Decrease of the insulin-like growth factor-1 bioavailability in spontaneously hypertensive rats with erectile dysfunction.

We investigated the role of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in spontaneously hypertensive rats with erectile dysfunction. Firstly, we evaluated intracavernous pressure. The bioavailability of IGF-1 at both mRNA and protein levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot respectively. Then, cavernous cyclic guanosine monophosphate concentrations were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cavernosal pressure was significantly decreased in the hypertensive and the propranolol treatment groups compared to the normal control group (P < 0.01). Cavernous IGF-1 bioavailability and the concentrations of cavernous cyclic guanosine monophosphate were both significantly decreased in the hypertensive and the propranolol treatment groups compared to the normal control group (P < 0.01). This study suggests that an obvious decrease in cavernous IGF-1 levels might play an important role in spontaneously hypertensive rats with erectile dysfunction.

Short hairpin ribonucleic acid constructs targeting insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 rehabilitated dyslipidaemia in diabetic rats.

It was investigated whether short hairpin ribonucleic acid constructs targeting insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3 shRNA) can rehabilitate dyslipidaemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. After 12 weeks of intracavernous administration of IGFBP-3 shRNA, intracavernous pressure responses to electrical stimulation of cavernous nerves were evaluated. The concentrations of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and cavernous cyclic guanosine monophosphate were all detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The per cent of smooth muscle in corpus cavernous tissue was also evaluated. It was found that the cavernosal pressure was significantly increased in the IGFBP-3 shRNA treatment group compared to the diabetic control group after 12 weeks of intracavernous administration of IGFBP-3 shRNA (P < 0.01). The concentrations of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly decreased in the IGFBP-3 shRNA treatment group compared to the diabetic control group, while no significant changes of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration were found (P < 0.01). At the same time, cavernous cyclic guanosine monophosphate concentrations and the percentage of cavernosal smooth muscle were both significantly increased in the IGFBP-3 shRNA treatment group compared to the diabetic control group (P < 0.01). This study indicated that IGFBP-3 shRNA might rehabilitate erectile function via a decrease in concentrations of serum low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride, an increase in the percentage of cavernosal smooth muscle and an improvement in the nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate signalling activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Genetic variability of DNA repair mechanisms in chemotherapy treatment outcome of gastric cancer patients.

We investigate whether three common polymorphisms in ERCC1 and ERCC2 are predictor factors for the chemotherapy response, as well as the clinic outcome of patients with gastric cancer. Between May 2011 and May 2013, 263 patients with gastric cancer who were newly diagnosed by histopathology were enrolled in our study. Genotyping of the ERCC1 rs11615 and rs3212986, and ERCC2 rs1799793 polymorphisms were conducted by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Patients carrying the TT genotype and TT+CT genotype of ERCC1 rs11615 were associated with poorer response to chemotherapy and shorter survival times when compared with the CC genotype. In conclusion, our results suggested that the ERCC1 rs11615 polymorphism in the DNA repair pathways can be used as predictive factors to the clinical outcome of patients with gastric cancer.

Carbon nanotube growth for through silicon via application.

Through silicon via (TSV) technology is key for next generation three-dimensional integrated circuits, and carbon nanotubes (CNT) provide a promising alternative to metal for filling the TSV. Three catalyst preparation methods for achieving CNT growth from the bottom of the TSV are investigated. Compared with sputtering and evaporation, catalyst deposition using dip-coating in a FeCl2 solution is found to be a more efficient method for realizing a bottom-up filling of the TSV (aspect ratio 5 or 10) with CNT. The CNT bundles grown in 5 min exceed the 50 µm length of the TSV and are multi-wall CNT with three to eight walls. The CNT bundles inside the TSV were electrically characterized by creating a direct contact using a four-point nanoprober setup. A low resistance of the CNT bundle of 69.7 Ω (297 Ω) was measured when the CNT bundle was contacted midway along (over the full length of) the 25 µm deep TSV. The electrical characterization in combination with the good filling of the TSV demonstrates the potential use of CNT in fully integrated TSV applications.

Lapatinib, a dual inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, potentiates the antitumor effects of cisplatin on esophageal carcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression occurs in over 30% of esophageal carcinomas. Combination therapies of EGFR- and HER2-targeting agents with cytotoxic agents are considered a potential therapeutic strategy for esophageal cancer. The antitumor effects of lapatinib, a dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor of EGFR and HER2, cisplatin alone, and the combination of the two drugs on esophageal cancer cells were evaluated. The growth inhibition activity of lapatinib, cisplatin, and lapatinib plus cisplatin was measured by 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assays, and the combination index values were calculated. Additionally, cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis treated with lapatinib or cisplatin alone and the combination of the two drugs were detected by flow cytometry analysis. The activation of EGFR and HER2 signaling pathways was monitored by Western blot analysis. These experimental data showed that the combination of lapatinib and cisplatin synergistically inhibited cell proliferation and exhibited an enhanced pro-apoptotic effect on esophageal cancer cells. The underlying mechanisms of potentiated effects of combined treatment were associated with reduced phosphorylation of EGFR and HER2, and the downstream signaling molecules AKT and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK). Our findings indicated that the combination of lapatinib and cisplatin is one of the promising treatment strategies for esophageal carcinomas with EGFR and HER2 overexpression.

[Directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into midbrain].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an efficient protocol for directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into functional midbrain dopaminergic progenitor cells (DAPs) in vitro. METHODS: hiPSCs were induced to differentiate into DAPs in two developmental stages. In the first stage (the first 13 days), hiPSCs were induced into intermediate cells morphologically similar to primitive neuroepithelial cells (NECs) in neural induction medium containing a combination of small molecule compounds. In the second stage, the intermediate cells were further induced in neural differentiation medium until day 28 to obtain DAPs. After CM-DiI staining, the induced DAPs were stereotactically transplanted into the right medial forebrain bundle (MFB) of rat models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Eight weeks after transplantation, the motor behaviors of PD rats was evaluated. Immunofluorescence assay of brain sections of the rats was performed at 2 weeks after transplantation to observe the survival, migration and differentiation of the transplanted cells in the host brain microenvironment. RESULTS: hiPSCs passaged stably on Matrigel showed a normal diploid karyotype, expressed the pluripotency markers OCT4, SOX2, and Nanog, and were positive for alkaline phosphatase. The primitive neuroepithelial cells obtained on day 13 formed dense cell colonies in the form of neural rosettes and expressed the neuroepithelial markers (SOX2, Nestin, and PAX6, 91.3%-92.8%). The DAPs on day 28 highly expressed the specific markers (TH, FOXA2, LMX1A and NURR1, 93.3-96.7%). In rat models of PD, the hiPSCs-DAPs survived and differentiated into TH+, FOXA2+ and Tuj1+ neurons at 2 weeks after transplantation. Eight weeks after transplantation, the motor function of PD rats was significantly improved as shown by water maze test (P < 0.0001) and apomorphine-induced rotation test (P < 0.0001) compared with rats receiving vehicle injection. CONCLUSION: HiPSCs can be effectively induced to differentiate into DAPs capable of differentiating into functional neurons both in vivo and in vitro. In rat models of PD, the transplanted hiPSCs-DAPs can survive for more than 8 weeks in the MFB and differentiate into multiple functional neurocytes to ameliorate neurological deficits of the rats, suggesting the potential value of hiPSCs-DAPs transplantation for treatment of neurological diseases.

Simulations of neutral beam injection and ion cyclotron resonance heating synergy in high power EAST scenarios.

The EAST plasmas heated with deuterium neutral beam injection and ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) have been simulated by the TRANSP code. The analysis has been conducted using the full wave solver TORIC5, the radio frequency (RF)-kick operator, and NUBEAM to model the RF heating effects on fast ion velocity distribution. In this work, we present several simulated results compared with experiments for high power EAST scenarios, indicating that the interactions between ICRH and fast ions can significantly accelerate fast ions, which are confirmed by the increased neutron yield and broadened neutron emission spectrum measurements.

Adoptive transfer of dendritic cells isolated from helminth-infected mice enhanced T regulatory cell responses in airway allergic inflammation.

Our and others' previous studies have shown that Schistosoma japonicum (SJ) infection can inhibit allergic reactions. Moreover, we found that adoptive transfer of dendritic cells (DCs) from inhibited mice showed a similar inhibitory effect on allergy, suggesting a critical role of DCs in SJ-infected mediated inhibition of allergy. In this study, we further examined the mechanism by which DCs contribute to inhibition of allergy. Our results showed that DCs from SJ-infected mice (SJDCs) produced significantly higher levels of IL-10 compared to those from naive control mice (NDCs). Adoptive transfer of SJDCs, unlike NDCs, significantly increased CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells and CD4+CD25+IL-10+ T cells regulatory T-cell responses in vivo. This was correlated with significantly reduced production of IL-4 and IL-5 by CD4+ T cells, eotaxin in lung tissues and reduced airway allergic inflammation in the SJDC recipients following allergen sensitization and challenge. These data suggest that helminth infection may induce tolerogenic DCs that can inhibit the development of airway allergic inflammation through enhancing T regulatory cell responses.