Differential effects of AKT1 and AKT2 on sleep-wake activity under basal conditions and in response to LPS challenge in mice.

Infectious challenge can trigger alterations in sleep-wake behavior. Accumulating evidence has shown that the serine/threonine kinases Akt1 and Akt2 are important targets in both physiological and infectious signaling processes. However, the involvement of Akt1 and Akt2 in sleep-wake activity under basal conditions and in response to inflammatory stimulation has not been established. In the present study, we assessed the precise role of Akt1 and Akt2 in sleep-wake behavior using electroencephalography (EEG)/electromyography (EMG) data from Akt1- and Akt2-deficient mice and wild-type (WT) mice. The results showed that both Akt1 and Akt2 deficiency affect sleep-wake activity, as indicated by reduced nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and increased wakefulness in mutant mice compared to WT mice. Sleep amount and intensity (delta, theta and alpha activity) at night were also drastically attenuated in Akt1- and Akt2-deficient mice. Moreover, since Akt1 and Akt2 are involved in immune responses, we assessed their roles in the sleep response to the inflammatory stimulus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) throughout the following 24 h. We observed that the decrease in wakefulness and increase in NREM sleep induced by LPS were restored in Akt1 knockout mice but not in Akt2 knockout mice. Correspondingly, the decrease in the number of positive orexin-A neurons induced by LPS was abrogated in Akt1 knockout mice but not in Akt2 knockout mice. Our results revealed that both Akt1 and Akt2 deficiency affect the sleep response under basal conditions, but only Akt1 deficiency protects against the aberrant changes in sleep behavior induced by peripheral immune challenge. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41105-024-00519-y.

Potential Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Anti-Aging and Aging-Related Diseases: Current Evidence and Perspectives.

Aging and aging-related diseases present a global public health problem. Therefore, the development of efficient anti-aging drugs has become an important area of research. Traditional Chinese medicine is an important complementary and alternative branch of aging-related diseases therapy. Recently, a growing number of studies have revealed that traditional Chinese medicine has a certain delaying effect on the progression of aging and aging-related diseases. Here, we review the progress in research into using traditional Chinese medicine for aging and aging-related diseases (including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer). Furthermore, we summarize the potential mechanisms of action of traditional Chinese medicine and provide references for further studies on aging and aging-related diseases.

Traditional Chinese medicine (Xielikang) reduces diarrhea symptoms in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients by regulating the intestinal microbiota.

Diarrheal acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) seriously affects the quality of life of patients. In this study, we analyzed the differences in the intestinal microbiota among healthy individuals, AIDS patients without diarrhea and AIDS patients with diarrhea through high-throughput sequencing. The microbial diversity in the intestines of patients in the AIDS diarrhea group was significantly increased, and after treatment with Xielikang, the intestinal microbial diversity returned to the baseline level. At the phylum level, compared those in to the healthy (ZC) and AIDS non diarrhea (FN) groups, the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomirobia in the AIDS diarrhea (FA) group before treatment were significantly increased, while the relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly decreased. Similarly, compared with those in the FA group, the relative abundances of Bacteroidea and Firmicutes in the AIDS diarrhea (FB) group after treatment were significantly increased, while the relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly decreased after treatment. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the ZC and FN groups. At the genus level, compared with those in the ZC group, the relative abundance of Prevotella and Escherichia_Shigella in the FA group was significantly increased, while the relative abundances of Megamonas and Bifidobacterium was significantly decreased compared to that in the ZC group. After treatment with Xielikang, the relative abundance of Prevotella and Escherichia_Shigella in the FB group were significantly decreased, while the relative abundances of Megamonas and Bifidobacteria were significantly increased than those in the FA group; moreover, there was no significant difference between the ZC and FN groups. The functional prediction results showed that the ketodeoxyoctonate (Kdo) transfer to lipid IVA III and the superpathway of N-acetylglucosamine pathways in the AIDS diarrhea group were significantly altered. The correlation analysis results showed that Dorea was positively correlated with inflammatory factors, while Streptococcus and Lactobacillus were negatively correlated with inflammatory factors. The composition and function of the intestinal microbiota changed significantly in AIDS diarrhea patients, which affected the immune function of the host. The Xielikang capsule modulated the composition of the intestinal microbiota in AIDS diarrhea patients and thus improved immune function and reduced diarrheal symptoms.

Characterization of intestinal fungal community diversity in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a highly dangerous infectious disease caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a virus that attacks the human immune system. To explore the correlation between intestinal fungal community and immune function (Immune cells and inflammatory factors) in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The feces and blood samples were collected from two groups of subjects: PLWHA and healthy controls. High-throughput sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1, flow cytometry, and ELISA were performed to analyze the differences and correlations between fungal microbiota, cellular immune status and serum inflammatory factors in the two groups. There were significant differences in the composition of fungal microbiota between the two groups. The relative abundance of Candida, Bjerkandera, and Xeromyces in PLWHA was significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers (P < 0.01), while the relative abundance of Mycospaerella, Xeroxysium, Penicillium, and Glomerella in PLWHA was significantly lower than that of healthy volunteers. The correlation analysis results show that Mycospaerella and Xeromyces are significantly positively correlated with CD4+/CD8+ T cells and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4. On the other hand, Candida was positively correlated with pro-inflammatory factors negatively correlated with CD4+/CD8+ T cells and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4, while it is positively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines. The significant increase in the relative abundance of Candida may be one of the important causes of intestinal damage in PLWHA. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the relationship between fungal microbiota structure and immune function in the gut ecology of PLWHA.

A strategy to boost xanthine oxidase and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activities of peptides via molecular docking and module substitution.

Molecular docking and activity evaluation screened the dipeptide module GP with low xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitory activity and modules KE and KN with high activity, and identified them as low- and high-contribution modules, respectively. We hypothesized the substitution of low-contribution modules in peptides with high contributions would boost their XOD inhibitory activity. In the XOD inhibitory peptide GPAGPR, substitution of GP with both KE and KN led to enhanced affinity between the peptides and XOD. They also increased XOD inhibitory activity (26.4% and 10.3%) and decreased cellular uric acid concentrations (28.0% and 10.4%). RNA sequencing indicated that these improvements were attributable to the inhibition of uric acid biosynthesis. In addition, module substitution increased the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity of GILRP and GAAGGAF by 84.8% and 76.5%. This study revealed that module substitution is a feasible strategy to boost peptide activity, and provided information for the optimization of hydrolysate preparation conditions.

Gallic acid ameliorates colitis by trapping deleterious metabolite ammonia and improving gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is causally related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and increased levels of the gut metabolite ammonia have been proposed to contribute to IBD development. In this study, we aimed to clarify the anti-colitis mechanism of gallic acid (GA) based on its ability to trap the deleterious metabolite ammonia and improve gut microbiota. Aminated product was detected in the fecal samples of mice after oral gavage of gallic acid (GA) and identified as 4-amino-substituted gallic acid (4-NH2-GA), thus confirming the ability of GA to trap ammonia in vivo. Then, we compared the beneficial effects of GA and 4-NH2-GA on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse and found that both compounds managed to alleviate colitis phenotypes, indicating ammonia trapping had no adverse effect on the original anti-colitis activity of GA. In addition, both GA and 4-NH2-GA improved the gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by DSS, and fecal microbiota transplantation was subsequently performed, which further revealed that the gut microbiota mediated the anti-colitis activity of both GA and 4-NH2-GA. In summary, this study clarified that GA alleviated colitis by targeting both the symptoms and root causes: it directly reduced the deleterious metabolite ammonia by forming aminated metabolites without compromising the original anti-colitis activity, and it also improved gut microbiota dysbiosis, which in turn contributed to the alleviation of colitis. Since the GA structure is presented in various polyphenols as a common building block, the novel anti-colitis mechanism obtained from GA may also apply to other complex polyphenols.IMPORTANCEThe dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and its metabolism directly cause the emergence of IBD. In this study, we aimed to clarify the anti-colitis mechanism of GA in sight of gut microbiota and its metabolite ammonia. We discovered that GA directly captured and reduced the harmful metabolite ammonia in vivo to produce the aminated metabolite 4-NH2-GA, while the amination of GA had no adverse effect on its initial anti-colitis activity. In addition, both GA and its aminated metabolite improved the gut microbiota in colitis mice, and the modified gut microbiota, in turn, helped to relieve colitis. Since the GA structure is presented in diverse polyphenols as a common building block, the novel anti-colitis mechanism targeting the symptoms and root causes might also apply to other complex polyphenols.

Association between kidney measurements and cognitive performance in patients with ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at a substantially higher risk for stroke, which may predispose individuals to cognitive impairment. However, the association of low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria with poorer cognitive performance in patients with stroke is not fully understood, and the current evidence for this association is contradictory. Our aim was to retrospectively investigate whether low eGFR and albuminuria, as indicated by the urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), are independently or jointly associated with worse cognitive performance in patients with ischemic stroke. METHODS: This retrospective study included 608 patients with acute ischemic stroke. Their UACR and eGFR values were obtained from inpatient medical records. Global cognitive function was assessed with the mini-mental state exam (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) one month after hospital discharge. The relationship between renal measures and cognitive performance was assessed using univariate and multiple linear regression analyses. Potential confounders included age, gender, BMI, education, diabetes and hypertension history, NIHSS score, smoking and alcohol consumption status, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting glucose, uric acid, homocysteine, systolic blood pressure, and either eGFR or UACR. RESULTS: Patients had an average age of 66.6±4.1 years, and 48% were females. Average eGFR and UACR were 88.4±12.9 ml/min/1.73m2 and 83.6±314.2 mg/g, respectively. The number of patients with eGFR ≥90, 60-89, and <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 was 371 (61%), 207 (34%), and 30 (5%), respectively, and the percentage of patients with UACR <30 mg/g, 30-300 mg/g, and >300 mg/g was 56%, 39%, and 5%, respectively. Multivariate adjusted models showed that eGFR was independently associated with MMSE (ß = -0.4; 95% CI = -0.5,-0.4; p <0.001) and MoCA (ß = -0.6; 95% CI = -0.7,-0.5; p <0.001). However, UACR was not significantly correlated with MMSE or MoCA. CONCLUSION: In patients with ischemic stroke, reduced eGFR but not albuminuria was associated with lower cognitive performance. These results show that the eGFR decline could be an effective indicator of cognitive impairment after a stroke. Therefore, regular monitoring and early detection of mild renal dysfunction in patients with acute ischemic stroke might be needed.

The association between serum uric acid and cognitive performance in patients with ischemic stroke is modified by estimated glomerular filtration rate.

The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and poor cognitive performance in patients with ischemic stroke is unclear. We hypothesized that the severity of renal function mediates the association between SUA and cognitive dysfunction.A retrospective analysis of 608 patients with ischemic stroke was conducted between 2016 and 2020. SUA was obtained from inpatient medical records. Global cognitive function via mini-mental state exam (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was determined one month after hospital discharge. The relationship between SUA and cognitive function was assessed by multiple linear and logistic regression analyses. Patients had a mean age of 66.6 years (SD: 4.1 years), and 52% were male. The mean SUA level was 298.6 ± 75.4 µmol/L. SUA increases were significantly positively associated with lower MMSE and MoCA scores and increased risk of moderate-severe cognitive impairment one month after stroke (p < 0.01), even after adjusting for factors including age, gender, BMI, diabetes and hypertension history. Adding a term for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) attenuated these associations such that SUA was no longer associated with cognitive performance. A fully adjusted stronger negative association between SUA and cognitive performance was found in those who had lower eGFR, with a significant eGFR interaction for MMSE (p-interaction = 0.016) and MoCA (p-interaction = 0.005). In patients with ischemic stroke, SUA showed an inverse association with cognitive function among those who have lower eGFR. The renal function might mediate the association between SUA and cognitive dysfunction.

Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of COVID-19 and Viral Disease: Efficacies and Clinical Evidence.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains an uncontained, worldwide pandemic. While battling the disease in China, the Chinese government has actively promoted the use of traditional Chinese medicine, and many studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine for treating COVID-19. The present review discusses the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine in curing COVID-19 and provides clinical evidence from all confirmed cases in China. Applications of traditional Chinese medicine and specific recipes for treating other viral infections, such as those caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and influenza A viruses (including H1N1), are also discussed. Studies have reported that traditional Chinese medicine treatment plays a significant role in improving clinical symptoms. Therefore, further investigation may be of high translational value in revealing novel targeted therapies for COVID-19.

Integrated traditional Chinese medicine intervention for delaying HIV morbidity: study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is caused by humans and is high worldwide. Active antiretroviral therapy emerged in the late 1990s and is effective against AIDS. However, despite the extensive research on AIDS, there is still no vaccine or cure. The benefits of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for AIDS are increasingly recognised, especially by patients with asymptomatic HIV infection. METHODS/DESIGN: The proposed trial will enrol 216 eligible patients who will be randomised into treatment and control groups. After 72 weeks of intervention, the efficacy and safety of TCM for patients with AIDS will be assessed. The variables that will be measured include clinical symptoms, TCM syndromes, viral load, immunological indicators, inflammatory factors, quality of life, patient-reported outcomes and safety assessment. DISCUSSION: The study aim to compare the effectiveness and safety of TCM for asymptomatic AIDS and explore its potential underlying mechanism. Additionally, the findings will provide a reference for the use of TCM to delay the onset and control the progression of HIV/AIDS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800018365. Registered on 13 September 2018.

Case Report: Severe Listeria Encephalitis With Complicated or Secondary Autoimmune Encephalitis and CNS Demyelinating Diseases.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is an important food-borne bacterium. It rarely infects patients with complete immunity and causes meningocephalitis. Patients with severe Listeria encephalitis always experience a bad prognosis. Case Presentation: A 39-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital due to fever for more than 10 days and disturbance of consciousness accompanied by convulsions for 2 days. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) results showed L. monocytogenes in both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood, indicating L. monocytogenes encephalitis. Autoimmune encephalitis and central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating autoantibodies in the CSF also showed positive results. The case was finally diagnosed as severe Listeria encephalitis with complicated or secondary autoimmune encephalitis and CNS demyelinating diseases. Conclusions: It is necessary to carry out infection and immunity screening in patients with severe encephalitis, especially for immunocompromised patients. mNGS plays a pivotal role in screening patients with severe and difficult neurological diseases.

A Dielectric Polymer/Metal Oxide Nanowire Composite for Self-Adaptive Charge Release.

Electrostatic discharge is a fatal threat to a variety of electronic products. Here we report on a polymer nanocomposite composed of a dielectric polymer embedded with aligned core-shell structured nanowires for highly efficient distributed electrostatic discharge protection. The dielectric nanocomposite is capable of self-adaptive charge release, stemming from the nonlinear interface built in the Bi/Co oxide coated ZnO nanowires that leads to a "hand-in-hand" double-Schottky barrier. The ultralow filler concentration (e.g., 0.5 vol %) endows the nanocomposite with low permittivity (close to the pristine polymer matrix) and high optical transmittance (75%) in the visible light wavelength range, which is desirable in packaging materials and display coatings for portable electronics. The effectiveness for electrostatic discharge protection was validated with an organic light-emitting diode screen protected by the nanocomposite that survived multiple rounds of electrostatic discharge.

Enhanced Bone Regeneration Using a ZIF-8-Loaded Fibrin Composite Scaffold.

In the present study, fibrin-based biomaterials made of zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) and fibrin gel (Z-FG) are fabricated with the aim of enhancing skull regeneration. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet (UV)-vis spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and rheometry are used to characterize ZIF-8 and Z-FG. The influences of ZIF-8 on the physical properties of fibrin gel (e.g., porosity, modulus, and in vitro biodegradation) are investigated, and the effect of ZIF-8 concentration on fibrin gel properties in vitro is determined by seeding ectomesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) over Z-FG. EMSC osteogenic differentiation reveals higher expression of bone-related proteins and higher calcium deposition and alkaline phosphatase activity, indicating that Z-FG may be a good osteoinductive biomaterial. Furthermore, these results show that the piezochannel and yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling pathway are involved in the differentiation process. In addition, the in vivo results demonstrate that Z-FG increases bone formation in critical-sized calvarial defects in rats. Thus, the developed composite scaffold may be a suitable biomaterial for skull tissue-engineering applications.

An innovative network based on double receptive field and Recursive Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory.

Sequence recognition of natural scene images has always been an important research topic in the field of computer vision. CRNN has been proven to be a popular end-to-end character sequence recognition network. However, the problem of wide characters is not considered under the setting of CRNN. The CRNN is less effective in recognizing long dense small characters. Aiming at the shortcomings of CRNN, we proposed an improved CRNN network, named CRNN-RES, based on BiLSTM and multiple receptive fields. Specifically, on the one hand, the CRNN-RES uses a dual pooling core to enhance the CNN network's ability to extract features. On the other hand, by improving the last RNN layer, the BiLSTM is changed to a shared parameter BiLSTM network using recursive residuals, which reduces the number of network parameters and improves the accuracy. In addition, we designed a structure that can flexibly configure the length of the input data sequence in the RNN layer, called the CRFC layer. Comparing the CRNN-RES network proposed in this paper with the original CRNN network, the extensive experiments show that when recognizing English characters and numbers, the parameters of CRNN-RES is 8197549, which decreased 133,752 parameters compare with CRNN. In the public dataset ICDAR 2003 (IC03), ICDAR 2013 (IC13), IIIT 5k-word (IIIT5k), and Street View Text (SVT), the CRNN-RES obtain the accuracy of 96.90%, 89.85%, 83.63%, and 82.96%, which higher than CRNN by 1.40%, 3.15%, 5.43%, and 2.16% respectively.

Evaluation of graphene/crosslinked polyethylene for potential high voltage direct current cable insulation applications.

This paper evaluates the potential usage of graphene/crosslinked polyethylene (graphene/XLPE) as the insulating material for high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables. Thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of blends with/without graphene were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile strength, DC conductivity, space charge measurements and water tree aging test. The results indicate that 0.007-0.008% weight amount of graphene can improve the mechanical and electrical insulation properties of XLPE blends, namely higher tensile/yield strength, improved space charge distribution, and shorter/fewer water tree branches. The improvements mainly attribute to the high stiffness of graphene, deep traps introduced by the interaction zones of graphene and XLPE, and the blockage effect of graphene within XLPE. For thermal performance of XLPE blends, graphene nano-fillers have but limited improvement. The crystallinity of the blends barely changes with the addition of graphene. However, the crosslinking degree increases as the additive-like amounts of graphene doped. The above findings provide a guide for tailoring lightweight XLPE materials with excellent mechanical and electrical performances by doping them with a small amount of graphene.

The GLP-1/GIP dual-receptor agonist DA5-CH inhibits the NF-κB inflammatory pathway in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease more effectively than the GLP-1 single-receptor agonist NLY01.

The GLP-1 receptor agonist exendin-4 has recently shown good effects in a phase II clinical trial in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Here, a comparison of the new GLP-1/GIP dual receptor agonist DA5-CH and NLY01, a 40 kDa pegylated form of exendin-4, on motor impairments and reducing inflammation in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) PD mouse model is provided. The drug groups received either DA5-CH or NLY01 (25 nmol/kg) i.p. after daily MPTP intraperitoneal injection. Both drugs showed improvements in motor activity, open field experiments, rotarod tests, and gait analysis, but DA5-CH was more potent. Tyrosine hydroxylase expression in dopaminergic neurons was much reduced by MPTP and improved by DA5-CH, while NLY01 showed weak effects. When analyzing levels of α-synuclein (α-Syn), DA5-CH reduced levels effectively while NLY01 had no effect. When measuring the levels of the inflammation markers Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), specific markers of microglia activation (Iba-1), the marker of astrocyte activation glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1), DA5-CH was very effective in reducing the chronic inflammation response, while NLY01 did not show significant effects. Levels of key growth factors such as Glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were much reduced by MPTP, and DA5-CH was able to normalize levels in the brain, while NLY01 showed little effect. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-Iß) were much reduced by DA5-CH, too, while NLY01 showed no effect. In a separate experiment, we tested the ability of the two drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier. After injecting fluorescin-labelled peptides peripherally, the fluorescence in brain tissue was measured. It was found that the pegylated NLY01 peptide did not cross the BBB in meaningful quantities while exendin-4 and the dual agonist DA5-CH did. The results show that DA5-CH shows promise as a therapeutic drug for PD.

Steady-State Conduction Current Performance for Multilayer Polyimide/SiO2 Films.

The steady-state electrical conduction current for single and multilayer polyimide (PI) nanocomposite films was observed at the low and high electric field for different temperatures. Experimental data were fitted to conduction models to investigate the dominant conduction mechanism in these films. In most films, space charge limited current (SCLC) and Poole-Frenkel current displayed dominant conduction. At a high electric field, the ohmic conduction was replaced by current-voltage dependency. Higher conduction current was observed for nanocomposite films at a lower temperature, but it declined at a higher temperature. PI nanocomposite multilayer films showed a huge reduction in the conduction current at higher electric fields and temperatures. The conclusions derived in this study would provide the empirical basis and early breakdown phenomenon explanation when performing dielectric strength and partial discharge measurements of PI-based nanocomposite insulation systems of electric motors.

Water Tree Propagation in a Wide Temperature Range: Insight into the Role of Mechanical Behaviors of Crosslinked Polyethylene (XLPE) Material.

To understand the propagation characteristics of water trees at a wide temperature range, this paper presents the effect of mechanical behaviors on the sizes of water trees. An accelerated water tree aging experiment was performed at -15 °C, 0 °C, 20 °C, 40 °C, 60 °C, and 80 °C for crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) specimens, respectively. Depending on the micro observations of water tree slices, water tree length is not always increasing with the increase in temperature. From 0 °C to 60 °C, water tree length shows a trend from decline to rise. Above 60 °C, water tree length continues to reduce. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) shows that the glass transition temperature of the new XLPE specimen is about -5 °C, and the α-relaxation is significant at about 60 °C. With the increase in temperature, the XLPE material presents different deformation. Meanwhile, according to the result of the yield strength of XLPE at different temperatures, with the increase in temperature, the yield strength decreases from 120 MPa to 75 MPa, which can promote the water tree propagation. According to the early stage in the water tree propagation, a water tree model was constructed with water tree branches like a string of pearls to calculate electric field force. According to the results of electric field force at different expansion conditions, with the increase in temperature, due to expansion of the water tree branches, the electric field force at water tree tips drops, which can suppress the water tree propagation. Regardless of high temperature or low temperature, the water tree propagation is closely related to the mechanical behaviors of the material. With the increase in temperature, the increased deformation will suppress the water tree propagation, whereas the decreased yield strength will promote water tree propagation. For this reason, at different temperatures, the promotion or suppression in water tree propagation is determined by who plays a dominant role.

Prevalence of liver injury among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy in China.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of liver injury among patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in rural Henan Province in China, and to explore whether Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment based on HAART would increase this risk. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. We collected medical information on patients with AIDS from two treatment databases in 2014. Criteria established by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group in 1996 were used for grading liver injury, classified based on the limit of normal (ULN) for alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase: grade 1 (1.25-2.5 × ULN); grade 2 (2.6-5 × ULN); grade 3 (5.1-10 × ULN); and grade 4 (> 10 × ULN). Factors associated with liver injury were evaluated using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total 6953 patients with AIDS (3324 male and 3629 female patients) were enrolled into this study. The prevalence of liver injury was 22.0% (18.0% grade 1, 3.1% grade 2, 0.9% grade 3). In multivariate analysis, patients aged 34-45 years were more likely to have liver injury than patients in other age groups [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01-1.91)]. Other factors associated with liver injury included male sex (AOR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.46-1.85), HIV infection via blood (AOR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.19-1.82), hepatitis B virus antibody positive (AOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.85-1.36), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody positive (AOR, 2.76; 95% CI, 2.28-3.34). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of liver injury was relatively high among HAART-experienced patients. Several factors associated with liver injury included male sex, age 35-45 years old, HIV infection through blood, and concurrent HCV infection. TCM had no relationship with liver injury in patients receiving HAART.

Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter Phase Unwrapping Method and Its Application on Gaofen-3 Interferometric SAR Data.

Phase unwrapping (PU) is a key step in the reconstruction of digital elevation models (DEMs) and the monitoring of surface deformation from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR, InSAR) data. In this paper, an improved PU method that combines an amended matrix pencil model, an adaptive unscented kalman filter (AUKF), an efficient quality-guided strategy based on heapsort, and a circular median filter is proposed. PU theory and the existing UKFPU method are covered. Then, the improved method is presented with emphasis on the AUKF and the circular median filter. AUKF has been well used in other fields, but it is for the first time applied to interferometric images PU, to the best of our knowledge. First, the amended matrix pencil model is used to estimate the phase gradient. Then, an AUKF model is used to unwrap the interferometric phase based on an efficient quality-guided strategy based on heapsort. Finally, the key results are obtained by filtering the results using a circular median. The proposed method is compared with the minimum cost network flow (MCF), statistical cost network flow (SNAPHU), regularized phase tracking technique (RPTPU), and UKFPU methods using two sets of simulated data and two sets of experimental GF-3 SAR data. The improved method is shown to yield the greatest accuracy in the interferometric phase maps compared to the methods considered in this paper. Furthermore, the improved method is shown to be the most robust to noise and is thus most suitable for PU of GF-3 SAR data in high-noise and low-coherence regions.