Recombinant bacteriophage T4 displaying key epitopes of the foot-and-mouth disease virus as a novel nanoparticle vaccine.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious pathogen that has caused significant economic losses in the livestock industry. Peptide vaccines engineered with the protective epitopes of FMDV have provided a safer alternative for disease prevention than the traditional inactivated vaccines. However, the immunogenicity of the peptide is usually poor and therefore an adjuvant is required. Here, we showed that recombinant T4 phages displaying the B-cell epitope of the FMDV VP1 protein (VP1130-158), without additional adjuvants, induced similar levels of antigen-specific IgG1 but higher levels of IgG2a compared to the peptide vaccine. Incorporation of a CD4+ T cell epitope, either 3A21-35 of FMDV 3A protein or P2830-844 of tetanus toxoid, further enhanced the immunogenicity of VP1-T4 phage nanoparticles. Interestingly, the extrinsic adjuvant cannot enhance the immunogenicity of the nanoparticles, indicating the intrinsic adjuvant activities of T4 phage. Furthermore, the recombinant T4 phage can be produced on a large scale within a short period of time at a relatively low-cost using Escherichia coli, heralding its potential in the development of a safe and effective FMDV vaccine.

De novo identification of bacterial antigens of a clinical isolate by combining use of proteosurfaceomics, secretomics, and BacScan technologies.

Background: Emerging infectious diseases pose a significant threat to both human and animal populations. Rapid de novo identification of protective antigens from a clinical isolate and development of an antigen-matched vaccine is a golden strategy to prevent the spread of emerging novel pathogens. Methods: Here, we focused on Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, which poses a serious threat to the pig industry, and developed a general workflow by integrating proteosurfaceomics, secretomics, and BacScan technologies for the rapid de novo identification of bacterial protective proteins from a clinical isolate. Results: As a proof of concept, we identified 3 novel protective proteins of A. pleuropneumoniae. Using the protective protein HBS1_14 and toxin proteins, we have developed a promising multivalent subunit vaccine against A. pleuropneumoniae. Discussion: We believe that our strategy can be applied to any bacterial pathogen and has the potential to significantly accelerate the development of antigen-matched vaccines to prevent the spread of an emerging novel bacterial pathogen.

Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Melt-Spun Filaments of Polybutene-1 and Butene-1/Ethylene Copolymer.

Polybutene-1 with form I crystals exhibits excellent creep resistance and environmental stress crack resistance. The filaments of polybutene-1 and its random copolymer with 4 mol% ethylene co-units were produced via extrusion melt spinning, which are expected to be in form I states and show outstanding mechanical properties. The variances in microstructure, crystallization-melting behavior, and mechanical properties between homopolymer and copolymer filaments were analyzed using SEM, SAXS/WAXD, DSC, and tensile tests. The crystallization of form II and subsequent phase transition into form I finished after the melt-spinning process in the copolymer sample while small amounts of form II crystals remained in homopolymer filaments. Surprisingly, copolymer filaments exhibited higher tensile strength and Young's modulus than homopolymer filaments, while the homopolymer films showed better mechanical properties than copolymer films. The high degree of orientation and long fibrous crystals play a critical role in the superior properties of copolymer filaments. The results indicate that the existence of ethylene increases the chain flexibility and benefits the formation of intercrystalline links during spinning, which contributes to an enhancement of mechanical properties. The structure-property correlation of melt-spun PB-1 filaments provides a reference for the development of polymer fibers with excellent creep resistance.

The role of mechano-regulated YAP/TAZ in erectile dysfunction.

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) constitute the primary therapeutic option for treating erectile dysfunction (ED). Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of patients, approximately 30%, do not respond to PDE5i treatment. Therefore, new treatment methods are needed. In this study, we identified a pathway that contributes to male erectile function. We show that mechano-regulated YAP/TAZ signaling in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) upregulates adrenomedullin transcription, which relaxed the SMCs to maintain erection. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing, we investigated how penile erection stretches the SMCs, inducing YAP/TAZ activity. Subsequently, we demonstrate that YAP/TAZ plays a role in erectile function and penile rehabilitation, using genetic lesions and various animal models. This mechanism relies on direct transcriptional regulation of adrenomedullin by YAP/TAZ, which in turn modulates penile smooth muscle contraction. Importantly, conventional PDE5i, which targets NO-cGMP signaling, does not promote erectile function in YAP/TAZ-deficient ED model mice. In contrast, by activating the YAP/TAZ-adrenomedullin cascade, mechanostimulation improves erectile function in PDE5i nonrespondent ED model rats and mice. Furthermore, using clinical retrospective observational data, we found that mechanostimulation significantly promotes erectile function in patients irrespective of PDE5i use. Our studies lay the groundwork for exploring the mechano-YAP/TAZ-adrenomedullin axis as a potential target in the treatment of ED.

Self-assembled thioether-bridged paclitaxel-dihydroartemisinin prodrug for amplified antitumor efficacy-based cancer ferroptotic-chemotherapy.

Ferroptosis has been proposed as one form of iron-dependent cell death, overgeneration of high-toxicity hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) tumor sites via Fenton reactions induced cell membrane damage. However, the insufficient intracellular concentrations of both iron and H2O2 limited the anticancer performance of ferroptosis. In this study, ROS-sensitive prodrug nanoassemblies composed of a PEG2000-ferrous compound and a single thioether bond bridged dihydroartemisinin-paclitaxel prodrug were constructed, which fully tapped ex/endogenous iron, ferroptosis inducers, and chemotherapeutic agents. Following cellular uptake, the intracellular oxidizing environment accelerated the self-destruction of nanoassemblies and triggered drug release. In addition to the chemotherapeutic effect, the activated dihydroartemisinin was capable of acting as a toxic ˙OH amplifier via the reinforced Fenton reaction, simultaneously depleting intracellular GSH, as well as inducing glutathione peroxidase 4 inactivation, further enhancing ferroptosis-dependent cancer cell proliferation inhibition. Meanwhile, the ROS generation-inductive and cell cycle arrest effect from the paclitaxel augmented synergetic ferroptotic-chemotherapy of cancer. Thus, the prodrug integrating dihydroartemisinin with paclitaxel via a single thioether bond represents a potent nanoplatform to exert amplified ferroptotic-chemotherapy for improved anticancer efficacy.

Cellular mechanisms of wound closure under cyclic stretching.

Wound closure is a fundamental process in many physiological and pathological processes, but the regulating effects of external force on the closure process are still unclear. Here, we systematically studied the closure process of wounds of different shape under cyclic stretching. We found that the stretching amplitude and direction had significant effect on the healing speed and healing mode. For instance, there was a biphasic dependence of the healing speed on the stretching amplitude. That is, the wound closure was faster under relatively small and large amplitude, while it was slower under intermediate amplitude. At the same time, the stretching could regulate the healing pattern. We showed that the stretching would increase the healing speed along the direction perpendicular to the stretching direction. Specifically, when the stretching was along the major axis of the wound, it accelerated the healing speed along the short axis, which induced a rosette to stitching-line mode transition. In contrast, stretching along the minor axis accelerated the healing speed along the long axis, inducing a stitching-line to rosette mode transition. Our theoretical analyses demonstrated that the wound closure process was coregulated by the mechanical factors including prestress in the cytoskeleton, the protrusion of cells, and the contraction of the actin ring, as well as the geometry of the wound. The cyclic stretch could further modulate the roles of these factors. For example, the stretching changed the stress field in the cell layer, and switched the direction of cell protrusions. This article reveals important cellular mechanisms of the wound healing process under cyclic stretching, and provides an insight into possible approaches of regulating cell collective behaviors via mechanical forces.

Soccer sports injuries among campus teenagers / Lesões esportivas no futebol entre adolescentes do campus / Lesiones deportivas en el fútbol entre adolescentes del campus

ABSTRACT Introduction College soccer is a major priority for the Chinese sports department. Among the most relevant issues is the search for solutions to prevent sports injuries among young college soccer players in the development process. Objective Investigate the causes and characteristics of sports injuries among young college soccer players, aiming to develop scientific measures for prevention and control. Methods A total of 304 young people from primary and secondary schools in one city were selected as volunteers for the research, and the causes and characteristics of sports injuries among these players were analyzed using questionnaires, interviews with experts, and statistical-mathematical analysis. Results According to the characteristics of injury factors of soccer players at different learning stages, a good job should be done on preventing sports injuries of physiological, psychological, technological, training, and other aspects, to reduce the risk of sports injuries in young soccer players. Conclusion Fully understanding sports injury risk prevention, timely summarizing the experience and learnings, and doing a good job in sports injury prevention from the aspects of physiology, psychology, technology, training, and other aspects according to the characteristics of injury factors of soccer players at different school stages are desirable practices to reduce the risk of sports injury and improve the quality of school soccer training and competition for young college soccer players. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução O futebol universitário é uma grande prioridade do departamento de esportes chinês. Entre os temas mais relevantes está a busca de soluções visando evitar lesões esportivas entre os jovens jogadores de futebol universitário no processo de desenvolvimento. Objetivo Investigar as causas e características das lesões esportivas entre jovens jogadores de futebol universitário, visando o desenvolvimento de medidas científicas de prevenção e controle. Métodos Um total de 304 jovens de escolas primárias e secundárias de uma cidade foram selecionados como voluntários para a pesquisa, sendo as causas e características das lesões esportivas desses jogadores analisadas por meio de questionários, entrevistas com especialistas e análises estatístico-matemáticas. Resultados De acordo com as características dos fatores de lesão dos jogadores de futebol em diferentes estágios de aprendizagem, deve-se fazer um bom trabalho na prevenção de lesões esportivas dos aspectos fisiológicos, psicológicos, tecnológicos, de treinamento e outros aspectos, a fim de reduzir o risco de lesões esportivas dos jovens jogadores de futebol. Conclusão Compreender plenamente a prevenção de riscos de lesões esportivas, sumarizar em tempo hábil a experiência e as aprendizagens e fazer um bom trabalho na prevenção de lesões esportivas a partir dos aspectos de fisiologia, psicologia, tecnologia, treinamento e outros aspectos de acordo com as características dos fatores de lesão dos jogadores de futebol em diferentes estágios escolares, são práticas desejáveis para reduzir o risco de lesões esportivas e melhorar a qualidade do treinamento e da competição do futebol escolar para os jovens universitários. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción El fútbol universitario es una de las principales prioridades del departamento de deportes chino. Entre las cuestiones más relevantes se encuentra la búsqueda de soluciones destinadas a prevenir las lesiones deportivas entre los jóvenes futbolistas universitarios en proceso de desarrollo. Objetivo Investigar las causas y características de las lesiones deportivas entre los jóvenes futbolistas universitarios, con el fin de desarrollar medidas científicas de prevención y control. Métodos Se seleccionaron 304 jóvenes de primaria y secundaria de una ciudad como voluntarios para la investigación, y se analizaron las causas y características de las lesiones deportivas entre estos jugadores mediante cuestionarios, entrevistas con expertos y análisis estadístico-matemáticos. Resultados De acuerdo con las características de los factores de lesión de los futbolistas en las diferentes etapas de aprendizaje, debe realizarse un buen trabajo sobre la prevención de las lesiones deportivas de los aspectos fisiológicos, psicológicos, tecnológicos, de entrenamiento y otros, con el fin de reducir el riesgo de lesiones deportivas de los jóvenes futbolistas. Conclusión Comprender plenamente la prevención del riesgo de lesiones deportivas, resumir oportunamente la experiencia y los aprendizajes, y hacer un buen trabajo en la prevención de lesiones deportivas desde los aspectos de la fisiología, la psicología, la tecnología, el entrenamiento y otros aspectos según las características de los factores de lesión de los futbolistas en las diferentes etapas escolares son prácticas deseables para reducir el riesgo de lesiones deportivas y mejorar la calidad del entrenamiento y la competición de fútbol escolar de los jóvenes futbolistas universitarios. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Effect of the intermediate pedicle screws and their insertion depth on sagittal balance and functional outcomes of lumbar fracture.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of the intermediate pedicle screws and their insertion depth on sagittal balance and functional outcomes of lumbar fracture. Methods: This study reviewed 1,123 patients with lumbar fractures between January 2015 and June 2019, and 97 patients were ultimately enrolled in this study: Group A: 32 patients in the four-pedicle screws fixation group; Group B: 28 patients in the six-pedicle screws fixation with long intermediate pedicle screws group; Group C: 37 patients in the six-pedicle screws fixation with short intermediate pedicle screws group. The radiographic outcomes were assessed with lumbar lordosis (LL), segmental lordosis (SL), fractured vertebral lordosis (FL), sacral slope (SS), pelvic incidence (PI), and pelvic tilt (PT). The visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were used for assessing functional outcomes. Results: The PI, PT, and SS showed no significant differences between the three groups (P > 0.05). Compared with Group A, Groups B and C showed better FL, SL, and LL 1 month after operation (5.96 ± 1.67/4.81 ± 1.49 vs. 8.78 ± 2.90, 24.39 ± 3.80/23.70 ± 4.10 vs. 20.09 ± 3.33, 39.07 ± 3.61/39.51 ± 3.23 vs. 36.41 ± 3.11, P < 0.05) and at final follow-up (8.75 ± 1.40/6.78 ± 1.70 vs. 11.31 ± 2.61, 22.11 ± 3.39/23.70 ± 4.10 vs. 17.66 ± 2.60, 38.04 ± 3.49/39.51 ± 3.23 vs. 35.41 ± 3.11, P < 0.05). The FL of Group C were significantly better than those of Group B 1 month after operation (4.81 ± 1.49 vs. 5.96 ± 1.67, P < 0.05) and at final follow-up (6.78 ± 1.70 vs. 8.75 ± 1.40, P < 0.05). No significant differences in VAS and ODI were found between Group A and Group B (P > 0.05). There were also no significant differences in VAS and ODI between Group A and Group C (P > 0.05). However, The VAS and ODI of Group C showed better than Group B 1 month after operation (3.05 ± 0.70 vs. 3.54 ± 0.79, 17.65 ± 3.41 vs. 19.71 ± 2.35, P < 0.05) and at final follow-up (2.19 ± 0.46 vs. 2.57 ± 0.57, 13.81 ± 2.20 vs. 15.57 ± 1.73, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Both four-pedicle screw fixation and six-pedicle screw fixation were effective in treating lumbar fracture. However, six-pedicle screw fixation with short intermediate pedicle screws showed better radiographic and functional outcomes after surgery. Therefore, we recommend six-pedicle screws fixation with short intermediate pedicle screws for the long-term recovery of sagittal balance and function.

Video Analysis in Sports by Lightweight Object Detection Network under the Background of Sports Industry Development.

This study uses the video image information in sports video image analysis to realize scientific sports training. In recent years, game video image analysis has referenced athletes' sports training. The sports video analysis is a widely used and effective method. First, the you only look once (YOLO) method is explored in lightweight object detection. Second, a sports motion analysis system based on the YOLO-OSA (you only look once-one-shot aggregation) target detection network is built based on the dense convolutional network (DenseNet) target detection network established by the one-shot aggregation (OSA) connection. Finally, object detection evaluation principles are used to analyze network performance and object detection in sports video. The results show that the more obvious the target feature, the larger the size, and the more motion information contained in the sports category feature, the more obvious the effect of the detected target. The higher the resolution of the sports video image, the higher the model detection accuracy of the YOLO-OSA target detection network, and the richer the visual video information. In sports video analysis, video images of the appropriate resolution are fed into the system. The YOLO-OSA network achieved 21.70% precision and 54.90% recall. In general, the YOLO-OSA network has certain pertinence for sports video image analysis, and it improves the detection speed of video analysis. The research and analysis of video in sports under the lightweight target detection network have certain reference significance.

Design of Moving Target Detection System Using Lightweight Deep Learning Model and Its Impact on the Development of Sports Industry.

The intelligent tracking and detection of athletes' actions and the improvement of action standardization are of great practical significance to reducing the injury caused by sports in the sports industry. For the problems of nonstandard movement and single movement mode, this exploration takes the video of sports events as the object and combines it with the video general feature extraction of convolutional neural network (CNN) in the field of deep learning and the filtering detection algorithm of motion trajectory. Then, a target detection and tracking system model is proposed to track and detect targets in sports in real-time. Moreover, through experiments, the performance of the proposed system model is analyzed. After testing the detection quantity, response rate, data loss rate, and target detection accuracy of the model, the results show that the model can track and monitor 50 targets with a loss rate of 3%, a response speed of 4 s and a target detection accuracy of 80%. It can play an excellent role in sports events and postgame video analysis, and provide a good basis and certain design ideas for the goal tracking of the sports industry.

Feasibility of Same-Day Discharge After Appendectomy in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To compare the readmission rate, rate of urgent/unplanned visits to emergency, complication rate along with cost of health care among children and adolescents who were discharged the same day following a laparoscopic appendectomy and those who were not discharged on the same day. Methods: A systematic search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases. Randomized controlled trials and studies, observational in design, were considered for inclusion. The included studies were conducted in children and adolescents with uncomplicated appendicitis undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy and compared outcomes of interest between patients that were discharged the same day (SDD group) following the operation and patients that were discharged within 2 days post-operatively (non-SSD group). Statistical analysis was performed using STATA software. Effect sizes were reported as pooled odds ratio (OR) or weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 13 studies with 32,021 children and adolescents were included. There was no significant difference in the risks of unplanned visit to the emergency department (OR 1.07, 95% CI: 0.78, 1.47), readmission (OR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.66, 1.05), reoperation/re-intervention (OR 1.73, 95% CI: 0.19, 16.2) and complications (OR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.67, 1.06) in both groups of patients. Patients in the SDD group had slightly lower risk of wound infection/complication (OR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.96) compared to patients in the non-SDD group. Those with SDD had to incur comparatively lesser hospital expense (in USD) compared to those with no SDD (WMD -2587.4, 95% CI: -4628.3, -546.6). Conclusion: In children and adolescents with uncomplicated acute appendicitis undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy, same-day discharge is not associated with increased readmission risk, unplanned visits to emergency, and complications. Further, SDD is associated with lower cost of hospital care. Adoption of SDD in this subset of children and adolescents may be encouraged. Systematic Review Registration: [www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero], identifier [CRD420 22320539].

Hyperproduction of PHA copolymers containing high fractions of 4-hydroxybutyrate (4HB) by outer membrane-defected Halomonas bluephagenesis grown in bioreactors.

Bacterial outer membrane (OM) is a self-protective and permeable barrier, while having many non-negligible negative effects in industrial biotechnology. Our previous studies revealed enhanced properties of Halomonas bluephagenesis based on positive cellular properties by OM defects. This study further expands the OM defect on membrane compactness by completely deleting two secondary acyltransferases for lipid A modification in H. bluephagenesis, LpxL and LpxM, and found more significant advantages than that of the previous lpxL mutant. Deletions on LpxL and LpxM accelerated poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) production by H. bluephagenesis WZY229, leading to a 37% increase in PHB accumulation and 84-folds reduced endotoxin production. Enhanced membrane permeability accelerates the diffusion of γ-butyrolactone, allowing H. bluephagenesis WZY254 derived from H. bluephagenesis WZY229 to produce 82wt% poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-23mol%4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB-co-23mol%4HB)) in shake flasks, showing increases of 102% and 307% in P(3HB-co-4HB) production and 4HB accumulation, respectively. The 4HB molar fraction in copolymer can be elevated to 32 mol% in the presence of more γ-butyrolactone. In a 7-l bioreactor fed-batch fermentation, H. bluephagenesis WZY254 supported a 84 g l-1 dry cell mass with 81wt% P(3HB-co-26mol%4HB), increasing 136% in 4HB molar fraction. This study further demonstrated that OM defects generate a hyperproduction strain for high 4HB containing copolymers.

Effects of different pedicle screw insertion depths on sagittal balance of lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis, a retrospective comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Few reports to date have evaluated the effects of different pedicle screw insertion depths on sagittal balance and prognosis after posterior lumbar interbody and fusion (PLIF) in patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (LDS). METHODS: A total of 88 patients with single-level PLIF for LDS from January 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled. Long screw group (Group L): 52 patients underwent long pedicle screw fixation (the leading edge of the screw exceeded 80% of the anteroposterior diameter of vertebral body). Short screw group (Group S): 36 patients underwent short pedicle screw fixation (the leading edge of the screw was less than 60% of the anteroposterior diameter of vertebral body). Local deformity parameters of spondylolisthesis including slip degree (SD) and segment lordosis (SL), spino-pelvic sagittal plane parameters including pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS) and lumbar lordosis (LL), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for back pain of both groups were compared. Postoperative complications, including vertebral fusion rate and screw loosening rate, were recorded. RESULTS: Except that PI in Group S at the final follow-up was not statistically different from the preoperative value (P > 0.05), other parameters were significantly improved compared with preoperative values one month after surgery and at the final follow-up (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in parameters between Group L and Group S before and one month after surgery (P > 0.05). At the final follow-up, SD, SL, LL, PT and PI-LL differed significantly between the two groups (P < 0.05). Compared with the preoperative results, ODI and VAS in both groups decreased significantly one month after surgery and at the final follow-up (P < 0.05). Significant differences of ODI and VAS were found between the two groups at the final follow-up (P < 0.05). Postoperative complications were not statistically significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PLIF can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with LDS. In terms of outcomes with an average follow-up time of 2 years, the deeper the screw depth is within the safe range, the better the spino-pelvic sagittal balance may be restored and the better the quality of life may be.

Engineering the permeability of Halomonas bluephagenesis enhanced its chassis properties.

Bacterial outer membrane (OM), an asymmetric lipid bilayer functioning as a self-protective barrier with reduced permeability for Gram-negative bacteria, yet wasting nutrients and energy to synthesize, has not been studied for its effect on bioproduction. Here we construct several OM-defected halophile Halomonas bluephagenesis strains to investigate the effects of OM on bioproduction. We achieve enhanced chassis properties of H. bluephagenesis based on positive cellular properties among several OM-defected strains. The OM-defected H. bluephagenesis WZY09 demonstrates better adaptation to lower salinity, increasing 28%, 30% and 12% on dry cell mass (DCM), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) accumulation and glucose to PHB conversion rate, respectively, including enlarged cell sizes and 21-folds reduced endotoxin. Interestingly, a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-21mol%4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB-co-21mol%4HB)) is produced by H. bluephagenesis WZY09 derivate WZY249, increasing 60% and 260% on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production and 4HB content, respectively. Furthermore, increased electroporation efficiency, more sensitive isopropyl ß-D-1-thio-galactopyranoside (IPTG) induction, better oxygen uptake, enhanced antibiotics sensitivity and ectoine secretion due to better membrane permeability are observed if OM defected, demonstrating significant OM defection impacts for further metabolic engineering, synthetic biology studies and industrial applications.

High-fidelity transmission of high-frequency burst stimuli from peripheral nerve to thalamic nuclei in children with dystonia.

High-frequency peripheral nerve stimulation has emerged as a noninvasive alternative to thalamic deep brain stimulation for some patients with essential tremor. It is not known whether such techniques might be effective for movement disorders in children, nor is the mechanism and transmission of the peripheral stimuli to central brain structures understood. This study was designed to investigate the fidelity of transmission from peripheral nerves to thalamic nuclei in children with dystonia undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. The ventralis intermediate (VIM) thalamus nuclei showed a robust evoked response to peripheral high-frequency burst stimulation, with a greatest response magnitude to intra-burst frequencies between 50 and 100 Hz, and reliable but smaller responses up to 170 Hz. The earliest response occurred at 12-15 ms following stimulation onset, suggesting rapid high-fidelity transmission between peripheral nerve and thalamic nuclei. A high-bandwidth, low-latency transmission path from peripheral nerve to VIM thalamus is consistent with the importance of rapid and accurate sensory information for the control of coordination and movement via the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. Our results suggest the possibility of non-invasive modulation of thalamic activity in children with dystonia, and therefore the possibility that a subset of children could have beneficial clinical response without the need for invasive deep brain stimulation.

Energy Efficiency Optimization in Massive MIMO Secure Multicast Transmission.

Herein, we focus on energy efficiency optimization for massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) downlink secure multicast transmission exploiting statistical channel state information (CSI). Privacy engineering in the field of communication is a hot issue under study. The common signal transmitted by the base station is multicast transmitted to multiple legitimate user terminals in our system, but an eavesdropper might eavesdrop this signal. To achieve the energy efficiency utility-privacy trade-off of multicast transmission, we set up the problem of maximizing the energy efficiency which is defined as the ratio of the secure transmit rate to the power consumption. To simplify the formulated nonconvex problem, we use a lower bound of the secure multicast rate as the molecule of the design objective. We then obtain the eigenvector of the optimal transmit covariance matrix into a closed-form, simplifying the matrix-valued multicast transmission strategy problem into a power allocation problem in the beam domain. By utilizing the Minorize-Maximize method, an iterative algorithm is proposed to decompose the secure energy efficiency optimization problem into a sequence of iterative fractional programming subproblems. By using Dinkelbach's transform, each subproblem becomes an iterative problem with the concave objective function, and it can be solved by classical convex optimization. We guarantee the convergence of the two-level iterative algorithm that we propose. Besides, we reduce the computational complexity of the algorithm by substituting the design objective with its deterministic equivalent. The numerical results show that the approach we propose performs well compared with the conventional methods.

Overexpression of GATA5 Stimulates Paclitaxel to Inhibit Malignant Behaviors of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.

OBJECTIVE: Explore the effect of GATA5 expression on Paclitaxel inhibiting growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the experimental study, HCC cell lines (HLE, Bel7402 and PLC/PRF/5) were treated with different concentrations of Paclitaxel (5-20 mg/ml) for 24 hours. HLE cells were transfected with GATA5-siRNA vector, while Bel7402 and PLC/PRF/5 cells were transfected with overexpressed GATA5 vector for 24 hours, followed by treatment of the cells with Paclitaxel (10 mg/ml) for 24 hours and subsequently 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to detect growth of HCC cells. Soft agar cultured was used to analyze formation of colony. Apoptosis of HCC cells were detected by Flow cytometer. Migration of HCC cells was observed by trawell assays. Western blotting and laser confocal microscopy were utilized to detect expression and location of the proteins. RESULTS: Inhibiting expression of GATA5 reduced sensitivity of HLE cells to Paclitaxel, while overexpression of GATA5 increased sensitivity of Bel7402 cells and PLC/PRF/5 cells to Paclitaxel. Overexpression of GATA5 played a role in stimulating Paclitaxel to inhibit growth, colony formation and migration, as well as enhance apoptosis in HCC cells. Overexpression of GATA5 also promoted Paclitaxel to inhibit expression of reprogramming genes, such as Nanog, EpCAM, c-Myc and Sox2 in Bel7402 and PLC/PRF/5 cells. Inhibited expression of GATA5 led to enhancement of the expression of CD44 and CD133, in HLE cells. Overexpression of GATA5 was not only alone but also synergized with Paclitaxel to inhibit expression of CD44 and CD133 in Bel7402 or PLC/PRF/5 cells. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of GATA5 played a role in enhancing Paclitaxel to inhibit the malignant behaviors of HCC cells. It was involved in suppressing expression of the reprogramming genes and stemness markers. Targeting GATA5 is an available strategy for applying paclitaxel to therapy of patients with HCC.

Effects of alpha-fetoprotein on the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is considered as a diagnostic and prognostic tumorous marker for HCC, and up to 70% of HCC patients showed elevated serum levels of AFP. In the past two decades, evidences have shown that AFP not only is a tumorous biomarker for diagnosing HCC, but also plays a very complicated role in regulating proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy and inhibiting the immune response of cells. Because AFP is significantly elevated during hepatocarcinogenesis, the role of AFP in the development of HCC is a scientific problem worthy of further exploration. In this review, we reviewed the effects of AFP on hepatocyte malignant transformation and the underlying mechanisms involved in the progression of HCC.