Percent duration of heart rate acceleration within the respiratory cycle: A novel approach to assess heart rate asymmetry.

Accelerations and decelerations of heart rate are nonsymmetrical in the magnitude and number of beat-to-beat changes.The asymmetric features of heart rate variability are related to respiratory durations. To explore the link between respiration and heart rate asymmetry (HRA), we evaluated 14 seated, healthy young adults who breathed with nine combinations of inspiration duration (TI) and expiration duration (TE), chosen respectively from 2, 4, and 6 seconds. A 5-minute R-R interval (RRI) time series was obtained from each study period to construct an averaged pattern waveform relative to the respiratory cycle. We observed that the time interval between inspiration onset and RRI minimum progressively lengthened as TI and TE increased. The time interval between expiration onset and RRI maximum also lengthen when TE increased, but shortened when TI increased. Consequently, TI and TE had different effects on the acceleration time (AT; from RRI maximum to RRI minimum) and deceleration time (DT; from RRI minimum to RRI maximum). The percentage of AT within the respiratory cycle showed a strong correlation with traditional Guzik's (r = 0.862, P < 0.001) and Porta's (r = 0.878, P < 0.001) indexes of HRA assessed in a Poincaré plot analysis. These findings suggest that, in addition to considering the magnitude and number of beat-to-beat changes, HRA can also be assessed based on another aspect: the duration of consecutive changes. The stepwise link between the duration of heart rate change and respiratory duration provides insight into the mechanisms connecting respiration to HRA.

Different effects of inspiratory duration and expiratory duration on heart rate deceleration capacity and heart rate asymmetry.

PURPOSE: Low values of heart rate deceleration capacity (DC) and heart rate asymmetry (HRA) are associated with cardiovascular risks. Slow respiration has been proven to enhance the magnitudes of these indexes, but individual inspiratory (TI) and expiratory (TE) durations were not controlled in most studies. This study aims to examine whether the effects of TI and TE on these indexes would be the same and, if not, how to adjust TI and TE to maximize the effect of slow respiration. METHODS: We evaluated 14 seated healthy young adults who randomly controlled their breathing to nine combinations of TI and TE, each chosen respectively from 2, 4, and 6 s. A 5-min R-R interval time series was obtained from each study period for further analysis. RESULTS: The magnitude of DC increased when TI or TE increased, while that of acceleration capacity (AC) remained almost unchanged by TI. We further defined a new index as 100 × DC2/(DC2 + AC2) and found it to be correlated with conventional Guzik's (r = 0.94) and Porta's (r = 0.99) indexes of HRA during different combinations of TI and TE. Increasing TI and increasing TE both enhanced the magnitudes of HRA indexes, with TI taking effect when ≤ 4 s, and TE taking effect when > 4 s. DC and HRA indexes were maximized with a TI of 4 s and a TE of 6 s. CONCLUSION: We suggest that a TI of 3-4 s with a TE of 7-6 s is an appropriate standard for slow respiration.

Emodin treatment of papillary thyroid cancer cell lines in vitro inhibits proliferation and enhances apoptosis via downregulation of NF­κB and its upstream TLR4 signaling.

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common types of endocrine malignancy. In addition to surgical treatment, it is very important to find new treatment methods. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone (emodin) on cellular NF-κB components and the upstream regulatory pathway of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling, as well as the invasion and migration of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells. The protein expression of NF-κB components p65 and p50 and their phosphorylated (p-) forms in the sections of PTC tissues was measured by individual immunohistochemical assays. PTC cell lines TPC-1 and IHH4 were exposed to 20 and 40 µM emodin for 24 h. The levels of the NF-κB components p65, p50, c-Rel, p-p65 and p-p50, elements in TLR4 signaling, including TLR4, MYD88 innate immune signal transduction adaptor (MyD88), interferon regulatory factor 3, AKT and MEK, and proliferative and apoptotic biomarkers, including c-Myc, cyclin D1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, Bcl-2 and Bax, were evaluated by western blotting and immunofluorescent assays. The invasion and migration of PTC cell lines exposed to emodin were tested by plate colony and wound healing assay. Compared with hyperplasia tissue, the expression levels of NF-κB components p65 and p50, and p-p65 and p-p50 in PTC tissue were significantly increased. Treatment of PTC cell lines with emodin lead to significantly reduced levels of the aforementioned NF-κB components, accompanied by markedly downregulated TLR4 signaling. MYD 88-dependent and -independent pathways, are also significantly down-regulated. Downregulation of proliferative factors and activation of apoptotic factors were observed in the cell lines following treatment with emodin. Consequently, inhibition of the invasion and migration activities were observed in the emodin-treated PTC cells. Emodin could inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of PTC cells, which is dependent on the downregulation of cellular NF-κB and the TLR4 signaling pathway.

The mechanistic basis of sodium exclusion in Puccinellia tenuiflora under conditions of salinity and potassium deprivation.

Soil salinity is a significant threat to global agriculture. Understanding salt exclusion mechanisms in halophyte species may be instrumental in improving salt tolerance in crops. Puccinellia tenuiflora is a typical salt-excluding halophytic grass often found in potassium-deprived saline soils. Our previous work showed that P. tenuiflora possesses stronger selectivity for K+ than for Na+ ; however, the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon remained elusive. Here, P. tenuiflora PutHKT1;5 was cloned and the functions of PutHKT1;5 and PutSOS1 were characterized using heterologous expression systems. Yeast assays showed that PutHKT1;5 possessed Na+ transporting capacity and was highly selective for Na+ over K+ . PutSOS1 was located at the plasma membrane and operated as a Na+ /K+ exchanger, with much stronger Na+ extrusion capacity than its homolog from Arabidopsis. PutHKT2;1 mediated high-affinity K+ and Na+ uptake and its expression levels were upregulated by mild salinity and K+ deprivation. Salinity-induced changes of root PutHKT1;5 and PutHKT1;4 transcript levels matched the expression pattern of root PutSOS1, which was consistent with root Na+ efflux. The transcript levels of root PutHKT2;1 and PutAKT1 were downregulated by salinity. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the functional activity of PutHKT1;5 and PutSOS1 in P. tenuiflora roots is fine-tuned under saline conditions as well as by operation of other ion transporters/channel (PutHKT1;4, PutHKT2;1, and PutAKT1). This leads to the coordination of radial Na+ and K+ transport processes, their loading to the xylem, or Na+ retrieval and extrusion under conditions of mild salinity and/or K+ deprivation.

Integrated analysis of deregulation microRNA expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in carcinogenesis and development of cancers. In this study, we analyzed the eccentrically expressed miRNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tissues based on the miRNA-Seq data of HNSCC patients available in the Cancer Genome Atlas database. Aberrant expression of 2589 miRNAs was detected in HNSCC tissues (1128 downregulated and 1461 upregulated). The differential expression levels of the miRNAs were further validated by analysis of 25 HNSCC samples and paired control tissues and compared with the Gene Expression Omnibus database to determine the candidate miRNAs. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to compare the expression of these candidate miRNAs between 22 fresh HNSCC tissue samples and 11 control samples. In addition, the relationship between the expression of these candidate miRNAs and Tumor, Node, Metastases staging of HNSCC was analyzed. Compared with the expression in control tissues, the levels of hsa-miR-410-3p, hsa-miR-411-5p, hsa-miR-125b-2-3p, and hsa-miR-99a-3p were significantly lower in HNSCC. According to the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset analyzed, all 4 miRNAs were shown to inhibit tumor progression (T stage), positive lymph node metastasis (N stage), and distant metastasis (M stage) in HNSCC. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that genes regulated by these 4 miRNAs were enriched in certain pathways, including the transforming growth factor-ß signaling pathway and the Hippo pathway. Enriched gene ontology terms mainly included regulation of transcription, cell proliferation, and apoptosis, which are well-characterized functions of miRNAs. Moreover, all 4 miRNAs inhibited the progression of primary tumors (T stage) and metastasis of regional lymph nodes (N stage). The top 4 aberrantly expressed miRNAs identified in this study have great clinical value in developing strategies for early diagnosis and treatment of HNSCC. More intensive studies are required to elucidate the mechanism underlying the roles of these miRNAs in HNSCC.

[Response of radial growth of Pinus sylvestriformis and Picea jezoensis to climate warming in the ecotone of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China]. / 长白山群落交错带长白松和鱼鳞云杉径向生长对气候变暖的响应.

Changbai Mountain is a typical distribution area of temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests, with significant influence of global climate change. In order to understand the responses of forest ecosystem to climate change, we examined the responses of dominant arbor species in the community ecotone of broad-leaved Korean pine forest and spruce-fir forest (also known as dark coniferous forest), Pinus sylvestriformis and Picea jezoensis. The standard chronologies were established by obtaining tree ring width data in order to identity the key climatic factors that confine the radial growth of both species. The responses of P. sylvestriformis and P. jezoensis to climate factors were different.P. sylvestriformis was more sensitive than P. jezoensis, indicating that P. sylvestriformis was more suitable for dendroclimatological analysis. The radial growth of P. sylvestriformis was consistent with the increases of mean temperature, while the radial growth of P. jezoensis showed a "divergence problem" which decreased with the increases of mean temperature. The radial growth of P. sylvestriformis was mainly limited by temperature, especially the mean temperature in last July and August and current September. However, there was a negative correlation between standard chronologies of P. jezoensis and mean temperature in most months, which was limited by both temperature and precipitation. The correlation between radial growth of both species and climate factors after sudden temperature rise, was weaker than that before sudden temperature rise. The correlation between radial growth and climate factors changed from positive to negative in some months. Current temperature rise might not exceed the critical threshold of the radial growth of P. sylvestriformis, which could promote the radial growth. In addition, the wavelet analysis showed that the radial growth of trees in this area might be affected by large-scale coupling effects of atmospheric-ocean-land changes. In conclusion, climate warming was beneficial to the radial growth of P. sylvestriformis, while drought stress caused by warming was the main factor limiting the radial growth of P. jezoensis. If the global temperature continues to increase in the future, it will have an adverse impact on P. jezoensis. The results would help improve our understanding of the responses of radial growth of P. sylvestriformis and P. jezoensis to future climate change, and provide some basic data for climate reconstruction using both species.

Efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in hand osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of hand osteoarthritis result in activity limitations and lower quality of life. Hydroxychloroquine, which has been used successfully in the treatment of many autoimmune diseases, can suppress inflammation and might also be beneficial in hand osteoarthritis. METHODS: We plan to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trial to determine the symptom-modifying effect of hydroxychloroquine in hand osteoarthritis. We will search PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science using a comprehensive strategy. The related conference proceedings and reference lists of the included studies will also be checked to identify additional studies. Two reviewers will screen retrieved records, extract information and assess the risk of bias independently. Stata v15.1 software will be used to conduct data synthesis. RESULTS: This study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: We hope it will provide a relatively comprehensive reference for clinical practice and future relevant clinical trials. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2020110005.

Monocular posterior scleritis presenting as acute conjunctivitis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Posterior scleritis is a rare inflammatory ocular disease, characterized by severe and painful inflammation of the sclera. It is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, due to its general and varying clinical presentation profile, which primarily involves pain and visual impairment but which can include eyelid edema, choroidal folds, serous retinal detachment, disc edema, hard exudates in fovea and subretinal mass. We report here a case of posterior scleritis, with symptoms of eye pain and red eye, initially misdiagnosed as acute conjunctivitis. CASE SUMMARY: A 56-year-old man presented to a local hospital with complaint of pain and redness in the right eye. The initial diagnosis was acute conjunctivitis and he was given antibiotic eyedrops. Upon week-long continuance of the symptoms despite treatment, he presented to our hospital. Initial examination revealed a shallow anterior chamber in the right eye and vision reduction to 0.6. Further testing by optical coherence tomography, ultrasound biomicroscopy, and fundus photography indicated diagnosis of posterior scleritis. The patient was given methylprednisolone (oral) on a tapered reduction schedule (starting with 70 mg/d). According to the peaks and troughs of symptoms, compound betamethasone injection was administered into the bulb, culminating in discontinuation of the oral corticosteroid. Subsequent optical coherence tomography showed the subretinal fluid near the optic disc to be completely absorbed after treatment. CONCLUSION: Posterior scleritis should be among the differential diagnosis of eye pain and redness, and diagnosis requires further ophthalmic accessory examination, such as by optical coherence tomography.

Dynamic responses of Haloxylon ammodendron to various degrees of simulated drought stress.

Haloxylon ammodendron, a C4 perennial, succulent and xero-halophytic shrub, is highly resistant to harsh environments, therefore, exploring the stress resistance mechanism will be beneficial for the use of xerophytes to prevent desertification. To determine osmotic adjustment (OA) and antioxidase functions under simulated drought stress, 8-week-old seedlings were treated with sorbitol solutions to maintain osmotic potentials (Ψs) at a control and -0.5 and -1.0 MPa. Under -0.5 MPa osmotic stress, H. ammodendron stably maintained the water content of assimilating branches, a result that was not significantly different from the result of the control group. Moreover, the Ψs decreased significantly, which helped plants absorb water efficiently from the environment, as H. ammodendron accumulated massive osmotic regulators in its assimilating branches to adjust shoot Ψs. Specifically, the contribution of Na+ to shoot Ψs was up to 45%, and Na+ became the main osmotic regulator of OA. During the treatments, the content and contribution of K+ remained stable. However, the total contribution of three organic osmotic regulators (free proline, betaine and soluble sugar) was only 20%, and betaine was the main organic osmotic regulator, accounting for approximately 15% of the 20% contribution. Moreover, H. ammodendron seedlings presented strong antioxidases, especially when there was a high activity level of superoxide dismutase, and with an increase in treatment time and degree of osmotic stress, the activity of peroxidase and catalase increased significantly. Substantial accumulation of osmotic adjustment substances was an important strategy for H. ammodendron to cope with simulated drought stress, in particular, H. ammodendron absorbed much Na+ and transported Na+ into the assimilating branch for OA. The scavenging of reactive oxygen species by antioxidases was another adaptation strategy for H. ammodendron to adapt to simulated drought stress.

[Effects of Algal Blooms and Their Degradation on the Sediment-water Micro-interface].

Effects of algal blooms and their degradation on the sediment-water micro-interface under conditions of disturbance and darkness were investigated. The concentration of chlorophyll a in water was determined via the acetone method, profiles of oxygen near the interface were measured using a microelectrode, and profiles of nutrients and metals in sediments were measured at the millimeter level. The results showed that algal bloom degradation at the sediment-water micro-interface decreased the concentration of oxygen and affected nutrient and metal profiles, at depths over approximately 3 mm. Disturbance played an important role in algal bloom degradation and early diagenesis processes of nutrients, such as C and P, and metals, such as Fe, Ca, Mg, Al, and K. Darkness sped up algal bloom degradation and reduced the influence of disturbance. Under control conditions of no disturbance nor algae, and supplied with enough light, a layer of benthic algae appeared at the sediment surface, whose photosynthesis produced oxygen and greatly changed the microenvironment. This brought about significant differences in the concentrations of nearly all nutrients and metals in the surficial sediment compared with those of other treatments. Correlation analyses showed that the vertical variability of sediment P concentration was most strongly related to sediment Mn, followed by sediment C. The results of this high-resolution research showed that algal bloom degradation had an effect on the sediment-water micro-interface at the millimeter level.

In vitro assessment of the role of DpC in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The present study aimed to investigate the antitumor efficacy of di-2-pyridylketone-4-cyclohexyl-4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (DpC) and di-2-pyridylketone-4,4,-dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (Dp44mT) on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. The proliferation and apoptosis of HNSCC cells treated with the iron chelators DpC and Dp44mT were detected. The mechanism of DpC-induced apoptosis on HNSCC cells was investigated. The human HNSCC cell lines FaDu, Cal-27 and SCC-9 were cultured in vitro and exposed to gradient concentrations of DpC and Dp44mT. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to detect the viability of FaDu, Cal-27, SCC-9 cells. Double staining with annexin V and propidium iodide was performed for the detection of the proportion of apoptotic FaDu, Cal-27 and SCC-9 cells following treatment. The nuclear damage to Cal-27 cells that were treated with DpC was detected by Hoechst staining. Finally, western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of proteins associated with the DNA damage pathway in Cal-27 cells that were treated with DpC. The CCK-8 assay showed that treatment with DpC and Dp44mT was able to markedly inhibit the viability of FaDu, Cal-27 and SCC-9 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In comparison to Dp44mT, treatment with DpC exhibited a more effective inhibitory effect on the viability of HNSCC cells. The proportion of apoptotic cells detected by flow cytometry increased in a dose-dependent manner in all cell lines following DpC and Dp44mT treatment, with the proportion of apoptotic HNSCC cells induced by DpC treatment being significantly higher compared with Dp44mT (P<0.05). The results of Hoechst staining revealed that the nuclei of Cal-27 cells exhibited morphological changes in response to DpC treatment, including karyopyknosis and nuclear fragmentation. The expression of DNA damage-associated proteins, including phosphorylated (p)-serine-protein kinase ATM, p-serine/threonine-protein kinase Chk1 (p-Chk-1), p-serine/threonine-protein kinase ATR (p-ATR), p-Chk-2, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, p-histone H2AX, breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein, p-tumor protein P53, increased with increasing concentration of DpC in Cal-27 cells. Treatment with DpC and Dp44mT markedly inhibited cell viability and increased the apoptotic rates in human HNSCC cells in a concentration-dependent manner. DpC exhibited a stronger antitumor effect compared with Dp44mT, potentially inducing the apoptosis of HNSCC cells via the upregulation of DNA damage repair-associated proteins.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Nickel on ZnO Nanowire Arrays for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

A novel hybrid core-shell structure of ZnO nanowires (NWs)/Ni as a pseudocapacitor electrode was successfully fabricated by atomic layer deposition of a nickel shell, and its capacitive performance was systemically investigated. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that the NiO was formed at the interface between ZnO and Ni where the Ni was oxidized by ZnO during the ALD of the Ni layer. Electrochemical measurement results revealed that the Ti/ZnO NWs/Ni (1500 cycles) electrode with a 30 nm thick Ni-NiO shell layer had the best supercapacitor properties including ultrahigh specific capacitance (∼2440 F g-1), good rate capability (80.5%) under high current charge-discharge conditions, and a relatively better cycling stability (86.7% of the initial value remained after 750 cycles at 10 A g-1). These attractive capacitive behaviors are mainly attributed to the unique core-shell structure and the combined effect of ZnO NW arrays as short charge transfer pathways for ion diffusion and electron transfer as well as conductive Ni serving as channel for the fast electron transport to Ti substrate. This high-performance Ti/ZnO NWs/Ni hybrid structure is expected to be one of a promising electrodes for high-performance supercapacitor applications.

Transcriptomic Profiling and Physiological Analysis of Haloxylon ammodendron in Response to Osmotic Stress.

Haloxylon ammodendron, a perennial xero-halophyte, is an essential species for investigating the effects of drought on desert tree. To gain a comprehensive knowledge on the responses of H. ammodendron to drought stress, we specially performed the molecular and physiological analysis of H. ammodendron in response to -0.75 MPa osmotic stress for six and 24 h in lab condition via RNA-seq and digital gene expression (DGE). In total, 87,109 unigenes with a mean length of 680 bp and 13,486 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were generated, and 3353 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in shoots and 4564 in roots were identified under stress. These DEGs were mainly related to ion transporters, signal transduction, ROS-scavenging, photosynthesis, cell wall organization, membrane stabilization and hormones. Moreover, the physiological changes of inorganic ions and organic solute content, peroxidase (POD) activity and osmotic potential were in accordance with dynamic transcript profiles of the relevant genes. In this study, a detailed investigation of the pathways and candidate genes identified promote the research on the molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance in the xero-halophytic species. Our data provides valuable genetic resources for future improvement of forage and crop species for better adaptation to abiotic stresses.

Chen's Double Eyelid Fold Illusion: An Eye Size Assimilation Illusion Induced by a Supratarsal Fold in the Brow-Eye Unit, A Preliminary Report.

BACKGROUND: Double eyelidplasty can enhance the eye size and facial attractiveness of Asian individuals with single eyelids. The authors hypothesize that a supratarsal fold can induce an eye size assimilation illusion to enhance eye dimensions and aesthetics, and seek to define the optimum vertical proportion between a supratarsal fold and the eye fissure associated with maximal induction of the size assimilation illusion. METHODS: A photometric study of the replicated photographs of ten female Taiwanese patients after double eyelidplasty was designed. Each photograph was edited by shifting the supratarsal folds vertically at a regular fold/eye ratio increment of 0.1. The perceived attractiveness of edited photographs of each patient was rated by 100 adult observers using a score of 1-5. The palpebral parameters were measured and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean rating score increased gradually when a supratarsal fold was added and peaked when the fold/eye ratio was 0.3 and the mean Chen's double eyelid fold ratio was 0.631 ± 0.023. After the peak, the mean score decreased gradually and was lower than the photograph without a fold when the fold/eye ratio exceeded 0.5 and the mean Chen's ratio exceeded 0.729 ± 0.027. CONCLUSION: Within the optimal ranges of the fold/eye ratio and Chen's double eyelid fold ratio, eyes are perceived as larger and more attractive due to a hybrid presentation of two interdependent eye size assimilation illusions induced by a supratarsal fold in the brow-eye unit. "Chen's double eyelid fold illusion" is proposed to describe this complex visual phenomenon. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition of High-Density Ni Nanoparticles for Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O Thin Film Transistor Memory.

For the first time, the growth of Ni nanoparticles (NPs) was explored by plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique using NiCp2 and NH3 precursors. Influences of substrate temperature and deposition cycles on ALD Ni NPs were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. By optimizing the process parameters, high-density and uniform Ni NPs were achieved in the case of 280 °C substrate temperature and 50 deposition cycles, exhibiting a density of ~1.5 × 1012 cm-2 and a small size of 3~4 nm. Further, the above Ni NPs were used as charge storage medium of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) memory, demonstrating a high storage capacity for electrons. In particular, the nonvolatile memory exhibited an excellent programming characteristic, e.g., a large threshold voltage shift of 8.03 V was obtained after being programmed at 17 V for 5 ms.

The relationships between heart rate deceleration capacity and spectral indices of heart rate variability during different breathing frequencies.

PURPOSE: The frequency of breathing influences the spectral powers of heart rate variability (HRV) as well as the magnitudes of heart rate deceleration capacity (DC) and acceleration capacity (AC). We compared the strength of their relationships under different breathing frequencies. METHODS: We studied 14 healthy young adults who breathed spontaneously and controlled their breathing rates to 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 Hz in a supine position. A 5-min R-R interval time series without movement artefacts or ectopic beats was obtained for each study period. Spectral indices were defined as the square roots of spectral powers in the very low frequency (0.01-0.04 Hz), low frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz), high frequency (0.15-0.4 Hz) and respiratory frequency bands. We also combined these frequency bands into LHF (0.04-0.4 Hz) and VLHF (0.01-0.4 Hz). DC and AC were obtained using phase rectified signal averaging. RESULTS: DC and AC were significantly correlated with all indices of HRV. The within-subject correlation coefficients for the LHF index had the greatest absolute values (0.953 and -0.919, respectively). DC and AC had different strength of relationships with the LHF index, but became comparable (0.954 vs. -0.943) when the data obtained under 0.1-Hz breathing were excluded. CONCLUSION: DC is strongly correlated with the spectral index of the LHF band, indicating that they are controlled by similar influences under the conditions used in this study. AC is less related to the LHF index due to the fact that its magnitude deceases during 0.1-Hz breathing.

Posterolateral ankle ligament injuries affect ankle stability: a finite element study.

BACKGROUND: We have already discovered 23 patients during the work of the outpatient department and operations whose unstable signs on the posterolateral ankle. The anterior drawer test demonstrated normal during the physical examinations while the spaces of the posterior tibiotalar joints increased in stress X-ray plain films. ATFL intact and posterolateral ligaments lax were found during operations too. It is important to make existence claims and illuminate the mechanism of posterolateral ankle instability. METHODS: A finite element model of the ankle was established for simulating to cut off posterolateral ligaments in turn. Ankle movements with tibia rotation under load on five forefoot positions were simulated as well. RESULTS: The difference values with tibia external rotation were negative, and the positive results occurred with tibia internal rotation. The tibia-talus difference values in some forefoot positions were 2 ~ 3 mm after PTFL together with CFL or/and PITFL were cut off. The tibula-talus difference values were 2.21 ~ 2.76 mm after both PTFL and CFL were cut off. The tibia-fibula difference values were small. The difference values increased by 2 ~ 5 mm after cutting off the PITFL. CONCLUSIONS: Posterolateral ankle ligaments, especially CFL and PITFL, play a significant role in maintaining ankle stability. The serious injuries of both CFL and PITFL would affect posterolateral ankle stabilities. PITFL was important to subtalar joint stability.

Effects of 10-hydroxycamptothecin on intrinsic mitochondrial pathway in silkworm BmN-SWU1 cells.

10-Hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), a plant alkaloid isolated from Camptotheca acuminate, is known as a planted-derived insecticide, however, the specific mechanism in insect cells is still unclear. In this study, we treated the ovarian cell line of the silkworm, BmN-SWU1, with different HCPT doses for durations ranging from 0 to 72h. The apoptosis morphology was evident after 72h of incubation and included cell protuberance, concentrated cytoplasm and apoptotic bodies. We observed DNA fragmentation and cell apoptosis after HCPT treatment. The disruption of mitochondrial distribution, activation of the intracellular mitochondrial permeability transition pore, and release of cytochrome c during HCPT-induced apoptosis in dose and time-dependent manner indicate the involvement of mitochondria in BmN-SWU1 cells. Caspase-9 and -3 activities increased gradually with the duration of incubation time. In conclusion, HCPT has a significant effect to initiate the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway in silkworm cells, providing a theoretical basis for better application of plant-derived insecticide in pest control.

Functions of microRNA-143 in the apoptosis, invasion and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common cancer characterized by poor prognosis in areas of Southern China where it is endemic. microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of naturally occurring small noncoding RNAs, some of which contribute to the initiation and development of cancer. The current study was designed to examine the expression level of miR-143 in NPC tissues. The potential functional targets of miR-143 involved in tumor apoptosis, invasion and migration were also investigated. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the expression levels of miR-143 in clinical NPC specimens. Western blotting was used to explore the expression levels of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)-5, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), caspase 3 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) in CNE-2Z cells following transfection with miR-143. Significantly decreased expression levels of miR-143 were observed in NPC tissues in comparison with matched normal nasopharyngeal tissues. Moreover, negative associations of miR-143 with tumor invasion depth, as well as lymph node metastasis were found. The enforced expression of miR-143 induced NPC cell apoptosis in addition to the suppression of growth, migration and invasion. The functions of miR-143 in NPC are mediated, at least in part, by the inhibition of ERK-5 activity and promotion of caspase 3 and KRAS expression. These findings suggest that miR-143 may function as a tumor suppressor in the development and progression of NPC.

Effects of breathing frequency on the heart rate deceleration capacity and heart rate acceleration capacity.

PURPOSE: The deceleration capacity (DC) and acceleration capacity (AC) of heart rate as well as the respiratory rate predict outcome after acute myocardial infarction. We evaluated the relation between breathing frequency and both DC and AC, as well as the difference between them. METHODS: We studied fourteen healthy young adults who breathed spontaneously and controlled their breathing to rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 Hz in a supine position. A 5-min R-R interval time series without movement artifacts or ectopic beats was obtained from each studied period and scanned to identify the anchor points that were characterized by a value longer or shorter than the preceding value. Averaged changes of R-R intervals surrounding the deceleration and acceleration anchors were calculated as DC and AC, respectively. RESULTS: The magnitudes of DC and AC increased progressively as breathing frequency decreased (Both p < 0.001 by one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance). The magnitude of DC was larger than the magnitude of AC during 0.1-Hz breathing (95 % confidence interval of their difference: 1.7-9.7 ms), while the difference between them reduced to near zero at higher frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: Slow breathing enhances the magnitudes of DC and AC simultaneously under the conditions used in this study. The increase in the magnitude of DC is significantly greater than that of AC.