Identification of Protein Quality Markers in Toad Venom from Bufo gargarizans.

Toad venom is a traditional Chinese medicine with high medicinal value. The existing quality evaluation standards of toad venom have obvious limitations because of the lack of research on proteins. Thus, it is necessary to screen suitable quality markers and establish appropriate quality evaluation methods for toad venom proteins to guarantee their safety and efficacy in clinical applications. SDS-PAGE, HPLC, and cytotoxicity assays were used to analyze differences in protein components of toad venom from different areas. Functional proteins were screened as potential quality markers by proteomic and bioinformatic analyses. The protein components and small molecular components of toad venom were not correlated in content. Additionally, the protein component had strong cytotoxicity. Proteomics analysis showed that 13 antimicrobial proteins, four anti-inflammatory and analgesic proteins, and 20 antitumor proteins were differentially expressed extracellular proteins. A candidate list of functional proteins was coded as potential quality markers. Moreover, Lysozyme C-1, which has antimicrobial activity, and Neuropeptide B (NPB), which has anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity, were identified as potential quality markers for toad venom proteins. Quality markers can be used as the basis of quality studies of toad venom proteins and help to construct and improve safe, scientific, and comprehensive quality evaluation methods.

Simultaneous measurement of H2O concentration and effective absorption optical path length under unknown optical path length condition based on a single spectral line.

Quantitative gas measurement under the condition of unknown optical path length is a challenge in laser absorption spectroscopy technology field. In this paper, we proposed a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy line shape analysis (TDLAS-LSA) method for simultaneous measurement of water vapor concentration and effective optical path length (EOPL) under unknown optical path conditions. A single H2O absorption line near 1383.9 nm (7226.02 cm-1) was selected, and its line strength, self-broadening coefficient and temperature-dependence coefficient were measured experimentally to improve the HITRAN databases. The Lorentz broadening and line area were accurately extracted by Hartmann-Tran profile (HTP) fitting, and the gas concentration and EOPL were calculated based on the spectral line shape analysis method. Eight concentrations of water vapor in the range of 146 ppm âˆ¼ 4.39% were measured experimentally, and the maximum average deviation between the TDLAS-LSA method and the commercial sensor was less than 7.1%. Comparing the EOPL with mechanical measurement, the maximum deviation of multiple measurements is less than 5.7%. The results showed that the TDLAS-LSA method can effectively perform gas sensing under unknown optical path conditions, and has great application potential in low-cost, in-situ and multi-parameter simultaneous measurement.

Optimizing the quantitative analysis of solid biomass fuel properties using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) coupled with a kernel partial least squares (KPLS) model.

The rapid analysis of fuel properties is important for the utilization of solid biomass due to its great variation in feedstock. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology combined with quantitative analysis models can be used for this analysis. Most existing prediction models used in LIBS for fuel property analysis are linear methods, such as the partial least squares (PLS) model, which fail to reflect the non-linear relationships between the LIBS spectrum and the fuel property index being predicted. In the present work, LIBS data combined with a kernel partial least squares (KPLS) method are used to analyze the gross calorific value, and the volatile matter, ash and fixed carbon content of the solid biomass fuel. Quantitative analysis performance of the KPLS model was compared to that of the widely used PLS method, with the results showing some improvements. The KPLS model was further improved using three data normalization methods (i.e., C internal standardization, total intensity standardization and standard normal variate). The best quantitative analysis results of the volatile matter and ash content were obtained when the KPLS model was combined with C internal standardization, with root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) of 1.365% and 0.290%, and average standard deviations (ASD) of 0.277% and 0.080%, respectively. The best quantitative analysis results of the gross calorific value and fixed carbon content were obtained when using KPLS without normalization. The RMSEP and ASD of the gross calorific value and fixed carbon content were 0.198 MJ kg-1 and 0.746%, and 0.070 MJ kg-1 and 0.111% respectively.

Immune Infiltration Pattern Associated with Diagnosis and Development in benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

PURPOSE: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) significantly reduces the quality of life. However, the biological mechanisms of BPH development remain largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the essential genomic and immunogenic features in BPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transcriptome profiling and clinical data of BPH and normal prostate samples were acquired from GEO datasets. The discovery sets were composed of GSE119195, GSE7307, GSE101486, while validation set was GSE132714. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT was used to investigate the immunogenic features. Furthermore, transcriptional and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used for further analysis. RESULTS: BPH samples presented higher immune score. Meanwhile, CIBERSORT deconvolution revealed that BPH exists significantly abundant M2 Macrophages, follicular T helper cells, resting mast cells, and fewer plasma cells, activated CD4+ memory T cells and activated mast cells. WGCNA analysis also revealed significantly enriched immune-related modules in BPH. Transcriptomic analysis identified SOCS3, IL6, C3, IGF1, NOTCH1 and VCAN as key regulators of immunogenic phenotype in BPH. Moreover, we generated an immunological gene signature for BPH, which worked well in validation cohort. CONCLUSION: In our study, BPH samples exhibited a distinct immune infiltration pattern, represented by an immunological gene signature. This genomic-based assessment model reveals the potential transcriptomic patterns during BPH development.

An appropriate ratio of unsaturated fatty acids is the constituent of hickory nut extract for neurite outgrowth in human SH-SY5Y cells.

Hickory nuts (Carya cathayensis Sarg, CCS), a well-known Chinese medicinal nut, is thought to improve memory in Chinese folks. However, functional constituents have not been scientifically identified. In this study, human SH-SY5Y cells, combined with Q-TOF mass spectrometry (Q-TOF-MS) and standard substances, were used to evaluate the function in neuronal development and to identify constituents of CCS hydrophobic extracts (CCS-HE). Data showed that CCS-HE but not the control induced neurite outgrowth of SH-SY5Y cells in a dose-dependent manner, supported by which CCS-HE induced the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), neurofilament 160 (NF160), and neuronal peptide Y (NPY) mRNA. Q-TOF-MS analysis with standard substances indicated that linolenic acid (LNA), linoleic acid (LA), and oleic acid (OA) were the main constituents in CCS-HE. Furthermore, mixtures of these unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) at the natural ratio (1:8:16) significantly induced neurite outgrowth and gene expression of NGF, NF160, and NPY in a dose-dependent manner. However, the individual and alternative ratios were not effective to induce the neurite outgrowth and gene expression of NGF, NF160, and NPY. These data implicate that an appropriate ratio of UFAs is the main constituent for the neurite outgrowth.

Temperature measurement with compositional correction of gas mixture based on laser-induced plasma.

Laser-induced breakdown plasma was used for gas temperature measurement based on the residual energy of a laser pulse defined as the laser energy detected in the beam path as well as plasma emissions. Gas mixtures with different compositions (O2/N2, O2/CO2, and O2/N2/CO2) were used to simulate the main components of combustion products at different temperatures. First, the correlation of residual energy and gas temperature was investigated, which showed that the residual energy increased with an increase in the gas temperature. The results showed that it also relates to the gas composition, which would affect the characteristics of laser-induced plasma. Then the spectral emission ratio of the plasma (O/N, O/C, and C/N) was obtained simultaneously to correct the compositional effect on the temperature measurement. Finally, the gas temperature with different components can be obtained by the equation coupled with the gas temperature, residual energy, and gas composition. The corrected temperature is consistent with that obtained by thermocouple and the gas temperature measurement error is less than 3.5% in the range from 309 K to 548 K.

Optimizing analysis of coal property using laser-induced breakdown and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopies.

Coal properties have different correlations with elements or molecules. It is difficult to optimize the analysis of multiple coal properties simultaneously by a single analytical technique. This paper reports a method for optimizing analysis of coal properties by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). Briefly, LIBS, NIRS, as well as spectral information fusion of LIBS and NIRS (LIBS&NIRS) were used to establish the quantitative analysis models of coal properties with partial least squares (PLS) method. The performance of models based on different spectral information was compared with each other according to the determination coefficient (R2), root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), average absolute error (AAE), and average relative error (ARE). As a result, the models of calorific value and volatile matter based on LIBS&NIRS have the best performance with minimum root mean square error for prediction (RMSEP) of 0.192 MJ/kg and 0.672%. However, for the model of ash content, the minimum RMSEP of 0.774% was achieved by using LIBS. Meanwhile, optimal performance of modeling moisture content was obtained from NIRS with the minimum RMSEP of 0.308%. After obtaining the best prediction results of volatile matter content, ash content, and moisture content, the fixed carbon content can be calculated by the definition formula. These results demonstrated that the reported method can optimize the rapid analysis of multiple coal properties simultaneously.

Coal Discrimination Analysis Using Tandem Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

The contribution and impact of combined laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) were evaluated for the discrimination analysis of different coal samples. This tandem approach allows simultaneous determination of major and minor elements (C, H, Si, Ca, Al, Mg, etc.) and trace elements (V, Ba, Pb, U, etc.) in the coal. The research focused on coal-classification strategies based on principle component analysis (PCA) combined with K-means clustering, partial least-squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA), and support vector machine (SVM) for analytical performance. Correlation analyses performed from TOF mass and LIBS emission spectra from the coal samples showed that most major, minor, and trace element emissions had negative correlation with the volatile content. Suitable variables for the classification models were determined from these data. The individual TOF data, LIBS data, and combined data of TOF and LIBS as the inputs for different models were analyzed and compared. In all cases, the results obtained with the combined TOF and LIBS data were found to be superior to those obtained with the individual TOF or LIBS data. The nonlinear SVM model combined with TOF and LIBS data provided the best coal-classification performance, with a classification accuracy of up to 98%.

Screening of an Alkaline CMCase-Producing Strain and the Optimization of its Fermentation Condition.

OBJECTIVE: Alkaline Carboxymethyl Cellulase (CMCase) is an attractive enzyme for the textile, laundry, pulp, and paper industries; however, commercial preparations with sufficient activity at alkaline conditions are scarce. METHODS: High CMCase-producing bacterial isolate, SX9-4, was screened out from soil bacteria, which was identified as Flavobacterium sp. on the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS: The optimum pH and temperature for CMCase reaction were 8.0 and 55°C, respectively. Alkaline CMCase was stable over wide pH (3.0-10.6) and temperature (25-55°C) ranges. Enzyme activity was significantly inhibited by the bivalent cations Mn2+ and Cu2+, and was activated by Fe2+. To improve the alkaline CMCase production of SX9-4, fermentation parameters were selected through onefactor- at-a-time and further carried out by response surface methodologies based on a central composite design. CONCLUSION: High CMCase production (57.18 U/mL) was achieved under the optimal conditions: 10.53 g/L carboxymethylcellulose sodium, 7.74 g/L glucose, 13.71 g/L peptone, and 5.27 g/L ammonium oxalate.

Evaluation of heavy metal element detection in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash based on LIBS sensor.

Heavy metal elements are the main pollutants in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash, the online detection of heavy metals in MSWI fly ash could benefit its subsequent solidification treatment and land-filling. In this paper, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was introduced to the rapid measurement of heavy metal elements in MSWI fly ash. Considering the serious matrix effect in MSWI fly ash, the multiple linear regression model combined with internal standard method was used to establish the calibration curves of heavy metals. Validated samples were used to evaluate the performance of quantitative analysis models. The results show that linear regression coefficients (R2) of the calibration curves for Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn are 0.981, 0.988, 0.968, 0.978 and 0.993, respectively. The average relative error of the prediction results are from 6.8 to 20.3%. The detection limits of the heavy metal content are Cd (11.13 µg/g), Cr (44.87 µg/g), Cu (36.18 µg/g), Pb (10.83 µg/g), Zn (12.27 µg/g), respectively, which are far below those required in the Standard for Pollution Control on the Landfill Site of Municipal Solid Waste (GB16889-2008). All results indicate the great potential of LIBS sensor for online rapid detection of heavy metals in MSWI fly ash.

A hybrid model combining wavelet transform and recursive feature elimination for running state evaluation of heat-resistant steel using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Heat-resistant steel is widely used in various industries, and the running state is of great importance for equipment function and safety. In this work, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is applied to evaluate the running state of steel using indicators of micro and macro properties. The hybrid model based on wavelet threshold denoising (WTD) and K-fold-support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (K-SVM-RFE) is proposed to estimate the different indictors of various service conditions of steel. Fourteen T91 specimens, including 4 industrial specimens obtained from different service conditions in the power plant boiler, were used as the analytes. Firstly, the noise signal of the LIBS spectra of each specimen was analyzed and removed with WTD. Secondly, an improved approach K-SVM-RFE was applied to select the optimal feature subset and build the classification models of aging grade and hardness grade. The influence of denoising pretreatment on model performance was compared and discussed. Finally, the assessment matrix, established using the indicators from the aging grade and hardness grade, was used to evaluate the running state of steel. The results show that the test assessment matrix obtained with the hybrid model based on WTD and K-SVM-RFE is consistent with the reference matrix on the running state of steel.

Primary malignant melanotic melanoma and hypomelanotic melanoma of the female urethra: case series and a review of the literature in China.

The incidence of primary malignant melanoma (MM) of female urethra is extremely low, leading to paucity of recommendations on management. The objectives of our study were to gain more insight into the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this rare type of tumor. We carried out a retrospective analysis of all four cases who underwent an operation in our hospital since 1980. Moreover, other 32 cases of MM that have been reported in Chinese papers were also included for further review. The age of the patients ranged from 38 to 81 years. A mass in the urethral meatus and hematuria are common presentations. The final diagnosis depends on histopathological examination. After surgery alone or combined with chemotherapy/radiotherapy/immunotherapy, all cases were followed for 1-151 months, whereas only one lived for more than 4 years after receiving the diagnosis. A timely and accurate diagnosis of MM is critical, especially for hypomelanotic and amelanotic cases. Immunohistochemical staining and electron microscopy are necessary for a precise diagnosis in some cases. Extensive resection, early chemotherapy, and immunotherapy may help to improve survival.

High-Tech Acupuncture for Prevention of Lifestyle Diseases-A Sino-Austrian Cooperation Research Protocol on Heart Rate Variability.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture can not only be used for well-known diseases, but also for so-called modern lifestyle-related diseases. Using innovative methods like e.g. new analyses of heart rate variability (HRV), it is also possible to investigate diseases like burnout syndrome, ie., qi deficiency in Chinese medicine (CM). OBJECTIVE: The main object of this research protocol is to perform research on the relationship of burnout syndrome and heart rate (HR) and HRV. METHODS: A total of 175 patients with burnout syndrome (qi deficiency syndrome) in five groups and 35 healthy volunteers will be investigated. Based on random numbers generated by computer and concealed in opaque envelops, the patients will be assigned to four acupuncture groups using Zusanli (ST 36) acupuncture stimulation, Guanyuan (CV4) acupuncture stimulation, both points, and both points with Streitberger device respectively, and a moxibustion group using both points mentioned above, with 35 cases in each group. Altogether four different experiments are planned. Experiment 1 includes 70 subjects and is a comparison between a burnout group and a control group (healthy volunteers). The evaluation parameters are different scores and indices of HR and HRV. Experiment 2 includes 140 subjects and compares the efficacy of different acupuncture points. In experiment 3 (105 subjects), acupuncture and moxibustion should be compared to healthy volunteers. Experiment 4 (70 subjects) investigates the long-term therapeutic effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on the scores of qi deficiency and HR/HRV in qi deficiency patients. In both the acupuncture and moxibustion groups, a total of 10 treatments will be performed. CONCLUSIONS: The joint research aims at the scientific evaluation of CM, mainly in the field of HRV. This parameter could be a very good indicator of the state of health and can be inflfluenced by different acupuncture methods, as shown in the past.

[Effects of electroacupuncture at different acupoints on apoptosis and the expression of miRNAs in myocardial cells in rats model of myocardial ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at different acupoints on apoptosis-related serum and expression of microRNA (miRNA) in rats with myocardial ischemia, so as to explore its mechanism of action. METHODS: A total of 48 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a Neiguan group and a acupoint compatibility group, 12 rats in each group. Isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO) with a daily dose of 2 mg/kg was subcutaneously injected for 14 days to establish the myocardial ischemia model in the model group, Neiguan group and acupoint compatibility group. Rats in the normal group were subcutaneously injected with an equal volume of normal saline. After modeling, rats in the Neiguan group were treated with EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6), while rats in the acupoint compatibility group were treated with EA at "Guanyuan" (CV 4), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Neiguan" (PC 6). Rats in the normal group and model group were treated with immobilization, once day for 21 days. The contents of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); apoptosis index (AI) of myocardial cells was detected by TUNEL method; the expressions of miRNA-1, miRNA-133, miRNA-208 and miRNA-499 were detected by real-time PCR method. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the serum CK-MB, VCAM-1 and ET-1 were significantly increased in the model group, Neiguan group and acupoint compatibility group (all P < 0.01), and the apoptosis index was significantly increased (all P < 0.01). The CK-MB, VCAM-1 and ET-1 in the Neiguan group and acupoint compatibility group were significantly lower than those in the model group (all P < 0.01); the AI was reduced, which was more significant in the acupoint compatibility group (P < 0.05). Compared with the normal group, the expression of miRNA-133 was reduced (P < 0.01) and those of miRNA-208, miRNA-1 and miRNA-499 were significantly increased in the model group (all P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of miRNA-133 was increased (both P < 0.01) and that of miRNA-208, miRNA-1 and miRNA-499 were significantly reduced (all P < 0.01) in the Neiguan group and acupoint compatibility group. Compared with the Neiguan group, the expression of miRNA-133 was increased (P < 0.01) and those of miRNA-208, miRNA-1 and miRNA-499 were significantly reduced in the acupoint compatibility group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: EA at acupoints, especially acupoint compatibility group, could effectively prevent and treat myocardial ischemia, and the protective effect is possibly correlated to the double regulation on increasing the expression of miRNA-133 and inhibiting the expression of miRNA-1, miRNA-208, miRNA-499.

[Effects of electroacupuncture on electrocardiogram, myocardial pathological morphology and PI3K/Akt pathway in rats with chronic myocardial ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of principal-subordinate acupoints combination on improving myocardial ischemia, and the gene regulatory pathways for the protection of myocardial ischemia. METHODS: According to the random number table method, 70 SPF Wistar male rats were divided into a normal group, a model group, a LY294002 group, an insulin-like growth factors-1(IGF-1) group, a Neiguan group, an acupoint combination group and an acupoint combination + LY294002 group, 10 rats in each one. Rats in the normal group were injected with 0.9% NaCl solution, while rats in the remaining groups were treated with abdominal subcutaneous injection of isoroterenol hydrochloride to establish the rat model of myocardial ischemia. Rats in the LY294002 group and IGF-1 group were treated with injection of LY294002 solution and IGF-1 solution for 14 days. Rats in the Neiguan group were treated with electroacupuncture (EA) at "Neiguan" (PC 6) by using Han-200 EA apparatus for 10 min per treatment. Rats in the acupoint combination group were treated with EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Guanyuan" (CV 4) by using Han-200 EA apparatus for 10 min per treatment. Rats in the acupoint combination + LY294002 group were treated with LY294002 solution for 14 days, and EA at "Neiguan" (PC 6), "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Guanyuan" (CV 4) was given before model establishment, once a day for 21 days. EA pretreatment was given before model establishment in all acupuncture groups. The heart rate (HR) and ST segment voltage were detected before and after treatment; the myocardial pathological morphology was observed by HE staining; the expressions of P13K mRNA and Akt mRNA were tested. RESULTS: After modeling, HR and ST segment voltage in all intervention groups were higher than those in the normal group (all P < 0.01); after the intervention, the HR and the ST segment voltage in the acupoint combination group, IGF-1 group and IGF-1 group were improved (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), which was more significant in the acupoint combination group and Neiguan group (all P < 0.01). As for the myocardial pathological morphology, obvious myocardial ischemia was observed in the model group, and that in the LY294002 group was the most serious, and that in the acupoint combination+ LY294002 group was moderate. After intervention, the myocardial pathological damage in the IGF-1 group, Neiguan group and acupoint combination group was significant improved, which was more significant in the IGF-1 group and acupoint combination group. As for the expression of PI3K mRNA and Akt mRNA, compared with normal group, the expression of PI3K mRNA was increased in the remaining groups after modeling (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), which was more significant in the IGF-1 group and acupoint combination group (all P < 0. 01). The expression of Akt mRNA in the LY294002 group and acupoint combination + LY294002 group was reduced (P < 0. 01, P < 0.05), while that in the remaining groups was increased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), which was more significant in the IGF-1 group and acupoint combination group (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The principal-subordinate acupoints combination could improve heart rate and ST segment voltage in rats with chronic myocardial ischemia, reduce myocardial pathological damage, which is superior to single selection of "Neiguan" (PC 6). The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway may be involved in the regulation mechanism of principal-subordinate acupoints combination for the protection of chronic myocardial ischemia.

[Ginger-partition moxibustion combined with glucocorticoid for thyreoitis at subacute stage: a randomizd controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects between ginger-partition moxibustion combined with glucocorticoid and simple oral glucocorticoid for thyreoitis at subacute stage. METHODS: Eighty-one patients were randomly divided into an observation group (41 cases) and a control group (40 cases). In the observation group, ginger-partition moxibustion and hormone were applied. Moxa cones were used at local ashi points, Zusanli (ST 36), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Qihai (CV 6), six cones every point, once every other day and three times a week. Besides, 24 mg methylprednisolone tablets were adopted orally every day, and in two weeks the dose was 16 mg/d, in four weeks 8 mg/d, in six weeks 4 mg/d; all the patients were observed for 8 week. In the control group, simple methylprednisolone was prescribed orally, and the dose, the usage and treatment time were the same as those in the observation group. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4) and ultra-sensitive thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) before and after treatment were observed in the two groups, as well as fever, the pain of thyroid gland, the regression time of swelling and adverse reaction. RESULTS: The time of thyroid gland pain relieved of the observation group was earlier than that of the control group [(3.07 ± 0.78) days vs (3.62 ± 0.92) days, P < 0.05]. After treatment, T3, T4 and ESR were declined apparently (all P < 0.01), and TSH was obviously increased in the two groups (both P < 0.01). After 2-week treatment, ESR in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). After 4-week treatment, T3, T4, TSH and ESR in the observation group were better than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). After 8 weeks, all indices in the observation group were superior to those in the control group, without statistical significance between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The effects of the observation group in 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks were better than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). The cured course was shorter in the observation group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The adverse reaction rate in the observation group was lower than that in the control group [4.9% (2/41) vs 22.5% (9/40), P < 0.05]. Three months later after treatment, the cured patients were followed. There was no recrudescence in the observation group and three patients caught the disease again in the control group, but there was no statistical significance between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ginger-partition moxibustion combined with glucocorticoid achieves better effect than simple oral glucocorticoid for thyreoitis at subacute stage, and the adverse reaction is less, which presents the clinical advantages of the integration of Chinese and western medicine.

[The Study of Spectral Characteristic of Coal Ash from Different Sources with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy]

The samples with different carbon content are collected for quantitative analysis. One of the normal methods is the ignition of different coals according to the notice of fast ashing method instead of collecting coal ash in boiler. But there are some differences between fast ashing method in laboratory and actual boiler. It is necessary that the spectral deviation of coal ash from these two sources is studied as a guidance of quantitative analysis in carbon content. In present work, the intensity of the characteristic lines and plasma temperature were compared with different carbon content from these two processes. As a result, Fe, Mg, Al line strength of ash with fast ashing method is stronger and plasma temperature is lower than coal ash in boiler. Principal component analysis was processed, the results show that the difference of Fe, Mg, Al and Si content is the primary factor, and minerals in coal ash with fast ashing method may influence the spectral characteristic. The influence of mineral elements and mineral content on spectra for quantitative analysis with fast ashing method should be noticed.

[Rapid Measurement of Carbon Dioxide with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Based on Atomic and Molecular Spectrum].

With the rapid development of economy and industrialization, global warming is becoming the most serious sensitive global climate issues, which causes the rising of sea level and many other negative effects. The cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide is the main component of greenhouse gases. The control of CO2 emssion is beneficial to addressing gobal climate change and environmental degradation. Therefore, it's important to develop a rapid detection of CO2 for accurate control. There are amounts of methods to detect CO2 at present, including titration, electrochemical method, gas chromatography, infrared absorption spectroscopy and so on, however, t they still have the deficiency for online monitoring in industrial field. laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which is developing rapidly in recent few decades, is a detecting technology with characteristics of time-saving and synchronous measuring of multicomponent. What's more, there is no need for sample pretreating. To develop the online monitoring technique of CO2 emission in the industrial field, LIBS was employed to measure CO2 in this study. The mass flow controller was used to adjust the flow of high purity CO2 and N2 to obtain mixed gas with different CO2 concentrations. The mixed gas was firstly mixed in an air mixing chamber for thorough mixing and then sent to the sample cell for LIBS measurement. The evolution of C atomic spectral line and CN molecular band with different delay times were being studied, which demonstrated parts of CO2 react with air ambient to form CN molecular during the plasma generation, the CN molecular band should be taken into consideration for quantitative analysis, and the parameters were optimized for synchronous measurement of C line and CN band: 800 ns was the optimal delay time. During the plasma generation, many factors in the plasma may interact with others, the analysis index had close relationship wih serval measuring parameters. With the consideration of the effect of C, CN and the self-absorption in high concentration, multivariate calibration method was employed to establish calibration models of CO2. The results showed that the correlation coefficients R2 and the slope were 0.978 and 0.981, respectively. Compared with calibrated with single factor, the multivariate method improved the reliability of the model. What's more, the feasibility of the application of LIBS to measure CO2 rapidly was proved.

[Influence of C-Fe Lines Interference Correction on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Measurement of Unburned Carbon in Fly Ash].

In coal-fired plants, Unburned carbon (UC) in fly ash is the major determinant of combustion efficiency in coal-fired boiler. The balance between unburned carbon and NO(x) emissions stresses the need for rapid and accurate methods for the measurement of unburned carbon. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is employed to measure the unburned carbon content in fly ash. In this case, it is found that the C line interference with Fe line at about 248 nm. The interference leads to C could not be quantified independently from Fe. A correction approach for extracting C integrated intensity from the overlapping peak is proposed. The Fe 248.33 nm, Fe 254.60 nm and Fe 272.36 nm lines are used to correct the Fe 247.98 nm line which interference with C 247.86 nm, respectively. Then, the corrected C integrated intensity is compared with the uncorrected C integrated intensity for constructing calibration curves of unburned carbon, and also for the precision and accuracy of repeat measurements. The analysis results show that the regression coefficients of the calibration curves and the precision and accuracy of repeat measurements are improved by correcting C-Fe interference, especially for the fly ash samples with low level unburned carbon content. However, the choice of the Fe line need to avoid a over-correction for C line. Obviously, Fe 254.60 nm is the best

[Advances of portable electrocardiogram monitor design].

Portable electrocardiogram monitor is an important equipment in the clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases due to its portable, real-time features. It has a broad application and development prospects in China. In the present review, previous researches on the portable electrocardiogram monitors have been arranged, analyzed and summarized. According to the characteristics of the electrocardiogram (ECG), this paper discusses the ergonomic design of the portable electrocardiogram monitor, including hardware and software. The circuit components and software modules were parsed from the ECG features and system functions. Finally, the development trend and reference are provided for the portable electrocardiogram monitors and for the subsequent research and product design.