The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of patient outcomes in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is a predictive clinical biomarker for different cancers. However, the results of several studies investigating the association between the PLR and the prognosis of ovarian cancer have been inconclusive. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the prognostic value of the PLR in ovarian cancer. METHODS: We searched the EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and Web of Science databases to identify clinical studies that had evaluated the association between the PLR and ovarian cancer prognosis. Outcomes evaluated included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). We also analyzed PLR differences between malignant ovarian masses and the controls. RESULTS: Twelve relevant studies that comprised 2340 patients were selected for the meta-analysis. The results revealed that elevated PLR was significantly associated with poor OS (hazard ratio (HR) 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.56, p < 0.01) and PFS (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.03-2.51, p < 0.01). The PLRs in malignant cases were higher than in controls (mean difference = 63.57, 95% CI 39.47-87.66, p < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: An elevated PLR is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer. The PLR could be employed as a prognostic marker in patients with ovarian cancer.

Second harmonic generation from an individual amorphous selenium nanosphere.

Among the numerous nonlinear optics effects, second harmonic generation (SHG) is always a hotspot and it is extensively used for optical frequency conversion, biomedical imaging, etc. However, SHG is forbidden in a medium with inversion symmetry under the electric-dipole approximation. Here, we demonstrated SHG from a single amorphous selenium (a-Se) nanosphere under near-infrared femtosecond pulse excitation. It was found that SH spectra are tunable with the size of a-Se nanospheres and the SHG efficiency of a single a-Se sphere with a diameter over 300 nm is estimated at 10(-8). We also established two physical mechanisms of SHG from the amorphous nanospheres. There is an electric-dipole contribution to the second-order nonlinearity in view of the inevitable structural discontinuity at the surface. The discontinuity of the normal component of the electric field strength leads to the quadrupole-type contributions arising from the large electric field gradient. The SHG process can be enhanced by resonance near the fundamental wavelength, giving rise to the detectable second harmonic (SH) spectra of a single a-Se nanosphere (d > 300 nm) or two small a-Se nanospheres (d = 200 nm) aggregated into a dimer, while the single nanosphere with smaller size (d > 300 nm) is undetectable. As an essential trace element for animals, a-Se features unique biological compatibility and has specific properties of optical nonlinearity within the optical window in biological tissue. This discovery makes a-Se nanospheres promising both in nonlinear optics and biomedicine.

A novel splice variant of the bovine GALNTL5 gene identified in Chinese Holstein bull testis tissue and its mRNA expression.

The polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-like protein 5 (GALNTL5) is a newly identified protein that is specifically expressed in testis tissue and participates in spermatogenesis. In this study, we characterized a novel bovine GALNTL5 splice variant, designated as GALNTL5-AS, by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and clone sequencing methods. The novel GALNTL5 isoform was derived from the complete transcript, GALNTL5-complete, via alternative splicing (AS). The pattern of the splice variant was exon skipping. Bovine GALNTL5 transcripts were expressed in the testis, as demonstrated by RT-PCR. The expression levels of both transcripts were higher in adult testes than in calf testes (P < 0.05). In addition, prediction analysis showed that the GALNTL5-AS transcript only encoded 122 amino acids and lost its glycosyltransferase 1 and Gal/GalNAc-T motifs, which may result in a dysfunctional protein compared with the predominant transcript GALNTL5-complete. This study improves our understanding of the bovine GALNTL5 gene function during bull sperm formation.

Step-flow kinetics model for the vapor-solid-solid Si nanowires growth.

Vapor-solid-solid (VSS) process has recently received continued attention as an alternative to grow Si nanowire. In comparison with common vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth with liquid catalyst, VSS growth can prevent the catalyst species from incorporating into nanowires with deep-level impurity, and achieve the compositionally abrupt interfaces by restraining the so-called "reservoir effect". However, despite the huge advances in experimental observations with in situ electron microscopy, VSS growth still remains much less understood in theory. Here, we developed a general mass-transport-limited kinetic model to describe the VSS growth process of Si nanowires by considering three surface diffusion processes and a slow interface diffusion process, where the former determines the atoms supplies way, while the latter dominates the growth of nanowires. The present model is not only well consistent with the available experimental data of Si nanowire, but also gives a clear physical image for the successive side-to-side ledge flow VSS growth.

Characterization and immune response expression of the Rig-I-like receptor mda5 in common carp Cyprinus carpio.

In this study, the full-length complementary (c)DNA of common carp Cyprinus carpio melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (mda5) was cloned. The complete open reading frame of C. carpio mda5 contained 2982 bp and encodes 993 amino acids. The deduced amino acids contained six functional domains: two caspase activation and recruitment domains (CARD), a conserved restriction domain of bacterial type III restriction enzyme (ResIII), a DExD/H box-containing domain (DEXDc), a helicase super family C-terminal domain (HELICc) and a C-terminal regulatory domain (RD). The mda5 gene was expressed in all tested tissues, with high levels in the gills and spleen, while lower expressed in gonad and blood. The copy numbers of mda5 were increased in the liver, spleen, head kidney and the mucosal-associated immune tissues such as the foregut, hindgut, gills and skin after stimulation with polyinosinic polycytidylic [poly(I:C)] and Aeromonas hydrophila. The myxovirus resistance gene (mx) messenger (m)RNA levels in the spleen, head kidney, foregut and gills were significantly up-regulated after poly(I:C) injection. When injected with poly(I:C), mda5 and mx transcripts were also significantly induced in vitro. These results implied that mda5 might be involved in both antiviral and antibacterial innate immune processes in C. carpio. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Amorphization of cobalt monoxide nanocrystals and related explosive gas sensing applications.

Amorphous nanomaterials have attracted attention due to their excellent performances, highly comparable to their crystalline counterparts. Sensor materials with amorphous phases are usually evaluated to be unsuitable for sensors because of poor performance. As a matter of fact, amorphous nanomaterials have rather unique sensor behaviors. Here, we report the amorphousization of cobalt monoxide (CoO) nanocrystals driven by a unique process involved in laser ablation in liquid (LAL). We also established that a fast and nonequilibrium process created by LAL results in the amorphousization of nanocrystals. The as-prepared amorphous CoO (a-CoO) nanoflakes possess a high aspect ratio, which showed good sensing of explosive gases. The fabricated gas sensor can detect CO and H2 at levels as low as 5 and 10 ppm, respectively, at 100 °C. The performance characteristics of this sensor, including high sensitivity, low working temperature, and low detection limit, are superior to those of sensors made with crystalline phase oxides. Meanwhile, a temperature-dependent p-n transition was observed in the sensor's response to CO, suggesting that the sensing properties can be tailored by changing the carrier type, thus tuning the selectivity of sensors to different gases. These findings demonstrate the potential applications of amorphous nanomaterials as gas sensor components.

A metallic metal oxide (Ti5O9)-metal oxide (TiO2) nanocomposite as the heterojunction to enhance visible-light photocatalytic activity.

Coupling titanium dioxide (TiO2) with other semiconductors is a popular method to extend the optical response range of TiO2 and improve its photon quantum efficiency, as coupled semiconductors can increase the separation rate of photoinduced charge carriers in photocatalysts. Differing from normal semiconductors, metallic oxides have no energy gap separating occupied and unoccupied levels, but they can excite electrons between bands to create a high carrier mobility to facilitate kinetic charge separation. Here, we propose the first metallic metal oxide-metal oxide (Ti5O9-TiO2) nanocomposite as a heterojunction for enhancing the visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles and we demonstrate that this hybridized TiO2-Ti5O9 nanostructure possesses an excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance in the process of photodegrading dyes. The TiO2-Ti5O9 nanocomposites are synthesized in one step using laser ablation in liquid under ambient conditions. The as-synthesized nanocomposites show strong visible-light absorption in the range of 300-800 nm and high visible-light photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of rhodamine B. They also exhibit excellent cycling stability in the photodegrading process. A working mechanism for the metallic metal oxide-metal oxide nanocomposite in the visible-light photocatalytic process is proposed based on first-principle calculations of Ti5O9. This study suggests that metallic metal oxides can be regarded as partners for metal oxide photocatalysts in the construction of heterojunctions to improve photocatalytic activity.

An efficient algorithm for computing fixed length attractors based on bounded model checking in synchronous Boolean networks with biochemical applications.

Genetic regulatory networks are the key to understanding biochemical systems. One condition of the genetic regulatory network under different living environments can be modeled as a synchronous Boolean network. The attractors of these Boolean networks will help biologists to identify determinant and stable factors. Existing methods identify attractors based on a random initial state or the entire state simultaneously. They cannot identify the fixed length attractors directly. The complexity of including time increases exponentially with respect to the attractor number and length of attractors. This study used the bounded model checking to quickly locate fixed length attractors. Based on the SAT solver, we propose a new algorithm for efficiently computing the fixed length attractors, which is more suitable for large Boolean networks and numerous attractors' networks. After comparison using the tool BooleNet, empirical experiments involving biochemical systems demonstrated the feasibility and efficiency of our approach.

Reversible nanodiamond-carbon onion phase transformations.

Because of their considerable science and technical interest, nanodiamonds (3-5 nm) are often used as a model to study the phase transformation between graphite and diamond. Here we demonstrated that a reversible nanodiamond-carbon onion phase transformation can become true when laser irradiates colloidal suspensions of nanodiamonds at the ambient temperature and pressure. Nanodiamonds are first transformed to carbon onions driven by the laser-induced high temperature in which an intermediary bucky diamond phase is observed. Sequentially, carbon onions are transformed back to nanodiamonds driven by the laser-induced high temperature and high pressure from carbon onions as nanoscaled temperature and pressure cell upon the laser irradiation process in liquid. Similarly, the same bucky diamond phase serving as an intermediate phase is found during the carbon onion-to-nanodiamond transition. To have a clear insight into the unique phase transformation the thermodynamic approaches on the nanoscale were proposed to elucidate the reversible phase transformation of nanodiamond-to-carbon onion-to-nanodiamond via an intermediary bucky diamond phase upon the laser irradiation in liquid. This reversible transition reveals a series of phase transformations between diamond and carbon allotropes, such as carbon onion and bucky diamond, having a general insight into the basic physics involved in these phase transformations. These results give a clue to the root of meteoritic nanodiamonds that are commonly found in primitive meteorites but their origin is puzzling and offers one suitable approach for breaking controllable pathways between diamond and carbon allotropes.

Identification and expression analysis of irak1 gene in common carp Cyprinus carpio L.: indications for a role of antibacterial and antiviral immunity.

In this study, the full-length complementary (c)DNA of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 gene (irak1) was cloned from common carp Cyprinus carpio. The complete open reading frame of irak1 contained 2109 bp encoding a protein of 702 amino acid residues that comprised a death domain, a ProST region, a serine-threonine-specific protein kinase catalytic domain and a C-terminal domain. The amino-acid sequence of C. carpio Irak1 protein shared sequence homology with grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus (84.5%). The phylogenetic tree of IRAKs separated the polypeptides into four clades, comprising IRAK1s, IRAK2s, IRAK3s and IRAK4s. Cyprinus carpio Irak1 fell into the cluster with previously reported IRAK1s including teleost Irak1s. The irak1 gene was highly expressed in gills, followed by brain, skin, hindgut, buccal epithelium, spleen, foregut, head kidney and liver, and was expressed at lowest levels in gonad and muscle. The irak1 messenger (m)RNA expression was up-regulated in liver, spleen, head kidney, foregut, hindgut, gills and skin after stimulation with Vibrio anguillarum and poly(I:C), and significantly high up-regulated expression was observed in liver and spleen. These results implied that irak1 might participate in antibacterial and antiviral innate immunity. These findings gave the indications that irak1 may participate in antibacterial and antiviral immunity.

Highly stable sub-5 nm Sn6O4(OH)4 nanocrystals with ultrahigh activity as advanced photocatalytic materials for photodegradation of methyl orange.

Among numerous active photocatalytic materials, Sn-based oxide nanomaterials are promising photocatalytic materials in environmental protection measures such as water remediation due to their excellent physicochemical property. Research on photocatalytic nanomaterials for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) so far has focused on TiO2-based nanostructures; e.g., TiO2-P25 is recognized to be the best commercial photocatalyst to date, rather than Sn-based oxide nanomaterials, in spite of their impressive acid- and alkali-resistant properties and high stability. Here, we demonstrate very high photocatalytic activity of highly stable sub-5 nm hydromarchite (Sn6O4(OH)4) nanocrystals synthesized by a simple and environmentally friendly laser-based technique. These Sn6O4(OH)4 nanocrystals exhibit ultrahigh photocatalytic performance for photodegradation of MO and their degradation efficiency is far superior to that of TiO2-P25. The detailed investigations demonstrated that the great photocatalytic activity results from the ultrafine size and unique surface activity induced by the laser-based technique. Mass production of reactive species of hydroxyl radicals was detected in the experiments due to the appropriate bandgap of Sn6O4(OH)4 nanocrystals. These findings actually open a door to applications of Sn-based oxide nanomaterials as advanced photocatalytic materials.

Regulatory mutations in the A2M gene are involved in the mastitis susceptibility in dairy cows.

Mutations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in the 5'-flanking and microRNA (miRNA) regulatory regions may result in altered gene expression levels and cause diseases. Alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) has the function of binding host or foreign peptides and particles, and thereby serves as a defense barrier against pathogens in the plasma and tissues of animals. To investigate the functional markers of the A2M gene associated with mastitis, the promoter was characterized and SNPs that affect promoter activity or binding affinity with the target miRNA were identified using the luciferase reporter assay and real-time quantitative PCR method. Results showed that the core promoter of A2M was found between the bases g.-2641 and g.-2479. Four novel SNPs (g.-724A>G, g.-665G>A, g.-535C>G and g.-520_-519insA) in the promoter region were completely linked. The activity of the mutant haplotype (GAGA) increased by 177% compared with that of the wild haplotype (AGC-). Bta-miR-2898 was upregulated by 6.25-fold in the mammary gland tissues of mastitis-infected cows compared with that of the healthy cows. One SNP (c.4659_4661delC) located in the 3'-untranslated region of the A2M gene may affect the binding affinity with the target bta-miR-2898. Five SNPs exhibited tight linkage. Association analysis showed that the milk somatic cell score for cows with the mutant haplotype (GAGA-) was lower than that for cows with the wild haplotype. Thus, the mutant type can be used as a potential functional marker for a mastitis resistance breeding program in dairy cows. Our findings provided the molecular basis for A2M transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations. A close relationship between regulatory mutations and mastitis susceptibility of cows also was established.

Physical mechanism of surface roughening of the radial Ge-core/Si-shell nanowire heterostructure and thermodynamic prediction of surface stability of the InAs-core/GaAs-shell nanowire structure.

As a promising and typical semiconductor heterostructure at the nanoscale, the radial Ge/Si NW heterostructure, that is, the Ge-core/Si-shell NW structure, has been widely investigated and used in various nanodevices such as solar cells, lasers, and sensors because of the strong changes in the band structure and increased charge carrier mobility. Therefore, to attain high quality radial semiconductor NW heterostructures, controllable and stable epitaxial growth of core-shell NW structures has become a major challenge for both experimental and theoretical evaluation. Surface roughening is usually undesirable for the epitaxial growth of high quality radial semiconductor NW heterostructures, because it would destroy the core-shell NW structures. For example, the surface of the Ge-core/Si-shell NWs always exhibits a periodic modulation with island-like morphologies, that is, surface roughening, during epitaxial growth. Therefore, the physical understanding of the surface roughening behavior during the epitaxial growth of core-shell NW structures is essential and urgent for theoretical design and experimentally controlling the growth of high quality radial semiconductor NW heterostructures. Here, we proposed a quantitative thermodynamic theory to address the physical process of epitaxial growth of core-shell NW structures and surface roughening. We showed that the transformation from the Frank-van der Merwe mode to the Stranski-Krastanow mode during the epitaxial growth of radial semiconductor NW heterostructures is the physical origin of surface roughening. We deduced the thermodynamic criterion for the formation of the surface roughening and the phase diagram of growth and showed that the radius of the NWs and the thickness of the shell layer can not only determine the formation of the surface roughening in a core-shell NW structure, but also control the periodicity and amplitude of the surface roughness. The agreement between the theoretical results and the experimental data of the Ge-core/Si-shell NW structure implied that the established approach could be applicable to the understanding and design of various semiconductor core-shell NW structures. Consequentially, we used the established theoretical model to study the epitaxial growth of the InAs-core/GaAs-shell NW structure and predict the surface roughening formation, as well as the periodicity and amplitude of the surface roughness, which provided useful information to theoretically design and experimentally control the epitaxial growth of the radial InAs-core/GaAs-shell NW structure.

Diameter-dependent or independent: toward a mechanistic understanding of the vapor-liquid-solid Si nanowire growth rate.

Si nanowires have received continued increased attention because they keep the promise of monolithic integration of high-performance semiconductors with new functionality into existing silicon technology. Most Si nanowires are grown by vapor-liquid-solid mechanism, and despite many years of study, this growth mechanism remains under lively debate. For instance, contradictory results have been reported on the effect of diameter size on nanowire growth rate. Here, we developed a universal kinetic model of Si nanowire growth based on surface diffusion which takes into account adatom diffusion from the sidewall and substrate surface into the liquid droplet as well as the Gibbs-Thomson effect. Our analysis shows that the diameter independence for Si nanowires is affected by the interplay between the Gibbs-Thomson effect and the surface diffusion, whereas the diameter dependence is mainly influenced by the Gibbs-Thomson effect. The results based on the proposed model are in good agreement with experimental data.

A pilot study of silver-loaded cellulose fabric with incorporated seaweed for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Because clothing has the longest and most direct contact with human skin, it is important to carefully choose suitable fabrics for atopic patients who have disrupted skin. To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and biophysical properties of a newly developed silver-loaded cellulose fabric with incorporated seaweed, we enrolled 12 subjects with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis into a clinical control study. The subjects wore a two-piece garment (top and leggings), each piece of which was divided into two parts: one side was made of SkinDoctor(®) fabric, and the other of 100% cotton. Treatment efficacy was measured with the modified SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (mSCORAD) index, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and the patients' subjective impressions. All three of these measures had significantly better scores on the side covered with SkinDoctor. These results suggest that SkinDoctor is a beneficial fabric that can improve the comfort of patients with AD.

Diet selection of sheep shifted from quality to quantity characteristics of forages as sward availability decreased.

Understanding the dynamic inter-relationship between grazing animals and the pasture sward is critical for sustainable grazing management. A field study was conducted to investigate the relationships between the quantity and quality characteristics of forages and diet selection of 30-kg Mongolian ewes in different seasons in Bromus inermis improved meadow steppe. Using a residual herbage mass method (1 000 kg/ha in spring, 800 kg/ha in summer and 600 kg/ha in autumn) to adjust stocking rate, three seasonal rest grazing strategies (spring rest, summer rest and autumn rest) combined with continuous grazing were studied. In each season, diet selection of sheep, quantified by diet composition and selectivity index, was estimated using a plant wax marker technique. Quantity (dry weight proportion, coverage, frequency, density and height) and quality (CP, NDF, ADF and DM digestibility) characteristics of forages consumed by sheep were determined simultaneously. Our results showed that in spring with the highest sward availability (herbage mass), diet selection of sheep could be predicted by the positive linear relationship between quality characteristics of forages and their selectivity index. In summer, the diet selection could be predicted by both positive linear relationship between quality characteristics and selectivity index, and the relationship between quantity characteristics and diet composition. While in autumn with the lowest sward availability, it could be predicted by the positive linear relationship between quantity characteristics and diet composition. During the whole grazing season, the diet composition of B. inermis (40.4%) and Leymus chinensis (35.1%) were larger than that of Potentilla bifurca (9.5%) and Carex (15.1%) and the selectivity index of P. bifurca was the highest (0.62), followed by Carex (0.17) and B. inermis (0.05), and L. chinensis (-0.29) was the lowest. The two parameters of diet selection above were positively related to their quantity and quality characteristics, respectively. These results suggested that the influence of quality characteristics on diet selection of sheep decreased gradually as a result of the decline in sward availability, while the influence of quantity characteristics increased. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of diet selection of sheep examining the trade-offs between quantity and quality characteristics of forages. The knowledge of diet selection of sheep and the corresponding prediction regressions acquired in this study could give the basis for designing appropriate grazing management strategies.

From nanocrystal synthesis to functional nanostructure fabrication: laser ablation in liquid.

Although nanomaterials investigations have been carried over the recent decades, researchers still face a fundamental challenge: how to control the phase, size and shape of nanocrystals in the synthesis of nanomaterials, i.e., how to achieve the transformation from nanocrytsal synthesis to functional nanostructure fabrication. For this issue, we, in this review, introduce recent developments in laser ablation in liquid (LAL) for the synthesis and fabrication of novel nanostructures with metastable phases and shapes. Laser ablation of solid targets in liquid has actually opened a door toward to synthesize nanocrystals and fabricate nanostructures due to these advantages as follows: (i) LAL is a chemically "simple and clean" synthesis due to the process with reduced byproduct formation, simpler starting materials, no need for catalyst, etc. (ii) Under ambient conditions, not extreme temperature and pressure, a variety of metastable phases that may not usually be attainable, can be generated by mild preparation methods. (iii) New phase formation involves in both liquid and solid upon LAL, which allows researchers to choose and combine interesting solid target and liquid to synthesize nanocrystals and fabricate nanostructures of new compounds for purpose of fundamental research and potential applications. (iv) The phase, size and shape of the synthesized nanocrystals can be readily controlled by tuning laser parameters and applying assistances such as inorganic salts or electrical field upon LAL. For example, we have synthesized the micro- and nanocubes of carbon with C(8)-like structures by the inorganic salts assisted LAL, and the micro- and nanocubes and spindles of GeO(2) by the electrical field assisted LAL. Additionally, we have developed a new technique to fabricate functional nanopatterns on the basis of the pulsed-laser deposition in liquid. Accordingly, LAL could greatly extend its application in fabrication of functional nanostructures in the future.

Simvastatin protects diabetic rats against kidney injury through the suppression of renal matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of simvastatin on urinary excretion of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP- 9), renal expression of MMP-9, and investigate its possible renoprotective mechanisms in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHOD: Twenty-four Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: control healthy rats (group C, no.=8), untreated diabetic rats (group D, no.=8), and diabetic rats treated with simvastatin (20 mg/kg/d) (group S, no.=8). Peripheral blood glucose was tested weekly, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and urinary albumin (ALB) excretion rate as well as the urinary excretion rates of retinol-binding protein (RBP) and MMP-9 were tested at 8th week. The renal tissues of diabetic rats were obtained for evaluating kidney/ body weight ratio, observing renal pathological changes by electron microscope and examining the expression of renal MMP-9 mRNA by RT-PCR. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference on the change of peripheral blood TC and LDL-C between group C and group D. Peripheral blood glucose, HbA1c levels kidney/body weight ratio urinary excretion rates of ALB, RBP, and MMP-9 concurrently with the expression of renal MMP-9 mRNA were significantly higher in groups D and S compared with group C (p<0.01). Treatment with simvastatin significantly lowered peripheral blood TC, LDL-C, kidney/body weight ratio, urinary excretion rates of ALB, RBP, and MMP-9 as well as the expression of renal MMP-9 mRNA (p<0.01); however, there was no evident effect on the change of blood glucose and HbA1c levels between group D and group S. In addition, urinary excretion rate of MMP-9 showed positive correlations with the urinary ALB excretion and urinary RBP excretion. Pathological lesions of the glomeruli and epithelial cells foot processes (FP) was lightened by simvastatin. CONCLUSION: Simvastatin may has a potential therapeutic target in diabetic nephropathy, which may be partly attributed to down-regulating over-expression of MMP-9 in renal tissue.

Mini review: immunologic functions of dual oxidases in mucosal systems of vertebrates.

Mucosal epithelial cells act as the first immunologic barrier of organisms, and contact directly with pathogens. Therefore, hosts must have differential strategies to combat pathogens efficiently. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), as a kind of oxidizing agents, participates in the early stage of killing pathogens quickly. Recent reports have revealed that dual oxidase (DUOX) plays a key role in mucosal immunity. And the DUOX is a transmembrane protein which produces ROS as their primary enzymatic products. This process is an important pattern for eliminating pathogens. In this review, we highlight the DUOX immunologic functions in the respiratory and digestive tract of vertebrates.

Surface alloying at the nanoscale: Mo on Au nanocrystalline films.

Aiming at the physical and chemical mechanisms of surface alloying at the nanometer scale in immiscible binary metallic systems, we have studied the Mo growth mode upon depositing Mo on the surface of Au nanocrystalline films via molecular beam epitaxy. Mo-Au surface alloying was observed when Mo was deposited on Au nanocrystalline films at a high temperature. A relevant thermodynamic and kinetic model was established to address the surface alloying at the nanoscale. The size-dependent interface energy between the Mo particles and the Au nanocrystalline films, as the thermodynamic driving force, is attributed to be the reason behind the physical and chemical mechanisms of the Mo-Au surface alloying on Au nanocrystalline films.