[Research advances in classifications and functions of retinal ganglion cells].

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the most important type of neurons in the visual pathway. RGC axons exit the eye to form the optic nerve, which connects with the brain. The visual signals carried by RGC axons establish the only link between the outside world and our internal perception of sight. Researches on the morphological, physiological, molecular, and mosaic features of RGCs are of great significance. This article reviews the research advances of RGC classifications, definitive types of RGCs, and selective vulnerability of specific RGC types after various injuries.

[The application of hybrid operation suite in the management of cerebral and spinal vascular diseases and intracranial hypervascular tumors].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of hybrid operation suite in the treatment of cerebral and spinal vascular diseases and intracranial hypervascular tumors. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 132 patients with various cerebral and spinal vascular diseases and intracranial hypervascular tumors who were treated by hybrid surgery at Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital from October 2016 to December 2017.There were 70 male and 62 female patients with a mean age of 48.33 years (range: 14-78 years), including 64 cases of intracranial aneurysm (41 complicated aneurysm cases), 28 cases of brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM), 12 cases of hypervascular tumor, 12 cases of dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), 6 cases of carotid artery stenosis, 5 cases of Moyamoya disease, 3 cases of intracranial aneurysm or BAVM combined with tumor, 1 case of scalp arteriovenous fistula and 1 case of critical brain trauma in which a foreign metal stick approached the basal vascular circuit.Abnormalities were found in 16 cases in intraoperative angiography. The clinical data of all patients was collected as a perspective cohort. The success rate of hybrid surgery, intra-operative and post-operative complications, morbidity, mortality, rate of infection, the length of hospital stay were all analyzed to illustrate the effect of hybrid operation mode to traditional surgical pattern. Results: For 64 cases with intracranial aneurysms, the immediate complete occlusion rate was 90.5%, with a mortality of 4.7% and a morbidity of 14.0%. For 28 cases of BAVM and 12 cases of DAVF, all patients achieved total obliteration and favorable social independent outcomes after hybrid surgery, with no complication.For 6 cases of carotid artery stenosis and 5 cases of Moyamoya, intra-operative confirmed good cerebral reperfusion without any new post-operative neurologic deficits. After tumor vessels embolization, 4 out of 12 cases of hypervascular tumor needed intra-operative blood transfusion, and all patients achieved total tumor resection in a single stage. Only one patient with medulla oblongata hemangioblastoma died 6 months after operation due to respiratory deficit related pneumonia. Compared to traditional surgeries, the hybrid operation pattern did not significantly increase the total infection rate, central nervous system infection rate, hospital stay days and post-operative hospital stay days (all P>0.05) while the in-patient cost increased mildly (119 332 yuan vs.98 215 yuan, t=2.38, P=0.02). Conclusions: The operations of complex cerebral and spinal vascular diseases and intracranial hypervascular tumors can be performed in hybrid operation suite safely.This surgical mode can ensure the quality of operation and promote the development of innovative and complicated surgical procedures.

Effect of the nucleotides surrounding the start codon on the translation of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA.

As for the alternative AUGs in foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), nucleotide bias of the context flanking the AUG(2nd) could be used as a strong signal to initiate translation. To determine the role of the specific nucleotide context, dicistronic reporter constructs were engineered to contain different versions of nucleotide context linking between internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and downstream gene. The results indicate that under FMDV IRES-dependent mechanism, the nucleotide contexts flanking start codon can influence the translation initiation efficiencies. The most optimal sequences for both start codons have proved to be UUU AUG(1st) AAC and AAG AUG(2nd) GAA.

Multifunctional surfaces with biomimetic nanofibres and drug-eluting micro-patterns for infection control and bone tissue formation.

For long-term orthopaedic implants, the creation of a surface that is repulsive to bacteria while adhesive to tissue cells represents a promising strategy to control infection. To obtain such multifunctional surfaces, two possible approaches were explored to incorporate a model antibiotic, rifampicin (Rf), into the osteogenic polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan (CHS) biomimetic nanofibre meshes by (1) blending Rf into the electrospinning solutions and then electrospinning into nanofibres (i.e., Rf-incorporating fibres), or (2) depositing Rf-containing poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) micro-patterns onto the PCL/chitosan nanofibre meshes via ink-jet printing (i.e., Rf-eluting micro-pattern/fibre). Rapid release of Rf from both meshes was measured even though a relatively slower release rate was obtained from the Rf-eluting micro-pattern ones. Antibacterial assay with Staphylococcus epidermidis showed that both mesh surfaces could effectively kill bacteria and prevent biofilm formation. However, only Rf-eluting micro-pattern meshes favoured the attachment, spreading and metabolic activity of preosteoblasts in the cell culture study. Furthermore, the Rf-eluting micro-pattern meshes could better support the osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblasts by up-regulating the gene expression of bone markers (type I collagen and alkaline phosphatase). Clearly, compared to Rf-incorporating nanofibre meshes, Rf-eluting micro-patterns could effectively prevent biofilm formation without sacrificing the osteogenic properties of PCL/chitosan nanofibre surfaces. This finding provides an innovative avenue to design multifunctional surfaces for enhancing bone tissue formation while controlling infection.

The relationship between IL-6 in CSF and occurrence of vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: It is hypothesized that inflammatory response after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may play a relevant role in the development and maintenance of vasospasm. This research investigated the correlation between IL-6 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after SAH and the occurrence of vasospasm. METHODS: We analyzed both daily clinical manifestation and laboratory data of CSF in 46 patients who suffered from intracranial aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage during a period of 14 days, studied the relationship between the development of vasospasm and the quantities of the inflammatory factor, revealing potential power of IL-6 for predicting vasospasm detected by transcranial doppler (TCD). RESULTS: The incidence of vasospasm developed in 43.5% of the patients, with a mean onset of 6.1±4.6 days after intracranial aneurysm treatment. Patients with vasospasm demonstrated statistically significant higher median values of IL-6CSF on Day 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 (P<0.05). The cut-off value is settled in 400 pg/ml on Day 3 after treatment. On the other hand, gender, Hunt & Hess scale (H&H) and Fisher scale of CT after SAH were proved to be the correlation factor with vasospasm. CONCLUSION: IL-6CSF seems to be a reliable early marker for predicting vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage on Days 3 after treatment before clinical onset.

Proteomic and bioinformatic analysis of outer membrane proteins of the protobacterium Bartonella henselae (Bartonellaceae).

Bartonella henselae, an infectious agent causing cat-scratch disease and vasculoproliferative disorders in humans, is a fastidious facultative intracellular pathogen. The outer membrane proteins of B. henselae are key molecules that play a primary role in host-cell interactions. We isolated B. henselae outer membrane proteins, using the ionic detergent N-lauroyl sarcosine sodium salt and sodium carbonate, purification by two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis, and protein identification using mass spectrometry. Treatment with buffers containing ASB-14 and ZWITTERGENT 3-10 increased solubilization of B. henselae proteins, particularly proteins with basic pI. Three hundred and sixty-eight spots were detected from the sarcosine-insoluble outer membrane fraction; 94 distinct protein species were identified from 176 spots. In the outer membrane fraction from carbonate incubation, 471 spots were calculated and 259 spots were identified, which included 139 protein entries. There were six outer membrane proteins in the sarcosine-insoluble outer membrane fraction compared with nine outer membrane proteins from samples subjected to carbonate incubation. We used bioinformatic analysis to identify 44 outer membrane proteins by prediction of their domains and tertiary structures and documented the potential virulence factors. We established the 2-D reference maps of the outer membrane subproteome of B. henselae using the two different extraction methods, which were partly complementary to each other. Sodium carbonate extraction isolated low-abundance and basic proteins better than the lauroyl sarcosine sodium salt extraction, which enriched high-abundance porins.

The influence of the shock-absorbing restorative materials on the stress distributions of short dental implant rehabilitations.

OBJECTIVE: Polymer materials with shock-absorbing ability may offer better stress distribution with short dental implants (SDI). The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of abutment and crown materials on the stress distributions in short implant-prosthesis-complex (6 mm) and standard implant-prosthesis-complex (10 mm) using 3D finite element analysis (FEA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two FEA models were designed to simulated single implant restoration of mandibular first molar, one each for short implant (6 mm) (Group S) and standard implant (10 mm) (Group C). In each group, two abutment materials were used, Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Zirconia (Zr), with two types of crowns, PEEK and Polymer-infiltrated ceramic-network (PICN). A vertical force of 200 N was applied to each central fossa. Stress distribution was evaluated via the von Mises stress analysis. RESULTS: Using the PEEK abutment, the stress was better dispersed with PEEK crowns, as compared to PICN crowns. The stress was concentrated on the platforms of Ti-bases and the head and middle part of abutment screws. In zirconia abutment, the stress was greatly concentrated on the axial angle regions when placed with the PEEK crowns, while the stress was dispersed when placed with PICN crowns. The stress was concentrated on the connector regions of Ti-bases and the middle part of abutment screws. For implants, the stress was concentrated on the neck of the two implants, regardless of crown materials and abutment materials. The PEEK materials were found to be suitable for the hybrid-retained prostheses of SDI. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the PEEK material is more suitable for the hybrid restorations of SDI. If the Zr abutment is used, the PICN crown would be better. Further, in-vivo clinical trials comparing these materials are needed to strengthen evidence.

[Interpretation for the group standards of the Isolation and Identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli].

Foodborne Campylobacter is recognized as the leading causes of the bacterial diarrheal illness in both developing and developed countries. C. jejuni and C. coli caused 95% of the human campylobacterisosis. Bacteria culture has been recognized as the "Gold standard" for the diagnosis of the Campylobacter infection. The National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention coordinated the experienced researchers from China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment and other local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to write up the standards for entitled Isolation and Identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli (T/CPMA 006-2019). The standard is drafted with principles of emphasizing the scientific, normative, applicability and feasible nature. This group standard recommended the procedures and steps for the isolation and identification of C. jejuni and C.coli from variant samples. The standard aims to improve the capacity for Campylobacter identification in China.

Leptin plays a role in ruptured human brain arteriovenous malformations.

INTRODUCTION: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the most common clinical manifestations of human brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM). However, the hemorrhagic mechanism of BAVM is still unclear. Leptin, first discovered in obesity research, has not been systematically studied in BAVM and ICH. We investigated expression and effect of leptin on human BAVM. METHODS: Specimens were obtained from 6 BAVM patients, who had been divided into either hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic groups. Leptin, leptin receptor, and signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (STAT3) were analyzed by different methods, such as gene chips, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. Perinidal brain tissue around each BAVM served as control. RESULTS: Gene chips and RT-PCR found transcriptional leptin raised at least 2 levels in hemorrhagic BAVM. Immunohistochemical slices also showed higher expression of leptin, leptin receptor, and STAT3 on nidus part of hemorrhagic BAVM than non-hemorrhagic ones. On Western blot analysis, hemorrhagic BAVMs had higher levels of leptin (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptional and translational levels of leptin, leptin receptor, and STAT3 were higher in hemorrhagic BAVM, suggesting that leptin may play an important role in the hemorrhagic mechanism of BAVM.

Direct-method-aided phasing of MIR diffraction data from proteins.

Direct methods have successfully been used to break the phase ambiguity intrinsic in the single isomorphous replacement (SIR) data of proteins. Based on this, the procedure 'direct-method-aided MIR phasing' (DMIR) has been proposed and applied to the four-derivative multiple isomorphous replacement (MIR) data of a known protein containing 682 amino acid residuals in the asymmetric unit. The data set consists of 14,500 unique reflections at 3 A resolution with F(obs.) greater than 2sigma. Test calculation showed that the phases from conventional MIR phasing could be significantly improved by direct methods leading to obvious improvement in the quality of the resultant Fourier maps.

Determination of lead by selective chelatometric titration with HEDTA after separation as its sulphate by an improved method of precipitation.

A selective titrimetric determination of Pb after separation by a modified method of precipitation as its sulphate is proposed. Pb(II), present as the perchlorate, is precipitated by gentle boiling in 3.6M H(2)SO(4) presaturated with PbSO(4) and free from any extraneous anions. The customary time-consuming evaporation to fumes of sulphuric acid is dispensed with. The precipitate is collected, and dissolved in excess of HEDTA, the surplus of which is back-titrated with Zn(II) at pH 5.0-5.5. Use of Catechol Violet and Xylenol Orange as a mixed indicator gives a sharper end-point. The standard deviation of the proposed method for 60 mg of lead is 0.35 mg. The method has been successfully used to determine Pb in non-ferrous alloys.

Spectrophotometric determination of zinc with hydrazidazol in the presence of Triton X-100 and its application in metal analysis.

A new spectrophotometric method for the determination of zinc is proposed. The chromogenic agent Hydrazidazol forms a 1:1 chelate with zinc in the presence of Triton X-100 in a medium containing 20-40% ethanol. The molar absorptivity and conditional formation constant have been found to be 2.7 x 1O(4) l.mole(-1).cm(-1) (at 640 nm) and 10(5.32) respectively. Beer's law is obeyed for zinc over the range of 0.2-0.8 mug/ml with a standard deviation of 0.024 mug/ml. The method can be applied to the determination of zinc in cadmium metal and its oxide after preconcentration by selective extraction of zinc thiocyanate into ethyl acetate in the presence of EDTA and thiosulphate as masking agents.

Application of a multilayer decision tree in computer recognition of chinese characters.

A multistage classifier with general tree structure has been developed to recognize a large number of Chinese characters. A simple and efficient method of classifying the characters was achieved by choosing the best feature at each stage of the tree. The features used are Walsh coefficients obtained from two profiles of a character projected onto the X-Y orthogonal axes. Some algorithms for aligning the characters were compared and one of them was adopted in this recognition scheme. A high recognition rate of about 99.5 percent was obtained in an experiment with more than 3000 different Chinese characters.

Effects of artemether on peripheral T, B, T mu and T gamma lymphocytes in beagle dog.

The effects of intramuscular injection of Artemether on peripheral T, B, T mu and T gamma lymphocytes in beagle dogs was investigated cytochemically. Doses used were 6, 19, and 32 MKD, respectively. Results showed that after injection of Artemether for 15 successive days, the T, B, and T mu lymphocytes of the 19 and 32 MKD groups were markedly reduced and the T gamma lymphocytes of all 3 dosage groups were decreased to zero. 28 days after cessation of the drug, T, T mu and T gamma lymphocytes had recovered to control levels, while the B lymphocytes of the 19 and 32 MKD groups remained markedly lower than those of the control groups. The differences and similarities of the effects on the peripheral T, B, T mu and T gamma lymphocytes produced by the 3 dosages of Artemether and the relationship between the changes of T, B lymphocytes and immunological function of beagle dogs are discussed.

Formation of nanostructure and nano-hardness characterization on the meso-scale workpiece by a novel laser indirect shock forming method.

The meso-scale workpiece with greatly enhanced mechanical properties is potential to be widely used in the electronics productions and micro-electro mechanical systems. In this study, it demonstrates that the meso-scale cup-shape workpiece with good geometry can be obtained by a novel laser indirect shock forming method. After the forming process, the mechanical properties and microstructures of the formed workpiece were characterized. By transmission electron microscope observation, it was found that a mixed refined microstructure consisting of nano-scale twins embedded in nano-sized grains was produced at the center of the formed sample. Formation of these nanograins could be mainly attributed to two mechanisms: twin-twin intersections and twin∕matrix lamellae fragmentation. By nanoindentation tests, it reveals that the hardness of the sample has increased greatly after laser shock forming and the hardness increases with the laser energy. The elevated hardness originates from a considerable number of nano-scale twins and nanograins, which possess a pretty high strength due to the significant effects of grain boundary strengthening and twin boundary strengthening.

Gankyrin promotes breast cancer cell metastasis by regulating Rac1 activity.

Tumor metastasis is responsible for most cancer patients' deaths. Understanding the mechanism of metastasis is crucial for improving the cure rate for cancer. Here, we report that Gankyrin, a chaperone of ubiquitin-proteasome, has an essential role in breast cancer metastasis. We find that Gankyrin is highly overexpressed in human breast cancers and the expression correlates strongly with lymph node metastasis. Knocking down Gankyrin expression in highly metastatic human breast cancer cells significantly decreases cancer cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that depletion of Gankyrin inhibits intrinsic Rac1 activity and induces large focal adhesions. Overexpression of Gankyrin accelerates focal adhesion turnover and increases cell migration. Notably, reduction of Gankyrin expression in mouse mammary tumor cell significantly decreases tumor metastasis to lung in animal models. Therefore, our findings suggest that Gankyrin is crucial for breast cancer metastasis and highlight the potential of Gankyrin as a therapeutic target for tumor metastasis.

Treatment of mature landfill leachate by biofilters and Fenton oxidation.

A series of processes by biofilter and Fenton oxidation to treat mature landfill leachate has been devised. At a hydraulic loading rate of 20 l m(-3)d(-1), a biofilter packed with aged refuse is found to remove 80% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 89% of ammonia nitrogen and 96% of total phosphorus (TP). Particularly, TP levels dropped below 1 mg l(-1). The optimal condition for Fenton oxidation was selected to be an initial pH of 5, a dosage of 0.01 and 0.02 mol l(-1) of FeSO(4) and H(2)O(2), respectively, and a duration of 3h, where COD removal efficiency reaches 58.6%, and BOD(5)/COD ratio is raised from 0.05 to 0.20. Subsequent treatment by a biofilter packed with slag reduces COD, ammonia nitrogen levels to less than 100, 25 mg l(-1), respectively. A pilot scale experiment conducted in situ demonstrates that this series of processes exhibits a high efficiency in removing pollutants from mature landfill leachate and it is viable for application.