The role of mechanical stress and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is important in the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are ...not clearly known.
In this study, TGF-β1 from osteoclasts and knee joints were analyzed using a co-cultured cell model and an OA rat model, respectively. Five patients with a femoral neck fracture (four female and one male, mean 73.4 years (68 to 79)) were recruited between January 2015 and December 2015. Results showed that TGF-β1 was significantly upregulated in osteoclasts by cyclic loading in a time- and dose-dependent mode. The osteoclasts were subjected to cyclic loading before being co-cultured with chondrocytes for 24 hours.
A significant decrease in the survival rate of co-cultured chondrocytes was found. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay demonstrated that mechanical stress-induced apoptosis occurred significantly in co-cultured chondrocytes but administration of the TGF-β1 receptor inhibitor, SB-505124, can significantly reverse these effects. Abdominal administration of SB-505124 can attenuate markedly articular cartilage degradation in OA rats.
Mechanical stress-induced overexpression of TGF-β1 from osteoclasts is responsible for chondrocyte apoptosis and cartilage degeneration in OA. Administration of a TGF-β1 inhibitor can inhibit articular cartilage degradation.
: R-K. Zhang, G-W. Li, C. Zeng, C-X. Lin, L-S. Huang, G-X. Huang, C. Zhao, S-Y. Feng, H. Fang. Mechanical stress contributes to osteoarthritis development through the activation of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1).
2018;7:587-594. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.711.BJR-2018-0057.R1.
The mechanism of superconductivity in cuprates remains one of the big challenges of condensed matter physics. High-Tc
cuprates crystallize into a layered perovskite structure featuring copper oxygen ...octahedral coordination. Due to the Jahn Teller effect in combination with the strong static Coulomb interaction, the octahedra in high-Tc
cuprates are elongated along the c axis, leading to a 3dx²-y² orbital at the top of the band structure wherein the doped holes reside. This scenario gives rise to 2D characteristics in high-Tc
cuprates that favor d-wave pairing symmetry. Here, we report superconductivity in a cuprate Ba₂CuO4-y, wherein the local octahedron is in a very exceptional compressed version. The Ba₂CuO4-y compound was synthesized at high pressure at high temperatures and shows bulk superconductivity with critical temperature (Tc
) above 70 K at ambient conditions. This superconducting transition temperature is more than 30 K higher than the Tc
for the isostructural counterparts based on classical La₂CuO₄. X-ray absorption measurements indicate the heavily doped nature of the Ba₂CuO4-y superconductor. In compressed octahedron, the 3d3z²-r² orbital will be lifted above the 3dx²-y² orbital, leading to significant 3D nature in addition to the conventional 3dx²-y² orbital. This work sheds important light on advancing our comprehensive understanding of the superconducting mechanism of high Tc
in cuprate materials.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Ultrafine-grained (UFG) or nanocrystalline (NC) Cu–Al alloys were prepared using equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) to investigate the influence of stacking fault energy (SFE) on the ...microstructural evolution during deformation and the corresponding mechanical properties. The grain refinement mechanism was gradually transformed from dislocation subdivision to twin fragmentation by tailoring the SFE of alloys. Meanwhile, homogeneous microstructures and nanoscale grains were readily achieved in the low-SFE Cu–Al alloys and the equilibrium grain size was decreased by lowering the SFE. Moreover, in the Cu–Al alloy with extremely low SFE, shear fracture occurred during ECAP at strain levels higher than two due to the formation of macroscopic shear bands. In addition, the normalized deformation conditions at large strain were qualitatively discussed. More significantly, the strength and uniform elongation were simultaneously improved by lowering the SFE. This simultaneity results from the formation of profuse deformation twins and microscale shear bands, and their extensive intersections.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We present a measurement of the azimuthal asymmetries of two charged pions in the inclusive process e+ e- arrow right pipiX, based on a data set of 62 pb super(-1) at the center-of-mass energy of ...3.65 GeV collected with the BESIII detector. These asymmetries can be attributed to the Collins fragmentation function. We observe a nonzero asymmetry, which increases with increasing pion momentum. As our energy scale is close to that of the existing semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering experimental data, the measured asymmetries are important inputs for the global analysis of extracting the quark transversity distribution inside the nucleon and are valuable to explore the energy evolution of the spin-dependent fragmentation function.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
We study the process e+e−→π+π−ψ(3686) using 5.1 fb−1 of data collected at 16 center-of-mass energy (s) points from 4.008 to 4.600 GeV by the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider. The ...measured Born cross sections for e+e−→π+π−ψ(3686) are consistent with previous results, but with much improved precision. A fit to the cross section shows contributions from two structures: the first has M=4209.5±7.4±1.4 MeV/c2 and Γ=80.1±24.6±2.9 MeV, and the second has M=4383.8±4.2±0.8 MeV/c2 and Γ=84.2±12.5±2.1 MeV, where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. The lower-mass resonance is observed in the process e+e−→π+π−ψ(3686) for the first time with a statistical significance of 5.8σ. A charged charmoniumlike structure is observed in the π±ψ(3686) invariant mass spectrum for data at s=4.416 GeV. A fit with an S-wave Breit-Wigner function yields a mass M=4032.1±2.4 MeV/c2, where the errors are statistical only. However, there are still unresolved discrepancies between the fit model and data. The width of the intermediate state varies in a wide range for different kinematic regions within the data set. Therefore, no simple interpretation of the data has been found, and a future data sample with larger statistics and more theoretical input will be required to better understand this issue.
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Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common type of irreversible dementia, is predicted to affect 152 million people by 2050. Evidence from large-scale preventive randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on ...modifiable risk variables in Europe has shown that multi-domain lifestyle treatments for older persons at high risk of dementia may be practical and effective. Given the substantial differences between the Chinese and European populations in terms of demographics and living conditions, direct adoption of the European program in China remains unfeasible. Although a RCT has been conducted in China previously, its participants were mainly from rural areas in northern China and, thus, are not representative of the entire nation.There is an urgent need to establish cohorts that represent different economic, cultural, and geographical situations in order to explore implementation strategies and evaluate the effects of early multi-domain interventions more comprehensively and accurately.
We developed an integrated intervention procedure implemented in urban neighborhood settings, namely China Initiative for Multi-Domain Intervention (CHINA-IN-MUDI). CHINA-IN-MUDI is a 2-year multicenter open-label cluster-randomised controlled trial centered around a Chinese-style multi-domain intervention to prevent cognitive decline. Participants aged 60-80 years were recruited from a nationally representative study, i.e. China Healthy Aging and Dementia Study cohort. An external harmonization process was carried out to preserve the original FINGER design. Subsequently, we standardized a series of Chinese-style intervention programs to align with cultural and socioeconomic status. Additionally, we expanded the secondary outcome list to include genomic and proteomic analyses. To enhance adherence and facilitate implementation, we leveraged an e-health application.
Screening commenced in July 2022. Currently, 1,965 participants have been randomized into lifestyle intervention (n = 772) and control groups (n = 1,193). Both the intervention and control groups exhibited similar baseline characteristics. Several lifestyle and vascular risk factors were present, indicating a potential window of opportunity for intervention. The intervention will be completed by 2025.
This project will contribute to the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of intervention strategies in controlling AD risk and reducing clinical events, providing a basis for public health decision-making in China.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The role of natural killer (NK) cells in controlling hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and replication has not been fully delineated. We examined NK cell‐mediated noncytolytic effect on full cycle ...HCV infection of human hepatocytes. Human hepatocytes (Huh7.5.1 cells) co‐cultured with NK cells or treated with supernatants (SN) from NK cells cultures had significantly lower levels of HCV RNA and protein than control cells. This NK cell‐mediated anti‐HCV activity could be largely abolished by antibody to interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ). The investigation of the mechanisms for NK cell‐mediated anti‐HCV activity showed that NK SN‐treated hepatocytes expressed higher levels of IFN‐α/β than the control cells. NK SN also enhanced IFN regulatory factor‐3 and 7 expression in the hepatocytes. In addition, NK SN enhanced the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 and 2, the nuclear factors that are essential for the activation of IFN‐mediated antiviral pathways. These data provide direct evidence at cellular and molecular levels that NK cells have a key role in suppressing HCV infection of and replication in human hepatocytes.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Sumoylation, a post-translational modification discovered over a decade ago, turns out to be a very important regulatory mechanism mediating multiple cellular processes. Recent studies from our ...laboratory and others also revealed that it plays a crucial role in regulating both differentiation and pathogenesis of the ocular lens. This review will summarize these progresses.
In the Wenchuan area in SW China, an abundance of loose co-seismic landslide debris was present on the slopes after the Wenchuan earthquake, which in later years served as source material for ...rainfall-induced debris flows or shallow landslides. Slopes composed of Cambrian sandstones and siltstones intercalated with slates appeared to be most susceptible to co-seismic landsliding. A total of 20 debris flows are described in this paper; all were triggered by heavy rainfall on 13th of August 2010. Field reconnaissance and measurements, supported by aerial photo interpretation, were conducted to identify the locations and morphological characteristics of the debris flow gullies in order to obtain information about surface area and volume of landslides and the debris flows. The debris flows in the study area were initiated by two processes: a) run-off erosion on co-seismic landslide material, and concentrated erosion of landslide debris in steep channels; b) new landslides that transform into debris flows. The volume of debris flow deposits on individual fans varies by many orders of magnitude. The smallest deposit has a volume of from 5760 to 3.1
million
m
3. A comparison of the measured volumes, deposited on the fan with the volumes of debris stored in the catchment shows the huge potential for future debris flow activity. Whilst there is a weakly significant positive correlation between these two volumes, no significant statistical correlation could be established between volumes of debris flow deposits and other morphometric parameters of the catchment.
A catastrophic debris flow catchment (the Wenjia catchment) was selected as an extreme case to show in detail the mechanism of debris flow formation as a result of intensive erosion in loose material, which was deposited by a rock avalanche during the 2008 Earthquake event. Analyses of the meteorological conditions that triggered these debris flows show one day antecedent precipitation varying between 67.7 and 137.6
mm, with a mean rainfall intensity of about 7.3 to 22.5
mm/h. A rainfall event with peak intensity of 38.7
mm/h triggered the largest debris flow event. Rainfall data related to five debris flow events in the Wenjia torrent was used to establish a primary rainfall intensity–duration relationship for the triggering of debris flows, which was compared to other rainfall duration thresholds from other parts of the world. In the discussion emphasis is laid on the need to unravel the process mechanisms which initiated the debris flows for a better understanding and assessment of meteorological thresholds.
► The Wenchuan earthquake area is more susceptible to rainfall initiated debris flows. ► The sediments for the debris flows were supplied by the co-seismic landslides. ► Two process mechanisms play a role in the increased activity of debris flows. ► Debris flows transport huge amounts of sediment downstream generating debris-dams.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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