Summary The May 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan drew attention to the important but largely unrecognised public-health problem of injury-related mortality and morbidity in China. Injuries account for ...more than 10% of all deaths and more than 30% of all potentially productive years of life lost due to premature mortality in China. Traffic-related injuries (mainly among cyclists and pedestrians), suicide, drowning, and falls account for 79% of all injury deaths. Rural injury death rates are double those of urban rates and male rates are double those of female rates. Despite an 81% increase in the traffic-related mortality from 1987 to 2006—associated with rapid motorisation—the overall injury mortality decreased by 17%, largely due to a surprising (and unexplained) 57% reduction in the suicide rate. Low-cost prevention measures that are most likely to produce large reductions in injury deaths include enforcement of laws for drinking and driving and for seat belt and helmet use, restriction of access to the most potent pesticides, and teaching children to swim. China needs to improve monitoring of fatal and non-fatal injuries, promote intersectoral collaboration, build institutional capacities, and, most importantly, mobilise community support and political will for investment in prevention.
Understanding the photoexcited carrier-relaxation actions in ultrasmall black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) will play a crucial role in the fields of electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, we ...report the ultraviolet (UV) saturable absorption and ultrafast photoexcited carrier-relaxation dynamics of BPQDs. The ultrasmall BPQDs are synthesized using a facile liquid-exfoliation method and possess a diameter of 3.8 ± 0.6 nm and a thickness of 1.5 ± 0.4 nm. Femtosecond open-aperture (OA) Z-scan measurements showed typical saturable absorption properties in the UV band. A negative nonlinear optical (NLO) absorption coefficient of -(1.4 ± 0.3) × 10
cm GW
and a saturable intensity of 6.6 ± 1.3 GW cm
were determined. Using a degenerate pump-probe technique, an ultrafast photoexcited carrier-recombination time was observed in the range of 216-305 fs, which was 3 orders of magnitude faster than that of BP nanosheets. Such an ultrafast relaxation component may be attributable to the edge- and step-mediated recombination and was confirmed by our density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work provides fundamental insight into the underlying mechanism of the photoexcited carrier relaxation dynamic action in BPQDs which can enable UV photonic devices.
Numerous cores and dating show the Yangtze River has accumulated about 1.16
×
10
12 t sediment in its delta plain and proximal subaqueous delta during Holocene. High-resolution seismic profiling and ...coring in the southern East China Sea during 2003 and 2004 cruises has revealed an elongated (∼
800 km) distal subaqueous mud wedge extending from the Yangtze River mouth southward off the Zhejiang and Fujian coasts into the Taiwan Strait. Overlying what appears to be a transgressive sand layer, this distal clinoform thins offshore, from ∼
40 m thickness between the 20 and 30 m water depth to <
1–2 m between 60 and 90 m water depth, corresponding to an across shelf distance of less than 100 km. Total volume of this distal mud wedge is about 4.5
×
10
11 m
3, equivalent to ∼
5.4
×
10
11 t of sediment. Most of the sediment in this mud wedge comes from the Yangtze River, with some input presumably coming from local smaller rivers. Thus, the total Yangtze-derived sediments accumulated in its deltaic system and East China Sea inner shelf have amounted to about 1.7
×
10
12 t. Preliminary analyses suggest this longshore and across-shelf transported clinoform mainly formed in the past 7000 yrs after postglacial sea level reached its mid-Holocene highstand, and after re-intensification of the Chinese longshore current system. Sedimentation accumulation apparently increased around 2000 yrs BP, reflecting the evolution of the Yangtze estuary and increased land erosion due to human activities, such as farming and deforestation. The southward-flowing China Coastal Current, the northward-flowing Taiwan Warm Current, and the Kuroshio Current appear to have played critical roles in transporting and trapping most of Yangtze-derived materials in the inner shelf, and hence preventing the sediment escape into the deep ocean.
Wound repair has always been one of the key issues of clinical concern. In recent years, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has played an increasingly active role in promoting various wound ...repairs, not only for the treatment of common acute and chronic wounds, but also for closure of surgical incisions, preparation of wounds before skin transplantation, fixation of skin grafts after transplantation, and treatment of some complex thoracic and abdominal trauma. This review aims to summarize the clinical application of NPWT in wound treatment and the related latest research progress, and to preliminarily discuss its future development prospects.
Side population (SP) cells and their relationship to stem cell-like properties have been insufficiently studied in colorectal cancer (CRC). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have attracted much attention but their ...roles in the maintenance of SP phenotype remain unclear.
The SPs from CRC cell lines and primary cell cultures were analysed for stem cell-like properties. MiRNA microarray analysis identified miR-328 as a potential stemness miRNA of SP phenotype. The level of miR-328 expression in clinical samples and its correlation with SP fraction were determined. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies were performed to examine its roles in cancer stem-like SP cells. Furthermore, bioinformatics prediction and experimental validation were used to identify miR-328 target genes.
The SP cells sorted from CRC possess cancer stem cell (CSC)-like properties, including self-renewal, differentiation, resistance to chemotherapy, invasive and strong tumour formation ability. MiR-328 expression was significantly reduced in SP cells compared with Non-SP cells (P<0.05). Moreover, miR-328 expression was downregulated in CRC (n=33, P<0.05) and low miR-328 expression tend to correlate with high SP fraction (n=15, r=0.6559, P<0.05, Pearson's correlation). Functional studies indicated that miR-328 expression affects the number of SP cells. In addition, miR-328 overexpression reversed drug resistance and inhibited cell invasion of SP cells. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-328 directly targets ABCG2 and MMP16 and affects the levels of mRNA and protein expression in SP cells.
These findings indicate that CRC contain cancer stem-like SP cells. MiR-328 has an important role in maintaining cancer stem-like SP phenotype that may be a potential target for effective CRC therapy.
Ebola virus can be transmitted by contact with environmental surfaces (fomites) contaminated with secretions and excretions from infected individuals. Due to their potential to cause a public health ...emergency and the absence of efficacious drugs and vaccines, a crucial intervention may involve the use of an effective virucidal agent for disinfecting contaminated surfaces.
To evaluate the virucidal efficacy of three disinfectants against Ebola virus: Micro-Chem Plus detergent disinfectant cleaner (MCP), FWD, and ethanol; in suspension tests according to the Technical Standard for Disinfection of China.
All products at different concentrations were tested with application times ranging from 15 s to 8 min by using a quantitative suspension test, and a comparative inactivation analysis was performed. A reduction in the virus titre of ≥4 log10 was regarded as evidence of virucidal activity.
MCP and FWD, which contain dual quaternary ammonium compounds, are highly effective at inactivating the Ebola virus within 15 s of contact time, despite a slight difference between them at lower concentrations. In agreement with the literature, our results confirmed the excellent virucidal activity of medical ethanol for Ebola virus, which can reduce viral titres to background levels within 15 s at a concentration of 38% (v/v).
These three disinfectants display sufficient inactivation efficacy for the Ebola virus at reasonably short contact times, which may be practically achieved in the field. The use of these disinfectants for decontamination in healthcare settings and laboratories could mitigate the risk of Ebola virus transmission.
A new type of plastic near‐infrared photodetector utilizing low band gap polymer (see figure) is presented. When composing the detector in a donor‐acceptor type energy band structure and operating it ...in the reverse bias condition (less than 5 V), the photodetector shows respectable performance: external quantum efficiency exceeding 38 %, bandwidth of 4 MHz and the noise equivalent power of 3.85 × 10–12 W Hz–1/2 at 850 nm.
Dysregulation of inflammatory cell death is a key driver of many inflammatory diseases. Pyroptosis, a highly inflammatory form of cell death, uses intracellularly generated pores to disrupt ...electrolyte homeostasis and execute cell death. Gasdermin D, the pore-forming effector protein of pyroptosis, coordinates membrane lysis and the release of highly inflammatory molecules, such as interleukin-1β, which potentiate the overactivation of the innate immune response. However, to date, there is no pharmacologic mechanism to disrupt pyroptosis. Here, we identify necrosulfonamide as a direct chemical inhibitor of gasdermin D, the pyroptotic pore-forming protein, which binds directly to gasdermin D to inhibit pyroptosis. Pharmacologic inhibition of pyroptotic cell death by necrosulfonamide is efficacious in sepsis models and suggests that gasdermin D inhibitors may be efficacious clinically in inflammatory diseases.
Experimental results on the inception and propagation of streamers in water generated under the application of high electric fields are reviewed. Characteristic parameters, such as breakdown voltage, ...polarity of the applied voltage, propagation velocities and other phenomenological features, are compared with similar phenomena in other dielectric liquids and in gases. Consequently, parameters that are expected to influence the development of streamers in water are discussed with respect to the analogous well-established models and theories for the related mechanisms in gases. Most of the data support the notion that an initial low-density nucleation site or gas-filled bubble assists the initiation of a streamer. Details of this theory are laid out explaining the observed differences in the breakdown originating from the anode versus the cathode locations. The mechanisms can also be applied to streamer propagation, although some observations cannot be satisfactorily explained.
Summary
Background
Icariin is a major flavonoid isolated from Epimedium spp. leaves (Epimedium Herba), and has multiple pharmacological functions, including anti‐angiogenesis, anti‐oxidant, ...anti‐inflammatory and immunoprotective effects.
Aim
To investigate whether icariin can stimulate growth of hair follicles in mice and the underlying mechanism.
Methods
In vitro, the effect of icariin on hair growth was assessed by using a vibrissae hair follicle (VHF) organ‐culture model. The proliferation of hair matrix keratinocytes and the expression of insulin‐like growth factor (IGF)‐1 in follicles were examined by double immunostaining for 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine and IGF‐1, in the presence or absence of icariin. Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) were cultured and IGF‐1 level was measured by reverse transcription‐PCR and ELISA after icariin treatment. In vivo, the effect of icariin on hair growth was examined by gavage feeding of icariin to mice whose backs had been depilated, and the conversion of telogen to anagen hair was observed.
Results
Treatment with icariin promoted hair shaft elongation, prolonged the hair cycle growth phase (anagen) in cultured VHFs, and accelerated transition of hair cycle from telogen to anagen phase in the dorsal skin of mice. There was significant proliferation of matrix keratinocytes and an increased level of IGF‐1 in cultured VHFs. Moreover, icariin treatment upregulated IGF‐1 mRNA expression in DPCs and increased IGF‐1 protein content in the conditioned medium of DPCs.
Conclusions
These results suggest that icariin can promote mouse hair follicle growth via stimulation of IGF‐1 expression in DPCs.
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