IMPACT OF TYPHOONS ON THE OCEAN IN THE PACIFIC D’Asaro, E.A.; Black, P. G.; Centurioni, L. R. ...
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society,
09/2014, Letnik:
95, Številka:
9
Journal Article
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Tropical cyclones (TCs) change the ocean by mixing deeper water into the surface layers, by the direct air–sea exchange of moisture and heat from the sea surface, and by inducing currents, surface ...waves, and waves internal to the ocean. In turn, the changed ocean influences the intensity of the TC, primarily through the action of surface waves and of cooler surface temperatures that modify the air–sea fluxes. The Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) program made detailed measurements of three different TCs (i.e., typhoons) and their interaction with the ocean in the western Pacific. ITOP coordinated meteorological and oceanic observations from aircraft and satellites with deployments of autonomous oceanographic instruments from the aircraft and from ships. These platforms and instruments measured typhoon intensity and structure, the underlying ocean structure, and the long-term recovery of the ocean from the storms' effects with a particular emphasis on the cooling of the ocean beneath the storm and the resulting cold wake. Initial results show how different TCs create very different wakes, whose strength and properties depend most heavily on the nondimensional storm speed. The degree to which air–sea fluxes in the TC core were reduced by ocean cooling varied greatly. A warm layer formed over and capped the cold wakes within a few days, but a residual cold subsurface layer persisted for 10–30 days.
Colon carcinogenesis represents a stepwise progression from benign polyps to invasive adenocarcinomas and distant metastasis. It is believed that these pathologic changes are contributed by aberrant ...activation or inactivation of protein-coding proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. However, recent discoveries in microRNA (miRNA) research have reshaped our understanding of the role of non-protein-coding genes in carcinogenesis. In this regard, a remarkable number of miRNAs exhibit differential expression in colon cancer tissues. These miRNAs alter cell proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis through their interactions with intracellular signaling networks. From a clinical perspective, polymorphisms within miRNA-binding sites are associated with the risk for colon cancer, whereas miRNAs isolated from feces or blood may serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis. Altered expression of miRNA or polymorphisms in miRNA-related genes have also been shown to correlate with patient survival or treatment outcome. With further insights into miRNA dysregulation in colon cancer and the advancement of RNA delivery technology, it is anticipated that novel miRNA-based therapeutics will emerge.
Traffic emissions are a significant source of airborne particulate matter (PM) in ambient environments. These emissions contain an abundance of toxic metals and thus pose adverse effects on human ...health. Size-fractionated aerosol samples were collected from May to September 2013 by using micro-orifice uniform deposited impactors (MOUDIs). Sample collection was conducted simultaneously at the inlet and outlet sites of Hsuehshan Tunnel in northern Taiwan, which is the second-longest freeway tunnel (12.9 km) in Asia. This endeavor aims to characterize the chemical constituents and size distributions, as well as fingerprinting ratios of particulate metals emitted by vehicle fleets. A total of 36 metals in size-resolved aerosols were determined through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Three major groups – namely, tailpipe emissions (Zn, Pb, and V in fine mode), wear debris (Cu, Cd, Fe, Ga, Mn, Mo, Sb, and Sn), and resuspended dust (Ca, Mg, K, and Rb) – of airborne PM metals were categorized on the basis of the results of enrichment factor, correlation matrix, and principal component analysis. Size distributions of wear-originated metals resembled the pattern of crustal elements, which were predominated by super-micron particulates (PM1–10). By contrast, tailpipe exhaust elements such as Zn, Pb, and V were distributed mainly in submicron particles. By employing Cu as a tracer of wear abrasion, several inter-metal ratios – including Fe / Cu (14), Ba / Cu (1.05), Sb / Cu (0.16), Sn / Cu (0.10), and Ga / Cu (0.03) – served as fingerprints for wear debris. However, the data set collected in this work is useful for further studies on traffic emission inventory and human health effects of traffic-related PM.
Aim
Endothelial cell injury assumes a fundamental part in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and endothelial cell autophagy has protective effects on the development of atherosclerosis, although ...the underlying molecular regulation mechanism is indistinct. This study aimed to investigate whether microRNA‐214‐3p (miR‐214‐3p) is involved in the endothelial cell autophagy regulation of atherosclerosis.
Methods
We utilized ApoE−/− mice provided with a high‐fat diet (HFD) as atherosclerosis model. We analysed the level of miR‐214‐3p and the levels of autophagy‐related protein 5 (ATG5) and autophagy‐related protein 12 (ATG12) in the purified CD31+ endothelial cells from mouse aorta. Bioinformatics analysis and a dual‐luciferase reporter assay were performed to confirm the binding target of miR‐214‐3p. In vitro study, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were transfected with miR‐214‐3p mimics/inhibitor and stimulated with 100 μg/mL oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL) for 12 hours to initiate a stress‐repairing autophagic process.
Results
In mouse models, we identified an inverse correlation between miR‐214‐3p, ATG5 and ATG12. We observed that in young HUVECs, ox‐LDL‐initiated autophagy was repressed by miR‐214‐3p overexpression, as evaluated by autophagic protein analysis, microtubule‐associated protein 1 light chain 3B‐II (LC3B‐II) immunofluorescence assay and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, miR‐214‐3p promoted ox‐LDL accumulation in HUVECs and THP‐1 monocyte adhesion. Conversely, in old HUVECs, suppression of miR‐214‐3p preserved the ability to initiate a protective autophagy reaction to the ox‐LDL stimulation.
Conclusion
miR‐214‐3p regulates ox‐LDL‐initiated autophagy in HUVECs by directly targeting the 3′UTR of ATG5 and may have a suitable role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
This study surveyed the characteristics of white matter (WM) micro-integrity in patients who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) without co-morbidities.
A total of 44 patients with ...MDD and 27 normal controls were enrolled in our study. Diffusion tensor imaging images of patients and controls were pre-processed and analysed to estimate differences in WM micro-integrity between patients and controls by performing comparisons of the values obtained from fractional anisotropy (FA). FA outputs of patients and controls were compared by a non-parametric permutation-based method with global brain volume, age and gender as covariates. In addition, the between-group differences of radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD) were assessed to explain the alterations in FA values. Correlations between clinical variables (such as depression severity, anxiety severity, illness duration) and FA values were also estimated in each group and across both groups.
The patients with MDD had significantly lower FA values than the controls, for the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and the right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR). The reductions in FA values occurred in combination with elevated RD values in the bilateral SLF and decreased AD values in the bilateral ATR. FA values were negatively correlated with depression severity in the SLF and with illness duration in the right SLF and ATR.
MDD patients had significant alterations in the WM micro-integrity of the left SLF and the right ATR.
Zygomatic implant treatment is widely applied for severe maxillary atrophy to help rehabilitate the maxillary dentition. This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the actual radiographic ...bone–implant contact (rBIC) lengths of zygomatic implants. The records of 28 patients who underwent zygomatic implant surgery and subsequent follow-up examinations between August 2013 and September 2018 in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital were reviewed. The surgeries were performed by a single surgeon using the same treatment protocol. All patients had a computed tomography scan at 1year after the surgery. Using three-dimensional imaging software, an investigator measured the rBIC lengths of 66 implants and documented their clinical status. The implant survival rate was 100%. The mean rBIC length was significantly longer in male patients than in female patients (20.80±5.88mm versus 17.79±6.34mm; P=0.028). The mean rBIC length of double zygomatic implants was significantly longer when compared to that of single implants (21.11±6.23mm versus 17.75±5.85mm; P=0.027). This article is novel in reporting the exact rBIC lengths of zygomatic implants in a clinical setting. The results showed that zygomatic implants are a viable treatment modality for full-mouth rehabilitation.
Summary Objective To evaluate the interaction of articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SB) through analysis of osteoarthritis (OA)-related genes of site-matched tissue. Design We developed a ...novel method for isolating site-matched overlying AC and underlying SB from three and four regions of interest respectively from the human knee tibial plateau ( n = 50). For each site, the severity of cartilage changes of OA were assessed histologically, and the severity of bone abnormalities were assessed by microcomputed tomography. An RNA isolation procedure was optimized that yielded high quality RNA from site-matched AC and SB tibial regions. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) analysis was performed to evaluate gene expression of 61 OA-associated genes for correlation with cartilage integrity and bone structure parameters. Results A total of 27 (44%) genes were coordinately up- or down-regulated in both tissues. The expression levels of 19 genes were statistically significantly correlated with the severity of AC degeneration and changes of SB structure; these included: ADAMTS1 , ASPN , BMP6 , BMPER , CCL2 , CCL8 , COL5A1 , COL6A3 , COL7A1 , COL16A1 , FRZB , GDF10 , MMP3 , OGN , OMD , POSTN , PTGES , TNFSF11 and WNT1. Conclusions These results provide a strategy for identifying targets whose modification may have the potential to ameliorate pathological alterations and progression of disease in both AC and SB simultaneously. In addition, this is the first study, to our knowledge, to overcome the major difficulties related to isolation of high quality RNA from site-matched joint tissues. We expect this method to facilitate advances in our understanding of the coordinated molecular responses of the whole joint organ.
Deformation twinning in nanocrystalline materials ZHU, Y. T; LIAO, X. Z; WU, X. L
Progress in Materials Science/Progress in materials science,
2012, 2012-1-00, 20120101, Letnik:
57, Številka:
1
Journal Article
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Nanocrystalline (nc) materials can be defined as solids with grain sizes in the range of 1aAA"100nm. Contrary to coarse-grained metals, which become more difficult to twin with decreasing grain size, ...nanocrystalline face-centered-cubic (fcc) metals become easier to twin with decreasing grain size, reaching a maximum twinning probability, and then become more difficult to twin when the grain size decreases further, i.e. exhibiting an inverse grain-size effect on twinning. Molecular dynamics simulations and experimental observations have revealed that the mechanisms of deformation twinning in nanocrystalline metals are different from those in their coarse-grained counterparts. Consequently, there are several types of deformation twins that are observed in nanocrystalline materials, but not in coarse-grained metals. It has also been reported that deformation twinning can be utilized to enhance the strength and ductility of nanocrystalline materials. This paper reviews all aspects of deformation twinning in nanocrystalline metals, including deformation twins observed by molecular dynamics simulations and experiments, twinning mechanisms, factors affecting the twinning, analytical models on the nucleation and growth of deformation twins, interactions between twins and dislocations, and the effects of twins on mechanical and other properties. It is the authorsaAAtm intention for this review paper to serve not only as a valuable reference for researchers in the field of nanocrystalline metals and alloys, but also as a textbook for the education of graduate students.
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now become a pandemic, but there is currently very little understanding ...of the antigenicity of the virus. We therefore determined the crystal structure of CR3022, a neutralizing antibody previously isolated from a convalescent SARS patient, in complex with the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein at 3.1-angstrom resolution. CR3022 targets a highly conserved epitope, distal from the receptor binding site, that enables cross-reactive binding between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Structural modeling further demonstrates that the binding epitope can only be accessed by CR3022 when at least two RBDs on the trimeric S protein are in the "up" conformation and slightly rotated. These results provide molecular insights into antibody recognition of SARS-CoV-2.
While oral antidepressants reach efficacy after weeks, single-dose intravenous (i.v.) ketamine has rapid, yet time-limited antidepressant effects. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of ...single-dose i.v. ketamine augmentation of escitalopram in major depressive disorder (MDD).
Thirty outpatients with severe MDD (17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score ⩾ 24) were randomized to 4 weeks double-blind treatment with escitalopram 10 mg/day+single-dose i.v. ketamine (0.5 mg/kg over 40 min) or escitalopram 10 mg/day + placebo (0.9% i.v. saline). Depressive symptoms were measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Self-Report (QIDS-SR). Suicidal ideation was evaluated with the QIDS-SR item 12. Adverse psychopathological effects were measured with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)-positive symptoms, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS). Patients were assessed at baseline, 1, 2, 4, 24 and 72 h and 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Time to response (⩾ 50% MADRS score reduction) was the primary outcome.
By 4 weeks, more escitalopram + ketamine-treated than escitalopram + placebo-treated patients responded (92.3% v. 57.1%, p = 0.04) and remitted (76.9% v. 14.3%, p = 0.001), with significantly shorter time to response hazard ratio (HR) 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.01-0.22, p < 0.001 and remission (HR 0.11, 95% CI 0.02-0.63, p = 0.01). Compared to escitalopram + placebo, escitalopram + ketamine was associated with significantly lower MADRS scores from 2 h to 2 weeks (peak = 3 days-2 weeks; effect size (ES) = 1.08-1.18), QIDS-SR scores from 2 h to 2 weeks (maximum ES = 1.27), and QIDS-SR suicidality from 2 to 72 h (maximum ES = 2.24). Only YMRS scores increased significantly with ketamine augmentation (1 and 2 h), without significant BPRS or CADSS elevation.
Single-dose i.v. ketamine augmentation of escitalopram was safe and effective in severe MDD, holding promise for speeding up early oral antidepressant efficacy.
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