Typical sintering experiments were conducted to understand the spark plasma sintering (SPS) mechanisms. Based on the results of the direct visual observations and characteristic microstructure ...analysis, we believe that spark discharge does indeed occur during the SPS process. The high-temperature spark plasma could be generated in the microgaps due to the discharge effect. Fast and efficient sintering can be achieved under the combined action of spark discharge, Joule heating, electrical diffusion and plastic deformation effect in the SPS process.
There have been few reports of mutations in the beta-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) gene in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is associated with sudden cardiac death caused by HCM. This study aimed ...to screen the mutation sites in the sarcomeric gene MYH7 in Chinese patients with HCM. We also planned to analyze the pathogenicity of the mutation site as well as its significance in clinical and forensic medicine.
From January 2006 to June 2017, autopsy cases were collected from the Department of Pathology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao Autopsy Center and Technical Department of Criminal Police Detachment of Qingdao Public Security Bureau. The experiment was to detect MYH7 gene status in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 18 independent autopsy cases who suffered HCM related sudden death (fatal HCM) and 20 cases without cardiomyopathy. Common mutation exon fragments of MYH7 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The end-of-deoxygenation method and gene cloning method were further performed to analyze the mutation sites. Homologous comparison among mutant sites was conducted using BLAST online database.
The 1336th nucleotide of MYH7 gene at exon 14 was converted from T to G in one HCM case, resulting in the conversion of threonine (Thr) at position 446 to proline (Pro). In another case, the 1402th nucleotide at exon 14 was converted from T to C, resulting in the conversion of phenylalanine (Phe) at position 468 to leucine (Leu). Homologous comparison results showed that the two amino acid residues of Thr446 and Phe468 are highly conserved among different species.
Our results showed fatal HCM harbored mutations of Thr446Pro and Phe468Leu in the MYH7 gene. It is significant for clinical and forensic medicine to further explore the functions and detailed mechanisms of these mutations.
Silymarin has been used for improving hepatic damage and lipid disorders, but its action mechanism remains to be clarified. Here, we investigate the contributions of the gut microbiota to the ...improvement of liver lipid metabolism by silymarin. We find i) strong and significant microbial shifts upon silymarin but not silibinin treatment; ii) over 60% variations of liver fat are explained by silymarin-induced bacterial B12 production in male rats but not in male germ-free mice; iii) fecal microbiota transplantation confirms their protective roles against liver fat accumulation; iv) upregulation of one-carbon metabolism and fatty acid degradation pathways are observed based on the liver transcriptome analyses; and v) in humans the delta changes of serum B12 associate negatively with the fluctuations of serum triglycerides. Overall, we reveal a mechanism of action underpinning the lipid-lowering effect of silymarin via the gut microbiota and its vitamin B12 producing capabilities.
The role of miR-26a in cancer cells seemed controversial in previous studies. Until now, the role of miR-26a in gastric cancer remains undefined. In this study, we found that miR-26a was strongly ...downregulated in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and cell lines, and its expression levels were associated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage, as well as overall survival and replase-free survival of GC. We also found that ectopic expression of miR-26a inhibited GC cell proliferation and GC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. We further identified a novel mechanism of miR-26a to suppress GC growth and metastasis. FGF9 was proved to be a direct target of miR-26a, using luciferase assay and western blot. FGF9 overexpression in miR-26a-expressing cells could rescue invasion and growth defects of miR-26a. In addition, miR-26a expression inversely correlated with FGF9 protein levels in GC. Taken together, our data suggest that miR-26a functions as a tumor suppressor in GC development and progression, and holds promise as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for GC.
Although electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) may gather the internal resistivity information from a landslide area in a large-scale, low-cost, and non-invasive manner compared to point-based ...sensor monitoring technology, the indirect resistivity information obtained cannot directly evaluate the landslide’s current mechanical status, such as stress, strength, etc. Based on ERT monitoring data, a framework for quantitatively and directly evaluating the evolution of the factor of safety (FOS) of landslides during rainfall is proposed. The framework first inverts ERT observation data using the inexact Gauss–Newton method based on multiple constraints to obtain a more realistic resistivity distribution, then calculates the saturation distribution using Archie’s equation, and finally calculates the FOS of landslides using the finite element strength reduction method. Twelve sets of numerical experiments were designed and carried out based on the synthetic data of a theoretical model. The experimental results show that the proposed framework is valid and reliable under various arrays, apparent resistivity noise, and uncertainty in the water-electric correlation curve, with the Dipole-Dipole array outperforming the others in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and anti-noise capability. The proposed framework is significant in improving ERT monitoring and early warning capabilities for rainfall-induced landslides.
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•A new strain of algae was isolated from fresh water.•This novel strain was identified as Desmodesmus sp. by 18s rRNA and ITS1 analysis.•This strain could grow in anaerobic digestion ...wastewater (ADW).•Maximum nutrients removal was observed at 10.0% ADW.•This strain could remove 100% NH4–N, TP and PO4–P, and 75.50% TN at 10.0% ADW.
Anaerobic digestion wastewater (ADW), which contains large amount of nitrogen and phosphorus, particularly high concentration of ammonium, might lead to severely environmental pollution. A new unicellular green microalgae species from a wetland at the Olympic Forest Park, Beijing, China was screened based on its growth rates and nutrients removal capability under ADW. Results of 18s rDNA and ITS1 analysis indicated that this strain have a close relationship with Desmodesmus sp., named as EJ9-6. Desmodesmus sp. EJ9-6 could remove 100% NH4–N (68.691mg/L), TP (4.565mg/L) and PO4–P (4.053mg/L), and 75.50% TN (84.236mg/L) at 10.0% ADW, which the highest biomass production was 0.412g/L after 14d cultivation. Maximum nutrients removal was observed at 10.0% ADW with daily removal rates of TN, NH4–N, TP and PO4–P at 4.542, 5.284, 0.326 and 0.290mg/L/d, respectively.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by executive dysfunction, and working memory (WM) comprises one core component of executive function. Many studies have investigated WM impairments ...in individuals with ASD, however, a conclusive agreement has not been reached. The present study provided a meta-analytic review of WM impairments in individuals with ASD and evaluated potential moderating variables of this problem. Twenty-eight studies were included in this study, and the participants comprised 819 individuals with ASD and 875 healthy controls. A significant WM impairment (Cohen’s
d
= −0.61) was identified in the individuals with ASD, however, this impairment was not associated with age. Results of moderation analyses showed that (a) spatial WM was more severely impaired than verbal WM and (b) the component of cognitive processing (maintenance vs. maintenance plus manipulation) did not affect the severity of WM impairments. These findings suggest that WM is impaired in individuals with ASD and may have implications for interventions related to WM impairments in these individuals.
The mortality rate of patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), especially those patients that develop acute kidney injury (AKI) is high. Acute kidney disease (AKD) is a term used to ...describe the continuum from AKI to chronic kidney disease. However, the role of AKD in predicting the prognosis of patients on ECMO support is unclear.
A total of 168 patients who received ECMO support and survived for more than 7 days at a single hospital from 2003 to 2008 were enrolled for this study and followed up for 10 years or till mortality. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model were used to determine the prognostic factors associated with survival.
The median survival times of patients with stage 0, stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 AKD were ≥ 10 years, 43.9 months, 1 month, and half a month, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in cumulative survival rate between patients with stage 3 AKD and those with stage 0, 1, and 2 AKD (Cox-Mantel log rank test, p<0.001, p<0.001, p = 0.023), and between patients with stage 0 AKD and those with stage 1 and 2 AKD (Cox-Mantel log rank test, p = 0.012, p<0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed that AKD stage (hazard ratio HR: 2.576, 95% confidential interval CI: 1.268-5.234, p = 0.009 for stage 1; HR: 2.349; 95% CI: 1.101-5.512, p = 0.029 for stage 2; HR: 5.252; 95% CI: 2.715-10.163, p<0.001 for stage 3) was significant independent predictor of survival.
AKD stage is an independent predictor of survival in patients on ECMO support.
In the soil, plant roots associated with fungi often encounter uneven distribution of nitrate (NO3−)/ammonium (NH4+) patches, but the mechanism underlying N form‐influenced plant–fungal interactions ...remains limited. We inoculated Arabidopsis with a root endophyte Phomopsis liquidambaris, and evaluated the effects of P. liquidambaris on plant performance under NO3− or NH4+ nutrition. Under NO3− nutrition, P. liquidambaris inoculation promoted seedling growth, whereas under NH4+ nutrition, P. liquidambaris suppressed seedling growth. Under high NH4+ conditions, fungus‐colonized roots displayed increased NH4+ accumulation and NH4+ efflux, similar to the effect of ammonium stress caused by elevated NH4+ levels. Notably, this fungus excluded NH4+ during interactions with host roots, thereby leading to increased NH4+ levels at the plant–fungal interface under high NH4+ conditions. A nitrite reductase‐deficient strain that excludes NO3− but absorbs NH4+, decreased NH4+ levels in Arabidopsis shoots and rescued plant growth and nitrogen metabolism under high NH4+ levels. Transcriptomic analysis highlighted that P. liquidambaris had altered transcriptional responses associated with plant response to inorganic N forms. Our results demonstrate that fungus‐regulated NO3−/NH4+ dynamics at the plant–fungal interface alters plant response to NO3−/NH4+ nutrition. This study highlights the essential functions of root endophytes in plant adaptation to soil nitrogen nutrients.
Brief Summary
We determined how to root endophyte affects plant response to different forms of N. Our results suggest that root endophyte differentially regulates plant response to NO3− and NH4+ nutrition through modulating N fluxes at the plant–fungal interface rather than through regulating defense responses.
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