Simulation of temperature field for temperature-controlled radio frequency ablation using a hyperbolic bioheat equation and temperature-varied voltage calibration: a liver-mimicking phantom study.

This study aims at improving the accuracy of temperature simulation for temperature-controlled radio frequency ablation (RFA). We proposed a new voltage-calibration method in the simulation and investigated the feasibility of a hyperbolic bioheat equation (HBE) in the RFA simulation with longer durations and higher power. A total of 40 RFA experiments was conducted in a liver-mimicking phantom.

Tang-Tong-Fang Confers Protection against Experimental Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy by Reducing Inflammation.

Tang-tong-fang (TTF) is a Chinese herbal formula that has been shown to be beneficial in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common complication secondary to diabetic microvascular injury. However, the underlying mechanism of protection in nerve ischemia provided by TTF is still unclear. We hypothesized that TTF alleviates DPN via inhibition of ICAM-1 expression.

Rough-set-based ADR signaling from spontaneous reporting data with missing values.

Spontaneous reporting systems of adverse drug events have been widely established in many countries to collect as could as possible all adverse drug events to facilitate the detection of suspected ADR signals via some statistical or data mining methods. Unfortunately, due to privacy concern or other reasons, the reporters sometimes may omit consciously some attributes, causing many missing values existing in the reporting database. Most of research work on ADR detection or methods applied in practice simply adopted listwise deletion to eliminate all data with missing values.

Occurrences and distribution of sulfonamide and tetracycline resistance genes in the Yangtze River Estuary and nearby coastal area.

The role of highly impacted estuaries needs to be examined with respect to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. In the present study, sulfonamide resistance (sul), tetracycline resistance (tet) and class I integron (int1) genes were ubiquitous in the sediments of the Yangtze Estuary (YE) and nearby coastal area, and exhibited a declining trend from the inner estuary to the coast. Good relationships were only observed between int1 and sul1 genes, implying that int1 gene is essential to the proliferation of sul1 gene.

STAT3‑regulated long non‑coding RNAs lnc‑7SK and lnc‑IGF2‑AS promote hepatitis C virus replication.

Long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNAs that do not code protein but are important in diverse biological processes. In previous years, with the application of high‑throughput sequencing, a large number of lncRNAs associated with virus infections have been identified and intensively investigated, however, there are few studies examining the association between lncRNAs and HCV replication. Previous studies have demonstrated that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is activated by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and in turn increases the replication of HCV.

TREM-1 signaling promotes host defense during the early stage of infection with highly pathogenic Streptococcus suis.

Infection with highly pathogenic Streptococcus suis can cause septic shock, which is characterized by high levels of inflammatory cytokines and a high mortality rate. Our previous study indicated that TREM-1 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1) was upregulated in swine spleen cells in response to S. suis infection.

The STAT3-regulated long non-coding RNA Lethe promote the HCV replication.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNAs that do not code protein but play important roles in diverse biological processes. In recent years, with the application of high-throughput sequencing, a great deal of lncRNAs associated with virus infections have been discovered and intensively studied, but there are few studies about the relationship between lncRNAs and HCV replication.

Methods: We identify that several lncRNAs can be upregulated and downregulated by phosphorylated STAT3 by using human PCR array method.

Formation and frequency response of two-dimensional nanowire lattices in an applied electric field.

Ordered two-dimensional (2D) lattices were formed by assembling silica-coated solid and segmented Au nanowires between coplanar electrodes using alternating current (ac) electric fields. Dielectrophoretic forces from the ac field concentrated wires between the electrodes, with their long axis aligned parallel to the field lines. After reaching a sufficient particle density, field-induced dipolar interactions resulted in the assembly of dense 2D lattices that spanned the electrodes, a distance of at least ten wire lengths.

Mouse brain magnetic resonance microscopy: Applications in Alzheimer disease.

Over the past two decades, various Alzheimer's disease (AD) trangenetic mice models harboring genes with mutation known to cause familial AD have been created. Today, high-resolution magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) technology is being widely used in the study of AD mouse models. It has greatly facilitated and advanced our knowledge of AD.

Monitoring of selected estrogen mimics in complicated samples using polymeric ionic liquid-based multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography.

A convenient, rapid, sensitive and environmentally friendly method for simultaneous monitoring of six estrogen mimics (bisphenol A, diethylstilbestrol, dienestrol, hexestrol, octylphenol and nonylphenol) in water and milk samples was developed by coupling multiple monolithic fiber solid-phase microextraction (MMF-SPME) to high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. The MMF-SPME based on polymeric ionic liquid-based monolith as extractive medium was used to concentrate target analytes. Because there were multiple interactions between adsorbent and analytes, the MMF-SPME exhibited a high extractive capability toward analytes.

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 strains can induce the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and evade trapping.

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) ranks among the five most important porcine pathogens worldwide and occasionally threatens human health, especially in people that come into close contact with pigs or pork products. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2) is considered to be the most pathogenic and prevalent capsular type.

[Enumeration and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter species from retail chicken carcasses].

Objective: To determine Campylobacter contamination level and antimicrobial resistance patterns from chicken carcasses in supermarkets and farmer's markets of 9 districts in Beijing.

Methods: From August 2012 to July 2013, whole chicken carcasses (n = 240) were collected from 27 supermarkets and 18 farmer's markets of nine districts in Beijing. The level of Campylobacter contamination was enumerated by plate counting method using the modified Karmali and modified Preston agar.

Systems biology with high-throughput sequencing reveals genetic mechanisms underlying the metabolic syndrome in the Lyon hypertensive rat.

Background: The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a collection of co-occurring complex disorders including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. The Lyon hypertensive and Lyon normotensive rats are models of MetS sensitivity and resistance, respectively. To identify genetic determinants and mechanisms underlying MetS, an F2 intercross between Lyon hypertensive and Lyon normotensive was comprehensively studied.

Broadband and wide field-of-view plasmonic metasurface-enabled waveplates.

Quasi two-dimensional metasurfaces composed of subwavelength nanoresonator arrays can dramatically alter the properties of light in an ultra-thin planar geometry, enabling new optical functions such as anomalous reflection and refraction, polarization filtering, and wavefront modulation. However, previous metasurface-based nanostructures suffer from low efficiency, narrow bandwidth and/or limited field-of-view due to their operation near the plasmonic resonance. Here we demonstrate plasmonic metasurface-based nanostructures for high-efficiency, angle-insensitive polarization transformation over a broad octave-spanning bandwidth.

HSPD1 interacts with IRF3 to facilitate interferon-beta induction.

The production of IFN- I (IFN-α/β) is one of the earliest and most important host-protective responses. Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is a critical transcriptional factor in the IFN-β signaling pathway. Although significant progress has been achieved in the regulation of IRF3, the process may be more complicated than previously considered.

Comparison of long-term immunogenicity and safety of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine and HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccine in healthy women aged 18-45 years: end-of-study analysis of a Phase III randomized trial.

The observer-blind, randomized, age-stratified, head-to-head study (NCT00423046) comparing immunogenicity and safety of HPV-16/18 and HPV-6/11/16/18 vaccines in healthy women aged 18-45 y was completed. Five y after vaccination, in subjects from the Month 60 according-to-protocol cohort (seronegative and DNA negative for HPV type analyzed at baseline), serum neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses induced by HPV-16/18 vaccine remained 7.8-fold (18-26-y stratum), 5.

rMATS: robust and flexible detection of differential alternative splicing from replicate RNA-Seq data.

Ultra-deep RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has become a powerful approach for genome-wide analysis of pre-mRNA alternative splicing. We previously developed multivariate analysis of transcript splicing (MATS), a statistical method for detecting differential alternative splicing between two RNA-Seq samples. Here we describe a new statistical model and computer program, replicate MATS (rMATS), designed for detection of differential alternative splicing from replicate RNA-Seq data.

[Prevalence and characterization of cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin co-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in retail chicken carcasses].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of cefotaxime in co-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in retail chicken samples and provide or the risk assessment and evaluation of new control measures of multi-drug i isolates in retail chicken products.

Methods: Whole chicken carcasses re collected from Shanxi (n = 91), Guangdong (n = 63) and Inner 53) from April to December in 2011, cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin co- li isolates were recovered and subjected to phylogenetic group typing and usceptibility testing. All isolates were further characterized by screening for genes, quinolone resistance determinants by PCR and followed by DNA sis.

Efficacy of the human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine against cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical infection in young Japanese women.

In this open, extended follow-up study (NCT00929526, Clinicaltrials.gov), we evaluated the human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine efficacy, immunogenicity and safety up to 4 years after first vaccination in Japanese women aged 20-25 years. In the initial randomized, double-blind study (NCT00316693), 1040 women received the study vaccine or hepatitis A control vaccine; 752 women were included in the follow-up study.

Transcriptome-wide landscape of pre-mRNA alternative splicing associated with metastatic colonization.

Unlabelled: Metastatic colonization is an ominous feature of cancer progression. Recent studies have established the importance of pre-mRNA alternative splicing (AS) in cancer biology. However, little is known about the transcriptome-wide landscape of AS associated with metastatic colonization.

Automatic seed localization of iodine brachytherapy implants from CT images.

Radioactive seed implantation has emerged as an effective treatment modality where small radioactive seeds are implanted into the target organ to eradicate the cancer by emitting radiation. Precise seeds localization can indicate whether those seeds deliver sufficient doses of radiation. However, it is challenging and laborious to identify all seeds manually in a short time.

Long-term immunogenicity and safety of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine in 10- to 14-year-old girls: open 6-year follow-up of an initial observer-blinded, randomized trial.

Background: Immunogenicity and safety of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine were evaluated up to 6 years postvaccination (month 72) in preteen/adolescent girls.

Methods: Participants, who had received 3 HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine doses at 10-14 years of age in an initial controlled, observer-blinded, randomized study (NCT00196924) and participated in the open 3-year follow-up (NCT00316706), were invited to continue the follow-up for up to 10 years postvaccination (NCT00877877). Anti-HPV-16 and -18 antibody titers were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays at yearly visits and were used to fit the modified power-law and piecewise models, predicting long-term immunogenicity.

Features analysis on Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Objective: To study the features of the distribution and differentiation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Methods: We collected clinical data on illness course, age, fasting blood glucose, saccharogenic hemoglobin, TCM syndromes, tongue, and pulse of 238 DPN patients. Differentiated main syndromes (Yin deficiency and exuberant heat, invasion of spleen by damp-heat, deficiency of both Qi and Yin, and deficiency of both Yin and Yang) and accompanying syndromes (blood stasis and phlegm-dampness) of diabetes were also recorded.

Genetic characterization of a novel Iflavirus associated with vomiting disease in the Chinese oak silkmoth Antheraea pernyi.

Larvae of the Chinese oak silkmoth (Antheraea pernyi) are often affected by AVD (A. pernyi vomiting disease), whose causative agent has long been suspected to be a virus. In an unrelated project we discovered a novel positive sense single-stranded RNA virus that could reproduce AVD symptoms upon injection into healthy A.