Genetic Variants in Genes Are Associated With the Susceptibility to HCV Infection in a High-Risk Chinese Population.

Background: KIR/HLA-C signaling pathway influences the innate immune response which is the first defense to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the genetic polymorphisms of genes and the outcomes of HCV infection in a high-risk Chinese population.

Methods: In this case-control study, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genes (// rs35440472, rs2308557, rs1130838, and rs2524094) were genotyped by TaqMan assay among drug users and hemodialysis (HD) patients including 1,378 uninfected control cases, 307 subjects with spontaneous viral clearance, and 217 patients with persistent HCV infection.

All-Solid-State Optical Phased Arrays of Mid-Infrared Based Graphene-Metal Hybrid Metasurfaces.

Optical phased arrays (OPAs) are essential optical elements in applications that require the ability to manipulate the light-wavefront, such as beam focusing and light steering. To miniaturize the optical components, active metasurfaces, especially graphene metasurfaces, are used as competent alternatives. However, the metasurface cannot achieve strong resonance effect and phase control function in the mid-infrared region only relying on a single-layer graphene.

The efficacy evaluation of partial nephrectomy with selective renal artery branch occlusion by laparoscopy.

Background: To investigate the clinical application and effect of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with renal artery branch occlusion in the treatment of early renal tumors.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 15 cases of renal tumor patients who underwent partial nephrectomy by laparoscopic selective renal artery branch occlusion in our department from January 2017 to January 2018. Nine male patients and 6 female patients were aged 46 to 65 years, with an average age of 54.

High SVR12 With 8-Week Course of Direct-Acting Antivirals in Adolescents and Children With Chronic Hepatitis C: A Comprehensive Analysis.

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment for 8 weeks has a sustained virological response rate in adults with chronic hepatitis C. We have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of the 8-week vs. 12/24-week DAA treatment in adolescents and children with CHC.

Tuning the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Porous Electrodes for Architecting 3D Microsupercapacitors with Batteries-Level Energy.

Microsupercapacitors (MSCs) are vital power sources for internet of things (IoTs) and miniaturized electronics. The performance of MSCs is often restricted by its low areal energy density, which is due to the low areal mass loading of active materials. Constructing thick planar microelectrode with fine structure and high aspect ratio is an efficient way to increase mass loading, but limited by the breakable nature of porous electrode materials.

Gut Microbiota-Related Effects of Tanhuo Decoction in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a major cause of acquired adult disability and death. Our previous studies proved the efficacy and effectiveness of Tanhuo decoction (THD) on AIS. However, the therapeutic mechanism remains unclear.

Weak Estimator-Based Stochastic Searching on the Line in Dynamic Dual Environments.

Stochastic point location deals with the problem of finding a target point on a real line through a learning mechanism (LM) with the stochastic environment (SE) offering directional information. The SE can be further categorized into an informative or deceptive one, according to whether p is above 0.5 or not, where p is the probability of providing a correct suggestion of a direction to LM.

NETs Lead to Sympathetic Hyperactivity After Traumatic Brain Injury Through the LL37-Hippo/MST1 Pathway.

Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is one of the important reasons for the high mortality and morbidity of traumatic brain injury (TBI). We aim to explore the role of the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the pathogenesis of sympathetic hyperexcitability after TBI and the underlying mechanisms, providing evidence for clinical treatment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to assess the plasma metanephrine and normetanephrine levels which represented the variation of the sympathetic system after TBI with rat diffuse axonal injury (DAI) model.

Mouse totipotent stem cells captured and maintained through spliceosomal repression.

Since establishment of the first embryonic stem cells (ESCs), in vitro culture of totipotent cells functionally and molecularly comparable with in vivo blastomeres with embryonic and extraembryonic developmental potential has been a challenge. Here we report that spliceosomal repression in mouse ESCs drives a pluripotent-to-totipotent state transition. Using the splicing inhibitor pladienolide B, we achieve stable in vitro culture of totipotent ESCs comparable at molecular levels with 2- and 4-cell blastomeres, which we call totipotent blastomere-like cells (TBLCs).

Knl1 participates in spindle assembly checkpoint signaling in maize.

The Knl1-Mis12-Ndc80 (KMN) network is an essential component of the kinetochore-microtubule attachment interface, which is required for genomic stability in eukaryotes. However, little is known about plant Knl1 proteins because of their complex evolutionary history. Here, we cloned the homolog from maize () and confirmed it as a constitutive central kinetochore component.

LncRNA DANCR regulates lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer via the miR-335/VEGF-C axis.

Background: Substantial evidence indicate that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) act as key role in bladder cancer. Differentiation antagonistic ncRNA (DANCR) could be used as a biomarker in the occurrence and development of cancer. This study aims to explore the mechanism of DANCR/miR-335/VEGF-C axis affecting lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer.

Focal nodular hyperplasia mimicking hepatocellular adenoma and carcinoma in two cases.

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a solid benign tumor of the liver, predominantly in young women. A correct diagnosis of FNH is essential for making appropriate clinical decisions and avoiding unnecessary liver resection. Herein, we reported that two male cases with FNH, who initially presented with persistent abdominal discomfort, were misdiagnosed with hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans, respectively.

Case Report: Multiple Seizures After a Diphenoxylate-Atropine Overdose in a Small Child.

Poisoning is a type of accidental injury and it is considered a major public health problem worldwide. Oral drug poisoning in children is an important cause of accidental injury and even death. It is a common critical emergency in the field of pediatrics.

Socioeconomic Relation with Plastic Consumption on 61 Countries Classified by Continent, Income Status and Coastal Regions.

In this study, World Bank socioeconomic data of 61 countries during 2009-2015 combine with a semi-systematic literature review was applied to analyze the relationship between plastic consumptions and socioeconomic levels statistically. Based on a total data volume of 5551, we found that all countries can be divided into different groups like the continent, income status, and coastal countries. It is showed that most plastics were consumed by North America, Europe, high-income countries, and coastal countries in the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean.

Genetic Variants in and Are Associated With the Risk of HCV Infection Among Chinese High-Risk Population.

Background: The tumor necrosis factor superfamily () and TNF receptor superfamily () play important roles in the immune responses to infections. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of several genes on the risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the Chinese high-risk population.

Methods: The -rs1234313, -rs7514229, -rs3181366, -rs2295800, -rs2298209, and -rs2230625 SNPs were genotyped in 2309 uninfected controls, 597 subjects with spontaneous HCV clearance and 784 patients with persistent HCV infection using the TaqMan-MGB assay.

A Novel Six-mRNA Signature Predicts Survival of Patients With Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a devastating brain tumor and displays divergent clinical outcomes due to its high degree of heterogeneity. Reliable prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed for improving risk stratification and survival prediction. In this study, we analyzed genome-wide mRNA profiles in GBM patients derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to identify mRNA-based signatures for GBM prognosis with survival analysis.

Nanoimprinting metal-containing nanoparticle-doped gratings to enhance the polarization of light-emitting chips by induced scattering.

Polarized radiative luminous semiconductor chips have huge application potential in many highly value-added fields. The integration of a subwavelength grating is recognized to be the most promising method for the development of polarized chips, but still faces the challenge of low polarized radiative performance. This paper describes a proposal for, and the development of, a scattering-induced enhanced-polarization light-emitting diode chip by directly nanoimprinting a metal-containing nanoparticle-doped grating onto the top surface of a common flip chip.

EMD and VMD-GWO parallel optimization algorithm to overcome Lidar ranging limitations.

Pulsed Lidar can obtain rich target information in one pulse, but the echo pulse signal is extremely susceptible to low laser transmitting power and complex target environments, resulting in an amplitude that is too low, which affects detection efficiency and ranging accuracy. In this paper, a variational modal decomposition based on gray wolf optimizer (VMD-GWO) and an empirical mode decomposition (EMD) parallel for denoising and signal enhancement in pulse Lidar is proposed and demonstrated completely. First, the adaptive strategy EMD is used for denoising the signal to obtain effective information.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts: overview, progress, challenges, and directions.

Tumors are one of the main causes of death in humans. The development of safe and effective methods for early diagnosis and treatment of tumors is a difficult problem that needs to be solved urgently. It is well established that the occurrence of tumors involves complex biological mechanisms, and the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in regulating the biological behavior of tumors.

Nanoimprinting Metal-Containing Nanoparticles-Doping-Grating for High Polarization Performance Light Emitting Chips by Scattering-Induced Enhancement.

Polarized radiative semiconductor luminous chips have huge application potentials in lots of high value-added fields. Integrating a subwavelength grating is recognized as the most promising method for development of polarized chips, but still faces the challenge of lower polarized radiation performance. The paper proposed and developed a scattering-induced polarization enhancement light emitting diodes chips by directly nanoimprinting metal-containing nanoparticles-doping-grating on the top surface of a common flip-chips.

Epidemic Trend and Molecular Evolution of HV Family in the Main Hantavirus Epidemic Areas From 2004 to 2016, in P.R. China.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is caused by hantavirus (HV) infection, and is prevalent across Europe and Asia (mainly China). The genetic variation and wide host range of the HV family may lead to vaccine failure. In this study, we analyzed the gene sequences of HV isolated from different regions of China in order to trace the molecular evolution of HV and the epidemiological trends of HFRS.

Transcriptome analysis and prognostic model construction based on splicing profiling in glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant brain tumour, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Currently, there is a lack of systematic and comprehensive analysis on the prognostic significance of alternative splicing (AS) profiling for GBM. The GBM data, including RNA-sequencing, corresponding clinical information and the expression levels of splicing factor genes, were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the SpliceAid2 database.

Effects of safflower yellow on cholesterol levels in serum and brain tissue of APP/PS1 mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an aggressive neurodegenerative disease associated with cognitive decline, memory, language, and visual-spatial coordination disorders that eventually lead to complete loss of basic function. Hypercholesterolemia plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD and its related diseases. Safflower yellow (SY) is a natural chalcone compound isolated from safflower, which has the effect of antioxidation and weight loss.