A case study of College English teachers' emotional experiences in the blended teaching context.

The current research on language teacher education has witnessed a surge in studies focusing on teacher emotions due to their recognized importance in teaching. However, limited efforts have been found to investigate the emotions of Chinese College English teachers in the blended teaching context. This qualitative case study aims to uncover the emotional experiences of four Chinese College English teachers and explore the causes of their emotions in the blended teaching context.

The pathology biopsy represents the "gold standard" for diagnosis: a case report.

A 70-year-old male with previously unknown immunodeficiency presented with multiple pulmonary nodular shadows observed on chest and abdomen radiography. Fungal infection was detected in brushing specimens, bronchial lavage, and transbronchial lung biopsy samples. Through next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, the patient was ultimately diagnosed with disseminated Talaromyces marneffei infection.

A narrative inquiry into the agency of an EFL teacher in Western China.

Despite the increasing interest in teacher agency in the field of language teacher psychology, little attention has been paid to how language teachers enact their agency in an under-resourced environment. To address the research gap, this narrative study explored how a secondary English as a foreign language teacher in Western China enacted his agency for professional development and identified its sources. The findings revealed that this teacher enacted his agency through passionate exploration of adaptive teaching and continuous investment in autonomous learning.

AT2 Receptor Stimulation Inhibits Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Senescence Induced by Angiotensin II and Hyperglycemia.

Background: Hyperglycemia has been widely reported to induce vascular senescence. We have previously demonstrated that angiotensin II (Ang II) could promote brain vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) senescence, and its type 2 (AT2) receptor deletion could enhance VSMC senescence. Therefore, we examined the possible cross-talk between Ang II and hyperglycemia on VSMC senescence, and the roles of AT2 receptor agonist, compound 21 (C21) on it.

MicroRNA-23a-3p promotes macrophage M1 polarization and aggravates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury by regulating PLK1/STAT1/STAT3 signalling.

Macrophage polarization is an important effector process in acute lung injury (ALI) induced by sepsis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important players in regulating ALI process. Here, we showed that elevated microRNA-23a-3p (miR-23a-3p) promoted LPS-induced macrophage polarization and ALI in mice, while inhibition of miR-23a-3p led to reduced macrophage response and ameliorated ALI inflammation.

Elevated Serum Retinol Binding Protein 4 is Associated with the Risk of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), a biomarker for insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes (DM), is increased in heart failure. This case-control study aims to determine the association between serum RBP4 levels and diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods: Demographic and clinical data were obtained from 245 DM patients and 102 non-diabetic controls.

Consensus of Stochastic Dynamical Multiagent Systems in Directed Networks via PI Protocols.

With the rapid development of swarm intelligence, the consensus of multiagent systems (MASs) has attracted substantial attention due to its broad range of applications in the practical world. Inspired by the considerable gap between control theory and engineering practices, this article is aimed at addressing the mean square consensus problems for stochastic dynamical nonlinear MASs in directed networks by designing proportional-integral (PI) protocols. In light of the general algebraic connectivity, consensus underlying PI protocols for a directed strongly connected network is investigated, and due to the M -matrix approaches, consensus with PI protocols for a directed network containing a spanning tree is studied.

Clinical evaluation of high intensity interval training exercise in coronary heart disease patients after percutaneous coronary intervention: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:: Although the effect of high intensity interval training (HIIT) was gradually explicit, little is explored about the role and the validity of HIIT on patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). As far as we know, no evidence has been established to assess HIIT program for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients attending cardiac rehabilitation after PCI. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of HIIT program for CHD patients attending cardiac rehabilitation after PCI.

Predictive criteria of severe cases in COVID-19 patients of early stage: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often suffer sudden deterioration of disease around 1-2 weeks after onset. Once the disease progressed to severe phase, clinical prognosis of patients will significantly deteriorate.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective study on patients of all adult inpatients (≥18 years old) from Tianyou Hospital (Wuhan, China) and the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

Analysis of lung adenocarcinoma with bone metastasis: a case report.

Lung adenocarcinoma is one of the most common types of lung cancer, and patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive can be intervened with EGFR-TKI therapy to achieve longer survival. AURA3 study showed that patients resistant with the first generation of EGFR-TKI and with T790M mutation still received longer progression-free survival (PFS) after treatment with the third generation of EGFR-TKI osimertinib, and osimertinib also had a good effect on brain metastasis. Moreover, the FLAURA study published by the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) in 2019 showed that the first line use of osimertinib could achieve a PFS of 18.

[Effect of Silencing on Proliferation and Migration of H322 Cells and Its Mechanism].

Objective: To investigate the regulation of fibromodulin (FMOD) on proliferation, adhesion and migration of non-small cell lung cancer cell line H322, and discuss its action mechanism.

Methods: H322 cells were randomly divided into control group, small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing ( siRNA) group and control siRNA (Con siRNA) group. siRNA and Con siRNA were transfected into H322 cells.

Semiglobal Consensus of a Class of Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems With Saturation.

This article addresses the leader-following consensus of a class of multi-agent systems (MASs) subjected to saturation. Unlike previous literature, the followers are with heterogeneous dynamics. To solve this problem, we employ the low-gain feedback technique and the parameterized algebraic Riccati equations to design the controllers.

P27 Promotes TGF--Mediated Pulmonary Fibrosis via Interacting with MTORC2.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a progressive and life-threatening pulmonary disease, is the main pathological basis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) which includes the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). No effective therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis has been established. TGF- signaling has emerged as the vital regulator of PF; however, the detailed molecular mechanisms of TGF- in PF were uncertain.

High mobility group box-1-toll-like receptor 4-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B-mediated generation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the dorsal root ganglion promotes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a significant side effect of chemotherapeutics. The mechanisms of CIPN remain substantially unidentified, although inflammation-induced peripheral sensitization has been indicated as an important factor. Here, we aimed to illustrate the role of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9-related signaling pathway in the process of CIPN.

PID Control for Synchronization of Complex Dynamical Networks With Directed Topologies.

Over the past decades, the synchronization of complex networks with directed topologies has received considerable attention owing to its extensive applications in the realistic world. Design of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control protocols for achieving synchronization with directed networks is known to be a challenging task. The purpose of this paper is to establish a connection between the PID control protocols and synchronization of complex dynamical networks with directed topologies.

Correction: Increased Levels of Plasma Soluble Sema4D in Patients with Heart Failure.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

P-th moment and almost sure stability of stochastic switched nonlinear systems.

This paper mainly tends to utilize [Formula: see text]-type function to investigate p-th moment and almost sure stability for a class of stochastic switched nonlinear systems. Based on the multiple Lyapunov functions approach, some sufficient conditions are derived to check the stability criteria of stochastic switched nonlinear systems. One numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.

Inverse Correlation Between Plasma Adropin and ET-1 Levels in Essential Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Adropin is a recently identified bioactive protein that promotes energy homeostasis by affecting glucose and lipid metabolism. Recently, adropin has also been reported to be associated with endothelial dysfunction. Also, ET-1, as a biomarker for endothelial dysfunction, is a key regulator in hypertension.

Vitamin D Supplementation in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: In recent years, there has been growing evidence that vitamin D deficiency is associated with the development and progression of chronic heart failure (CHF).

Hypothesis: Additional supplementation of vitamin D may have protective effects in patients with CHF.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases through June 2015 and included 7 randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of vitamin D on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CHF.

Serum Mimecan Is Associated With Arterial Stiffness in Hypertensive Patients.

Background: Mimecan plays an important role in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell integrity and may be involved the pathology of arterial stiffness. However, the role of mimecan in arterial stiffness in patients with hypertension is not well defined.

Methods And Results: A total of 116 hypertension patients and 54 healthy controls were enrolled in the investigation.

Influence of insulin resistance on in-stent restenosis in patients undergoing coronary drug-eluting stent implantation after long-term angiographic follow-up.

Objective: Previous studies have reported that insulin resistance is related to early in-stent restenosis (ISR) after coronary stenting. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of insulin resistance on the long-term angiographic outcome in patients undergoing coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.

Materials And Methods: Within a single hospital-based cohort of patients (n=529) who underwent coronary DES implantation, angiographic follow-up was performed successfully for 417 study patients at 12-48 months after coronary stenting.

Increased levels of plasma soluble Sema4D in patients with heart failure.

Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D/CD100) is a 150-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein expressed by platelets and T-cells. When these cells are activated, Sema4D is cleaved proteolytically, generating a biologically active 120-kDa fragment (soluble Sema4D) capable of targeting receptors on platelets, B-cells, endothelial cells and tumor cells. However, its plasma levels and significance in heart failure (HF) have not been reported.

[Fluorescence study on the interaction of narrow distribution low polymerization degree chitooligosaccharides and human serum albumin].

Chitosan (CTS), a linear binary copolymer of (1-->8)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose (GlcNAc unit) and 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose (GlcNH2 unit), is derived from chitin by alkaline deacetylation. In the present work, the narrow molecular weight distribution chitooligosaccharides were prepared by degraded CTS with a microwave-assisted-cleavage method of metal-coordinating template-absorption catalytic oxidation. Under physiological pH conditions, the interaction of CTS and the narrow distribution chitooligosaccharides with Human serum albumin (HSA) was preliminarily explored by fluorescence spectra.

[Synthesis of sulfur-contained D(+)-glucosamine metal complexes and interaction with DNA and serum albumin].

Four sulfur-contained D(+)-glucosamine metal complexes were synthesized (M-GLUS, M = Co, Cu, Ni and Zn)and characterized by elementary analysis, molar conductance, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance. The yield of the complex was about 70%, and it dissolved easily in water. The ligand coordinates with metalions mainly between sulphur and metalions, the coordination molar ratio of the ligand to metalion was 2 : 1, and the molar conductivity indicated that all the complexes are nonelectrolyte.

[An experimental study of expression of angiotension converting enzyme 2 in myocardium and effect of telmisartan treatment in pressure-overloaded rats].

Objective: To study the effect of hypertension and telmisartan treatment on the protein and gene expression of cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in pressure-overloaded rats.

Methods: Coarctation of suprarenal abdominal aorta was reproduced in 8 week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and then randomized into 4 groups, including a sham group (n=15), a suprarenal aortic coarctation group (model group, n=12), a suprarenal aortic coarctation with low-dose Telmisartan treatment group (low-dose group, 2 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1), n=11) and a suprarenal aortic coarctation with high-dose Telmisartan treatment group(high-dose group, 10 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1), n=13). Telmisartan or equivalent amount of normal saline was gavaged 24 hours before the operation and once every day afterwards for 3 weeks.