Evaluation and Optimization of Walkability of Children's School Travel Road for Accessibility and Safety Improvement.

(1) Background: In the context of a children friendly city, accessibility and safety are the basic needs of children's pedestrian school travel. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation method of pedestrian accessibility and safety for children's school travel. (2) Methods: Firstly, the school travel network was constructed by simulating the path of children walking to school.

Evaluation of Walking Comfort in Children's School Travel at Street Scale: A Case Study in Tianjin (China).

(1) Background: school travel is an important part of a child's daily activities. A comfortable walking environment can encourage children to walk to school. The existing methods of evaluating walking environments are not specific to children's walks to school.

Supersonic gas flow for preparation of ultrafine silicon powders and mechanochemical synthesis.

We report the supersonic gas flow for crush and mechanochemical synthesis. The key instrument parameters for production of supersonic particle flow, such as annular nozzle, expansion angle and length of the accelerating duct, are theoretically designed and optimized. Based on the theoretical results, supersonic gas flow equipment is fabricated.

A supersonic target jet mill based on the entrainment of annular supersonic flow.

Jet mill is an apparatus that produces superfine powder and is widely used in various industries. In this work, a new supersonic target jet mill based on aerodynamic theory is presented according to the flow field of a traditional jet mill. An annular supersonic flow produced by an annular converging-diverging nozzle is used to entrain the central particle flow by the shear mechanism in this new supersonic target jet mill.

Increased CD160 expression on circulating natural killer cells in atherogenesis.

Background: Atherosclerosis (AS) presents characteristic of a chronic inflammatory disease in which both adaptive and innate immune cells play roles. Accumulating evidence has showed the impairment of natural killer (NK) cells in atherosclerosis, however, the mechanisms of this impairment remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression of CD160 on NK cells and assessed its pathological roles in NK loss during atherogenesis.

Cobalt protoporphyrin induces HO-1 expression mediated partially by FOXO1 and reduces mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species production.

Background: Reactive oxygen species arise in the mitochondria as byproducts of respiration and oxidase activity and have important roles in many physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The level of reactive oxygen species is regulated by a number of enzymes and physiological antioxidants, including HO-1, Sod2, catalase and COX-2, etc. And HO-1 against oxidative stress requires an increase in stress-responsive genes, such as Sod2 and catalase.

In vivo intervertebral disc characterization using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and T1ρ imaging: association with discography and Oswestry Disability Index and Short Form-36 Health Survey.

Study Design: An in vivo study of intervertebral disc degeneration by using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Objective: To quantify water and proteoglycan (PG) content in the intervertebral disc by using in vivo MRS and to evaluate the relationship between MRS-quantified water/PG content, T1ρ, Pfirrmann score, clinical self-assessment, and discography.

Summary Of Background Data: Previous in vitro studies have investigated the relationship between MRS-quantified water/PG content and degenerative grade by using cadaveric intervertebral discs.

In vivo 3.0-tesla magnetic resonance T1rho and T2 relaxation mapping in subjects with intervertebral disc degeneration and clinical symptoms.

The purpose of this study is (1) to determine the correlation between T(1rho) and T(2) and degenerative grade in intervertebral discs using in vivo 3.0-T MRI, and (2) to determine the association between T(1rho) and T(2) and clinical findings as quantified by the SF-36 Questionnaire and Oswestry Disability Index. Sixteen subjects participated in this study, and each completed SF-36 and Oswestry Disability Index questionnaires.

Gene expression profile of human skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of Chinese Han patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To study the differential patterns of gene expression in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and healthy subjects using DNA microarray analysis.

Methods: T2DM patiens were divided into female group, young male group and old male group. DNA microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR were carried out to analyze the relation between gene expressions and T2DM.

Assessment of intervertebral disc degeneration with magnetic resonance single-voxel spectroscopy.

This study examined the feasibility of using short-echo water-suppressed point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) on a clinical 3T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner for evaluating biochemical changes in degenerated bovine and cadaveric human intervertebral discs. In bovine discs (N = 17), degeneration was induced with papain injections. Degeneration of human cadaveric discs (N = 27) was assessed using the Pfirrmann grading on T(2)-weighted images.

High prevalence of the connexin 26 (GJB2) mutation in Chinese cochlear implant recipients.

Background: The GJB2 gene, mapping to chromosome 13q12, encodes a gap junction protein, connexin 26, and is responsible for certain forms of congenital deafness, such as DFNB1 and DFNA3. Mutations of this gene are responsible for about one half of severe autosomal recessive non-syndromic deafness.

Methods: To determine whether GJB2 mutations are major causes of deafness in Chinese cochlear implant recipients, we enrolled 115 cochlear implant recipients for mutation screening.

Assessment of cartilage-dedicated sequences at ultra-high-field MRI: comparison of imaging performance and diagnostic confidence between 3.0 and 7.0 T with respect to osteoarthritis-induced changes at the knee joint.

Objective: The objectives of the study were to optimize three cartilage-dedicated sequences for in vivo knee imaging at 7.0 T ultra-high-field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to compare imaging performance and diagnostic confidence concerning osteoarthritis (OA)-induced changes at 7.0 and 3.

Proteomics-based identification of differentially-expressed proteins including galectin-1 in the blood plasma of type 2 diabetic patients.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a very heterogeneous and multifactorial disease. The pathophysiology of T2D is presumed to occur with an alteration in the levels of plasma proteins. To identify these differentially expressed proteins, plasma samples from normal and T2D humans were subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, quantitative densitometry, and mass spectrometry.

Quantitative assessment of bone marrow edema-like lesion and overlying cartilage in knees with osteoarthritis and anterior cruciate ligament tear using MR imaging and spectroscopic imaging at 3 Tesla.

Purpose: To quantitatively assess bone marrow edema-like lesion (BMEL) and the overlying cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA) or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knees using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopic imaging (MRSI).

Materials And Methods: Eight healthy controls and 30 patients with OA and other injuries who showed BMEL were scanned at 3.0T.

Relationship between trabecular bone structure and articular cartilage morphology and relaxation times in early OA of the knee joint using parallel MRI at 3 T.

Objective: To evaluate trabecular bone structure in relationship with cartilage parameters in distal femur and proximal tibia of the human knee at 3Tesla (3T) using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with parallel imaging.

Method: Sixteen healthy controls and 16 patients with mild osteoarthritis (OA) were studied using a 3T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner and an eight-channel phased-array knee coil. Axial 3D GeneRalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisition (GRAPPA)-based phase cycled Fast Imaging Employing Steady State Acquisition (FIESTA-c) images were acquired in order to quantify the trabecular bone structure.

[Screening of SLC26A4 (PDS) gene mutation in cochlear implant recipients with inner ear malformation].

Objective: To determine the prevalence of SLC26A4 (PDS) gene mutations in cochlear implant recipients with inner ear malformation, and the correlation between SLC26A4 (PDS) gene mutation and inner ear malformation and intra-operative testing of the electrically evoked auditory nerve compound action potentials (ECAP).

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 48 cochlear implant recipients with temporal bone malformation and 50 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from the blood; PCR and direct sequencing were used to detect the mutations of SLC26A4 (PDS) gene.

Chlorido[6-phenyl-4-(p-tol-yl)-2,2'-bipyridyl-κN,N']platinum(II).

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Pt(C(23)H(17)N(2))Cl], contains two independent mol-ecules with distinct dihedral angles between the central pyridyl and methylbenzene rings [7.77 (2) and 24.07 (2)°].

Reproducibility of the quantitative assessment of cartilage morphology and trabecular bone structure with magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T.

To assess the reproducibility of quantitative measurements of cartilage morphology and trabecular bone structure of the knee at 7 T, high-resolution sagittal spoiled gradient-echo images and high-resolution axial fully refocused steady-state free-precession (SSFP) images from six healthy volunteers were acquired with a 7-T scanner. The subjects were repositioned between repeated scans to test the reproducibility of the measurements. The reproducibility of each measurement was evaluated using the coefficient(s) of variation (CV).

Pentaspan membrane glycoprotein, prominin-1, is involved in glucose metabolism and cytoskeleton alteration.

This study constitutes the first report revealing the participation of prominin-1 in glucose metabolism and cytoskeleton alteration. Upon stimulation with high glucose, the expression of prominin-1 was up-regulated with concomitant down-regulation of its phosphorylation. Prominin-1 mutated at its phosphorylation site inflicted a global change in the expression of several genes associated with glucose metabolism in L6 myotube cells.

Parallel imaging of knee cartilage at 3 Tesla.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of quantitative cartilage imaging with parallel imaging at 3T and to determine the impact of the acceleration factor (AF) on morphological and relaxation measurements.

Materials And Methods: An eight-channel phased-array knee coil was employed for conventional and parallel imaging on a 3T scanner. The imaging protocol consisted of a T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE), a 3D-spoiled gradient echo (SPGR), a custom 3D-SPGR T1rho, and a 3D-SPGR T2 sequence.

[Analysis of genetic mutation in patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss received cochlear implant].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of mutations of the gap junction protein (GJB) 2 and mitochondria 12SrRNA in patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss who received cochlear implant.

Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples obtained from 100 Chinese patients who had received cochlear implantation, 96 with prelingual hearing loss and 4 with postlingual hearing loss, all very severe. Sixteen of the 100 patients had the history of application of aminoglycosides, among which 12 were with prelingual hearing loss and 4 with postlingual hearing loss.

Protein kinase C-zeta regulation of GLUT4 translocation through actin remodeling in CHO cells.

Actin remodeling plays a crucial role in insulin-induced translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane and subsequent glucose transport. Protein kinase C (PKC) zeta has been implicated in this translocation process, although the exact mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of PKCzeta on actin cytoskeleton and translocation of GLUT4 in CHO-K1 cells expressing myc-tagged GLUT4.

[Regulation of tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases activity by sulfotyrosine].

Objective: To investigate the role of sulfated tyrosine in regulating the activity of tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPST) 1 and TPST2.

Methods: Constructs of TPST 1 and TPST2 were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), then fused into immunoglobulin G1 Fc region. All the variants in which sulfated tyrosines were mutated to phenylalanine were made by the PCR-based Quick Change method and confirmed by sequencing the entire reading frame.

Validation of V-SS-PARSE for single-shot flow measurement.

As a variant of Single-Shot Parameter Assessment by Retrieval from Signal Encoding, Velocity Single-Shot Parameter Assessment by Retrieval from Signal Encoding, a single-shot imaging method, has been developed to realize fast and straightforward flow quantification by solving inverse problems. A robust signal model, including its local magnetization and its phase evolution during signaling (resulting in a more precise representation of the sampled signal) is described here. Magnitude, velocity, relaxation rate and frequency information can be retrieved without any extra reference image acquisitions, as demonstrated by phantom studies.