Diffusion tensor MR imaging characteristics of cerebral white matter development in fetal pigs.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the anisotropic features of fetal pig cerebral white matter (WM) development by magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging, and to evaluate the developmental status of cerebral WM in different anatomical sites at different times.

Methods: Fetal pigs were divided into three groups according to gestational age: E69 (n = 8), E85 (n = 11), and E114 (n = 6). All pigs were subjected to conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging using a GE Signa 3.

Nanoscale Metal-Organic Layers for Deeply Penetrating X-ray-Induced Photodynamic Therapy.

We report the rational design of metal-organic layers (MOLs) that are built from [Hf O (OH) (HCO ) ] secondary building units (SBUs) and Ir[bpy(ppy) ] - or [Ru(bpy) ] -derived tricarboxylate ligands (Hf-BPY-Ir or Hf-BPY-Ru; bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, ppy=2-phenylpyridine) and their applications in X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy (X-PDT) of colon cancer. Heavy Hf atoms in the SBUs efficiently absorb X-rays and transfer energy to Ir[bpy(ppy) ] or [Ru(bpy) ] moieties to induce PDT by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ability of X-rays to penetrate deeply into tissue and efficient ROS diffusion through ultrathin 2D MOLs (ca.

In situ reduction of silver nanoparticles by chitosan-l-glutamic acid/hyaluronic acid: Enhancing antimicrobial and wound-healing activity.

Spongy composites with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by freeze-drying a mixture of silver nitrate (AgNO) and chitosan-l-glutamic acid (CG) derivative loaded with hyaluronic acid (HA) solution. CG/AgNP spongy composites had an interconnected porous structure and rough surfaces. When AgNPs (5-20nm) were immobilized on these spongy composites, AgNP aggregation was dependent on AgNO concentration.

Activation and synchronization of the oscillatory morphodynamics in multicellular monolayer.

Oscillatory morphodynamics provides necessary mechanical cues for many multicellular processes. Owing to their collective nature, these processes require robustly coordinated dynamics of individual cells, which are often separated too distantly to communicate with each other through biomaterial transportation. Although it is known that the mechanical balance generally plays a significant role in the systems' morphologies, it remains elusive whether and how the mechanical components may contribute to the systems' collective morphodynamics.

Influence of endoscopic sinus surgery on the quality of life of patients with early nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the analysis of prognosis-related factors.

The aim of this study is investigate the influence of endoscopic sinus surgery on the quality of life and prognosis of patients with early nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Patients initially diagnosed with early nasopharyngeal carcinoma and received surgical treatment were matched with nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who received chemoradiotherapy at a ratio of 1:1, according to the following seven factors: gender, age, T staging, N staging, clinical staging, radiotherapy options, and chemotherapy options. Patients in the surgery group received endoscopic sinus surgery plus chemoradiotherapy, while subjects in the control group received chemoradiotherapy.

Effects of high CD4 cell counts on death and attrition among HIV patients receiving antiretroviral treatment: an observational cohort study.

Current WHO guidelines recommend initiating ART regardless of CD4+ cell count. In response, we conducted an observational cohort study to assess the effects of pre-ART CD4+ cell count levels on death, attrition, and death or attrition in HIV treated patients. This large HIV treatment cohort study (n = 49,155) from 2010 to 2015 was conducted in Guangxi, China.

Prediction of crystal morphology of 3,4-Dinitro-1H-pyrazole (DNP) in different solvents.

Analytical grade ethyl acetate was used to recrystallize 3,4-Dinitro-1H-pyrazole (DNP), it was found that there were two different morphologies of the crystals. There is a possibility that ethyl acetate undergoes hydrolysis due to the absorption of moisture in the air. The influence of the hydrolysis products of acetic acid and ethanol on the morphology of DNP crystal was considered.

In situ assembly of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on porous silkworm cocoon-based wound film: enhanced antimicrobial and wound healing activity.

Preventing wound infection and retaining an appropriate level of moisture around wounds represent the most critical issues in wound treatment. Towards these ends, special focus has been placed on Bombyx mori cocoons because the protective function of the silkworm cocoon resembles the manner in which the skin protects the human body. We have designed a facile technique to develop a novel silkworm cocoon-based wound film (SCWF) wound dressing utilizing a CaCl-ethanol-HO solution.

Molecular characterization of a novel bipartite begomovirus isolated from Lycianthes biflora in China.

A bipartite begomovirus isolate GD was isolated from Lycianthes biflora plants showing yellow mosaic symptoms in Nanxiong, Guangdong Province, China. The apparently full-length DNA-A and DNA-B viral components were cloned after enrichment of circular DNA by rolling circle amplification, restriction digestion, cloning, and DNA sequencing. The DNA-A component (2752nt, KT582302) shares highest (80.

Accelerated wound-healing capabilities of a dressing fabricated from silkworm cocoon.

Silk fibroin materials have shown some success in wound dressing applications; however, their use for this purpose remains limited by a complex production process and wasted sericin. In the present study, Bombyx mori cocoon materials are used because the protective function of the silkworm cocoon resembles the manner in which the skin protects the human body. A series of silkworm cocoon sol-gel film (SCSF) wound dressings are prepared by immersion in a CaCl-ethanol-HO solution for different treatment times.

[Study on HIV-1 subtype among elderly male clients and female sex workers of low-cost venues in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China].

To understand HIV-1 subtype characteristics and transmission clusters in elderly male clients and female sex workers (FSWs) of low-cost commercial sex venues in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. A cross sectional survey was conducted in FSWs and elderly male clients (≥50 years) of low-cost commercial sex venues in 4 cities and 9 counties in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region by convenient sampling in 2012. The blood sample was collected from each case for HIV-1 antibody detection.

Design of a k-space spectrometer for ultra-broad waveband spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Nonlinear sampling of the interferograms in wavenumber (k) space degrades the depth-dependent signal sensitivity in conventional spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Here we report a linear-in-wavenumber (k-space) spectrometer for an ultra-broad bandwidth (760 nm-920 nm) SD-OCT, whereby a combination of a grating and a prism serves as the dispersion group. Quantitative ray tracing is applied to optimize the linearity and minimize the optical path differences for the dispersed wavenumbers.

Numerical investigations of flow and passive pollutant exposure in high-rise deep street canyons with various street aspect ratios and viaduct settings.

Vehicular pollutant exposure of residents and pedestrians in high-rise deep street canyons with viaducts and noise barriers requires special concerns because the ventilation capacity is weak and the literature reported inconsistent findings on flow patterns as aspect ratios (building height/street width, H/W) are larger than 2. By conducting computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations coupled with the intake fraction iF and the daily pollutant exposure E, this paper investigates the impact of street aspect ratios, viaducts and noise barriers on the flow and vehicular passive pollutant exposure in full-scale street canyons (H/W=1-6, W=24m). iF represents the fraction of total emissions inhaled by a population (1ppm=10), while E means the extent of human beings' contact with pollutants within one day.

Rubber Trees Demonstrate a Clear Retranslocation Under Seasonal Drought and Cold Stresses.

Having been introduced to the northern edge of Asian tropics, the rubber tree () has become deciduous in this climate with seasonal drought and cold stresses. To determine its internal nutrient strategy during leaf senescence and deciduous periods, we investigated mature leaf and senescent leaf nutrients, water-soluble soil nutrients and characteristics of soil microbiota in nine different ages of monoculture rubber plantations. Rubber trees demonstrate complicated retranslocation of N, P, and K during foliar turnover.

Scriptaid Upregulates Expression of Development-Related Genes, Inhibits Apoptosis, and Improves the Development of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Mini-Pig Embryos.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the mechanisms by which Scriptaid treatment improves the developmental competence of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) mini-pig embryos in vitro. We found that treatment with 500 nmol/L Scriptaid for 15 hours significantly improved the development of mini-pig SCNT embryos. Compared with the control group, the blastocyst rate was higher (18.

Graphene-Based Long-Period Fiber Grating Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor for High-Sensitivity Gas Sensing.

A graphene-based long-period fiber grating (LPFG) surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor is proposed. A monolayer of graphene is coated onto the Ag film surface of the LPFG SPR sensor, which increases the intensity of the evanescent field on the surface of the fiber and thereby enhances the interaction between the SPR wave and molecules. Such features significantly improve the sensitivity of the sensor.

[Application of cut needle biopsy in the diagnosis of submucosal type of nasopharyngeal neoplasms].

To evaluate the efficacy of cut needle biopsy in the diagnosis of submucosal nasopharyngeal neoplasms. Cut needle biopsy performed with automatic biopsy gun was applied in 17 cases with submucosal type of nasopharyngeal neoplasms.The bleeding quantity was recorded and the pain was measured by score.

Study of Repetitive Movements Induced Oscillatory Activities in Healthy Subjects and Chronic Stroke Patients.

Repetitive movements at a constant rate require the integration of internal time counting and motor neural networks. Previous studies have proved that humans can follow short durations automatically (automatic timing) but require more cognitive efforts to track or estimate long durations. In this study, we studied sensorimotor oscillatory activities in healthy subjects and chronic stroke patients when subjects were performing repetitive finger movements.

A Major QTL, Which Is Co-located with , and Two Minor QTLs Are Associated with Glume Opening Angle in Barley ( L.).

Cleistogamous and chasmogamous are two opposing phenomena for flowering in barley. Cleistogamy limits the rate of outcrossing, and increases the cost of producing hybrid barley seeds. Selecting chasmogamous lines with a large glume opening angle (GOA) is essential for the utilization of barley heterosis.

Preparation and characterization of N-chitosan as a wound healing accelerator.

Chitosan is insoluble in water due to its rigid crystalline structure, which has significantly restricted its application in wound healing. The objective of this study was to synthesize a water-soluble chitosan derivative, N-succinyl-chitosan (NSC), and evaluate its ability to accelerate the wound healing process. NSC was synthesized with succinic anhydride, hydrochloric acid, and alkaline chitosan under optimized conditions, and characterized using Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy; thermal gravimetric analysis; and a solubility test.

Vaccination practices in patients with inflammatory bowel disease among general internal medicine physicians in the USA.

Background: Increasing prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) poses significant challenges to medical community. Preventive medicine, including vaccination against opportunistic infections, is important in decreasing morbidity and mortality in patients with IBD. We conduct first study to evaluate general awareness and adherence to immunisation guidelines by primary care physicians in the USA.

Single-Site Cobalt Catalysts at New Zr8(μ2-O)8(μ2-OH)4 Metal-Organic Framework Nodes for Highly Active Hydrogenation of Alkenes, Imines, Carbonyls, and Heterocycles.

We report here the synthesis of robust and porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), M-MTBC (M = Zr or Hf), constructed from the tetrahedral linker methane-tetrakis(p-biphenylcarboxylate) (MTBC) and two types of secondary building units (SBUs): cubic M8(μ2-O)8(μ2-OH)4 and octahedral M6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4. While the M6-SBU is isostructural with the 12-connected octahedral SBUs of UiO-type MOFs, the M8-SBU is composed of eight M(IV) ions in a cubic fashion linked by eight μ2-oxo and four μ2-OH groups. The metalation of Zr-MTBC SBUs with CoCl2, followed by treatment with NaBEt3H, afforded highly active and reusable solid Zr-MTBC-CoH catalysts for the hydrogenation of alkenes, imines, carbonyls, and heterocycles.

Study on temporary resolution for offshore marine oil spill emergencies based on remote sensing system.

Time is particularly critical for an oil spill occurring in the ocean as wind and current can rapidly spread the oil over a large area in a short time. Using the features of sensor surveillance system and mathematical trajectory models, the cooperation of surveillance and trajectory under oil spill emergency response is presented in this paper. Based on integration of equation simulating an oil spill trajectory, the method for remote-sensing application time (Te) has been described, and optimization of processing time described in the application time equation has been proposed.

[Contrastive analysis of artifacts produced by metal dental crowns in 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging with six sequences].

Objective: This study aimed to observe and evaluate six 3.0 T sequences of metallic artifacts produced by metal dental crowns.

Methods: Dental crowns fabricated with four different materials (Co-Gr, Ni-Gr, Ti alloy and pure Ti) were evaluated.