Biological behaviour of human umbilical artery smooth muscle cell grown on nickel-free and nickel-containing stainless steel for stent implantation.

To evaluate the clinical potential of high nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel (HNNF SS), we have compared the cellular and molecular responses of human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs) to HNNF SS and 316L SS (nickel-containing austenitic 316L stainless steel). CCK-8 analysis and flow cytometric analysis were used to assess the cellular responses (proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle), and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the gene expression profiles of HUASMCs exposed to HNNF SS and 316L SS, respectively. CCK-8 analysis demonstrated that HUASMCs cultured on HNNF SS proliferated more slowly than those on 316L SS.

[Regional differences on patterns of physical activity and leisure sedentary time: findings from the China Kadoorie Biobank study, including a million people from 10 regions].

Objective: To describe the gender and regional differences in patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior across 10 study areas through data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) that involving half a million adults.

Methods: The baseline survey of CKB took place in 5 urban and 5 rural areas across China during 2004-2008. After excluding those who had a prior history of heart disease, stroke and/or cancer, 486 514 participants (age: 30-79 y) were included in the analyses.

The Yeast Prion [SWI(+)] Abolishes Multicellular Growth by Triggering Conformational Changes of Multiple Regulators Required for Flocculin Gene Expression.

Although transcription factors are prevalent among yeast prion proteins, the role of prion-mediated transcriptional regulation remains elusive. Here, we show that the yeast prion [SWI(+)] abolishes flocculin (FLO) gene expression and results in a complete loss of multicellularity. Further investigation demonstrates that besides Swi1, multiple other proteins essential for FLO expression, including Mss11, Sap30, and Msn1 also undergo conformational changes and become inactivated in [SWI(+)] cells.

Associations of Body Composition Measurements with Serum Lipid, Glucose and Insulin Profile: A Chinese Twin Study.

Objectives: To quantitate and compare the associations of various body composition measurements with serum metabolites and to what degree genetic or environmental factors affect obesity-metabolite relation.

Methods: Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), lean body mass (LBM), percent body fat (PBF), fasting serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), glucose, insulin and lifestyle factors were assessed in 903 twins from Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR). Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated from fasting serum glucose and insulin.

A novel insight in exploring the positive end expiratory pressure for sustained ventilation after lung recruitment in a porcine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The aim of the present study was to explore a novel insight to determine the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) for sustained ventilation after lung recruitment in an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) model. Continuous infusion of oleic acid was performed to establish a ARDS model. Pressure control ventilation (PCV) was applied for lung recruitment with PEEP of 20 cm H2O.

Genetic analysis of 17 Y-STR loci from 1019 individuals of six Han populations in East China.

In this study, we analyzed 17 Y-STRs on 1019 male Han individuals collected from six provinces in East China, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shandong, Shanghai and Zhejiang. The haplotype diversities of six populations reach to 0.99991, 0.

Contrasting male and female trends in tobacco-attributed mortality in China: evidence from successive nationwide prospective cohort studies.

Background: Chinese men now smoke more than a third of the world's cigarettes, following a large increase in urban then rural usage. Conversely, Chinese women now smoke far less than in previous generations. We assess the oppositely changing effects of tobacco on male and female mortality.

Genetic and Environmental Effects on Weight, Height, and BMI Under 18 Years in a Chinese Population-Based Twin Sample.

This study examined the genetic and environmental effects on variances in weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) under 18 years in a population-based sample from China. We selected 6,644 monozygotic and 5,969 dizygotic twin pairs from the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) aged under 18 years (n = 12,613). Classic twin analyses with sex limitation were used to estimate the genetic and environmental components of weight, height, and BMI in six age groups.

Regional homogeneity changes in patients with primary insomnia.

Purpose: The study aimed to explore the regional spontaneous activity changes in primary insomnia (PI) patients.

Materials And Methods: Based on the resting-state fMRI datasets acquired from 59 PI patients and 47 healthy controls, a two-sample t-test was performed on individual normalized regional homogeneity (ReHo) maps. Relationships between abnormal ReHo values and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) were investigated with Pearson correlation analysis.

E6 and E7 gene silencing results in decreased methylation of tumor suppressor genes and induces phenotype transformation of human cervical carcinoma cell lines.

In SiHa and CaSki cells, E6 and E7-targeting shRNA specifically and effectively knocked down human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 E6 and E7 at the transcriptional level, reduced the E6 and E7 mRNA levels by more than 80% compared with control cells that expressed a scrambled-sequence shRNA. E6 and E7 repression resulted in down-regulation of DNA methyltransferase mRNA and protein expression, decreased DNA methylation and increased mRNA expression levels of tumor suppressor genes, induced a certain apoptosis and inhibited proliferation in E6 and E7 shRNA-infected SiHa and CaSki cells compared with the uninfected cells. Repression of E6 and E7 oncogenes resulted in restoration of DNA methyltransferase suppressor pathways and induced apoptosis in HPV16-positive cervical carcinoma cell lines.

Effects of different three-dimensional electrodes on epiretinal electrical stimulation by modeling analysis.

Background: Epiretinal prostheses have been greatly successful in helping restore the vision of patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases. The design of stimulating electrodes plays a crucial role in the performance of epiretinal prostheses. The objective of this study was to investigate, through computational modeling analysis, the effects on the excitation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) when different three-dimensional (3-D) electrodes were placed in the epiretinal space.

Gallstone Disease and the Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease.

Objective: Gallstone disease (GSD) is related to multiple cardiovascular risk factors; the present study was to prospectively examine the association between GSD and ischemic heart disease (IHD).

Approach And Results: We examined the association of GSD with IHD among 199 292 men and 288 081 women aged 30-79 years in the China Kadoorie Biobank study. Participants with cancer, heart disease, and stroke at baseline were excluded.

Consumption of spicy foods and total and cause specific mortality: population based cohort study.

Objective: To examine the associations between the regular consumption of spicy foods and total and cause specific mortality.

Design: Population based prospective cohort study.

Setting: China Kadoorie Biobank in which participants from 10 geographically diverse areas across China were enrolled between 2004 and 2008.

Properties of electrically evoked potentials activated by optic nerve stimulation with penetrating electrodes of different modes in rabbits.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of different stimulation modes on cortical electrically evoked potentials (EEPs) by intraorbital optic nerve (ON) stimulation with penetrating electrodes.

Methods: A stimulating electrode array with three electrodes arranged linearly was inserted into the ON along its axis. EEPs were recorded using a 4 × 4 silver-ball electrode array in response to monopolar and bipolar stimulation mode, respectively.

Major Dietary Patterns in Relation to General and Central Obesity among Chinese Adults.

Limited evidence exists for the association between diet pattern and obesity phenotypes among Chinese adults. In the present study, we analyzed the cross-sectional data from 474,192 adults aged 30-79 years from the China Kadoorie Biobank baseline survey. Food consumption was collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire.

[The value of lung ultrasound score on evaluating clinical severity and prognosis in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome].

Objective: To evaluate the value of lung ultrasound score (LUS) on assessing the severity and prognosis in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and to investigate its correlation with oxygenation index, acute physiology and chronic health evaluationII (APACHEII) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS), and other traditional parameters.

Methods: A prospective double-blind cohort study was conducted. Sixty-two ARDS patients conformed to the Berlin diagnostic criteria admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Beijing Huaxin Hospital from October 2013 to December 2014 were enrolled, including 14 cases with mild, 18 moderate, and 30 severe ARDS; among them 37 cases were of ARDS with pulmonary origin, and 25 non-pulmonary ARDS; 35 patients survived, and 27 died.

Fluorescence characteristics and lifetime images of photosensitizers of talaporfin sodium and sodium pheophorbide a in normal and cancer cells.

Fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetime images of talaporfin sodium and sodium-pheophorbide a, which can be regarded as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy, were measured in normal and cancer cells. The reduction of the fluorescence intensity by photoirradiation was observed for both photosensitizers in both cells, but the quenching rate was much faster in cancer cells than in normal cells. These results are explained in terms of the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species via photoexcitation of these photosensitizers in cancer cells.

Image Processing Strategies Based on a Visual Saliency Model for Object Recognition Under Simulated Prosthetic Vision.

Retinal prostheses have the potential to restore partial vision. Object recognition in scenes of daily life is one of the essential tasks for implant wearers. Still limited by the low-resolution visual percepts provided by retinal prostheses, it is important to investigate and apply image processing methods to convey more useful visual information to the wearers.

Spatial characteristics of evoked potentials elicited by a MEMS microelectrode array for suprachoroidal-transretinal stimulation in a rabbit.

Background: Suprachoroidal-transretinal stimulation (STS) can potentially restore vision. This study investigated the spatial characteristics of cortical electrical evoked potentials (EEPs) elicited by STS.

Methods: A 4 × 4 thin-film platinum microelectrode stimulating array (200 μm electrode diameter and 400 μm center-to-center distance) was fabricated by a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) techniques and implanted into the suprachoroidal space of albino rabbits.

[A survey on the condition of bike lanes in 12 cities, China].

Objective: To explore the condition on bike lanes and the relationship with GDP of the related cities, residential of regions and prosperity of streets in 12 selected cities in China.

Methods: Eexistence and maintenance of bike lanes were examinedin in all the streets under survey in 333 blocks of 12 cities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Nantong, Zhenjiang, Chengdu, Xining and Harbin). Data were collected on GDP of the related cities, together with the sizes of population and proportion of the 333 blocksand the numbers of stores and restaurants in those streets.