Protection against inhalation anthrax by immunization with Ty21a stably producing protective antigen of .

The national blueprint for biodefense concluded that the United States is underprepared for biological threats. The licensed anthrax vaccine absorbed vaccine, BioThrax, requires administration of at least 3-5 intramuscular doses. The anthrax vaccine absorbed vaccine consists of complex cell-free culture filtrates of a toxigenic strain and causes tenderness at the injection site and significant adverse events.

Mycobacterium abscessus Osteomyelitis of the Calcaneus Presenting as Tumor-Mimicking Lesions: A Case Report.

Case: We present the case of a 51-year-old immunocompetent man with refractory heel pain who initially had been treated for plantar fasciitis. However, the pain was proven to be caused by a Mycobacterium abscessus infection of the calcaneus. The process of diagnosis and treatment is described.

Thermodynamic Properties at Saturation Derived from Experimental Two-Phase Isochoric Heat Capacity of 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide.

New measurements are reported for the isochoric heat capacity of the ionic liquid substance 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide ([C6mim][NTf2]). These measurements extend the ranges of our earlier study [N.G.

Unexpected catalytic performance of Fe-M-C (M = N, P, and S) electrocatalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction: surface heteroatoms boost the activity of FeM/graphene nanocomposites.

The rational design of non-noble materials as low-cost, highly efficient, and durable catalysts to improve the oxygen reduction reaction is extremely urgent and challenging. The oxygen reduction reaction is a kinetically sluggish process that greatly affects the energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, novel hierarchical heteroatoms-co-doped FeM/graphene (M = P, N) nanocomposites were developed by a facile strategy, including hydrothermal and subsequent calcination methods.

DLP1-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation and redistribution mediate prion-associated mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death.

Mitochondrial malfunction is a universal and critical step in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases including prion diseases. Dynamin-like protein 1 (DLP1) is one of the key regulators of mitochondrial fission. In this study, we investigated the role of DLP1 in mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction in neurons using in vitro and in vivo prion disease models.

Hispolon Suppresses LPS- or LTA-Induced iNOS/NO Production and Apoptosis in BV-2 Microglial Cells.

Hispolon (HIS) is an active polyphenol compound derived from Phellinus linteus (Berkeley & Curtis), and our previous study showed that HIS effectively inhibited inflammatory responses in macrophages [Yang, L.Y., S.

A new antagonist for CCR4 attenuates allergic lung inflammation in a mouse model of asthma.

CCR4 is highly expressed on Th2 cells. CCR4 ligands include CCL22 and CCL17. Chemokine-like factor 1 can also mediate chemotaxis via CCR4.

The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index is a better predictor of survival in operated lung cancer patients than the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indices.

Objectives: To compare the prognostic performance between different comorbidity assessments of survival in patients with operated lung cancer.

Methods: A total of 4508 lung cancer patients treated by surgery between 2003 and 2012 were identified through Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Information on pre-existing comorbidities prior to the cancer diagnosis was obtained and adapted to the Charlson comorbidity index, age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) and Elixhauser comorbidity index scores.

Intranasal Vaccination with Mannosylated Chitosan Formulated DNA Vaccine Enables Robust IgA and Cellular Response Induction in the Lungs of Mice and Improves Protection against Pulmonary Mycobacterial Challenge.

Induction of specific humoral and cellular immunity in the lung airways is proposed to be critical for vaccine protection against (). To facilitate airway delivery and antigen targeting to the antigen presenting cells in the alveoli, we employed mannosylated chitosan (MCS) to formulate a multi-T-epitope DNA vaccine, pPES, as an intranasal TB vaccine. MCS-DNA nanoparticles appeared spherical with the average particle sizes as 400 nm.

A comparative research on obesity hypertension by the comparisons and associations between waist circumference, body mass index with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the clinical laboratory data between four special Chinese adult groups.

Background: The obesity-hypertension pathogenesis is complex. From the phenotype to molecular mechanism, there is a long way to clarify the mechanism. To explore the association between obesity and hypertension, we correlate the phenotypes such as the waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SB), and diastolic blood pressure (DB) with the clinical laboratory data between four specific Chinese adult physical examination groups (newly diagnosed untreated just-obesity group, newly diagnosed untreated obesity-hypertension group, newly diagnosed untreated just-hypertension group, and normal healthy group), and the results may show something.

Preoperative serum lipid profile and outcome in nonmetastatic colorectal cancer.

Objective: A large portion of non-metastatic colorectal cancers (non-mCRCs) recur after curative surgery. In addition to the traditional tumor-related factors, host-related factors are also required to accurately predict prognosis. A few studies have shown an association between the serum lipid profile and the survival and treatment response of patients with colorectal cancer.

Coaxial Carbon/MnO Hollow Nanofibers as Sulfur Hosts for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have recently attracted a large amount of attention as promising candidates for next-generation high-power energy storage devices because of their high theoretical capacity and energy density. However, the shuttle effect of polysulfides and poor conductivity of sulfur are still vital issues that constrain their specific capacity and cyclic stability. Here, we design coaxial MnO -graphitic carbon hollow nanofibers as sulfur hosts for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

Prediction for Intravenous Immunoglobulin Resistance by Using Weighted Genetic Risk Score Identified From Genome-Wide Association Study in Kawasaki Disease.

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the treatment of choice in Kawasaki disease (KD). IVIG is used to prevent cardiovascular complications related to KD. However, a proportion of KD patients have persistent fever after IVIG treatment and are defined as IVIG resistant.

Low temperature growth of fully covered single-layer graphene using a CoCu catalyst.

A bimetallic CoCu alloy thin-film catalyst is developed that enables the growth of uniform, high-quality graphene at 750 °C in 3 min by chemical vapour deposition. The growth outcome is found to vary significantly as the Cu concentration is varied, with ∼1 at% Cu added to Co yielding complete coverage single-layer graphene growth for the conditions used. The suppression of multilayer formation is attributable to Cu decoration of high reactivity sites on the Co surface which otherwise serve as preferential nucleation sites for multilayer graphene.

Municipal solid waste management planning for Xiamen City, China: a stochastic fractional inventory-theory-based approach.

In this study, a stochastic fractional inventory-theory-based waste management planning (SFIWP) model was developed and applied for supporting long-term planning of the municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Xiamen City, the special economic zone of Fujian Province, China. In the SFIWP model, the techniques of inventory model, stochastic linear fractional programming, and mixed-integer linear programming were integrated in a framework. Issues of waste inventory in MSW management system were solved, and the system efficiency was maximized through considering maximum net-diverted wastes under various constraint-violation risks.

Prognostic performance of three lymph node staging schemes for patients with Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction.

The prognostic performance of different lymph node staging schemes for adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) remains controversial. The objective of the present study was to compare the prognostic efficacy of the number of lymph node metastases (LNMs), the positive lymph node ratio (LNR) and the log odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS). Patients diagnosed with Siewert type II AEG were included from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

Gel/Space Ratio Evolution in Ternary Composite System Consisting of Portland Cement, Silica Fume, and Fly Ash.

In cement-based pastes, the relationship between the complex phase assemblage and mechanical properties is usually described by the "gel/space ratio" descriptor. The gel/space ratio is defined as the volume ratio of the gel to the available space in the composite system, and it has been widely studied in the cement unary system. This work determines the gel/space ratio in the cement-silica fume-fly ash ternary system (C-SF-FA system) by measuring the reaction degrees of the cement, SF, and FA.

Glutathione responsive micelles incorporated with semiconducting polymer dots and doxorubicin for cancer photothermal-chemotherapy.

Nanoplatform integrated with photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy has been recognized a promising agent for enhancing cancer therapeutic outcomes, but still suffer from less controllability for optimizing their synergistic effects. We fabricated glutathione (GSH) responsive micelles incorporated with semiconducting polymer dots and doxorubicin (referred as SPDOX NPs) for combining PTT with chemotherapy to enhance cancer therapeutic efficiency. These micelles, with excellent water dispersibility, comprises of three distinct functional components: (1) the monomethoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-S-S-hexadecyl (mPEG-S-S-C), which forms the micelles, can render hydrophobic substances water-soluble and improve the colloidal stability; (2) disulfide linkages can be cleaved in a reductive environment for tumor specific drug release due to the high GSH concentrations of tumor micro-environment; (3) PCPDTBT dots and anti-cancer drug DOX that are loaded inside the hydrophobic core of the micelle can be applied to simultaneously perform PTT and chemotherapy to achieve significantly enhanced tumor killing efficiency both in vitro and in vivo.

[Efficacy and tolerance of Memantine monotherapy and combination therapy with Reinhartdt And Sea Cucumber Capsule on agitation in moderate to severe Alzheimer disease].

To explore the efficacy and tolerance of Memantine combined Reinhartdt And Sea Cucumber Capsule (R.S.C) on treating agitation in patients with moderate-severe Alzheimer disease (AD).

Quercetin ameliorates learning and memory via the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway in d-galactose-induced neurotoxicity in mice.

Aging is accompanied by deficits in cognitive function and neuronal degeneration or loss. Quercetin is a flavonoid that exhibits powerful antioxidant activity. This study evaluated the protective effects and mechanisms of quercetin in d-galactose-induced neurotoxicity in mice.

Nomogram predicted risk of peripherally inserted central catheter related thrombosis.

The use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) is increasing rapidly worldwide. A number of patient-related, clinical-related and device-related characteristics might be risk factors for PICC-related thrombosis. We retrospectively reviewed a database of 320 consecutive patients who underwent PICC insertion between December 2014 and December 2015 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University to explore the potential associations between risk factors and PICC-associated thrombosis.

Dietary supplementation with arginine and glutamic acid modifies growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs.

Sixty Duroc × Large White × Landrace pigs with an average initial BW of 77.1 ± 1.3 kg were used to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with arginine and glutamic acid on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs.

Vertical-Aligned Li S-Graphene Encapsulated within a Carbon Shell as a Free-Standing Cathode for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Construction of a novel matrix with both high conductivity and an excellent confinement effect for polysulfides is of great importance for developing high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In this work, we have developed a double-modification strategy to integrate lithium sulfide (Li S) into a conductive composite network consisting of vertical graphene (VG) arrays and an amorphous carbon shell, forming an integrated cathode (VG/Li S-C). Facile liquid-solution/evaporation methods in combination with chemical vapor deposition were successfully adopted for preparation of the above cathode.

Compressible 1D photonic crystal nanolasers with wide wavelength tuning.

We propose and demonstrate a tunable photonic crystal nanolaser consisting of 1D periodic nanorods wrapped in deformable polydimethylsiloxane. In addition to low-threshold and long-term lasing stability, the nanolaser also displays reproducible and reliable wavelength tuning with a large tunability of 7.7 nm under 1% compression.