Ensemble classification for predicting the malignancy level of pulmonary nodules on chest computed tomography images.

Early identification and classification of pulmonary nodules are essential for improving the survival rates of individuals with lung cancer and are considered to be key requirements for computer-assisted diagnosis. To address this topic, the present study proposed a method for predicting the malignant phenotype of pulmonary nodules based on weighted voting rules. This method used the pulmonary nodule regions of interest as the input data and extracted the features of the pulmonary nodules using the Denoising Auto Encoder, ResNet-18.

Baicalin suppress growth and virulence-related factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and vivo.

A Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) was isolated from pigs suffered in pneumonia that can't be cured by antibiotic such as methicillin and vancomycin. It was demonstrated that baicalin, an active natural compound extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal, possess antimicrobial activity.

New Lignans from roots of Kadsura coccinea.

Four new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, named heilaohusus A-D (1-4), one new arylnaphthalene lignan named heilaohusu E (5), and seven known analogues (6-12) were isolated from the roots of Kadsura coccinea. Their structures and configurations were elucidated by a combination of HR-ESI-MS, H NMR, C NMR, HSQC, HMBC, NOESY and CD spectra. Among the known compounds, compounds 6 and 8-12 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

Influenza A virus infection induces liver injury in mice.

Respiratory infections such as SARS-CoV in humans are often accompanied by mild and self-limiting hepatitis. As a respiratory disease, influenza A virus (IAV) infection can lead to hepatitis, but the mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of hepatitis by establishing a model for infected mice for three different subtypes of respiratory IAVs (H1N1, H5N1, and H7N2).

MicroRNA-134 plasma levels before and after treatment with valproic acid for epilepsy patients.

Background: Temporal lobe epilepsy is the second most common neurological disorders characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures. MicroRNAs play a vital role in regulating synaptic plasticity, brain development and post-transcriptional expression of proteins. In both animal models of epilepsy and human patients, miR-134, a brain-specific microRNA has recently been identified as a potential regulator of epileptogenesis.

DNAzymes Dz13 target the c-jun possess antiviral activity against influenza A viruses.

The emergence of anti-influenza A virus drugs resistant strain highlights the need for more effective therapy. Our earlier study demonstrated that c-jun, a downstream molecule of JNK, might be important in viral infections and inflammatory responses. In the present study, we explored the function of DNAzymes Dz13 that target c-jun in influenza A virus infected mice.

First sporadic case of pathogenic Escherichia coli infection in Black swan in China.

A strain of bacteria was isolated from the diseased black swan (Cygnus atratus) died from enteritis diarrhea, and designated tentatively as B-1 strain. Morphological and biochemical tests, as well as phylogenetic analysis derived from 16S rRNA and fimC gene sequencing both strongly indicated that B-1 strain is identical to Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) profile of the isolate was different from that of two reference strains.

Development of an indirect competitive ELISA for simultaneous detection of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin.

Modified 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropy) carbodiimide (EDC) method was employed to synthesize the artificial antigen of enrofloxacin (ENR), and New Zealand rabbits were used to produce anti-ENR polyclonal antibody (pAb). Based on the checkerboard titration, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) standard curve was established. This assay was sensitive and had a linear range from 0.

Monoclonal antibody-based ELISA and colloidal gold immunoassay for detecting 19-nortestosterone residue in animal tissues.

This article presents the generation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with high specificity against 19-nortestosterone (NT) through cell fusion techniques and the development of a mAb-based indirect competitive ELISA (icELISA) method and colloidal gold-based immuno-chromatographic assay to detect NT residues in beef and pork samples. A modified carbodiimide method was employed to synthesize the artificial antigen, and BALB/c mice were used to produce anti-NT mAbs. On the basis of the checkerboard titration, an indirect competitive ELISA standard curve was established.

Toxicity of ionic liquids on the growth, reproductive ability, and ATPase activity of earthworm.

To evaluate the toxicity of the ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bromide ([C(8)mim]Br) to Eisenia foetida, effects of [C(8)mim]Br on the growth, reproductive ability, and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity of earthworms were determined under laboratory conditions using artificial soil as substrate. The results showed that [C(8)mim]Br in high concentrations significantly inhibited the growth of the earthworms. These effects were enhanced with prolonged exposure to and increasing concentration of [C(8)mim]Br.

The toxic effects of ionic liquids on the activities of acetylcholinesterase and cellulase in earthworms.

The earthworm Eisenia foetida was exposed to different concentrations of imidazolium ionic liquids with varying chain lengths according to the method of OECD [OECD, 1984. (The Current Organization of Economic and Cooperative Development Acute Earthworm Toxicity Test) Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, No. 207.

Effects of the 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ionic liquids on the antioxidant defense system of Daphnia magna.

This study examined the antioxidant responses of Daphnia magna following exposure to different concentrations of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide and the 50% LC(50) concentrations of methylimidazolium bromide ILs with different alkyl-chain lengths. Activities of antioxidant defense enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione S-transferase) and levels of the antioxidant glutathione and the lipid peroxidation by-product malondialdehyde were measured using traditional methods or commercial kits. The concentration and the alkyl-chain length of ILs were found to strongly influence the antioxidant system of D.

Embryonic and developmental toxicity of the ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bromide on goldfish.

The embryonic developmental toxicity of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bromide ([C(8)mim]Br) on the goldfish Carassius auratus was evaluated in this study. First, the 72 h 50% lethal concentrations (72 h-LC(50)) for [C(8)mim]Br in goldfish embryos at the stages of cleavage, early gastrula, closure of blastopore, and heart beating were determined by preliminary acute toxicity tests. After that, fish embryos in different developmental stages (cleavage, early gastrula, closure of blastopore, and heart beating) were exposed to 10.

Identification of neutralizing epitopes on the VP2 protein of infectious bursal disease virus by phage-displayed heptapeptide library screening and synthetic peptide mapping.

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is the causative agent of infectious bursal disease, which is one of the most important and widespread infectious diseases in commercial chickens. Conformational epitopes have been reported in the highly variable region of the VP2 protein of IBDV. In the present study, a random heptapeptide library was screened by using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), YNW17 and YNW29, directed to the VP2 of IBDV and two peptide motifs, D-X-P-R and A-R-G, were identified.