Industrial digital radiographic image denoising based on improved KBNet.

 Industrial digital radiography (DR) images are essential for industrial inspections, but they often suffer from strong scatter, cross-talk, electronic noise, and other factors that affect image quality. The presence of non-zero mean noise and neighborhood correlation loss in 1D array scanning poses significant challenges for denoising. To enhance the denoising process of industrial DR images and address the issues of low resolution and noise, we propose an improved KBNet (iKBNet) that incorporates lightweight modifications and introduces novel elements to the original KBNet.

Semi-supervised segmentation of metal-artifact contaminated industrial CT images using improved CycleGAN.

Accurate segmentation of industrial CT images is of great significance in industrial fields such as quality inspection and defect analysis. However, reconstruction of industrial CT images often suffers from typical metal artifacts caused by factors like beam hardening, scattering, statistical noise, and partial volume effects. Traditional segmentation methods are difficult to achieve precise segmentation of CT images mainly due to the presence of these metal artifacts.

Diterpenoids from Euphorbia lactea and their anti-HIV-1 activity.

Nine undescribed diterpenoids, euphlactenoids A-I (1-9), including four ingol-type diterpenoids (1-4) with a 5/3/11/3-tetracyclic framework and five ent-pimarane-type diterpenoids (5-9), together with thirteen known diterpenoids (10-22), were identified from the leaves and stems of Euphorbia lactea Haw. The structures and absolute configurations of compounds 1-9 were unequivocally elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, ECD calculations and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 3 and 16 showed anti-HIV-1 effects with IC values of 1.

Antiviral Activity of Dual-acting Hydrocarbon-stapled Peptides against HIV-1 Predominantly Circulating in China.

Objective: New rationally designed i,i+7-hydrocarbon-stapled peptides that target both HIV-1 assembly and entry have been shown to have antiviral activity against HIV-1 subtypes circulating in Europe and North America. Here, we aimed to evaluate the antiviral activity of these peptides against HIV-1 subtypes predominantly circulating in China.

Methods: The antiviral activity of three i,i+7-hydrocarbon-stapled peptides, NYAD-36, NYAD-67, and NYAD-66, against primary HIV-1 CRF07_BC and CRF01_AE isolates was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Distinctive Drug-resistant Mutation Profiles and Interpretations of HIV-1 Proviral DNA Revealed by Deep Sequencing in Reverse Transcriptase.

Objective: To investigate distinctive features in drug-resistant mutations (DRMs) and interpretations for reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) between proviral DNA and paired viral RNA in HIV-1-infected patients.

Methods: Forty-three HIV-1-infected individuals receiving first-line antiretroviral therapy were recruited to participate in a multicenter AIDS Cohort Study in Anhui and Henan Provinces in China in 2004. Drug resistance genotyping was performed by bulk sequencing and deep sequencing on the plasma and whole blood of 77 samples, respectively.

[Small molecular agents against MERS-CoV infection].

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has caused outbreaks of SARS-like disease with 35% case-fatality rate, mainly in the Middle East. A more severe outbreak of MERS occurred recently in the Republic of Korea, where 186 people contracted the infections, causing great concern worldwide. So far, there has been no clinically available drug for the treatment of MERS-CoV infection.

[Development of peptidic MERS-CoV entry inhibitors].

In 2012, a new SARS-like coronavirus emerged in the Middle East, namely the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). It has caused outbreaks with high mortality. During infection of target cell, MERS-CoV S protein S1 subunit binds to the cellular receptor (DPP4), and its S2 subunit HR1 and HR2 regions intact with each other to form a stable six-helix bundle to mediate the fusion between virus and target cell membranes.

Upregulation of microRNA-146a by hepatitis B virus X protein contributes to hepatitis development by downregulating complement factor H.

Unlabelled: Hepatic injuries in hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients are caused by immune responses of the host. In our previous study, microRNA-146a (miR-146a), an innate immunity-related miRNA, and complement factor H (CFH), an important negative regulator of the alternative pathway of complement activation, were differentially expressed in HBV-expressing and HBV-free hepatocytes. Here, the roles of these factors in HBV-related liver inflammation were analyzed in detail.

Tactics used by HIV-1 to evade host innate, adaptive, and intrinsic immunities.

Objective: To review the mechanisms by which HIV evades different components of the host immune system.

Data Sources: This review is based on data obtained from published articles from 1991 to 2012. To perform the PubMed literature search, the following key words were input: HIV and immune evasion.

[Characterization of the HIV-1 subunit vaccine containing the gp41 NHR domain of the HIV-1 CRF01_AE recombinant subtype in China].

Aim: To design and construct an HIV-1 subunit vaccine containing the N-terminal heptad repeat (NHR) domain N51 in gp41 of the HIV-1 CRF01_AE recombinant subtype in China and study its immunogenicity.

Methods: Two pairs of primers were designed to amplify DNA fragment encoding N51Fd gene, which was then subcloned into pFUSE-hIgG1-Fc2 vector. The recombinant plasmid pFUSE/N51Fd was confirmed by DNA sequencing.

[Construction of rheumatoid arthritis-specific full-length fully human mammalian display antibody libraries].

Objective: To construct a rheumatoid arthritis-specific full-length fully human mammalian display antibody libraries.

Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The repertoires of kappa light chain (LCκ) and heavy chain variable region (VH) of the antibodies were amplified by RT-PCR.

[Rapid construction of a mammalian cell surface display library of full-length human antibodies].

Objective: To construct a mammalian cell surface display library of full-length human antibodies.

Methods: The total RNA was isolated from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and the genes encoding the heavy chain variable regions and kappa light chains (VH and Cκ) of the antibodies were amplified by RT-PCR. The amplified VH and Cκ gene sequences were separately inserted into the vector pDGB-HC-TM.

Directed shift of vaginal flora after topical application of sucrose gel in a phase III clinical trial: a novel treatment for bacterial vaginosis.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common infectious diseases among sexually active women and is associated with the increased acquisition of a variety of sexually transmitted diseases. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a non-antibiotic sucrose gel against an antibiotic metronidazole gel for the treatment of BV.

Methods: A randomized, double-blinded, multi-center, parallel-group, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial was conducted at eight hospitals in China.

[A non-infectious and quantitative cell-based bioassay for screening HIV entry inhibitors targeting HIV envelope proteins].

Objective: To develop an objective bioassay for quantitative detection of HIV-induced cell-cell fusion for screening HIV entry inhibitors.

Methods: HL2/3 cells expressing HIV envelope proteins gp120/gp41, Tat, and other HIV proteins were co-cultured with HeLa-CD4-LTR-beta-gal cells expressing CD4 receptor and HIV LTR triggered reporter gene beta-galactosidase. The enzyme activities of beta-galactosidase were detected by a chromogenic substrate, chlorophenol red-beta-galactopyranoside (CPRG).

[Study of the mechanism of caffeoyl glucopyranoses in inhibiting HIV-1 entry using pseudotyped virus system].

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory activities of caffeoyl glucopyranoses purified from Balanophora japonica Makino on HIV entry and their mechanism.

Methods: HIV-1 Env pseudovirus was used to evaluate the anti-HIV-1 activity of those compounds. ELISA and molecular docking were used to study the mechanism of the actions of the active compounds.

[Design, synthesis and biologic evaluation of diarylbenzimidazole derivatives as novel HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors].

Twenty seven new diarylbenzimidazole derivatives (A1-A21, B1-B6) were designed, synthesized, and evaluated in MT-2 cell line as potential HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) agents with a new skeleton based on molecular modeling technique and hit 1,2-diarylbenzimidazole A1 (EC50 69.9 miromol x L(-1)). Hence, 1,2-diarylbenzimidazoles A6 and B3, and 1,6-diarylbenzimidazole B6 showed obvious potency against HIV-1 replication in MT-2 cell line with EC50 values of 15.

[VIR576 inhibits antigen-specific T cell activation by binding to the transmembrane domain of T cell receptor].

Objective: To study the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of the anti-HIV peptide VIR576 on antigen-specific T cell activation.

Methods: CCK-8 assay was used to investigate the effect of VIR576 on the proliferation of splenocytes of OVA-specific DO11.10 Tg mice in response to chicken OVA.

[1,2,6-tri-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucopyranose inhibits gp41-mediated HIV envelope fusion with target cell membrane].

Objective: To observe the inhibitory effect of 1,2,6-Tri-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucopyranose (TGGP) from Balanophora japonica Makino on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry into the host cells and explore the mechanisms.

Methods: TGGP was purified from Balanophora japonica Makino by n-hexane and ethyl acetate extraction and column chromatography. The inhibitory activity of TGGP on HIV gp41 six-helix bundle formation was measured with ELISA, N-PAGE and SE-HPLC, and the inhibitory effect of TGGP on HIV envelope grlycoprotein-induced cell-cell fusion was detected using a non-infectious cell-based assay.

Neutralization of HIV-1 primary isolate by ELDKWA-specific murine monoclonal antibodies.

ELDKWA on HIV-1 gp41 is a conserved epitope recognized by one broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody 2F5, which is a promising candidate target for vaccine design. Here we report two ELDKWA-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 18F11 and 7E10, that were screened from the splenocytes of mice immunized by recombinant GST-(ELDKWA)4 protein. In further evaluation, these mAbs exhibited appreciable neutralizing activities against HIV-1 primary isolate 92US675 (clade B) with IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) of 6.

[Immunological reaction between the peptides from S1 domain of SARS coronavirus S-protein and the serum from SARS patients].

Objective: To examine the immunological reactions between the peptides of SARS coronavirus (SARS-Cov) S-protein and the serum of SARS patients for identifying the SARS-Cov epitope.

Methods: The peptides from S1 domain of SARS-Cov S-protein were synthesized by peptide synthesizer, and the immunological reaction of the peptides with the serum of SARS patients were examined by means of ELISA.

Results: The optical density value of the immunological reaction of synthesized 8 peptides with SARS patient serum was 1.

Tannin inhibits HIV-1 entry by targeting gp41.

Aim: To investigate the mechanism by which tannin inhibits HIV-1 entry into target cells.

Methods: The inhibitory activity of tannin on HIV-1 replication and entry was detected by p24 production and HIV-1-mediated cell fusion, respectively. The inhibitory activity on the gp41 six-helix bundle formation was determined by an improved sandwich ELISA.