Serum levels of leptin, adiponectin and resistin in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Various studies have researched the serum levels of leptin, adiponectin and resistin in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but the results were inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate the correlations between serum levels of these adipokines and AS.

Methods: Electronic databases were retrieved to search relevant publications.

Infant motor and cognitive abilities and subsequent executive function.

Introduction: Although executive function (EF) is widely considered crucial to several aspects of life, the mechanisms underlying EF development remain largely unexplored, especially for infants. From a behavioral or neurodevelopmental perspective, motor and general cognitive abilities are linked with EF. EF development is a multistage process that starts with sensorimotor interactive behaviors, which become basic cognitive abilities and, in turn, mature EF.

Atomically precise graphene nanoribbon heterojunctions from a single molecular precursor.

The rational bottom-up synthesis of atomically defined graphene nanoribbon (GNR) heterojunctions represents an enabling technology for the design of nanoscale electronic devices. Synthetic strategies used thus far have relied on the random copolymerization of two electronically distinct molecular precursors to yield GNR heterojunctions. Here we report the fabrication and electronic characterization of atomically precise GNR heterojunctions prepared through late-stage functionalization of chevron GNRs obtained from a single precursor.

Enhancement of hole mobility in InSe monolayer via an InSe and black phosphorus heterostructure.

To enhance the low hole mobility (∼40 cm V s) of InSe monolayer, a novel two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructure made of InSe and black phosphorus (BP) monolayers with high hole mobility (∼10 cm V s) has been constructed and its structural and electronic properties are investigated using first-principles calculations. We find that the InSe/BP heterostructure exhibits a direct band gap of 1.39 eV and type-II band alignment with electrons (holes) located in the InSe (BP) layer.

Myristoylation of Src kinase mediates Src-induced and high-fat diet-accelerated prostate tumor progression in mice.

Exogenous fatty acids provide substrates for energy production and biogenesis of the cytoplasmic membrane, but they also enhance cellular signaling during cancer cell proliferation. However, it remains controversial whether dietary fatty acids are correlated with tumor progression. In this study, we demonstrate that increased Src kinase activity is associated with high-fat diet-accelerated progression of prostate tumors and that Src kinases mediate this pathological process.

Efficacy of patients' preferred exercise modalities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A parallel-group, randomized, clinical trial.

Introduction: Physical exercise effectively improves health-related quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, application of this medical intervention is problematic, due to poor adherence to the exercise program or unawareness of the significance of this intervention.

Objective: To determine whether COPD patients who adopted personal-preferred exercise modalities (PPEMs) for daily training would demonstrate sustained benefits due to improved adherence.

Effect of Low Temperature on Globin Expression, Respiratory Metabolic Enzyme Activities, and Gill Structure of Litopenaeus vannamei.

Low temperature frequently influences growth, development, and even survival of aquatic animals. In the present study, physiological and molecular responses to low temperature in Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The cDNA sequences of two oxygen-carrying proteins, cytoglobin (Cygb) and neuroglobin (Ngb), were isolated.

MTLD, a Database of Multiple Target Ligands, the Updated Version.

Polypharmacology plays an important role in drug discovery and polypharmacology drug strategies provide a novel path in drug design. However, to develop a polypharmacology drug with the desired profile remains a challenge. Previously, we developed a free web-accessible database called Multiple Target Ligand Database (MTLD, www.

Ozone oil promotes wound healing by increasing the migration of fibroblasts via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Skin injury affects millions of people via the uncontrolled inflammation and infection. Many cellular components including fibroblasts and signaling pathways such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were activated to facilitate the wound healing to repair injured tissues. C57BL/6 female mice were divided into control and ozone oil treated groups.

Architecture of Human Mitochondrial Respiratory Megacomplex IIIIIV.

The respiratory megacomplex represents the highest-order assembly of respiratory chain complexes, and it allows mitochondria to respond to energy-requiring conditions. To understand its architecture, we examined the human respiratory chain megacomplex-IIIIIV (MCIIIIIV) with 140 subunits and a subset of associated cofactors using cryo-electron microscopy. The MCIIIIIV forms a circular structure with the dimeric CIII located in the center, where it is surrounded by two copies each of CI and CIV.

Paclitaxel-loaded and A10-3.2 aptamer-targeted poly(lactide--glycolic acid) nanobubbles for ultrasound imaging and therapy of prostate cancer.

In the current study, we synthesized prostate cancer-targeting poly(lactide--glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanobubbles (NBs) modified using A10-3.2 aptamers targeted to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and encapsulated paclitaxel (PTX). We also investigated their impact on ultrasound (US) imaging and therapy of prostate cancer.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Deep Placement for Increased Grain Yield and Nitrogen Recovery Efficiency in Rice Grown in Subtropical China.

Field plot experiments were conducted over 3 years (from April 2014 to November 2016) in a double-rice () cropping system in subtropical China to evaluate the effects of N fertilizer placement on grain yield and N recovery efficiency (NRE). Different N application methods included: no N application (CK); N broadcast application (NBP); N and NPK deep placement (NDP and NPKDP, respectively). Results showed that grain yield and apparent NRE significantly increased for NDP and NPKDP as compared to NBP.

Zinc Absorption from Representative Diet in a Chinese Elderly Population Using Stable Isotope Technique.

Objective: To determine the dietary zinc absorption in a Chinese elderly population and provide the basic data for the setting of zinc (Zn) recommended nutrient intakes (RNI) for Chinese elderly people.

Methods: A total of 24 elderly people were recruited for this study and were administered oral doses of 3 mg 67Zn and 1.2 mg dysprosium on the fourth day.

Synthesis and anti-oxidant activity evaluation of (±)-Anastatins A, B and their analogs.

Two novel flavonoids (±)-Anastatins A and B as well as 14 analogs, which containing a benzofuran moiety, were synthesized by using halogenation, Suzuki coupling reaction and an oxidation/Oxa-Michael reaction cascade as the key steps. The structures of the new flavonoids were confirmed by H NMR, C NMR and HRMS. The antioxidant activities of them as well as the key intermediates were evaluated by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and the active compounds were evaluated in the PC12 cell model of hydrogen peroxide (HO)-induced oxidative damage.

Prognostic value of human papillomavirus infection and p53, p16, epidermal growth factor receptor and p34 expression in patients with salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between HPV infection, p53, p16, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p34 protein expression and prognosis in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland. Totally 78 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma of salivary gland specimens were selected from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2013 in Tangshan Union Hospital. PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization was used to detect infection of human papilloma virus (HPV), and SP immunohistochemical method was adopted to detect the expression of p53, p16, EGFR and p34 protein in the carcinoma tissues.

Temporal dynamics of the compositions and activities of soil microbial communities post-application of the insecticide chlorantraniliprole in paddy soils.

Chlorantraniliprole (CAP) is a newly developed insecticide widely used in rice fields in China. There has been few studies evaluating the toxicological effects of CAP on soil-associated microbes. An 85-day microcosm experiment was performed to reveal the dissipation dynamics of CAP in three types of paddy soils in subtropical China.

Effects of Acute Hypoxia and Reoxygenation on Physiological and Immune Responses and Redox Balance of Wuchang Bream ( Yih, 1955).

To study adaption to water hypoxia, the changes in physiological levels, innate immune responses, redox balance of .amblycephala during hypoxia were investigated in the present study. When were exposed to different dissolved oxygen (DO) including control (DO: 5.

Performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 In Predicting Hospital Mortality In Emergency Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Since the 1980s, severity of illness scoring systems has gained increasing popularity in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Physicians used them for predicting mortality and assessing illness severity in clinical trials. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) and its customized equation for Australasia (Australasia SAPS 3, SAPS 3 [AUS]) in predicting clinical prognosis and hospital mortality in emergency ICU (EICU).

The Immunological Basis in the Pathogenesis of Gout.

Gout is an inflammatory arthritis characterized by red, tender, hot and tumid joints. The development cause and process of gout is very sophisticated; recent studies, notwithstanding, have offered novel perspectives on the mechanism from an immunological viewpoint. The pathological process of gout involves both innate and adaptive immune responses.

Developing a Virtual Teach-To-Goal Inhaler Technique Learning Module: A Mixed Methods Approach.

Background: Most hospitalized patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease misuse respiratory inhalers. An in-person educational strategy, teach-to-goal (TTG), improves inpatients' inhaler technique.

Objective: To develop an effective, portable education intervention that remains accessible to hospitalized patients postdischarge for reinforcement of proper inhaler technique.

Clinical value of combining transvaginal contrast-enhanced ultrasonography with serum human epididymisprotein-4 and the resistance index for early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

To increase accuracy of the detection and differential diagnosis of the early epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) with transvaginal contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (TVCEUS) combining serum human epididymisprotein 4 (HE4), and resistance index (RI). Methods: This retrospectively case-control study of 230 patients with ovarian tumors were reviewed at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China between June 2008 and September 2015. Before the operation of 110 cases with EOC (Group A) and 120 cases of patients with benign ovarian tumor (Group B), we observe and calculate both Groups' tumor vascular contrast-enhanced ultrasonography morphology scores (U), time-intensity curve (TIC) of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, HE4, and RI.

The effects of micronutrient deficiencies on bacterial species from the human gut microbiota.

Vitamin and mineral (micronutrient) deficiencies afflict 2 billion people. Although the impact of these imbalances on host biology has been studied extensively, much less is known about their effects on the gut microbiota of developing or adult humans. Therefore, we established a community of cultured, sequenced human gut-derived bacterial species in gnotobiotic mice and fed the animals a defined micronutrient-sufficient diet, followed by a derivative diet devoid of vitamin A, folate, iron, or zinc, followed by return to the sufficient diet.

Effects of duckweed (Spriodela polyrrhiza) remediation on the composition of dissolved organic matter in effluent of scale pig farms.

The swine effluent studied was collected from scale pig farms, located in Yujiang County of Jiangxi Province, China, and duckweed (Spriodela polyrrhiza) was selected to dispose the effluent. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of duckweed growth on the dissolved organic matter composition in swine effluent. Throughout the experiment period, the concentrations of organic matter were determined regularly, and the excitation-emission matrix (3DEEM) spectroscopy was used to characterize the fluorescence component.

Evaluation of the Efficiency of the Reticulocyte Hemoglobin Content on Diagnosis for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Chinese Adults.

Our aim was to evaluate the cut-off value and efficiency of using reticulocyte hemoglobin content as a marker to diagnose iron deficiency anemia in Chinese adults. 140 adults who needed bone marrow aspiration for diagnosis at the hematology department of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled according to the inclusive and exclusive criteria. Venous blood samples were collected to detect complete blood count, including hemoglobin, reticulocyte hemoglobin content, hematocrit, mean cellular volume, corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, hemoglobin content, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin; iron indexes of serum ferritin, serum transferrin receptor, and unsaturated iron-binding capacity; and inflammation markers of C-reactive protein and α-acid glycoprotein.

Changes in regulatory T cells in patients with ovarian cancer undergoing surgery: Preliminary results.

Regulatory T cells (Treg) suppress immune responses in patients with cancer. Surgery is the most effective therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer (OC). However, the interplay between the Treg population and surgical resection remains unclear.