Development/global validation of a 6-month-old pediatric head finite element model and application in investigation of drop-induced infant head injury.

Drop is a frequent cause for infant head injury. To date, finite element (FE) modeling was gradually used to investigate child head dynamic response under drop impact conditions, however, two shortages still exist on this topic: (1) due to ethical reasons, none of developed 6-month-old (6MO) head FE model was found to be quantitatively validated against child cadaver tests at similar age group; (2) drop height and impact surface stiffness effects on infant head responses were not comprehensively investigated. In this study, motivated by the recently published material properties of soft tissues (skull and suture, etc.

Ectopic expression of a WRKY homolog from Glycine soja alters flowering time in Arabidopsis.

Flowering is a critical event in the life cycle of plants; the WRKY-type transcription factors are reported to be involved in many developmental processes sunch as trichome development and epicuticular wax loading, but whether they are involved in flowering time regulation is still unknown. Within this study, we provide clear evidence that GsWRKY20, a member of WRKY gene family from wild soybean, is involved in controlling plant flowering time. Expression of GsWRKY20 was abundant in the shoot tips and inflorescence meristems of wild soybean.

Draft Genome Sequences of Five Multilocus Sequence Types of Nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae can colonize the human nasopharynx and cause conjunctivitis and otitis media. Different deletions in the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis locus and different multilocus sequence types have been described for nonencapsulated strains. Draft genome sequences were generated to provide insight into the genomic diversity of these strains.

Overexpression of GsZFP1 enhances salt and drought tolerance in transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

GsZFP1 encodes a Cys2/His2-type zinc-finger protein. In our previous study, when GsZFP1 was heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis, the transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited enhanced drought and cold tolerance. However, it is still unknown whether GsZFP1 is also involved in salt stress.

Biologic properties of surgical scaffold materials derived from dermal ECM.

Surgical scaffold materials manufactured from donor human or animal tissue are increasingly being used to promote soft tissue repair and regeneration. The clinical product consists of the residual extracellular matrix remaining after a rigorous decellularization process. Optimally, the material provides both structural support during the repair period and cell guidance cues for effective incorporation into the regenerating tissue.

Successful interventional treatment of post-biopsy renal artery pseudoaneurysm in pediatric patients.

Background: With an incidence ranging from 0.01% to 1.0%, renal artery pseudoaneurysm (RAP) is a rare complication after renal biopsy, percutaneous renal surgery, penetrating trauma, and rarely blunt renal trauma.

Expression of wild soybean WRKY20 in Arabidopsis enhances drought tolerance and regulates ABA signalling.

The WRKY-type transcription factors are involved in plant development and stress responses, but how the regulation of stress tolerance is related to plant development is largely unknown. GsWRKY20 was initially identified as a stress response gene using large-scale Glycine soja microarrays. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that the expression of this gene was induced by abscisic acid (ABA), salt, cold, and drought.

Evaluation of reproductive and developmental toxicities of Pu-erh black tea (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) extract in Sprague Dawley rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Pu-erh black tea, which is obtained by first parching crude green tea leaves and followed by secondary fermentation with microorganisms, has been believed to be beneficial beverages for health in PR China. But its potential toxicity when administered at a high dose as concentrated extract has not been completely investigated.

Aim Of The Study: The present study was aimed at evaluating potential reproductive and developmental toxicities of Pu-erh black tea extract (BTE) in Sprague Dawley rats.

WITHDRAWN:Mutations in NR5A1 and PIN1 associated with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

Ahead of Print article withdrawn by publisher.

A Glycine soja ABA-responsive receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase, GsRLCK, positively controls plant tolerance to salt and drought stresses.

Receptor such as protein kinases are proposed to work as sensors to initiate signaling cascades in higher plants. However, little is known about the precise functions of receptor such as protein kinases in abiotic stress response in plants, especially in wild soybean. Here, we focused on characterization of the biological functions of a receptor-like cytoplasmic serine/threonine protein kinase gene, GsRLCK, which was previously identified as a putative salt-alkali stress-related gene from the transcriptome profiles of Glycine soja.

Vector Monte Carlo simulations on atmospheric scattering of polarization qubits.

In this paper, a vector Monte Carlo (MC) method is proposed to study the influence of atmospheric scattering on polarization qubits for satellite-based quantum communication. The vector MC method utilizes a transmittance method to solve the photon free path for an inhomogeneous atmosphere and random number sampling to determine whether the type of scattering is aerosol scattering or molecule scattering. Simulations are performed for downlink and uplink.

Commensal bacteria-dependent select expression of CXCL2 contributes to periodontal tissue homeostasis.

The oral and intestinal host tissues both carry a heavy microbial burden. Although commensal bacteria contribute to healthy intestinal tissue structure and function, their contribution to oral health is poorly understood. A crucial component of periodontal health is the recruitment of neutrophils to periodontal tissue.

Indolizine derivatives as HIV-1 VIF-ElonginC interaction inhibitors.

Compound 1 (VEC-5) was identified as a potent small-molecular HIV-1 viron infectivity factor inhibitor that targets the viron infectivity factor-ElonginC interaction. A structure-activity relationship study was carried out to develop compounds with improved efficacy against HIV-1 and 49 indolizine derivatives of three categories were designed and synthesized. We found that five compounds exhibited promising anti-HIV-1 activity, and the most active compound 2g had an IC50 value of 11.

Genetic analysis and fine mapping of LH1 and LH2, a set of complementary genes controlling late heading in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Heading date in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a critical agronomic trait with a complex inheritance. To investigate the genetic basis and mechanism of gene interaction in heading date, we conducted genetic analysis on segregation populations derived from crosses among the indica cultivars Bo B, Yuefeng B and Baoxuan 2.

Association between obesity and atopic disorders in Chinese adults: an individually matched case-control study.

Background: Obesity is regarded as a potential risk factor for atopy. The aim of this study was to assess the associations of obesity with atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma and food allergy in Chinese adults.

Methods: Two hundred and sixty six (266) atopic cases in Harbin, China, were identified according to the current Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis of atopic diseases.

Adverse drug interactions as a high-risk factor for lethal post-transplant complications in Chinese population.

Metabolism of triazole antifungal agents is highly competitive to conventional post-transplant immunosuppressants like cyclosporine A (CsA) via the cytochrome P450-dependent pathway. We present the first report on lethal complications that may arise due to this type of drug interaction. A retrospective survey identified 10 of 104 cases (9.

[Influence of nasal septal deviation on incidence of bilateral sinusitis].

Objective: To investigate the influence of nasal septal deviation on the incidence of bilateral sinusitis.

Method: Two thousand and seventy-four cases of nasal septal deviation with chronic sinusitis available from January 2006 to March 2012 were reviewed retrospectively.

Result: Of these 2074 cases, 1 687 (81.

Numerical simulation of the influence of the elastic modulus of a tumor on laser-induced ultrasonics in soft tissue.

The influence of the elastic modulus of a tumor (EMT) on the laser-generated thermoelastic force source and ultrasound waves are investigated by using the finite element method. Taking into account the effects of thermal diffusion, optical penetration, and finite duration of laser pulse, the transient temperature distribution is obtained. Applying this temperature field to structure analyses as thermal loading, the thermoelastic stress field and laser-induced ultrasound wave in soft tissues are obtained.

Genetic analysis of heterotic loci detected in a cross between indica and japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.).

The study on the genetic basis of heterosis has received significant attention in recent years. In this study, using a set of introgression lines (ILs) and corresponding testcross F(1) populations, we investigated heterotic loci (HL) associated with six yield-related traits in both Oryza sativa L. subsp.

Identification of wild soybean (Glycine soja) TIFY family genes and their expression profiling analysis under bicarbonate stress.

Wild soybean (Glycine soja L. G07256) exhibits a greater adaptability to soil bicarbonate stress than cultivated soybean, and recent discoveries show that TIFY family genes are involved in the response to several abiotic stresses. A genomic and transcriptomic analysis of all TIFY genes in G.

The roles of hypoxia-inducible factors in regulating neural stem cells migration to glioma stem cells and determinating their fates.

The mortality of patients with malignant gliomas remains high despite the advancement in multi-modal therapy including surgery, radio- and chemotherapy. Glioma stem cells (GSCs), sharing some characteristics with normal neural stem cells (NSCs), contribute to the cellular origin for primary gliomas and the recurrence of malignant gliomas after current conventional therapy. Accordingly, targeting GSCs proves to be a promising avenue of therapeutic intervention.

Over-expression of a novel JAZ family gene from Glycine soja, increases salt and alkali stress tolerance.

Salt and alkali stress are two of the main environmental factors limiting crop production. Recent discoveries show that the JAZ family encodes plant-specific genes involved in jasmonate signaling. However, there is only limited information about this gene family in abiotic stress response, and in wild soybean (Glycine soja), which is a species noted for its tolerance to alkali and salinity.

Imaging changes in neural circuits in patients with depression using (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy and diffusion tensor imaging.

(1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging and diffusion tensor imaging were performed in 19 patients with mild depression and in 13 controls. The mean age of the patients was 31 years. The mean Hamilton depression score of the patients was 22.

Plasma microRNAs, miR-223, miR-21 and miR-218, as novel potential biomarkers for gastric cancer detection.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), endogenous small non-coding RNAs, are stably detected in human plasma. Early diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC) is very important to improve the therapy effect and prolong the survival of patients. We aimed to identify whether four miRNAs (miR-223, miR-21, miR-218 and miR-25) closely associated with the tumorigenesis or metastasis of GC can serve as novel potential biomarkers for GC detection.

Efficient oxidative folding and site-specific labeling of human hepcidin to study its interaction with receptor ferroportin.

Hepcidin is a small disulfide-rich peptide hormone that plays a key role in the regulation of iron homeostasis by binding and mediating the degradation of the cell membrane iron efflux transporter, ferroportin. Since it is a small peptide, chemical synthesis is a suitable approach for the preparation of mature human hepcidin. However, oxidative folding of synthetic hepcidin is extremely difficult due to its high cysteine content and high aggregation propensity.